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Category Archives: The Struggle for Freedom
How Freedom Summer activists brought the Free Speech Movement to Berkeley
| When UC Berkeley tried to silence students advocating for civil rights and against the Vietnam War, young activists refused to back down. One of them, Mario Savio, delivered a fiery speech that lit a spark across the nation. |
New club at West Liberty University fostering disability awareness
| A new club at West Liberty University is making a powerful impact, not through sports or debate, but by fostering awareness and inclusion for people with disabilities. |
BSU Names Multicultural Center in Honor of Civil Rights Icons Vivian Conley and Hurley Goodall
These two activists dedicated their lives to education, equity, and service, paving the way for inclusion and empowerment. Their legacies remind students everywhere of the power of advocacy and determination to transform communities.
The Power Of The Black Vote: Shaping America’s Future
The author of this article urges Black Americans to exercise their hard-won right to vote this year.
‘The chilling effect’: behind GOP-led states’ efforts to purge some voters from the rolls
Some state governments are removing people from voter rolls in an effort to make sure non-citizens don’t vote illegally. Voting rights activists are concerned–not only that these states may remove some eligible voters in this process, but that these actions will discourage some citizens from voting.
Ben Franklin’s Famous ‘Liberty, Safety’ Quote Lost Its Context In 21st Century
Benjamin Franklin famously said that those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. What did he really mean?
Iran women’s protests are the focus of ‘Persepolis’ author Marjane Satrapi’s new book
In her new book, Marjane Satrapi collaborates with other graphic novelists and cartoonists to highlight the Iranian women’s movement.
Looking Ahead to a Pivotal Year for Global Freedom
According to this article, 2024 is a critical year for democracy and human rights around the world, especially because many countries will be holding major elections this year.
Celebrating the human rights wins of 2023
Wondering if there is any good news from the front lines of the struggle for freedom? Check out this list of human rights wins of 2023 from Amnesty International.
Activists turn backs on US officials as UN-backed human rights review of United States wraps up
Is the U.S. doing enough to protect human rights? Not according to a group of activists who held a silent protest at a recent United Nations hearing. Click here to learn more about the protest.
Activists say the human rights movement is failing
International human rights activists at the 2023 Oslo Freedom Forum expressed concerns about losing ground to dictators and oppressive governments across the world.
Online social change: Easy to organize, hard to win
Author Zeynep Tufekci looks around the world at how social media can both power freedom movements and weaken them.
UN Says AI Poses ‘Serious Risk’ For Human Rights
Could artificial intelligence open the door to the loss of human rights and liberties? Officials at the United Nations are concerned about the threats that advances in AI could pose to human rights.
Everyday people were civil rights heroes, too. This is the story of one town’s fight
This article highlights the struggle for equality in the town of Oxford, North Carolina.
Barbara Johns: The US’ forgotten civil rights hero
In 1951, 16-year-old Barbara Johns found herself in the middle of the fight to end segregation in American schools, an effort she compared to “reaching for the moon.”
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Rising from the inhumanity of World War II, the United Nations was established. In 1948, it set forth this declaration of what rights all people the world over should have.
Around the world, protesters take to the streets in solidarity with Iranian women
This article describes recent worldwide protests against the Iranian government’s oppression of women and girls.
The librarian who defied the Taliban
Meet Wahida Amiri, a librarian and book-lover forced to flee her homeland after she spoke out against the Taliban and demanded equal rights for Afghan women.
The Purges in the USSR
The systematic elimination of people viewed as political enemies is nothing new. Learn about Stalin’s ruthless purges during the 1930s.