Rivera Sun's Blog: From the Desk of Rivera Sun, page 13

May 18, 2019

Nonviolence News: A Record-Breaking Year

May 11-18, 2019

Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun:

By the numbers, Nonviolence News covers stories that involve millions of people. Civil disobedience arrests are happening by the dozens. Demonstrations involve thousands. Strikes include hundreds of thousands. This week alone, Nonviolence News is covering stories about 100-200,000 French protesters, 300,000 teachers on strike in Poland, thousands of Uber drivers striking while hundreds shut-down the street in front of company headquarters. We have articles sharing hard-won lessons from three recent revolutions: Algeria, Sudan, and Catalonia’s (still underway) independence movement. In other news, 2018 was a record-breaking year for US strikes and projections indicate that 2019 will meet or exceed that number. And most importantly, nonviolence is working. Private prison companies are warning investors that activists are affecting their profits. Fossil fuel divestment is changing the face of finance and saving the planet. LGBTQ-rights campaigns around the world are making breakthroughs, including the passage by the House of Representatives of the US Equality Act.

In this week’s Nonviolence News, you’ll find a new feature: Editor’s Notes. Some stories deserve a short commentary to illuminate how and why that news piece is a great nonviolence story. Big, burly, tattooed and scowling members of a motorcycle gang, for example, aren’t your usual suspects for nonviolence … but their effort to stop dog fighting and rescue abused animals is, undeniably, a Nonviolence News story. I hope you enjoy the Editor’s Notes; I enjoy writing them.

The Nonviolence News can be reposted on blogs. Peace and justice websites, personal blogs, nonviolence-themed sites, resistance journals … you name it. Let’s spread the Nonviolence News far and wide! If you’d like to be included on my growing “Editors & Bloggers List” to receive a version of this enewsletter that’s easy to repost, just let me know. No website is too small or too large. I’m equally delighted to have a personal blog or YES! Magazine or The New York Times carry this weekly post.

Yours toward a nonviolent future,
Rivera Sun, Editor

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

Victory! Success Stories
Recent Actions & On-Going Campaigns
Racial Justice
Peace Action
Climate Action
Constructive Program
Knowledge & Reflection
Learn & Study

Nonviolence News shares recent success stories so we see and remember that nonviolent action is powerful and effective. 

In Paraguay, anti-corruption protests get results. Read more >>

After being denied a job because of her hijab, a Muslim woman in France posted a video calling for a boycott of the store, sparking an official apology from the company and a broader discussion of racism and Islamaphobia in France. Read more >>

Taiwan passes Asia’s first same-sex marriage bill. After the bill passed parliament, Taiwan’s first female president, Tsai Ing-wen, expressed her support with a celebratory tweet: “On May 17th, 2019 in Taiwan, Love Won.” Read more >>

US House of Representatives passes LGBTQ Equality Act, which offers non-discrimination protections for 7 million US citizens living in 30 states that lack those laws. Read more >>

After pressure from hunger strikers in the local anti-fracking movement – and committing to a municipal Green New Deal – the Cuomo Administration blocked a New York City Harbor fracked gas pipeline. Read more >>

Editor’s Note: Success stories are not always “big” changes. Sometimes, a success is as simple – and as profound – as changing one person’s life. A note from Trans boy told his neighbors how much the Trans Flag hanging in their window meant to him. Read more >>

Owner of Red Hen Restaurant who asked Sarah Sanders to leave reports that “resistance is not futile” and in the wake of the event, community “pro-cott” brought business in the door, supported the local shelter and food pantry, and local first responders. Read more >>

After a community group mobilized to prevent a bailout, the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant is going to be shut down. Read more >>

Why the Uber strike was a success. Editor’s Note: “Success” for movements and nonviolent campaigns isn’t always just achieving your stated goals. Some successes are unexpected breakthrough in popular understanding of the problem (such as Occupy’s 1% meme). Others are partial goals for the movement. They are all worth celebrating and understanding. Read more >>

After Extinction Rebellion actions, The Guardian updates its language in describing the state of the environment, including switching from “climate change” to “climate emergency”. Read more >>

Editor’s Note: Nonviolence comes in a thousand forms. Here’s one story that shows a practical, nonviolent movement that protects lives. In Virginia, a retired man mobilized an effort to make people safe while biking in his city. Read more >>

Editor’s Note: While many motorcycle gangs – and maybe even this one – aren’t known for their nonviolence commitments, this story does exemplify how even people who aren’t willing to commit to a nonviolent life can still work for nonviolent practices in our world. Biker gang rescues abused animals and stops dog fighting rings. Read more >>

Around the world, people are launching nonviolent campaigns
and/or using principled nonviolence to transform their communities
and fight injustice. Here are a few recent stories.

Apple Computer company boycotts grow in China due to US trade war. Read more >>

The rise of youth protest in Afghanistan … and its challenges. Read more >>

Sweden grants refugee status to Chinese Uighurs. Read more >>

Chobani Yogurt company and a community GoFundMe team up to retire student lunch debt.Read more >>

Thousands march in Cardiff, Wales for independence from the UK. Read more >>

Holding 150 protests throughout France, 100-200,000 French citizens protest public sector job cuts by Macron government. Read more >>

2018 was a record-breaking year for strikes in the US … but 2019 is keeping pace and poised to exceed last year’s record. Read more >>

LGBTQ people in Brazil are resisting Bolsonaro’s repressive politics with art. Read more >>

In India, where same-sex relations remain illegal, the “Gay Prince” invites the LGBTQ community to live in his palace as a refuge from persecution and discrimination.Read more >>

The Teachers’ Revolt is global. Last month, 300,000 Polish teachers conducted a 17-day national strike. Over the last 16 months, educators launched strikes in Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Mexico, Argentina, France, the Netherlands, the United States and many other countries. Read more >>

Activists stage protest on the subway ride to the Whitney Museum against donor Warren Kanders. The campaign has used 10 weeks of artful, creative, and targeted protests, mobilizing an inclusive group and broadening to include many allies. Read more >>

A protest of several hundred Uber drivers took over the street in front of the company’s San Francisco headquarters to demand fair pay, benefits, and greater transparency from the rideshare giant. Read more >>

Private prison company GEO Group admits that activists pose a threat to their bottom line. Read more >>

Inmates hold hunger strike in Santa Cruz County Jail to protest conditions. Read more >>

Over 300 US community members protest Danish Rockwool insulation factory, taking their concerns over toxic air and water pollution straight to its gates. 24 were arrested but local police barred the press and legal observers from video taping or photographing the arrests. Watch a video here >> Find more info on the backstory here >>

Miami Herald newspaper prints the names of the 1000+ kids who have been killed by gun violence since the Parkland shooting. Read more >>

John Hopkins University launches online course on gun violence prevention to aid young activists. Read more >>

Sparking both applause and concerns over censorship, Tech giants pledge to fight extremist content online. Read more >>

Israeli and international activists block the entrance of the #Eurovisionopening event in Tel Aviv in protest of the Israeli military occupation and colonial policies, and in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners. Watch this video by Keren Manor & Oren Ziv >>

Struggles for racial justice are happening around the globe, many of them using nonviolent action to achieve changes in policing, economic justice, clean and safe environments, immigrant and migrant justice, and much more.

Burlington, VT holds speakout against police brutality. Watch a video here >>

Black Lives Matter protesters block FDR highway as disciplinary trial begins for Officer Panteleo over the chokehold in Eric Garner’s death. Read more >>

Five ways to fight back against ICE. Read more >>

Around the world, people are using nonviolent action to de-escalate conflicts, intervene in brewing wars, and wage peace. Here are some of their stories.

Police raid Venezuelan Embassy in DC and arrest Embassy Protectors. Activists say the effort is not over, just entering phase two. A rally has been called for Saturday, May 18th. Read more >>

National Lawyers Guild condemns Secret Service involvement in crackdown on US peace activists at the Venezuela Embassy in DC. Read more >>

Know your opponents. The Venezuela Embassy Collective digs into just who were those virulent pro-Gauido supporters heckling and attacking them … and finds some surprising answers. Read more >>

Nonviolence or Nonexistence? The role of unarmed peacekeeping in global survival. Read more >>

International participants in unarmed peacekeeping training share their experiences and reflections … and demonstrate how unarmed peacekeeping has a profound role to play in de-escalating violence and waging peace. Read more >>

New video from Nonviolent Peaceforce shows how, in times of rising violence, nonviolence can interrupt and transform dangerous escalation cycles. Read more >>

Living sustainably and protecting our planet are forms of “nonviolence toward the Earth”, which is inseparable from embodying nonviolence toward ourselves and all others. Here are recent stories of nonviolent climate action.

10 female climate activists who are saving the planet. Read more >>

UK jury acquits Extinction Rebellion founder using the Necessity Defense. Read more >>

“For the Love of Our Children”: Mothers rise up for climate action on International Mother’s Day. Read more >>

Germany opens first electric highway for trucks.Read more >>

Divestment works: The world’s biggest investors back fossil fuels … but activists are changing that. Read more >>

Backbone Campaign holds Solutionary Rail demonstration at Berkshire Hathaway shareholders’ meeting. See photos here >>

Constructive Program is a term coined by Gandhi to describe efforts that build the self-reliance of the people, advance alternatives to problems, and strengthen the resilience of communities. Here are a few examples we found this week.

Puerto Ricans transform closed schools into community centers. Read more >>

ACTS buys Milwaukee houses at auction and sells them to the “unbankable”, swapping high mortgage payments for “cost of repairs” price tags. Read more >>

Community-led solutions in the US housing crisis. Read more >>

How an Arts and Culture Economy rebuilt a former coal town. Read more >>

Here are a few recently posted articles that provide insight and reflection on the art and science of waging nonviolence. 

The 3.5% rule: how nonviolent struggle wins. Read more >>

The resurgence of peaceful protest in New Zealand. Read more >>

Heard about the Algerian Revolution? Here’s a closer look at what happened, why, and how the mass movement successfully ousted a decades-old dictator. Read more >>

The role of labor in the Algerian Revolution. Read more >>

Learning from the Catalonia Independence Movement.Read more >>

How can civil resistance and social work integrate to promote social change? Read more >>

The Woman Who Desegregated a School: Yvonne Odom was one of thousands of students who quietly did the civil rights work at schools across the country. Read more >>

Here are some upcoming opportunities to learn more about organizing, nonviolent action, creative tactics, and nonviolent solutions.

A Quick Intro to Restorative Circle Practices: These free downloadable slides are designed especially for K-12 teachers and students who want to bring Restorative Practices into their classrooms and communities. Learn more >>

The pro-democracy movement in Sudan: Strategies, Achievements, and Prospects. May 22nd by ICNC. Learn more >>

Organizing for Social Change course being offered June 3 – 7, 2019, at the Summer Peacebuilding Institute. Learn more >>

How to Create Social Movements: Momentum Training hosted by East Point Peace Academy, June 21-23, Oakland, CA. Learn more >>

Training in Restorative Justice by the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding, Gainesville, Florida, June 24-25. Learn more >>

Fierce Vulnerability Seabeck Conference, June 28-July 1st, Washington State. Learn more >>

Like Nonviolence News? Support us! Each week, Rivera Sun pours love, focus, time, and passion into these emails. You can donate to the effort here.

Nonviolence Now & Other Creative Collaborations

Nonviolence News supports creative collaborations. We are a sister project to Nonviolence Now, a global endeavor to collect and share true, inspiring stories of nonviolence in action. Nonviolence News shares 14 stories each week with Nonviolence Now, including examples for Nonviolence Now’s Map of Stories. These stories are also circulated on social media. You can check out their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages!

In addition, Nonviolence News offers a dozen news items each week to Popular Resistance’s Daily Digest. At the same time, we collect stories via this great journal. Another area of collaboration for Nonviolence News is with the Global Nonviolent Action Database. We send 6 or more stories each week to the students at Swarthmore College who compile the articles in the database. As mentioned in the Editor’s Note, we also encourage people to repost Nonviolence News. Special thanks goes out to Pace e Bene/Campaign Nonviolence for posting last week’s Nonviolence News on their website.

