Maya Angelou is revered today for her work as a poet, writer, actress, dancer, and activist. She was a woman of many talents and her wisdom lives on through her many works of art, most notably, her autobiographies. Angelou was born in 1928 in St. Louis, MO and had a traumatic childhood.
Month: August 2021
Do or Die: The Quit India Movement of 1942
In August 1942, Gandhi famously proclaimed the words “We shall either free India or die in the attempt, we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery.”
A Pinch of Salt and the One of the Largest Nonviolence Movements in India: The Salt March of 1930
The Salt March was one of the most famous early acts of civil disobedience, led by nonviolence leader Mahatma Gandhi as part of India’s protest to gain freedom from the British. In 1882, the British government implemented the Salt Act which prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, forcing them to buy salt from the British instead.
The OG Leader of Nonviolence: Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi is an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement against British rule in India. His doctrine of nonviolent protest (satyagraha) and use of the religion principle of ahimsa as a tool of peaceful protest became the model for future social movements around the world.
Practicing What He Preaches – Pietro Ameglio’s Nonviolent Pursuit of “Peace with Justice”
Since his death in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi’s employment of civil disobedience has famously inspired some of history’s most prominent freedom fighters, including Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and Martin Luther King Jr. Gandhi’s name has even become the root of an adjective used for the principles by which he lived.
Relentless Prudence – How Prudencia Ayala Challenged Salvadoran Gender Roles Decades Before Women Could Vote
To be prudent does not mean to be timid. While prudence is often regarded as synonymous with caution, it also signifies wisdom, thriftiness, and foresight. Prudencia Ayala possessed all three, and she was anything but timid.
Para Los Mártires (For the Martyrs) – A Lenca Woman’s Fatal Fight for Environmental Justice
From the start, she spoke with passion and a sense of urgency. She was accepting the largest award for grassroots environmental activists in the world, and yet she seemed apathetic toward the esteem. Zeroed in on her cause, she admonished the audience – “¡Despertemos! Despertemos, humanidad. Ya no hay tiempo” (Let us wake up! Let us wake up, humankind. We are out of time).
Peacemaking in the Face of Genocide – The Story of Rigoberta Menchú
On January 9, 1959, in Laj Chimel – a small indigenous community surrounded by unpaved Guatemalan mountain range — a Quiché Mayan child and future luminary for indigent natives across the Western Hemisphere was born.
Vietnam War Protests at UW-Madison
The Vietnam War, fought between 1955-1975, drew attention across the U.S. It was one of the most highly protested wars in history, especially at UW-Madison. A notable protest at UW occurred in April of 1965 with faculty teaching over 1,500 students about the conflict outside of an academic building.
Imperial Invasion
The Reagan administration’s foreign policy was imperialist in nature and in cause. The anti-communist agenda of the American government in the last half of the 20th century allowed the executive to fall back on its colonialist roots under the guise of worldly protection.