“I am not an unreasonable woman. I have said this to the Chief of Police of Montgomery County, to Chief [Thomas] Manger, to Chief [Marcus] Jones: I’ll meet you in the middle. I’ll go with “Undetermined”. All I’m asking is that you make it make sense to me; because there’s nothing medical, scientific, or factual to say that Keith’s death was a suicide.”
The Right to Education, Not Incarceration
By Hawa Kamara, MOF Summer 2023 Intern Hello, my name is Hawa Kamara and I am a senior at Frederick Douglass Academy 1 in Harlem. I was born…
Easter Lilies
“The systematic exploitation of my friends and I seemed normal to us because we knew nothing else, and because honestly, it’s normal for young girls to be hurt. And when perpetrators prey on the young, they can make the abuse seem attractive, like peer pressure on steroids.”
On the Safety of Storks: An Introduction
“…This was originally supposed to be one piece on the triumphant return of wildlife and nature in general in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. As I began my research, I quickly became overwhelmed by conflicting opinions from journalists and scientists alike. No matter how much you study Chernobyl, you never get used to the incredulity these paradoxes invoke.”
“Loving, blessed, and kind”: The Unsolved Death of Katherine Morris (Part 2)
Tags: end white supremacy, katherine morris, marguerite morris, police accountability, systemic racism
“A person doesn’t die because of death, they die when their names are no longer spoken. That is why it’s important to keep their names alive… so that their memory, their legacy, lives on. That’s what we want for our loved ones.”
“Loving, blessed, and kind”: The Unsolved Death of Katherine Morris (Part 1)
“Kathy died on May 6, 2012. The cause of death was carbon monoxide toxicity or poisoning. The challenge was, of course, how it got into her system… It took me nine months to carry her, and then there were nine months that she went through hell with an abusive person that led to the end of her life.”
Summary of “this season: dis/ misinformation”
Tags: artificial intelligence, deep fakes, disinformation, fiscal project, panel discussion, storytelling, systemic racism
“Messaging platforms can be a megaphone for disinformation, as information can be spread at an exponentially larger rate than by word of mouth. This also goes for social media sites like Facebook, making them breeding grounds for radicalization. The inaction from policymakers about technology protections only exacerbates the problem; as Sneha pointed out, ‘Self governance alone is not the solution. We need to have government intervention.’”
Future and Options
Tags: Partner
Futures and Options, a 501(c)(3), empowers New York City’s youth, particularly youth of color and students from historically underrepresented communities, to acquire transferable professional skills, pursue higher education, and successfully…
Jelly Ramos
Tags: Partner
i’m a 23 year old, queer, pilipino, norcal-based artist! i love to make content and explore my passion for the creative process in all sorts of ways. mainly, i tend…
Jae Cameron
Tags: Partner
Jae Cameron (she/they) is a development consultant with over ten years of experience in fundraising. They’ve worked with arts and human services organizations throughout the United States and Canada, serving as…
Dillon Bernard
Tags: Partner
Dillon Bernard is a content producer and digital strategist committed to using storytelling as a tool for transformative change. As the Creative Director of Dillon Bernard Media, he helms a media…
Going Far Together: Spotlighting the Caucus of African American Leaders
“White supremacy manifests itself in every facet of our society… through the rules and traditions by which we all abide, those who establish and enforce what we know as our societal mores, and by ensuring that the status quo remains upheld and resistant to change.”
Enough is Enough: Where is the Government’s Sense of Duty in East Palestine?
“If people are scared and complaining about health issues over a week after the accident, and it really is safe, then the government has not done its job in public education and outreach to give specific details of why people are safe.”
There and Back Again: An Interview with Aiden Ardine (Part 2)
“Being on the walk really broke a lot of my preconceived notions about what’s important and what my values are. And my values are being around people that I love, helping people regardless of whether or not I love them, and just being a good citizen or member of my community…”
Blood Avocados: An Unexpected Conflict Commodity (Part 1)
“Gun violence has been used by organised crime groups to maintain these extortion tactics. Therefore exploring the root causes of gun violence in Michoacán and Mexico at large can provide answers and solutions on how to effectively tackle the rise of blood avocados…”
Plenty to be Done: Thoughts on the Mass Shooting at Club Q
“Gender identity and sexuality are spectra meant to exist unfettered from societal constructs. They are both beautiful expressions of our humanity that everyone in the world has a right to explore and discover for themselves.”
