A Dream for the Future

 One of my inspirations relating to human equality is the great Martin Luther King Jr. His speech, I Have a Dream, called  for change in how people of all ethnicities were treated and for everyone to be respected as human beings. Among the many great sections of the speech is the following:

 "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

 A lot of progress has been made. However, racism remains present in 21st Century America. It will take time, but I believe future generations will be increasingly accepting of different cultures and ethnicities.

Punk Rock for Equality

  I am a musician and a big fan of punk rock. Many of my favorite bands support various causes and charities. Supporting the fight to end discrimination and bullying of the homosexual community is the band Rise Against. Their single, "Make It Stop (September's Children)" gives voice to the teens who committed suicide during September 2010. The song is featured on their latest studio album, Endgame. 

  Rise Against decided to partner with the It Gets Better Project to reach teens who may be battling discrimination or bullying. The band also reaches people who may be the bullies, putting the message out into the mainstream rock scene. The lead singer for Rise Against, Tim Mcllrath stated that reaching possible bullies was one of the main goals of "Make It Stop." Here's a link to the official music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP4clbHc4Xg I have been a long time fan of Rise Against but the message and sound of this song is among their best in my mind.

Fwazi Koofi 2014!

  My last post briefly discussed the challenges women are facing in the nation of Afghanistan. I also mentioned that women were given more rights after the liberation of the Taliban. Among these new rights is the right to run for political office. The brave woman Fawzi Koofi was elected to serve as vice president of the National Assembly and speaker of the Parliament and plans to run for presider of Afghanistan in 2014.

  Fwazi was born in Badakhshan, Afghanistan during a time when women had very few rights. In fact, it was seen as an embarrassment to have a female child. Because of her father's desire to have a son, Fwazi Koofi was left for dead as an infant. However, her family spared her life and gave her an education. She would become a dominate figure in women's rights activism.

  When Koofi was elected to the National Assembly in 2005, she committed her career to improving the quality of life and education of women as well as reducing the violence against women and children. This included opening non-formal schools, improving access to good schools, and fighting for laws to allow women to be given equal trials when it comes to cases of violence.

  Due to her political position, Fwazi Koofi has faced numerous death threats from extremist groups and traditional muslims who oppose women's rights. The threats, of course, escalated when she announced her presidential candidacy for 2014, making her the first women candidate for the office of president. he is already the first female Speaker, if nominated for president, she well make human rights history!

  Fwazi Koffi is also an author. She explains her personal life and polotical journey in the novels Letters to My Daughters and The Favored Daughter: One Woman's Fight to Lead Afghanistan Into The Future. She discusses her works and life in an interview on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." The interview can be found using this link: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-february-13-2013/fawzia-koofi The second part: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-february-13-2013/exclusive---fawzia-koofi-extended-interview-pt--2

Global Discrimination

                                   
                                                           
                                      The issue is global:
  Inequality is a topic many people tend to overlook, or not think about daily. However, millions of people throughout the world face unequal treatment, even citizens of the "land of the free," the United States of America. Activist groups like Amnesty International as well as may bands and musicians are working to raise awareness of the issues of inequality and global discrimination.
                                           
                                    Progress and problems in the Middle East:
  Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan are notorious for inequality, especially for the unequal treatment of women. Recently, progress has been made in the nation of Afghanistan due to its new government led by President Hamid Karzai. Women were given more freedoms such as the right to work and pursue an education following the liberation of the Taliban and other extremist groups
 These liberations have not been fully enforced, however. Today, only 30% of women can gain an education;  only 13% are literate; about 80% are forced into arranged marriages; and 1 and 3 women have been abused physically, mentally, or sexually. (http://newint.org/features/2008/11/01/afghanistan-facts/) The number of working women in Afghanistan has increased but more needs to be done to improve social equality and quality of life.

                                      Discrimination in the USA:
    Although the United States gives its citizens  freedoms not given in many nations (speech, religion, etc), many people face inequality and discrimination based on  factors such as gender and sexuality, among others.
  Wages are not equal for men and women. Although women have access to mostly the same jobs as men, women on average earn 80% of what men earn working a full time job. (http://www.stanford.edu/group/scspi/cgi-bin/facts.php) Also, women have only recently been given opportunities to serve in the military doing similar work as men, however given a lower salary.
   In addition to wage inequality, people who are in homosexual relationships are  being discriminated against. This situation has improved in the past few years with states allowing same-sex marriage. However, today only 15 states have legalized marriage between same- sex couples, whereas, countries such as Canada, France, and England allow same- sex marriage in every province.

                                      Amnesty International:
    Amnesty International is an organization attempting to promote human rights in every nation. The website: http://www.amnestyusa.org lists articles on topics concerning equality and gives interested viewers the chance to donate to the cause. The Amnesty International theme song, "Toast to Freedom" was covered by the punk- rock group, Anti-Flag, who stand for the same values and participate in human rights activism.. The video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ3VqR8xC34