Movements of the Dispossessed

STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVAL, IDENTITY AND DIRECTION
BY PEOPLE ON THE MARGINS

January, 1998 until the present

Click here for older Movements articles.

Updated: Mon, 24 Jul 00 14:25:21 -0700 (PDT)

Hole In Headwaters Deal Threatens To Turn Triumph To Travesty
By Katherine Cowy Kim
Date: 07-21-00
The long struggle to save one of the last remaining stands of old growth redwoods may be entering a new phase. This time the trees are not so sexy, and the crowd is somewhat smaller, but the need is no less. Katherine Cowy Kim (gogocowy@pacificnews.org) is an associate editor at Pacific News Service.
Filipino Muslims Fear Chechnya-Like Backlash
By Rene Ciria-Cruz
Date: 07-19-00
Philippines President Joseph Estrada is expected to press for more U.S. military aid in his war against Muslim separatists when he visits Washington, D.C. July 26-27. With Philippine authorities attributing to Muslim rebels bombing attacks that are on the rise in major cities, Muslims fear a Chechnya-like backlash. Rene Ciria-Cruz, an editor at Pacific News Service, is also the long-time editor of Filipinas Magazine in San Francisco. (Black-and-white photographs are available electronically; contact slouie@pacificnews.org.)
Living With Aids -- Little Changes, Not Miracles, Key To Survival
By Steven Were Omamo
Date: 07-14-00
Grim reports from Africa south of the Sahara tell of millions of deaths from AIDS, and the prospect of millions more to come. With no available vaccine and no affordable treatment, young Africans are protecting themselves the only way they can. PNS commentator Steven Were Omamo is an economist and writer living in Nairobi.
Reaching Women In Afghanistan -- The Nearer You Are, The More Complicated It Gets
By Fariba Nawa
Date: 07-06-00
Women in Afghanistan have no legal right to education or employment, and this has drawn outright condemnation from many individual women and women's groups. Some of those who work directly with Afghani women, by negotiating their way through loopholes in the current system, fear these protests may make things worse. PNS commentator Fariba Nawa was a staff reporter for various California newspapers and is now based in Peshawar, Pakistan.
"Meat Cops" Take Brunt Of Workplace Violence
By Bud Hazelcorn
Date: 06-30-00
Slashed tires, physical threats and verbal abuse are on the rise against meat cops -- government compliance inspectors who work inside slaughtering and processing facilities. PNS reporter Bud Hazelcorn is a Berkeley, CA-based freelance reporter.
Freedom Still Eludes Garment Worker From China
By Lisa Liu (As Told To David Bacon)
Date: 06-19-00
Lisa Liu left China in search of freedom, a concept she now realizes was an abstraction. She does piece work in a garment factory in Oakland, CA's Chinatown where pressures just to survive leave her feeling as if she can't breathe. She told her story to PNS associate editor David Bacon who writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.
Boys Will Be Boys -- Internet A Powerful Instrument For Those Bent On Revenge
By Kerry Tremain
Date: 05-19-00
There's nothing new about young men acting in ways that put fear into the hearts of ordinary mortals, and we have lots of laws to keep them away from danger. But as several recent news items attest, there's no way to keep them away from the Internet which may have an unparalleled capacity for making mischief. PNS commentator Kerry Tremain is co-author of the upcoming "Witness In Our Time," published by Smithsonian Institution Press.
From Serial Massacres To Migration Hazards -- Feisty Radio Station A Voice For Honduran Voiceless
By Mary Jo Mcconahay
Date: 05-18-00
Early in April, the popular news director of Radio Progreso, a 43-year-old AM station serving listeners across Honduras' hurricane-ravaged Atlantic Coast, survived gunshots to his head as he drove home from work on his motorcycle. Whether warning listeners of the dangers of migrating north, condemning bus fare hikes, or probing a serial massacre which bears the earmarks of social cleansing, Radio Progreso is emerging as the most important outlet for airing grievances and voicing concerns in Honduras. PNS' New California Media editor Mary Jo McConahay lived and worked in Central America for over a decade. Photos are available on request. E-mail slouie@pacificnews.org. (First of two stories)
Labor Renaissance In L.A. Portends A Long, Hot Summer
By Kathleen Sharp
Date: 05-08-00
Los Angeles brings to mind mansions, movies, riots, megadeals, stars -- not, usually, labor militant and triumphant. Yet in recent weeks two unions representing the lower end of the employment scale have won signal victories, and members of a third union, who can rank among the country's highest paid workers when they get work, look like they're ready to pick up the signs and march, too. PNS commentator Kathleen Sharp is an award-winning business journalist from Los Angeles.
Why Religious Extremism Is Growing In Africa
By Were Omamo
Date: 05-04-00
Not long after Uganda made the world's headlines with the discovery of the mass graves of some 400 religious zealots, the headless bodies of three babies were found in western Kenya -- apparent victims of some religious sacrifice. PNS commentator Ware Omamo looks at what's fueling an upsurge in religious extremism in Africa.
Spring Training Is Over -- Anticorporate Activists Getting Ready For An Active Summer
By Sarah Ferguson
Date: 05-01-00
They don't have a name or any single discernible agenda, but the collections of anti-corporate activists who conducted "Festivals of Resistance" across the country on May Day are determined to change the way the world is run. Interviews with a half dozen figures in participating groups suggest that business as usual might become a little less usual. PNS commentator Sarah Ferguson writes widely on issues of housing and eco-politics.
At Ground Zero In The Aids Crisis, A Very Few Fight, With Little Support, Against Heavy Odds
By Kai Wright
Date: 04-24-00
Africa south of the Sahara has the highest rate of HIV infection per capita of any region in the world, and very few (if any) have the means needed to deal with it. The story of one woman's struggle to set up some sort of information system to work with AIDS patients is inspiring, but also makes it clear how much is yet to be done. Kai Wright is a reporter for the Washington Blade newspaper in Washington, D.C. who returned from a reporting trip in southern Africa as a Pew Fellow in International Journalism.
