By Julianne DeGuardi

In this report Julianne DeGuardi continues her investigation of the struggles facing migrant farm workers by looking at the situation in Vermont, where grassroots organizations like Migrant Justice play a key role in advocating for the rights of workers. This advocacy work has taken on a heightened importance in light of the changing national political climate. .

By Andrew Watson

It is the morning of January 16th, four days before Donald J. Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. It is, coincidentally, four days before many believe the end of the world will begin. For Brian Bennett, his wife Ann, and his daughter Catherine, it is just Monday. The Bennetts, owners and operators of Bittersweet Farm in Heuvelton, New York, are resistance fighters. However, they do not fight with guns, uniforms, or marching orders; their fight requires hand tools, a 1958 International Harvester, and an extensive knowledge of heritage breed ruminants and poultry.

By Sheila Murray

In her latest contribution to our Weaving the Streets project, Sheila Murray reflects on her experience at the Women's March following the inauguration of President Trump.

By Erin Corbine

Investigative reporter Erin Corbine uncovers the story of Dashawn and Andre in episode 3 of Jim Crow on Campus. In the episode, rising sophomore Dashawn and SUNY Canton alum/former employee Andre, recount an experience with University Police that started with a haircut, but ended with two young men of color in handcuffs.

By Julianne DeGuardi

As part of her ongoing research into the story of migrant farm workers in the North Country dairy industry, Weave News reporter Julianne DeGuardi spoke with another local reporter who has done extensive work on the topic: David Sommerstein of North Country Public Radio (NCPR). Enjoy the latest installment in our Interweaving series!

By Steve Peraza

My name is Steve Peraza, and I am an unarmed black man who lives in Buffalo, New York. Until recently city leaders promised that I had nothing to fear from police. The proof? No one had died in police custody. All that changed on Tuesday night.

By Erin Corbine

In this episode of Jim Crow on Campus, reporter Erin Corbine sits down with “Ashley.” Ashley, who’s using an alias out of fear of retaliation from police and the administration, is a senior at SUNY Canton. She sheds light on her experiences involving University Police. In this episode, we gain insight into the officers’ strategic circumvention of the Fourth Amendment - the freedom from unreasonable search and seizure.

By Christian Exoo

In the first episode of the new Jim Crow on Campus podcast series, reporter Erin Corbine talks to student Tyreek Alicea about his experiences with the SUNY Canton police. We learn what additional powers SUNY Canton police have over students, how they use them, what a “module” is, and Tyreek’s tips for not attracting the attention of the cops.

By Julianne DeGuardi

While conducting this research on the history of the North Country dairy industry, I contacted Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY), a local non-profit organization based in Canton, NY. TAUNY developed an exhibit in 2013 entitled Dairy Farm Workers in Northern New York, which consisted of several recorded and transcribed interviews with dairy farmers throughout St. Lawrence County and with some Hispanic migrant workers, as well as several photos of the farms that depict various aspects of farm life and work. In this particular post I will be referencing some of the interviews with the farmers to share their experiences and perspectives on the aforementioned changes within the North Country dairy industry over the last thirty years. I will be referencing the transcribed interviews with farmers from three different dairy farms in St. Lawrence County: Decker Farm, Adon Farm, and Andrews Farm.

By Nicole Eigbrett

In the past week, people who identify as Women, Muslims, Disabled, LGBTQ+, Immigrants, Black, Asian, Latinx, and anyone else in between have faced a startling rise in hate threats, visual statements, and actual assault. Insanul Ahmed, a Brooklyn-based music editor, collected an ongoing Twitter list of racist accounts towards people of color in the first day following the election. The Southern Poverty Law Center launched a #ReportHate portal for citizens and witnesses to submit incidences of hateful harassment and intimidation. As of November 11, over 200 incidences were directly reported. That number is bound to rise. Not that these threats didn’t exist before, but the reactionary nature and hyper-visibility of these recent incidents are directly tied to the election of Trump.

By John Collins

On October 21-22 I had the pleasure of attending the Media Freedom Summit held at Sonoma State University in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Project Censored. In addition to co-leading a workshop on "People's Videography and Citizen Journalism," at which I spoke on behalf of Weave News about our Big Questions and Holot: Crossroads of Global Violence projects, I was fortunate to be able to conduct Big Questions interviews with three inspiring activists: Deseriee McSwain, Ana Rivera, and Nadya Tannous.

By Osman Mohamed Ali

In the latest installments of the Silent Voice from Holot video series, Ali describes the process through which asylum seekers are summoned to and eventually released from the Holot detention facility. In Episode 17 he narrates his own final day in Holot and explains the cyclical process through which released detainees are replaced with others.

By Osman Mohamed Ali

In the latest installment of the Silent Voice From Holot video series, our host Ali gives us an inside look at how the more than 3,000 asylum-seekers being held in the Holot detention facility keep their spirits up through athletic, educational, and other everyday activities.
Enjoy!

By Osman Mohamed Ali

In the latest installments of the Silent Voice From Holot video series, Ali provides more highlights from recent musical performances in Holot and also introduces us to more human rights activists who have been visiting the facility in recent days.

By John Collins

In the 10th and 11th installments of the Silent Voice From Holot series, Ali introduces us to some of the people who come to visit the Holot detention facility to express their solidarity with the asylum-seekers being held there. Episode 10 features human rights workers, while Episode 11 features a special performance by Dream Boys, a musical group that was created in Holot.

By Osman Mohamed Ali

This post is part of our project, Holot: Crossroads of Global Violence.

I am one of the victims and survivors of the Darfur genocide in Sudan.

I was born in a small village around Zalingei in Western Darfur. Growing up in Sudan, education has always been something that helped me to overcome obstacles in my life, but obstacles have now arisen that stop me from even obtaining an education. My primary school was far from my village, and it took me more than two hours to get to school on foot every day. Despite all the difficulties and instances of interruption, I have never lost faith in the power of education.

By John Collins

In the 8th and 9th episodes of the Silent Voice From Holot series, Ali speaks with some of the other African asylum-seekers who are being held in the Holot detention facility.

By John Collins

In the 6th and 7th episodes of the Silent Voice From Holot series, Ali explains the process of how asylum seekers are summoned to Holot and gives us additional information about the regulations of the Holot detention center.

By John Collins

This past August the city of Montreal hosted the 2016 World Social Forum, a major international gathering of activists, NGOs, and other concerned citizens who are committed to building a better world through grassroots action. With assistance from Jacques Brodeur, a media activist and board member of the Action Coalition for Media Education, Weave News was able to interview one of the most prominent featured speakers at the event: Riccardo Petrella, the Italian scholar and activist who for more than two decades has been at the forefront of efforts to recognize water as a human right. Following his lecture on Petrella was gracious enough to sit down with John Collins of Weave News and Shane Rogers, an environmental engineer from Clarkson University, to answer some of our Big Questions. In each case his answer was precise, thoughtful, and provocative.