Type
Topic
Country
A reflection on privilege
Over the past few days and due to the current developments in the US, I have been thinking a lot about privilege and how much it shapes our lives. As someone who has never been discriminated based on my skin colour, religion or sexuality, I feel like it's easy to take things for granted and not recognize the weight privilege has had in everything I have accomplished in life. I was lucky enough to be born in one of the safest countries in the world, that is part of a Union whose main values are democracy, freedom and peace. I come from a white family and although we are not particularly rich, I...
Skin
for the stories the scars tell one voice isn't enough I have spent most of my day looking at the protests taking place all over the US right now. To those of you who do not know, A man named George Floyd was killed by a police officer who was suffocating him to death. He was innocent. He was unarmed. He was black. Onlookers kept telling the officer that he was going to kill George, but the officer was indifferent. His knee was fixed on the back of George's neck, even has he said the words, "I can't breathe." This isn't the first time something as gruesome as this has happened in the US. In...
The beauty of human beings is in diversity
When I meet someone, I see a human being with ideas and dreams. I imagine human beings as books with unique stories and illustrations. There is the famous saying that I love, don't judge books by their covers. Maybe we all look different but we are all equal, we are the same human beings. Respect each other. P.s. I want to share with you the beautiful quote that inspires me to push the boundaries and see the light, to feel the great responsibility and share happiness. "The most difficult thing for humanity is being human!", this deep thought was written by the famous writer from Kyrgyzstan...
Enough Is Enough
Hello, First off, I want to say that I'm devastated and disappointed to what just happened to George Floyd. As a blogger, I always try to make a blog that will never ever offend, bring skins, races, religions, and most importantly not supporting the discrimination action. I'm so lucky to have been born and raised in a family that does not support racism. I've been taught to always respect others without looking their skins, beliefs, races, and other differences. It's hard to accept the fact that Mr. Floyd had to die because of his skin color. This is not right to always happen to all of the...
You May Say I'm A Dreamer
When John Lennon said he was not the only dreamer who imagined a world of unity and peace, I believed him. The planet must be full of people who dream of such a world where we do not let any religion or country keep us from living as one, but, with every act of violence, every hate crime, every incident where someone behaves in the most inhuman manner, we are all losing hope. How a person could discriminate against another based on their gender, color, religion or any other such grounds that make them who they are, is beyond my comprehension. There is a reason why there is a diversity among...
Tribute to Floyd
A few weeks ago, the news reports were updates on Corona Virus. They were talking about how Australia is successfully flattening the curve, how hospitals are managing well, how peoples lives are slowly going back to normal. Careers and livelihoods being restored. Sport and entertainment restrictions being lifted. Families being reunited. Everything getting better. And then a week ago, a black man was killed by white police. Now the news headlines look like this: Protests have broken out all over the country, people are constantly fighting, families are being divided, rioting is destroying...
4 Ways You Can Support Refugees
As more refugees are being resettled in countries across the world, young people are creating innovative ways to mobilize their peers. You, too, can make a difference in the lives of refugees. No matter where you’re from, there are countless opportunities to support refugees in your local community. Ranging from tutoring refugee children to screening films about displacement at your school campus, here are four ways to stand #WithRefugees: 1. Tutor Refugee Youth in Your Community. An easy way to help refugees in your community, or even abroad, is to teach them the local language. Learning the...
Five actions you can take against racism and discrimination
Our voice
Living in a world with the agony of not being proud of the current face of my country is like living in misery. Keeping my mouth shut during this time of pain is unbearable. I have lived with this big mouth for my entire life, but it never caused pain like now. Whenever I open my mouth I am told to close it. Words I could think of as a complement are suddenly used to stab me in the back, it's almost like self-inflicted pain. I feel diminished to be a woman, where being a woman can be used to insult me. I have shirts like Love is Love, Or Students Lives Matter but what is the point in wearing...
The Shades of the Black Lives Matter Movement
Protests. Rallies. Curfews. Never would I have imagined such a day in the United States. Never could I conceive the threat of tear gassing and rubber bullets, unmasked acquaintances and close contact with strangers rendered insignificant in the midst of a pandemic. Never could I imagine streets lined with thousands marching hand in hand as the disease spreads from man to man. The desire for justice has overcome fear of COVID-19, for while the virus can’t pick and choose who deserves to live or die, the racist few of an institution in this nation meant to “serve and protect” have that power...
