Human Rights Politics

I made this audiobook to chronologize my personal experience of going through the lockdown in Shanghai during the covid-19 ordeal for over 60 days. In those days of confinement, I had a full taste of how brutal the authoritarian socialist system could be, and how fragile, helpless, and insignificant individuals were in front of the cold and inhumane government policies.

For Minnesota students Tasha and Gabe, the current school year is anything but normal. Stuck at home in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two struggle to deal with the drastic changes brought on by stay-at-home orders, as well as tough but honest conversations about the racial injustice that shook their community. Though different ages and backgrounds, Tasha and Gabe form an unlikely friendship that helps them move forward in a seemingly impossible year. What starts out as a journey to survive the school year ultimately leads down the path of unexpected opportunities.

Columbine and Virginia Tech were not good omens. The victims there were unarmed sheep, who hid beneath desks and chairs, simply cowering as they died. They said "Baa" as they were being slaughtered. Something basic to our society has to change. It's time to stand and fight while we still can. And if our politicians tell us we can't protect our children in a daycare center, a post office, or a church, then we show them the door. We vote them out. We recall them. We take out the trash!

Who Shot Ahmed? recounts the murder of a 22-year-old videographer, killed in cold blood in the dead of night at the height of Bahrain’s Arab Spring revolution. On a small island Kingdom swirling with political, economic, and sectarian tensions, Ahmed’s murder epitomized everything that had gone wrong since 2011, when pro-democracy protesters took to the streets in droves. Drawing on dozens of testimonies, journalist Elizabeth Dickinson traces the tale of Ahmed’s death and his family’s fearless quest for justice.

No Human Is Illegal is a powerful document of one lawyer's fight for those seeking a better life in America against its ever-tightening borders. For author Mulligan Sepúlveda, the son and husband of Spanish-speaking immigrants, the battle for immigration reform is personal. Mulligan Sepúlveda discusses visiting border detention centers, defending undocumented immigrants in court, and taking his services to JFK to represent people being turned away at the gates during Trump's infamous travel ban.

Egalitarianism is stronger than ever with quotas for female executives, gender-neutral toilets, and courses against prejudice. A teasing joke can suffice to be labelled a racist, sexist, or fascist. Educators and politicians also agree: Prejudices are wrong, diversity is our strength, and we are all equal. But is that really true? Frank Karsten challenges listeners to consider a different view. He argues that the fierce fight against discrimination actually causes more exclusion and polarization.

We are in the midst of a global refugee crisis. Sixty-five million people are fleeing for their lives. The choices are urgent, not just for them but for all of us. What can we possibly do to help? With compassion and clarity, David Miliband shows why we should care and how we can make a difference. He takes us from war zones in the Middle East to peaceful suburbs in America to explain the crisis and show what can be done, not just by governments with the power to change policy but by citizens with the urge to change lives.

Malcolm X was a widely known African American Muslim minister and civil liberties leader at the time of the civil liberties movement. He was an enthusiastic supporter for Black emancipation and the big promotion of Islam within the Black community till 1964, when he ended up being the Country of Islam's spokesperson. Following his dad's death and his mom's institutionalization, Malcolm spent his teenage years in a series of foster families or with loved ones. He took part in some unlawful acts before being sentenced to 10 years in jail for larceny and breaking and going into in 1946.

The idea of universal rights - rights shared by all citizens, regardless of nationality, creed, wealth, or geography - has a powerful grip on the way many people feel about justice and global politics. No one should be subjected to torture or disappearance, to starvation or sex trafficking, to economic exploitation or biased treatment under the law. But when it comes to actually enforcing these rights, the results rarely resemble the ideal.

En janvier 1789, bravant l'interdit qui leur est fait d'exprimer leurs doléances, les femmes osent faire entendre leur voix. De Normandie, Madame B. B. écrit : "Étant démontré, avec raison, qu'un noble ne peut représenter un roturier ni celui-ci un noble, de même les femmes ne pourraient être représentées que par des femmes." Après 1791 et la Déclaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne, d'Olympe de Gouges, les femmes, toujours exclues de la citoyenneté, exigent leurs droits et les fondent sur les principes mêmes de la Révolution.

