Rivera Sun's Blog: From the Desk of Rivera Sun, page 10

The Sleeping Giantess: My Statement Opposing the Expansion of the Military Draft

On Nov 13th, 2019, I delivered a statement to the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service opposing the expansion of the draft to women, and demanding the ending of the draft for all genders. The NCMNPS is a court-ordered, Congress-appointed commission charged with finding out if the US public would support expanding the military draft to women. Along the way, someone (probably a public relations firm?) thought it would be more appealing to take a broader look at “service”. I was asked to testify to the Commission on behalf of CODEPINK, and to articulate an anti-war feminist point of view for the Commissioners. Below is the text and a video I made later of my 3-min opening statement. I was speaking alongside several other anti-draft, anti-war groups who also spoke powerfully and articulately for three things:

Abolish the draft for all genders.
End all sanctions for past failures to register for the draft.
Do not implement any form of involuntary “service”.

If you wish to submit a public comment to the Commission on this subject, they are accepting comments until Dec 31st, 2019. Here is where to do so.

My Statement to the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service:

CODEPINK is a women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism. We strongly oppose expanding draft registration to women, and strongly support ending draft registration for all gender, as well as ending all penalties for past failures to register.

We also oppose what’s commonly known as the “poverty” draft. We believe that no one should have to join the military to get access to college education or skills training for decent jobs; that this looks strangely like indentured servitude. This also relates to the Commission’s broader focus on so-called “service”, including mandatory national service for all youth. While we support jobs programs such as the Green New Deal, we do not support non-voluntary and/or unpaid/underpaid work. We have words for such things: slavery and exploitation among them. 

For context, CODEPINK is part of the long and robust history of anti-war feminism. Women have long opposed both war’s very existence and being involved in it, both personally and collectively. In our view, women’s equality cannot be achieved by including women in a draft system that forces civilians against their will to participate in activities (such as war) that harm others in such large numbers.  

While we demand equal pay and opportunity for women in all areas of our economy, we believe it is irresponsible for the fight for women’s rights to support a draft that would impose equal levles of moral injury, PTSD, brain injury, suicide rates, lost limbs, and so forth upon women against their will. This is not the sort of equality that we seek. When it comes to the military, we believe that women’s equality and, indeed, gender equality is better served by simply ending draft registration for everyone.

In regards to “national security” and “defense”, antiwar feminists have long held a different approach to such matters. Around the world, women are at the forefront of ensuring peace with the pragmatic and effective tools rooted in frameworks of peace, nonviolence, anti-militarism, anti-imperialism. These include, but are not limited to: diplomacy, peacebuilding, civilian based defense, civil resistance, unarmed peacekeeping, citizen-led peace efforts, and more. True women’s equality does not involve forcing us to fight wars launched by systems inherited through centuries of injustice, including patriarchy, but rather including us at the table in designing and integrating a whole different system of “security”.

There will be resistance to an expanded draft. You should expect it. If  draft registration is expanded to women, groups including Code Pink will be part of organized resistance both at the point of draft registration and if a draft is actively enacted. You should also know that we will use this opportunity to resist not only drafting women, but also drafting people any gender. We will also resist the war in question and war and militarism in general.

Ultimately, our message is this: we all know the parable about letting sleeping giants lie … but the untold story is the sleeping giantess. You do not want to awaken her by expanding this draft. Rather, this Commission and Congress should join her in her dream in ending the draft for all genders and ending all sanctions upon non-registrants.

If you wish to submit a public comment to the Commission on this subject, they are accepting comments until Dec 31st, 2019. Here is where to do so.

Curious what my fellow anti-war, anti-draft speakers said? Here are some of their submitted written statements. (Read them. They’re brilliant.)

Center on Conscience and War

CodePink

Courage to Resist

Edward Hasbrouck (Resisters.info)

Faith-Based Organizations

International Peace Research Association

National Coalition to Protect Student Privacy

National Lawyers Guild’s Military Law Task Force

NoDraft.org

Truth in Recruitment

The War Resister League

World Beyond War

Desert Song Excerpt: A Lesson in The Way Between

Desert Song: A Girl In Exile, A Trickster Horse, and the Women Rising Up

is now available through our Community Publishing Campaign.
Find it here.

Ari Ara chewed her lower lip, thinking. The Way Between could be used physically to interrupt fights and stop violence, but that was just the beginning. There were inner and outer practices. There were individual and collective ways to take action. With strikes and boycotts, protests and sit-ins, the Way Between organized people to neither fight nor flee from the conflict. It offered dozens of ways to remove support from a problem and build a solution, instead.

The Way Between
required study and practice, but anyone could use it. Ari Ara had seen Shulen
teaching people of all ages and experiences. The outer form provided insights
into the inner form, and the other way around. Shulen taught people how to
balance their usual tendencies. Some people rushed into fights. Others ran away
from conflicts. Many froze, not knowing what to do. Everyone had their habits
to work on. The Way Between challenged each person differently. Ari Ara
could almost hear Shulen’s voice calling out lessons, telling Emir to temper
his warrior’s impulses and stop attacking, ordering her cousin Korin to quit
prancing and sidestepping like a noble, and stand firm. He challenged the noble
girl Isa to do more than squeeze into a ball when she was confused or afraid.
He taught the street urchin, Rill, how to keep others safe, not just herself.

Another memory
surfaced, damp with trembling raindrops and dazzling with afternoon sunlight.
In her mind, black-stoned mountain peaks rose overhead. Huge monsters of clouds
devoured the sky. Spring had burst in the High Mountains, cool and moist. Her
friend Minli walked beside her with his familiar step-swing rhythm as his
crutch compensated for his missing leg. They were discussing how to remove
support from a problem using the Way Between.

“It’s like pulling
away my crutch,” he was saying.

“I couldn’t do
that to a one-legged – ” she started to protest.

“Cripple?” he
snapped, whirling so fast she nearly slammed into him. He glared at her. “If
you go soft on me out of pity, I’ll knock you off your feet with this
crutch!”

It wasn’t an idle
threat; Minli often surprised her in practices. She was faster and stronger,
but he was smarter. She stammered an apology. All at once, the fury cleared
like a summer thunderstorm and Minli’s gentle eyes laughed at her.

“What I mean,”
he explained, “is that the crutch is whatever holds up an injustice. You
have to pull that away.”

As usual, he was
running mental circles around her. She stared blankly at him. Minli rolled his
eyes. He loved his movement-loving friend, but she could be dense as wood and
literal as a stone.

“It’s a metaphor,” he groaned. “If I
was an injustice like . . . like war . . . if I was war,
then you’d have to pull out the crutch to get me to topple over.”

Metaphor had never been
her strong suit. They had been studying epic war poems in Scholar Monk’s class
and even though she could read, thanks to Minli, she still got confused when
the verses described the heroes as roaring
with a lion’s breath – that just sounded foul, not courageous. Hadn’t any
of those poets ever smelled a carnivore up close?

“Look,” he clarified,
“a war can’t happen if no one shows up. If the soldiers don’t go, or the
nobles won’t pay for the soldiers to go, or the smiths won’t make weapons. Those are the crutches that hold up
war.”

Ari Ara’s eyes
snapped open to the present. The fire crackled and tossed sparks into the
night. She could taste the desert’s dryness, so different from her old home.
The women clapped time as they memorized a song in a call-and-response with
Tala. Ari Ara drew a bunch of stick-figure warriors in the sand to
represent warriors-rule. That was the problem. She drew a crutch. What was the
crutch?

People
listened to the warriors, she acknowledged grumpily. That’s what gave
them power. The warriors gave orders. People obeyed them. She stared down at
the sand drawing. Could it really be that simple?

“You have to stop
obeying them,” she blurted out.

The song quieted. Heads
turned toward her.

“If the warriors
tell you to marry off your daughters, will you do it?” she asked them.
“Will you just sing sweetly and hope they listen?”

“No.”

“Of course
not.”

“We can’t.”

The women answered with
shaking heads and worried looks.

“Warriors-rule has
no legitimacy,” Ari Ara pointed out. “Not in times of peace. The
Tala-Rasa refuse to support it. The Harrak-Mettahl condemns it. People in the
north have rejected it. So why do you continue to obey it? You shouldn’t
support the warriors by doing what they say.”

“Well, sometimes
they have good ideas,” one of the mothers said, trying to be fair.
“Like replacing an old fence with a new one. Why wouldn’t we do
that?”

Ari Ara shook her
head.

“If it’s a good idea, you should hold a village sing, decide the same thing, and then go do it. But, if it’s a bad idea, then don’t do it. Don’t obey them.”

The circle of women
burst into excited and nervous chatter. Mahteni watched them thoughtfully.

“Ari Ara is
right,” she agreed, rising to her feet. “We could sing until the
stars fell from the sky, but if we still obey warriors-rule, why should the
warriors bother to unblock their ears?”

Scowls grew around the
circle.