L.A. Janitors' Strike May Be The First Blow In Long-Planned Industry-Wide Action
By David Bacon
Date: 04-19-00
Janitors work in relatively small clusters and out of the public eye, so the major strike now going on in Los Angeles may come as something of a surprise. But it is part of a long-term plan which may bring similar actions to cities up and down the West Coast and moving East. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.
No More &Quot;Mexican Wage&Quot; -- Hunger Strikers Win A Contract At Spanish-Language Tv Station
By David Bacon
Date: 04-03-00
Using tactics not often seen in labor disputes, a handful of workers and their supporters in Fresno, California, have won major concession from the city's Spanish-language TV station. The strike pitted some major political figures against a grassroots support network. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.
Poet, President, Peace Seeker -- Chechen Emissary Searches Islamic World For Support
By Thomas Goltz
Date: 03-13-00
In an attempt to find some recognition among Muslims elsewhere in the world, the Chechen government has sent a lone emissary, Selimkhan Yandarbiyev into the world. His efforts have met with singular lack of success, for reasons that apparently have more to do with commerce than religion. PNS commentator Thomas Goltz, author of "Azerbaijan Diary" (M.E. Sharpe, 1999) is currently working on a book on ethnic conflict in the post-Soviet Caucasus.
Jan Haverkamp, Does A Village Have Rights? Former Inhabitants Of Libkovice Want To Buy Back Their Village
By Jan Haverkamp
Date: 02-01-00
Several hundred Czech villagers lost their 800-year-old community to an international mining project which then went bust. Now these victims of the whims of global economics want to buy back their village -- with your help. Their essay is a compilation of interviews woven together by PNS correspondent Jan Haverkamp. Haverkamp works with environmental, human rights and women's organizations in the Czech Republic. His e-mail address is jan.haverkamp@ecn.cz.
That Daring (But Not Young) Man On The Flying Trapeze
By Eve Pell
Date: 12-28-99
The desire to escape the earth, its gravity, even for a moment, seems as universal as it is unreachable -- which may explain the growing popularity of trapeze workshops. But for Sam Keen, the trapeze is key to an understanding higher still, of how to overcome one's own fears. PNS correspondent Eve Pell writes a monthly column on sports for people over 60 years of age.
An Environmental Argument For Same-Sex Marriage
By Andrew Reding
Date: 12-23-99
Extending marriage to same-sex couples is not only right for their personal fulfillment, as usually argued, but also important for the long-term survival of humankind and preservation of the global environment. PNS associate editor Andrew Reding is a senior fellow of the World Policy Institute in New York, and a city councilman in Florida.
Lessons Of Seattle "Teach-In" Rippling Out Worldwide
By Diana Scott
Date: 12-21-99
Thousands of students and young activists who joined the Battle in Seattle against the WTO have taken their lessons back home where they are making films, planning forums and panels, turning to e-mail and other media to sustain the momentum into the new year. PNS correspondent Diana Scott, a freelance writer living in San Francisco, covered the anti-WTO protests and has stayed in touch with many of the demonstrators.
After Seattle -- Uneasy Allies Aim To Take Protest Movement Mainstream
By Rene Ciria-Cruz
Date: 12-09-99
Diverse opponents of globalization who came together in Seattle to derail the WTO now have even bigger goals in mind. But keeping their alliance together may prove their biggest challenge, writes Rene Ciria-Cruz, executive editor of New California Media which hosts a multi-ethnic news media web site at www.NCMonline.com. Ciria-Cruz is also the consulting editor of Filipinas Magazine.
Fighting For Peace On The Front Lines In Seattle
By Gabriel Taylor
Date: 12-01-99
Although media coverage of the protests at the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle focuses on violence, the real news is that many of those involved are determined to avoid harm to all concerned. PNS commentator Gabriel Taylor reports from the barricades on a successful effort to keep the peace. Taylor is a recent graduate in political science from Evergreen College in Olympia Washington, and apprentice carpenter.
Read All About It! -- Street Papers Have the Real Story
By Piet Van Lier
Date: 08-06-99
Over the last 10 years, amidst the proliferation of new, high-speed communications, many cities have witnessed the birth of old-fashioned but determined tabloid newspapers written and sold by "street people." Now some 40 in number, at a recent convention they revealed considerable variety, according to PNS corespondent Piet van Lier. Van Lier is a Cleveland-based journalist and photographer who writes for a local alternative weekly and other publications.
Insult to Injury-- Abuses of the Bracero Program Continue 35 Years Later
By Jesus Martinez
Date: 08-04-99
Between 1942 and 1965, the U.S. government issued some 4.5 million contracts to Mexican workers ("braceros") willing to come to the U.S. for brief periods. The program, widely criticized for failing to protect workers from abuse, seems to have added insult to injury by "losing" money that rightfully belongs to the workers. PNS commentator Jesus Martinez is an immigrant researcher and activist who was formerly a member of the Political Science Department at Santa Clara University.
The Marathoner of Marathoners-- Preacher, Teacher, Artist, Athlete
By Eve Pell
Date: 07-02-99
Only one woman has run the Boston Marathon 30 times, and she is, at 70, a remarkable figure in a number of other ways as well. Margo Fish spoke about her life and thoughts with Eve Pell early this summer. Pell is formerly the number one ranked woman road runner over 60 in the United States, and writes a regular column on veteran athletes for Pacific New Service.
Competing With Nature -- The Passion Driving "The X Games"
By Richard Rodriguez
Date: 06-18-99
This summer ESPN and NBC Sports will televise "The X Games" in San Francisco, which is funny because these aren't, strictly speaking, sports events in which athletes compete against one another. Rather these are contests with the air, cold, gravity, where one's opponent is Nature itself. PNS editor Richard Rodriguez is author of Days of Obligation and an essayist for the PBS TV show The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.
