All posts by Nativegrl77

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Alex Odeh – In Memory


naacpOn October 11, 1985, civil rights activist Alex Odeh was killed in a terrorist attack in Santa Ana, California. As he opened the door to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee office, a pipe bomb exploded. He died from his injuries.

That’s the tragic part of the story. The deplorable: nearly two decades later, the three chief suspects remain free.

Today is the anniversary of Alex Odeh’s assassination. Join us in calling on the Department of Justice to hold his murderers responsible for their crime.

Demand justice for Alex Odeh

Alex Odeh was living the definition of the American dream.

Having immigrated to the United States from the West Bank, he was a lecturer and a poet. He had started a family and was working for a cause he believed in: protecting and defending the civil rights of Arab Americans.

The lack of action on his case is inexplicable. The FBI almost immediately identified the people behind the bombing, yet no indictments or charges have been made.

As you can imagine, this situation has been heartbreaking for Alex Odeh’s loved ones. But it should also disturb all of us who rely on this country’s criminal justice system. We don’t have to stand for it.

Tell the Department of Justice to demonstrate a strong commitment to justice for all Americans in their stance on terrorism, and bring Alex Odeh’s killers into custody:

http://action.naacp.org

Thank you,

Benjamin Todd Jealous
President and CEO
NAACP

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10/9 Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day 2023


It’s time to recognize that celebrating the life of Christopher Columbus also celebrates the erasure of Indigenous existence.

While there is a growing movement around the country to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, more work remains to be done.

We are excited to share some local and national events celebrating Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Peoples Day. 

Source: culturalsurvival.org

So, this year, it was not lost on me how Washington State sort of remained quiet this year. Yes, there are commercials and festive activities locally. However, not only was columbus day absent from School District calendars, but not much was said about Indigenous Day, and it wasn’t on a School calendar either

Nativegrl77

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Great Plague of London


Drivers of death carts in London would go street-to-street extolling people to “bring out your dead” at the height of the London plague outbreak in 1665

In 1665 and 1666, the last great outbreak of bubonic plague to hit England swept through the capital, London. The outbreak was much smaller in scale than the Black Death of the 14th century, but was still notable for having killed as many as 100,000 people – about a quarter of the city’s population – in eighteen months.

By July 1665 the plague was spreading rapidly in London. Many fled, including the King Charles II, if they were wealthy enough to afford it. Parliament was moved to Oxford University from Westminster Palace. Many of the city’s businesses closed. Diarist Samuel Pepys wrote much about life in the city during the plague, and of empty streets.

By September, as many as 7,000 people a week were dying, and many were thrown into mass graves. The true toll was likely to be much higher, since the deaths of poor were not recorded.

The University of Cambridge closed down during the outbreak, forcing a young Isaac Newton to continue his studies from home – during this time he expanded significantly on his new idea about the laws of gravity, among other things.

By November the outbreak started to taper off, and the King returned in February the next year when it was considered to be safe enough. Disaster would strike London again in 1666, with much of it being destroyed in the Great Fire of London that September.

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21st Century


The 21st century saw the dawn of the war on terrorism, as the 9/11 attacks and the Boston Marathon bombing dramatically changed society. Economic issues moved to the forefront during the Great Recession. The COVID-19 pandemic upended lives and economies around the world. Awareness of social inequality grew as the killings of Black Americans, including Trayvon Martin and George Floyd, spurred widespread protests.

Source: history.com