Mediaboss Marketing

Former first lady Michelle ObamaMichelle LeVaughn Robinson ObamaMichelle Obama reflects on Black Lives Matter movement this year: 'We've endured so much' Michelle Obama to appear by video at Georgia drive-in voting event Obama releases annual list of his favorite movies, TV shows MORE reflected on the Black Lives Matter movement that was reignited earlier this year following the police killing of George Floyd.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Obama noted the tumultuous events of 2020,writing, "Weve endured so much this past year, from the devastation of the pandemic to the ups and downs of a hard-won election."

But what has perhaps stayed with me most is the passionate message of justice and empathy that has defined the Black Lives Matter protests around the world, she added.

The Black Lives Matter movement began years agoin response to the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Florida teen Trayvon Martin. While the movement has seen widespread protests inthe U.S. and other parts of the worldin the years since following the police killings of Black Americans, the push against racial inequality exploded worldwide after death of Floyd in late May.

Floyd, a Black man, died at the age of 46 after a white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, was seen kneeling on his neck for more than 8 minutes during an arrest. His death sparked months of protests against racism and police brutality across the world.

In her post, Obama highlighted the story of Patrick Hutchinson, a Black man who went viral earlier this year when he was seen in London carrying a white protesterwho had been injuredduring a local demonstration to safety.

Hutchinson said the man, an apparent counterprotester, was still getting hit by protesters as he carried him away. My real focus was on avoiding a catastrophe, all of a sudden the narrative changes into 'Black Lives Matters, Youngsters Kill Protesters.' That was the message we were trying to avoid, Hutchinson said then.

Obama, who includedfootage of the moment in her post, said she wanted to highlight Hutchinsons story because its difficult for her to see so many people distort the unity and righteousness of these protests.

Theyve been sowing seeds of division, misrepresenting those crying out for justice as troublemakers or criminals. The truth is the millions around the world who showed up with their homemade signs were marching with the same kind of compassion that Mr. Hutchinson shows here, she wrote.

Theyre folks who face discrimination on a daily basis because of the color of their skin. And theyre just asking to be shown the same level of humanity that our consciences demand we show anyone else in need, she continued.

I hope more people can find it in their hearts to meet these cries for decency not with mistrust, but with love and a willingness to listen. Because as the COVID-19 crisis has made clear, our fates are inextricably bound. If the least of us struggles, we all in some way feel that pain, she added.

Obama said that unless people continue to speak out and march for equality,none of us will ever truly be free.

For the year ahead, Obama said she hopes more people will reach out to understand the experiences of those who dont look, or vote, or think like we do.

I pray that we learn to pause when we're tempted to react in anger or suspicion. And I pray that we choose generosity and kindness over our worst impulses. That isnt always easy. But its a place to start, she added.

Read this article:
Michelle Obama reflects on Black Lives Matter movement this year: 'We've endured so much' | TheHill - The Hill

Epic government failings in 2020 paved way for memorable campaigning. Heres seven of the best campaigns in a year fraught with government-imposed chaos.

To say 2020 has been a year like no other is almost a truism. The unparalleled social, economic and political upheaval triggered by a health crisis the size of Covid-19 lit the touchpaper for some amazing campaigning this year.

Campaigners from diverse walks of life stood up to what they believed in, eager to defuse the many shambolic and dire consequences of leaders responses to the challenges.

LFF takes a look at some of the most successful campaigns this year, led by impassioned campaigners, compelled to make amends for epic government failings and neglect.

Marcus Rashford Free meals for children

Marcus Rashford became a national inspiration following, not one, but two school meals campaigns.

The Manchester United strikers powerful campaigning to extend free meals for children into the school holidays, pushed the neglected issue of child poverty onto the front pages of the national newspapers, exposing the Tories for what they really are. Such was the outpouring of public support behind Rashfords campaigns that Johnson was forced to do a humbling U-turn and provide food vouchers for some of Englands poorest families during the school holidays.

This was just one of many a sheepish U-turn made by the government this year.

#BlackLivesMatter

The #BlackLiveMatters movement began in July 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting of African American teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012. 2020 saw the movement gather unprecedented momentum and global recognition, in response to the shocking death of George Floyd in the hands of the US police.

