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marsha p. johnson and sylvia rivera, founders of STAR and the first pride parades, in 1989

happy pride month! the stonewall uprising was a riot started by trans women of colour against police brutality. support black lives. support trans lives. love fiercely. throw bricks. acab.

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The first pride was a riot, more specifically a riot against police violence. Trans women of colour like Marsha P. Johnson paved the way for the celebration of pride today. You cannot celebrate your pride this month, or any month if you aren’t also supporting Black Lives Matter and the riots going on against police violence right now. Us white LGBTQ+ need to stand up for our black siblings and their rights, their struggles. We need to amplify their voices and show any support we can.Hey! Better yet, reblog this version:

Extensive BLM Google doc including places to donate to, education resources, etc

List of 75 things white people can do right now

Simple way to donate to the cause if you have no money to

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'Let this be a turning point in society': Thousands of protesters take a knee to make a stand in Halifax

A disturbing video showing Minneapolis resident George Floyd dying while in police custody has sparked outrage across North America, including in the Maritimes.

Monday night, a peaceful protest called Take a Knee to Make a Stand was held in downtown Halifax.

Thousands of protesters gathered on Spring Garden Road, calling for an end to racism and police brutality.

“We are one people, no matter what, we all have to live together. It’s never going to change,” said Sharisha Benedict, who organized the protest.

“Everybody deserves equality, everybody deserves to be treated fairly and that’s just not seeming to happen nowadays. Everybody thinks that, you know, it’s not a big deal anymore, that racism isn’t alive like it used to be, but it is, it’s just more hidden.”

Several roads were closed to traffic to accommodate the large crowd of peaceful demonstrators.

Those attending the protest chanted “I can’t breathe” and took a knee for eight minutes and 46 seconds – the same amount of time that a Minneapolis police officer is seen on video, kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, while he was handcuffed and lying on the ground.

Thousands of people peacefully came out to protest the death of George Floyd who died in a police take down @CTVAtlantic pic.twitter.com/nkS1RS3dVm

— Jim kvammen (@CTVJimKvammen) June 2, 2020

People who didn’t want to attend the rally due to COVID-19 concerns were encouraged by organizers to take a knee at home.

Many activists addressed the large crowd, saying they were encouraged by the show of support.

pic.twitter.com/tGiqv9vIyb

— Allan April (@AllanAprilCTV) June 1, 2020

Among them was Dr. Lynn Jones, for whom the massive crowd parted so she could speak. The protesters clapped and shouted “Lynn Jones” as she made her way through the crowd.

“Sometimes we don’t even know if we can take another step and then, when we think we’re at the very end, people like all of you are there that lift us up and pick us up and help us to carry the torch,” said Jones.

Halifax protest Demonstrators demand change. @CTVAtlantic pic.twitter.com/UHPeaw6LlW

— Jim kvammen (@CTVJimKvammen) June 2, 2020

“Do not let the deaths be in vain,” said community advocate Derico Symonds. “Do not go home, do not do nothing. Let this be a turning point in society.”

Hundreds of people also gathered Monday in Moncton, N.B., to show their support for those fighting for justice, walking from Victoria Park to city hall.

Powerful. pic.twitter.com/TwEqZoUWn4

— Kate Walker (@KWalkerCTV) June 1, 2020

The four officers involved in Floyd’s arrest have been fired and one officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Advocates say they want to see concrete changes now.

“Imagine your child left their home and when they left, you had no idea if they were going to make it home because you have to fear that somebody may attack them because of the colour of their skin,” said Benedict. “And I know you may not understand that, but just think about it. That’s not a hard thing to think about.”

"I was angry, frustrated. I couldn’t even finish the video because I was so disgusted and so hurt,” said Quentrel Provo, the founder of Stop the Violence and a local advocate.

Provo says the system and how black people are treated needs to change.

"I know I had a lot of people yell at me, ‘All lives matter.’ All lives can’t matter if the black lives don’t matter currently. And that’s why we yell ‘Black Lives Matter.’ I should matter. I shouldn’t have to worry about where I’m going that I may get killed. Being black shouldn’t be a death sentence,” he said.

It’s been one week since George Floyd’s death. In that time, protests have been taking place in cities across the United States and Canada, with people of all ages and backgrounds calling for an end to racism and police brutality.

"What stands out in these rebellions is the multi-racial, multi-ethnic nature of those crowds taking place,” said Dr. Isaac Saney with Halifax’s Dalhousie University.

“So, while African Americans have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, disproportionally affected by police brutality, find themselves at the bottom of the socially economic ladder, we also see this as a class dimension to this as well. There’s a tremendous amount of poor whites, working class and particularly white youth themselves who have faced the horrible deprivations of this system.”

Academics and advocates agree the situation in the United States isn’t that different from what’s happening in Canada.

“It’s a difference of degree, not kind,” said Saney.