Summary of “this season: banned books chapter 2”
“There are not as many BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ characters depicted realistically in media as there are depictions of white, cisgender men. This can lower students’ self esteem and make them feel isolated, like they are the only person who shares their lived experience.”
There and Back Again: An Interview with Aiden Ardine (Part 1)
“Then it became apparent that if we were going to do this, we needed to do it for a cause. We couldn’t just go do something like this solely for ourselves… It was just obvious that we wanted to do something for food service workers, hospitality workers…”
The World Cup: Profits over Passion?
“But I realize that these 90 minutes that many fans and I cherish so much are not as revered by the organizations and companies that have financial and political stakes in this game. Through our love for this beautiful game, I realize that all 5 billion of us are continually being used as pawns by organizations such as FIFA and its sub-regional organizations…”
Belugas, Penguins, & Glacial Melt: An Interview with Zanagee Artis
“I got to hear a lot about people’s stories on why they got involved in climate work, what brought them to Antarctica. I think storytelling is so key to everything that we do; and especially in a place that has no people, [it’s] really interesting to hear why people care so much about being in Antarctica…”
United Black Clergy of Anne Arundel County Organizes Souls to the Polls
“There are some essential, basic needs for all humanity. And if you’re struggling to have those needs met… you are tempted to try to get them met in the wrong way. So we’re out here to try to lift up people’s heads and let them know that, hey, we struggle too, and there’s a better way…”
Books Bans, School Boards, and Burnout: An Interview with Shivi Mehta
“I was never indoctrinated into this, I wanted do this by myself. This is something I realized was an issue that I wanted to speak out against…”
Summary of “this season: banned books”
“According to the ALA, the overwhelming majority of banned materials in 2021 were books (82%), but media like film and exhibits were also included. Additionally, parents are the number one initiator of challenges, followed by patrons and boards/administrations. Only 1% of challenges were initiated by students.”
Finding a Way to Serve: Our Board President’s 9/11 Story
“Across the 80th floor (as we found out later) was a huge, dark slash where the left wing of the airplane cut through. Then in the middle was a gaping, smoking hole, a rough circumference of the aircraft fuselage…. We were stunned. People tried to call family and friends to make sure they were safe. But it wouldn’t be long before cell service dropped dramatically.”
The Dangers of Crossing the U.S./Mexico Border
“It’s hard for people to sympathize when we don’t always know the full story. These people have sacrificed so much to get here and yet we still don’t value them. This country is known to be ‘The Land of the Free.’ These people deserve to know what it’s like to experience a little bit of autonomy, they deserve it.”
A Snapshot of Algorithmic Activism: Spotlighting Encode Justice
“The overturning of Roe v. Wade has raised some concerns about the use of facial recognition outside of reproductive health clinics. This era of surveillance and criminalization infringes on citizens’ constitutional rights, shifting the position of cisgender women and individuals with a uterus from victim to criminal.”
An Unbroken Tempo: The Modern-Day Abolitionists Fighting to End the Exception (Part 2)
“We understand that there will then be the need to follow up on that to make the legal and legislative changes and practical changes that really mean there is not slavery and involuntary servitude in actual practice.”
A Statement from March On Foundation on the overturning of Roe v. Wade
“We also want to reaffirm our commitment to our current staff, board members, and future members of the MOF family: we respect your bodily autonomy. You have the right to have easy and safe access to abortion without having to divulge personal details.”
An Unbroken Tempo: The Modern-Day Abolitionists Fighting to End the Exception (Part 1)
Tags: 13th amendment, abolish slavery, empathy, fiscal project, history, police accountability, systemic racism
“But at the core of it is this thing that has gone unbroken since our country’s founding. It’s like a steady drum beat that hasn’t ever broken its tempo. Slavery was never abolished, it was simply reformed, especially through convict leasing…”
A Mother’s Prerogative: An Interview with Reverend Marguerite Morris Interview (Part 2)
“I have to maintain that there’s hope, because that’s about faith… People so often, when they don’t see it right away, or they try it one time and it doesn’t work [they give up]… But the thing is: longevity and determination will get you further than a quick answer.”
