Category Archives: Abolition Of Work

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

The first spring plenary session of the Azerbaijani parliament in 2022 will be held on Feb. 1, Trend reports.

The agenda includes the following issues:

1. Draft decision of the Azerbaijani parliament on the plan of legislative work of the spring session of parliament for 2022.

2. Draft decision of the Azerbaijani parliament on the establishment of the Disciplinary Commission of the parliament.

3. Draft decision of the Azerbaijani parliament on the establishment of the Counting Commission of the parliament.

4. Bill "On approval of the Shusha declaration on allied relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey".

5. Bill on the approval of the "Agreement between the Government of Azerbaijan and the Government of Serbia on the mutual abolition of visa for holders of ordinary passports".

6. Bill on changes to the law "On the suspension of inspections in the field of business";

7. Bill on changes to the law "On the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan" (first reading).

8. Bill on changes to the law "On Road Traffic" (first reading).

9. Bill on changes to the Code on Administrative Offenses (first reading).

10. Bill on changes to the law "On gas supply" (first reading).

11. Bill on changes to the Code on Administrative Offenses (first reading).

12. Bill on changes to the law "On freedom of religion" (first reading).

Go here to read the rest:

Azerbaijani parliament to discuss several issues on Feb. 1 - Trend News Agency

Reading Will Huttons piece on the threat posed by the police and crime bill to our democratic right to peaceful protest got me thinking about how we should challenge it if it is eventually passed (Attempting to ban protest is usually the mark of a repressive state. Thats not us, is it?, Comment). I am dismayed at the lack of coverage being given to the dangers of climate change; it is as if Cop26 never happened. Government, big business, the media and the public are rejoicing at the prospect of resuming foreign holidays, cruises, driving to work again and consuming. What happened to building back greener? I would like to see a grand coalition of environmental groups joining forces and getting out on to the streets. A few thousand Extinction Rebellion protesters blocking roads may be dismissed as crusties. Hundreds of thousands of middle England members of the RSPB, National Trust, Wildlife Trust, Woodland Trust et al could not be so easily ignored. Even this government cant arrest and imprison us all.Geoff JonesLincoln

The treatment of Kate Clanchy by her publisher, in dropping her from its list and dropping a book of poems by her pupils, makes one wonder what has happened to the tradition that publishers stick by their authors (The hounding of author Kate Clanchy has been a witch-hunt without mercy, Comment). It also makes one feel helpless: how to show solidarity with this exceptionally humane woman in the face of treatment such as this? One solution might be for Pan Macmillans authors to sever their links with this disgraceful publishing house. One thing publishers cant do without is authors. I have published several books with Macmillan, but that was years ago and theyre now out of print. If I was still publishing with them, Id break my contract and publicise the reason why as widely as possible. Behaviour like this brings the entire industry into disrepute.Ruth BrandonLondon NW3

Eric Williamss Capitalism and Slavery was certainly recognised as an important book in the 1960s (Hidden history of why the British abolished slavery back on the shelves, News). I still have a copy of the 1964 Andr Deutsch edition. It was recommended to me as a sixth former in the late 60s and my history teacher, Patrick Richardson, who was an expert on 18th-century history, also used it in his published work which included work for school students. He also taught us to balance sources and historians, so Williams was one voice among many. It was also among the works on my reading lists at university.

It is often asserted (by Sathnam Sanghera, among others) that slavery was not taught in schools until recently. This is certainly not true. I taught it as part of the curriculum in comprehensive schools in the 1970s and the well-known Jackdaw series for schools had a whole pack on the African slave trade, with graphic images. Later, when I was visiting a range of schools for a publisher in the 1980s, slavery/the slave trade was in the curriculum, placing it of course in its full historical context. To assert that modern academic historians dont recognise the context of abolition is not sustainable.Peter LangworthLondon NW1

Poor people become poorer because wage negotiations and benefit rises are based on inappropriate inflation indices (Poor people face a perfect storm. Let no one tell you its their fault, Comment). The CPI and RPI underestimate inflation for poorer people by including items such as new cars and consumer durables that generally have a lower inflation rate than food, energy and rent. We need an additional index based on, say, the spending of the poorest 20% of households.Richard MountfordHildenborough, Kent

Kenan Malik is wrong in claiming that the Labour government ignored the recommendations of the 1999 select committee report following the Garnock Court fire (Grenfell delivers yet more horrors. But the guilty still fail to take responsibility, Comment).

