UN rights chief calls for prompt release of protestors held in Cuba, 7/18/21
(UN News/)
“It is particularly worrying that these include individuals allegedly held incommunicado and people whose whereabouts are unknown. All those detained for exercising their rights must be promptly released,” she said.
Ms. Bachelet also lamented the death of one person in protests in the capital, Havana. She underlined the importance of conducting “an independent, transparent, effective investigation” into the incident, and for those responsible to be held accountable.
“I urge the Government to address the protesters’ grievances through dialogue, and to respect and fully protect the rights of all individuals to peaceful assembly and to freedom of opinion and expression,” she said.
The High Commissioner also urged the authorities to fully restore access to the Internet and social media. She reiterated her appeal for the lifting of sectoral sanctions, which have had a negative impact on human rights, including the right to health.
Haiti Asks for US Troops to Protect Country's Infrastructure by Harry Johnson, 7/11/21
(UN News/)
According to the minister, the request was made after US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and President Joe Biden himself had “promised to help Haiti” in the wake of the president's assassination earlier this week. He warned that “urban terrorists” could exploit current tensions and carry out further attacks.
Asked for clarification on whether the Pentagon would send any military support to the Caribbean island nation, a department spokesperson declined to comment.
While US State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter also said during today's press briefing that she could not confirm that such a request was made, White House press secretary Jen Psaki did note that federal agents from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security would be dispatched to the Haitian capital to assist “as soon as possible.”
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Deadly surge in gang violence in Haiti's capital displaces nearly twice as many people in June than in all of 2020 by Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, 7/4/21
(UN News/)
The Democratic National Committee argued at the Supreme Court that both Arizona rules disproportionately hurt minority voters. The majority of justices, split 6‐to‐3 along ideological lines, disagreed.
“Voting necessarily requires some effort and compliance with some rules,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the court’s majority on July 1, 2021. Merely making it more “ inconvenient” for certain groups to vote does not violate federal law, according to the court.
The ruling will have national consequences. Arizona is one of 14 states restricting third-party ballot collection. It is one of 26 that require in-precinct voting.
What is cultural appropriation, and how does it differ from cultural appreciation? by Joshua E. Kane, 7/11/21
(E-Times/)
These are just a few examples of the increasing global phenomenon of people, organizations and businesses being held to account for appropriating cultures outside of their own. Interestingly, though, the boundaries between ethical cultural sharing and exploitative cultural appropriation are not always clear. I am a scholar researching American race and ethnic relations, and students often ask me how they can differentiate between the two.
In the halls of academia, discourse regarding cultural appropriation arose in the late 1970s, sparked by the publication of Edward Said’s famous book “Orientalism.” In this work, Said explored how, in the West, cultural notions of the “orient” invariably aided and abetted the material and cultural plundering of Asia.
There have been myriad cases of cultural appropriation of Indigenous and traditional cultures. However, some cases appear to be more clearly unethical and exploitative of culture than others.
NYS Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn's Statement of Solidarity with the Asian American community
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“I pray for the victims and their families and condemn these violent acts of harassment and hatred against Asian Americans in the United States.”
NYS Assembly member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn
Costa Rican Vice President Epsy Campbell on Earth Day
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“International Mother Earth Day, April 22nd, is a glorious date for the inhabitants of our Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as for the entire planet. ”
Costa Rican Vice President Epsy Campbell