In August of 1942, Mohandas Gandhi gave an influential speech urging Indians to stand up for their liberty. Read to learn more about India’s struggle for independence and the historical significance of Gandhi’s speech.
Category Archives: Hard-Won Liberty
LIBERTY! The American Revolution
The struggle for liberty is at the heart of the United States’ founding. Learn more about what led to the American Revolution and how it was won by exploring this interactive site.
Freedom of the Mind
When the body is imprisoned by captivity or injury, it’s essential for the mind to remain free. This BBC radio broadcast features the voices of people who survived lengthy captivity by keeping their minds active and hopeful.
Arab spring: an interactive timeline of Middle East protests
Sparked by the self-immolation death of a Tunisian fruit vendor, the Arab Spring protests swept across North Africa and the Middle East beginning in early 2011. Explore this interactive timeline for a wealth of information about the protests and what they achieved.
The historic women’s suffrage march on Washington
Watch this video to learn about the Women’s Suffrage Parade—the first mass protest for a woman’s right to vote.
Protests in Hong Kong Continue, Remain Peaceful Throughout the Weekend
Protests in Hong Kong continue into the 11th straight week. Read the latest on their development.
Hong Kong’s huge protests, explained
Watch this video to understand where the tensions between Hong Kong and mainland China stem from and why people continue to protest.
Children of the Fifty-Sixers: Growing up in Hungarian Chicago
Author Rebecca Makkai reflects on how her father’s escape from Communist-controlled Hungary in 1956 still echoes in her life in the United States.
American Experience: Freedom Riders
In 1961, a diverse group of activists rode interstate buses to several southern cities, violating laws that did not allow African Americans to sit at the front of the bus or alongside white riders. This simple act sparked violent responses that drew attention to the civil rights cause. Explore the route and hear the voices of the Freedom Riders through this interactive site.
After 39 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment, Ricky Jackson Is Finally Free
Ricky Jackson spent nearly four decades in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. While he was incarcerated, he wrote letters to journalists about his case. Learn how the charges against Jackson were finally dismissed.
AI is sending people to jail—and getting it wrong
Can the legal system rely on artificial intelligence to make fair recommendations for sentencing criminals? Or do these technologies perpetuate historical biases against low-income and minority communities? Read to learn more.
Martin Luther King was no prophet of unity. He was a radical
This opinion piece points out that people tend to remember Martin Luther King Jr. fondly as a civil rights leader while overlooking the fact that his views and actions were radical.
Gandhi statue removed from African university over claims of racism
We often idealize great leaders, but even those who have far-reaching positive influence on the world aren’t perfect. Read to learn about a recent controversy surrounding Mohandas Gandhi in the African nation of Ghana.
Uganda’s Bobi Wine: ‘Tortured’ pop star MP returns home
Click this link to learn about Ugandan Member of Parliament (MP) Bobi Wine, a popular musician who got involved in politics to speak out against the oppressive and corrupt leadership of his country.
A dangerous idea offers hope for girls in Afghanistan
We sometimes take our freedoms for granted—for example, the freedom to learn. One Massachusetts woman, Razia Jan, has worked tirelessly to ensure the right to an education for girls in her native Afghanistan.
Freedom Writer
This article profiles poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, author of “Cloudy Day,” and describes a documentary film about his discovery of poetry while he was imprisoned as a young man.
Lady Liberty’s Radical History
The author of this opinion piece calls into question several commonly held ideas about what the Statue of Liberty represents.
The wind in my hair: one Iranian woman’s courageous struggle against being forced to wear the hijab
Activist Masih Alinejad has protested against wearing a hijab since she was a child. Click this link to learn about her online campaign to encourage Iranian women to resist the law that requires them to cover their hair in public.
Teaching Gandhi’s Nonviolent Principles in a Violent Time
In this interview, a youth educator at the Gandhi Institute describes how her organization applies a philosophy of principled nonviolence to its work with conflict resolution in schools.
There’s a war on books in prisons. It needs to end.
Can banning books help keep prisons safe? The author of this opinion piece believes there should be fewer restrictions on the books that prisoners are allowed to read.