A Statement from March On Foundation on the Mass Shooting in Uvalde, Texas
“…it is wholly unfair that the government and our elected officials perpetually push the responsibility of advocating for gun safety on nonprofits and grassroots organizers. It is also downright repugnant that the government is shirking this responsibility off to survivors and relatives of victims of gun violence.”
A Mother’s Prerogative: An Interview with Reverend Marguerite Morris (Part 1)
“It’ll be great to get some sort of media coverage to the fact that maybe persons saw something 10 years ago, but because it was ruled a suicide, they didn’t say something. Because there’s no way that the things that happened that night, that somebody didn’t see something.”
A Statement From March On Foundation on the Recent Racially-Motivated Shootings
*Audio accessible*
“One of the best and most powerful ways to do this is through telling the stories of those who are most exposed to the brutalities of white supremacy…”
A Snapshot of Youth Climate Activism
“I think the lack of recognition of BIPOC climate activists is a huge issue. I think a lot of attention has been given to Greta [Thunberg], and more recently Peter Kalmus, and they deserve it, but is a shame that there are so many people of color who have also been doing the work, especially on a community level, that go completely unrecognized…”
“Do not draw your attention away from Chernobyl” (Part Two)
*Audio accessible*
“What’s more, the international community’s inaction on the breach of these conventions sends a very dangerous message: that they don’t work. Sure, they may still hold up as a prosecutorial argument in international court, but what good will that do when Putin’s army is already knocking at the front door?”
“Do not draw your attention away from Chernobyl” (Part One)
*Audio accessible*
“…We are constantly warned by experts that this is a serious issue that requires our careful attention, and almost every time they are dismissed. Just like the Soviet Union, we as a global community are being afforded opportunity after opportunity to take Chernobyl seriously. And, like the Soviet government, we are not seizing those opportunities.”
Acts of Care: A Conversation with Chef Jenny Dorsey (Part Three)
*Audio accessible*
“…I don’t think people at large… maybe they understand that or know, but they’re not totally processing what that means in terms of the applicant pool and the kind of privilege to be able to have the fame of having been on Top Chef or a show like that.”
Acts of Care: A Conversation with Chef Jenny Dorsey (Part Two)
*Audio accessible*
“Because change happens so slowly over a period of time, I sometimes wonder when we look at the Civil Rights marches and we know that they were hugely impactful right now, 50 years later, but at the time how did everyone in them feel? I wonder if they also felt unsure of the future and if this was going to create real change.”
Acts of Care: A Conversation with Chef Jenny Dorsey (Part One)
*Audio accessible*
“I think overall food is an act of care. Cooking is an act of care… Food can take on so many different meanings, which is why people care about it so much. It can very much be a really loving act of care, but also it can be a very negative, really painful, really like… it can stir up a lot of things.”
Public
Finances, Explained
“Public financing programs help to shift power from wealthy special interest donors to ordinary citizens. These programs work by incentivizing candidates for state and local elections to participate in a new system of fundraising, where large contributions and contributions from corporations and PACs are sworn off, while small-dollar donations from regular residents are amplified so that even the smallest donation can have a huge impact.”
My American-Ecuadorian Identity Crisis
*Audio accessible*
“Whenever I would go back and forth from Ecuador to the United States I would always hear [my cousins] say “Mis primos son de los Estados Unidos” with such pride. However, what they don’t understand is the huge identity crisis that so many children of immigrant parents go through.”
Welcome to the March On Foundation Blog!
*Audio accessible*
“In the next few months, you’ll hear stories about finding an individual identity in a multiracial (but inherently racist) country, how history can inform modern activist practices, and women who took hold of a cause and never let it go.”
Plated LA
PLATED LA is an organization that seeks to help BIPOC & female-owned restaurants in Los Angeles. We believe restaurants and the food they serve are an integral part of any…
Dine11
Dine11 works to support healthcare workers and local restaurants through the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Through the generosity of our donors, local restaurants are able to remain open to prepare healthy…
The Coco Fund
In partnership with local NYC restaurant owners, March On Foundation created the COVID Community (COCO) Fund to provide immediate, critical financial support to some of the hardest-hit by COVID-19: our…