Six days after launching a fundraising drive, Black Lives Matter UK said donations towards combating the causes and consequences of racism had exceeded 1m.

RCN Fair Pay for Nursing campaign

The nursing workforce continues to make a huge contribution in the Covid-19 public health emergency. Long-term investment is essential to support the profession, including giving the countrys heroic nurses a pay rise.

The Tories dont have a good track record in giving nurses the pay rise they deserve. We all remember that sickening sound of Tory MPs cheering as they blocked a pay rise for nurses and firefighters in 2017.

Taking the issue into their own hands, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) launched a Fair Pay for Nursing campaign. The campaign demanded a 12.5% pay rise for nursing staff across the UK.

Failing to deliver a pay rise in his spending review, the campaign urges the Chancellor to give nurses what they deserve. As it stands, nursing staff continue to be worse off than they were ten years ago.

Funding our health and care system is a political choice. After years of inadequate support for the largest health and social care workforce, the UK government must take immediate action and fully fund a substantial pay rise for nursing, says the RCN.

Crisis In This Together campaign

Reports of people sleeping rough increased sharply during the first national lockdown, despite government claims that more than 90% of homeless people have been helped off the street during the pandemic.

In late March, Crisis launched a campaign called In This Together. It calls on the public to make donations to help people who are homeless and vulnerable to the Coronavirus outbreak.

The campaign was so effective, that it was able to fund more than 215 local charities throughout the nation to provide direct and localised support to homeless people.

James Yucel Refund Us Now campaign

If we wanted to do an online degree, we would have done Open University, said James Yucel, a second-year student at Glasgow University.

So aggrieved was Yucel at the treatment of students at universities nationwide this year, that he launched a campaign demanding universities pay students their tuition fees back. Citing a Canadian study, Yucel argues that online teaching is 15% less effective, hence students many of whom have been locked inside shoebox accommodation for much of the first term should have their tuition fees reimbursed.

Sharing similar aggrievances were the 353,129 signatures garnered on a petition sent to the government, calling to reimburse all students of this years tuition fees in light of inferior teaching and ongoing disruption, including online classes, cancelled field trips, and extended strikes.

IWGB #ClappedAndScrapped campaign

Another campaign success story this year falls to the efforts the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) and its #ClappedAndScrapped campaign. The campaign is focused on fighting against unfair terminations of key workers by the likes of Deliveroo and Uber. These key workers have worked throughout the crisis and are, as IWGB states, being stripped of their livelihoods in a time of crisis, often with no evidence of wrongdoing on their part.

The campaign seeks justice for key workers by encouraging supporters to ask their MPs to sign an Early Day Motion, opposing the dismissal or app-based courier and private hire driver workers.

As of mid-November, a cross-party group of 60 MPs had signed the Motion.

UVW End outsourcing at Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, cleaners working at Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital (GOSH), almost all of whom are black, brown and/or migrants, joined the cleaners union United Voices of the World (UVW), in protest of what they described as Institutional racism.

The cleaners were employed by a multinational contractor OCS and receive significantly lower pay rates and less favourable terms and conditions compared to their majority white in-house colleagues.

Following the successful campaign to stamp out outsourcing at the hospital, GOSH declared it will end outsourcing and bring hundreds of outsourced workers into the direct employment of the NHS.

Commenting on the victory, GOSH cleaner, Evelyn:I am very, very happy with this victory. After 11 years of service in this hospital it is my great joy for my colleagues and me to become NHS staff thanks to UVW. With UVW we have protection, freedom, solidarity, and respect

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a freelance journalist and columnist for Left Foot Forward.

As youre here, we have something to ask you. What we do here to deliver real news is more important than ever. But theres a problem: we need readers like you to chip in to help us survive. We deliver progressive, independent media, that challenges the rights hateful rhetoric. Together we can find the stories that get lost.

Were not bankrolled by billionaire donors, but rely on readers chipping in whatever they can afford to protect our independence. What we do isnt free, and we run on a shoestring. Can you help by chipping in as little as 1 a week to help us survive? Whatever you can donate, were so grateful - and we will ensure your money goes as far as possible to deliver hard-hitting news.