"A Miracle of the World" -- End of an Era For One of World's Most Beloved Figures
By Ross Herbert
Date: 06-02-99
The just-completed elections in South Africa mark something of a miracle against all odds. Much of this can be attributed to the character and determination of a single man, writes PNS commentator Ross Herbert. Herbert is a journalist with the Star newspaper in South Africa.
Street Corner Workers Join Immigrant Labor Movement
By David Bacon
Date: 05-28-99
Day laborers are the newest immigrant workers to start grassroots union organizing efforts in Los Angeles. Starting with committees on each street corner that set ground rules for seeking jobs, the Day Laborers Union harks back to union's traditional role as a social movement. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on labor and immigration issues.
Garden Wars -- Mayor's Threat to Sell Off Community Plots Has Created Angry Revolt in Unlikely Places
By Sarah Ferguson
Date: 05-11-99
Visitors to New York City are often surprised to find a working community garden in the most unlikely streets, spots of green beneath the towers. Now the mayor has decided to sell more than 100 of these plots to the highest bidder -- a decision which has brought an angry response from an unlikely coalition. PNS correspondent Sarah Ferguson is a New York-based journalist.
Events in Distant Serbia Alter Ethnic Perceptions Here at Home
By Gregory Rodriguez
Date: 05-04-99
The release of the only three U.S. soldiers taken prisoner in the NATO action in Serbia is welcome news everywhere. But the fact that two of the three were Mexican-Americans, writes PNS associate editor Gregory Rodriguez, has given all Americans an unprecedented chance to learn something of neighbors who have often been demonized in recent years. Rodriguez is a Research Fellow at the Pepperdine Institute for Public Policy.
At Ground Zero In The Aids Crisis, A Very Few Fight, With Little Support, Against Heavy Odds
By Kai Wright
Date: 04-24-00
Africa south of the Sahara has the highest rate of HIV infection per capita of any region in the world, and very few (if any) have the means needed to deal with it. The story of one woman's struggle to set up some sort of information system to work with AIDS patients is inspiring, but also makes it clear how much is yet to be done. Kai Wright is a reporter for the Washington Blade newspaper in Washington, D.C. who returned from a reporting trip in southern Africa as a Pew Fellow in International Journalism.
L.A. Janitors' Strike May Be The First Blow In Long-Planned Industry-Wide Action
By David Bacon
Date: 04-19-00
Janitors work in relatively small clusters and out of the public eye, so the major strike now going on in Los Angeles may come as something of a surprise. But it is part of a long-term plan which may bring similar actions to cities up and down the West Coast and moving East. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.
Rich Folks Reach Across the Gap
By Miriam Davidson
Date: 04-05-99
With complaints about the inequities of our tax system filling the air, it's instructive to learn of an effort to level the playing field. The move comes from an unlikely quarter: a group of citizens whose wealth puts them in the top five percent of Americans. PNS correspondent Miriam Davidson is a Tucson-based writer working on a series of profiles of the members of Responsible Wealth.
Gypsies in Belgrade-- The Underclass of a City Under the Guns Somehow Manages to Keep Its Head
By Terence Sheridan
Date: 04-05-99
In the oldest part of Belgrade, in the rubble of an abandoned factory close to a bridge and a power plant, some 150 Gypsies have managed to hold on. They find the bombing frightening -- and disappointing. PNS correspondent Terence Sheridan, a former reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, has been living and writing in the former Yugoslavia for the last eight years.
Government Report Charging That Advertisers Short-Change Ethnic Media Only Touches Tip of the Iceberg
By Lee Hubbard
Date: 03-29-99
A recent FCC report found that advertisers often ignore or underpay ethnic radio and television stations. The same holds true, according to PNS commentator Lee Hubbard, even of the U.S. government as an advertiser and of print media as well. Hubbard is a writer on the staff of the San Francisco Bay View.
An Unusual Journey-- Following the Refugee Path Step by Step
By Veronique Mistiaen
Date: 03-22-99
While human rights groups in many countries worry about hostile public attitude towards refugees, their counterparts in France have taken an unusual approach -- one that is directed at individual citizens. PNS correspondent Veronique Mistiaen reports on an unusual journey from Paris. Mistiaen is a London-based freelance reporter.
Murder of Three Activists in Central America-- Unhappy Way to Note New Hemispheric Indigenous Movement
By Jacqueline Keeler
Date: 03-10-99
The murder of three human rights activists working with Colombia's U'wa tribe provides a glimpse of the growing involvement of Northern indigenous people with their kin to the south. PNS correspondent Jacqueline Keeler, a member of the Dineh Nation and the Yankton Dakota Sioux is a Bay Area writer.
Asthmotown-- Unseen, Unnoticed Industrial Islet Seems to Threaten Residents' Health
By David Bacon
Date: 02-02-99
The residents of three apartment buildings in a little corner of a modest-sized town south of Los Angeles often wake up coughing . They blame the fumes from one nearby plant, but no one is listening, and no one has any idea of what they might do about it. As Hillary Clinton announces administration plans to spend more than $100 million fighting childhood asthma, it may be that, for some, the key to success in that fight lies in alternative housing. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.
Pro-Adoption Policy Challenged as a Step Away From Protecting the Family
By Nell Bernstein
Date: 01-07-99
One recent and significant -- if little noticed -- shift in social policy involves an attempt to reduce the number of children in foster care by encouraging adoption. A side effect of this policy is, often, the separation of brothers and sisters, a separation that can add distress to an already unhappy situation. A sidebar offers a first-hand account of the value of keeping siblings together in foster care. PNS commentator Nell Bernstein is the Editor of YO! (Youth Outlook), a magazine by and about young people published by the Pacific News Service.