“Sarai’s idea
about using songs to melt hearts and open minds is good,” Mahteni added, easing
their resistance, “but if we back up the songs with action, that’s even
stronger.”

“It is not enough
to sing about what we want,” Sarai agreed. “We must do what we want, we must be the changes we need.”

“We can use the
Way Between like the water workers did in Mariana,” Mahteni urged.
“We can draw a line in the sand of our beautiful desert and refuse to take
one more step in the direction the warriors are trying to lead us. None of us
should support the journey down that dishonorable path, not by washing dishes
or cooking meals, and not by obeying them. None of us should allow our children
to walk in that direction, a direction in which their mothers and sisters are
silenced. If the warriors try to cut our voices from the Harraken Song, none of
us should lift a finger to help them!”

To read the rest of this chapter, get your copy of Desert Song through our Community Publishing Campaign! Find it here .

Desert Song Excerpt: The Shifting Winds

Desert Song: A Girl In Exile, a Trickster Horse, and the Women Rising Up
is now available through our Community Publishing Campaign.

The night pooled around Mahteni, magnificent in its depth. Moonlight silvered the wide plain. The wind rippled the grasses like marsh reeds quivering in the currents’ flow. Piles of rock and a few twisted old trees dotted the flat expanse, scattered like giant’s crumbs across the floor. They crouched, dark with shadows, unknowable in their hidden mysteries.

Mahteni rode quietly
through the shine of silver, letting the horse pick her way through the
grasses. The light wind lifted the curls from her face. The cool air quieted
her worried heart. The expanse of night made room for her thoughts as she
mulled on all she had seen and heard. She had detoured up a foothill trail to
visit a village and speak with the elders. Their hesitant comments and murmured
asides confirmed what she had noticed in Turim. The winds had shifted since she
had left six years ago.

She did not like the
direction they blew.

Once and always, until
now, men and women stood as equals in Harraken culture. A boy could spin and
weave; a girl could hunt and ride. A man could tend the hearth fire and
children; a woman could work the forges or ride to war. Decisions were made by
everyone, all together, at the village sings. At least, that’s what Mahteni’s
memory insisted. But, she reluctantly admitted, that was over a decade ago.
During the five years of war, the warriors had commanded absolute authority. At
the end of those terrifying times, she had gone into Mariana disguised as a
water worker. She had heard reports that the warriors had been reluctant to
give up control, even after the first tenuous years of ceasefire had ended.
Three years ago, her brother had written about his relief that the first
village sing had started up again . . . but his hope for peace was
short-lived. Just before Ari Ara was found, the Marianans had threatened
to invade again, convinced the desert people had taken their heir. The Harraken
shifted back to warriors-rule, worried about the possibility of attack. But the
war had been averted, and a time of peace had arrived. The village sings ought
to have been restored; the Harrak-Mettahl should have insisted on it, but
Tahkan had neglected his duties in order to sneak into Mariana to meet his
daughter. She did not blame him for that choice, but she also saw the mess he
had left behind. With the warriors barring women from the meets, the decisions
slanted toward their priorities . . . and that shift was reflected in
the changes in their culture.

During the welcoming
feast in Turim, and again at this village, she had sat among one family and
then the next, offering the Shirar family’s greetings, listening to the news
and gossip . . . and noticing the things left unsaid. She silently
watched the women rise and serve the men. Her green eyes followed the shushing
of girls and the pampering of boys. She kept track of who did the talking and
whose sentences were trampled by another. She watched to see who lent a hand with
the dishwashing, and who sat with feet up on the tables, picking their teeth
with a belt-knife. She joined the women in peeling fruit and chopping
vegetables, asking after this woman or that friend, carefully tracking whose
fathers or brothers were now named as leaders where once mothers and sisters
had earned that praise. She questioned the old women about the frequency of the
village sings and watched the heads shake. In many places, there hadn’t been a
village sing – a real one with everyone involved – for months, sometimes years.

The grandmothers who
had grown up before the war yearned for the fairness of the village sings.
Their lined faces crinkled with distaste as they complained about warriors-rule.
It was one thing for the warriors to assume the mantle of authority when the
Harraken were under attack, but in times of peace, warriors should not be
settling disputes over wandering chickens and broken hearts and which fields to
plant with what crops. How would they understand why one grandmother couldn’t
share a house with another, but must be respectfully accommodated at the other
end of the village? How could they know that the rocky field would support kerat grain, but would need twice as
much water? How would the warriors know the importance of negotiating clay
rights evenly among the potters? How would they understand the need to allocate
timber harvests for new looms instead of spears and shields?

When voices are silenced from the Harraken Song, Mahteni thought darkly, the music is not complete. The decisions weakened and faltered. The harmony became unclear. Discord was sown between people. Resentments built into hatred.

Read the rest of Desert Song by supporting the Community Publishing Campaign!

Desert Song Excerpt: Flash flood in the Slot Canyon

Desert Song: A Girl In Exile, A Trickster Horse, and the Women Rising Up
is now available through our Community Publishing Campaign.
Find out more here.

At dawn, they stumbled into a slot canyon, staggering with exhaustion. There, they dismounted and walked with the horses, allowing them to rest.

“If it rains, we
will be trapped,” Emir cautioned, glancing at the grey clouds pressing
against the distant mountainsides.

Mahteni eyed the storm.
Deep circles hung under her eyes and her skin shivered with weariness. A late
spring storm like this might be thinned from the first hints of summer heat. It
might merely come down as a sprinkle.

“If we can make it
past the Needle’s Eye,” she told Emir, “there is a place to hide and
rest. The rain, if it falls, will likely only fall on the upper mountains. If
it releases on the lower mountains, it will at least cover our tracks. We can
continue out the other side of the canyon tomorrow.”

Ari Ara trudged up
the sandy path of the dry riverbed. Any plan was better than no plan.

Emir gripped Mahteni’s
elbow.

“You said if . . . “

“It will be
fine,” she told him, though she glanced warily at the gathering clouds. If
the rains fell too hard, too low, or too early, they could be trapped in the
slot, swallowed by the flash of water pouring into the narrow space. If this
were late summer, when the pounding daily thunderstorms came, she wouldn’t risk
it. But today, they just might make it.

Even in her exhaustion,
Ari Ara stared in awe at the canyon. The walls rose vertically, curved and
carved by a long-extinct river, a memory of older times. The passage narrowed
until the crumbling sandstone scraped the horses’ flanks. They whinnied
uneasily. The sound hit flat against the press of rock. The sky tightened into
a winding ribbon of grey overhead. A few times, it vanished behind an overhang.
Gnarled old pines clung stubbornly to the crumbling white slopes, perched
precariously on nothing but the tenacity of their roots.

A tiny drop hit Ari Ara’s
arm. Then another. High above them, the wind thrashed. Bits of dust and grass
and dry pine needles tumbled down onto their heads.

“Hurry,”
Mahteni murmured, though their legs felt leaden and their feet heavy as stone.

The Needle’s Eye was
not far, but the sand underfoot was turning dark and bruise-colored. The
invisible trickle of an underground stream was rising. They quickened their
steps. Small puddles pooled in the horses’ footprints. As they squeezed through
a tight bend, the choke of the canyon’s curving sides sent a knot of fear down Ari Ara’s
spine. If the passageway tightened any further, the horses wouldn’t fit.

“Quickly,” Mahteni
urged as the sand turned to sodden mud.

The thread of water
grew into a tiny stream. Mahteni splashed up a small cascade of falls that swelled
by the second. Emir’s horse balked as the spout of water thickened. Tekli
refused to leap, slamming Emir hard against the canyon wall in panic. A shower
of pebbles broke loose. One stung the horse’s flank and Tekli lunged forward,
landing on the other side with shivering skin and flaring nostrils. Emir hauled
Ari Ara up against the weight of the current. The canyon widened here,
curling in a bend around a massive and determined old tree. The water rose to
their shins as they sloshed onward. Ari Ara cried out as she stepped into
a hidden hollow and fell to her thighs. She flailed. The current swept her feet
out from under her. Emir lunged, grabbed her tunic, and hauled her back to
standing.

The water deepened,
coming up to their knees and rising further still. Soon, they slogged through
thigh-deep water. Emir and Mahteni staggered against the current. Ari Ara
clung to the horse’s neck. The water had reached her chest. When Emir realized
her feet were no longer anchored to the sand, he hoisted her on top of Tekli.

“We’re almost
there!” Mahteni hollered over the roaring grumble of the water.

Ari Ara sighed in
relief, but then gasped. The Needle’s Eye had turned into a monster, a growling
serpent of water, twisting and falling through the tight, oval opening. The
force of the river pounded the canyon sides, flinging pebbles and sand into the
muddy waters.

“The bottom is
flat,” Mahteni told Emir. “The horses can make it if we guide them
past their fear.”

“It’s too deep for
us, though,” Emir cried. “We’ll never wade through it.”

