politics

politics

Student Protester Resources

Student Protester Resources

, , Library Resources
As protests for many causes crop up on college campuses across the country, students are grappling with strong feelings on important issues, and where and how to express them.  Recent protests, including at Indiana University itself, have controversially led to arrests.  Students may question what rights they do and do not have, and how they can assert them, whether they plan to join a protest, organize one, or document one (such as with video). The right to protest is enumerated in the Constitution, specifically the First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably … Continued
Counting on the Census

Counting on the Census

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth
With a count of 331,449,281 residents, the 24th decennial Census of the United States is beginning to release the newest data about the current demographics of our country.  This procedure, a Constitutionally-mandated enumeration of the citizens and residents of the country, is a vital research tool – but it is also a source of conflict and controversy.  Since many consequential issues hinge on the results of the Census – principally the apportionment of representatives in the Congress and funding for government programs that include roads, schools, health, and emergency services – it has become a flashpoint for competing (and highly politicized) ideologies. The Census has long been plagued by controversy.  Both George Washington and Thomas Jeffeson thought the original 1790 … Continued
American protest music: a brief history

American protest music: a brief history

, , , Research
While Americans have always performed music, serious study of American musical forms only begins in the 20th century.  John Lomax, beginning as a graduate student at Harvard, was among the very first to take interest in traditional American music, and he began his work with “cowboy” songs, which detailed the lives of what he felt were “authentic” Americans and their experiences.  Although his viewpoint could comfortably be considered naïve today, his work, along with that of anthropologist Franz Boaz and, slightly later, poet Carl Sandburg, became the foundation for American folk music studies.  It is from folk music that the protest music movement stems.  The very first protest singer/songwriter was a Swedish immigrant, born Joel Hagglund in 1879.  After his … Continued
Phil Ochs and the legacy of singing journalism

Phil Ochs and the legacy of singing journalism

, , , Research
“In the heat of the summer/when the pavements were burning/the soul of a city was ravaged in the night/after the city sun was sinkin’.”                   – “In the Heat of the Summer” After the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, the city of Minneapolis erupted in protest, with police forces beating back protestors with tear gas and rubber bullets.  Related protests occurred in 140 other US cities, including Los Angeles, Detroit, Atlanta, New York and Las Vegas, resulting in violence, property damage and the deaths of at least four protestors.  The protests of summer 2020 eerily resembled the civil rights riots which swept much of the country during the mid-1960s.  Documentation of those riots was not left entirely … Continued
Women of Valor: action in government

Women of Valor: action in government

, , , , Interns, Programs
Elections in November highlighted the incredible accomplishments of several women featured in our Women of Valor: Interfaith Actions for Social Justice guide. These women were some of the first of their faith to be elected to office in the United States, and they have used their platforms to advocate for women’s rights and social justice. Select their name to access interactive digital timelines that tell their stories and struggles, as well as suggestions for further reading on their lives and work. Mazie Hirono won reelection for a second term as Hawaii’s Democratic senator this November. Hirono was born in Japan and immigrated to Honolulu, Hawaii as child, where she grew up in relative poverty. She has served in the Hawaii … Continued