Interview with a Pie Thrower
By Sandy Close and Alex Doubinin
Date: 11-17-98
Pie throwing is resurfacing as the tactic of choice for many activists -- animal liberationists, Earth First!ers, advocates for the homeless -- and San Francisco is at the forefront. More than lighthearted mischief, the tactic is ultimately a form of class warfare with rules and clear cut objectives. PNS editors Sandy Close and Alex Doubinin interviewed Al Decker, a 27 year old environmental activist whose pie throwing earned him not just eight days in jail but a place in the pie throwing history books.
Risks of a Radical Cause -- What Next for Supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal?
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Date: 11-11-98
The most recent reversal in the attempt to free death row inmate Mumuia Abu-Jamal has generated virtually no news coverage. This raises the question of the risks, for radicals, of focusing support on one figure as a way to connect to a much larger population many radicals have long ignored. PNS commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the author of "The Assassination of the Black Male Image" and "The Crisis in Black and Black."
A Resounding Moral Defeat for the Moralizers
By Richard Rodriguez
Date: 11-04-98
One lesson American voters drove home on Nov. 3 is that they are not looking to government to instruct them how to lead their lives in the bedroom. The problem is that the targets of this message don't seem to "get it." PNS editor Richard Rodriguez is an author and essayist.
Growth is Out, Equity Is In -- IMF Types Push New Line on Poverty
By Lucy Komisar
Date: 10-19-98
Growth may no longer be the magic word in the world of international development. The current financial crisis has revealed, even to those most committed to a "rising tide" approach, that without some mechanisms ensuring equality, growth can lead to certain trouble. PNS commentator Lucy Komisar, who writes about international affairs, covered the recent annual meeting of the World Bank.
Revenge-Closing -- Cross-Border Organizing Brings Trouble on All Sides
By David Bacon
Date: 09-29-98
As the U.S. auto industry relies increasingly on parts made in Mexico's maquiladoras, unions are focusing on cross-border organizing. Late in August, workers at a California factory who spearheaded one such drive paid for their efforts by losing their jobs. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.
The Cost of Becoming a Gringo
By Richard Rodriguez
Date: 09-21-98
Recent studies have documented a deterioration in the physical and mental health of immigrants the longer they live in the United States. The findings turn the tables on the conventional wisdom that contamination comes from without. But no matter what new hazards immigrants discover, nothing will stop the world-wide movement of poor people, from village to city, from tradition towards change. PNS editor Richard Rodriguez is author of "Days of Obligation" and the forthcoming "The Color Brown." He is a regular essayist for the News Hour with Jim Lehrer and the Los Angeles Sunday Times.
Two Decades of Union Struggle Begin to Pay Off
By David Bacon
Date: 08-26-98
In what may be a world record for long-term union bargaining, farm workers in the Salinas Valley are striking after 22 years of negotiations. The union is having considerable success persuading replacement workers to join them -- a success that is in part the fruit of those years. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.
Bill Finds a Condo -- And an Advantage to Being Black in Today's Housing Market
By Joseph Simon
Date: 08-14-98
In San Francisco, as in many other cities, the boundaries of "desirable neighborhoods" are changing as real estate prices turn stratospheric. In the midst of that transition, members of the black middle class have found -- at last -- a slight advantage. PNS commentator Joseph Simon, who was born in San Francisco, lives and writes essays in that city.
It's Elementary -- City Judges Try an ABC Approach to Fighting Crime
By Yuriko Nagano
Date: 08-05-98
Amid a great deal of talk about the merits of spending on prisons rather than schools, judges in Oakland, California have put two and two together. They are offering some young people charged with nonviolent crimes the choice of facing a classroom rather than a courtroom. PNS correspondent Yuriko Nagano is a Japanese journalist studying at U.C. Berkeley.
Churches Convert-- From Opponents to Collaborators In Welfare Reform
By Joan Walsh
Date: 08-04-98
A year after the new restrictions on welfare became law, California churches and other religions organizations -- once severe critics of the new rules -- are at the forefront of smoothing transitions from welfare to work. This "conversion" is stirring controversy within church circles. PNS associate editor Joan Walsh, a Bay Area based journalist, authored a recent report for the Rockefeller Foundation entitled "Stories of Renewal: Community Building and the Future of Urban America."
"Smoke Signals" -- New Film Asks How to Be Indian Today
By Jacqueline Keeler
Date: 07-15-98
For the first time, Hollywood has released a film by and about American Indians, and it is a promising beginning. PNS commentator Jacqueline Keeler finds "Smoke Signals" amusing, moving, and more accurate in its way than a documentary. Keeler, a member of the Dineh Nation and the Yankton Dakota Sioux works with the American Indian Child Resource Center in Oakland, California.
"Child Custody Protection Act" Misnamed and Misguided
By Nell Bernstein
Date: 07-13-98
A bill moving quickly through the House of Representatives calls for criminal penalties for the act of taking a minor across state lines for an abortion to avoid parental notification requirements. The law is not so much another attack on freedom of choice, writes PNS commentator Nell Bernstein, as a seriously wrongheaded attempt to deal with a new, and growing, group of young people by placing them outside the law. Bernstein is the Editor of YO! (Youth Outlook), a magazine by and about young people published by the Pacific News Service.
A Legendary Runner Who Leaves Stereotypes Eating Dust
By Eve Pell
Date: 06-23-98
We all know about runners -- too thin, too healthy, maybe too rich, leaping from BMWs in their hyper-expensive shoes. Meet Caroline Russell, none of the above, who has taught members of the top-drawer Impala Racing Team that the last to cross the finish line has a story to tell. PNS columnist Eve Pell runs for the Impalas and is currently the nation's top-ranked road runner in the women's age 60-64 division. She writes a monthly column on veteran athletes for Pacific News Service.
Dissident Buddhists Challenge Dalai Lama's Edicts
By Loralie Froman
Date: 05-05-98
For millions, the Dalai Lama is the symbol of peace and compassion; perhaps the most recognized spiritual leader except for the Pope himself. But Tibetan Buddhism itself is not a homogeneous and unitary stream, and recent protests have revealed some serious fault lines. PNS correspondent Loralie Froman is a freelance journalist and practicing Buddhist who writes on contemporary religious issues.