With Nonviolence Now, we’re excited to support the ever-growing movement for a culture of active nonviolence. Got ideas for us? Let me know! (rivera@riverasun.com) Thanks!

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Published on May 18, 2019 14:33

May 14, 2019

Nonviolence News: Celebrities, Art, and Fashion Statements

From Resistance Lit to the Attenborough Effect
Nonviolence News: May 11th, 2019

Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun:In this week’s Nonviolence News, star power is having an impact. Hollywood organized a boycott of Brunei hotels in protest of their death penalty for gay sex laws – which were backed away from this week. Meanwhile, three film and television production companies pulled out of Georgia (which makes billions from the industry) in protest of their anti-abortion laws. Queen’s guitarist has issued a call for a new “Live-Aid Concert” to fight climate change. And, a new environmental “effect” has been identified called the “Attenborough Effect”, referring to when Richard Attenborough spotlights something like plastic pollution, the problem – and its solutions – start making headlines and causing plastic pollution to plummet worldwide.

But that’s just the tip of the amazing Nonviolence News headlines. Did you hear that the US-Mexico Border fence is about to become the world’s longest peace-themed mural? Did you hear about the Virtual Peace Museum that plans to use online technology to illuminate the footsteps of the world’s greatest peacemakers? This week’s Nonviolence News is full of interesting stories: a seniors’ read-in in Canada protested library funding cuts. A caged child installation appeared on the Capitol Lawn in protest of Trump’s family separation policies. Resistance Lit is a growing genre of literature-as-protest.

What’s my favorite creative story this week? Extinction Rebellion, calling attention to the pollution of the fashion industry, just made my thrift-store wardrobe an act of resistance. They’ve called for a one year boycott on buying new clothing. I’m participating, of course. (It’s nice to be in style for once.)

Thanks for sharing Nonviolence News with a friend (or two),
Rivera Sun, Editor

PS Oh and don’t miss this! Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Peace Proclamation received a 21st Century update from yours truly . . . with the collaboration of friends at Code Pink. Watch the video and read it here.

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

Victory! Success Stories
Recent Actions & On-Going Campaigns
Climate Action
Peace Action
Creative Action
Knowledge & Reflection
Nonviolent History
Calls-to-Action
Learn & Study

Nonviolence gets the goods. Each week, we report on victories that have come about because of nonviolent struggle and community organizing.

Following international backlash, (including a Hollywood boycott of Brunei hotels) Brunei announced they will not impose the death penalty for gay sex. Read more >>

The “Attenborough Effect” is causing plastics pollution to plummet, demonstrating the important role celebrities can play in making change. Read more >>

In the wake of Extinction Rebellion mass actions, Ireland declares a climate emergency, becoming second country (after the United Kingdom) to do so. Read more >>

Official denies permit for Jordan Cove Liquid Natural Gas export facility and the Pacific Connector fracked gas pipeline which have faced fierce opposition
for more than a decade by a grassroots coalition. Read more >>

Indigenous women reclaim stolen land in Bay Area, using voluntary taxes and land donations.Read more >>

Vermont and Maine replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. Read more >>

Montana becomes first state to remove a confederate statue and replace it with new art. Read more >>

There’s more happening that you think. Here are some new campaigns and recent actions coming from the growing movement of movements.

Indian jute mill workers to go on strike on May 14th. Read more >>

Indian cotton farmers movement to use Indigenous seed costs Monsanto millions.Read more >>

Canadian seniors hold a read-in at a public official’s office over library funding cuts. Read more >>

#CaravanToCanada crosses border to get cheaper insulin and other life saving medical supplies. Read more >>

Millions march for legal access to marijuana. On Saturday May 4 and Sunday May 5, cannabis advocates around the world participated in the Global Marijuana March as the event enters its 21st year. Read more >>

20,000 Czechs protest for the second week against the appointment of a Justice Minister whom they fear will obstruct an investigation into the Prime Minister. Read more >>

French actors and writers back Yellow Vest protests as 18,000 marched on May 5th across France. Read more >>

One of Europe’s last migrant rescue ships defies political pressure to continue its mission. Read more >>

Woman arrested in Poland for posters of Virgin Mary with LGBTQ rainbow background. Read more >>

Indigenous women in London take a stand in solidarity with Canadian First Nations women against human trafficking. Read more >>

Uber & Lyft Driver strike stops ride shares in cities across the US in advance of Uber’s public offering. Read more >>

Researchers advocate increasing the minimum wage in order to reduce suicides.Read more >>

Citizens march to protest pesticide killings of local bee population. Read more >>

In a searing rebuke to Attorney General William Barr, hundreds of former federal prosecutors have signed a letter stating that obstruction of justice charges should be brought against President Trump. Read more >>

7 Johns Hopkins University students arrested over building lock down that protested the plan for privatized campus police. Read more >>

US high school students hold walkout and march for classmate facing deportation on graduation day. Read more >>

Virginia Tech students protest how university handled sexual assault after a student’s tweet goes viral. Read more >>

Tens of thousands of Oregon teachers walked out over lack of support for public schools, shutting down 600 schools. Read more >>

After his head was slammed against the pavement, 15 year old Delucca Rolle helps lead a 100-person march in Fort Lauderdale protesting police brutality. Read more >>

Alabama state congressmen’s protest stops attempts to circumvent due process to pass controversial abortion ban. The vote is postponed until next week. Read more >>

Three Hollywood production companies pulled out of Georgia filming in protest of the recent abortion ban. Movie and TV production is a multi-billion dollar business in the state. People are calling for more companies to follow suit. Read more >>

People are voluntarily paying rent as reparations to the Duwamish Tribe (near Seattle). Read more >>

Black Mama’s Bail Out Day movement grows. Read more >>

The new suffragists are fighting for the voting rights of incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated people. Read more >>

Berkeley, CA wants to convert aging baby boomer businesses into worker cooperatives.Read more >>

Rich Kid Revolutionaries take a stand against inequality. Read more >>

We’ve been hearing a lot about Extinction Rebellion in the UK … but did you catch the news that 2000 people in Paris took direct action targeting the state and its complicity with big polluters? Read more >>

Great Britain passed one week without coal power for the first time since 1882. Read more >>

Activist calls for Critical Mass rides to join Friday Strikes and Extinction Rebellion.Read more >>

Soulardarity in Highland Park, MI, fights austerity, privatization, and climate change with an effort to upgrade streetlights to run on solar. Read more >>

Extinction Rebellion launches new clothing boycott. Read more >>

Canadian Supreme Court rules that oil companies have to clean up their old wells – even in bankruptcy. Read more >>

For peace activist, means are ends in the making. Nonviolence offers sane and sensible ways to break the cycle of violence while working to stop wars & wage peace.

Code Pink releases new Mother’s Day Peace Proclamation calling for an end to all wars. Read more >>

Veterans For Peace President assaulted by police at Venezuela Embassy actions in DC. Read more >>

Venezuela Embassy Protectors Collective denounce the “dangerous and appalling” illegal shut-offs of water and electricity to the embassy, and call for the Secret Service to turn them back on.  Read more >>

Venezuela Embassy Collective responds to aggressive tactics designed to force them to leave. Read more >>

Trump-Putin talk about abolishing all nuclear weapons. Read more >>

Thousands Join Peace Marches Across Germany Under The Motto “Disarmament Instead Of Armament.” Read more >>

Pro-Palestine march hits the streets of London in protest of Israel’s war crimes. Read more >>

Virtual Reality Peace Museum seeks to illuminate the many global stories of peacemakers. Read more >>

25 Protesters arrested at USS LBG warship christening at Bath Iron Works in Maine will not be prosecuted.  Read more >>

Nonviolence is endlessly creative. It engages human capacity for humor, innovation, and symbolism in efforts toward change. Here are a few stories.

Caged child on Capitol Lawn appears, marking one year anniversary of Trump’s family separation policy. Read more >>

Ceramic artist makes harrowing and challenging clay cups that can only be bought for the price of a conversation about the true cost of war. Read more >>

Colonization, cultural oppression, abuse, depression and mental illness- some of the issues that the Māori slam poetry group, Ngā Hine Pūkorero, is taking to the world. Read more >>

Artists are turning the US-Mexico Border fence into the world’s longest peace-themed mural.Read more >>

Create Peace Project facilitated the creation of a 30′ x 10′ peace mural by 220 students at Howard Elementary School in Oakland, CA. Artists Laurie Marshall and Lili Lopez helped the K-5th students bring more unity to their school through celebrating color, shape, pattern and cooperation. Watch a short video here >>

Boys with braids: hair as resistance to colonization in Indigenous nations. Read more >>

“Priced Out” video series on affordable housing features community activists rallying at City Hall. Read more >>

Sick of “manels” (male-only panels), female scientists form organization to feature women-in-science’s work.Read more >>

Queen band’s guitarist calls for a new Live-Aid Concert to fight climate change. Read more >>

Resistance Lit is a burgeoning genre that covers everything from the blockbuster sales of the Mueller Report to insiders-tell-all books to George Lakey’s “How We Win” organizing manual. Read more >>

If we want to use nonviolence powerfully and effectively, we need to study nonviolence and learn from past and on-going campaigns.

Metta Center for Nonviolence hosts talk on how to leave hate groups.Read more >>

The role of nonviolence in India’s foreign policy.Read more >>

Workers March, Rally, Strike Globally On May Day: Learn how people in 21 different countries showed solidarity with the global workers movement. Read more >>

The Nonviolence Report on Nonviolence Radio digs into a few current events in this livestream. Read more >>

Justifying Nonviolence: A Comparison of King’s Moral and Practical Critiques of Violence. Read more >>

Pace e Bene/Campaign Nonviolence’s Executive Director Ryan Hall offers six key lessons from the James Lawson Institute 2019. Read more >>

Know your history … when we better understand the length and breadth of how/where/when nonviolence has been used, we better understand how to use it in our current times.

Six legendary anti-Vietnam War protests everyone should know about. Read more >>

5 Teens Who Changed the World List features 3 young women organizing with nonviolence. Read more >>

How Vieques, Puerto Rico, ousted a US naval bombing range, storage facility and military training site. Read more >>

Here are a few calls-to-actions from movement organizers and an upcoming workshop in building skills for making change.

Join the Venezuela Embassy Protectors in DC. These nonviolent activists are occupying the embassy at the invitation of embassy personnel to prevent the US coup of the independent and sovereign Bolivarian Republican of Venezuela. Read more >>

Extinction Rebellion launches new clothing boycott. Spread the word >>

Women’s March On the Pentagon announces new October 11th mass action to end US militarism and imperialism. Read more >>

Here are some upcoming opportunities to learn more about organizing, nonviolent action, creative tactics, and nonviolent solutions. 

The Power House Project: rural organizing, energy efficiency, and power-building in Kentucky – Lower energy bills. Healthier homes. Clean energy. Energy democracy. Find out how successful, equity-driven climate advocacy can help us achieve so much for our communities. (May 14 – Online Webinar) Learn more >>

Citizen Artist Salon: Creative Strategies for Commemorative Justice This Citizen Artist Salon will explore how anyone can activate place-based creative strategies for truth-telling and collective healing. (May 16 – Webinar) Learn more >>

2019 Spring RootSkills (May 18 – Brattleboro, VT) The RootSkills series is about building networks and strengthening movements by making powerful, intersectional connections between a broad spectrum of participants all working towards a common goal. This event will focus on racial and economic disparities to consider in/equity in rural, New England communities. Read more >>

Western Worker Cooperative Convening: Olympia, WA on May 18th, 2019. Learn more >>

The pro-democracy movement in Sudan: Strategies, Achievements, and Prospects. May 22nd by ICNC. Learn more >>

Organizing for Social Change course being offered June 3 – 7, 2019, at the Summer Peacebuilding Institute. Learn more >>

How to Create Social Movements: Momentum Training hosted by East Point Peace Academy, June 21-23, Oakland, CA. Learn more >>

Nonviolence News is supported by generous readers and supporters!
We appreciate your love. And your donations. Thank you.
Here’s where to make a donation.

About Rivera Sun, Editor

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

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Published on May 14, 2019 14:29

May 10, 2019

Look What Arrived! Proofs!