As minister responsible for the building regulations from 1997-2001, I gave evidence to the select committee and responded to all its recommendations. In the government response, I agreed to introduce the new full-scale test methodology as recommended by the committee and confirmed that I had begun the process to secure its adoption as a British Standard. I made it clear that when this was achieved the government would amend the guidance (Approved Document B) to reflect its status as a British Standard and review whether the reference in the guidance should be strengthened. On the committees tragically prescient concern about the possibility of a serious fire resulting in many people being killed, I strongly endorsed the committees view, explained the mandatory requirements of the building regulations in this case to resist the spread of fire over the external wall surfaces and the role of the guidance document and added: The department considers that if this guidance is followed, then the risk to life safety as a result of fire spread via the external cladding system will be minimal.

Sadly, the shocking evidence that has been emerging from the Grenfell public inquiry has illustrated serious subsequent failures to adhere to the requirements of the regulations and the advice in the guidance in Approved Document B.

In the amended online version of the article, Kenan Malik maintained that the retention of approval for Class 0 materials was a loophole, which undermined the governments response. However, the governments technical advisers (the Building Regulations Advisory Committee), which had recently conducted a review of Part B of the building regulations, made no recommendation to withdraw approval from Class 0. The select committee emphasised that the main focus of concern was the adequacy of the previous small-scale arrangements for testing the performance of materials, which is why the government supported the introduction of the large-scale test. Like all other materials, Class 0 should have been subject to the new, more rigorous testing regime designed to demonstrate the performance of cladding materials in a live fire situation after the test methodology was adopted as a British Standard.

A reading of the government response to the select committee report illustrates the degree to which the government at that time was seriously committed to enhance fire safety and, far from ignoring the committees report, engaged fully and constructively with the committee, and many others, to this purpose.Nick RaynsfordLondon SE10

Farmers dont need to plant trees as they have already been planted in their hedges (Farmers dilemma: if we plant trees, will we take a cash hit?, News).

The trees already in our hedges have a good rootstock, are healthy, indigenous and can start absorbing carbon immediately if hedges are just faced but not topped with the tractor flail every year. If farmers were paid for the trees already growing on their land, rather than wished for, we could make a major and immediate impact on carbon absorption, rather than waiting 20 years for newly planted trees.Bob HarveyBlackawton, Totnes, Devon

William Keegans comparison of Boris Johnson to Falstaff is extremely apt. Im reminded of Falstaffs catechism on honour: What is honour? A word. What is that word honour? Air Therefore Ill none of it.Roger CottrellKenninghall, Norwich

Read more here:

Letters: take to the streets to defy police and crime bill - The Guardian

Delhi University has officially notified that it would be scrapping its MPhil programme from the coming academic year (2022-23), in line with the National Education Policy (NEP), which mandates this.

When and how did DUs decision come?

The decision to scrap MPhil was first recommended by a 42-member High Powered Committee chaired by the then Acting Vice-Chancellor and consisting of several high officials in August last year.

In the minutes of its meeting dated August 18, the Committee said, The existing M.Phil. Programme was recommended to be discontinued from the academic year 2022-23 in line with the NEP 2020.

The recommendations were adopted and the decision finally taken in a marathon meeting of the Academic Council (AC) in the same month. There were 16 dissents, but the proposal was passed. Subsequently, DUs Executive Council (EC) gave its go ahead.

The decision was notified on January 27, when the office of the Chairperson Research Council said, In the light of E.C. Resolution No. 8 dated 31.08.2021, the existing MPhil Programme run by various Departments of the University of Delhi will be discontinued from the Academic Year 2022-2023 in line with the NEP 2020.

What does the NEP say about MPhil?

The National Education Policy document simply states that the MPhil programme should be discontinued. The document does not provide a reason or rationale.

HEIs will have the flexibility to offer different designs of Masters programmes: (a) there may be a 2-year programme with the second year devoted entirely to research for those who have completed the 3-year Bachelors programme; (b) for students completing a 4-year Bachelor s programme with Research, there could be a 1-year Masters programme; and (c) there may be an integrated 5-year Bachelors/Masters programme. Undertaking a Ph.D. shall require either a Masters degree or a 4-year Bachelors degree with Research. The M.Phil. programme shall be discontinued, the NEP states.

Will the current batch of MPhil students be affected by the decision?

The decision to scrap the MPhil programme will only be implemented in the 2022-23 academic session, and will not affect the current batch, said a senior official.

