Latest news with #SocialJustice
CBS News
7 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Sacramento's RAGE Project helps advance well-being of Black youth in community
SACRAMENTO – It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and CBS Sacramento is taking a look at how one Sacramento nonprofit is helping Black youth thrive in the community. It's called the Race and Gender Equity (RAGE) Project, which offers the necessary tools for finding peace and purpose. Inside the Florin Square Shopping Center in south Sacramento, there's a place where Black teens and young adults can be themselves. "RAGE provides coaching and consulting to individuals and organizations looking to create change," said Dr. Stacey Chimimba Ault, the founder and CEO. Aults said she started RAGE out of her own struggles with systemic inequities and injustices. "While she may have been born out of my anger, really has become a place of healing for me and for all of the young people that lead the work," Ault said. The group's mission is to advance the well-being of Black youth. "We start meeting young people where they're at through support, including mentoring and case management. Then we build their skill set through education, entrepreneurship and workforce development," Ault said. They also get support in their advocacy work through social justice. Heaven'le James, 19, has been part of rage since the sixth grade. "I think it helped me to prepare myself for the real world, being able to stand up for myself and others as well," James said. She learned to navigate her mental health and connect with others. "They truly care about what you have to say," James said. James works with other program associates, like Aziza Williams. "When they say it's youth-led, it really is. They listen to the things that we have to say and bring us in to different things to make big decisions," Williams said. On this day, they're team building in their safe space. "Everyone in there acts like children, acts like youth, because we're so comfortable with each other," James said. "We just talk about things that are going on in the community, ways that we can come together, and advocate and kind of make a difference," Williams said. Working together also means knowing when to rest. "We have free therapy, we have yoga sessions in here sometimes, free workspace," Williams said. Ault knows the impact RAGE is making in the community and hopes one day to hand over the reins to the next generation of leaders and healers. "I would love RAGE to be completely youth-led and to be an infrastructure support for young people that want to create change," Ault said. For more information about the programs offered at RAGE, visit
The Independent
7 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Kenyans mourn African literature giant Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
In a bookstore in Kenya's capital, the proprietor arranged a shelf exclusively carrying books by Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, who died Wednesday in the United States. Bennet Mbata, who has sold African literature at the Nuria Bookstore for more than 30 years in the capital, Nairobi, said he enjoyed reading Ngũgĩ's writing and is sad 'he'll never write again.' Kenya President William Ruto on Thursday paid tribute to the man he called 'the towering giant of Kenyan letters,' saying Ngũgĩ's courage shaped thoughts around social justice and abuse of political power. 'His patriotism is undeniable, and even those who disagree with him will admit that Prof Thiong'o's discourse always sprang forth from a deep and earnest quest for truth and understanding, devoid of malice, hatred or contempt,' Ruto wrote on X. Following Ngũgĩ's death at 87 in Bedford, Georgia, Kenyans are reminiscing about the days his literature criticized an autocratic administration, which led to his arrest and imprisonment in the 1970s. Macharia Munene, a professor of history and international relations at United States International University-Africa in Nairobi, told The Associated Press on Thursday that Ngũgĩ's writing was 'hard hitting' but also a 'true reflection of society.' Munene said he regrets Thiong'o didn't receive the Nobel Prize for Literature despite several nominations. Munene described the author as one of the few African writers whose writing was different. 'He wrote English like an African, another gift that very few people have,' Munene said, noting that Ngũgĩ later transitioned to only writing in his native Kikuyu language. Munene urged current writers to be 'true to themselves' and write from their hearts, but cautioned there may be some 'hard consequences like was the case for Ngũgĩ.' Ngũgĩ lived in exile for decades and escaped attempted assassination twice following his criticism of President Daniel Moi's administration in the 1970s and 1980s. Current Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga sent condolences to the author's family, saying 'a giant African has fallen.' The author's son and fellow writer, Mukoma Wa Ngũgĩ, posted a tribute on X: 'I am me because of him in so many ways, as his child, scholar and writer.' At Ngũgĩ's Kenyan home in Kamirithu, in Kiambu county in the outskirts of Nairobi, workers were seen trimming fences and clearing bushes in preparation for mourners and visitors alike. Fellow Kenyan writer David Maillu, 85, told the AP that Ngũgĩ 'touched the hearts of the people' by writing about the 'cultural destruction' that took place during colonization. Born in 1938, Ngũgĩ's first books told the story of British colonial rule and the uprising by Mau Mau freedom fighters. Since the 1970s, Ngũgĩ' mostly lived in exile overseas, emigrating to England and eventually settling in California, where he was a Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine.