“We’ll
climb,” Mahteni told him grimly, pointing to the narrow gap of the canyon
walls. Ari Ara was too short; she would have to try to ride the horse
through the slot.

There was no time to
argue. Emir and Mahteni braced their hands and feet against the two sides of
the canyon walls and inched over the falls. On the other side, a shoulder
opened. An old bend of the river had carved a high cave and deposited a flat
bank of sand and stone beneath it. A thick tree rose between boulders. Mahteni
called to the horses and urged them forward.

“Please,” Ari Ara
whispered to Tekli, shuddering with fear and exhaustion. Mahteni’s mare heard
the woman’s calls and surged forward. Tekli followed his friend. The tall
mare’s wake carved an easier path for the smaller Marianan horse. The water
pounded against the horses’ chests. Ari Ara prayed their hooves wouldn’t
slip out from under them. Mahteni and Emir called and whistled, urging the
horses to fight the pounding current.

At last, they made it
through the Needle’s Eye. The mare staggered up the bank to the cheers of the
humans. Released from her bulk, the surging water slammed into Tekli. The
smaller horse jolted. His hooves scrambled against the sandy bank. He braced
against the tug of the water. Ari Ara hung on with white-knuckled fists,
her legs shaking from clenching the round barrel of the horse’s girth. The
flashflood surged up in waves and tried to shove her off Tekli’s back. Emir and
Mahteni’s shouting thundered dimly in her ears.

“Try,” she urged
in Desert Speech, invoking the magic and power of the language.

The horse turned into
the current and staggered toward the bank. Tekli heaved his bulk up onto solid
ground. Ari Ara’s eyelids lowered in relief.

“Thank you,”
she whispered, sliding off.

She didn’t even remember touching the ground.

Desert Song is now available through our Community Publishing Campaign. Find out more here.

Desert Song – Look Inside

“In many ways, Desert Song is a story about reckonings and how the violence of the past haunts us in the present.” – Rivera Sun on Desert Song

Desert Song: A Girl In Exile, a Trickster Horse, and the Women Rising Up
is now available through our Community Publishing Campaign.

CHAPTER ONE
. . . . .
The Ancestor Wind
by Rivera Sun

The Ancestor Wind
played across the mountains. It leapt the peaks and tickled the bellies of the
valleys. It was the breath of the world, from a newborn’s first gasp to an
elder’s last sigh. The Ancestor Wind filled the lungs of the living and lifted
the weightless souls from the old husks of their bodies. Carried by the wind,
the spirits of the ancestors roamed across the sky that stretched endlessly above
the desert. Unseen, they slid on the soft hiss of the breeze into villages to whisper
advice in the ears of their descendants. They howled warnings in the edges of
storms. They slipped into dreams and guided the fates of the people.

The Ancestor Wind
carried the spirits like an invisible, unruly horse leaping for the sheer joy
of motion, diving for the thrill of plummeting, laughing for the delight of
existing. The wind knocked the treetops dizzy and tried – in vain – to topple
the eternal stones. It ran unseen fingers through long pine needles and
chuckled over craggy boulders clinging to steep slopes. It dove through the
pass and skidded to an astonished halt.

A hundred . . .
a thousand . . . two thousand . . . three thousand or more
people marched steadily along the worn dirt road. The scent of the distant
riverlands clung to them, but their features marked them as sons and daughters
of the desert. The wind swirled in delighted recognition: the water workers
were returning at last.

For too many years, the
Ancestor Wind had watched these people leave, sorrow riding their backs as they
sold their labor to their enemies in exchange for the precious water needed by
their families in the desert. Just weeks ago, the river that once trickled in miserly
grumbles had suddenly swelled into full-bodied laughter. Set free from the dam
in the riverlands of Mariana, water surged into the dry fields of the desert. In
the silt-laden mouth of the mountain pass, astonished farmers sang to welcome
the water’s return before channeling it into irrigation ditches. The spring
would burst green this year, lifting that sacred color across the valleys and
plains.

Delighted at the return
of all things living and green, the Ancestor Wind sprang aloft, charging toward
the high white plumes of the towering clouds, dancing in the realm of light and
air. Then it dove back down to the people who walked in a long snake through
the Middle Pass. The wind rippled gleefully and wound through their heads and
shoulders, purring like a cat.

“The Ancestor Wind
comes to greet us!” a man cried.

A cheer rose at the
words of Tahkan Shirar, the man the Marianans called the Desert King. In his
own people’s eyes, he was not a king; he was their Harrak-Mettahl, their
honor-keeper, a role the Marianans had no words to describe. Tahkan Shirar was
craggy, like the mountains; bronzed by sun and experience. His grey-green eyes
shone like twin springs in the dry lines of his weathered face. His comment
echoed through the long line of walkers, bringing tears to eyes and smiles to
faces. Heads lifted. Hearts surged in
chests. Three thousand people raised their fingers to the wind to catch its
blessing. The scent of heat and bitter herbs flooded their nostrils. Memories
of their beloved desert swelled in their hearts as the wind touched their heads
in benediction. It rippled the copper hair of a young girl and paused.

This one was different.

The scent of water and
distant lands clung to her, along with hints of a childhood in the shadows of the
massive trees on the High Mountain slopes. The girl was formed by rain, moss,
dark pines, and black stones. The Ancestor Wind studied her. She must be the
one the black hawk had spoken about, the girl raised by the Fanten women, but
not a Fanten; trained among warriors, but not a warrior; child of the river
queen, but not accepted as their royal heir; daughter of the desert who had
never seen the sands; the one whose name meant not this, not that, but everything possible in between: Ari Ara
de Marin en Shirar, the Lost Heir to Two Thrones.

A mass of copper curls
flung out wildly from her head. Wiry muscles ran tight to bones. The girl was
strongly built, lean rather than willowy. At twelve-and-a-half, her features
had the look of stretched canvas. It was the mark of growth. Caught between
ages, Ari Ara still laughed with her child’s honest peal of delight, but
also tripped over feet that had grown longer than her experience. When she
thought no one was watching, her blue-grey eyes tracked the motions of the
older girls, surveying the terrain she would soon trek across.

The Ancestor Wind saw
all of this in a swift sweep of scrutiny. Before the girl’s curls had settled
from its ruffling touch, the wind moved on to her companions. A riverlands
warrior with night-dark hair chatted companionably with the youngest sister of
the Desert King. She had been gone six long years. The scents of fog and moss
clung to the dry iron of her desert blood. Beside her walked an old warrior. The
wind swirled in surprise. Years ago, this scarred, grey-haired man had come to
these lands bearing peace and love. Years later, he returned, heralding war and
death. Now, Shulen walked beside Tahkan Shirar like a friend. The desert
dwellers smiled at him, welcoming him instead of fighting him, celebrating him
instead of fearing him.

Confused, the wind
swept up to the high crosscurrents to ask the messenger hawks for news. While
the wind raced the clouds, it carried the tidings to the mountains peaks: the
Desert King was returning with his people and his daughter . . . and
he brought the water and an old enemy with him.

Further west along the
snake-bends of the pass, a woman built of rage and muscle, bitterness and blood,
tilted her head to the wind. Strands of auburn-dark hair whipped her cheeks and
clung to the hard facets of Moragh Shirar’s face. The wind whispered its
secrets in her ear: water, her sister, her brother the Desert King, her
long-lost niece . . . and him,
the enemy.

Her lips pulled back
from her teeth in a snarl. Under her, a roan horse stilled, hide rippling with
tension, preparing for the battle cry he sensed building in the storm of the
woman’s fury.

Shulen the Butcher had
returned, the man whose heart was hard enough to bash in heads, whose very skin
protected him like stone armor, whose hands were stained with the blood of her
people . . . including her beloved’s.

She would die before she
let his feet touch her lands. Let others sing his praises for finding her
brother’s daughter. That did not excuse him from losing her in the first place.
Let fools forgive and forget how he had led the War of Retribution, charging into
battles based on lies. The death of his wife and child along with the
riverlands queen was no excuse for the murder of her people.

Moragh Shirar wheeled
her horse in the direction of the wind’s whispers. She was a taut arrow of
sinew and strength, green eyes narrowed under her mane of hair, muscles
clenched with long-held hate, throat roughened with battle cries. When she
rode, the warrior women followed, leather tunics supple and tough, skin
weathered by the elements, lives armed with ferocity and courage. These were
the Black Ravens, sisters cloaked in mourning black, harbingers of war, talon
and beak ready for vengeance, the emblem of two wings emblazoned on their
backs.

Moragh and her riders galloped
onward. Shulen the Butcher would pay for his crimes.

Above them, the ravens
wheeled. Their caws sent a shiver through the wind.

Two New Releases! Desert Song & The Adventures of Alaren

Get your new books today!
Desert Song and  The Adventures of Alaren!
Celebrate through the Community Publishing Campaign.

