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These gardens ask visitors to reconsider solitary confinement

Anna Deen

December 23, 2020 |

Grist |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

Solitary Gardens is an art project that protests prisons' solitary confinement conditions. Incarcerated people connect with volunteers on the outside who plant flowers, vegetables, or herbs in beds matching the tiny dimensions of the prison cell that confined Herman Wallace for a record 41 years in Louisiana. The people inside prison imagine their garden, often with memory triggers of what they have lost, and their gardener carries out their plan. The idea is to make a place for grief, healing, public service, and public education, as the gardens in four cities teach about solitary confinement.

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Lessons From Portland's Protest Movement

Sunnivie Brydum

December 23, 2020 |

Yes! Magazine |

Multi-Media |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

Organized groups of volunteers helped sustain over four months of Black Lives Matters protests, with centralized information sources keeping the public informed and essential support services provided. A network of over 160 medics tended to protesters' health needs and organizers provided air filters to deal with tear gas. Protestors getting out of jail were given food, water, and other resources, and affected neighborhoods were cleaned up by teams of volunteers. Such support created other ways to participate while also providing critical infrastructure to sustain months of protests for racial justice.

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How US cities fixed violations to Asian Americans' voting rights in 2020

Amy Yee

December 22, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Malden, Massachusetts

Violations of the Voting Rights Act during primary and local elections led the city of Malden, where 23% of its 60,000 residents are of Asian descent, to provide voting materials and information - including mail-in ballots, voting instructions, official election websites, and precinct signs - in English and Chinese. The city also hired a trilingual city employee fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin and collaborated with community advocacy groups on voter outreach and recruiting more bilingual poll workers. Advocates see Malden as a role model for other jurisdictions to remedy voter access issues.

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Ranked Choice Voting Debuts in 2020 Basalt Mayoral Election

Kathleen Shannon

December 22, 2020 |

KDNK Community Radio |

Podcast |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Basalt, Colorado

Ranked choice voting (RCV) lets voters select multiple candidates in order of preference. If no one gets a majority, there is a second round where the candidate with the fewest first choice votes is eliminated and the second choice on those ballots is counted. The process repeats until one candidate gets a majority. More elections use RCV, including Basalt ’s 2020 mayoral race where another RCV-experienced city shared public information materials and election judge training. RCV requires close attention to all ballots and campaigns are more civil because of the incentive to be a voter’s second choice.

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Egypt's #MeToo Activists See Progress, but ‘the Road Ahead Is Long'

May El Habachi

December 17, 2020 |

World Politics Review |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Egypt

A growing #MeToo movement brought sexual assault into national dialogues, even in remote governorates, and has led to arrests and legal reforms, such as allowing sexual assault victims and witnesses to remain anonymous. The current wave was started by a student who used Instagram to expose a fellow student as a perpetrator. Many women shared their stories of assault, and within days he was arrested and is standing trial. This encouraged more women to share their stories, with high-profile celebrities and influencers, including religious authorities, speaking out in support of women.

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5 Years Later, Santa Barbarans Reflect on Goals, Outcomes of Switch to District Elections

Joshua Molina

December 16, 2020 |

Noozhawk |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Santa Barbara, California

In 2014, activists enlisted the help of attorneys and filed a lawsuit against the city of Santa Barbara for violating the California Voting Rights Act by diluting Latino votes. To avoid a costly legal battle, the city agreed to switch to district-based elections where local officials are selected by the actual neighborhoods they will represent rather than the city at-large. These elections ensure neighborhoods will be represented by officials that have intimate knowledge of the area’s needs and have led to dramatic increases in the diversity of elected officials in terms of ethnicity, age and gender.

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Street medic crew forms out of BLM protests in metro Phoenix

Jonmaesha Beltran

December 14, 2020 |

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Phoenix, Arizona

As protests spread across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, some protesters saw the need for street medics to tend to injured protestors. They formed Desert Action Medical Network and remained on the sidelines to administer medical attention at over 80 protests in Phoenix. The medics packed backpacks full of supplies to treat wounds from tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray projectiles, and treated protestors when violence broke out. “Somehow medicine just became the best use of our skills for this movement.”

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‘The Poetry Project': How young refugees in Germany are bridging the cultural gap with their voices

Anna Fleck

December 12, 2020 |

The Local |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany, Berlin

The Poetry Project provides a platform for young refugees to create poetry, share their stories, and learn about German culture. The initiative started with weekly meetings for 7 young refugees to workshop poetry about the refugee experience, including leaving loved ones, why they left, and how they feel in their new home country. Their live performances have won prizes and their audiences respond emotionally. The group’s success allowed it to expand to more participants and reach a wider audience. The experience helped some participants integrate more smoothly into German society, where they have thrived.

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There is no Gen Z ‘enthusiasm' gap

Iliana Hagenah

December 10, 2020 |

Scalawag |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Mississippi

Civic engagement groups creatively encouraged young Black voters to vote. Mississippi Votes ran fellowships where local representatives educated young people on the political landscape of their state and used "geofencing," to share sample ballot links and precinct information on social media when users’ smartphones were within specific geographic locations. Engage Miami reached young people with "Get Out And Vote" TikTok videos, and partnering with social media influencers. In addition to registering thousands of new voters, both groups lent resources to youth voices in Black Lives Matters protests.

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How Portland Protesters Keep Each Other Safe

Isabella Garcia

December 09, 2020 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

Behind the nightly protests against racism and police brutality on Portland's streets for more than five months stands a network of street medics and mutual aid groups dedicated to equipping and protecting protesters, and treating their injuries after clashes with police. Portland's already-vibrant street medic community responded to the policing protests with emergency medical care. Their work, plus that of other mutual aid groups, has taken on an added dimension during the pandemic, with masks and hand sanitizer added to the list of supplies.

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