“We have the recent incident and demonstration in Halifax over Regis Korchinski-Paquet. There is the report for example, the Scott Wortley report that came out, demonstrating that if you’re in African Nova Scotia, you’re six times more likely to be stopped by the police arbitrarily.”

“We’re just not being killed,” said Provo. “But we’re still being profiled. When you walk in a store, we’re being followed, we’re looked at differently. Some people don’t come around us because of the colour of our skin.”

Provo is a father and fears for his young son’s safety.

“That’s my number one priority as a father, to care for my son but also his safety,�� Provo said.

“I don’t want to lose my son in my lifetime. That’s the sad part. And these parents are losing their kids in their lifetime and it’s because of the colour of their skin.”

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/2zL92wZ

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“is this moment radicalizing you?”

while i’m here, and still somehow have followers on this website, i thought it would be useful to repost an activism resource masterpost i saw on twitter a few days ago. it looks like the OP (@thebryreed) set her account to private, but i saved the links and figured they would be useful reading & listening, given everything that’s going on right now.

Malcolm X (1964) The Ballot or the Bullet

Martin and Malcolm by James Baldwin (1972)

Assata Shakur’s Autobiography (1987)

The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House by Audre Lorde (1979)

Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis (2003)

The Invention of Women by Oyěwùmí (1997) (this requires institutional access or creativity)

Sylvia Rivera’s Y’all Better Quiet Down speech (1973)

Toni Morrison’s Nobel Prize Speech (1993)

Fidel Castro’s History Will Absolve Me (1953)

Toni Morrison (2015) No Place for Self-Pity, No Room for Fear 

W. E. B. DuBois Why I Won’t Vote (1956)

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Malcom said it best ✊🏾

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List of Verified, Active GoFundMe’s For NS Shooting Victims and Survivors

I’m compiling a list of all the verified GoFundMe’s I can find for the victims of the recent mass shooting in Nova Scotia, Canada.

- Teaming up with Canada's 911 Ride - Atlantic, volunteer firefighter Adam Stiles created this fundraiser for the families of the victims of the mass shooting (currently at $9,505/20,000).

- Darrell Coffin and Brad Richard (President and Vice President of the foundation Canada’s 911 Ride – Atlantic/Quebec) created this fundraiser for the families of the victims of the mass shooting (currently at $14,319/20,000).

- Justin H and Kelsy H have organized this fundraiser for the families of the victims of the shooting (currently at $20,154/25,000).

- Sarah LeBlanc started this fundraiser to provide for the woman who survived the mass shooting and gave the police vital information to stop the shooter (Currently at $2,725/5,000).

- Katie Green is organizing this fundraiser to provide support for the surviving family of Corrie Ellison (Currently at $14,930/10,000).

- Nova Scotia Dept of Forestry started this fundraiser to provide for the surviving children and family of Lisa McCully (Currently at $32,217/1).

- Tammie Oliver-McCurdie started this fundraiser to provide the Oliver family with funds to pay for the funeral and memorial services for Emily Tuck, Aaron Tuck, and Jolene Oliver (Currently at $82,314/75,000).

- Gena Lawson is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Dorian Dodson to provide support for the Zahl family following their tragic losses (Currently at $12,280/$15,000).

- With the support of survivors families, Kori Hamilton started this fundraiser to provide for the families of the victims of the mass shooting (Currently at $16,074/$18,000).

- Theresa MacLeod-Gould has organized this fundraiser to provide for the surviving wife and children of Joey Webber (Currently at $132,512/$10,000).

- Greg Johnston has started this fundraiser to provide for Kristen Beaton’s surviving family (Currently at $99,356/20,000).

- Penny Copeland has set up this fundraiser for trust funds / college tuition for the children of the families who lost loved ones in the mass shooting (Currently at $400/10,000).

- Hannah Blenkhorn has organized this fundraiser for Heather O’Brien’s surviving family (Currently at $23,969/20,000).

- Tracy Baker has set up this fundraiser to provide the Bond family with funds for the funerary costs following the deaths of Joy and Harry Baker (Currently at $10,674/10,000).

- Daniel MacDougall is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Amelia Goulet to help provide her family with support following their loss (Currently at $29,839/$5,000).

- Ruth Janes is organizing this fundraiser for Lisa McCully’s children following their tragic loss (Currently at $98,494/$10,000).

All fundraisers have been verified by the Colchester County Community Support Initiative, Heart Colchester. In Colchester County, Nova Scotia.

(Written April 27th-28th, 2020)

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I thought there might be a lot of other people who would benefit from reading this, too.

(Original tweet.)