Today is a special day. It’s the fruit of an entire year’s worth of my labor-of-love called writing. It’s the start of a great celebration. It’s the time when the new novels burst out of my heart and home, and go out into the world through the help of many others. The Community Publishing Campaign is part of the magic of the novels – magic we create together.  

Here’s where to get the new books
and support the Community Publishing Campaign!

This year, for the first time ever, I’m releasing TWO books at once: Desert Song and The Adventures of Alaren. These thrilling stories will delight, excite, and inspire you. Desert Song is a tale of mighty girls and strong women standing up for their rights. It’s a beautiful story full of mystery and magic, song and sweeping desert skies. Our favorite young shero is longing to be accepted in her father’s desert culture . . . but no matter what she does, Ari Ara turns the world upside down! 

“There’s magic in these books . . . and there’s magic in the way
we – YOU and me – bring them into the world.” – Rivera Sun

But wait, there’s more! The Adventures of Alaren are the fictional folktales of Ari Ara’s world. They’re illuminating, eye-opening, funny and surprising. Each one is inspired by a real-life tale of waging peace – and you can find those true stories in the book, along with discussion questions.  

I love the Community Publishing Campaign. It’s the way a solo-art like writing becomes a shared celebration. It’s the way YOU can help change the story of the world by changing the stories our world reads and shares.  There’s joy and fun and vision and hope to the way we bring these books into the world.  I hear from readers all the time – kids, parents, teachers, activists – who tell me how much they LOVE these books.  I am forever grateful for your support. I couldn’t do it without you!

You can find Desert Song and The Adventures of Alaren, along with unique and wonderful thank-you “perks” here.

With gratitude and excitement,
Rivera

Why do these novels matter? A picture is worth a thousand words. Here are a pair of young girls dressed up as Ari Ara and the Urchin Queen (from The Lost Heir, Book 2 of the series) for Halloween.  Our world needs the kind of stories that inspire young people to imagine themselves as nonviolence-wielding, peace-waging sheroes. Your support of the Community Publishing Campaign helps us grow more of these kinds of sheroes!

Note: You can find the first two books in the Ari Ara series here . Or you can get the whole series through our Community Publishing Campaign.

Nonviolence News: People and Planet Are Worth More Than Gold

Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun

This week’s Nonviolence News is packed with stories about people redefining what’s important in our world. A fleet of cruise ships has been coming to the rescue in the Bahamas, eschewing luxury trips for helping people. The Seminole Tribe has been airlifting drinking water to Bahamas for nearly a week.

It seems like humanity is finally rising up to say: our ecosystems are worth their weight in gold – actually, they’re worth more than gold.  Australia, Armenia, and Turkey are all fighting proposed gold mines. Last year, US Secretary of Interior Zinke agreed with activists that Yellowstone National Park was worth more than gold, and passed a 20-year ban on mining in the area. This is a good sign: our planet desperately needs humanity to get its priorities straight.  On a bright note, it appears that, quietly and steadily, industrial sustainability is on the rise.  Amazing, eh?  See the report in the Climate Action section and find out why businesses are keeping quiet about this.

On the other hand, a Turkish village that is home to 12,000 year old archeological sites is about to be flooded by a state dam. They’ve been fighting the dam’s construction for 70 years – they could trade notes with the India villagers we reported on last week.  80,000 people are being displaced, but have not yet evacuated. Will they continue to take action?  (We’ll report on it as soon as we can.)

Recently, I spent an evening reviewing Nonviolence International’s over 300 Tactics of Nonviolent Action.  This database is remarkable – it’s an update to Gene Sharp’s well-known 198 Methods, and includes digital tactics and new types of actions that have recently been invented.  Studying these helps me “catch” Nonviolence News stories beyond protests, boycotts, and strikes, like the Afghan Peace Volunteers’ “Street Kids School”, pictured above. We were even able to add a tactic to their list: the involuntary walkathon that was used in Germany and Portland, OR, to deter the alt-right from marching and rallying.  Check out the database here. 

I hope all these stories and examples inspire you to take action, too!
Rivera Sun, Editor

Photo Credit: Habib (standing, left) serves fruit at a meeting for parents at a “Street Kids School” meeting. Six years ago, Afghan Peace Volunteers members befriended Habib after his father had been killed when a bomb exploded in Kabul. His colleague Masoma is in the background. (Photo: Kathy Kelly)

Aw, y’all are so sweet! Thanks for the donations!
http://www.nonviolencenews.org/donate/

Here’s what you’ll find in
this week’s Nonviolence News:

Victory! Success Stories
Recent Actions
Climate Action
Nonviolence & Children
Peace Action
Constructive Program
Creative Action
Knowledge & Reflection
Calls-to-Action

Here are some recent successes brought about by nonviolence in action.

Armenian government backs down from approving controversial gold mine after public outcry and protests grow.  Read more >>   

Gig Economy “historic win” reclassifies millions of workers from independent contractors to employees under California law.   Read more >>   

Indigenous, two-spirit couple wins the “Amazing Race Canada” after uplifting a social justice platform, every step of the way.   Read more >>  

California passes statewide rent control measure that caps annual rent increases in an effort to stem the housing crisis.  Read more >>  

Here’s how people are taking action this week for a wide range of causes. 

Royal Caribbean cruise ships offer disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, delivering food, supplies, fresh water, and first aid. Editor’s Note: the colleague who shared this story with me also offered a report from a friend’s brother who works at the cruise line.  According to him, the cruise ships have also rescued thousands of stranded people, brought people aboard the ships, and housed them in the resorts.  Read more >>   

Teachers in Jordan launch strike for 50% salary increase.  Read more >>   

Picketers across Kazakhstan last week blasted economic ties with China. “We don’t want jobs. We don’t want factories. We just demand that you not let [the Chinese] in.”  Read more >>   

Turkmenistan political prisoners get the worst treatment. This week, a long-standing labor organizer was finally released.  Meanwhile, a conscientious objector who refused to enlist was jailed.  Read more >>   

“Million Scream” happens every night at 10pm in Hong Kong, keeping protests alive despite repression by police and violence by street protesters.   Read more >>   

Media blackout on massive anti-Bolsonaro protests in Brazil.   Read more >>  

Seminole Tribe continues 5+ days of airlifting drinking water to the Bahamas.  Read more >>   

Turkish villagers protest and take action as they continue to fight a 70-year-long struggle to protect a 12,000 year-old-village from a planned dam.  The dam would flood the ruins of the world’s oldest university.   Read more >>  

In Oakland, social justice groups are fighting the prison industrial complex through renovated space dedicated to restorative justice and community building.   Read more >>  

Whistleblower reveals MIT Epstein scandal.  Read more >>   

In the United Kingdom’s #Brexit controversy, parliament’s five-week suspension begins with shouts, singing and signs reading ‘silenced’.   Read more >>   

Nonviolence towards the Earth is nonviolence toward humanity.  Here are ways people are working to save the planet . . . and our species.

Former enemies among Indigenous tribes in the Amazon set aside past differences in order to mobilize to stop Bolsonaro’s destruction.   Read more >>  

Industrial sustainability is on the rise . . . secretly and silently.  Why aren’t businesses talking about this?  Read more >>   

7 South American countries sign pact to protect the Amazon.   Read more >>  

Amnesty International chief issues plea to 30,000 schools to let the students go on strike during the upcoming climate strikes.   Read more >>   

The global water justice movement is growing, including the creation of “Blue Communities“.   Read more >>  

Activists and artists in Turkey rise up to stop the deforestation and mining on historic Mount Ida.  Read more >>   

Major US insurer says it will no longer back coal.  Read more >>   

1000 Amazon workers pledge to walk out on Sept 20th with Global Climate Strikes.  Read more >>   

350.org asks people to sign the “Day One Pledge” which pressures presidential candidates to commit to declaring a climate emergency on the first day of office, and includes a list of tangible action steps.  Read more >>   

Water protectors shut down Mountain Valley Pipeline construction site.   Read more >>  

11 Greenpeace activists suspend from Houston, TX, bridge blocking ship channel traffic.   Read more >>   

Here are some stories about how nonviolence and nonviolent practices connect to children. 

South Sudan father organizes to stop facial scarification practices and cultural pressures for boys and men to hide pain and sorrow.   Read more >>  

Why school cafeterias should be the front lines of policy change: healthier children, better wages, stronger local economies, sustainable food – the fight for all of them starts with school lunches.   Read more >>   

Jane Goodall’s mother responded to her daughter putting worms in the bed with understanding, not disgust, and it helped the young Jane grow up to be the famous naturalist that we know.  Editor’s Note: sometimes, small acts of nonviolence have profound effects. Who would have guessed that a mother loving bugs in the bed would wind up helping to save the world’s gorillas?  Read more >>   

How we shut down the nation’s largest migrant child detention center.  Read more >>   

Peace and nonviolence go hand-in-hand. As Gandhi said, “means are ends in the making”.  Here’s some recent peace news.

