RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR REBEL BABIES

Surrounded by 1000’s of beached and stranded starfish, a young child is carefully working to return each one back to the ocean. A man happens by and asks the boy, “There are 1000’s of starfish here. Throwing just those few back in the water won’t make a bit of difference so why waste your time?” The boy, with one starfish in his hand replied, “It makes a difference to this one!” and gently tossed the starfish back into the water. Small acts can, and do, make a difference. Every thought and action has percussive consequences and we all can try, through small acts, to change what we can. The resources listed here will help you get involved either by learning about a cause that is dear to your heart, and volunteering to help, or by donating to help those who are doing the work. Every. Single. Action. Helps.

Every change begins with a single thought.

Some of these resources may be familiar to you and some may not.

We chose resources that either offer great learning opportunities

or offer volunteer and/or career opportunities.

Please drop us an email to share any organization we should list here.

Dig in!

CLIMATE JUSTICE

RACIAL JUSTICE & HUMAN RIGHTS

The environmental justice movement addresses a statistical fact: people who live, work and play in America's most polluted environments are commonly inhabited by people of color and also of lower socioeconomic status . Environmental justice advocates have shown that this is no accident. Communities of color, which are often underserved and economically challenged, are routinely targeted to host facilities that have negative environmental impacts say, a landfill, dirty industrial plant or truck depot. Statistics provide clear evidence of what the movement rightly calls "environmental racism." Communities of color have been battling this injustice for decades.

We often feel lost in the enormity of this problem and wonder why, when the technology exists, we still insist on burning fossil fuels? We often wonder why we, as a human race, are so short sighted about the health of our beautiful planet and it’s inhabitants. This is the single

most important issue of this time.

All else pales in comparison.

RACIAL JUSTICE & HUMAN RIGHTS

Two hundred years after the Declaration of Independence was written, and after years of activism, there still remains a very broad and deep, interconnected, web of power supremacy woven throughout education, housing, the legal system and most other spheres of society. Our criminal justice system disproportionately subjects people of color to police brutality, incarcerates them and imposes numerous collateral consequences. The dream of equal justice remains elusive and until physical, political, legal, economic and environmental violence against people of color has been rooted out, it will remain a dream. Structural racism has created racial bias across institutions that systematically privilege white people and disadvantage people of color. The time for change is now and eyes are opening. Come from love and educate, educate, educate!

POLICING REFORM

RACIAL JUSTICE & HUMAN RIGHTS

POLICING REFORM

Currently we read and hear calls to “defund the police.” Here at The Rebel Babies we feel the term is misleading and prefer to use “Refund the Police” . We strongly believe that police forces nationwide should receive a DIFFERENT kind of training than they do. Training that focuses on giving officers tools other than just a baton and gun might be more effective. For example, intense mental health training in how to deal with its sufferers, community engagement and mediation tools, tools to help dismantle racial bias, racial profiling and use of unnecessary force. Reallocation of resources might be applied to divide policing into specialized departments where training can be targeted to zero in on helping communities deal with problems instead of attempting to use punitive action as a magic bullet for social ills. We must end, once and for all, the destructive “war on drugs,” including legalizing marijuana. We must eliminate private prisons and detention centers, end cash bail and abolish the death penalty. Though this topic is complex, and police training has been the same for eons, we must begin to find ways to restructure training and hire in ways that do not focus on violence but on de-escalation, care, compassion and cultural competence.

LGBT ISSUES

INDIGENOUS WOMENS RIGHTS & PROTECTION

POLICING REFORM

In 1924 The Society for Human Rights was founded by Henry Gerber in Chicago. It is the first documented gay rights organization. Since then we have come a long way but not every where and not as far as you might think. In 1952 the DSM (The American Psychiatric Associations diagnostic manual) lists homosexuality as a sociopathic personality disturbance. By 1973 Lamda Legal was established as the first legal organization to fight for the rights of gays and lesbians. By May 2007 the first gay marriage takes place in Massachusetts. On April 4, 2017 - The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals rules that the Civil Rights Act prohibits workplace discrimination against LGBTQ employees, and on June 15, 2020 - The Supreme Court rules that federal law protects LGBTQ workers from discrimination. In many parts of the world LGBTQ people are subjected to

daily violence, incarceration and worse.

There is much work still left to do

INDIGENOUS WOMENS RIGHTS & PROTECTION

In the United States alone, violence against indigenous women has reached unprecedented levels on tribal lands and in Alaska Native villages. More than 4 in 5 American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence, and more than 1 in 2 have experienced sexual violence. Alaska Native women continue to suffer the highest rate of forcible sexual assault and have reported rates of domestic violence up to 10 times higher than in the rest of the United States. Though available data is limited, the number of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women and the lack of a diligent and adequate federal response is extremely alarming to indigenous women, tribal governments, and communities. On some reservations, indigenous women are murdered at more than ten times the national average.