No "Hoop Dreams" For Me -- Success In Professional Sports a Mixed Blessing For African Americans
By Caille Millner
Date: 04-13-98
Tuesday night President Clinton will hold a town meeting on race and sports to be broadcast on ESPN. According to one young writer, America's obsession with black athletic prowess encourages myths and stereotypes and makes her glad she grew a book worm, not a jock. Caille Millner is a freshman at Harvard University, and on the staff of YO! (Youth Outlook), a newspaper by and about young people published by Pacific News Service.
A Beginning or an End? The Riddle for Prison Bound Teens
By Joe Loya
Date: 03-11-98
The much publicized assault on "youth crime" has taken a particularly harsh turn with laws that allow juveniles to be tried and sentenced as adults. This means that some very young offenders face life in prison. In this first of two parts, PNS associate editor Joe Loya talks of his own experience with some of these young people. The second part features essays by young people facing the possibility of a life in prison. Loya is a California writer currently at work on a memoir.
Teens Face Life in Prison Before Having a Life of Their Own
By PNS Writers in Juvenile Hall
Date: 03-12-98
The much publicized assault on "youth crime" has taken a particularly harsh turn with laws that allow juveniles to be tried and sentenced as adults. This means that some very young offenders face life in prison. In this article, young people facing very long prison terms write about their lives and how the are coping with their futures behind bars. The following young people write for "The Beat Within," a weekly newsletter by and about incarcerated youth published by Pacific News Service. This is the second of two articles on the teenage gulag.
California Janitors' Long March to Win Labor Rights
By David Bacon
Date: 02-27-98
In what is almost an epic labor struggle, a largely immigrant janitorial workforce in California has upped the ante against one of the state's biggest building service companies and its largest client, Hewlett-Packard. An eleven day march brought 40 janitors to the company's annual shareholders' meeting to demand the right to organize. PNS associate editor David Bacon, a former labor organizer, reports on immigrant and labor related issues.
A Woman Warrior Puts Faith in Words -- U.N. Investigates Navajo Removal
By Jacqueline Keeler
Date: 02-19-98
In a clear reversal of the usual international scenario, the United States is being investigated for violation of human rights. The specific charge involves allegations of religious intolerance in the Black Mesa area of Arizona. PNS correspondent Jacqueline Keeler writes that these charges have resonance for her and thousands of Navajo people. Keeler, a member of the Dineh Nation and the Yankton Dakota Sioux works with the American Indian Child Resource Center in Oakland, California. Her work has appeared in Winds of Change, an American Indian journal.
These Competitors Are Never Past Their Prime
By Eve Pell
Date: 02-12-98
While the television cameras focus on Olympic athletes that seem impossibly young, and competitors in their late 20s are considered "over the hill," athletes 40 and over -- including some in their 90s -- are a growing presence on tracks and fields everywhere. PNS correspondent Eve Pell reports on the most recent world games for Veteran Athletes. Pell is the number one ranked woman road runner over 60 in the United States, and will be writing a monthly column on veteran athletes for Pacific New Service.
So-Called Selfish Generation Turning Thumbs Down on Death Penalty
By Michael Kroll
Date: 01-28-98
Despite media reports of a "continuing trend" away from concern with such issues as civil rights and desegregation among young people, their opposition to capital punishment is on the rise. PNS commentator Michael Kroll looks at a survey of 250,000 college freshmen across the country and explores this interesting countercurrent. Kroll, an associate editor of Pacific News Service, specializes in criminal justice and death penalty issues.
The Riddle of Kaczynski -- Why Suicide Over Powerlessness
By Scott Corey
Date: 01-16-98
Regardless of whether he wins the right to defend himself in court, accused Unabomber Ted Kaczynski has impressed himself on the public as a man determined to be seen as a revolutionary rather than a psychotic. There is a logic to his actions and it can be discerned from the ideas he espouses and writings attributed to him by his family or in the Unabomber Manifesto. PNS analyst Scott Corey, a political scientist specializing in political violence and revolution, is a freelance writer covering the trial.
20-Something Politics Rolls Out Critical Mass, Parisian Style
By Rez Sacharoff
Date: 01-15-98
On city streets everywhere these days, there's an ongoing struggle between muscles and motors. This takes different forms in different places: in San Francisco, mass protests seem to call for a sort of pedal-power politics; in Paris, Rez Sacharoff finds, protesters are no less determined but much more polite. In an accompanying story, Michael Blanding provides a sketch of the international two wheel revolution. Sacharoff a veteran of San Francisco's Critical Mass bicycle movement, and a writer for YO! (Youth Outlook), reports from Paris. Blanding, a freelance writer who bicycles to and from work, reports from San Francisco.
How and Why the Moon Could Rise Again
By Walter Truett AndersonE
Date: 01-09-98
Almost 30 years after the first human being walked out onto the moon, a new little spacecraft called the Lunar Prospector is winging its way towards the moon. There is little fanfare attending this mission yet ambitions are high among many scientists and lunar enthusiasts that the Lunar Prospector could lead, once again, to a new and prominent position for the moon in the imaginations of humanity. PNS associate editor Walter Truett Anderson is author of numerous books on science, the environment and politics, most recently "Evolution Isn't What It Used To Be" (W.H. Freeman).
Mexicans Turning to God-- In Many Forms
By Ruben Martinez
Date: 01-05-98
From Pentecostals to tarot card readers, the spiritual side of life is thriving throughout Mexico -- despite, or perhaps because of, a general air of crisis and a bleak view of what is to come. PNS associate editor Ruben Martinez reports on examples from every corner. Martinez is working on a book about life and death in the borderlands for Metropolitan/Holt.