Boycott, Divest, Sanctions has been nominated for Nobel Peace Prize.  Read more >>  

Protesters disrupt the world’s largest weapons fair.   Read more >>  

A Morning in Afghanistan: Amidst political posturing, aerial terrorism, and street bombings, Afghan citizens pursue their daily work toward peace.  Read more >>  

Code Pink pushes 6 Flags Theme Parks to ditch plans to build an amusement park in Saudi Arabia, citing the Saudi war in Yemen and that “starving isn’t fun for Yemen’s kids”.  Read more >>   

Nonviolent Peaceforce issues its annual report, “Saving Lives, Building Peace, Making Room At the Peace Table For All”.   Read more >>  

Constructive Programs and alternative institutions build the strength and resilience of the community while weakening reliance on systems of oppression.

Some Seattle residents pay rent to the Duwamish Tribe as reparations and a process of decolonization.   Read more >>  

Eco-friendly mobile arts bus offers pop-up community space.  Read more >>   

Italy offers newcomers a monthly stipend to move to underpopulated villages and open small businesses.  Read more >>   

How to turn community spaces into hubs for resilience and mutual aid.   Read more >>  

Apartment complex exclusively for the unhoused opens in San Jose, CA.  Read more >>   

Nonviolence unleashes our human creativity. Here are some ways creativity and the arts merged with social action this week.

In Chicago, the Freedom Songbook helps heal survivors of police torture and violence.  Read more >>   

Colorado woman rings bell to “sound the alarm” about climate change at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of every month.   Read more >>  

San Quentin Prison Photography art show of annotated images written by prisoners reveals hard truths about the prison system.  Read more >>   

Bill McKibben published an article envisioning the world in 2050, post climate solutions, and how we got out of the mess we’re in.   Read more >>  

We are fortunate to live at a time when there is so much knowledge about nonviolence available to explore. Here are some articles that invite us to dig deeper.

Overcoming Fear: What the 2003 anti-globilization mobilization in Cancun, Mexico, can teach us about courage and resistance.   Read more >>  

Civil Rights Activist Medgar Evers built his house to protect his family from assassination attempts.  This is a reminder of the deadly, brutal reality of racism in the United States.  Read more >>   

Nonviolent Peaceforce offers online course in unarmed peacekeeping, “Strengthening Civilian Capacities to Protect Civilians”.  Read more >>  

Here are a few upcoming actions inviting your participation and support. 

Campaign Nonviolence Week of Actions September 14-22, 2019, Everywhere. Host or join a march, rally, protest, or other event or action for a culture of peace and active nonviolence.   Learn more >>

Tell Black Rock to divest from Amazon destruction!  Learn more >>   

Sept 20-27th, join the Global Climate Strike. (It’s not just for the kids, any more. Get ready to go on strike.)   Read more >>

Shut Down DC on Sept 23 as part of the Global Climate Strike. Learn more >>  

The People’s Mobilization to Stop the US War Machine and Save the Planet, Sept 20-27th in New York City while the United Nations is in session.  Learn more >>    

World Beyond War Learn more about the conference and rally  planned for October 5-6 in Limerick, Ireland. Learn more >>

Oct 5th is a Day of Action Against Domestic Violence. Hold or join a 2-min die-in protest.  Learn more >>

Oct 6, DC, Reclaim the Courts protest for gender justice on the one year anniversary of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation.  Learn more >>  

Oct 7th is a Day of International Rebellion for climate justice organized by Extinction Rebellion.    Learn more >>

Oct 11th, DC, March on the Pentagon rally and actions for peace and against militarism, imperialism, and war.  Learn more >>

Occupy Wall Street S17 “The Reawakening” demonstration in New York City.  Learn more >>  

Sign the Global Appeal for Peace that pushes all nations to follow international law – an important demand at a time when governments routinely flout the law.  Learn more >>  

Support the Embassy Protectors Defense Committee as they push for the charges against the Venezuelan Embassy Protectors to be dropped.  Learn more >>

Thanks for supporting Nonviolence News. You can make a donation to support my work rounding up these stories here: http://www.riverasun.com/thank-you/

Nonviolence News: Algerians Push Forward For Change

Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun

In this week’s Nonviolence News, we share an unexpected side effect of nonviolent revolution: Armenia is seeing its diaspora return following last year’s uprising. Meanwhile, the Algerians continue pushing forward in their 29th straight week of protests. After ousting their decades-long president and clearing out numerous offices, they now won’t let the army chief rush new elections through at the expense of fair democracy. They’re not the only ones pushing for fair elections – in Ethiopia,  opposition  parties are threatening to boycott the elections due to biased laws that favor the incumbent party.

In other news, my “pluckiest actions of the week” award goes to Iceland and Ireland. During recent visits, US Vice President Mike Pence, notoriously anti-LGBTQ, was greeted by rainbow flags flying all over Iceland and a Gay Disco Party Protest in Ireland. 

Inside the United States, citizens are grappling with the gun violence problems in interesting ways. After worker walkouts, Walmart stopped selling ammunition for assault weapons. San Francisco officials called the National Rifle Association a domestic terrorist organization. And, after Texas loosened its gun laws despite recent mass shootings, tourists have launched a Texas boycott.

At the end of this week’s Nonviolence News, you’ll find the Calls-to-Action section. Check it out. Not only is September a month of enormous climate strikes, October is full of upcoming actions for peace and justice.

May these stories bring you hope,
Rivera Sun, Editor

Photo Credit: Algerian demonstrators take to the streets in the capital to protest against the government, in Algeria, Friday, Sept. 6, 2019. Tens of thousands of protesters piled into the streets of the Algerian capital and other cities Friday, the 29th straight week of demonstrations, with many saying “no” to the powerful army chief’s call for presidential elections before the end of the year. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

Each week, I hear from people about how much they love Nonviolence News.
Thanks! Thanks for the recent donations, too! It really helps.
http://www.nonviolencenews.org/donate/

Here’s what you’ll find in
this week’s Nonviolence News:

Victory! Success Stories
Recent Actions
Climate Action
Migrant Justice
Women’s Rights
Peace Action
Knowledge & Reflection
Calls-to-Action

Here are some recent successes brought about by nonviolence in action.

Thousands of Indians protest, rally, and go on hunger strike to stop a state dam from swallowing their villages. Editor’s Note: this article describes the launch of the effort, the progress, and at the end, the success.    Read more >>  

Armenia sees its diaspora return to the country following nonviolent revolution.    Read more >>  

Walmart will stop selling ammunition for assault weapons, thanks to worker walk-outs and mass petition signing.   Read more >>   

Louisiana Bucket Brigade and allies stop Wanhua Chemical from building giant factory in their community.   Read more >>  

IWW Freelance Journalists Union, only a year old, succeeded in changing a clause in a major journal’s freelance writers contract that prohibited the journalists from discussing their pay rates with other writers.   Read more >>   

Here’s how people are taking action this week for a wide range of causes. 

Algerians protest against the army chief’s call for swift presidential elections.  They want a say in the creation of the process to replace the president they ousted with a nonviolent campaign, and don’t want a rapid election process to undermine real democracy.   Read more >>  

Ethiopian opposition parties threaten to boycott election, protesting that the biased election laws favor incumbent party.   Read more >>  

In a bid to appease protesters, Hong Kong withdraws extradition bill entirely.  Many say, “it’s not enough” and the mass protests have continued.   Read more >>   

Hundreds of cyclists staged a die-in in the streets of London, UK, with a mock funeral procession highlighting the impact of cars and the cyclists’ demands funding for cyclist safety.  Read more >>    

With Boris Johnson calling for a general election, more than 100,000 youth and other UK citizens registered to vote in 24-hrs.   Read more >>  

Media blackout ignores rockstar Roger Walters (Pink Floyd) protest performance outside British Home Office for jailed Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.  Read more >>   

US Vice President Mike Pence, notoriously anti-LGBTQ, visits Iceland … and the entire country flew the Gay Pride Flag on official buildings and businesses.   Read more >>   Meanwhile, Ireland greeted Pence with a Gay Disco Party Protest.   Read more >>  

1000 counter-protesters dwarf the hundred or so Boston Straight Pride Parade marchers.  Read more >>   

San Francisco officials designate the National Rifle Association as a domestic terrorist organization.  Read more >>   

‘Vision for Justice’: 117 civil and human rights groups offer  a roadmap to transform US criminal justice system.   Read more >>  

New campaign launches to ban facial recognition software.  Read more >>   

Tourists boycott Texas because the state decided to loosen (yes, loosen) gun laws following several mass shootings.  Read more >>   

Nonviolence towards the Earth is nonviolence toward humanity.  Here are ways people are working to save the planet . . . and our species.