This is the one thing that can never be tolerated
I was watching a Korean thriller movie and this sentence came out "I was scared until my body became stiff and unable to do anything". That sentence really hit me. It reminded me of the sexual harassment that I experienced. Sexual harassment is real and it can literally haunt you in many ways, like being catcalled or being touched without consent. Whether it's your partner, your best friend, even your own parents touching a part of your body you don't like it, even if that person insists by telling you to "just take it easy" or says something to make you feel guilty for "rejecting" that...
Racism, the real global pandemic
In the past days, George Floyd has dominated the news. I do not think that I need to go on about who George Floyd was because, regardless of his identity, what matters is that George Floyd was a son George Floyd was a brother George Floyd was a husband George Floyd was a father And more than anything, George Floyd was like me and you, a man hoping for a decent life for him and his family. I do not know the man to judge or take sides but one thing I am sure of is that no one deserves to be treated in the same manner. No one deserves to die in such a horrible way. We currently live in the 21st...
Black Lives Matter. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.
Philando Castile. Sandra Bland. Eric Garner. Tamir Rice. Alton Sterling. Breonna Taylor. Collins Khoza. Sibusiso Amos. George Floyd. 10 out of the hundreds of black people that were killed by law enforcement around the world. 10 out of the hundreds of black people whose only crime was just that. Being black. The past few weeks have been so heavy for me. The murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor sparked worldwide protests for the #BlackLivesMatter movement. It’s incredible to see the us stand together for a cause that affects billions around the world. My only hope is that this isn’t...
Racism in Mexico
The last few days I have been really shocked by everything that has happened in the United States, and that is that while the world is facing the worst health crisis in recent decades, many other pandemics have been revealed such as domestic violence, poverty, inequality and in this case in particular: racism. That racism that caused many people protest and demand better living conditions in order to stop racism in the United States. However, I think it is important to emphasize that this is not unique to this country, but it is systematized and naturalized in Mexico and Latin America. In this...
Once Upon A Time
Once upon a time, when she was less of a human and more of a shadow, I used to cry. Not wanting to cause her grief, but determined to see her smile, I gave her a feather. One she must protect from any harm. She promised me to always protect the feather. However, she was being abused, daily hit and degraded until once, her blood was abundant, it stained the feather. It was not until that moment that she realised she ought not to be hit. Only at that moment did she finally understand that by reporting her abuser, I was not trying to steal her husband, I was trying to save her. She finally...
Meet young people stopping the spread of COVID-19 and supporting communities
"Me too!"- a poem
I heard someone make a joke again, about it being her fault or the time of month again. If you've got a pen you've got to write! If you've got a voice you've got to fight! for the things that make you mad, for the rights you wish you had. for the girls who don't know why it hurts, for the girls who now hate their curves. for the boys who got killed instead, for the boys who then lost their head. for the little kids who did not see, what would 'come of accepting a sweet. for the people who grew up believing this is the way of the world we're leaving, that fear and oppression are a medicine we...
We Are All Human | LGBTQ+ MENA
#COVID-Stories Hasan | LGBTQ Activist | Amman, Jordan What challenges has the LGBTQ community faced since the lockdown started? Are their needs being addressed? H: Many transgender, lesbian, and visible LGBTQ individuals already work from home due to discrimination in the workforce causing a lack of employment for LGBTQ individuals in Jordan, particularly transgender individuals. These people do vocational work such as accessory production, catering, and tailoring. They are already survivors in their daily lives since they have managed to create their own home businesses. Due to the quarantine...
Equal work pay
One factor that incapacitates women not to live independently as single mothers - providing their kids with quality education, medical care, and daily living - and as well being able to make equal contributions with their husbands at home is as a result of unequal work pay. This could cause most husbands to deny their wives privileges to work, in a situation whereby a man thinks within himself that what meaning does it makes whereas his wife is working but most of the financial burdens are handled with his income, this alone has given the man enough reason to stop his wife from working. I am...