ANTI SPECIES ABUSE

INDIGENOUS WOMENS RIGHTS & PROTECTION

Animal cruelty is defined as any intentional and repeated behavior that causes physical or psychological distress in animals, including, but not limited to, causing unnecessary pain, suffering, distress, or death of an animal. Those in positions of power — whether they be men, straight people, whites, or humans — have a responsibility to interact appropriately with their marginalized counterparts. Speciesism refers to a set of irrational beliefs and prejudices which reproduce political and social structures that yield power and privilege to human animals over other species of animals. Humans, in their “power” over other species, have a responsibility to act with kindness and compassion towards other living non-human beings. Help end the commodification and exploitation of “other” species bodies and stand up to humans who belittle the experiences of animals.

ANTI BULLYING

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

ANTI BULLYING

On April 20, 1999, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris retaliated for bullying they allegedly endured at their high school in Colorado. They had planned an attack for months and walked into Columbine School that day intending to kill. After taking the lives of 13 and wounding more than 20 others, they took their own lives. Now, in every state except Montana, the bullying law mandates schools to have a formal policy to help with identification of the behavior and discuss the possible formal and/or informal disciplinary responses that can follow. Some laws require certain elements to be included in the policy (such as a specific definition of bullying), while others simply require a policy without specification. Federal law also allows schools to discipline students for off-campus behavior that results in school or student disruption. One of the unexplored frontiers of bullying is workplace bullying which is common and prevalent but often does not result in an action against its perpetrators. The #metoo movement has begun to address these issues in the workplace but there is still much work to be done. If you feel you are the victim of bullying of any kind please know there are resources for you. Please reach out for help. Hurt people hurt people you NEVER deserve to be hurt in any way.

MENTAL HEALTH

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

ANTI BULLYING

According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness, 19% of the adult population in the US reports experiencing anxiety often enough to be disruptive to their lives. That amounts to roughly 62,358,000 adults suffering from anxiety alone. This doesn’t include adolescents or children and only includes those who self report. Depression is the leading cause of disability in the United states in the 15-44 age group and death by suicide is the second leading cause of death in that same age bracket. Friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances show us that anxiety and depression are epidemic and the science to heal and cure our hearts and minds is sadly lacking. Our cultural demands are such that we are not thriving the way we should and instead of looking at the causes of these huge numbers we label and medicate for disorders that are often made up to fuel pharmaceutical industry profit. This is not to say that the illness is not real, because it is, but it is often not of “organic” origin and instead born of a myriad of factors such as: too much digital connectivity to unreal worlds with no real human connection, rampant consumerism, unbalanced power structures and institutionalized racism, misogyny and other forms of oppression.

No, you are not insane.

You are likely correct.

Reach out, connect, be compassionate and never be afraid to ask for help!

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

ANTI NUCLEAR RESOURCES

Human trafficking involves transporting a human being into a situation of exploitation. This can include forced labor, marriage, prostitution and even organ removal. It is estimated that,

internationally, there are between 20 million and 40 million people forced into modern slavery and the actual number is difficult because most cases often go undetected. According to dosomething.org, human trafficking earns global profits of roughly $150 billion a year for traffickers, $99 billion of which comes from commercial sexual exploitation. Globally, an estimated 71% of enslaved people are women and girls, while men and boys account for 29%. In 2018, over half (51.6%) of the criminal human trafficking cases active in the US were sex trafficking cases

involving only children.

If you need help please click on the icon for resources.

ANTI NUCLEAR RESOURCES

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS (USA)

ANTI NUCLEAR RESOURCES

During a time when so many converging crises are on our collective minds, the discussion of nuclear disarmament seems to have fallen by the wayside. It is not an issue from the past. It is not an idle threat, waiting somewhere in our future and countries are on the verge of gaining nuclear weapons technology. We know that nuclear weapons testing has horrifying consequences. Even today, children are born with severe deformities related to their exposure to nuclear radiation from testing conducted years ago and international terrorists are actively seeking out new sources for nuclear weapons materials. The longer the world waits to adopt and fully enforce the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the greater the chance that you won’t just be reading about radioactive fall out from nuclear radiation, you’ll be experiencing its effects. Budget requests from the Trump Administration will seek a dramatic increase in funding for nuclear weapons—an unprecedented leap of 20% over current spending levels, bringing the total for The National Nuclear Security Administration to $20 billion. Reportedly, the increase is earmarked principally for modernization programs for warhead design and plutonium pit manufacturing facilities.

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS (USA)

“The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. Empowered with the sovereign authority of the people by the framers and the consent of the legislatures of the states, it is the source of all government powers, and also provides important limitations on the government that protect the fundamental rights of United States citizens.”

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for

the United States of America.”

Read it here for yourself.

Know what it says Rebel Babies.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/the-constitution/

Anti Isolation

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS (USA)

Due to COVID19 quarantine and social distancing protocols many people are currently isolated from family and friends. Older folks, especially, are feeling the effects of isolation and loneliness and often need a friendly ear or help with errands. Fortunately there are ways to help directly and virtually! Don’t forget to check in, check in, check in! A simple phone call can go a long way towards brightening the day for someone!