Two weeks until the #GlobalClimateStrike, 450 strikes in 117 countries are planned.  Read more >>   

Timberlands boot company drops Brazilian leather in response to Amazon fires.  Read more >>   

63 year old man locks down to digging equipment to stop the Adani Coal Mine in Australia.   Read more >>  

Extinction Rebellion shuts down Manchester, UK, blocking roads for days and bringing the city to a stand-still.   Read more >>  

Extinction Rebellion’s origins: a failed protest over a bus lane and a psychedelic drug retreat had key roles in forming a global climate protest movement, two founders have revealed.   Read more >>  

As millions of humans become migrants and refugees from war and climate disasters, the struggle for migrant justice continues to grow.

Recognizing that Muslim immigrants are part of Scotland, an official Muslim-Scottish tartan has been created to honor them and welcome them into the fabric of the country.  Read more >>   

A self-governed area of Athens, Greece, faces a crackdown after supporting 9,000 refugees and migrants. Currently, 1,000 refugees and Greek citizens make their homes in the neighborhood’s squats.  Read more >>   

Nurses and healthcare workers take action to stop a “death sentence” deportation of a woman who is part of a life-saving Stanford Medical Center treatment and research program.   Read more >>  

Counter-protesters outnumber far-right protesters outside Islamic conference that was hosting several Democratic Presidential candidates in Houston, TX.  Read more >>   

200 Catholics rallied for migrant justice in Newark, NJ, to end migrant family separation.   Read more >>   

Catholics make a human crucifix in street to protest Trump’s immigration policies.   Read more >>  

The struggle for women’s rights takes many forms. Here are some recent stories.

The Sh**y Media Men List goes public … the pitfalls and importance of women’s whisper networks, #MeToo, and anonymous reporting of sexual harassment.  Read more >>   

Thousands march in Northern Ireland against abortion.  Earlier mass actions for abortion rights had pushed the government to expand reproductive rights.  Now, others are pushing back.  Read more >>   

Is Siri a feminist? Apple rewrote Siri to deflect questions about feminism.    Read more >>  

Massive book launch party planned for Handmaid’s Tale sequel, including immersive theater, satirical political speeches, and 400-person costumed demonstration/book line.  Read more >>   

Peace and nonviolence go hand-in-hand. As Gandhi said, “means are ends in the making”.  Here’s some recent peace news.

Nonviolence denialism is as dangerous as climate denialism, an article by David Swanson.   Read more >>  

Should we feed hungry children or the US war machine? By Medea Benjamin.   Read more >>   

“Yoga Dudes” project transforms iconic green plastic toy soldiers into a peace representation of strength by putting them in yoga poses.  Read more >>   

Constructive Programs and alternative institutions build the strength and resilience of the community while weakening reliance on systems of oppression.

The rise of the “meanwhile space”. Paris allows community groups to use empty properties in new ways.  Read more >>   

Maine State Prison garden program offers inmates skill-building, connection to the earth, and growing power.   Read more >>  

We are fortunate to live at a time when there is so much knowledge about nonviolence available to explore. Here are some articles that invite us to dig deeper.

Black Lives Matter At School is organizing a second week of action for Black and Ethnic Studies, counselors not cops, and other demands.   Read more >>  

Linking popular movements and unions is a winning strategy for workers.  Read more >>   

What’s going on in Hong Kong? How is US foreign ops involved? Why should we be concerned about this? What can we learn from this?  Read more >>    

Conflict and Nonviolence in Kashmir: Metta Center’s Michael Nagler offers an on-the-ground interview with Gandhian activist Rajiv Vora and Niyati Bhat to discuss the principles and trials of nonviolence in Kashmir.    Read more >> 

Classroom for Nonviolence teacher shares reflections on how to support social justice-oriented student leadership in public schools.  Read more >>   

Here are a few upcoming actions inviting your participation and support. 

Campaign Nonviolence Week of Actions September 14-22, 2019, Everywhere. Host or join a march, rally, protest, or other event or action for a culture of peace and active nonviolence.  Learn more >>

Sept 20-27th, join the Global Climate Strike. (It’s not just for the kids, any more. Get ready to go on strike.) Read more >>

Shut Down DC on Sept 23 as part of the Global Climate Strike. Learn more >>  

The People’s Mobilization to Stop the US War Machine and Save the Planet, Sept 20-27th in New York City while the United Nations is in session.  Learn more >>    

World Beyond War Learn more about the conference and rally  planned for October 5-6 in Limerick, Ireland. Learn more >>

Oct 5th is a Day of Action Against Domestic Violence. Hold or join a 2-min die-in protest.  Learn more >>

Oct 6, DC, Reclaim the Courts protest for gender justice on the one year anniversary of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation.  Learn more >>  

Oct 7th is a Day of International Rebellion for climate justice organized by Extinction Rebellion.    Learn more >>

Oct 11th, DC, March on the Pentagon rally and actions for peace and against militarism, imperialism, and war.  Learn more >>

Occupy Wall Street S17 “The Reawakening” demonstration in New York City.  Learn more >>  

Sign the Global Appeal for Peace that pushes all nations to follow international law – an important demand at a time when governments routinely flout the law.  Learn more >>  

Support the Embassy Protectors Defense Committee as they push for the charges against the Venezuelan Embassy Protectors to be dropped.  Learn more >>

Thanks for supporting Nonviolence News. You can make a donation to support my work rounding up these stories here: http://www.riverasun.com/thank-you/



Nonviolence News is a sister project to Nonviolence Now. Learn more about this global media campaign at www.NonviolenceNow.org



Activist/Author Rivera Sun is a nationwide speaker and trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements. She is the author of nine books and novels focusing on nonviolence, including The Dandelion Insurrection, The Roots of Resistance, and The Way Between.  For four years, she cohosted nationally-syndicated radio programs on nonviolent struggle. Rivera Sun has worked for Campaign Nonviolence, Metta Center for Nonviolence, and Nonviolence Now, among other groups. Find out more about her work at: www.riverasun.com

Nonviolence News: Mexico’s Glitter Revolution & Reading Beyond Headlines

Photo Credit: Women toss pink glitter during a protest march against sexual violence and femicide in Mexico City on Friday 16 August. Photograph: Marco Ugarte/AP

Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun

When you’re scanning Nonviolence News, what should you look for?  With 30-50 stories each week, we can watch brewing trends, rising campaigns, and get a bird’s eye view of nonviolence in our world today. Nonviolence News’ weekly round-up offers us not just individual headlines, but a chance to see nonviolence on a whole other level, in a whole new way.  Here are some of the patterns and trends I watch in each week’s newsletter:

Size & Scope: How many people are taking action this week?  Nonviolence is something millions of people use each week.  It’s not a “fringe” thing that only activists do. My rough estimate of the number of people involved in this week’s Nonviolence News is over 12 million. 

Location & People: Check out how many countries are in this week’s Nonviolence News.  Nonviolence is being used all over the world.  It’s a global field.  Our strategies, tactics, practices, and solutions are created from all walks of life. We have stories this week from West Papua, Denmark, Peru, Pakistan, Ireland, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, India, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, New Zealand, Mexico, Mozambique, Japan, Zimbabwe, Algeria, Canada, the United Kingdom, and United States.

Trending issues: Look for what campaigns are on the rise.  What are people striving for around the world?  Each week, this changes. Some issues erupt with actions while others (like climate justice) have held steady for months. We also include surprising stories of people who are pushing for changes we might never have dreamed about.  Reading Nonviolence News expands the scope of what we think is possible. 

Victories & Successes: How and where is nonviolence succeeding in making change? In August alone, we’ve shared 23 victory and success stories. Since I started Nonviolence News six months ago, we’ve also seen some major changes, such as the nonviolent revolutions in Algeria and Sudan, and the resignation of Puerto Rico’s governor.

Creative actions: What are the most creative, unusual, and effective new actions that people are inventing as they strive for social justice?  (Like the involuntary walkathon that forces neo-Nazis to raise money for causes they hate.)

Strategies YOU can use: What ideas can you borrow from another movement?  What tactics can you pick up from people also working on (insert your issue here)? What pragmatic solutions can you try implementing in your community? 

Beyond protests: Nonviolence is a vast field. It includes a LOT more than just protests. What ways are people transforming violence – physical, systemic, structural, cultural, etc – without using violence?  The answer is almost infinite.  Each week, we cover a wide range of stories that present nonviolent alternatives, solutions, and transformational efforts.

Opportunities: Learn more about nonviolent practices. Take action with movements and campaigns. We share opportunities to learn and apply many aspects of nonviolence. 

These are just some of the many patterns, trends, and themes you can pick up from Nonviolence News.  It’s an amazing view of the world.  Someday, years from now, I’d love to hear from readers about what stories changed their lives, what bright ideas they put to use in their own communities, and how reading Nonviolence News inspired them to take action.  

Last, but not least, don’t miss my special report on “How Movements Pass On Sparks of Inspiration” with examples drawn from recent stories shared through Nonviolence News. These mid-week essays are shared with thousands of readers via nearly a dozen journals around the world.