Some people say that someone could act in a racist manner because of ignorance. Others say that racist people are being persuaded by others or copying others' behavior. However, none of this tells us how racism began or if we can get to the root cause. Racism is the assumption that one human race is superior to another. The intrinsic biological features of a person predetermine the social and moral features of the human.

I primissimi articoli della Dichiarazione Universale dei Diritti Umani e della Convenzione Europea per la salvaguardia dei diritti dell'uomo e delle libertà fondamentali sono chiarissimi: nessuno può essere ridotto in schiavitù, nessuno può essere sottoposto a tortura, a trattamenti inumani e degradanti. Nessuno. Abbiamo creato un sistema di garanzia dei diritti umani per evitare che l'orrore si ripetesse e l'abbiamo fatto dopo averlo visto con i nostri occhi di occidentali, l'orrore. Abbiamo però evitato di dire che i diritti, come gli occhi, erano occidentali.

Cameras that can see through your clothes at 80 paces; council tax rising to cover increased CCTV needs; suggestions that Internet Service Providers should monitor customer usage in the comfort of their own homes; plus ID cards, fingerprint and eyeball recognition on the horizon. In the 21st century is there anywhere to hide? And if not, should there be? Big Brother: Who is watching you? twitches the curtain and takes a hard look at our increasingly hi-tech, zero privacy society.

Between 1929 and 1974, more than 7,600 North Carolinians were sterilized, sometimes without informed consent and frequently under coercion. The victims, poor men and women from around the state, were never compensated for losing the ability to conceive children. Nearly 40 years later, during a rancorous 2013 legislative session in which severe restrictions on abortion, voting rights and funding for public education were passed, the state got another chance to right one of its most shameful acts.

We, the people of the United States of America, are at a crossroads. Our nation, our government, our economy, our constitution, our lives, and our future is in great jeopardy and on the verge of collapse and destruction. As one born a citizen, it is my right and my duty to stand up against the corruption. I hope I am not too late in my presentation for a better world order based upon true constitutional principles that ensures rights to all of mankind.

In this personal, moving essay, youth activist Hannah Testa shares with listeners how she led a grassroots political campaign to successfully pass state legislation limiting single-use plastics and how she influenced global businesses to adopt more sustainable practices. Through her personal journey, listeners can learn how they, too, can follow in Hannah's footsteps and lower their carbon footprint by simply refusing single-use plastics.

Sabine Heinlein spent almost a year reporting at "The Farm", a program for mental patients at the notorious Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens. Originally designed to teach its "members" confidence and skills by caring for animals and plants, the Farm had long become a dysfunctional hoarder's den. The patients sat idly on chairs in a grimy dayroom filled with the therapist's "collectibles" and garbage.

Influyente intelectual y activista en pro de los Derechos Humanos y las reformas en la República Popular China, el reciente ganador del Premio Nobel de la Paz 2010, es presidente del Centro Independiente Chino PEN desde 2003, pese a la detención sufrida por sus ideas en 2008, y su condena a 11 años de cárcel el 25 de diciembre.

Was wäre, wenn jeder von uns Monat für Monat 1200 Euro überwiesen bekäme? Vom Staat. Einfach so. 1200 Euro, mit denen jeder von uns seine existenziellen Grundbedürfnisse wie Nahrung, Wohnen, Wärme - abdecken könnte. Ohne jegliche Bedingung. Zu schön, um wahr zu sein? War das eben Ihr erster Gedanke? Ist es nicht erschreckend, dass man sich nicht einmal in Gedanken dem Traum eines bedingungslosen Grundeinkommens hingeben kann, ohne sich selbst einen Fantasten zu schimpfen? Wie aber soll dieses "Menschenrecht" jemals Wirklichkeit werden, wenn wir uns schon den Gedanken an dieses Grundrecht verwehren?

The Dreamer's dream is deeply rooted in the American Dream. This dream is the result of arriving to the United States as children through no fault of their own. An unintended consequence of good people who simply wanted a better life for their children. There is one thing that unites Dreamers and non-Dreamers alike: We are working hard to better ourselves and our communities. We all want a better life for our kids and family. As we look back throughout history, what is just and right becomes evident. I don't want the next generation to look back and wonder why good people stood silent.