The largest humanitarian crisis in the world is a black lives matters issue: The Oromo people.2/27/2021 Interview with: The Oromo Legacy, Leadership, and Advocacy Association (OLLAA), Oromo Protests, Oromo Youth in Charge (Toronto) Black History Month may be ending but the oppression continues. The Oromo People are native inhabitants to Eastern Africa and are fighting for their lives. Their land and freedom have been stolen. More than 50,000 peaceful protesters have been imprisoned by the government to be silenced. Many are protesting around the world to shine a light on this while their government keeps their families in the dark. Oromia - a vast land that is home to Ethiopia's largest ethnic group. It has some of Africa's most fertile land and produces coffee to be sold around the world. The government has been stealing and exploiting the land of the Oromo People for decades displacing 3 million farmers, which sparked mass protests around the world in 2015 and the fight continues today. In my interview with protesters from around the world including people from The Oromo Legacy, Leadership, and Advocacy Association (OLLAA), Oromo Protests, Oromo Youth in Charge (Toronto). Gada Hunte said that: “Historically, Oromos were subjugated and treated as second class citizens by subsequent Ethiopian regimes. Current government and its policy of power consolidation remind Oromos of the Emperors era. Power consolidation to form an authoritarian state was achieved violently. Back then, it was breast mutilation and other inhuman forms of torture was used to succumb Oromos. Today, we are experiencing parallel atrocities in the Oromia region. Abiy Ahmed (Ethiopian Prime Minister) continues arresting peaceful protesters, extrajudicial killings, suppressing decent, and eliminating Oromo political leaders and parties.” “In order to resist this oppression, the Oromo people are fighting on multiple fronts. Imprisoned Oromo leaders Jawar Mohamed, Bekele Gerba, and many more are currently on hunger strike for more than a month. These Iconic leaders translate Dr. King's and Gandhi’s peaceful resistance into Oromo both in writing and action. From the darkness of their prison cells, They inspire the nation to not give in to govt oppression and fear but to keep fighting. The Government has denied them urgent medical care by their doctors. Here in diaspora Oromo are protesting Ethiopian govt and collectively calling on the world citizens to be a voice for these prisoners and Oromos at large.” Merertu Kitila said that the various forms of torture used by the government dates back to: “The Anole massacre in the 1880s by Emperor Menelik II, in which thousands were mutilated (in addition to many thousands of killings) including cutting off the right breast of women and right hand of men, as well as castrations. We refer to this tragic event (in our language) as Harmaaf Harka Muraa Aanolee or simply, "Anole Massacre." Aside from this historial event though, torture in various forms has continued into present day including (current day) brutal torture of political prisoners and brutal torture of civilians in the streets, killings in their homes, etc.” Maalan Jira, kukkute na nyaatee jira "What’s left of my existence, they have ripped me apart and consumed me."- Hachalu Hundessa The government has been stealing and exploiting the land of the Oromo People for decades. Those who dare to speak up or take part in the protests are killed, locked up or tortured. They are being silenced and need your help. Take actionFamily and friends living in North America are frightened to hear phone calls from loved ones in Ethiopia in which more have died. Please speak up for those who cannot speak right now. For those who have been locked up in the cages and tortured. They are moms, dads, children, teachers, musicians, friends and people.
They have resorted to hunger strikes that have lasted more than 30 days and are on the verge of death. You are their last hope. If this is your first time hearing about this it’s because their government often uses tactics to silence any media coverage on this issue. Follow, support and amplify:
Donate to the mutual aid benefit - GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/oromo-political-prisoners-medical-fund Share and sign this petition: https://www.change.org/p/abiy-ahmed-save-ethiopian-political-prisoners Hashtag to use to spread awareness: #StarvingForJustice #FreeAllOromoPoliticalPrisoners #SaveOromos #oromoYellowMovement
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You can’t talk about climate justice without racial justice. It’s a privilege to be able to separate these two heavily related issues. According to the Earth Island Institute, the hierarchical worldview of White supremacy means that value is measured by the profits and powers of that select group, to the detriment of everyone, and everything, including the planet. This is what happens when you put yourself above all others and Mother Nature. There are 2 key elements of destructive white supremacy that fuels the climate crisis: 1. It is deemed acceptable to mine and exploit the Earth without considering how it affects others and future generations. 2. Despite knowledge of the climate crisis, industries have continued to emit harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The entire fossil fuel industry was born our of slavery and colonialism. According to the Guardian, "Fossil fuel interests – oil, gas, and coal companies, fossil-fueled utilities, and fossil fuel investors - have colonized nearly every nook and cranny of energy and climate policy research in American universities, and much of energy science too. And they have done so quietly, without the general public’s knowledge." You'll even see entire climate denial studies funded by big oil. They have a ton of money and power to do this and yes majority of these rich multi-billionaires are white men. This would be like if public health research was funded by the tobacco industry and I'm sure if you did some digging you would actually find health studies funded by the tobacco industry trying lessen the dangers of smoking. White Supremacy has been normalized throughout history, in the 17th century John Locke, a philosopher said, “unused land was wasted land." This dangerous ideology has allowed the white people to steal the land of indigenous peoples time and time again. The massacres of Indigenous people happened because of white supremacy and dehumanization, they were called "savages" and seen a less than by the whites throughout history. If you are seen as less than, it is easier to make excuses when exploiting and killing your people. Even now white supremacy and this idea that you are worthy of having everything even if it hurts others is seen today. According to Rachel Allison (IRIS), "The historical concentration of industry and wealth in countries like the U.S and Europe means that they’re responsible for 79% of climate changing emissions." We consume way more per person in the west than the rest of the world (see stats here). Our consumer culture is fueling our climate crisis and is being driven by big corporations with this continent need for more. This racial inequality also means that the people most at risk from climate change have the fewest resources to adapt, according to the Washington post. This is evident, when natural disasters occur and will worsen with climate change. For example, "More than 30% of Black New Orleans residents didn’t own cars when Hurricane Katrina hit — making it almost impossible for them to evacuate." If you look at lower elevation levels in many places, you'll see that many poorer communities of color live there. There wouldn’t be a climate crisis if we valued everyone’s lives equally. Here are just a few of the examples of how white supremacy is hurting our people and planet:
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AuthorHi everyone, I’m Elizabeth! I am a Chinese American and Canadian environmental activist focused on creating awareness on environmental justice issues and tying them to fast fashion and our waste and climate change crisis. I’m very open about my mental health. I talk about these important topics on my platform Archives
March 2021
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