Why will it affect them? There is nothing like that. Their course will continue as it is. This decision will only mean that no new MPhil students will be taken in the coming year, he said.

Is there a problem with scrapping MPhil?

Some teachers have pointed out that the MPhil is a shorter research degree, which gave them exposure to research work.

The MPhil course, over several generations, has played an important role in DU and other Indian universities in developing research aptitude through robust course work and introduction to higher research. It has been a degree by itself separate from and above the Masters degree. It is extremely unfortunate that the NEP 2020 discontinues MPhil, AC member Mithuraaj Dhusiya, who teaches English at Hansraj College, said.

Democratic Teachers Federation (DTF) secretary Abha Dev Habib said, As opposed to PhD, MPhil is a short-term research degree for students which provided them an exposure to research work and added to their CVs. Social scientists believe that students with MPhil did better in their PhDs.

This degree is being discontinued not because of any organic need of the system but because of NEP 2020, which is all about widening the gap between have and have nots Students with disadvantageous backgrounds, especially women, looked up to MPhil as a research degree they could afford before going towards teaching jobs.

Prof Ayesha Kidwai of Jawaharlal Nehru University, which decided to scrap MPhil before DU, pointed to a question of gender.

The MPhil is often the only research degree that women (as well as other disadvantaged sections) can pursue PhD degrees require an investment of time and a loss of earnings that patriarchal society lets only a few afford and the need for its immediate abolition is difficult to fathom. Unless the NEP is keen to push women out of higher education, why must a degree programme that has proved its usefulness in furthering research in the social sciences and humanities, which imposes no extra demands or costs on infrastructure or teaching resources, and has ensured greater participation of women, need to be eliminated? she said.

What do DU officials feel about the scrapping of MPhil?

While the university has said it is scrapping the MPhil programme, it has not officially put out any statement on the relevance or irrelevance of the programme. However, officials largely feel the decision is correct.

See, it is not possible to implement the NEP and not scrap MPhil. We have to adopt this provision too if we are saying we will implement the NEP from the coming academic year. We cannot pick and choose, an official said.

Moreover, this (the scrapping of MPhil) is a good thing. Now students dont need to do that extra 1.5-2 years of research work. They can directly go from MA to PhD, and complete their education faster. It benefits the students, the official said.

Newsletter | Click to get the days best explainers in your inbox

Continue reading here:

Explained: The end of MPhil; why has DU killed the degree? - The Indian Express

How did the boring, conformist 50s lead to the cultural upheavals of the 60s? Civil rights, LGBTQ rights, womens rights, the environmental movementall emerged full-blown in the 60s but, according to journalist and historian James R. Gaines in his new book, The Fifties: An Underground History, all had their origins in the sometimes little known struggles of the previous decade.

It seemed to me history just doesnt work that way, its not usually defined by decades, Gaines told The Daily Beast. Why did a period so well known for conformity lead to one known for the opposite? So I started looking for the roots of that outburst in the 1950s, and found people who gave me a different idea of how change happens. It occurred to me that people who are change makers in a time so difficult to do that deserve some acknowledgment.

Gaines book isnt a broad overview, but more an up close and personal look at the lives and careers of activists who recognized various societal problems and fought them. Some are well known, like murdered civil rights pioneer Medgar Evers or author Rachel Carson, whose book Silent Spring warned about the effect of pesticides on the environment. Others, like Harry Hay, an organizer of the Mattachine Society, the first gay rights group, and Norbert Wiener, a pioneer in the study of thinking machines and their effect on humans and the natural world and the man who coined the term cybernetics, have been nearly forgotten over time. But all had one thing in common: the courage to stand out from the conformist crowd and address issues that had been swept under the table.

There is a clarity about these issues that arose from intimate problems within themselves, says Gaines of these forerunners. All these people were very stubborn, and flawed, and unique as individuals. They were all intimately affected by the causes they took on. It was out of their personal struggles that they got the courage to begin change.

If theres one of these activists Gaines admires more than any other, its, Pauli Murray a light-skinned, gay Black woman who helped found the National Organization for Women, and believed that discrimination based on race, class and gender were all connected. She began with such a burden, says Gaines, her autobiography is painful to read sometimes, the assault on her for her light skin, and societys assault on her for her confusion about her gender. The fact she was the only woman in her class at Howard University Law School, was discriminated against and wound up first in her class. And she came out with a law school thesis that helped Thurgood Marshall make his argument in Brown vs. Board of Education. Its a great story of courage against long odds.