The proofs of The Lost Heirhave arrived and they look beautiful! We’re getting ready to launch on Amazon and other online bookstores in print and eBook versions. After a wonderfully successful Community Publishing Campaign last fall, we’ve been working hard to line up reviews and author interviews so we can launch Ari Ara’s second story out into the world with all the excitement it deserves.

Can’t wait?! You can get the now-limited Author’s Edition from my website here.

About the book: With all the fun of a sword-swinging adventure, but without the violence, The Lost Heir spins a spectacular story with strong female characters and powerful social justice themes. Young Ari Ara has been discovered to be the Lost Heir, the double royal daughter of two nations. When she learns that her mother’s people have forced her father’s desert people to sell their labor in exchange for water, she sets out on a quest for justice. ‘Armed’ with nonviolence and love, Ari Ara launches a youth movement to restore the honor and dignity of both her peoples. Unexpected allies rush to her side: the urchin queen, a monkish young scholar, a desert seamstress, and a mysterious hawk keeper. Before she knows it, she’s sparked an uprising like nothing Mariana Capital has ever seen!

A shero with spunk and spark, Ari Ara confronts prejudice, discrimination, bullying, violence, and injustice with all the action, adventure, magic, and fantasy that readers love!

Kids, parents, and teachers agree: you’ll love this book!

People are saying:

“Rivera Sun deserves an international audience and I hope she gets it.” – Amber French, Editorial Advisor, International Center on Nonviolent Conflict

“In this book Rivera Sun pulls off an impressive feat,
creating an original exciting story that deftly teaches ways to create a
world that works for all. Thank you, Rivera Sun, for another
outstanding contribution to the field of nonviolence through this series!”
– Kit Miller, Director of the MK Gandhi Center for Nonviolence

“Rivera Sun is an amazing author. The way she threads
the principles of nonviolence into the fabric of her novels is a beautiful
experience. It is an education that everyone in the world needs – now more than
ever.” – Heart Phoenix, River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding

“Rivera Sun is a poet and her prose is poetic and full
of imagery and figurative language, so that the reader is swept up in the story
and his or her imagination is ignited by the author’s beautifully descriptive
use of language.” – Casey Dorman, Editor of The Lost Coast Review

“The strong emphasis on seeing the power of nonviolence
in practical use sets this young adult novel apart. The story is remarkably animated
– it stays with you!” – Chris Nelson, Chico Peace & Justice Radio

“I highly recommend gathering the children around you
and reading The Way Between and The Lost Heir so everyone can enjoy and
embrace these masterfully-told, exciting adventures.” – Scotty Bruer,
PeaceNow

“Five stars. It’s Harry Potter with a contemporary
message! I thoroughly enjoyed this opening story and look forward to the
next in the series tackling more of humankind’s ancient yet still urgent
questions regarding war and peace.” – Gayle Morrow, retired Y/A Librarian

“Ms. Sun has created a world filled with all the
adventure and fun of mystics, martial arts and magic contained in
“The Hobbit,” “The Ring Trilogy” and the “Harry
Potter” series but with deeper messages. There are not enough superlatives
to describe this series!” – Brenda Duffy, retired teacher

“So good! This is exactly the kind of book I like to
read and I really loved the message. It is already making me see things in a
different way.” – Beth Preston, Third Grade Teacher

“This is exactly the kind of story I want to share with
my daughter, and the heroine is the kind of person I hope she will become.”
– Noel Wetzel, parent

“This book can sit alongside the likes of Lord of the
Rings and The Hobbit- with a similar feel, but exhibiting an intricate message of
nonviolent action. I commend Rivera Sun for giving such a strong and resonant
voice to this movement, and for including young readers with her message!”
– Liz Moon

“Ari Ara’s saga of love and non-violence continues with
downright awesome story-telling!” -Larsen Prip, Veteran for Peace

“These books need to be in classrooms and libraries
everywhere. Ari Ara is the hero we all need, especially our young people.”
– Bev Campbell

“Rivera Sun’s creativity, wisdom, insight and joyful
nonviolent activism for all ages fills me with awe and hope. If we were all to
read her books the way we have read Harry Potter’s, we would be well on our way
to sending a different message to our children.” – Veronica Pelicaric,
Pace e Bene

“Nonviolence is rediscovering our true selves, so in a
way, we are all Lost Heirs. Don’t just give this book to someone, read it with
them.” Stephanie Van Hook, Executive Director, the Metta Center for
Nonviolence.

“Rivera Sun merges escapism and social relevance with her
delightful adventure set in a fantasy world, yet with important implications
for here and now. A fun read that will leave you thinking.” – Stephen Zunes

“During times when so many of us, especially the young,
are still figuring out how to make this planet more just and livable, this book
couldn’t have come at a better time.” – Patrick Hiller,

“Rivera Sun has once again made the practice and
methods of strategic nonviolence clearly accessible and understandable to both
adults and youth in an entertaining and exciting story. The Lost Heir is both
sobering and uplifting, and a “must read” for fans of fantasy and
science fiction.” – Michael Colvin, Oregon Fellowship of Reconciliation

“Shining with character depth and surprising plot twists, The Lost Heir is a true and timely treasure for readers of all ages to experience and enjoy!” – Genevieve Emerson

“Throughout the story, we are reminded that human
dignity comes, not from violence, but from our shared efforts and
understanding. I highly recommend this novel to adults and children alike. You
will be inspired by Ari Ara!” – Angela Parker, Mother and Member of Peace
and Justice Center of Marin

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Published on May 10, 2019 14:05

May 6, 2019

Nonviolence News: Paddle-Outs & Pothole Plantings

Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun:This week’s Nonviolence News illuminates how nonviolence unleashes both our power and our immense creativity in making change. In Australia, surfers are holding “paddle-outs” to protect a beach from oil drilling. In Zimbabwe, people are planting tall grass in potholes to call for political accountability. You’ll find an article in the Nonviolent History section on how the famous mime, Marcel Marceau, saved the lives of Jewish children by miming to keep them quiet while escaping the Nazis.

Nonviolence also works. Each week, we report on many success stories that have come through nonviolent action. This week, Extinction Rebellion won a major victory, getting the United Kingdom to declare a climate emergency. At Swarthmore College, students held a multi-day sit-in until two racist, misogynist fraternity houses were disbanded. Meanwhile, at the invitation of the Venezuelan Embassy in DC, activists have been holding off a US take-over as part of a broad anti-coup endeavor that seems to be working. (More on that next week.)

In the coming week, brace yourself for the May 8th Uber driver shut-down in major US cities. Nonviolence is rising as people rise up for a wide range of social justice causes. The tools of nonviolence are powerful, effective, and creative. What world will you build with them?

Thanks for sharing Nonviolence News with a friend (or two),
Rivera Sun, Editor

Victory! Success Stories
Recent Actions & On-Going Campaigns
Climate Action
Constructive Programs
Creative Action
Knowledge & Reflection
Nonviolent History
Calls-to-Action

Nonviolence News shares recent success stories so we see and remember that nonviolent action is powerful and effective.

Activism works. Citing student school strikes and Extinction Rebellion, UK government declares a climate emergency. Read more >>

Two Swarthmore College frats disbanded after multi-day student sit-ins challenged the racist, misogynist, supremacist views of frat members. Read more >>

Landmark victory as court strikes down Texas anti-BDS law. Read more >>

In Germany, a circus has replaced live animals with holograms … a major victory and creative breakthrough for animal rights activists working on ending circuses. Are the zoos next? Read more >>

Thanks to consistent community action, a New Mexico official pulls the plug on new oil and gas drilling near Chaco Canyon. Read more >>

Around the world, people are launching nonviolent campaigns
and/or using principled nonviolence to transform their communities
and fight injustice. Here are a few recent stories.

Venezuelan Embassy protectors hold strong, saying, “If you oppose US imperialism, this is the place to be.” Read more >>

Thousands of Chilean students peacefully protesting student debt and demanding education reform were repressed after being attacked by anti-riot police. Read more >>

Hong Kong protesters hold largest march in 5 years. Read more >>

Hong Kong Umbrella Movement leaders were sentenced to jail. One issued this public statement: “Living in a society on the brink of authoritarianism and of arbitrary rule, let me be a brave bell toller, ringing, waking up sleepy souls.” Read more >>

In Afghanistan, Hemland residents call for cease fire with peaceful rally. Read more >>

In Brazil, Indigenous Peoples rally in capital to protest President Bolsonaro’s onslaught of destructive policies. Read more >>

50,000 protesters march against Honduran president over corruption and drug trafficking charges. Read more >>

Thousands in Morocco call for the release of jailed activists. Read more >>

Around 500 protesters gathered outside a Bayer’s shareholder meeting with placards calling out Bayer’s corporate motto “science for a better life” and asking the company to “stop glyphosate”, the Monsanto-made herbicide at the centre of the group’s woes. Inside, investors were fuming, calling the Monsanto take-over a “nightmare for shareholders”. Read more >>

NSA considers dropping mass surveillance program revealed by Edward Snowden. Read more >>

In what has come to be known as “guerrilla archiving,” Katie Cuyler, a public services and government information librarian at the University of Alberta, has gone about saving all data and information hosted on the Government of Alberta web pages before it is turned over from the NDP to the UCP. Read more >>

8,000 Canadians gather in Toronto to protest healthcare cuts. Read more >>

Entire Methodist confirmation class declines to become members over anti-LGBTQ policies. Read more >>

Pennsylvania activists march for a ban on lobbyists buying gifts for legislators. Read more >>

Hundreds of Google employees hold May 1st sit-in to protest retaliation. Read more >>

On May 8, Uber drivers are organizing a nationwide shutdown of Uber, with drivers turning off their apps in protest over low pay: so far, seven cities’ drivers are signed up: Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, Minneapolis, LA and DC. Read more >>

Demanding an end to austerity measures that have kept classrooms overcrowded and educators underpaid, about 10,000 teachers, students, and supporters staged one of the largest protests in recent years at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia on May 1st. Read more >>

Former director of US Selective Service says it’s time to end draft registration – not expand the draft to women. Read more >>

700 youth climate strikes planned on multiple continents. Read more >>

Australian surfers paddle-out to protect beach against oil drilling. Read more >>

Maine AFL-CIO is first labor union to support a state-level Green New Deal. Read more >>

As the rest of the country continues to go back and forth over the possibility of a nationwide Green New Deal, New York City is forging ahead with its own version. Read more >>

Movement to build national US support for the Green New Deal surges in Boston, the City of Revolutions. Read more >>

Climate activists target Goldman Sachs‘ European headquarters. Read more >>

Greta Thunberg backs the call for a general strikes to address the climate crisis.Read more >>

Trump effort to boost fossil fuels hits a wall in US federal court. Read more >>

Extinction Rebellion activists glue themselves to London Stock Exchange and climb on top of trains. Read more >>

A growing coalition ramps up the environmental justice fight in urban Michigan.Read more >>

Human rights “outlaws” are defending an ancient forest in California. Read more >>

Portland, Oregon’s electric buses run on wind energy, a first in the nation. Read more >>

Why now is the time to connect the pipeline struggles. Read more >>

Teen Vogue reports on how giving plants legal rights may help fight climate change.Read more >>

Youth lock their necks to gate in UK over climate crisis. Read more >>

Constructive Programs build the strength and resilience of the movement while weakening reliance on systems of oppression.

San Jose State University fights food insecurity with food bank. Read more >>

The Nonviolence Report, part of Nonviolence Radio, digs into a few news stories on air and simultaneously live streams. Read more >>

Church builds tiny house village on their campus for unhoused persons. Read more >>

Street Store gives free items away to people on the street. Read more >>

Sikhs around the world are planting trees to stop climate change. Read more >>

Nonviolence is endlessly creative. It engages human capacity for humor, innovation, and symbolism in efforts toward change. Here are a few stories.

