April 30, 2021
Hello ,
Exciting news!
You will not want to miss this live event, Friday, April 30th.
The panel features, not only moi, but Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario!
Kidnapped twice, in Iraq and Libya, Lynsey has a powerful message about a women's place in the still-male-chauvinist profession of combat photography.
For two decades, Addario has lugged her camera equipment to every major conflict and humanitarian crises of her generation, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, South Sudan, Somalia, and Congo.
I'm itching to write about her. But here's your chance to bring her right into your living room. (or wherever you keep your phone or computer) We'll have Q &A. The event was put together to honor the life and legacy of Catherine Leroy and mark the anniversary of the end of the War in Vietnam.
If the time is not convenient for you, go ahead and register here. The panel will be recorded for registrants to watch later on their own time.
I mentioned a short time ago, how the kaleidoscope of events in 2020 sent me into a bit of an emotional spin, prompting me to think more deeply about personal and public affairs.
One thing on my mind is media literacy. For the month of May, I'll be engaging people on social media about the topic of media literacy. I'll have Instagram Live interviews with experts and resources for adults and teens.
Literate used to mean the ability to read and write, and the majority of the public agreed on some common trustworthy sources of information.
That's been pretty much shot to pieces. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. We are more aware than ever how the information Americans have consumed since 1776 has left out the voices of black and brown people and diminished the experiences of marginalized groups.
So the up-side in the proliferation of information on the internet and social media, is that anyone can have a voice. And the downside is that anyone can have a voice.
It can be over-whelming to consider tracking down the source of every picture or video we see, every article and Facebook post. But that's the responsibility we hold. Hardly anyone is too old or too young to be media literate.
I've come across three books for young people that deal with different aspects of media literacy. My budget is small but I'm donating copies to a number of schools across the country.
Here are links to learn more about the books.
I realize this is a small gesture on my part. I decided doing something small is better than doing nothing. And I want to support those who are holding the ramparts, teachers, librarians and media specialists.
May 1st has long been celebrated around the world as International Workers Day. It's a time to pause and honor the struggles and achievements of the labor movement, the effort to affirm the dignity of work, the need for just compensation for workers and safe conditions.
This year international labor watchdogs are celebrating the fearless struggle for democracy and fundamental trade union rights in Belarus.
Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko – often dubbed "Europe's Last Dictator" falsified presidential election results last August and citizens flooded the streets in protest.
The government met the demonstrations and labor strikes with terror, mass arrests and torture. A number of trade union activists have been fired from their jobs, and many have been imprisoned or forced to flee the country.
Marguerite writes a blog Not For Children Only sharing books that have a wide appeal to all ages, often linking topics to important dates of current events.
My to-be-read stack is growing! Hopefully, it will not fall over on me in my sleep. I do appreciate you sending in your recommendations.
Anne says, "I was so taken with this book. It's an Irish story about a girl and her life. . . mostly her relationship with her father. It's also about BOOKS--as her father is a wanna-be-writer and an impractical soul who is addicted to reading.
I found it SOOOOO Irish and soooo beautifully written. It will break your heart but also provide such an uplift AND tidbits about songs and books--some of which you will know and others that will send you to the computer to hear the song or read a poem. I loved it."
Bob has recommended two books on the subject of the Japanese Internment, which sound fascinating!
Bob says, My father was born and spent the first few years of his life in Crystal City, Texas. He had dim memories of his early youth being rushed to shelter in the town during raids by Pancho Villa. During WW II the INS built an internment camp there for families.
What makes this book very readable and different is that the camp also had German and Italian nationals interned as well as Japanese Americans. While we all know and condemn the incarceration of Japanese/Americans and their children the other nationalities are virtually unknown.
The book also throws light on other aspects of internment of which I was unaware, such as the kidnapping of Japanese and German Nationals from other western Hemisphere nations (all except Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico which had their own internment camps.
Highly recommend this totally different view of American injustice during WW II.
Mary Matsuda was 17 when her family (#19788) was interned first at Tule Lake, then Heart Mountain Wyoming and finally at Minidoka. Her family of four was split up at Minidoka. Her only brother two years older was drafted to serve in the 442nd RCT and she entered the Nurse Cadet Training Program. She and went on to become a nationally recognized nurse, and notes she met George H.W. Bush exactly 60 years to the day
following the date her family was interned.
Bob says, she is unfailingly honest in describing her personal feelings and emotions while being unjustly imprisoned.
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