Also a great story of courage is the Black World War II veterans who came home to a world of racism and helped jump-start the civil rights movement. Medgar Evers and Anzie Moore of the Mississippi NAACP, Hosea Williams of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Floyd McKissick of the Congress on Racial Equality, James Forman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, and more, men who, says Gaines in his book, believed that non-violence without the support of armed resistance to racist violence amounted to surrender.

But, Gaines told The Daily Beast, theres a reason why the military backgrounds of these men, who were familiar with weaponryEvers carried a .45 with him when he traveled and slept with a shotgun at the foot of his bedseems to have taken a historical backseat to the non-violent protests of the era. The character of the non-violent movement predominated, he says, and it was almost an image-making problem. The idea that Blacks would revolt with arms I think would have inflamed the American public. It was a tactic of the Martin Luther King movement not to emphasize that, despite the fact that Kings home was on occasion an armory.

Gaines feels the environmental movement has not accomplished what it needs to, and civil rights is still a work in progress."

The Fifties also includes the little known story of President Harry Truman and his support of civil rights. It seems Truman was angered by two high-profile cases of World War II veterans who returned home to racist violenceIsaac Woodard, blinded by a white cop when he didnt address him as sir, and George Dorsey, murdered by a white mob for protecting his brother-in-law after an altercation with his landlord. Truman responded to these outrages by naming a commission to analyze the problems in the South, and gave support to its final agenda, which included anti-lynching legislation, abolition of the poll tax and laws to ensure equal access to housing, education, and health care. When an old friend castigated him for this, Truman responded that the main difficulty with the South is that they are living 80 years behind the times and the sooner they come out of it the better it will be for the country and themselves.

Trumans liberal stance, says Gaines, came from his experiences as an officer in World War I. It angered him, the reception black veterans got when they came home. He did things no president had ever done before. He acted on his convictions.

Despite the courage and convictions of all the people in the book, Gaines admits the various issues they addressed have succeeded or failed to varying degrees. Although not enough, he sees the most progress in the gay and womens movements, thanks in part to a generation coming up now that is far more egalitarian in terms of gender than previous generations.

But Gaines feels the environmental movement has not accomplished what it needs to, and civil rights is still a work in progress. The initiative preventing people of color from voting, how could that be? The fact the Supreme Court has done nothing to stop it is sickening.

And yet, Gaines feels that readers of The Fifties should get the feeling that there is progress, and even when you think its least likely, there are people who will stand up and make the argument for change and eventually be supported by our Constitution, and their demonstration of courage and farsightedness.

Link:

These Heroes Demolish the Clich of the Conformist '50s - The Daily Beast

Its difficult to grasp that the Civil Rights Movement occurred only within the last 100 years, and that the painfully unjust stories, agonies, and triumphs of Black people are not historical but present. And while we, as a society, are late in appreciating those who deserve to be appreciated, the U.S. government has decided to commemorate Maya Angelou, a Black female poet, singer, dancer, actress and civil rights activist, by minting her face on the quarter.

Maya Angelou lived a life of extraordinary strength and intelligence. She was the first female Black director in Hollywood. She fought alongside Martin Luther King Jr. until his assassination, after being politically awakened by his moving speeches. She aided his civil right organisation, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, by collecting funds through staging a revue. Angelou was also a companion of Malcolm X. The two developed the Organization of Afro-American Unity. She continued to inspire countless lives even after passing in 2014.

Angelou advocated for racial justice, inaugurated Bill Clinton, fought for same-sex marriage, and she was the only female editor of a newspaper, The Arab Observer. She fought for economic justice by demanding fair wages for workers and the abolition of poverty. Angelous writing was comprised of her experiences in regard to childhood trauma, sexual assault and racism. She wrote her own narrative; one that shows the beauty, intelligence and wit of both women and Black people. While her stories are painful, it is necessary that the young and old are acquainted with them and their messages. They depict a harsh reality of what Black people had to face, and still must face. Her writing is a continuous reminder of American societys deeply evil past.

Now, she is featured on the U.S. quarter with arms wide open. I cant think of a better pose for her than one that shows how free, brave, and unapologetic she was in doing the right thing. Angelou is the first of many in the American Women Quarters Program. The effort will also commemorate physicist and first woman astronaut Sally Ride, as well as the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller. The magnitude of the importance of these women, including Angelou, can be seen in the line of individuals featured on coins prior. It was all white men, and many of them were slave owners. It is time to strike out the names of all those who erased the Black narrative and create an environment where only those who deserve the appreciation receive it.

