Category: human rights

CNN, Courage, Death, human rights, Politics, Race, Racism

The word ‘hero’ is overused but it’s truly fitting for John Lewis

I love driving by this mural that is not too far from my home in Atlanta.

When is the last time I cried over the death of a public figure or a politician? I can’t remember, really. Perhaps it was when Indira Gandhi was assassinated. I was young then and mourned the woman I had idolized in childhood. Beyond politics, she served as a role model for Indian girls of my generation.

Last night, I cried when I heard the news that John Lewis had lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. I grieved the death of a tireless fighter for freedom and justice. Continue reading “The word ‘hero’ is overused but it’s truly fitting for John Lewis”

Moni Basu1 Comment
human rights, Illness, Lifestyle

The stories I will live by

My pandemic isolation began on March 12. At first, I welcomed the days spent alone at home. And though I felt stressed about having to suddenly pivot and shift my classes online, I relished not having to rush out of the house every morning. But as the days turned to weeks and then months, a strange sort of loneliness set in and I found it dangerously easy to slip into a morose mood.

Determined not to spiral downward, I began posting about the things that made me smile in this strange and trying time when the news seemed to get worse by the day. COVID-19 had killed more than 100,000 Americans. Millions were unemployed. Countless businesses shuttered, maybe forever. And then America exploded over police brutality against people of color. The Black Lives Matter movement that had been born years ago was again at the forefront of our collective consciousness. Continue reading “The stories I will live by”

Moni Basu
Sherry Johnson is fighting to end child marriage.
human rights, Women

Yes, child marriage still happens in America

Few people perceive America as being a land where child marriage occurs. But it does. I did not know what a persistent problem it was until I came upon Sherry Johnson, who was raped repeatedly at 8, had a baby at 10 and was forced to marry one of her rapists at 11. It happened in Florida. My homeland is India, which leads the world … Continue reading Yes, child marriage still happens in America

Moni Basu2 Comments
Evil Reporter Chick, General news, human rights, People, War & Conflict

Migration crisis: People keep dying

Almost every day, I receive an email from the International Organization for Migration containing the latest update on migration issues around the world. Many of you may not know that more than 60 million people are on the move, either as refugees fleeing horrendous situations in their homelands or economic migrants seeking a way out of a life of poverty. Today, the IOM update included … Continue reading Migration crisis: People keep dying

Moni Basu
Asia, Awards, Courage, Feminism, gender bias, human rights, Journalism, Pakistan, Women

Moment of desi pride at the Oscars

Lost in the diversity controversy at the Oscars Sunday night was this: The only woman of color who won was Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Who? That’s the problem. Very few people in America know who she is. But they ought to. Obaid-Chinoy, 37, has two Academy Awards to her name; her latest was in the best documentary short category  for “A Girl in the River: The Price … Continue reading Moment of desi pride at the Oscars

Moni Basu4 Comments
Anniversaries, Courage, General news, human rights, People, poverty

We said we would not forget Haiti

  I spoke with my friend Jean Mariot Cleophat by phone today. It has been five years since I first met him. He was my guide for much of my reporting journey through Haiti after the massive 2010 earthquake that left Haitians is utter despair. They called in “La catastrophe.” Reporters from around the world rushed to Haiti then, hungry to tell the story of the … Continue reading We said we would not forget Haiti

Moni Basu2 Comments
human rights

Cuba, Si!

CNN interviewed former President Jimmy Carter tonight about the thaw in relations with Cuba. Carter, of course, made a historic trip to the Caribbean island in 2002 with the intention of improving relations. I was fortunate enough to make that trip with Carter. I will write more about that. But for now, here is one of my favorite pieces from that assignment. It ran in the … Continue reading Cuba, Si!

Moni Basu2 Comments
CNN, human rights, People, poverty, Racism

Ferguson

I did not cover the story in August when a black teenager was killed by a white officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Nor did I have any idea that I would be thick in the middle of things one day. But here I am, amid a deep freeze in Missouri, waiting with everyone else for a grand jury decision on whether the police officer, Darren Wilson, should … Continue reading Ferguson

Moni Basu
CNN, Courage, Death, human rights, People, poverty, Religion

'Dead Man Walking.' Live nun talking

My journalism brings me face to face with all sorts of interesting people. Over the years I have met extraordinary men and women and ordinary ones who have extraordinary tales to tell. Occasionally, I run into exceptional people, the kind who make me stop to reflect, respect and admire. Sister Helen Prejean is one of them. I’d known about her work for decades — I … Continue reading 'Dead Man Walking.' Live nun talking

Moni Basu3 Comments
Asia, human rights, India, Politics

Cat fight between homeland and home

I just read a CNN-IBN report on the Devyani Khobragade episode that made me squirm. “Devyani’s arrest,” the report said, “has rattled the Indian Diplomatic Corps. “It is forcing the government to hit back at the U.S. According to Indian diplomats serving in the Western countries, paying lesser than what is actually on official papers is a common practice among the Indian diplomats. They claim … Continue reading Cat fight between homeland and home

Moni Basu