Associated Press
29-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Kenyans mourn African literature giant Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — In a bookstore in Kenya's capital, the proprietor arranged a shelf exclusively carrying books by Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, who died Wednesday in the United States. Nuria Bookstore owner Bennet Mbata, who has sold African literature for more than 30 years in the capital, Nairobi, said he enjoyed reading Ngũgĩ's writing and is sad 'he'll never write again.' Kenya President William Ruto on Thursday paid tribute to the man he called 'the towering giant of Kenyan letters,' saying Ngũgĩ's courage shaped thoughts around social justice and abuse of political power. 'His patriotism is undeniable, and even those who disagree with him will admit that Prof Thiong'o's discourse always sprang forth from a deep and earnest quest for truth and understanding, devoid of malice, hatred or contempt,' Ruto wrote on X. Following Ngũgĩ's death at 87 in Bedford, Georgia, Kenyans are reminiscing about the days his literature criticized an autocratic administration and was arrested and imprisoned in the 1970s. Macharia Munene, a professor of history and international relations at United States International University-Africa in Nairobi, told The Associated Press on Thursday that Ngũgĩ's writing was 'hard hitting' but also a 'true reflection of the society.' Munene said he regrets Thiong'o didn't receive the Nobel Prize for Literature despite several nominations. Munene described the author as one of the few African writers whose writing was different. 'He wrote English like an African, another gift that very few people have,' Munene said, noting that Ngũgĩ later transitioned to only writing in his native Kikuyu language. Munene urged current writers to be 'true to themselves' and write from their hearts, but cautioned there may be some 'hard consequences like was the case for Ngũgĩ.' Ngũgĩ lived in exile for decades and escaped attempted assassination twice following his criticism of President Daniel Moi's administration in the 1970s and 1980s. Current Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga sent condolences to the author's family, saying 'a giant African has fallen.' The author's son and fellow writer, Mukoma Wa Ngũgĩ, posted a tribute on X: 'I am me because of him in so many ways, as his child, scholar and writer.' Born in 1938, Ngũgĩ's first books told the story of British colonial rule and the uprising by Mau Mau freedom fighters. Since the 1970s, Ngũgĩ' mostly lived in exile overseas, emigrating to England and eventually settling in California, where he was a Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Build baby build' to tackle housing crisis
Hundreds of millions of pounds could be invested in housing in Scotland if the Scottish government had clearer policies, a leading businessman has claimed. Sir Tom Hunter said that he knew of developers who were choosing to take "build to rent" projects to Birmingham or Manchester because they were unsure of how rent caps would work in Scotland. Social Justice Secretary Shirley Anne Somerville defended the principle of having rent controls during a cost of living crisis, but said legislation currently going through Holyrood would give developers the certainty they need about the policy. And she said ministers were doing a "tremendous amount of work" with private firms to improve the planning process. 'We've been living in fear of eviction for four years' What is a housing emergency? Scottish government declares national housing emergency In a wide-ranging interview Sir Tom also called for Scotland to be more like Singapore in bid to improve the education system and deliver a better health service. And he said ministers should be paid more in a bid to attract the "best talent" into politics. Last May the Scottish government declared a national housing emergency. But Sir Tom told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show the crisis could be solved "tomorrow morning". He added: "It's very simple. Build baby build, to take a phrase from over the pond. "To solve the housing crisis you need to build more houses. Really? That's it." The entrepreneur said housing investors allocate their investment where they understand the policy. He said: "I know of hundreds of millions of pounds that are sitting on the sidelines, not coming to Scotland because the investors go: 'We are not quite sure what the Scottish government's housing policy is. Rent cap? No rent cap? What is it? "We will just go to Manchester. We will just go to Birmingham. "And therefore sort the policy. Sort it tomorrow and hundreds of millions of pounds will flow into Scotland." The businessman said a joined-up approach would also create opportunities for apprentices. Ms Somerville, who also appeared on The Sunday Show, said she held talks with representatives of investors in the build to rent market last week. She added: "While we have had a disagreement about whether rent controls should come to Scotland or not, the government's been very clear that it should. "But we are very clear to do that in a way that will provide that certainty for private investors." The minister said the housing bill that is currently going through parliament had a formula on rent caps and added the change was made after listening to private developers. Meanwhile, Sir Tom also told the programme that ahead of the Holyrood election next year he wanted to look at "the big ideas, the bold ideas for Scotland." He added: "If we look at where we are, a state of the union - not in a political sense - but our education standards are falling, our health service is struggling and we have a lacklustre economy. "If this was a business, which is my background, I would be looking to see where my competitors were doing better than me." Sir Tom commissioned a report on what lessons Scotland could learn from Singapore as he said it had one of the best GDPs of capita in the world. He also highlighted the fact that the prime minister of Singapore earns $2.2m Singapore Dollars (£1.27m). In comparison First Minister John Swinney earns £165,000. Sir Tom said: "Countries with the best talent win. "Do we have the best talent running our country?" Asked to answer his own question, he replied: "I would say we could do better. "We need to encourage better people into politics. "The hardest job in this country is running the country."
Reuters
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Celtics' Jrue Holiday named NBA's Social Justice Champion
May 7 - Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday was named the 2024-25 NBA Social Justice Champion on Wednesday. He will receive the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy and a $100,000 donation from the league for his foundation. Holiday, who won the NBA's Sportsmanship Award for the second time last week, was one of five finalists selected for "pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar's life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically disadvantaged," according to a league statement. The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund has distributed $5.3 million in grants and delivered more than 400 hours of coaching and support to nearly 200 businesses across the U.S. "Since entering the league, Jrue Holiday has dedicated himself to helping others in their times of greatest need and pursuing a more just society for all," NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum said. "The selflessness that defines his game is even more evident in the work he and his wife Lauren do off the floor to create more opportunities for a generation of youth who might have otherwise been overlooked." The JLH Fund was established when Holiday pledged $5 million of his 2020 NBA salary to combat systemic racism and economic injustice. Holiday, 34, joins previous winners Carmelo Anthony, Reggie Bullock, Stephen Curry and Karl-Anthony Towns. The other finalists were Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, Harrison Barnes of the San Antonio Spurs, Chris Boucher of the Toronto Raptors and CJ McCollum of the New Orleans Pelicans. --Field Level Media