Angelous honesty and expertise in writing and art is essential in inspiring all ages. The power of language can turn the most ignorant hearts into empathizers. The beauty of art is that it shows different perspectives, it strengthens our will for change, and is one of the greatest weapons at our disposal.

While some may argue that this commemoration on a coin seems insignificant, this is no small feat in the battle for racial justice. All progression is good progression. As a Middle Eastern Muslim woman who finds inspiration in writing, I look at Maya Angelou and see a woman who pushed the barriers forced upon her, on a literary, artistic, and social level. She took control of her future, but her work isnt over. Racial injustice, ethnic cleansing, poverty, and prejudicethese are all things still prevalent within our society. Keeping her legacy alive empowers change.

Maya Angelou was a pivotal inspiration to women and Black people within the U.S. and outside of its borders. She pushed the boundaries of the rigid frameworks presented to her within the art world, and she executed her art to perfection. Maya Angelou risked her life for the sake of justice and truth. Truth remains consistent, and prevalent, and that which she fought for will always live longer than any of us will. She will remain the heart of justice.

Read more:

At the heart of justiceMaya Angelou - The Medium

In 1938, a brilliant young Black scholar at Oxford University wrote a thesis on the economic history of British empire and challenged a claim about slavery that had been defining Britains role in the world for more than a century.

But when Eric Williams who would later become the first prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago sought to publish his mind-blowing thesis on capitalism and slavery in Britain, he was shunned by publishers and accused of undermining the humanitarian motivation for Britains Slavery Abolition Act.

Now, 84 years after his work was rejected in the UK, and 78 years after it was first published in America, where it became a highly influential anti-colonial text, Williamss book, Capitalism and Slavery, will finally be published in Britain by a mainstream British publisher.

Fans of the book include the rapper and author Akala, the novelist Monique Roffey, the poet Michael Rosen and Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland. He welcomed the news that 40 years after Williamss death, British people are finally waking up to the significance of his work: I think its amazing he hasnt been published until now, because you cant really make sense of Britains involvement in transatlantic slavery without reading his book, Sanghera said. You cannot begin to talk about slavery without talking about it. Its so important.

Slavery, Williams argues, was abolished in much of the British empire in 1833 because doing so at that time was in Britains economic self-interest not because the British suddenly discovered a conscience.

The capitalists had first encouraged West Indian slavery and then helped to destroy it, he writes. In the early 19th century, slave-owning sugar planters in the Caribbean British colonies enjoyed a monopoly on the supply of sugar to Britain, because of an imperial tax policy of protectionism. Williams argues: When British capitalism depended on [sugar and cotton plantations in] the West Indies, they [the capitalists] ignored slavery or defended it. When British capitalism found the West Indian monopoly [on sugar] a nuisance, they destroyed West Indian slavery as the first step in the destruction of West Indian monopoly.

In great detail, he lays out the scale of the wealth and industry that was created in Britain, not just from the slave plantations and in the sugar refineries and cotton mills, but by building and insuring slave ships, manufacturing goods transported to the colonies including guns, manacles, chains and padlocks and then banking and reinvesting the profits.

It was all this wealth created by slavery in the 17th and 18th centuries that powered the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, Williams argued. And it was this economic change that meant the preferential sugar duties which artificially pushed up the price of sugar in the UK, a deliberate policy that had once so suited the many wealthy British families involved in the slave trade came to be seen by 19th-century industrialists as an unpopular barrier to free trade, low factory wages and global domination.

The book, to be published by Penguin Modern Classics on 24 February, also traces the emergence of the slave trade in the 16th century when the demand for labour exceeded the number of white convicts and poor, white, indentured servants willing to work the land cheaply. A racial twist has been given to what is basically an economic phenomenon. Slavery was not born of racism: rather, racism was the consequence of slavery, he writes.

Williams submitted his manuscript to the most revolutionary publisher he could find in 1930s Britain, Fredric Warburg, who had published Hitlers Mein Kampf in 1925 and would later go on to publish George Orwells Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four.

It was rejected out of hand. Any suggestion that the slave trade and slavery were abolished for economic and not humanitarian reasons ran contrary to the British tradition, Warburg told him, adding: I would never publish such a book.