Read the original:
Taking matters into their own hands: Some of the best campaigns of 2020 - Left Foot Forward

Black Lives Matter.

A phrase made popular after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. Shortly after the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in New York City, the movement gained momentum and became a national voice protesting incidents of police brutality and racially motivated crimes against Black people.

Unfortunately, countless names have been associated with this movement. There have been multiple debates on its meaning, and it has often been countered (in attempt to discredit the purpose) with All Lives Matter. It was not until recently in the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky and the highly publicize death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota did we see a mainstream embrace of this movement. These tragic stories have caused heartbreak and much tension in our nation. To many in the Black community these stories are all too common and have historically permeated through our communities.

Sadly, Birmingham knows this impact all too well. Birmingham, a city synonymous with the civil rights movement, felt the horrific impact of racially motivated terrorism for many decades. The city still stands haunted most notably by the deaths of four little girls on a Sunday morning at 16th Street Baptist Church, two young boys on the same day and 16 years later the tragic death of Bonita Carter.

Uche Bean with former mayor Richard Arrington Jr. at the dedication of a memorial marker for Bonita Carter.

These incidents were not isolated; Birmingham had suffered with a long history of police brutality against black folks and events seeped in racial injustice. The history of police violence in Birmingham was made notorious by Eugene Bull Conner, who sent his officers out with high powered water hoses to spray young children in the streets of Birmingham. The presence of the Klan members unscathed by police officers who often moonlighted wearing white hoods riding through black neighborhoods was a constant occurrence. By 1979, things should have been different. There had already been many documented incidents of police brutality that heightened tensions in the rapidly growing Magic City.

On that day in June 1979 something was different. I imagine that people were tired, they wanted a different story to be told and they wanted something to change. Birmingham a symbol of a colossal movement that changed an entire nation had to take another look at itself and make change occur yet again. When Bonitas life was taken it shook the entire city and people took to the streets. Historically, we know the power of protest.

We know when people gather for one cause against injustice it can impact a nation and it can change laws that protect those marginalized and those who may not be able to fight for themselves. The people in Birmingham gathered as they had before and as many in the nation continue to fight for justice.

Uche Bean, daughter of Dynamite Hill, serves in the City of Birminghams Office of Social Justice and Racial Equity.

Catch up Unjustifiable by Reckon Radio:

Go here to see the original:
40 years after Bonita Carter, the fight continues - AL.com

In many respects, tennis player Naomi Osaka has grown up right before our eyes. Known for being understated and shy when she first emerged as a top contender in 2018 with her surprise upset over her idol, Serena Williams, at the U.S. Open, Osaka has come into her own as one of her sports brightest stars. Between June 2019 and June 2020, her combined prize money and endorsements made her the highest-paid female athlete of all time, according to Forbes.

With that glow-up has come a much bigger platform, and Osaka has wielded her voice with intention and care, as evidenced in her latest debut as a cover girl, this time for none other than American Vogue.

Read more

Osaka is stunning on the cover of the January 2021 issue, photographed by Annie Leibovitz. Wearing an asymmetrical striped Louis Vuitton dress, Osaka looks like a young woman in complete possession of her talents, her natural curls lifted by a gentle breeze (or, in all likelihood, a fan), her makeup minimal and natural.

But what has made Osaka special this year is her emergence as tennis foremost voice on racial justice issues.

The 23-year-old spoke at length about her interest in racial justice, which began when she was just a teenager living in Florida.

I feel like this is something that was building up in me for a while, Osaka told the magazine. I watched the Trayvon stuff go down. For me that was super-scary.

As the story notes, she was 14 and living in Boca Raton, just three hours north of where Trayvon was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, an aggressive neighborhood vigilante.

I travel so much during the year that I dont always know the news thats centered in the U.S. But then when the pandemic hit, there were no distractions. I was forced to look, she continued.

Story continues

Osaka participated in the Black Lives Matter protests alongside her boyfriend, rapper Cordae, in Minneapolis in the days following Floyds death at the hands of local police. She told Vogue it was the first rally of any kind she had ever attended.

