Category: Human Rights
Anything and everything about humans and fighting for their rights. Especially marginalized groups.
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Human Rights Book Recommendations
The books listed below touch on disability, race, queer identity, and human rights in general. These are my favorites thus far…
- How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith
- Disability Visibility edited by Alice Wong
- Brilliant Imperfection by Eli Clair
- Black Disability Politics by Sami Schalk
- A Disability History of the United States by Kim E Nielsen
- Golem Girl by Riva Lehrer
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Year of the Tiger by Alice Wong
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- Disability is Human by Stephanie W. Cawthon
- The Street by Ann Petry
- The Canary Code by Ludmila Praslova
- The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison
What are your favorites and what recommendations do you have? Post in the comments below!
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Dear white people from a white person…
Now white people want recognition for doing the right thing??? Are you kidding me? Black, Brown, and Indigenous people have been fighting for EVERYONE, even hateful white people for forever. They received no thank you and instead had their existence and history erased from the storybooks.
If you want to be a true ally to any of the marginalized communities, do it for those people and not for your own gain. THIS ISN’T ABOUT YOU!!! One more time for the people in the back with their heads in the sand… THIS ISN’T ABOUT YOU.
Here is what you CAN do to be an ally, but asking the people affected is a good start. Here are some suggestions:
· Speak out EVERY time you witness prejudice and racism
· Make it known exactly what you are about (clothing, flags, stickers, signs, your mouth)
· Make people feel safe by your actions- they speak louder sometimes
· Practice everything that you preach with 100% conviction- ok maybe not 100% all the time, we are all human. That’s kind of the point.
· Try to branch out and make connections with people that are part of marginalized communities. You don’t have to be best friends, just connect and learn from each other.
· Support businesses, authors, creators, etc. that are owned and operated by Black, Brown, and Indigenous people. Big impact here!
What else could we add to this list? Drop your thoughts in the comments, I would love to hear additional ways that I can support and be an ally. 🫶 -
Dropkick Murphy’s-Who Will Stand with Us
The Dropkick Murphy’s are a Punk rock band from Boston that have always had a special place in my heart. Punk rockers are very political and care deeply about human rights. Are you ready to fight this? It’s time to take a stand!
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When will we come together? What will it take? How many have to die?
Yesterday, a queer Native American man was killed for being a human comfortable in their own skin, being who they are, and existing. Quilan (my husband) spared me most of the horrific details and asked me not to open any articles about it. That’s how bad it was and is out there, especially in red states like Texas.
This wasn’t the first and until we join together to fight this- I mean EVERYONE- this will continue. You are lying to yourself if you think otherwise and YOU are responsible if you continue to do nothing.
When the Nazi’s took over Germany there wasn’t social media, TV’s, and ways to let people know fast and in large numbers. Today you are actively making a choice to allow these things to continue by the way you vote, speaking up or not, and being the change.
Quilan and I both identify as queer but we have the safety of presenting as a straight couple. Many queer people do not have that safety net.
Please be a safe person for queer people right now. When this is recorded in history, what side do you want to be on? The side of love or the side of hate?
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The importance of Speculative Fiction for understanding Cultural Awareness.
For decades and decades the sci-fi genre has been white washed like many places in our society. Slowly that has changed because of a growing subgenre know as Speculative Fiction. My favorite authors include Octavia Butler, N. K. Jemisin, Nnedi Okorafor, and many others. Black women who have stormed the genre and not looked back and they have written some of the most important literature of the 20th and 21st century.
Then I found this article about the way a U of O professor is incorporating this into an Anthropology class. It’s a great read.
To me Speculative Fiction has helped take the genre of sci-fi and cemented it as being Literature level writing that needs to be a bigger part of the conversation. These writers are having a huge impact.
https://cas.uoregon.edu/news/exploring-cultural-differences-through-science-fiction
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My Work Interviewed Me
This was a lot of fun to do because I was able to talk about compassion fatigue and resilience even more. Check it out below!
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Flipping the Switch Article
I had the chance to do something really cool and life changing. I have been published! I was asked to turn my training called Flipping the Switch: Compassion Fatigue to Compassion Satisfaction into an article for the International Journal for Direct Support Professionals. Thanks again John, you are an awesome human. Check it out below and let me know what you think.
