Meet Matthew Shepard He was brutally tortured and murdered in 1998. BECAUSE HE WAS GAY.
11 years later, we have finally passed the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill which expanded the Hate Crimes law to include crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
The FBI estimates that 6 hate crimes occur every day 1 in 6 is directed at the LGBT community
For more information on the bill, check out this video:
This fall, an awesome opportunity is coming to YOU to become involved in the movement to END GENOCIDE.
Pledge2Protect, a campaign that aims to pass anti-genocide legislation has some great ways for students to become involved.
There are three main parts of this campaign:
1) Pledge on Camera: You can film members of your community speaking out against genocide, and then put those clips with other videos from around the state to create a powerful message to your Senator to act on this issue. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
2) Pledge on Capital Hill: The actual Pledge2Protect Conference happens in Washington DC, and this year, they are planning for the largest lobby day in anti-genocide history. I went to the STAND conference last year, and I completely reccomend it. It is well organized, and you learn and do an incredible amount. If you're curious, I'm happy to talk more about it! CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
3) Pledge in the Streets: Bring the message of genocide prevention to your community during a national canvass to build awareness of the anti-genocide movement! There aren't too many details up on this aspect yet, but I imagine that it will involve hosting events in your community to bring more people into this important movement. I'll post when details are up :)
You don't have to work on every part of this campaign, but it would be great if you found a way to participate in it somehow :)
If you have any questions about what you can do, leave comments!
Sometimes it can seem like the problems are endless, like the violence never stops, like we are powerless against all the bad things people do in the world. It can be especially hard when we're not near the problems, and can't see the people they're devastating every day.
But ignorance is not bliss for the people living the "problem". They are counting on our dedication, our knowledge, and our assistance to make their lives better.
The best way, I've personally found, to stay motivated and dedicated is to really connect with the people you want to help.
One great blog is While We Wait, a blog which works to "to provide daily updates on how Darfuri lives are affected as they wait for aid to be restored."
It is amazing to realize the daily trials these people, who sometimes seem like a world away, are facing, are realize that it is in our hands to help them.
Earlier today, I found this article, and was absolutely facinated by the reaction to the femicides in Latin America created by Swoon and Tennessee Jane Watson. I just found out about these femicides, and I'll try to do another blog post soon to explain more about what they are, and what you can do. For this post, I was really intrigued about the art that came out of Swoon's discovery of the femicides, and how she was moved to create the incredible instillation shown in the video below.
This video and the stunning images of the instillations really started getting me thinking, about how cool it would be to have more instillations that raise awareness for human rights issues. I started imagining what I would do if I was given a space to just CREATE something to help people understand the pain of refugees from Darfur, to help people feel what is going through their minds, and move them to take action.
I think that art is an incredibly effective way of reaching people, and forcing them to notice issues they may have ignored in the past. I love the absolute effectiveness of telling a story by creating a space, a story that can make people want to help, make people listen and want to speak out.
If you could create an instillation...
What issue would you want to feature?
Do you have any ideas for what you would want to put in your instillation? How you would shape the space?
How could you find a space to "create for a cause"?
Do you have friends who could help you with their different skills and talents?
*If anybody is interested in doing something like this, let me know! I'd love to help others create something like this!*
