5 famous women activists to remember

By Kara Anderson

Countless women throughout history have worked tirelessly in pursuit of peace; here are five peace activists whose courage, love and determination we should never forget.

1. Mother Theresa

Mother Teresa

Dedicating her life to the poor and sick, she earned the Noble Peace Prize 1979.

Mother Teresa founded the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic group of women committed to helping the vulnerable, including those with AIDS, terminal illness, blindness, leprosies, ect.

In 2016, the Roman Catholic Church canonized Mother Teresa as Saint Teresa.

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” –Mother Teresa

South Carolinians protest Trump’s transgender policy

By Rachel Pittman

A group of South Carolinian citizens and students gathered at the State House on Saturday, February 25 for a peaceful protest against the Trump administration’s refusal to stand by protections for transgender students that were publicized in 2016 by the former administration.

Last year, the Obama administration took the position that Title IX, a federal law that outlaws sex and gender discrimination, protected the rights of trans students to use restrooms and other facilities that correspond with their gender identity. While the legislation is often associated with the “bathroom argument” provoked by North Carolina’s HB2,  the protection for trans students extends beyond restroom usage into the territory of locker rooms and even sports.

Feminism and peace in today’s world: a conversation with Auntie Bellum’s Roxy Lenzo

By Rachel Pittman

Roxy Lenzo, Auntie Bellum Associate Editor

Auntie Bellum is an online publication and progressive voice for gender equality in the South. The publication functions as a platform for southern women, taking a rebellious attitude towards racism, sexism and inequality and working to fight injustice through the written word.

We spoke with Auntie Bellum Associate Editor Roxy Lenzo about feminism, misogyny and the South. Her answers were hopeful and looked forward to progress locally, regionally and across the nation and world.

How do you see feminism overall in terms of its place in our world today? Is feminism as a term becoming more accepted, or do you feel that we have taken steps backwards?

Feminism has made leaps and bounds of progress but still has so far to go. The strides feminism has made can make it easy to look at women’s rights and think we’ve made it and our work is done. But it’s not the time to slow down when women still make 77 cents on the dollar (less if they’re non-white and able bodied), and family expectations are considered women’s work.

The word “Feminist” has been dragged through the mud, but I feel the ideals and goals of feminism are becoming more accepted.

Fasting Clemson Professor Presents Nonviolence Workshop

Carolina Peace Resource Center local chapter the Upstate Peace Network held a Nonviolent Resistance Workshop on Tuesday Feb 7th at the Hughes Library in Greenville, SC featuring Clemson professor Todd May, author of many books including one on nonviolence informed by decades of participation in nonviolent movements.  The event was a model

of coalition building: Upstate for Equality, Greenville Black Lives Matter, Piedmont Humanists, and From the Ground Up were among organizations co-sponsoring the event. The library meeting room filled quickly. Event organizer Max Burgess with the Upstate Peace Network gave brief introductory remarks, then Greenville Black Lives Matter presented a short slideshow of women in the civil rights movement. An energetic thin bald white man, smartly dressed and with glasses, Todd May then took the floor, warming the crowd with self-deprecating humor about his New York Jewish roots.

Thousands gather at Jan. 21 “Stand Up” rally

Thousands of South Carolinians of all ages, genders and races joined together at Columbia’s State House and Music Farm concert venue with millions of others worldwide to rally for women’s rights and other causes on Jan. 21, one day after the inauguration of now-President Donald Trump.

The rally was in partnership with the Women’s March on Washington
D.C., and was also part of the South Carolina Progressive Network (SCPN) Stand Up Rally. The event advocated for progress in a number of social justice areas, and attendees were encouraged to be engaged and become involved in making this progress happen.

Civil rights elder preserves S.C. history

Cecil Williams stands in front of his home studio in Orangeburg, S.C. in October, 2016.

In elementary school, Cecil Williams photographed lawyer Thurgood Marshall’s early efforts to desegregate public schools. In high school, he documented the ‘60s civil rights sit-ins. As a young adult, he covered Harvey Gantt’s 1964 desegregation of Clemson University, the aftermath of the 1968 Orangeburg Massacre and the 1969 strike by Charleston hospital workers.

“The saying goes: A picture is worth a thousand words. But no. I say a good picture, a storytelling picture is worth a thousand words,” said Cecil Williams, a 78-year-old civil rights photographer.

Kenneth Campbell on Black History Month

Each of the past few years, I have made presentations to youth groups celebrating African American history, particularly during the month of February, which we recognize as Black History Month. These groups include Scouts, mentoring programs, and church groups.

In each presentation, I make it a point to say that Black History is American History. If American History were taught as such, we would not need Black History Month or presentations. But, sadly, it isn’t.

A Thousand Protest Trump Executive Orders on Refugees, Travel Ban

On Tuesday January 31, the Carolina Peace Resource Center held a United We Stand: Immigrants and Refugees Welcome Rally at the South Carolina State House. The rally was a protest against the executive orders signed by President Trump that curtail refugee resettlement and indefinitely suspended resettlement of refugees from Syria as well as instituting a travel ban from seven nations into the United States.
Close to a thousand people attended the protest, forming an expansive sign line across the State House grounds. Carolina Peace provided materials for protesters to craft their own signs, and the finished products combined with signs brought by other attendees to make a visually stunning show of support for immigrants and refugees.

Carolina Peace President David Matos led the crowd in cheers that welcomed immigrants and refugees. After his initial remarks, the protesters lined Gervais St. to chant and hold signs for nearly two hours.

Local voices for peace attended the march, such as poet Nikky Finney, pictured above. The crowd made an impressive sight to passersby and vehicles driving by the State House.

As the sun began to set, the crowd relocated to the grounds in front of the State House grounds to listen to several informational speakers including a representative from the American Civil Liberties Union and Omari Fox from Simple Justice: Black Lives Matter.

The crowd continued to rally and cheer on the grounds and the overall mood was one of goodwill and acceptance. Several local press sources covered the event. Below are links to articles about the event:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2017/01/31/donald-trump-statehouse-protest-sc/97289334/

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/crowd-of-about-gathers-in-columbia-to-protest-president-donald/article_690c23b4-e80f-11e6-b6d7-273522ccd18d.html

http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article129896284.html

Overall, the event was an exciting show of support for immigrants and refugees and an inspiring event for Carolina Peace. We are grateful for the outpouring of support that was shown and are excited to see what we can accomplish together in the future.