humanity
Humanity topics include pieces on the real lives of politicians, legislators, activists, women in politics and the everyday voter.
Confessions of Someone Who Isn't Black
I wrote this essay back in July of 2016 when week after week, we would see more and more brutality from the police against unarmed black men and women. In light of the events in Charleston, I felt it important to share this with the world again.
By Michael LaMasa8 years ago in The Swamp
To Be or Not To Be
Another Day So. Here I am again thinking about damn trump— FYI, I use a small case ‘t’ for its name to show my complete disrespect for it. The Arizona rally was a few days ago. I didn’t go, rest assured that person isn’t me. I am not one of the damn trump-girls. [We all know you got paid. We see you.] The issue, for me is that someone I know went to the rally, she was there with bells on.
By Deirdre Jackson-Head8 years ago in The Swamp
How I Explained Charlottesville to My Kids
The events in Charlottesville, Virginia, have been described as many things — hateful, terrorism, supremacist, etc. There are self-flagellating white liberals grieving over whiteness. There are Blacks who are tired of hearing the same old song. There are conservatives saying, “Hey, that ain’t us.” There are cyberbullies doxxing people who look like the neo-Nazis who gathered there. And I, well, I’m just trying to help my kids — the oldest of whom is mixed — digest it.
By Patrick Murphy, MS, LLPC8 years ago in The Swamp
"The Daily Stormer" Troubles Not Over
There's a storm brewing for Andrew Anglin, founder of neo-Nazi website "The Daily Stormer." Sirius XM host Dean Obeidallah, who is of Muslim-American descent, is suing because a June 1 article posted on "The Daily Stormer" implied that Obeidallah was behind the Manchester, England bombing at a May 22, 2017 Ariana Grande concert. 22 people were killed at 59 were injured.
By Christina St-Jean8 years ago in The Swamp
So Wrong They're Alt Right
The first thing that needs to be said: the alt right is just a fancy name for Nazis. Offended, don't be a Nazi. It's as simple as that. I have no patience for those that try to defend themselves with insipid excuses for being hateful, racist, insecure people. One person actually tried to tell me they were on the alt right because of Black Lives Matter. Are you kidding me? The two are literally not even the near the same thing. The Nazis, as they will be called from here on out, think that white is the superior race. BLM was standing up against their children being killed needlessly by police officers. This is the hell the Trump hath wrought and it is so stupid that if it were a movie, people would walk out on it.
By Edward Anderson8 years ago in The Swamp
An Internal Reaction to an External Issue
It's been 86 days since the Manchester Arena was attacked by a British-Muslim whose name I refuse to type into this article. I refuse to type this man's name because it gives him more publicity than I feel is necessary. It's sickening to think that an attack like this will leave people, more specifically the people of Manchester, England, with the memory of his name and not the names of the lives he took.
By Ryan Anthony Baxter8 years ago in The Swamp
White Shock in the Face of Racism
Growing up in suburban Utah, I didn’t give much thought to race. I didn’t think of my whiteness as a luxury or think about the fact that despite attending a school that was in a primarily Hispanic neighborhood, I didn’t have any Hispanic friends. Although the Mormon church had a rocky and troubled history with black members, that was in the past—during the civil rights movement, church policy had been changed to be more welcoming. It was over. Civil rights had solved racism. It was important to be polite to people, but it wasn’t like those few suburban black kids I knew had experienced a dramatically different life than I had. Though I had relatives who complained about those “immigrants” who wouldn’t learn English, obviously their complaint had nothing to do with skin color.
By Haybitch Abersnatchy8 years ago in The Swamp
America Needs More Than Denial Right Now
A friend posted "Beaumont to Detroit" written by Langston Hughes in 1943 on her social media profile the other day. For anyone unfamiliar with this piece, it is a very powerful reflection on America during WWII. Comparing the propaganda that was publicized about Hitler to the likes of the Ku Klux Klan and very powerfully speaking against the actions of white America through comparisons with Mussilini and Hitler. It's a powerful read and is very appropriate for the current climate.
By Regina Stone-Grover8 years ago in The Swamp
Continue To Stand Against Racism, Hatred - And Not Just For Heather Heyer
Heather Heyer, just 32 years old, was a young woman embarking on what should be the rest of her life. She was, by all accounts, someone who believed in standing up for the voiceless, and happened to be in Charlottesville on Saturday, August 12, when a grey Dodge Challenger plowed through a mass of protesters, sending people racing for their lives and flying through the air as they were struck.
By Christina St-Jean8 years ago in The Swamp
When Your Skin is Seen as a Weapon...
I am a single mother of color, and my anxiety for my children grows at a rate that has left me physically ill daily and exhausted. Unable to lock my children away in a safety bubble and not expose them to this racially based society we live in keeps me in a state of panic and depression. They are not safe with police because what they see is black skin as a weapon. Shot first cover up afterward, their peers, who are ignorant and lost in the white haze, believing that other blacks are their enemy, or white people in general, due to their white privilege blindness.
By STACEY PATTERSON8 years ago in The Swamp
How to See the Bigger Picture of Trump's Role
I know that these days, it is the norm to see post after post showing Donald Trump saying something completely ridiculous or being mocked/hated by someone; however, from the perspective of a non-American’s point of view (my humble one), I’m going to play devil’s advocate just this time —and no, I don’t think he should be President at all, in fact I don’t think he should be in any management role ever, at least not if he is in charge of people.
By Grace Evelyn9 years ago in The Swamp
