Standing with Standing Rock
Stand with Standing Rock is a grassroots social justice movement that began in North Dakota, United States. The movement began as activism against the Dakota Access Pipeline that was rerouted through Native American lands, in particular, the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. It began as a fight to protect sacred lands and the peoples’ right to water quality – as the pipeline is routed through the tribe’s water source. The pipeline disturbs sacred sites, infringes on past treaty promises and tribal sovereignty, and is a significant danger to water supply. However, the Stand with Standing Rock has taken on larger significance as a conduit for global climate change.
SlutWalk
As globally conscious GRSJ students we are all aware of the current issues of gender inequalities that exist within our societies. Therefore we are also aware of the current schools of thought that are being discussed within the modern feminist movement. We are in a moment of empowerment, third-wave feminism, which is abandoning the notion of the “victim feminist” and attempting to redefine the female role within society. [1] Women should no longer be seen as victims of the patriarchy but as individuals who are free to make decisions about their lifestyle without fear of prejudice. Unfortunately our contemporary culture is still saturated with misogynist ideologies that continue to oppress gender minorities. In this particular circumstance we will be discussing, these manifest themselves as the normalised violence towards women.
Muslim Women’s Rights
Since the emergence of feminism in the 19th century, there have been efforts to expand the meaning of feminism, which has led to the development of “feminisms.” Feminism as a formal movement first emerged in the 19th and early 20th century primarily by Western women passionate about women’s suffrage and overturning legal obstacles to gender equality. By the 1960s, another wave of feminism began in the US, and later spread throughout the Western world. This second wave broadened feminist concerns by including sexuality, family, the workplace, reproductive rights and legal inequalities.
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter is a global social justice activism movement that began in the United States and has since spread around the globe. The movement seeks to attain racial justice for African-Americans and those who identify as black. Activists who participate in the movement aim to bring an end to violence and systemic racism aimed against black people. Since its inception as a hashtag, it has transformed into a full-fledged movement that manifests on and offline, and it has expanded from being a response to police brutality to encompassing all types on injustices faced by black people, including in the realms of education, the criminal justice system, and class relations.
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring refers to the uprisings that occurred in the Middle East during the Spring and Summer of 2011. These demonstrations occurred in Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Syria and Jordan. Democratization usually occurs in geographical clusters, due to the shared culture and language. Grand discusses the transmission of democratic ideals in geographic regions, “When one country overthrows a dictator, citizens in other countries that share a common language—or at least commonalities in language and culture—are more likely to hear about it, view the example provided by their neighbor as relevant to their own condition, and feel empowered to take action because of it. Improvements in communications technologies have only accelerated these effects.”
Anti-Slavery International
Anti-Slavery International is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that exclusively works to eliminate all forms of slavery. Founded in 1839 by British abolitionists, it is the world’s oldest human rights organization. It is a charity and lobby group that has consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, participatory status with the Council of Europe, and membership in the International Labour Organization Special List of NGOs.
Act Up New York
Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) once contracted is a life-long condition. This virus attacks the body’s immune system. More specifically, HIV attacks CD4 cells (T-cells) that help the immune system fight off infections. If left untreated, the lack of T-cells due to this attack results in the weakening of the body’s immune response.