So Long Locks-- California Prison Officials Declare War on Inmate Hair
By Joe Loya
Date: 12-12-97
California prison officials have decreed that no prisoner may have long hair or a beard on the grounds that short hair prevents disguise in case of escape. In fact, cosmetic coercion has long been the first resort of petty tyrants when dealing with intractable subjects. PNS editor Joe Loya is a California writer currently writing an autobiography.
Message in a Cyber Bottle-- A Lifeline for Gay Teens
By Bruce Mirken
Date: 12-11-97
Chance encounters on the internet can be amusing, informative, funny. But the medium can also provide refuge and a chance for fellow-feeling for those who feel cast out in their own immediate worlds. For gay teens, especially, writes PNS correspondent Bruce Mirken, the internet can be lifesaving. Mirken is a freelance writer living in San Francisco.
Why Graffiti Artists Aim to Keep the City Seedy
By A. Clay Thompson
Date: 11-25-97
As rents skyrocket and cities pretty themselves, graffiti artists are doing their best to keep the city landscape looking seedy. PNS associate editor A. Clay Thompson hangs out with Grease and Solid to explain the logic behind this nocturnal campaign to curb property values. Thompson lives in San Francisco and writes widely on cultures and movements from the margins of society.
Street Battles-- German Squatters Squeezed to Near Extinction
By A. Clay Thompson
Date: 10-14-97
For decades, young people calling themselves "autonomists" have been occupying abandoned buildings ("squatting") all across �Europe and establishing highly localized communities. The movement was large enough to capture the sympathetic attention of PNS correspondent A. Clay Thompson, who went to see for himself -- and found that, at least in Germany, it may not survive: a policy that combines forceful evictions with grants of legitimacy to some squats may mark the death of the movement. Thompson is a PNS associate editor and a former activist in the squatter movement. This is the second of three articles on the politics and culture of youth in Europe.
High Stakes in Evangelicals' Bid to Reconcile Races
By Andres Tapia and Rodolpho Carrasco
Date: 10-07-97
For America's nonwhite evangelicals, the fast-growing Promise Keepers Movement, which held a massive rally recently in Washington, DC, may represent a significant step toward racial reconciliation. If Promise Keepers' leaders can follow through, this could be the start of a powerful movement; but if the well-worn patterns of segregation persist, according to commentators Andres Tapia and Rodolpho Carrasco, race relations could actually get worse. Tapia, a PNS associate editor, has been reporting on race relations within the evangelical church for nearly 15 years; Carrasco is associate director of the Harambee Christian Family Center in Pasadena, CA.
Churches and Churches: Collaboration is the Sectet of Success In Denver
By Joan Walsh
Date: 10-03-97
Although the church has long been a core institution in the African American community, it has rarely been directly involved in government- or foundation-sponsored social service programs. A Denver program designed to bring churches into collaborative relationships with each other and with other helping agencies suggests they can play an even greater role in the community. This is the third in a series of three articles on community building approaches that are paying off in urban America. PNS associate editor Joan Walsh, a Bay Area based journalist, authored a recent report for the Rockefeller Foundation entitled "Stories of Renewal: Community Building and the Future of Urban America."
A Family Health Care Program That Remembers The Men -- And Works
By Joan Walsh
Date: 10-01-97
Taking an obvious, but largely overlooked, approach to problems of infant mortality, the Baltimore Healthy Start program has been working with fathers since 1991. The shift upset social workers, and recipients, but is involving a growing number of men in constructive activity. This is the second of three articles on new approaches to reduce teen pregnancy in Oakland, Baltimore and Denver. PNS associate editor Joan Walsh, a Bay Area based journalist, authored a recent report for the Rockefeller Foundation entitled "Stories of Renewal: Community Building and the Future of Urban America."
It's Just Not Cool to Have a Baby Anymore
By Joan Walsh
Date: 09-30-97
Oakland, Ca., has registered one of the country's sharpest drops in black teenage pregnancy rates -- with parallel declines in teen violence and school drop out rates. Counselors working with young people see the trend as a validation of their effort to reduce the social isolation of teenagers. This is the first of three articles on new approaches to reduce teen pregnancy in Oakland, Baltimore and Denver. PNS associate editor Joan Walsh, a Bay Area based journalist, authored a recent report for the Rockefeller Foundation entitled "Stories of Renewal: Community Building and the Future of Urban America."
Addicted to the "N" Word
By Ri'chard Magee
Date: 09-26-97
Once the word "nigger" was as familiar to a young black man's mouth as his tongue. Now, instead of using it once every three words, he uses it probably once every thirtieth word. Ri'Chard Magee is a writer and rap artist who works with YO! (Youth Outlook), a newspaper by and about young people published by Pacific News Service. This is the third in a series of three articles PNS is wiring today on the "n" word.
The New "Niggers" -- In Defense of the "N" Word
By Josh Parr
Date: 09-26-97
In a country that insists on breaking down racial issues into black and white opposites, a new generation of young people -- Asian, American Indian, even white, as well as black and Latino -- has turned away from white and embraces black. In the idiom of the popular youth culture, their generational ID, their password, is the "n" word. Journalist Josh Parr works at several youth centers in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is the second in a series of three articles PNS is wiring today on the "n" word.
Why We Should Delete "Nigger" From Our Vocabulary
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Date: 09-26-97
Inclusion of the word "nigger" in the latest edition of Webster's Collegiate dictionary has touched off a new round in a decades-old debate about the "n" word. Some prominent African Americans are demanding that Webster's delete or deracialize its definition of the word. Yet a new generation of multi-racial young people claim the word now belongs to them. In the first of a special series of commentaries by PNS and YO! writers, Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson, author of several books on black culture, explains why he supports the campaign to eliminate the word entirely.
Coming into America Through the Five and Dime
By Dorothy Chin
Date: 09-18-97
Woolworth stores will soon be only a memory -- but it will be a very rich memory for some. For Dorothy Chin, who came to this country in 1971, Woolworth's was a storehouse of accessible riches that symbolized the essence of life in her new land. Chin is a psychotherapist and writer now living in southern California.