Zimbabweans are filling potholes with tall grass and “flooding” local officials to advocate for quality-of-life issues and build a culture of accountability. Read more >>

Did Banksy just create an Extinction Rebellion mural? Read more >>

3D Crosswalks designed to slow down drivers near school. Read more >>

US Pentagon claims 1100 high schools bar military recruiters. A group of US peace activists are offering $1000 prize to any high school that does so. Read more >>

Bhangra dance group joins Mikmaw grandmothers at Alton Gas Site protest on Earth Day. Read more >>

Hasan applies for a job at the CIA – video spoofs CIA and truth-tells. Read more >>

New Smithsonian album features Black women musicians connecting past and present resistance stories and struggles through song. Read more >>

Here are a few recently posted articles that provide insight and reflection on the art and science of waging nonviolence. 

“An Israeli shot me. An Israeli healed me.” A young Palestinian’s story shows peace is still possible. Read more >>

PBS movie series focuses on women, war and peace. Read more >>

A new generation of activists takes the lead on climate change. Read more >>

Unicorn Riot brings you inside the worker-run Vio.Me facility in this three part video series. Read more >>

Zinn Education Project circulates climate justice curriculum. Read more >>

Using maps as a tool to resist extractive industries on Indigenous territories. Read more >>

How Ireland’s Citizens’ Assembly supported Climate Action. Read more >>

Learn about Direct Action Everywhere, an animal liberation group dedicated to the philosophy and methods of nonviolence and nonviolent direct action. They strive to uphold nonviolence as a way of life, in “tone, word, and action.” Read more >>

What makes Extinction Rebellion protests different. Read more >>

How Linda Garcia battled Big Oil, health challenges, and death threats to stop a fossil fuel export terminal in the Pacific Northwest. Read more >>

Know your history … when we better understand the length and breadth of how/where/when nonviolence has been used, we better understand how to use it in our current times.

From Pam McAllister: On April 30, 1977, 14 women defied the Argentinian police state, went to the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, and demanded information about their sons and daughters who had been disappeared by the thousands. As their numbers grew, the MOTHERS OF THE PLAZA persisted in their public witness, braving arrest, torture, and martyrdom. This is what courage looks like. Read more >>

The Battle for Larzac Plateau: crops bring life, weapons bring death. Farmers block a military base on a French agricultural plain. Read more >>

The French Resistance in WWII isn’t known for its nonviolence … but many of its tactics were nonviolent. Here are some particularly fascinating, clever, daring, and courageous nonviolent responses to dangers. The star of these tales? The French mime, Marcel Marceau’s, nonviolent rescue of Jewish children.Read more >>

Remembering Nonviolent History: The Freedom Rides began on May 4th, 1961. Read more >>

The veterans of the civil rights movement made history, but they are eager for you to know something: They didn’t set out to be heroes or icons. On two occasions this year, these brave men and women gathered to reflect on their experiences and the legacy they’re leaving. Read more >>

Here are a few calls-to-actions from movement organizers and an upcoming workshop in building skills for making change.

2019 Spring RootSkills (May 18 – Brattleboro, VT) The RootSkills series is about building networks and strengthening movements by making powerful, intersectional connections between a broad spectrum of participants all working towards a common goal. This event will focus on racial and economic disparities to consider in/equity in rural, New England communities. Read more >>

Women’s March On the Pentagon announces new October 11th mass action to end US militarism and imperialism. Read more >>

You can also learn more at: www.NonviolenceNow.org

About Rivera Sun, Editor 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

View more on Rivera Sun's website »

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Published on May 06, 2019 12:04

April 30, 2019

Nonviolence News: 31,000 Stop & Shop Grocery Store Workers Win Better Wages!

What can nonviolence do for you?

Nonviolence News: April 21-27, 2019

Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun:This week’s Nonviolence News contains some stunning victories. Nurses strikes are on the rise globally, representing important international effort for both access to affordable healthcare and fair working conditions for nurses. Stop & Shop workers won a tentative deal and went back to work with better wages and benefits. The Sudan Uprising continues its effort to ensure a democratic transition instead of military control. They are holding mass singing demonstrations with the slogan, “instead of a rifle, bring a violin”.

I’m collecting all this Nonviolence News while participating in the James Lawson Institute in Portland, Oregon, where an amazing group of activists, presenters, facilitators, and trainers have gathered for a powerful five days of knowledge-sharing. Both the sessions and the stories I’m seeing in the news this week strike me with a sense of awe. There are deep and layered connections between generations of movements that stretch through hundreds of years, across continents, and between dozens of issues. It is truly humbling to catch a glimpse of the many ways in which the stories of nonviolent struggle have literally changed millions of people’s lives in so many places. We are a part of this on-going story … and a part of making sure these incredible stories are known in our communities.

Thanks for sharing and spreading Nonviolence News,
Rivera Sun, Editor

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

Victory! Success Stories
Recent Actions & On-Going Campaigns
Climate Action
Peace Action
Creative Action
Knowledge & Reflection

Nonviolence News shares recent success stories so we see and remember that nonviolent action is powerful and effective.

31,000 Stop & Shop workers end 11-day strike with tentative agreement after drawing support from every sector of their society. Read more >> https://inequality.org/great-divide/stop-shop-strike/

Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails win majority of their demands from Israel Prison Service after eight days without food. Read more >>

Kids fight plastic pollution in the Bahamas and win! After only a few months of organizing, a young environmental science student gets her country to ban single-use plastic. Read more >>

In a move to end mass incarceration, the new DA of Dallas, Texas announced a plan to enact criminal justice reform. Read more >>

Moms Demand Action makes two victories: in Tennessee, bills for “stand your ground” laws and arming K-12 employees were dropped. Read more >>

And in Arizona, a bill allowing people to bring loaded guns onto school grounds was stopped. Read more >>

Following outcry from employees and environmental activists, the Museum of Natural History won’t host an event honoring Brazil’s far-right president. Read more >>

Around the world, people are launching nonviolent campaigns
and/or using principled nonviolence to transform their communities
and fight injustice. Here are a few recent stories.

Sudanese protests continue after dictator’s resignation, seeking a democratic transition and no military rule. They are holding mass singing demonstrations with the slogan, “instead of a rifle, bring a violin.” Watch a Facebook video >>

100 Sudanese judges demanding civilian rule marched on Thursday from the Supreme Court in Khartoum towards an opposition sit-in outside the Defence Ministry, joining anti-government protests for the first time. Read more >>

People power is rising in Africa. Find out where … and why? Read more >>

Chinese developers use github to protest long work hours. Read more >>

In Thailand, hijab-wearing football/soccer club builds space for diversity. Read more >>

40,000 Irish nurses held a series of 24-hr strikes, gaining limited pay increases. Read more >>

Tens of thousands of protesters throughout Yemen condemn Donald Trump’s veto of a U.S. congressional resolution directing him to end support for the Saudi-led Coalition’s war against Yemen. Read more >>

Yellow Vests hold mass protests in response to upper class’ response to Notre Dame fire, saying, “Victor Hugo thanks all the generous donors ready to save Notre Dame and proposes that they do the same thing with Les Miserables.” Read more >>

Fired Nurses in Zimbabwe offer free healthcare to the public in protest. Read more >>

New Zealand nurses strike galvanizes medical community and demands investment in medical care. Read more >>

The Little Big Union joins the growing movement to transform fast foods. Read more >>

Nurses strikes are on the rise … where are the physicians? Read more >>

Muslim woman takes a stand against bigotry with courage, love, and spirit. Read more >>

What happened because of the Panama Papers whistleblowing? Here’s an overview of three years covering a slew of demonstrations, resignations, Investigations in 83 countries, jail-time, laws changed and more to come. Read more >>

Julian Assange calls for international days of action May 1 & 2. Read more >>

Who are Extinction Rebellion? The climate action group is shutting down cities across the UK and around the world.  Read more >>

Extinction Rebellion arrests exceed 1000 in the United Kingdom.  Read more >>

A group of folks from Extinction Rebellion PDX in Portland, Oregon have just taken over at Zenith Energy, dumping a truck full of soil over the train tracks and planting a ‘victory over fossil fuels’ garden – complete with sheds, scarecrows, and a real growing garden.  Read more >>

Extinction Rebellion organizers look towards what’s coming next for the mass movement. Read more >>

Lego toys runs on 100% renewable energy and is starting to make biodegradable, non-plastic legos. Read more >>

Over 6,000 Amazon employees are calling on Jeff Bezos and the company’s board to adopt a climate plan that will transition the company to 100% renewable energy by 2050. Read more >>

In what has come to be known as “guerrilla archiving,” Katie Cuyler, a public services and government information librarian at the University of Alberta, has gone about saving all data and information hosted on the Government of Alberta web pages before it is turned over from the NDP to the UCP. Read more >>

Pipeline protester charged with “Threat of Terrorism” for locking down to the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Read more >>

Jane Goodall calls upon billions of people to make “ethical choices” to save the planet. Read more >>

For peace, nonviolence is a means AND an end. As Gandhi put it: means are ends in the making. 

International Peace Delegation plan building bridges trip to Russia. Read more >>

Veteran sails for world peace while fighting cancer. Read more >>

At the invitation of the Venezuelan embassy, US citizens hold protective occupation to tell US government #HandsOffVenezuela Read more >>

Nonviolence is endlessly creative. It engages human capacity for humor, innovation, and symbolism in efforts toward change. Here are a few stories. 

Activists deliver giant plastic trash monsters to Nestle headquarters to protest plastic pollution. Read more >>

Extinction Rebellion stages mass die-in under dinosaur fossils in Natural History Museum in London. Read more >>

Mexican folk legend Lila Downs has covered Manu Chao’s classic song “Clandestino” in protest of current U.S. immigration policies. Read more >>

Cooperation Jackson’s Mural Fest engages local artists’ creativity in building a revolutionary local community movement. Read more >>

Sudanese librarian sets up open air bookshop to offer books to protesters during mass demonstrations. Read more >>

Here are a few recently posted articles that provide insight and reflection on the art and science of waging nonviolence.

Four Valve Turners speak about the necessity of civil disobedience in response to the climate crisis. Read more >>

Standing Rock’s surprising legacy: a push for public banks. Read more >>

10 tips on starting a progressive podcast. Read more >>

Got conflict on social media? Check out Conflict in the Comments, an online conversation that blends conflict transformation, nonviolent communication, de-escalation tactics, and how to handle social media comment threads when the topic gets hot. Read more >>

US Senator Elizabeth Warren’s plan to end student debt came from grassroots pressure. Read more >>

The 30-year fight for breast implant safety. Read more >>

Nonviolence News is supported by generous readers and supporters!
We appreciate your love. And your donations. Thank you.
Here’s where to make a donation.

About Our Sister Project: Nonviolence News and Nonviolence Now are a pair of sister projects that work in creative collaboration to connect people to the powerful tools and practices of nonviolence. Nonviolence Now interrupts the assumption that nonviolence is passive and ineffective, demonstrating that it is instead active, accessible, and revolutionary. It counterbalances pervasive stories of violence, and demonstrates that violence is not inevitable, pleasurable, and the only way to seek justice.

Nonviolence Now platforms provide a beautiful doorway to compelling stories of nonviolence in action. The project connects individuals world-wide with resources for peace building and principled nonviolence. Rather than duplicate what has already been done, Nonviolence Now promotes the existing work of nonviolence organizations through innovative collaboration.

You can also learn more at: www.NonviolenceNow.org

View more on Rivera Sun's website »

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Published on April 30, 2019 13:41

April 21, 2019

Nonviolence News: Superglue & Salamander Crossings

Nonviolence Toward the Earth Takes Many Forms
Nonviolence News: April 14-20, 2019

Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun:This week’s Nonviolence News reminds me that nonviolence comes in a thousand shapes and sizes. As Extinction Rebellion swept the globe this week, so did stories of creative nonviolent action in protection of Mother Earth. An attorney in London superglued herself to Shell’s headquarters to protest climate crisis inaction. In Vermont, a major highway was shut down to honor the annual migratory salamander crossings. Both stories point to the kind of courage and action humanity must take in order to realign our species with the rest of our beautiful Earth. Both stories embody profound nonviolence toward people, animals, plants, and planet.

