Social Justice Challenge - quitting

I feel like a bit of a failure and I know it is still early, but I'm quitting the Social Justice Challenge.  I feel bad, but I just can't seem to remember to do anything for it.


Sorry.

Social Justice - bowing out this month

I failed so much at the Social Justice Challenge last month.  I didn't read or watch anything or complete any action steps.
This month's issue is domestic/child abuse and I'm bowing out on this month right now.  Those are very important issues, don't get me wrong.  But they make me heartsick and I can't deal with it.  I just can't.  So I'll be a bystander this month.  Sorry.

Social Justice Challenge - Water

I had planned to participate in January's Social Justice Challenge theme, Religious Freedom, at the Intern level, but unfortunately I didn't complete an action step. C'est la vie. I will do better next time.



This month's theme is Water. And I will try to participate at the Volunteer level (read at least one of the recommended blog posts, essays or shorter novels; complete an action step) or try again for the Intern level.

Here are the questions they are asking this month.


1. What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you think of Water as a social justice issue?
 I assumed it had to do with providing clean water to third world countries and that maybe not everyone knew that in some places clean water is hard to find.

2. What, if any, exposure have you personally had to a water shortage?
Not much, just during hurricanes when water and electricity are off and it can be hard to find water.  But the situations have resolved themselves quickly for my family.  It was important though after Hurricane Andrew and especially Katrina that water be provided to the shelters because there were so many people in there.

3. What potential action steps can you think of that relate to this month’s theme of Water?
Well, I think it is a good idea to make others aware of water shortage facts and issues so blogging about it is a good idea.  There is also http://thewaterproject.org/ if you are able to give donations of any kind for clean water in Africa.

Does My Head Look Big in This? (Book Review)

Goodreads:
Sixteen-year-old Amal makes the decision to start wearing the hijab full- time and everyone has a reaction. Her parents, her teachers, her friends, people on the street. But she stands by her decision to embrace her faith and all that it is, even if it does make her a little different from everyone else.

Putting on the hijab isn't the end of the journey.  It's just the beginning of it.  p.333

This was a great exploration of one girl choosing to show her beliefs to the world and the consequences that come with those big decisions.  Amal is cool and cocky and definitely 16.  She has a typical relationship with her parents and has some great friendships at school.  She attends a prep school in Australia so when she first decides to wear the hijab she doesn't know how it will go over there.  But she works through that obstacle and a few others.

The novel is in first person and that sometimes threw the tone off for me.  Some books I don't notice it, but I was always aware of it for this book.  It made some of the conversations stilted for me.  But it was nice to be in Amal's head and see how she viewed others.  Sometimes she was paranoid that strangers were judging her and sometimes she was right and sometimes not.  There were many interesting parallels drawn to her situation and that of her overweight friend and to the Greek next door neighbor and to her Japanese friend and to some of her extended family who pretend not to be Muslim.  There was a great message of tolerance and remaining true to your beliefs and yourself.  And I learned a little about Islam and a lot about what the hijab means.


cross posted with The Little Bookworm 

ETA: corrected 

Social Justice Challenge - Month 1 - Religious Freedom

So I joined the Social Justice Challenge last month.  This month is focusing on Religious Freedom.  I'll be joining at the Intern level this month, read or choose other media and do an action step.  I'm going to read Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah.

Here are the questions they are asking this month

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of religious freedom?
I would say the ability to practice your religion without fear of persecution or judgment by others who are not of your religion.  I think religious tolerance is important.  To learn that it's okay for others to not believe as you believe.  Personally someone's beliefs do not affect what I believe.  I respect your right to believe as you choose/are taught just I expect others to respect my beliefs.  Everyone should have the freedom to worship or not as they choose.

What knowledge do you have of present threats to religious freedom in our world today? I'll be honest, I'm not really one to pay attention to "issues" or really current events of this nature which is why I joined this challenge.


Why does religious freedom matter to you? It sounds idealistic, but I truly believe that everyone should be allowed to believe in the God of their choosing.  But I do not believe in harming others especially in the name of that God.  Violence leads to nothing good.

Social Justice Challenge

Normally I don't do challenges here since they are mostly reading challenges and I have a book blog for that.  But this one seems a little different so I'm signing up for it here.  This is a very interesting challenge.  For the Social Justice Challenge, the organizers have chosen to focus each month on a different area of social injustice in the world. During that month, we are asking that you read something from the list of resources or watch something suggested by that month’s host.

There are different levels of participation and you can choose your level each month. The themes are:

• Religious Freedom
• Water
• Domestic Violence & Child Abuse
• Hunger
• AIDS Crisis
• Genocide
• Poverty
• Illiteracy and Education
• Modern Day Slavery
• Homelessness & Refugees
• Women’s Rights
• Child Soldiers and Children in War