Enjoy this week’s collection. It’s amazing.
Rivera Sun, Editor

Thank to everyone who donated last week! It means a lot and keeps me going!  If you’d like to make a donation, here’s where to do so:
http://www.nonviolencenews.org/donate/

Here’s what you’ll find in
this week’s Nonviolence News:

Victory! Success Stories
Recent Actions
Climate Action
Migrant Justice
Women’s Rights
Peace Action
Constructive Program
Knowledge & Reflection
Learn & Study
Calls-to-Action

Here are some recent successes brought about by nonviolence in action.

Pundit Lara Spencer apologized for dissing ballet and male dancers.  To celebrate, 300 dancers danced in the streets of New York City.   Read more > >  

Peru has committed to ending palm oil-driven deforestation by 2021. The National Wildlife Federation named the move a “momentous win” for wildlife and sustainable agriculture.  Read more > >  

Johnson & Johnson must pay over $572 million for its role in the opioid crisis.  Read more > >   

The Church of England voted to divest from companies that aren’t pulling their weight on climate action.  Read more > >  

Scotland generates twice its energy consumption in wind power.   Read more > >  

Denmark runs on 42% wind power.  Read more > >

Denmark is also retiring its last four circus elephants.  Read more > >  

Tlingit carver’s “shaming” totem helps pressure Alaskan governor to back off on his budget slashes – including cuts to Native programs.  Editor’s Note: some nonviolence practitioners do not view shaming as nonviolence. This is the word used by the Tlingit carver to describe the carving, so I chose to keep that wording. The carving calls attention to the inhumanity of the governor and president’s policies, and appears to shame their actions, not them, which is in keeping with Dr. King’s maxim to “oppose injustice, not people”.     Read more > >   

After 30,000 petitions and bi-partisan objection, Trump backs off plan to slash $4 billion from humanitarian aid, human rights funding, United Nations support, and other foreign aid programs.   Read more > >  

As Amazon fires become global crisis, Brazil’s President Bolsonaro is forced to reverse stance. Editor’s Note: we’re still a long way from dealing with the Amazon fires, but this is an important shift to notice.    Read more > >  

Here’s how people are taking action this week for a wide range of causes. 

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in highland areas of West Papua, one week after violent demonstrations flared across Indonesia’s easternmost provinces, leaving one dead and dozens injured.   Read more > >     And, a third wave of protests was met with deadly repression, leaving 7 dead.  Read more > >   

Thousands of Pakistanis protest over India’s treatment of Kashmir.  Read more > >  

Ireland’s meat packing plants shut down amidst farmer protests over beef pricing.  Protesters say that the deal favors big companies at the expense of farmers and consumers.  Read more > >  

Hong Kong’s Tank Man uses unarmed interpositioning to stop police from shooting protesters with live ammunition.  Read more > >   

Multi-island paddle-out protest brings together 500 surfers in support of the Indigenous-led Mauna Kea protests against a giant telescope.  Read more > >   

After mass protests, Puerto Rico shifts to people’s assemblies in the struggle for popular democracy.   Read more > >   

Dominican Republic releases Gandhi stamp to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his birth.  Read more > >   

India’s restaurant owners launch #logout boycott of WhatsApp in opposition to the food delivery service industry’s forced discounts.   Read more > >  

Two universities sign historic agreement on slavery reparations in the Caribbean.  Read more > >   

Protests break out across the UK against Boris Johnson’s suspension of parliament. Thousands marched in London.  Read more > >     

20,000 AT&T workers walked off the job in protest of management’s behavior during negotiations.   Read more > >  

Newark Water Coalition disrupted the MTV awards to decry the poisoned water in their city.   Read more > >  

Two hundred people swarm New York governor’s office protesting his failure to open promised drug overdose centers and safe injection centers.   Read more > > 

US teachers prepare to make 2019 an even bigger strike year than 2018, pushing for wider gains and preventing authorities’ attempt to renege on their deals.  Read more > >  

Kansas University’s Gender and Inclusion group protests the “Chick-fil-A Coin Toss” at sports games and the expansion of the fast food chain. The company has faced numerous boycotts due to its anti-LGBTQ stance and opposition to gay marriage.   Read more > >  

Nonviolence towards the Earth is nonviolence toward humanity.  Here are ways people are working to save the planet . . . and our species.

Swedish youth climate activist Greta Thunberg arrives in the United States after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to climate talks in New York City. A fleet of boats with climate justice sails met her in the harbor – and hundreds of youth activists protested outside the United Nations with her.   Read more > >  

“Heathrow Pause” campaign announces upcoming toy drone flight action that may ground planes for days at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom.  Read more > >  

Diné woman completes 330-mile run on behalf of Mother Earth.   Read more > >  

New Zealand is planting a billion trees to fight climate change.   Read more > >  

New electrified rail line opens in the United Kingdom is the first to be powered by a solar farm.   Read more > >  

Leather and fashion are also fueling the Amazon fires . Studies show that they are a problem in their own right – not just as a by-product of beef. This indicates a backslide from the previous decade’s efforts to stop the industry’s negative impact on the Amazon. Learn more and find out what you can do here.

A teachable moment: why teachers should go on strike with their students.   Read more > >  

Indian residents boycott government meetings and protest with black gags over their mouths after officials refuse to explain why a massive, government-funded tree planting program has failed to plant trees.   Read more > >   

What 500,000 US flood survivors can teach the rest of us about climate action.  Read more > >   

As millions of humans become migrants and refugees from war and climate disasters, the struggle for migrant justice continues to grow.

Community defense patrols organize people on foot or bicycle into rapid alert systems to let vulnerable community members know that ICE is in the area.   Read more > >  

Hillsborough citizens build rapid alert phone system to call together counterprotesters whenever alt-right or KKK protesters show up.  Read more > >   

Over 1,100 congregations agree to provide sanctuary to migrants.   Read more > >  

Violence toward women, patriarchy, misogyny, and gender inequality are issues that women – and allies – around the globe are working to change. Here are some recent stories.

Mexico’s Glitter Revolution rises up against unabated sexual violence toward women.  Read more > >

#1000BlackGirlBooks challenges race and gender inequalities in the literary canon. Read more > >  

#MeToo backlash cuts down on opportunities for women because of men’s anger and fear. Men report being unwilling to hire attractive women, work with a woman in certain situations, and be alone in a meeting with a woman. Editor’s Note: Just to be excruciatingly clear here: this is not the way to respond to sexual harassment and assault. The responsible options might include: restructuring work environments so that women, men, and non-binary persons feel safe in all aspects of their workplace; open meetings in visible spaces, women co-teams, accountability practices, and trainings on what is and isn’t sexual harassment. Read more > >  

Baltimore Museum of Art dedicates a year of exhibitions to women.  Read more >> 

Peace and nonviolence go hand-in-hand. As Gandhi said, “means are ends in the making”.  Here’s some recent peace news.

Amid divisions and disagreements, Mozambique signs third peace agreement, ending the 16-year civil war at least momentarily. But many people feel too disaffected, discouraged, or distracted to cheer.  Read more > >

“Girl of Peace” Statue causes uproar in Japan. Claiming the statue – part of The Lack-of-Freedom-of-Expression Exhibit: Part II – is offensive, Japan’s ultranationalists shut the art exhibit down after only 3 days.  Read more >>  

Promoting peace through art: does peace art really make a difference?  (Hint: yes!)  Read more >>   

“Lesbians Who Tech” group ditches Palantir’s sponsorship over the company’s human rights violations.   Read more >>   

While on active duty, Lt. Susan Schnall dropped antiwar leaflets over five military installations and an aircraft carrier from a small plane, held a press conference, and lead a mass peace march while in uniform. She’s been resisting war ever since.  Read more >>    

Pianos For Peace places 88 hand-decorated pianos throughout Atlanta, GA.   Read more >>   

Constructive Programs and alternative institutions build the strength and resilience of the community while weakening reliance on systems of oppression.

Zimbabwe’s “Offers and Needs” sharing market at leadership camp shatters gender stereotypes.  Read more >>    

The Armenia Tree Project helps reverse desertification and provide livelihoods for war refugees.  Read more >>   

Gender Adventures summer camp opens space up for gender and identity exploration for Canadian youth. Read more >>  

How to start an anti-racist student group in your school.   Read more >>  

We are fortunate to live at a time when there is so much knowledge about nonviolence available to explore. Here are some articles that invite us to dig deeper.

Sparking Change: How Movements Pass On Inspiration by Rivera Sun.  Read more >> 

Two years after Charlottesville, NC, “Unite the Right” rally, how have activists, policy-changes, and the legal system reined in hate? Reports show that participants in the Unite the Right rally have lost jobs, been sent to jail, been de-platformed, refused service, banned from traveling, and lost friends and family.   Read more >>   

How soccer/football inspired Algerian revolutionaries to continue pushing for political change.   Read more >>  

Here are some upcoming webinars on movement building, organizing, and nonviolent practices. 