Mother Teresa as the Despised Saw Her
By Michael Kroll
Date: 09-11-97
Comments on the death of someone as well known as Mother Teresa tend to involve predictable statements from recognized authorities. The recollections of the men on California's death row offer a distinct and particular view. To them she was the most famous figure in the world to vigorously oppose the death penalty. Michael Kroll, founder of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, DC, is a Bay Area writer.
Behind Bars -- Prisoners Embrace a "Military Theology" to Make Sense of a Brutal World
By Andrew Gauldin
Date: 08-22-97
Highly publicized incidents of torture by police and guards on prisoners raise the question of how those sworn to protect and preserve the law wind up becoming criminals. (See PNS essay by Joe Loya, 8.21.97, slugged pns-criminal). Another key question is how prisoners keep their sanity in a brutal world. According to PNS commentator Andrew Gauldin, many embrace the same "military theology" used by the culture to brutalize them. Gauldin, a freelance writer, teaches conflict resolution in prisons and juvenile halls in New York and California.
Waiting for an Apology -- Human Fallout From Navy Blast Unresolved After 53 Years
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Date: 08-18-97
Talk of an apology for past racial practices rings particularly hollow for black seamen wrongly convicted of mutiny in 1944. Despite compelling evidence that the conviction was based purely on their race, the U.S. Navy has refused to budge and only the President now has the right to act --a power he has not exercised. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the author of "Beyond OJ: Race. Sex and Class Lessons for America." His e-mail address is <ehutchi344@aol.com>.
Fashion for an Anti-fashion Era -- Reading Versace Catalogue for Clues to His Genius
By Richard Rodriguez
Date: 08-15-97
The arrival of the Versace fall catalogue several weeks after his murder underscores the designer's enduring imprint on high fashion. Versace mirrored the new energies of a wildly democratic era as much as he helped to define them. PNS editor Richard Rodriguez, author of "Hunger of Memory," writes on culture for Harper's, the Los Angeles Times, and the News Hour with Jim Lehrer.
Where Misfits Fit In: On the Road With the Carnival
By Lyn Duff
Date: 08-14-97
One sure sign of summer -- at county fairs and shopping malls, on empty lots at the edge of town -- is the carnival. For those who keep the glitter glittering, it's a job, and not a bad one, but has little to do with the stereotypes associated with the carny lifestyle. Lyn Duff is on the staff of YO! (Youth Outlook), a magazine by and about young people produced by Pacific News Service.
A Brief History of Carnivals
By Michael Blanding
Date: 08-14-97
Even in an era of megatheme parks and canned stay-at-home amusement, the carnival continues to draw healthy crowds. The secret of its drawing power may reflect both its essential Americanness and far older traditions. PNS correspondent Michael Blanding is a freelance journalist living in San Francisco.
UPS -- The Rebellion of the Young and Part-time
By David Bacon
Date: 08-08-97
Those Americans who think unions are made up of middle-aged white men should take a second look at who's on the UPS picket lines. Young, multi-racial and militant, a new generation of part-time workers are breathing new life into the Teamsters -- and possibly other unions across the United States. PNS associate editor David Bacon is a former union organizer who writes widely on labor and immigration.
"Envrionmental Victimology": Young People Study Peace No More -- Drawn Instead to Protect Endangered Peoples and Places
By Colleen O'Connor
Date: 08-06-97
Interest in peace and conflict studies has diminished sharply among young people with the end of the Cold War. This is not to say that the young are satisfied with the world as it is, but their focus is increasingly on endangered people and places, and on the interconnectedness of environmental forces. PNS commentator Colleen O'Connor, a former staffer at the Dallas Morning News, Glamour and Mademoiselle, writes widely on lifestyle issues.
In Cambodia, The Ghosts of Yesterday Help Explain the Evils of Today
By Andrew Lam
Date: 08-04-97
The "tragedy of Cambodia" has been the subject of much comment and analysis, but few have considered what might be called the "spiritual" dimensions of the problem. For those who live in Cambodia -- 9 out of 10 of them in the country, 7 in 10 illiterate -- history, recent and remote, involves the active participation of ghosts. PNS editor Andrew Lam is a short story writer and journalist who lives in San Francisco.
The Utopia Amendment -- Labor Party Says the Right to a Decent Job Is One of the "Blessings of Liberty"
By Dick Meister
Date: 07-31-97
The government recently announced that unemployment dropped below 5 percent, but critics point to evidence that the real percentages are about twice that. Legislation promising full employment has proved ineffective, so activists in the Labor Party�have started a campaign that will make a job at a decent wage a constitutionally guaranteed right. PNS commentator Dick Meister, a freelance columnist in San Francisco, has covered labor and political issues for four decades.
A Spiritual Leader for New Generation of Individualists
By Michael Blanding
Date: 07-14-97
With ease and humor, the Dalai Lama moves through the world in a way which brings extraordinary respect from young people. Even those who feel his message falls short as a call to action find value in the concept of personal responsibility. PNS correspondent Michael Blanding is a freelance journalist living in San Francisco. He recently returned from teaching English in Dharamsala.
Untouchable Workers May Lead the Way
By David Bacon
Date: 07-10-97
Organized labor's pledge to bring a significant portion of the work force into union ranks has come up against some hard realities -- including workers' mistrust of unions. But this can be overcome as organizing drives led by and focused on asbestos strippers in Los Angeles and New York have shown, and these successes may serve as a model for other efforts across the country. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigration and labor issues.
Back Pay Award a Bittersweet Victory for Domestic Worker
By David Bacon
Date: 06-12-97
In an era of multi-million-dollar lawsuits, an award of $47,000 may seem insignificant, but this one marks a breakthrough for the most invisible sector of the workforce. The case is a victory for a law office dedicated to defending immigrant workers -- an office which has just been put out of business by funding cuts. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigration and labor issues.
