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Tons of news broke this week from the passing of boxing legend Muhammad Ali to the Democratic nomination and the enraging Stanford rape case. Luckily some amazing rabble.ca bloggers are here to offer informed and alternative opinions on the stories behind the headlines.
Muhammad Ali died last Friday at the age of 74 but Penney Kome reminds us that the world’s greatest boxer was also a leading war resister. She tells us how in April 1967, three years after he converted to Islam, Ali became a conscientious objector. He stood by his convictions despite being stripped of his title by boxing commissions and convicted of draft evasion.
During the three years he was unable to box, Ali toured universities talking about Islam, boxing and his refusal to fight. Kome also references Richard Eskow in stating that Ali bridged the racial divide between the civil rights and anti-war movments of the 1960s. Ali will be missed and remembered not only for his contributions to the world of boxing but also to the anti-war resistance.
Earlier this week it was announced Hilary Clinton won the Democratic nomination. However many Canadians’ favourite childhood musician Raffi Cavoukian warns us not to believe everything mainstream media is saying. He does the math for us so we don’t have to and says neither candidate can truly claim victory before June 14.
While he says it would be something to celebrate if the first woman were to win a nomination for president, character and integrity trump gender. He also notes that polls show Hilary is not trusted by the majority of probable voters and is under FBI investigation for violating a federal communications order. Raffi hopes this will be a strong lesson for truth seekers and democracy lovers.
Another story making headlines is the Stanford rape case, but Nora Loreto and Sarah Beuhler remind us to stay focused on the woman in this case. They describe how the survivor’s story quickly lost focus to the men involved; the rapist, the judge, the guilty’s father, and the two witnesses. They discuss how this story is an example of how women are disposable in society as well as how conversations about this case fail to address how patriarchy, white supremacy and sexism work together. Hopefully articles like this one will help to make the change we need to see in discussions around sexual assault. (And don’t miss Emily’s inspired take on the case here. –Ed.)
Looking for some summer reading? It’s been a year since the Truth and Reconciliation released its report but there are few people who have read the entire 380-page document. But that’s exactly what Jennifer Manuel is asking Canadians to do in her online campaign. Dennis Gruending urges us to make the pledge to read the document with the TRC Reading Challenge which currently has over 3000 signatures. He details the history of residential schooling and why we should read the report. Make a commitment today and start reading to learn about the history of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous people and recommendations for reconciliation.
That’s it for this week’s blog roundup, make sure to check out more rabble.ca blogs to find out what’s happening in your world.
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