According to Art Journal, “there are many possible purposes for graffiti: it can be to tell a story, highlight a certain moment in time where things went wrong or right, describe people, politics, culture, art, places and society together; express yourself anonymously, or just be another art form.” However, that is only a partial answer. The actual reason why people do graffiti is much more complex and involves learning a bit of history —making it impossible to summarize in one sentence.

I am fascinated by how graffiti artists like SODA express themselves by using the public space of a city as their canvas. Graffiti is not only an artform, it is also a lifestyle, a culture. Painting at night, breaking into train stations, exploring underground tunnels, running from police (hopefully not) are part of the everyday life of a graffiti artist. They go to great extents and risk their lives, careers, and freedom to realize their work. I have a lot of respect for those who keep this culture alive.

Every Sunday, a warming atmosphere spreads out in Victoria Park, a green spot in the centre of Hong Kong where groups of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) spend their one day off. Since in Hong Kong, domestic workers are forced by law to live in their employers’ houses, they often find themselves trapped in their workplace. For this reason, on Sunday, they gather in Victoria Park to share their skills and celebrate life in all its forms.

Across the world there are tens of thousands of attempts to construct alternative realities — either through sustaining things from the past which are still relevant, equitable, and just, or creating new ones.

“The younger generation is often framed as the ‘procrastinator.’ We are the ‘kids’ who only care about social media. Yet, in the face of the Climate Crisis, our generation is mobilizing to demand change. Here in the Haudenosaunee territory (the North Country), people of all ages believe in the ideas that the concept of Rights of Nature encompasses. We believe nature deserves further legal protection in the form of recognition as a living entity with legal standing. We want to preserve and prosper with our Mother Earth. This is why young people from the St. Lawrence River watershed are working together to organize an international symposium which will take place on March 22, International Water Day. During the North Country Rights of Nature Symposium, community members will join to discuss how best to protect the region’s waterways.”

Gaia Guatri reports from Hong Kong, where several NGOs have called for the government to implement measures to check and provide acceptable living standards of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There is still so much that happens to people of color that we should be upset about and protesting against. There is still so much work to be done before PWIs can truly be safe spaces for students of color too. Even though that is the case, my challenges being at a PWI taught me that I should not feel guilty for taking care of myself first. I learned about the importance of safe spaces and community.”

“All the years of watching American films and listening to American music could not have prepared me for the culture shock and loneliness I experienced during my time there. But despite some of the challenges I went through while trying to navigate predominantly white spaces, I found such incredible friends. It warms my heart to know that through it all we held each other in love, in care, in kindness.”

Recently Weave contributor Nicole Roche spoke with author Pedro Ponce about his new short story collection, The Devil and The Dairy Princess, winner of the 2020 Don Belton Fiction Prize. In this collection, published on Oct. 5 by Indiana University Press, Ponce deftly employs dark humor, unreliable narration, and misdirection as he explores themes related to knowledge, authority, identity, and communal narratives.

Himanee Gupta-Carlson, a writer and professor with SUNY Empire State College, is writing a series of articles about moving the farm she and her husband Jim Gupta-Carlson own and operate from a small piece of land in Saratoga County to a much larger parcel in Washington County. The articles reflect on the journey as well as the couple’s commitments to cultivating food security on a regional level through regenerative agricultural practices and participating in food sovereignty movements worldwide. This article — the fifth in the series — marks the first full year of living between two farms.

“Being black and queer, and of African descent, is an identity that shaped some of my college experiences,” writes Nhlakanipho Khumalo. “These individual identities are woven within each other, and isolating them was often a challenge when I interacted with white people on campus.”

Himanee Gupta-Carlson, a writer and professor with SUNY Empire State College, is writing a series of articles about moving the farm she and her husband Jim Gupta-Carlson own and operate from a small piece of land in Saratoga County, NY to a much larger parcel in Washington County. The articles reflect on the journey as well as the couple’s commitments to cultivating food security on a regional level through regenerative agricultural practices and food sovereignty movements worldwide. This article explores ideas of ownership around land and its harvests.

“The only time I was noticed in any space was when topics related to blackness arose. Otherwise, I would be deemed intimidating and unapproachable at first glance.” Cynthia Lanor reflects on her experience at a PWI.

Himanee Gupta-Carlson, a writer and professor with SUNY Empire State College, is writing a series of articles about moving the farm she and her husband Jim Gupta-Carlson own and operate from a small piece of land in Saratoga County, NY to a much larger parcel in Washington County. The articles reflect on the journey as well as the couple’s commitments to cultivating food security on a regional level through regenerative agricultural practices and food sovereignty movements worldwide. This article explores how the author has gleaned new knowledge from the non-human beings that surround her.

In response to the ongoing Israeli violence against Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah, Gaza, and elsewhere, several dozen St. Lawrence University students, faculty and alumni gathered on May 15 for a Vigil in Solidarity With Palestinians.

Resources to help educate on how to be a better ally to the Asian and AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community and educate about anti-Asian bias, hate crimes, and violence. 

In a follow up to “Coatepec: The Fight for the Cloud Forest”, a Forest Guardian from Movimiento por la Defensa de la Sierra describes the impact of art on their movement. The artists in question are children, and the young Earth Guardians are inspiring their community to rise up and protect their forests.

As the United States shifts to the Biden Administration, after four turbulent years of Donald Trump, the North Country Poor People’s Campaign offers its vision of a movement that can provide a viable alternative to Trumpism: a movement led by the poor and dispossessed.

In the second installment of her Shifting Ground series focusing on a year-long journey of moving her farm and deepening her commitment to regenerative agriculture, Himanee Gupta-Carlson narrates her process of moving into the quiet of winter after a fall of transition.

On January 22, Weave News hosted a live panel discussion focusing on the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and its implications for struggles for justice in the United States. The panelists were Damon Berry, Nicole Eigbrett, Thahitun Mariam, and Steve Peraza.