Seeking Light in Darkness-- Force Behind the Resurgence of the Black Madonna
By Colleen O'Connor
Date: 06-03-97
From Rio de Janeiro to Oakley, California, Montserrat, Spain to Dayton, Ohio, the figure -- and the idea -- of the Black Madonna is capturing popular interest. On one level, she shows beholders exactly what they want to see. But scholars believe that this striking level of attention may signify a new willingness to search in darkness for the secrets of the soul. PNS correspondent Colleen O'Connor, a former staffer at the Dallas Morning News, Glamour and Mademoiselle, writes regularly on religious issues. A COLOR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE BLACK MADONNA OF EINSIEDELN BY CHINA GALLAND IS AVAILABLE FROM PNS. CALL 415-243-4364.
Promotores -- A New Breed of Health Care Provider in Post-Welfare U.S.
By Samuel Orozco
Date: 05-09-97
In China they are known as "barefoot doctors"; in Latin America, they are "promotores" or health promoters. In the U.S., a similar breed of health care provider, often with only a six-week training course at a local clinic, is working to stretch the health care safety net to those communities in greatest need. PNS correspondent Samuel Orozco recently visited the Opening Doors project of the Community Health of South Dade which trains and oversees health promoters working with migrant farm workers in the Everglades. In June health care providers from around the country will meet in New York City, sponsored by a number of foundations, to evaluate the role of these projects in the post-welfare era. PNS correspondent Samuel Orozco is a Kaiser media fellow and news director of Radio Bilingue, a Spanish language radio station based in Fresno, CA. PNS HAS PHOTOGRAPHS FOR THIS ARTICLE. CALL 415-243-4364 FOR MORE INFORMATION.
A Fierce and Beautiful World -- Life on an Alaskan Trapline
By Miki Collins
Date: 04-22-97
Full spring marks the end of another trapping season in Alaska's bush country for Miki and Julie Collins, twin sisters who spend four months traveling 10 to 20 miles a day in temperatures ranging from 10 above to 40 below zero. Miki Collins is a handcrafter and writer as well as a trapper; the twin sisters have authored two books: "Trapline Twins" (Alaska Northwest Books), and "Dog Driver: a Guide for the Serious Musher" (Alpine Publications), with a third on the way from Epicenter Press. FOR PHOTOGRAPHS PLEASE CALL PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE.
Denizens -- The Aliens Who Become De Facto Citizens of the World
By Walter Truett Anderson
Date: 04-17-97
"Denizenship" is a term coined by legal scholars to reflect people residing in a country who are not exactly citizens, but who are not foreigners either. Many of them came as refugees or guest workers, but as their stay grows longer, host countries are struggling to define their official place in society. PNS associate editor Walter Truett Anderson, author of "Evolution Isn't What It Used To Be" (W.H. Freeman), is a political scientist who writes widely on technology and global governance.
Grunts of Welfare Reform -- Case Workers Bitter About Rule
By A. Clay Thompson
Date: 03-27-97
The voices of the front line soldiers of the welfare system -- social workers and others charged with day-to-day decisions about eligibility for benefits -- have been conspicuously absent in the discussion of welfare reform, perhaps because nobody asked. Though most of these workers are not in danger of losing their jobs, some are bitterly unhappy with the changes. A. Clay Thompson �takes advantage of an insider connection to bring us one caseworker's point of view.
Western Janitors Join Forces -- Office Building Workers -- Keep Your Eye on Spring of 2000
By David Bacon
Date: 03-26-97
A feisty group of janitors based in Los Angeles is spearheading a campaign to unite building service unions throughout the West. That way, they will be able to bargain for one contract with the multinationals that hire the contractors to run office buildings all over the country. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes on immigration and labor issues.
PNS Profiles a Spiritual Advisor -- "More About Giving Direction than Making a Profit"
By Angela Eaton
Date: 03-12-97
To an outsider, her work may seem like a mystic mix of candles and costumes, statues and superstition. But for Xosi, an "intuitive counselor," it is a business -- even though making a profit is not always the first order of the day. And it's a business that is booming as people in poorer neighborhoods look to "spiritual advisors" for reassurance in post-welfare times. This is the first of several profiles of brujas, diviners and fortune tellers in the United States, and how they view their clients and themselves. PNS correspondent Angela Eaton is a San Francisco-based freelance journalist.
Who Will Inform the Reformers? Welfare Changes Put Even Best-Intentioned Mothers Further From "Empowerment"
By Margaret Engel
Date: 02-05-97
For all their talk about "empowerment," backers of welfare reform have ignored the most basic concerns of mothers of young children -- people who are at the very heart of their attempts to "change the culture of welfare." An account of one woman's experience in one of country's richest counties suggests that welfare dollars will continue to go to the comfortable and well-fed. Margaret Engel is director of the Alicia Patterson Journalism Foundation in Washington, DC and a former reporter and editor at the Washington Post.
Mother of Five -- Charged With Murdering Would-Be Rapist--Challenges Mexico's View of Women
By Sam Quinones
Date: 02-03-97
Claudia Rodriguez, age 30 and the mother of five children, has been in jail for a full year in Mexico City charged with murdering Juan Cabrera. The facts of the case are not really in dispute -- Claudia was defending herself against a rapist -- but the facts of Claudia's life have apparently made officials reluctant to release her, and this in turn has galvanized women and made Claudia's story an illuminating picture of the changing roles of men and women in Mexico today. For photographs relating to this story, please call Pacific News Service.
Supreme Court Takes on Physician Assisted Suicide -- Both Sides Win
By Lonny Shavelson
Date: 10-14-97
It's a rare court case that finds both sides winning, but that may well be the outcome of the recent arguments about patients' right to die before the Supreme Court. In preparing to present their positions to the court, both opponents and proponents have agreed on the need for a more humane approach to terminally ill patients. PNS correspondent Lonny Shavelson, a physician and journalist in Berkeley, California, is the author of "A Chosen Death."

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