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'A new legacy': Pictou Landing chief pleased with Boat Harbour efforts

Pictou Landing First Nation Chief Andrea Paul says she was overcome with emotion when she had a look at the Northern Pulp effluent system this week after finding out all wastewater has stopped flowing to Boat Harbour.

from CBC | Nova Scotia News https://ift.tt/3bGLlDz

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Nova Scotia Strong

I spent a couple years in Nova Scotia and met many of the people who have become family, the recent mass shooting has not only made history but also irrevocably changed NS (and Canada as a whole, I believe). It was chilling to read the accounts of the horror wrought, stacking up with the damage a pandemic is doing right now. I knew several of the people who were killed, Nova Scotia is an incredibly close province- small, tight-knit, and community-oriented. I will not speak the name of the killer here, he has already been named and his name does not belong alongside his victims. But the victims of this mass shooting should not just be remembered for their deaths.

They were nurses, community members, fathers, mothers, musicians, daughters, and sons. They were so vibrantly alive and they should be remembered and honored for their rich lives, not for their horrific deaths, because they were so much more than that.

I’ve struggled with how to process this event as everyone across Canada is and has done- my first instinctual response was ‘why’ ‘why now’ ‘why out of all the horrors we see, must we add a mass shooting.’ My heart is heavy when I think about those who were left behind, the closest to those killed, and how they have to wrestle with not only surviving but carrying on. In the face of all this pain, Nova Scotia has come together, uniting and lighting a candle to not only honour those who have passed on, but to show that they are strong in the face of it all. A silent and nation wide vigil, a light that united a country.

When I think about how everyone in even the smallest NS community now locks their doors, second guesses helping a stranger, darts looks over their shoulder, my heart feels so heavy. Horrors are stacking up in our country, a country wherein we almost took advantage of how good we have it. May this not drive us further apart, instead I hope this allows us to learn and outstretch our hands to those most marginalized and swept aside. May this not just be written in the foot notes of history, masked by a pandemic and the rise of facism in our country.

We must mourn, accept, and never forget. We must learn and allow this to change us for the better.

(April 28, 2020)

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A friend of mine and I have been chatting lately about how this pandemic seems to be opening many Canadians eyes to the problems in our country and world (as horrific as it is that it’s taken a pandemic to do so). Of course no one wanted or predicted a pandemic and I certainly do not believe it is a GOOD thing, it’s a horrifying and terrifying thing. But as many have said before me, it’s truly illuminating the problems in our country:

The lack of money and essentials given to Indigenous and First Nations communities in this pandemic is appalling. $305 million of the $82 billion pandemic response budget was given to ALL Indigenous and First Nations communities, highlighting and drawing mass attention to Canada’s historic and continued mistreatment. Furthermore, gas pipelines are continuing to be run through Indigenous and First Nations land- despite the increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 and the continual protests. 

The Spirit of the Buffalo Camp at Standing Rock was burned down the morning of April 26th, 2020. Local RCMP and law enforcement did nothing. “The camp is a prayer camp in resistance to Enbridge’s Line 3 Pipeline expansion (the corporations biggest ever project) and is [situated] almost directly on the US/Canada border.” The camp had stood for 2 years in peaceful resistance to the pipeline expansion. Their camps facebook page. The Wet’suwet’en resistance blockade against Coastal GasLink and LNG Canada placing a pipeline across unceded land is still on going. They are facing RCMP working in the direct interests of gas companies. Donate here.

The CERB initially excluded a massive one-third of Canadians- and the most vulnerable and in need third too. The initial CERB qualifications released on March 25, 2020 was met with calls for it to be universal. Initially, it excluded students, seasonal workers, homeless people, disabled people, gig, contract, and commission workers, and those who were making scant part-time income. Push back by citizens and fuelled by NDP leader Jagmeet Singh led to Trudeau expanding the restrictions to include contract workers, seasonal workers, and those still making up to $1000. On April, 22, 2020, Trudeau also announced the CESB, a $9.3 billion support package for students and recent graduates. Although students will only recieve $1,250 per month ($1,750 if disabled), and this amount faces backlash as rent in places such as Ontario is at least $900/month. Canadian students are not worth 60% of other Canadians. Jagmeet Singh and the NDP party are still pushing for the CERB to be made universal and all qualifications to be waived.

Trudeau refuses to exclude companies who use tax havens in their COVID-19 bailout.

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A few accounts I would recommend following if you want to stay informed:

- @allthecanadianpolitics (my favourite blog tbh), @atlanticcanada, @politicsofcanada, and your provincial politics tumblr ie. (@abpolitics, @nlpolitics)

- Raven Trust on Instagram and their website

- Women on the Frontlines Speak on Instagram

- Gidimten checkpoint on Instagram

- tapioca-starch on Instagram

(April 27, 2020)

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April 25, 2020

I’m feeling very drained and worn through, I’m quite sick of silently living through historical events. So I’ve created this blog to try and throw my voice out into the world.

I plan on mostly posting original writing and politics, with a little bit of art and good ol’ diy punk shit too.

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‘Burn.’ Http://instagram.com/f.pensotti