Nonviolence News amplifies these amazing stories. Just this week, a quote from Voices for Creative Nonviolence came across my inbox:

“People across the nation and all over the world are taking actions to build a community in which the values of justice, cooperation, and respect for this fragile world are upheld. Almost none of these are actions we will ever hear about.”
-Voices for Creative Nonviolence

Nonviolence News breaks the silence. It amplifies the extraordinary ways nonviolence is shaping our world. Now, it’s your turn to share these stories far and wide. Use the social share buttons to share this e-newsletter. Repost the individual stories on social media. Forward this e-newsletter to 10 friends and encourage them to sign up. Ask your favorite peace and nonviolence organization to post this round-up as a blog on their website. The more people who know and share the Nonviolence News, the better for everyone.

Thank you for spreading Nonviolence News!
Rivera Sun, Editor

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

Victory! Success Stories
Recent Actions & On-Going Campaigns
Climate Action
Constructive Program
Knowledge & Reflection
Nonviolence History
Calls-To-Action

Nonviolence News shares recent success stories so we see and remember that nonviolent action is powerful and effective.

1,800 farmworkers in citrus orchards strike for 4 days and gain better wages. Read more >>

Editor’s Note: Nonviolence comes in a thousand forms … here’s one unusual story we ran across. What if you could save 2.4 million lives by donating blood? Check out this story about “The Man With the Golden Arm”. James Harrison was a blood donor with a rare antigen who saved 2.4 million babies. Read more on Facebook >> Not on Facebook? Check out his Wikipedia page.

Editor’s Note: the connection between meditation and nonviolence is well-known. If we want to build a more nonviolent culture, teaching mindfulness and meditation will cultivate the awarenesses and trainings that support that vision. In this recent news story, mindfulness and meditation were added to the curriculum in 370 English schools. Read more >> https://www.trueactivist.com/mindfulness-and-meditation-will-now-be-part-of-the-curriculum-in-370-schools-in-england-t1/

After widespread organizing and activism, Washington State passes Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women Act. Read more >>

Nonviolence Radio interviews three scholars and organizers about the recent Sudan Uprising. Tune in >>

Female Chief in Malawi breaks up 850 child marriages and sends girls to school. Read more >>

Around the world, people are launching nonviolent campaigns
and/or using principled nonviolence to transform their communities
and fight injustice. Here are a few recent stories.

Kenyan sugar workers go on strike for payment of salary in arrears. Read more >>

Indian villagers boycott elections over pollution problems. Read more >>

Cambodian farmers protest large-scale sugar plantations. Read more >>

Fighting South and North Dakota’s anti-protest “riot boosting” laws. Read more >>

Send us your immigrants! Sanctuary City organizers tell President Trump. Confirming Friday that his administration is considering sending undocumented immigrants en masse to sanctuary cities, President Donald Trump framed the proposal as a threat—but several politicians and rights advocates replied that immigrants would be welcome in those communities. Read more >>

Houston Police Chief speaks out against order to deport 11-year old asylum-seeking El Salvadoran girl alone without her family, comparing the importance of disobeying the deportation instructions to the duty to resist the Nazis. Read more >>

Fang Collective protests collaboration between ICE and local police. Read more >>

Thousands strike at five University of California hospitals. Read more >>

John Hopkins University students occupy to protest campus police plan. Read more >>

Woman goes on 17-day hunger strike to save orcas. Read more >>

Los Angeles, CA gangs host largest peace rally since LA riots in honor of Nipsey Hussel. Read more >>

New England grocery story chain Stop & Shop strike enters second week with 270 stores closed. Read more >>

Teamsters Union backs up striking Stop & Shop workers by not crossing picket lines to deliver goods. Read more >>

Yemeni bodegas boycott New York Post over attacks on Ilhan Omar. Read more >>

Protesters call on UK to #FreeAssange outside British embassy in DC. Read more >>

World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma played Bach at the US-Mexico border, saying, “In culture, we build bridges, not walls.” Read more >>

Yellow Vest Act 22 reaches 30,000 people despite repression. Read more >>

Thousands of Berlin activists march to demand city seize housing from big private landlords and stop rent spikes. Read more >>

Nine prisoners at two Wisconsin prisons start coordinated hunger strike demanding an end to solitary confinement. Read more >>

24-7 occupation vigil aims to protect Venezuelan Embassy in DC. Read more >>

Six peace and nuclear disarmament activists were arrested during a Good Friday witness at the Pentagon, after they had a die-in and distributed copies of the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons outside of the police designated protest zone. Read more >>

San Francisco activists protest “woke-washing” wine bar in Mission District. Read more >>

Editor’s Note: It’s not every day that you hear news of humans letting other species take precedence. This story from Vermont points toward a beautiful future in which humanity respects the rest of our fellow species deeply enough to care for them and their migratory needs. Here’s the story: Vermont closes major road for Salamander migration. “The annual closure of King Road by the City of Burlington reinforces Conservation Halton’s promise to form partnerships, which enable us to better protect our natural environment, in this case an endangered species,” CAO of Conservation Halton Hassaan Basit said. Read more >>

Extinction Rebellion shuts down major European cities. Read more >>

Extinction Rebellion London floods the jail. Police run out of cells. Read more >>

Extinction Rebellion in Washington, DC protests in front of the Republican National Committee.Read more >>

62 Extinction Rebellion activists arrested during die-in in New York City. Read more >>

Extinction Rebellion in New Zealand protests “sour milk”, drawing the connection between the dairy industry and the destruction of rivers and watersheds. Read more >>

Extinction Rebellion activist superglues herself to Shell’s UK headquarters in protest of climate inaction. Read more >>

Extinction Rebellion participants from the University of Oregon in Eugene protest logging practices with tree-sit. Read more >>

Weather Channel runs a 2100 simulation of Charleston, SC underwater to protest and raise awareness about the climate crisis. Read more >>

Indigenous Poets read urgent climate message on shrinking glacier. Read more >>

New Yorkers rally against proposed fracked gas pipeline. Read more >>

Activists scale Federal Energy Regulatory Commission building and demand that it be replaced with a “Federal Renewable Energy Commission”. Read more >>

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

How a seed bank helps preserve Cherokee culture through traditional foods. Read more >>

Editor’s Note: We believe that sharing Nonviolence News is a constructive program for the movement to build a culture of nonviolence. On Nonviolence Radio’s podcast, The Nonviolence Report section features Michael Nagler digging into a few recent news stories. Listen in and then share the post >>

How Library of Things build resilience, fight climate change, and bring communities together. Read more >>

Shareable’s inaugural quarterly issue examines how sharing practices counter the global loneliness epidemic. Read more >>

Know your history … when we better understand the length and breadth of how/where/when nonviolence has been used, we better understand how to use it in our current times.

From Pam McAllister: In Iranian Kurdistan, a man found guilty of battery was sentenced to being publicly paraded dressed in women’s clothing. Feminists in Marivan protested that the punishment degraded women. When they were silenced, poet-activist Masoud Fathi and other anti-sexist men acted in solidarity. On April 18, 2013, they launched a FB page “Kurd Men for Equality,” posting photos of themselves in women’s apparel with the message “Being a woman is not a tool to humiliate or punish anyone. No free society without free women.” Within days, there were 9,000 followers. Share this story on Facebook >>

Podcast explores historic US Civil Rights organizers experience of Dr. King’s assassination. Listen here >>

Here are a few recently posted articles that provide insight and reflection on the art and science of waging nonviolence. 

24-minute video explores the New Science of Nonviolence & Human Nature. Watch the video >>

Otpor! Leader’s resistance strategy manual offers tools for all activists. Read more >>

How the portrayal of protests in South Africa denigrate poor people. Read more >>

Who were the women of the Indian Self-Rule Movement? Learn more about the women who heeded Gandhi’s call. Read more >>

The history and legacy of “leaderless” and “leaderful” movements from Occupy to Gilet Jaunes to Extinction Rebellion. Read more >>

How to make the climate movement more inclusive? Hint: do the work. Read more >>

Here are a few upcoming events inviting your participation. 

Nonviolence Now, sister project to Nonviolence News, is having a celebration! It’s been an amazing journey and, if you’re local or regional to Rochester, NY, join organizers on May 1st to celebrate this inspiring project. Find out more.

Zinn Education Project is looking for stories from people who teach climate justice. They’re offering a free book to anyone who submits a story. Learn more >>

Frontline Oil & Gas Conference in Ponca City, Oklahoma, May 16-18, 2019 This Indigenous-led organizing summit will bring much needed energy and attention to a key battleground state in the fight against the fossil fuel industry. Learn more >>

Building Community Wealth with Green Stormwater Infrastructure—Stories from the Field: a webinar featuring leaders of grassroots enterprises around the country who are building community wealth as they work to make their communities more resilient to the effects of climate change. April 29, 2019 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. Learn more >>

Nonviolence News is supported by generous readers and supporters!
We appreciate your love. And your donations. Thank you.
Here’s where to make a donation.

About Our Sister Project: Nonviolence Now

Nonviolence News and Nonviolence Now are a pair of sister projects that work in creative collaboration to connect people to the powerful tools and practices of nonviolence. Nonviolence Now interrupts the assumption that nonviolence is passive and ineffective, demonstrating that it is instead active, accessible, and revolutionary. It counterbalances pervasive stories of violence, and demonstrates that violence is not inevitable, pleasurable, and the only way to seek justice.

Nonviolence Now platforms provide a beautiful doorway to compelling stories of nonviolence in action. The project connects individuals world-wide with resources for peace building and principled nonviolence. Rather than duplicate what has already been done, Nonviolence Now promotes the existing work of nonviolence organizations through innovative collaboration. You can also learn more at: www.NonviolenceNow.org

View more on Rivera Sun's website »

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Published on April 21, 2019 11:53

April 13, 2019

The Century of Nonviolence & Two Dictators Toppled

Nonviolence News: April 7-13, 2019

Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun:
This week’s Nonviolence News is celebrating how Algeria and Sudan toppled their dictators amidst massive protests. In Sudan, “The Woman in White” captured worldwide media attention . . . but their movement isn’t over yet. Pro-democracy organizers are pushing for an immediate democratic transition rather than the military rule that is trying to ban protests and elections for two years. Stay tuned. We’ll update you on these unfolding stories next week.

In this week’s news, you’ll find stories of victories and on-going actions for an amazing broad range of issues. Tech workers are organizing to halt AI ethics violations and rein in the surveillance state. Mongolian herders stopped a corporate behemoth from stealing their land. Gamers are upending industry conferences as they organize for a union. Stop & Shop grocery workers are on strike in the northeast United States. Student climate strikes and Extinction Rebellion are driving climate justice forward around the world.

With this much happening, I was delighted to learn that the Dalai Lama proclaimed the 21st century the “Century of Nonviolence”. Is it any coincidence that two countries ousted their repressive leaders this week? I don’t think so. Nonviolence is literally changing our world . . . and at a much faster rate than anyone suspects (except maybe the Dalai Lama). Let’s prove his predictions and hopes true, shall we? You can help foment nonviolence by sharing the Nonviolence News e-newsletter with friends and posting it on social media.

Here’s to the Century of Nonviolence!
Rivera Sun

Victory! Success Stories
Recent Events & On-Going Campaigns
Climate Action
Constructive Program
Creative Action
Knowledge & Reflection
Nonviolence History
Calls-To-Action

Nonviolence News uplifts and celebrates
the victories won through organized nonviolent action.

