Getting Ready to (Climate) Strike!

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” This is what the Once-ler said at the end of Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, the 1971 book that warned children and adults of the dangers of environmental devastation. Fortunately, right now there are many young people who care a whole awful lot about fighting climate change. Many have been participating in school walkouts on Fridays as part of the Fridays For Future campaign, and now they’re organizing worldwide climate strikes on September 20 and 27 as bookends to the UN Climate Action Summit. Let’s get ready to take part!

Read More →

Until We Are All Free, We Are None of Us Free

Photo by Joseph Chan on Unsplash

Photo by Joseph Chan on Unsplash

Welcome to our 201st edition of My Civic Workout. This summer has brought persistent political protests in Hong Kong and Moscow, with activists putting their physical safety on the line to protest undemocratic governments. In the case of Hong Kong, more than 250,000 protesters took to the streets to oppose a proposed extradition law that some fear would put political dissidents on the island under the jurisdiction of Chinese courts. In Moscow, tens of thousands of residents are protesting the banning of opposition candidates from upcoming municipal elections. As we fight for the future of our own country, how can we support and learn from these activists?

Read More →