humanity

Humanity topics include pieces on the real lives of politicians, legislators, activists, women in politics and the everyday voter.

My Thoughts About Prayers
The time has come again. The tweets and the retweets are circulating. People are attaching hashtags to Instagram posts and Facebook comments.
By Clarisse Guevarra8 years ago in The Swamp
A Call to End Gun Violence
Yesterday, after the news broke out about the mass casualty school shooting, I was taken back to when I was in the sixth grade and I heard about the first mass casualty school shooting at Columbine High School and ever since then, school shootings have happened again and again. Also, ever since Columbine, there has been a call to end gun violence and to have gun legislation put in place. There has also been a call for more to be done on mental health detection. But still, we keep hearing about these sad events.
By Faerie Rose Press8 years ago in The Swamp
School Shootings
The last time I made a post at this time of night after little sleep and meds, I lost a bunch of so-called friends. But you know some people think EVERYTHING is about them.
By Jennifer Terrell8 years ago in The Swamp
What's Capitalism Got to Do with It?
I don't like talking to strangers, but today, some lady approached me. "Do you have a cold too?" Well yes. I'd prefer to huddle in the corner and sulk, but if someone wants to commiserate, I will relent. We don't ask each other's names, so I'm going to call her Jill. Jill says she's been sick for over a month. The entire month of January, she was out like a light. Now she walks around with this leftover migrating bug, trying to function, trying not to give everyone cooties, trying not to end up homeless or some shit like we all worry about.
By KJ Thomas8 years ago in The Swamp
¿Quieres aprender la mesa? (Would you like to learn to work the table?)
(Names changed for privacy) "Hola, me llamo Zoe. Soy tu entrenadora. ¿Eres la hija de Rosa, si?" (Hi, I'm Zoe, your trainer. You're Rosa's daughter, right?)
By Zoe Kay8 years ago in The Swamp
Homelessness
Imagine yourself having to live on the street, sleeping on cold concrete with nothing for warmth or protection. You wonder where your next meal will come from. You have to constantly watch what little you have in order to make sure no one takes it when you aren’t looking. Think about your town installing barriers and spikes, so that you can’t sleep in your usual spot, or being turned away from a shelter because it’s already full. Meanwhile, we are in our cozy houses, complaining about it not being warm enough. So, we simply go and turn the heat up.
By James Howell8 years ago in The Swamp
Questioning Islamophobia
There is a certain circularity to these things. They bite you in the ass just as you’re wrestling the tail into the ground, so to speak. I recently had opportunity to be asked if I was a Muslim. Perhaps a little background would be helpful. I frequently comment and post in a left-wing feminist online group on Facebook – at times weekly, at times a dozen or more times a week, depending on the topics that come up and, often, how far afield the discussion has strayed into territories that touch on my areas of expertise and show no signs of understanding that feel like they need a little direction to help along without everyone getting confused. That, of course, is where this began.
By Avi Sato8 years ago in The Swamp
The Drum Major Instinct
The other night, during the Super Bowl, a Dodge Ram commercial aired which took excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr’s speech, known as "the Drum Major Instinct," and aired it in one of their commercials fifty years to the day that he gave the speech.
By James Howell8 years ago in The Swamp
We've Got a Long Way to Go
This website is something I have been looking for for a long time, however it is hard to figure out the first story to write. I have many views and passions but its intimidating to try to portray all of those into one story or "the story." As an introduction, my first story, and since it is Black History Month I am going to share an essay, that I won second place in, at a contest at Macomb Community College in Clinton Township, Michigan. The context of the essay/story is continually existing racism, white privilege, and acknowledging both so we can progress further in Dr. King's accomplishments and beautiful, relevant, and meaningful words.
By Lacey Lewis8 years ago in The Swamp
Diversity
Diversity is a value shown in mutual respect and appreciation of the similarities and differences such as age, culture, education, ethnicity, experience, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and the list goes on and on. These are the things that make us a unique society.
By Lily Papenfus8 years ago in The Swamp
An Unfortunate Truth
Truth. That’s why you came here, isn’t it? The hope that I could maybe provide any valid rationalization of what is, and if that truth could possibly ease the restless recesses of your mind. Well, the unfortunate truth is, you can’t handle the truth.
By Juan Tho8 years ago in The Swamp
Those Who Are Evil Do Not Sing
The title image attached to this piece serves two purposes: (1) Like any title for any other piece of writing, it is an abstract label or heading that describes either the body of work itself, or the motivation behind it–or both; (2) It serves as a red herring for those who are either ignorant or willingly blinded by mainstream media, like a novelty gun that pops and shoots out a purple flag with the word "BANG!" written in comic book typography. Ha.
By A. N. G.8 years ago in The Swamp