Even in modern Britain, Sanghera said, this attitude persists: Williams said: The British historians wrote almost as if Britain had introduced Negro slavery solely for the satisfaction of abolishing it. And that is the truest thing ever said about Britains attitude to slavery. We almost act as if we werent involved in it. We focus on the fact that we abolished it, we dont like to talk about what Williams talks about in the book: that we made a load of money out of it, that it was more than anything else an economic exercise. It made so many people in Britain so rich, and that wealth still exists today. Sanghera adds: Its a totally essential book. I was 42 when I first read it and it blew my mind.

One reason the book still has the power to shock is because, to this day, British historians still do not take the arguments in Williamss book seriously, according to Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black studies at Birmingham City University and author of The New Age of Empire. The orthodoxy of the history of the Industrial Revolution is that slavery wasnt important. If you go to most universities, most academics will say that and theyll dismiss the book because they just cannot accept that the Industrial Revolution could not have happened without slavery. Its that simple. You cannot have one without the other, which this book made the case for in 1938. And its still being ignored.

Capitalism and Slavery continued to be spurned by British publishers until 1966, when a small university press gave it a very limited print run here.

However, the text which is still in print in America and has been translated into nine different languages and published all over the world has been inaccessible and out of print in this country for years. Its good that the books being published by a major publisher, but its kind of an indictment that its taken more than 80 years, said Andrews. I hope people read it and its nice its available. But I think it will probably just get ignored in Britain, the way it has been, largely, in the past.

Continued here:

Eighty years late: groundbreaking work on slave economy is finally published in UK - The Guardian

Condemning the State Governments decision to outsource sanitary works in the local bodies, the sanitary workers struck work and staged a demonstration here on Monday.

The protesting sanitary workers said the Government Orders that paved way for outsourcing of sanitary operations in the local bodies should be annulled to ensure better quality of work in keeping the residential areas and the public places clean and tidy. The sanitary workers of all urban civic bodies should be given the minimum wages of 700 a day. Besides regularising the services of the sanitary workers serving on daily wages basis, the Tamil Nadu Government should appoint sufficient number of workers in the civic bodies for sanitary operations.

The Employees Provident Fund Organisation contribution being deducted from the wages of the sanitary workers should be properly paid in their accounts. Sanitary workers, who should not be compelled to segregate the degradable and non-degradable waste, should be provided with free uniform and all safety gadgets. Sanitary workers affected by COVID-19 should be given full wages and the incentive of 15,000, announced by the Tamil Nadu Government should be given to the sanitary workers also.

District president of CITUs Tirunelveli District Rural Development Employees Union Mohan led the agitation.

Go here to read the rest:

Sanitary workers demand abolition of outsourcing - The Hindu

Activists are too often romanticized as infallible beings who are naturally courageous as they take on grandiose missions. However, just like others maybe even more than others they are vulnerable and need to practice mindfulness, introspection, healing, forgiveness, and joy. They are human. They aim to build a better world while simultaneously becoming better people.

Advocating for a new world is draining work, yet can also be liberatory if the right tools are used. Fortunately, activist and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Patrisse Cullors has crafted the framework for activists to create an abolitionist future in her book An Abolitionists Handbook: 12 Steps to Changing Yourself and the World.

Cullors is known for co-founding the #BlackLiveMatter movement in 2013 along with activists Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, as well as for working to abolish prisons, promote LGBTQIA rights, and perform movement work through the lens of critical race theory.

Shes the author of When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir, which chronicles her experiences within the now global movement as well as the continual struggles the Black community and other marginalized groups endure daily. While Cullors continues to offer so much for the world, particularly her Los Angeles community, she publicly declared on Instagram that 2022 is her year of healing.

Modeling her own mission, the handbook invites people to have courageous conversations while being sure to take care of themselves in order to fight for themselves and others. It challenges people to do more than read, but also dream, imagine, learn, and participate. BGN was able to catch up with Cullors via Zoom to discuss her book, the future of abolition work, and healing.

Abolition has always been a huge part of my value system. Its been the place I go back to when Im dealing with racism, when Im trying to envision the world I want to live in, my own world, but also a bigger broader world, Cullors said. I spend a lot of time thinking about how abolition as a practice is so critical for my health and for my familys health, whether its leaning into the perspective of my book or using my imagination and really thinking about what else is possible beyond what currently exists, I think a lot about how Black folks and Black Americans in particular our imaginations have been stolen from us.

