#civil rights

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

Posted on by Moni Basu
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 readingThe word ‘hero’ is overused but it’s truly fitting for John Lewis

Civil rights leader takes heat for stand on Confederate monuments

Posted on by Moni Basu

I heard Andrew Young say this morning that it’s a waste of time to protest Confederate monuments. That energy, he said on NPR’s Morning Edition, should be reserved to continue the struggle to end poverty and the racial injustice that still exists in America. Young’s position was perhaps unexpected given his vast experience in civil …

Continue reading “Civil rights leader takes heat for stand on Confederate monuments”

'I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise, I rise, I rise'

Posted on by Moni Basu

  I met Maya Angelou in 1983. I worked for the Center for Participant Education at Florida State University and we had invited Angelou to speak on campus. I went with my friend Graciela Cuervo to fetch her at the Tallahassee airport, shook her hand and said: “Maya, I am so happy to finally meet you.” She was …

Continue reading “'I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise, I rise, I rise'”

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