DEI

DEI

Whose building this is, I think I know.
This company belongs to my CEO.
He will not see me sitting here,
As he delivers the annual report.

My family and friends must think it queer
For me to still be working here
With people who think themselves elite
And care so little about their peers.

They look at me with such distaste
And act as if there's some mistake.
I try to introduce myself
But my hand they will not even shake.

Their souls are cold, dark, and deep,
They aim to prevent inclusivity,
But I could never accept defeat,
Knowing the purpose of diversity.

Note:

I've used my creative license with Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," which you can read at the following link: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

When the Past Examines the Present

When the Past Examines the Present

Regarding questionable media, a questionable justice system, and the proper response of the people, I share three quotes:

The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses. -Malcolm X

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Revolution is about the need to re-evolve political, economic and social justice and power back into the hands of the people, preferably through legislation and policies that make human sense. That's what revolution is about. Revolution is not about shootouts. -Bobby Seale

Literary Activism: New Perspectives

Literary Activism: New Perspectives

Literary activism is defined by many as a form of protest directed towards or against communications, or more precisely the fiction and nonfiction messaging, by institutions of power whose communications goals are focused on influencing specific audiences (Corporate Communication, 2015; Literary activism, 2015). As abolitionists focused their fight for the rights of the slave, Literary Activists focus their struggle on the rights of writers as can be seen in a blog written by Amy King (2015). They see the publishing industry as one in need of change.

Another perspective of what literary activism is includes the idea that it could be the use of literature as a vehicle for any activist movement (Amy King, 2015).

Wherever there is a protagonist, there is also an antagonist. The antagonist of literary activism includes those actions by institutions to paint the activist in a negative light using the very same tools the literary activist leverages: literature. For example, it has always been a well-known fact that many of the U.S. government agencies participated, and likely still participate, in hostile acts against activists. According to Howard Zinn, the CIA used "several hundred American academics (administrators, faculty members, graduate students engaged in teaching) who, in addition to providing leads and, on occasion, making introductions for intelligence purposes, write books and other material to be used for propaganda purposes abroad" (Howard Zinn, 1980).

Activism is action taken to bring about social change to improve society overall and to correct social injustice (Activism, 2016). There are many areas requiring social change, and therefore, there are many types of activists. Just as there are many types of activists, there are also many tools used by activists to promote social change. For literary activists, the tool of choice is typically literature and the various literary techniques one can bring to bear on activism. But that's all literature is here - a tool by which the activist takes action to promote change and as such, literary activism can be focused on both the publishing industry and activism in general. Once more, the publishing industry, in the context of this article, can be viewed from the larger perspective of simply the publishing of the antagonist view rather than any particular "publisher."

References
Activism. (2016, April 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:39, April 30, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Activism&oldid=717533369

Amy King (2015). What Is Literary Activism? Retrieved from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2015/08/what-is-literary-activism/

Corporate communication. (2015, December 27). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:04, April 30, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Corporate_communication&oldid=696990959

Howard Zinn (1980). A People's History of the United States: 1492 – Present. Harper Collins, 2003 Retrieved from http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinnseven20.html

Literary activism. (2015, November 10). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:03, April 30, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Literary_activism&oldid=689949649