Algeria’s longtime dictator resigns amidst massive protests. Read more >>

Sudan protesters oust 30-year long repressive president, but continue to protest against military-rule during the transition. Read more >> Curious about the women organizers? Check out the women of the Sudan Uprising. Read more >>

The Dalai Lama says the 21st Century will be the Century of Nonviolence. Read more >>

Mongolian herders win against corporate mining behemoth.Read more >>

South Africa’s Nedbankbreaks away from financing coal-fired power plants. The move comes after years of campaigning from local groups, and makes it the first such commitment for an African bank. Read more >>

“Worker Power Wins”: Google scraps controversial AI ethics board after widespread company outrage. “Employees, tech experts, and the public protested the appointments of The Heritage Foundation president and a drone company’s CEO.” Read more >>

In the wake of widespread citizen action and civil disobedience, US Federal Court rules “Homeless Hate Laws” unconstitutional. Read more >>

“After an outcry by a Seattle nonprofit and questions from state lawmakers and Gov. Jay Inslee, corrections officials Wednesday ended ban against organizations mailing books to prisoners.” Read more >>

Gardendale, Alabama holds “Amnesty Week” as part of a settlement over their private probation scam in a lawsuit brought to court by Southern Poverty Law Center. People facing multiple charges have a chance to clear their cases. Read more >>

Did you miss this one? We just caught reference to this amazingly successful strike in 2016: A strike organized by Familias Unidas por la Justicia—and a federal class-action lawsuit resolved in 2015—afforded farm workers more benefits, including paid rest breaks, and propelled Sakuma Brothers workers to secure a union contract in 2016 that improved their working conditions and led to farmworkers getting paid a minimum of $12 per hour. Read more >>

Reparations Movement gains a victory: Georgetown University (built by enslaved Blacks) Students okay a $27 per student reparations fee. Read more >>

Gainesville, FL reduces juvenile arrests by 75% after implementing powerful restorative justice and peacebuilding strategies, along with social justice policy changes. Read more >>

Around the world, people are launching nonviolent campaigns
and/or using principled nonviolence to transform their communities
and fight injustice. Here are a few recent stories.

Woman in white becomes “Image of Revolution” and is called the “Sudanese Statue of Liberty” after photo goes viral during a protest against the repressive regime of President Omar al-Bashir. Read more >>

Indigenous Activists Set Up Protest Camp at South Texas Cemetery to Stop Trump’s Border Wall. Environmentalists, veterans of the Standing Rock protests and Carrizo/Comecrudo tribal members are vowing to stare down the president’s bulldozers. Read more >>

McGill University in Montreal, Canada, has announced it will change the name of its men’s varsity sports teams — the Redmen — after calls from Indigenous students, faculty and staff saying the name is discriminatory.

Brussels says no to 5G, citing health concerns. “The people of Brussels are not guinea pigs whose health I can sell at a profit,” says Environment Minister Céline Fremaul. Read more >>

Poor People’s Campaign marches through Sacramento, CA. Read more >>

California bans state-funded travel to South Carolina over SC’s anti-LGBTQ laws. Read more >>

About 200 protesters gathered in Midtown, NYC outside the Birthright Israel North America offices. Some blocked the entrance and staged sit-ins over a two hour periods, 15 people were arrested, police said. Demonstrators were criticizing a program that gives free tours of Israel to young American Jewish people, claiming that the tours ignore the oppression of the Palestinians and the continued occupation of the West Bank. Read more >>

400 people march in Montana for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Read more >>

Airbnb bans users headed to White Nationalist conference in Tennessee. Read more >>

Traditional Indigenous stewards of the land resist Adani Coal Mine. Read more >>

In memory of Philando Castile (murdered by cops in 2016), school kids set up “Philando Feeds Children Fund” to end student lunch debt in ALL St. Paul, Minnesota schools. Read more >>

#NoNATO activists “unwelcome” NATO in DC. “Peace and justice activists held a week of action in protest, disrupting meetings, shutting down an entrance to the State Department and taking the streets.” Read more >>

On the East Coast, US students lead the movement to restore prisoners’ voting rights. Read more >>

Thousands of Stop & Shop workers go on strike for better wages and benefits in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Read more >>

Remember that story about video game developers shutting off the lights during a conference talk until the speaker acknowledged unions? Well, the gaming industry’s pro-union organizers are back! This time, they used a wide variety of tactics at an industry conference to promote unionization. Read more >>

Remember that story on Norway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund divesting from fossil fuels? Well, they’ve just gone a step further. They’re going to invest in renewables. Even more interesting, this article also mentioned that Saudi Arabia’s fund sold off its last oil and gas assets. Change is happening! Read more >>

Sacred Headwaters Summit plans how to protect Amazon watersheds. “In March, nearly 100 indigenous representatives from the Achuar, Shuar, Wampis, Awajun and Kichwa people gathered in a historic summit in Peru to start planning how to permanently protect the Sacred Headwaters region of the Amazon rainforest.” Read more >>

The New Yorker reports on “Renegade Nuns” who took on a pipeline. Read more >>

3 arrested at Alton Gas site in Canada as police dismantle a roadblock. Read more >>

26-year old in India revives 10 lakes in his home town from polluted messes into functional ecosystems. Read more >>

California wildfire survivors help each other find hope and healing along the way. Read more >>

Activists showed up at the global bank HSBC’s annual general meeting in the United Kingdom. They’re building on a long standing campaign to push HSBC to commit to stop investing in all coal and arms. Read more >>

In India, Brazil, the UK and other countries, school strikes continued in a big way this week. Responding to the strikers’ call to action, parents are finding more and more ways to support. Read more >>

Edinburgh Science Festival is underway – and just last week after a year-long campaign, they banned fossil fuel sponsorship. Read more >>

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

Great Green Wall holds back desertification and poverty in 12 African nations. Read more >>

Washington State berry farmworkers created an organic co-op that guarantees fair wages and healthy working conditions while preserving indigenous heritage. Read more >>

How Seoul is confronting its deadly isolation epidemic with sharing. Read more >>

Nonviolence is full of creative actions that use art, humor, and innovation to make change. Here’s a couple of examples. 

Naila and the Uprising streams on PBS. “When a nationwide uprising breaks out in 1987, a woman in Gaza must make a choice between love, family, and freedom. Undaunted, she embraces all three.” Read more >>
https://www.justvision.org/nailaandtheuprising

Anti-Trump protestors gathered at the U.S.-Mexico border with a “Baby Trump” balloon ahead of the President’s visit Friday. Read more >>

Debt strike! With the nation’s household debt burden at $11.85 trillion, even the most modest challenges to its legitimacy have revolutionary implications. Read more >>

Bronze Age Jubilees restored economic justice in ancient times. Should we do the same in ours? Read more >>

A police officer shot elementary school cafeteria worker Philando Castile at a traffic stop in 2016. His mother has teamed up with a prosecutor and others to help police assess their preparedness for responding to crises after a police shooting. Read more >>

Know your history … when we better understand the length and breadth of how/where/when nonviolence has been used, we better understand how to use it in our current times.

On April 6th, 1930 at 6:30am after morning prayers, Mohandas K. Gandhi raised a lump of salty mud and declared, “With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire.” The Salt Satyagraha took off.Read more >>

On this day, April 9, 1947, the “first Freedom Ride” was launched by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Co-organized by FOR members Bayard Rustin and George Houser, the group of black and white people launched a two-week itinerary to test whether racial segregation on interstate busing could be effectively challenged, as had been mandated by a Supreme Court ruling the previous year. Read more >>

From Pam McAllister: On April 9, 1939, African-American Marian Anderson sang in front of 75,000 (with millions more listening on the radio) at the Lincoln Memorial, after the Daughters of the American Revolution told her she couldn’t sing at Constitution Hall because of her race. Thousands quit the DAR, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Anderson opened with “America.” From every mountainside, let freedom ring. Indeed!

From Pam McAllister: A “Lucy Stoner” was the nickname given to 19th century women who kept their names after marriage. Lucy Stone (1818-1893), an abolitionist and women’s rights activist, cut her hair short, founded the “Woman’s Journal,” and did lots of other daring things. I’m thinking about her today because it’s tax season. In 1858, she and her husband refused to pay their taxes to protest that women didn’t have the right to vote. Read more >>

Here are a few recently posted articles that provide insight and reflection on the art and science of waging nonviolence. 

As teachers across the United States have shown recently, mass strikes are the key to winning progressive victories. Read more >>

Tips for activists on receiving critical feedback. Read more >>

Tenants’ rights movements use cartography technology to track bad landlords and fight gentrification. “In social justice cartography, the technology is being harnessed for activism as it becomes more accessible.” Read more >>

Here are a few upcoming campaigns asking for your support and inviting your participation. 

Extinction Rebellion International plans worldwide actions starting April 15th. Here’s an example from XR London: “We will peacefully block traffic around the clock. This will be a full-scale festival of creative resistance, with people’s assemblies, art actions, stage performances, talks, workshops, food and family spaces.” Find out more >>

Julian Assange arrested. Take action now. Read more >>

20 years after Columbine shooting, Episcopal groups plan Gun Violence Action Weekend in Columbine, CO. Read more >>

What are you doing for Global Homelessness Day on May 5th? Read more >

A Webinar on State & Gender Violence in Black Communities
Join Black Youth Project 100 for a virtual political education session on state and gender violence impacting Black communities as a part of the launch of their She Safe, We Safe campaign. BYP100 believes that by centering the experiences of violence that uniquely impact Black women, girls, femmes, and gender non conforming people, we will be able to build solutions, outside of police and prisons, that will keep all of us safe. (April 11 – Online Webinar) Read more >>

2020 Divestment Day National Escalation Call
Fossil Free Future and Divest Ed are hosting an open discussion call to talk about coordinated national escalation for National Divestment Day, February 13th, 2020 Join to learn how to get your campus involved, and how to get involved in planning the national escalation. (April 17 – Online) Read more >>

2019 Spring RootSkills Workshop Series
The RootSkills series is about building networks and strengthening movements by making powerful, intersectional connections between a broad spectrum of participants all working towards a common goal. The workshop agenda and learning objectives are co-created by a planning committee. An open call for workshop sessions has resulted in offerings that are about helping grassroots organizers develop their own solutions to complex environmental and social justice issues that affect where they live. Workshop sessions are both process- and issue-based. This event will focus on racial and economic disparities to consider in/equity in rural, New England communities. (May 18 – Brattleboro, VT) Read more >>

Restore and Repair: A New Social Contract to Decolonize Our Institutions
How do we tackle the devastating harms of criminalization imposed on communities of color that continue, among other things, to prevent us from creating an inclusive democracy? The movement for restorative and transformative justice in schools offers a path forward. Parents and students have built an alternative framework to repair and restore relationships and decolonize how our institutions work. Please join this conversation with The New School on how we can move from social control and criminalization to inclusive democracy and liberation. (April 17 – New York, NY) Read more >>

Metta Center for Nonviolence offers online courses for everyone. Read more >>

Nonviolence News is supported by generous readers and supporters!
We appreciate your love. And your donations. Thank you.
Here’s where to make a donation.

About Rivera Sun, Editor: 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

About Our Sister Project: Nonviolence Now
Nonviolence News and Nonviolence Now are a pair of sister projects that work in creative collaboration to connect people to the powerful tools and practices of nonviolence. Here’s more about Nonviolence Now. You can also learn more at: www.NonviolenceNow.org

View more on Rivera Sun's website »

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Published on April 13, 2019 16:51

April 9, 2019

Nonviolence News: March 31- April 6

Solutionary Visions & Bold Actions

Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun: This week’s Nonviolence News is bursting at the seams with new campaigns and bold actions. It also has an exciting collection of reflective articles that offer insight into what “works”. See the Constructive Programs section for solutions; check out the Knowledge & Reflection section for 10 pieces with gems of wisdom from Latin American anti-capitalist resistance to the rise of the Rights of Nature. What’s my favorite bit of news this week? Resistance is rising! (We’re not just imagining it.) A new report shows that in 2018 labor struggles, there were 21 major work stoppages involving 485,000 workers, compared with 25,000 in 2017. Nonviolent action is on the rise … and that’s a good thing.

Yours toward a nonviolent future,
Rivera Sun

Curious about the story behind Nonviolence News?
Tune into our recent interview on Nonviolence Radio:
Why Does the News Matter? Listen here >>

Sign up here.

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

Victory! Success Stories
Recent Events & On-Going Campaigns
Climate Action
Peace Action
Constructive Program
Knowledge & Reflection
Nonviolence History
Calls-To-Action

Nonviolence News uplifts and celebrates
the victories won through organized nonviolent action.