Her handbook takes readers through the history of abolitionism and argues that the word abolition extends far beyond chattel slavery and is centered around envisioning freedom. People wish to be liberated from capitalism, militarism, sexism, racism, and many other unjust systems that society must imagine the world without.

Cullors explained, There isnt one Black person I know who doesnt dream about sci-fi/fantasy, there isnt one who doesnt dream something different about our world. 2021 impacted her in extremely draining ways, so 2022 is about combatting forces that try to diminish her as she makes the choice to keep envisioning the world she hopes to build.

However, imagination is only part of the many lessons that Cullors provides throughout the handbook. Taking action is an essential part of abolition, and doing the work is key.

She told BGN, I believe that abolition isnt meant to be like some academic test, but its something that we practice on a daily basis. Abolition, in so many ways, is very niche in our modern society. We need thoughts, we need questions to help guide us.

The self-work that the handbook asks for might be daunting for many readers, as Cullors guidance asks for a level of vulnerability, honesty, and accountability. In order to imagine and create a world in which people are treated with dignity, it asserts that we must first treat ourselves with dignity. For her, the road to healing has been a winding road. People often see her as an icon rather than a person who has experienced her own set of hurdles, including at one point preparing for her own death after an inundation of racist threats, criticism from those within the movement, and, in turn, her development of PTSD.

Abolition is asking us to remind ourselves of our humanity and what it means to live a life of dignity she said. In the handbook, Cullors urges people to allow themselves to feel what they need to and process the weight of oppression. This is part of breaking down normative structures that condition people to numb themselves merely to survive, rather than experiencing joy. One of the biggest takeaways is that abolition is more than survival or making failing systems better; its about new systems and mindsets to replace the old ones.

We have the right to rest as part of our generational healing. As people who are constantly fighting and challenging government institutions, part of the work is also the care we give to ourselves. I think about myself, my community, and family we deserve to take care of ourselves, Cullors said.

So much of the journey throughout the handbook is for Black, Brown, queer, trans, disabled, and poor folk who are taught to view their bodies, their love, and their dreams as wrong to understand that their trauma is valid and is the insidious work of a white cis capitalistic society that was never made for them. Cullors makes it clear that theres no reform for systems designed to keep white supremacy as the epitome of power.

She said, Its really easy to suggest what you think everyone else should be doing, but its hard to see ones self. Its hard to see your role in it. The reason I called it [the handbook] Changing Yourself and the World is because its about changing our world and the world outside of us.

In 2022, Cullors will be celebrating the launch of An Abolitionists Handbook with iconic scholar and activist Angela Davis for a virtual discussion at the LA County Library on January 27. Shell also be working with the Crenshaw Dairy Market on Abolitionist Self-Sustaining Pod and Autonomous Gardens, which will be used for gardening across Los Angeles.

An Abolitionists Handbook is available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble, including signed copies. The official release date is January 25, 2022.

Follow this link:

Patrisse Cullors Is Healing; 'An Abolitionist's Handbook' Invites Others to Join Her - Black Girl Nerds

It is time for America to recognize that abortion, just like slavery, is one of the greatest human evils that humans have ever experienced in world history, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts said to a crowd of pro-life students and advocates Saturday.

Its time for the pro-life community to be on offense every single day for the unborn and moms and dads and families in America, Roberts said.

The president of The Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, spoke to pro-life activists on the main stage of the Students for Life National Pro-Life Summit in Washington, following remarks by former Vice President Mike Pence.(The Daily Signal is the multimedia news organization of The Heritage Foundation.)

Roberts challenged the crowd to not grow weary in the fight to protect all life and see Roe v. Wade overturned, but to draw courage from those in history who have fought for individuals who did not have a voice.

There is a parallel between the fight to end abortion today and the long struggle to abolish slavery in Europe and America, the think tank president said.

William Wilberforce, despite opposition, dedicated his life to ending the slave trade in Britain.

Wilberforce spent 18 years serving in the British Parliament, beginning in 1780. His tireless work to end slavery ultimately resulted the House of Commons passage of the Slavery Abolition Act July 26, 1833. Wilberforce died three days later.

Even though the British political leader and abolitionist was ridiculed for his views, he was not dissuaded from the cause of abolishing slavery, Roberts said.

You see, the radical American left wants you to doubt your commitment to this cause [of life], Roberts warned, but we know that because truth is on our side, because the clarity of the Lords vision for the culture of life in the United States is the wind in our sails, that we will prevail, just as Wilberforce would remind us if he were here today.

