Citizen journalism
One of the things that inspires me about Socrates, Thoreau, Gandhi, and King is that they were able to speak truth to power. There had to have been times when it was difficult; we know there were times when it was dangerous. What we’ll be able to learn from them this semester is yet to be revealed. I have every expectation that it will produce fruit. I, for one, made a promise to be more engaged this year in my local community, at school, in the country, in the world.
What quickened this commitment has been the protests in Iran. The photos that have found their way past the censors have been both dispiriting and heartening.
I came across this article tonight that brought home again the cost of protest. The article is by Haideh Daragahi. It was the first line that reminded me of what the danger of not speaking up when one still has the opportunity as well as the danger of speaking up when it is illegal to do so.
The current turmoil in Iran is not a result of the alleged election fraud last June, but of thirty years of brutality, humiliation, and frustration.