To protect the Amazon from the latest round of oil development, indigenous groups in Ecuador held rallies, closed down highways and marched for over two weeks from the rainforest to Quito, the capital. After months of protest, the government scaled back its plans – at least temporarily. Read more >>

From Coca-Cola plant workers to Walmart workers to more, thousands of workers at US factories in Mexico are striking for higher wages. “The strikes have been so successful that they’ve sparked what is now called the 20/32 Movement, based on the 20 percent pay raise and 32,000 peso annual bonus (about $1,600) that striking factory workers in the city initially demanded, and eventually won.” Read more >>

“It’s no longer free to pollute.” Canada imposes carbon tax on four provinces. Read more >>

Around the world, people are launching nonviolent campaigns
and/or using principled nonviolence to transform their communities
and fight injustice. Here are a few recent stories.

Piling chairs on the stage and banging on drums, Beloit College student protests force cancellation of Blackwater CEO Eric Prince’s lecture. Read more >>

Americans’ donated airline miles help reunite hundreds of families separated at the border. Read more >>

Last week, we shared this as an “upcoming” story. This week, here’s the report on what happened when WWII Japanese Interment camp survivors demonstrate against immigrant detention. Read more >>

“Freshman boys at a high school outside Detroit shocked their community by performing a hate-filled anti-Semitic rap song in the lunchroom. But bringing people together to repair the hurt they caused turned an ugly episode into an opportunity to build empathy and respect.” Read more >>

Sisters of Mercy lead two caravans to the US-Mexico border to protest the treatment of migrants. Read more >>

Protesters “shed light” on a migrant children’s detention center in Florida with artful activism and light brigade protests. Read more >>

More than 900 employees sign letter criticizing abrupt firing of contractors, who make up 54% of Google’s workforce. Read more >>

Bored Panda published “53 of the Most Powerful Images of Women Protesters“. The first two are not nonviolent, but the other 51 are inspiring images – each worth a 1000 words! Read more >>

Yellow Vests enter 20th week of protests. While some police-protester skirmishes have broken out, large numbers remain nonviolent. Read more >>

American Chestnut Foundation board members resign in protest over foundation’s support of genetically engineered chestnut trees. Read more >>

On the Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice, over a million Argentinians mobilized to remember the 30,000 victims of the last military dictatorship in Argentina. Read more >>

University of Chicago strike enters third week. “Graduate employees at the University of Illinois at Chicago began an indefinite strike on March 19, demanding livable wages and better working conditions as part of a national wave of educator-lead organized labor efforts.” Read more >>

Thousands of LA Uber drivers go on strike over 25% pay cut. “Hundreds of drivers swarmed the streets, chanting and picketing outside Uber’s office in suburban LA.” Read more >>

Canadian “Daughters of the Vote” protest Prime Minister Trudeau by turning their backs on him while he spoke. Read more >>

US “Patriotic Millionaires” threaten to withhold campaign contributions for politicians who don’t support taxing the rich. Read more >>

Florida students demonstrate at state capitol against arming teachers. About 200 Florida teens flocked to the state Capitol in Tallahassee today to urge lawmakers to vote down a proposal that would let teachers carry guns. Read more >>

Campus protests rise up as Coalition of Immokalee Workers pressures Wendy’s to join the Fair Food Program. Read more >>

Since February 7, Haitians have held daily marches and erected roadblocks and barricades throughout the country, all part of what some have called “Operation Lockdown.” Read more >>

In a historic first, around 300 Israelis protested in Tel Aviv for the right of return and in solidarity with the Great March of Return against the siege of Gaza. Read more >>

Israeli artists join Palestinians in urging Eurovision contestants not to perform in Tel Aviv. Read more >>

“Break the Law to Make the Law” … an op-ed in the Hill makes the case for mass civil disobedience for climate justice. Read more >>

Naked Extinction Rebellion activists stormed the glass viewing gallery above UK Parliament to break the #Brexit impasse. “A dozen members of the direct action group Extinction Rebellion stripped off as MPs debated a series of indicative votes due to take place later on Monday in a bid to break the Brexit impasse in Parliament.” Read more >>

Navajo Nation votes against acquiring coal plant and intends increase renewable energy production. They are the second-largest tribal nation in the US and have operated coal plants for 100 years. Read more >>

Patagonia refuses to co-brand vests for Wall St. and other “ecologically damaging companies”. “We’re in business to save our home planet,” the outdoor gear company states. Read more >>

Massachusetts Mothers Out Front launch new campaign against pipeline, compressor station and for legislative action against fossil fuels. Read more >>

On March 22nd, members of the Ginew Collective supported by Northfield Against Line 3 demonstrated to exposea drilling worksite on the eastern shore of the Mississippi River on the proposed Enbridge Line 3 route. Read more >>

Tree-sit enters its 200th day of active resistance to Mountain Valley Pipeline. Read more >>

When it comes to peace, nonviolence embodies Gandhi’s saying about how “means are ends in the making”. If we want to wage peace, nonviolence provides the tools.

US Congress sends Historic Yemen War Powers Resolution to the President. “This historic victory belongs to the thousands of grassroots activists who demanded that US foreign policy be accountable to the American people.” Read more >>

Arrested anti-war Veterans for Peace members, Tarak Kauff and Ken Mayers, arrested protesting at a US Air Force Base at Shannon Airport in Ireland, are released but not allowed to come home. Read more >>

Nonviolent Peaceforce releases a “best practices” report on unarmed peacekeeping after summit in Nairobi, Kenya. Read more >>

Constructive Programs and alternative institutions build the strength and resilience of the community while weakening reliance on systems of oppression.
Here are a few examples that have been making news (including us!).

Nonviolence Radio: Why Does the News Matter? Read more >>

India’s first Urban Self-Help Group continues to bloom. “Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize: ‘Poverty is not created by poor people. It’s created by the system we built.'” Read more >>

Van Jones to host CNN show on restorative justice. Read more >>

The Next Egg seeks to redirect retirement funds from Wall St. to local, sustainable economies. Read more >>

After centuries of housing racism, a southern city gets innovative. In Jackson, Mississippi, community land trusts are key to fair and affordable development. Read more >>

After Kalamazoo, Michigan, offered college tuition for nearly all high school graduates, dropout rates declined and the city’s population began to rebound. Read more >>

Participatory Budgeting … when democracy is really “by the People”. Read more >>

Social Food Forum 2019: Take-aways. “Social Food Projects include municipal gardens and urban farms; community meals; social harvest festivals; farmer-to-farmer meet-ups; food waste platforms; community kitchens; community baking and brewing sites; care farms; school gardens; street food festivals; cooperative grain growing; farm hacks; regional gatherings; farm tours; and many more.”
Read more >>

Here are a few recently posted articles that provide insight and reflection on the art and science of waging nonviolence. 

A surge of labor action is sweeping the country. “National Labor Relations Board data indicate that 2018 marked a huge upsurge in strikes by workers across the U.S. The year saw 21 major work stoppages involving 485,000 workers, compared with 25,000 in 2017.” Read more >>

George Lakey on the importance of direct action for those seeking “empowerment”. Read more >>

The Rise of the Rights of Nature: a revolutionary movement is emerging across the globe. Read more >>

Marquette University’s Peace Studies program has trained thousands in nonviolent peacebuilding. Read more >>

Cam Fenton on the role of desperation in addressing climate change. Read more >>

Frida Berrigan on how nuclear resistance ruined her life … and why that’s a good thing. Read more >>

How to turn neighborhoods into community resilience hubs. “Three places showing how to make the transition from domination and resource extraction to regeneration and interdependence.” Read more >>

Dispatches from Resistant Mexico features stories and practices of Indigenous resistance to the “capitalist hydra”, exploring many types of constructive program and cultural resistance. Dispatches from Resistant Mexico is a series of short documentaries from southern Mexico, each depicting one of the thousands of pockets of resistance throughout Latin America. Read more >>

Robert Burroughs on “Why Activists Fail”. “Virtually all activists do not understand strategy and so they do not campaign strategically. This means that anything done – whether a decision in a meeting, a phone call or email, an action or event planned and executed – simply fails to have the impact it could have.” Read more >>

From Gaza to Stonewall, Izzi Mustafa writes on why people rise up.Read more >>

Know your history … when we better understand the length and breadth of how/where/when nonviolence has been used, we better understand how to use it in our current times.

From Pam McAllister: On April 1, 1983, tens of thousands joined the women of the Greenham Peace Camp to form a human chain 14 miles long. This was the climax of a weeklong protest of the buildup of nuclear weapons in the world and of American cruise missiles on English soil. Well-funded counter-protesters flew a plane over them with a banner, mocking the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament with the words “CND — Kremlin’s April’s Fools.”

Remembering Rachel Corrie. “On 16 March 2003 in the Gaza Strip’s southern city of Rafah, Corrie stood before an Israeli bulldozer in hopes of stopping it from demolishing the home of a local Palestinian family.” Read more >>

Here are a few upcoming campaigns asking for your support and inviting your participation. 

Immigrant leaders call for “driving without fear” campaign to launch on May 1st. Read more >>

Veterans for Peace announce effort to bring home two Ireland airport protesters: Monday and Tuesday, April 8 and 9, are hereby declared “Get Ken and Tarak Home” days. “We are asking people to concentrate calls, letters, and visits to Irish Embassies and Consulates, the State Department, and elected officials on these days so that these institutions experience a flood of support for Tarak and Ken and protest against U.S. military flights through Shannon.” Visit http://www.stopthesewars.org/kenandtarak for more information.

European Peace Walk launches May 22-June 4th. The European Peace Walk is a trans-national walking adventure starting in Lenti, Hungary and stemming 330 kilometers, or 205 miles. Participants pass through Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy, ending in Trieste. Read more >>

About Our Sister Project: Nonviolence Now

Nonviolence News and Nonviolence Now are a pair of sister projects that work in creative collaboration to connect people to the powerful tools and practices of nonviolence. Here’s more about Nonviolence Now. You can also learn more at: www.NonviolenceNow.org

Launched in October 2018 at the United Nations celebration of Gandhi’s birth, Nonviolence Now is a global nonviolence awareness campaign. It is a groundbreaking project intended to produce serious results through best practices in marketing and online communication.

Nonviolence Now interrupts the assumption that nonviolence is passive and ineffective, demonstrating that it is instead active, accessible, and revolutionary. It counterbalances pervasive stories of violence, and demonstrates that violence is not inevitable, pleasurable, and the only way to seek justice.

Nonviolence Now platforms provide a beautiful doorway to compelling stories of nonviolence in action. The project connects individuals world-wide with resources for peace building and principled nonviolence. Rather than duplicate what has already been done, Nonviolence Now promotes the existing work of nonviolence organizations through innovative collaboration.

In the first three months of this effort, over three million people were reached via the ads. Engagement rates were over twice industry standard. Going forward, we seek to increase global awareness and adoption of nonviolent practices among the world’s seven billion residents.

About Rivera Sun, Editor

Activist/Author Rivera Sun is a nationwide 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

View more on Rivera Sun's website »

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Published on April 09, 2019 11:30

April 2, 2019

Nonviolence News

March 24-30

From Peru to Australia, Nonviolence Is Rising

Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun:

This week’s Nonviolence News contains a stunning 63 stories from 54 different news sources. Fourteen victories swept the movement of movements, including some unexpected successes. Europeans are protesting everything from copyright laws to Brexit to climate issues to economic injustice. Indigenous Peruvians have shut down half the country. Bolivians are going to have food independence by next year. The women editors of the Vatican’s women’s magazine just quit in protest of sex scandal cover-ups. Australian Indigenous conducted a healing ceremony for an imperiled watershed. Canadian First Nations held a stunning dance in red dresses to stop violence toward women. And that’s just for starters. Enjoy this week’s Nonviolence News … and share it with a friend.

We’re also growing! Nonviolence News is sprouting as fast as green plants in the spring. We’re developing a website, honing this e-newsletter, and working collaboratively with a number of amazing groups, including our awesome sister organization, Nonviolence Now! Check out the great ways Nonviolence Now collects true, inspiring stories of nonviolence (historic and current, personal and political: they do it all) at: www.NonviolenceNow.org

Here’s to all the Nonviolence News that’s fit to print,
Rivera Sun

Here’s the link: http://www.riverasun.com/nonviolence-news/

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

Victory! Success Stories
Recent Events & On-Going Campaigns
Climate Action
Nonviolence and Children
Peace Action
Constructive Program
Creative Action
Calls-To-Action
Nonviolence Knowledge
Nonviolence History

Nonviolence News uplifts and celebrates the victories won through organized nonviolent action.

