So, I was scanning through my Facebook posts just now, and someone I know who is a police officer had posted this image with statistics. The image compares the death toll of troops in the Iraq War since 2001 to the death toll of on-duty police officers since the same time period. The numbers are almost identical, but what strikes me about these statistics is how selective they are. Nowhere is there any mention of the collateral damage of foreign citizens, or how lopsided this war on terror has been (sorry if I offend).
North America
Malcom X's Daughter on Activism Today
Malcom X's daughter, ILYASAH SHABAZZ, writes about her father's legacy of activism and action, and postulates what he would think of activism and activists today, particularly the #BlackLivesMatter movement and Ferguson actions taken recently. She criticizes "hashtag activism" and writes that her father would encourage more direct action, as well as taking positions of power "inside the system and out." Comment below with whether you agree or disagree with Shabazz's assessment of today's activism.
Welcome to Winnipeg: Where Canada’s racism problem is at its worst
US Human Rights Network
For those who are interested in learning about domestic human rights movements happening in the United States, the US Human Rights Network is a great place to start (as suggested by Professor Vargas in class this week). One of its principles is human rights movements must be led by those directly affected by human rights violations, a very people-centered approach that I think is mindful and should be replicated by other human rights groups.
Jailing Americans for Profit: The Rise of the Prison Industrial Complex
Repost from the Huffington Post:
By John W. Whitehead
Attorney, President of The Rutherford Institute, and author of 'A Government of Wolves'
