Category: Human Rights
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Black Rage
I went to the protest at the Capitol today. A few people spoke before the march, one of whom was Harrisburg’s police chief, Chief Carter. He got to the mic, and immediately, the tone of the crowd changed. People began shouting, crowding closer, raising their signs up. A few black people persisted in screaming at…
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Those are human beings, you assholes.
I have never been great at talking politics. I have never found the right words to soothe pain, to explain cruelty, to reason with those who don’t seek reason. I learned to speak in images, not in outcries, and my arguments only go so far. But I have been pretty good with metaphors, and symbols,…
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A Position of Power
These past few weeks have been a whirlwind, with women and men alike coming forward to name their abusers. It’s been disheartening as an onslaught of celebrity faces parade through our collective attention, but also not surprising. And I think that lack of surprise is what makes it even worse: we don’t really expect for…
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Sympathetic Resonance
Racism is on the brain today. It’s been there for a while, and maybe it hasn’t been there long enough. I recognize that because I am a white, heterosexual individual, I often don’t see the effects of racism or bigotry until it hits a national scale. There are a lot of people in the United…
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So Strike It
I will not fear. I will not forget. I will stand with those who stand for justice, Fight with those who fight for love, Clasp hands with those who pray for reason, And remember those who did the same. What little I can do — Fight for the arts, fight for health, Uplift those who…
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Sorry, Not Sorry (Or, How to Prevent Someone from Being a Better Person)
I had to tell a man to leave my workplace today. It was a man I knew; he used to come into the Cinema all the time a couple years back, get a coffee, and chat with us before his movie. He was a nice guy. He was also banned from the Cinema because we kept…
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Us Vs. Them
I’m so sorry, guys. We have a lot of people in this country who are hurt, confused, and scared for the wellbeing of their everyday lives. And it’s all coming to a head. The frustrating thing about today is that the majority of the people I know personally are not Trump supporters. And by majority,…
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“Mumma, that dark man saved me!” (And Other Labels)
When I was maybe seven years old, I went to the beach with a group of people from my church. I was wading in the water at about shoulder-level, when I accidentally walked right into a large hole. As my feet plummeted downward, so, unfortunately, did my head. Shocked from the abruptness of the fall,…
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Divided We Fall
Two more black men have died from police brutality. I know that statement has a lot of weight to it, and I know there will be a lot of people who find fault in the words that I use. But Alton Sterling was selling CDs outside a convenience store, and he was pinned to the…
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The Power of Makeup (vs. The Power of Women)
I don’t know if you’ve seen this going around, but there’s a new set of images on the Internet showing Disney princesses without makeup. A sort of bizarre realization struck me as I looked at the article. I started to think about the reactions that people might have for these pictures, and what some of…