Fight for $15 wins $15 minimum wage increase in Maryland. This makes 6 states that have raised the minimum wage to that amount, including Illinois, New Jersey, California, Washington DC, and Massachusetts. Read more.

Florida Senate (finally) okays front yard gardens after years of debate, protest, and citizen action. Read more.

A major victory for all NYC subway riders. Stairs are difficult or impossible not only for disabled but also for parents with strollers, the injured, and our aging population. Read more.

Julian Assange’s mother’s Twitter account restored after Twitter users send hundreds of tweets to pressure company. Read more.

After a dozen years of debate, NM House votes to ban coyote hunting contests. Read more.

Gamers shut off stage lights until speaker acknowledges that union workers build the award-winning shows. Gamers United: Performative displays of solidarity with unionized workers at the Game Developers Choice Awards were sprinkled throughout the ceremonies. Read more.

After civil rights groups organized, Facebook expanded its platform policies and banned White Nationalist groups. This is an important step, since there is a studied connection between social media and deadly hate crimes. “Under Facebook’s change, people who search for terms associated with white supremacy will instead see a link to the page of Life After Hate, a nonprofit that helps people to leave hate groups, the company said.” Read more.

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to pay $270 million legal settlement that will fund addiction center. Read more.

Black Lives Matter flag to fly for 400 days in Rutland, VT beginning in April to mark 400 years since the start of the British slave trade in the Americas. Read more.

Four Round-Up Bans: LA County bans Round-Up after court case rules that it caused man’s cancer. Anti-Monsanto, health, and environmental activists have been organizing to ban Round-Up for years. Read more. Portland, ME banned all synthetic pesticides. Read more. Miami, FL banned Round-Up. Read more. And Vietnam banned glyphosate, nationwide. Read more.

Around the world, people are launching nonviolent campaigns
and/or using principled nonviolence to transform their communities
and fight injustice. Here are a few recent stories.

Reverse Caravan to Honduras visited with Hondurans at risk of losing their land. Hondurans often must defend their land rights and human rights in the face of intimidation & violence.  Read more.

Yellow Vests hold protests despite French government’s ban.  Read more.
Tens of thousands hold protests across Europe against European Union’s planned copyright reform bill. Read more.

Solidarity grows the size of University of California strike. “The strike was called by the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE), CWA 9119, which represents 10,000 research and technical workers. Joining them in a solidarity strike were 5,000 health care workers also represented by UPTE, as well as 27,000 patient care and service workers represented by UC’s largest union, AFSCME 3299.” Read more.

Citizens thwart ICE arrest. “The driver and several other citizens at the scene refused to allow ICE agents to enter the vehicle or detain the individuals without a warrant signed by a judge.” #HereToStay Read more.
Arizona residents form an Underground Railroad to help migrants released by ICE. Read more.

“A small presence is better than no presence at all.” Two citizens hold small anti-gun demonstration. Read more.

Major American cities see dramatic declines in gun violence in recent decades. Yes! Magazine asks, “what’s going on?” Read more.

Jacksonville, FL “Make It Right” billboard calls for Confederate Monument removal as city hosts “Take Them Down Everyone Conference” and rallies to have the monument taken down. Read more.

95-year-old caught 5 buses to join a rally against racism in Auckland, New Zealand.  Read more.

Minnesota Amazon workers walk-off the job over “speed-up”. Read more.

Palestinian Americans protest annual AIPAC meeting.  Read more.

The all-women board on the Vatican women’s magazine have resigned citing a campaign to discredit them and put them “under the direct control of men”. Read more.

Poor Peoples Campaign launches South Carolina bus tour.  Read more.

Water Protectors in Australia conduct healing ceremony to stop the abuse, pollution, and overuse of water in a major watershed. “This weekend, hundreds of people rallied in towns affected by the water crisis on the Murray-Darling river system. On the same day, Indigenous elders and families gathered at the birth place of the Murrumbidgee River in Kosciuszko National Park to conduct a traditional healing ceremony.” Read more.

ACLU files First Amendment lawsuit to challenge South Dakota anti-protest laws.  Read more.

New Coalition forms to take on Louisiana’s toxic, polluting “Death Alley” petrochemical industry giants. Read more.

With New Zealand massacres fresh in their minds, New Yorkers rally with Muslims to show love, trust, and solidarity. Read more.

Twenty-one arrested during an activists sit-in at Danish Embassy in protest of Danish company Rockwool’s toxic plants in the US. #ResistRockwool   Read more.

Israeli Forces kill two and injure dozens as 40,000 Palestinians mark anniversary of Great March of Return. Read more.

Ecuador legalized gangs. Murder rates plummeted. “In 2007, the crime-riddled nation of Ecuador did something surprising: It legalized the gangs that had been the source of much of the violence. Then something even more surprising happened over the next decade: Murder rates plummeted.” Read more.

Stunning and massive Indigenous Dance in red dresses raises awareness and helps to heal the trauma of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Read more.

Make America Grate Again: Artist constructs wall of cheese on US-Mexico border in protest of Trump Administration’s border wall. Read more.

Indigenous Peru occupy oil facilities, key roads, and power plant. “This is not a symbolic action — we have completely paralyzed the country’s most important oil field,” declared a spokesperson for several of the indigenous federations backing the protest.” Read more.

For two years, the people of Puglia in the south of Italy have been resisting the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), a massive fossil fuel project threatening their land and traditions.  Read more.

New Mexicans strike and sit-in at Bureau of Land Management in protest of fracking. Read more.

Teen Vogue reports on five youth-led groups confronting the climate crisis and changing the conversation. Read more.

Greenpeace activists crash congressional hearings dressed as swamp monsters to protest Interior Secretary’s oil ties. Read more.

71-year-old grandmother carries disaster relief load for several miles to help Zimbabwe’s flooded residents. A billionaire noticed and offered to build her a solar-powered house and a $1,000/month salary for life.  Read more.

25K Berlin students on school climate strike with 15,000 more on strike around Germany.  Read more.

Residents shout down oil and gas execs over fracking by US Steel mill. “We don’t want you here. Go somewhere else.” Read more.

This week, Nonviolence News features a special section sharing stories that show
how to teach and practice nonviolence with children. We also share stories about how people are organizing campaigns to protect and help children.
(See also youth action in the Climate Action section.)

Small group of activists demonstrates outside Homestead Detention Center in Florida, where immigrant kids are sent after family separation. Read more.

Japanese-American activists, on a history studies visit to a Texas WWII-era detention camp plan to fold paper cranes outside immigrant detention center in solidarity with migrants.” Japanese-American activists who are visiting a World War II-era incarceration camp in Texas on March 30 will join a nonviolent protest of the separation of families and children seeking asylum in the United States with origami paper cranes, or tsuru.” Read more.

Inuit parenting practices embody nonviolence principles in teaching families how to control anger. Read more.

At Dubai “Global Educators Conference”, US Teachers reject the concept of arming teachers to stop gun violence, calling instead for mental health resources. Read more.

When it comes to peace, nonviolence embodies Gandhi’s saying about how “means are ends in the making”. If we want to wage peace, nonviolence provides the tools.

De Moines Veterans For Peace shut down drone command center. Read more.

This perennially impressive story has been making the rounds again: Blacksmiths turn unwanted guns into garden tools. “Shotguns often become hand spades, and a weapon like the AR-15 that was used in recent mass shootings has a thicker barrel that suits an afterlife as a mattock.” Read more.

Code Pink’s Medea Benjamin releases list of peace positions to check on for all presidential potentials in 2020. Read more.

International Cooperatives and Peace: Using 20 case studies from 14 countries, covering different types and stages of conflicts, a new report from the International Cooperative Alliance looks at cooperatives contributing to the empowerment of minority groups affected by conflict. Read more.

Living Dictionary Campaign aims to add peacebuilding to the dictionary: Our Living Dictionary is just the start of a new campaign to establish “peacebuilding” in the public arena as an effective approach to conflict management and organize the world’s millions of peacebuilders into a more powerful global movement. Read more.

Healthiest US Communities Have Affordable Homes: As if it weren’t already clear that the housing crisis needs to be treated as a public health crisis, this article once again spells out the correlation between healthy communities and the housing burden. Eillie Anzilloti of Fast Company outlines the issue and lifts up Community Land Trusts as a possible solution. Read more.

Despite history of conflict, a group of Muslims and Jews have cared for this synagogue in India for generations. “Throughout history, there has been generations of conflict between Muslims and Jews – but there is nothing but peace and respect to be found between the two faiths at this Indian synagogue.” Read more.

Combining economic justice and environmental justice, a movement turns former coal miners into beekeepers. Read more.

How a bilingual radio station helped the undocumented during deadly California fires. Read more.

This week’s collection of ways to get involved includes internet actions, constructive programs, learning opportunities, strikes, and creative action.

#DefundTAP asks international community to pressure European Investment Bank to cut ties to fossil fuel pipeline. Read more.

April 4th World Beyond War’s DC Peace Festival “unwelcomes” NATO with a rally, march, and celebration. Read more.

Here are a few recently posted articles that provide insight and reflection on the art and science of waging nonviolence.

Bayard Rustin believed in affirmative action and systemic political change. Read more.

Becoming Nonviolent Honolulu: Nonviolent Cities organizers reflects on the effort of transforming the culture of violence close to home. Read more.

How Twin Cities organizers are striving for a pair of Nonviolent Cities. Read more.

Know your history … when we better understand the length and breadth of how/where/when nonviolence has been used, we better understand how to use it in our current times.

Thanks to Pam McAllister for this timely reminder of this powerful piece of history: On March 27, 1961, nine African-American students at Tougaloo College entered the “whites-only” Jackson Public Library and sat quietly reading books not available in the “colored” library. They were arrested and taken to jail. The next day, students boycotted classes, marched to the courthouse, and braved tear gas and police dogs. That night, over 1,000 people gathered for a vigil. Myrlie Evers, civil rights activist and wife of Medgar Evers, said, “The change of tide in Mississippi began with the Tougaloo Nine and the LIBRARY SIT-IN.”

Mark Milano reminds us of the Greensboro Four: On February 1, 1960, the Greensboro Four sat down at the lunch counter inside the Woolworth store at 132 South Elm Street in Greensboro. The men had purchased toothpaste and other products from a desegregated counter at the store with no problems, and then were refused service at the store’s lunch counter when they each asked for a cup of coffee. Following store policy, staff refused to serve the black men at the “whites only” counter and store manager Clarence Harris asked them to leave. However, the four freshmen stayed until the store closed that night, and then went back to the North Carolina A&T University campus, where they recruited more students to join them the next day.

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Published on April 02, 2019 10:32

March 23, 2019

Language of Landscape

A Poem by Rivera Sun

Learning words for landscape
place-terms in the language of geology
an incantation linking my wayward soul
with tenterhooks and spiderwebs
hair-thin roots and
curling pea shoot tendrils
anchoring my humanity to this earth:
tuckamore, vly, chockstone, fen.

Can you feel the wilds awakening
within you at their sound?
Stirring like spring,
fertile and feral:
hummock, loess, nickpoint, pediment,
oxbow, portage, riprap, scarp.

A world opening up at their speaking,
a way of being, once-forgotten, revived,
a calling back of the self
to an existence where the
landscape looms large
and requires more words:
vale, wrack line, copse, dell,
tillage, flatiron, moraine, gulch.

I chant and my body widens.
I chant and my mind opens.
I chant and my soul deepens.

I grow into this terrain, remembered,
resurrected, or even imagined anew.

Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape

Author’s Note: The poem was inspired after finding a copy of “Home Ground” at our local used bookstore. This amazing book is like a dictionary of partially-forgotten words. It is compiled by writers and references writers’ writings, including John Muir and Mark Twain. It has at least three European languages, reflecting immigrant history. The many different words deriving their names from Native languages remind us that this land’s original peoples still live here and their history and present give form to this landscape in profound and powerful ways.

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Published on March 23, 2019 15:09

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