Sept 10th, 8pm ET, FREE webinar on how to start a World Beyond War chapter in your town. Read more >>  

Visionary Organizing Lab presents a month-long webinar series on “Dialectical Humanism: The Thought of James and Grace Lee Boggs”. Wednesdays, Sept 11-Oct 16.   Read more >>  

Sept 12, Asheville, NC “Stories from the New Economy: Building from the Bottom Up”.  Read more >>   

Sept 20-21, New York City, NY, 7th Climate Justice Youth Summit.   Read more >>  

Oct 18-20, Baltimore, MD, Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy. Read more >>  

Here are a few upcoming actions inviting your participation and support. 

Campaign Nonviolence Week of Actions September 14-22, 2019, Everywhere. Host or join a march, rally, protest, or other event or action for a culture of peace and active nonviolence.  Learn more >>Sept 20-27th, join the Global Climate Strike. (It’s not just for the kids, any more. Get ready to go on strike.) Read more >>

Shut Down DC on Sept 23 as part of the Global Climate Strike. Learn more >>  

World Beyond War Learn more about the conference and rally  planned for October 5-6 in Limerick, Ireland. Learn more >>

Oct 5th is a Day of Action Against Domestic Violence. Hold or join a 2-min die-in protest.  Learn more >>

Oct 7th is a Day of International Rebellion for climate justice organized by Extinction Rebellion.   Learn more >>

Activist/Author Rivera Sun is a nationwide speaker and trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements. She is the author of nine books and novels focusing on nonviolence, including The Dandelion Insurrection, The Roots of Resistance, and The Way Between.  For four years, she cohosted nationally-syndicated radio programs on nonviolent struggle. Rivera Sun has worked for Campaign Nonviolence, Metta Center for Nonviolence, and Nonviolence Now, among other groups. Find out more about her work at: www.riverasun.com

Sparking Change: How Movements Pass On Inspiration

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Change doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Resistance is a continuum. Nonviolent movements arise amidst the efforts of many other struggles. The knowledge of how to organize for change is a global legacy passed between movements and generations of activists through lineages of inspiration that stretch through hundreds of years. (The first recorded strike happened in 1170 BC when Egyptian pyramid builders refused to work until they were paid; they’ve been happening much the same way ever since.) We learn from one another both directly and indirectly. We mimic creative tactics. We replicate strategies. We learn from mistakes. We are emboldened by others’ courage. 

I collect 30-50 stories of nonviolence in action each week for Nonviolence News, a news round-up that shows how people around the globe are making change. In the news articles, I often notice clear examples of knowledge-sharing and inspiration passing between global movements. 

Wunseidel, Germany’s 2014 involuntary walkathon pledged money to social justice causes for every alt-right marcher that showed up for the march, thereby making them fundraise for causes they hate. This inspired a similar action in Portland, OR, that raised $36,000 for immigrants’ rights groups during a mass rally for the alt-right. Recently, Hong Kong protesters deliberately organized a 28-mile human chain inspired by the 1989 Baltic Way – a human chain involving 2.2 million people that stretched hundreds of kilometers across Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. They even named it the Hong Kong Way. When migrant rescue boat captain Carola Rackete was arrested for saving lives, the crew of a second ship, the Alex,was inspired to defy the law as well.

While the Internet has aided this phenomenon, the way ideas leap from one movement to the next is not new. Throughout history – albeit at a slightly slower pace – this has occurred. The word “boycott,” for example, was coined in 1880 when Irish tenants launched a campaign of social ostracizing against Captain Charles Boycott for his role in brutal evictions. Within six weeks, newspapers as far away as New York City were using the term. A few years later, as the term continued to rise into popular usage, guess which student in Britain was reading the British newspaper reports on the Irish and other struggles? A young guy named Mohandas K. Gandhi.

This was far from Gandhi’s only inspiration as he mobilized mass strikes, boycotts, and civil disobedience in the struggle for India’s independence from British rule. He was both highly innovative and a deep thinker and strategist. He clearly learned from the struggles of his time. He drew ideas for nonviolent action and philosophy from a wide range of global writers and thinkers, both Eastern and Western. His unique stamp would have, in its own turn, global impact.  

Some of this was spontaneous – but much of it occurred through direct connection. African-Americans, for example, had a long and well-documented exchange with both Gandhi and his successors. Letters and essays on nonviolent struggle were published in African-American newspapers and journals. 

In the early 1950s, Rev. James Lawson traveled to India just after Gandhi’s assassination to deepen his study of nonviolent resistance. Upon his return, he became one of the foremost strategic architects of the US Civil Rights Movement. In later years, he has worked with numerous labor justice and other movements. He has also taught countless organizers throughout his long life and emphasizes the importance of training and study to movement success.

Movements share tactics and strategies, and they also share artistic themes. When I wrote my novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, using the dandelion as a symbol of resistance, numerous readers wrote to me about its use by movements as disparate as Norway’s resistance to joining the European Union, the United States’ 1970s Movement for a New Society, the recent Black Lives Matter Movement, and even the global climate justice movement. Like its namesake, it’s a symbol that continues to pop up all over the place. 

Music, art, slogans, and imagery circulate between movements in innumerable ways. To highlight one example, the iconic song of the Civil Rights Movement, We Shall Overcome, has had many incarnations. The first version was written in 1900 by African-American Rev. Joseph Tidley under the name, I’ll Overcome Some Day. This version was well-known throughout the labor movement of that decade. A second version, I Will Overcome, was sung in a 1945 cigar workers strike in Charleston, South Carolina. Pete Seeger and Zilphia Horton (music director of the Highlander Center) included this version in a book of folk songs they published. It was rekindled within the Civil Rights Movement at the Highlander Center. Guy Carawan is credited with selecting it as the closing song of a training attended by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. From there, they and many other folksingers helped to popularize it in the movement.

There are dangers with superficially mimicking movements, however. One of the assessments of the Arab Spring uprisings is that later movements failed because they learned largely from watching television and Internet footage of Tunisia and Egypt’s mass demonstrations. Replicating only the mass street protests, movements in other countries failed to see – and use – the strikes, boycotts, and mass noncooperation campaigns that had effectively eroded the regimes’ power in the first two countries. When protesters flooded the streets in subsequent countries, the brutal repression of police and military was able to crush the movements because other strategies – especially economic resistance – that could have been shifted to had not been developed.  

Some important aspects of struggle – such as organizational infrastructure, widespread training programs, acts of noncooperation, and covert resistance – tend not to be as visible to people from the outside. Studying nonviolent movements helps to illuminate these aspects beyond what we see in the news.

It is undeniable that media coverage of movements helps to inspire subsequent uprisings. The Arab Spring is cited as one of the main inspirations for the Occupy protests in the United States. The Occupy protests launched in New York City in September 2011, in part because of an Adbusters Magazinecall-to-action. Within two weeks, 951 Occupy encampments had sprung up across 82 countries, 600 in the United States . . . and a new phrase had entered movement organizing circles: multi-nodal actions.  In a country with the geographic expanse of the United States, the notion – while not new – was a revelation for many. Instead of organizing people to go to big city demonstrations, actions in every city and town were organized.  

In the United States, this tactical approach has been replicated continuously since the Occupy protests of 2011. The 2017 Women’s March, for example, mobilized one million people in the streets of DC and another 2.7 million across 500 other locations. One out of every 100 Americans participated in either the Women’s March or the Sister Marches (as the multi-nodal actions were called). This multi-nodal organizing approach also lies at the heart of the Student Climate Strikes, which organize weekly student walkouts and days of larger mobilizations. 

The stories continue: global labor movements; women’s suffrage movements in the UK and US; Indigenous solidarity movements around the globe; intersectional movements of the 70s and 80s; anti-globalization protests at major trade conferences that shared tactical philosophies; environmental movements that adapted blockades and tree-sits from forest protection to blocking pipelines; and so much more. Each one of these examples deserves a full article. Both contemporary and historical strands of learning and inspiring can be traced through movements. 

The circulation of texts, books, and manuals on nonviolent struggle has played a major role in the ways movements share tactics and strategies. The works of M.K. Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Gene Sharp have had global impacts. The advent of the Internet made accessing knowledge and following contemporary movements even more common. Current campaigns seem to draw knowledge from a wide variety of sources, including traditional cultural references, organized training programs, current and recent movements, previous campaigns in their history, and local innovation. 

In collecting and circulating the weekly Nonviolence News, one of my goals is to help light the sparks between people working for change. By reading about creative actions, wise strategies, and courageous resistance, we can learn from the endeavors of our fellow human beings. The more we learn, the more the sparks of inspiration lead to robust, strategic, and powerful movements for change. 

__________

Rivera Sun , syndicated by  PeaceVoice ,  has written numerous books, including  The Dandelion Insurrection . She is the editor of  Nonviolence News and a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent campaigns. www.riverasun.com