I dont think it matters if youre shy or not, or if youre introverted or extroverted. Youre just there in the moment, she explained. When you see it in real lifeso many cameras filming everyone, police with guns outside the city hall, the parents of other victims telling their storiesit kind of hits you differently. Youre able to process it on your own terms.

Since then, Osaka has been vocal about the need to protect Black lives on social media and on the court. Following the Milwaukee Bucks impromptu wildcat strike during the NBA playoffs, she postponed her appearance at a tournament in support of the athletes. When she won this years U.S. Open tournament, she did so while acknowledging victims of racial violence. Each time she stepped out for a match, Osaka honored a different person by wearing their names printed on a black facemask.

Osakas focus on racial justice is particularly significant given her multiracial heritage. She was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a Haitian American father, and took on her mothers last name for practical purposes. But though she represents Japan when she plays tennis, she has spent much of her life in the United States.

This grants her a unique perspectiveand an opportunity to talk about racism directly to audiences who normally dont spend much time considering it. But while she has been attacked for her stances, Osaka is at ease with her roleeven if who she is and what she stands for confuses people.

Some people label me, and they expect me to stick to that label, she told Vogue. Since I represent Japan, some people just expect me to be quiet and maybe only speak about Japanese topics. I consider myself Japanese-Haitian-American. I always grew up with a little bit more Japanese heritage and culture, but Im Black, and I live in America, and I personally didnt think it was too far-fetched when I started talking about things that were happening here. There are things going on here that really scare me.

More:
Naomi Osaka Stuns in Vogue Cover Debut, Centers Racial Justice: 'There Are Things Going on...That Really Scare Me' - Yahoo Lifestyle

Zach GilbertNEWS EDITOR

I cant breathe.

Three simple words shook America to its core this summer and ignited a fiery fury that continues to blaze to this day.

While the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement didnt start in 2020 having been formed seven years prior, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin it certainly earned more attention this year than ever before, as the nation became embroiled in protests following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

Not only were governments forced to investigate institutional racism on both a local and federal scale (with studies soon even revealing racial disparities in Nebraskas own criminal justice system, as African Americans made up 20% of arrests in Nebraska from 2014-2019, despite representing just 5% of the population, according to the Center for Public Affairs Research at UNO), but individual Americans were also compelled to confront their own biases and prejudices.

This newfound awareness and acknowledgement of ongoing societal and political racism caused a cultural reckoning unlike this country has ever seen, but the path to progress is far from over. With a new presidential administration on the horizon, many are hopeful that change can come sooner rather than later.

Corbin Smith, a Black student journalist from Northwest Missouri State University, shared his thoughts about the continuing pain over Floyds passing, his personal efforts to enlighten others about racism and his faith for Americas future.

I remember watching [the video of George Floyd] and just being heartbroken, Smith said. I felt myself tensing up as if I was the one trying to fight for air. It was really sad, but it wasnt surprising. Unfortunately, I said to myself, Well, here we go again.

As a writer, Smith is wholly passionate about the power of words, and he has used his position as a journalist to elicit empathy and understanding from others.

I wrote my first article discussing BLM back in July, Smith said. Ever since, Ive been constantly writing about my experiences as a Black male in America in hopes of sharing it with those who arent as [familiar] with people of color.

Similarly, he has not been shy about his expectations for the upcoming Biden Administration and what President Biden must do to move the movement forward.

I [recently] wrote an article about what I expect the Biden Administration to do for the Black community, Smith said. In it, I [gave] a shortlist of important things that the Black community needs. However, one thing I left out is that I simply expect the president to make us feel welcome. When Trump was in office, [certain] groups found comfort in outwardly opposing people of color. I want Biden to make people feel like people of color matter, and we dont deserve to be treated as less than.

Aside from political progress, Smith wants to see a societal change most of all.

I hope that more people start to realize and accept that racism is still prevalent in America, Smith said. I pray that Black people can exist without the fear of being targeted by police officers. I pray that we can walk in public without getting dirty looks. I pray that we can soon scream that were frustrated, sad and upset, without being told that were overreacting.

comments

Read more:
The summer that shocked the world and where Black Lives Matter goes from here - The Gateway