Category: Activism

Activism Acts Of Kindness Kindness Other Social Good

The internet’s best tips for how to be kind on World Kindness Day

sudshr47 November 13, 2018

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When brainstorming ways to make the world a better place, we often think about donating, volunteering, signing petitions, and taking to the streets, which are all necessary actions. Yet we must first remember to be kind to ourselves and to others. It sounds simple, but it’s effective: A smile, a cup of coffee, or a “thank you” can help make someone’s day better. Treating people with compassion every day, alongside political and community action, can lead to real, positive change. 

Such advice may feel simple, or even cliché, but we increasingly live in a world where bigotry and cruelty constantly capture our attention — and the news cycle. Kindness is just one of many defenses against malice, and it’s particularly critical to show support and kindness toward marginalized communities under attack by discriminatory rhetoric and policies. Read more…

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Activism Charity Los Angeles Los Angeles County Supported

Being the change

sudshr47 November 13, 2018

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Ad Content from Dropbox

Watch our video above to learn more about The Giving Keys and their mission to help people transition out of homelessness, and read our article below to go behind-the-scenes with the inspiring people who make The Giving Keys work.

Omara never envisioned her life path would lead to entrepreneurship. She’d struggled with addiction, experienced homelessness, lost custody of her kids, and spent time in prison. She rarely received positive affirmation from those around her — she’d never been called beautiful.

But two weeks into a new job, Omara’s life took a decidedly different turn. She’d secured employment in a role as a production associate at The Giving Keys, a social enterprise based in Los Angeles, and found herself being showered with empowering, affirming messages from her colleagues. She was called beautiful for the first time in her life — and she started to believe that the praise she was hearing was true. Read more…

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Activism Culture Menstruation Watercooler Women S Rights

Nevada eliminates tampon tax in leap forward for menstruation equality

sudshr47 November 10, 2018

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This is One Good Thing, a weekly column where we tell you about one of the few nice things that happened this week.

In my feminist utopia, sanitary pads and tampons are provided free of charge by the United States government.

In my current reality, they’re offered at $4 bucks a pack at CVS — and that’s with the savings from my CVS card.

We’re a long way from menstruation equality, which makes Nevada’s recent elimination of the “tampon tax” a critical step forward.

On Tuesday, Nevada voted to do away with their 6.85% sales tax imposed on sanitary pads and tampons.  Read more…

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Activism Culture Far Right PayPal Tommy Robinson

PayPal bans prominent UK far-right figure from using its services

sudshr47 November 9, 2018

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PayPal has banned Tommy Robinson, former leader of the far-right, anti-Muslim group English Defence League (EDL), from it’s platform. 

In a statement sent to Mashable, the online payments company said that it doesn’t comment on individual cases, but that they carefully review accounts to make sure that they fit user guidelines. 

“We do not allow PayPal services to be used to promote hate, violence, or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory,” PayPal wrote, adding that “we work hard to achieve the right balance and to ensure that our decisions are values-driven and not political.” Read more…

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Activism Culture Midterm Elections 2018 Politics Uncategorized Web Culture

This illustrator’s making hand-drawn ‘I Voted’ stickers for people on Twitter

sudshr47 November 6, 2018

The midterm elections are upon us, and while getting pizza while waiting in line to vote is a great motivator, nothing beats snapping post-ballot selfies with an “I voted” sticker.
But at many polling locations around the country, stickers might be s…

View More This illustrator’s making hand-drawn ‘I Voted’ stickers for people on Twitter
Activism Culture Midterm Elections 2018 Politics Uncategorized Web Culture

This illustrator’s making hand-drawn ‘I Voted’ stickers for people on Twitter

sudshr47 November 6, 2018

The midterm elections are upon us, and while getting pizza while waiting in line to vote is a great motivator, nothing beats snapping post-ballot selfies with an “I voted” sticker.
But at many polling locations around the country, stickers might be s…

View More This illustrator’s making hand-drawn ‘I Voted’ stickers for people on Twitter
Activism Australia Big Tech Companies Google Sexual Harassment

‘This is a terrible part of our culture’: Google employees walk out in Australia

sudshr47 November 2, 2018

On blisteringly hot day in Sydney, Australia, Google employees joined their global counterparts in one of the final legs of a walkout against sexual harassment.
Around 200 employees met in a park beside the tech giant’s offices in the suburb of Pyrmo…

View More ‘This is a terrible part of our culture’: Google employees walk out in Australia
Activism Culture Harassment Metoo Uk

Big money and legal battles are silencing #MeToo stories. The internet has the power to burst the dam.

sudshr47 October 26, 2018

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A British billionaire tycoon flexed the might of his £2 billion wealth by attempting to block a national newspaper from publishing allegations of “sexual harassment and racial abuse of staff.” 

Philip Green — the owner of Topshop — spent £500,000 on legal fees to obtain an interim injunction from the Court of Appeal preventing The Telegraph from naming him. Just 50 hours after the ruling, parliament intervened. It took 28 seconds for Lord Hain — a peer in the House of Lords — to name the alleged man at the centre of the scandal. Green has “categorically and wholly” denied the allegations.

This story raised questions about the weaponisation of NDAs and injunctions in the #MeToo movement — and the efficacy of such legal tools in the internet and social media age.  Read more…

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Activism Entertainment Glaad Lgbtq Television

GLAAD reports a record-shattering year for LGBTQ people on TV

sudshr47 October 25, 2018

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Between the transgender military ban and an HHS memo seeking to define “transgender out of existence,” it’s been a painful, difficult year for the LGBTQ community.

There are nonetheless brighter signs — and in a medium everyone loves to hate — television.

A new GLAAD report analyzing LGBTQ representation in television finds a “record high percentage of LGBTQ characters on broadcast TV” in 2018. Before Trump was elected, this is what we used to call “good news.”

GLAAD measures LGBTQ representation across broadcast, streaming, and cable television. According to the report, a record high 8.8 percent of all regularly occurring characters on broadcast television in 2018 are LGBTQ series regulars. In 2017, that number stood at 6.4 percent, then a record high.  Read more…

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Activism american sign language deaf Social Good Starbucks

Deaf and hard-of-hearing customers in the U.S. celebrate Starbucks’ first ‘Signing Store’

sudshr47 October 23, 2018

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Starbucks took a big step toward inclusivity today by opening its first “Signing Store” for Deaf and hard-of-hearing customers in the United States.

The new Starbucks opened on Tuesday in Washington D.C., right next to Gallaudet University — the world’s only university designed to educate Deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Though the “Signing Store” has the classic Starbucks look and feel, every employee, otherwise known as a partner, at the cafe is proficient in American Sign Language (ASL). To prioritize communication even further, Deaf partners wear aprons that display the fingerspelling of “Starbucks,” and hearing allies wear “I Sign” pins on theirs.   Read more…

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