In America, the abolitionist Frederick Douglass also serves as a reminder to remain courageous in the face of opposition, Roberts said. Douglass faced ridicule for his work to abolish slavery in the 1800s yet persisted.

In moments of despair, harness the optimism of leaders like Wilberforce and Douglass, Roberts challenged.

The left believes that they can discourage us from taking action, he said, adding that the pro-life movement will not be discouraged because you know the truth.

Roberts remarks come one day after thousands gathered on the National Mall to stand against abortion and participate in the 49th annual March for Life.

People came from across the nation to attend the march, which pro-lifers hope to be the last March for Life before Roe v. Wade is overturned. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in December in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which could reverse the high courts 1973 abortion ruling on Roe.

While the battle for life will be won in the courtroom, the halls of Congress, and in state capitals, Roberts said, it begins when we speak to one member of our family, one friend, one stranger who is pro-abortion, and share why all life is worthy of protection.

And the reason we fight is, of course, for young women and for mothers and fathers, he said, but also for the future of this great nation.

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email[emailprotected]and well consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular We Hear You feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.

See the article here:

Time to Go on 'Offense' for the Unborn, Heritage's Kevin Roberts Says - Daily Signal

When Andrew Hunter thinks about the main subject of his book, he recalls having her in mind since the early 1990s.

Through her story, he says, she has the ability to connect to people in Black communities grappling with the legacy of slavery. Of the stories in books and articles aboutpeople enslaved, her narrative offered a unique perspective.

"I was thinking about Sophia for a long time," he said.

Hunter isreferring to Sophia Burthen Pooley, a enslaved womanonce owned by Indigenous leader Joseph Brant, then sold to Samuel Hatt in Ancaster during the 1800s.Hunter's new book, It Was Dark There All The Time, revisits her account as an enslaved person in Canada.

It Was Dark There All The Time is based on an interview done by Benjamin Drew, a man from Boston who came to Canada in 1855 to interview "people who had experienced slavery."Drew interviewed Burthen Pooley in the Queen's Bush, a place that Hunter described as an all-Black settlement around the Guelph-Kitchener area.

The original interview, totallingfive pages, unraveled the exposition of her time in slavery.

"What's unique about her story is she wasn't a fugitive, she wasn't a refugee," said Hunter, who lives in Hamilton. "She had actually been brought into Canada enslaved, and sold enslaved in Canada."

"Her interview is the only known first-person account from somebody who was enslaved in Canada."

Hunter said he's always "been interested in the stories that don't get told, who gets left out of the dominant Canadian narrative."

He had similar reasoning last year whenhe put up signs about Burthen Pooley around Dundas. The city took them down, saying they violated the sign bylaw.

Many don't know about the ghastly chronicles ofslavery in Canada, Hunter said. But it's not possible to discuss Hamilton and its local history, he said, without gazing upon the larger history of British colonialism.

The establishment of both Britain and Hamilton, Hunter said, relied heavily on slavery.

"The early development of Hamilton in the 19th century is totally tied into the wider development of the British Empire which is founded on child slavery," he said. "That is the economic foundation."

When Hunterbegan developing the book, he spoke to a mentor and friend, Charmaine Nelson, who leads the Institute for the Study of Canadian Slavery at NSCADUniversityin Halifax. As a white man, he said, he suspected that people may be critical of his work. But a piece of advice from Nelson swayed him.

"She said, 'You have to remember that slavery is all of our history,'" he said.

"The key is to approach the book not as me as an outsider trying to write Black history, but to write the story absolutely owning where I write from."

The interview Burthen Pooleygave, Hunter said, isa "gift" that essentially stands "as a calling forward."

"So much isn't resolved. Abolition isn't over," he said. "There's work to be done as allies, but it's hard work."

Talibah Howard is the youth and program manager for the Afro Canadian Caribbean Association of Hamilton.On Saturday, she joined Hunter for a conversation during thebook'slaunch event.

Thatlaunch, held virtually, includedexcerpt readings. Howardsaid that thebook "poses certain questions of its readers, regardless of race."

"It's a great way to have us thinking aboutCanada's relationship with race," she told CBC Hamilton.

Howard saidIt Was Dark There All The Time is a book that should be of interest to everyone. "It's a really good book for people to get into because it tells of history, it tells of a woman's story who wasn't able to tell her own."

"It's a great way to start having important conversations with the people around us."

Read the original here:

Hamilton author's new book tells the story of a woman enslaved in Canada - CBC.ca