Vox Populi

A curated webspace for Poetry, Politics, and Nature with over 6,000,000 visitors since 2014 and over 9,000 archived posts.

Dawn Potter: Hated by Literature

I was in my early teens when I met, for the first time, a book that didn’t like me. I’d read by this point plenty of books that I didn’t … Continue reading

January 3, 2015 · 1 Comment

Jose Padua: Memo in the form of a sonnet to the white supremacist who referred to my wife as a breeding vessel for the Hispanic invasion

Despite my name being Jose I am not Hispanic but Filipino, which means that as far as you’re concerned my white wife is not a breeding vessel for the Hispanic … Continue reading

December 24, 2014 · 1 Comment

Daniel Burston: Racism, Policing and the Exuberance of Power

“Justice, justice shall you pursue . . .” Deuteronomy 16:18   “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke   Trayvon … Continue reading

December 24, 2014 · 1 Comment

Jose Padua: Why I Can’t Stand To Watch The Game Anymore

Because I can’t bear the sight of these middle-aged men declaring the next day that the firing of six bullets into an unarmed black man was necessary and justified and … Continue reading

December 13, 2014 · Leave a comment

Lauren McCauley: ‘The Alarm Bells are Ringing’ — From Athletes to Environmentalists, a Universal Call for Racial Justice Emerges

While the protests over deaths of Eric Garner and Mike Brown refuse to stand down, leading environmentalists, labor protesters and others show their solidarity saying: “These issues are not separate.” … Continue reading

December 11, 2014 · 1 Comment

Sarah Lazare: As Protests Sweep Nation, DOJ Confirms Cleveland Police ‘Chaotic and Dangerous’

Last month, amid mounting nationwide outrage at deadly law enforcement violence against black people, Tamir Rice—12 years old, African-American, and unarmed—was shot and killed by Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann … Continue reading

December 6, 2014 · Leave a comment

BREAKING: Ferguson Grand Jury Will Not Indict Darren Wilson

Grand jury has decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown, reports say. “For 108 days, we have been in a state … Continue reading

November 24, 2014 · Leave a comment

Sarah Lazare: Severe Racial Disparities In Arrests the Norm In America

At least 1,581 police departments across the country arrest black people at greater rates than in Ferguson, according to USA Today analysis. Ferguson, Missouri has become a flashpoint of anger … Continue reading

November 22, 2014 · Leave a comment

Kara Dansky: How Many People Must Be Maimed or Killed Before We End the Militarization of Our Police Forces?

Father “Bou” Phonesavanh showers his son “Bou Bou” Phonesavanh with love after the young toddler braved a battle for his life, one month after police in Georgia dropped a “flash bang” … Continue reading

October 13, 2014 · Leave a comment

Video: Ferguson activists interrupt St. Louis Symphony with Requiem for Michael Brown

Attendees at Saturday night’s performance of the St. Louis Symphony were treated to an addition to the evening’s scheduled  program when a flash mob of protestors serenaded the audience with … Continue reading

October 6, 2014 · Leave a comment

Video: Stubborn as a Mule

Dr. Cornell West makes an historical and ethical argument for justice in this award-winning film.

September 7, 2014 · Leave a comment

“A Slaughter of Innocents”: Henry Siegman, a Venerable Jewish Voice for Peace, on Gaza

Henry Siegman, the former executive director of the American Jewish Congress, long described as one of the nation’s “big three” Jewish organizations along with the American Jewish Committee and the … Continue reading

September 4, 2014 · Leave a comment

Camisha Jones: How to Save the Life of the Next Michael Brown.

We all must build a common understanding of race, become aware of the role we play in upholding systems of oppression, and get comfortable with vulnerability. I don’t want to … Continue reading

August 31, 2014 · Leave a comment

Naomi Shihab Nye: On growing up in Ferguson and Palestine

I grew up in Ferguson, Mo.  No one ever heard of it, unless you lived elsewhere in St. Louis County. Then my family moved to Palestine – my father’s first … Continue reading

August 31, 2014 · 1 Comment

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