I don’t normally like to mix work and play, but in this case the two overlap. My organization, the U.S. Human Rights Fund, just released a very tight volume of case studies about human rights victories in the U.S. The stories are inspiring and offer practical tips about how to integrate human rights into your advocacy. The report had a lot of help from social justice advocates and received direct sponsorship from the Ford Foundation. You can download it for free here or request a copy.
–Deji Olukotun
Free food and drinks. World class fiction. What’s not to like?
–Deji Olukotun
The United Workers Association is a leading grassroots organization that utilizes human rights to improve working conditions for workers in the Baltimore Area. They recently secured a major victory for day laborers and workers at the Camden Yards Baseball Stadium.
The UWA launched a series of workshops called Justice Theater in conjunction with Nommo Theatre. The workshops will culminate in a massive ‘theatrical participation play’ during Our Harbor Day on May 1, 2010 at the Baltimore Harbor.
–Deji Olukotun
Millions have seen and loved the film Avatar. I personally did not like it very much, for a number of reasons. Regardless, I noticed the film’s social justice undertones in which a group of indigenous people overcomes the oppression of corporate greed and mercenary fire power.
There was plenty of room for a thoughtful, derivative work that explored the social justice themes of the film. (It was banned in ‘China’ (whatever that means these days) and then a mountain was named after it in ‘China’ too.) However, Avatar: A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandora has nothing to do with activism. Somewhat wedged between a Star Wars encyclopedia and a silly essay about resisting the corporation, this work feels like an amalgam of backstory and storyboarding.
I think there’s potential to extract a better story out of Avatar, and I’m sure HarperCollins will leap at the chance. Or is a good derivative work another name for ‘Unobtanium’?
–Deji Olukotun
A new book that celebrates mixed race children will be released on March 17 by Chronicle books. As a person of mixed race, I am often surprised at how rarely the topic is directly discussed. If so — especially in the U.S. — it is frequently tainted by legacies of Jim Crow and the slave trade. But there are a lot of us and we should celebrate that!
Anyway, I’m looking forward to a positive read. Check out the book here.
–Deji Olukotun
