This week at CCIJ:
Jane Johnston explores environmental justice around the world. David Mono Danga talks with Abigail Goldberg-Zelizer about what it’s like to be a journalist in South Sudan during a civil war and a global pandemic. Ruona Meyer and Jeff Kelly Lowenstein host two new CCIJ podcasts, Waterless and Transparency Talks. CCIJ expresses its commitment to social justice.
CCIJ’s Commitment to Social Justice
In a statement released on Tuesday, the CCIJ community reiterated its long standing commitment to social justice, condemning police brutality in the United States and around the world.
“The CCIJ community mourns the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others in the United States and around the world who have been killed at the hands of those who are meant to ‘serve and protect,’” the statement read. Our community promised to continue its work towards a more just world and live up to our mission to strive for accountability and seek solutions.
The Big Picture:
For over a month in the United States and around the world, people have gathered to protest the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, by police on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The outrage over Floyd’s death has been met with a massive influx of book sales on racism, privilege and white supremacy, calls to defund police forces and remove statues of confederate soldiers.
In early June, CCIJ Executive Director Jeff Kelly Lowenstein published an op-ed with the Chicago Reporter asking readers to “fight white supremacy for what it is.”
“Words alone will not restore the trust between many elected officials and communities of color because swift justice for the officers who carried out and watched George Floyd’s brutal murder is a necessary– but by no means sufficient– condition for healing,” he wrote.
Read his full opinion piece here.
From the CCIJ Blog:
#CCIJMemberSpotlight: David Mono Danga’s experience as a South Sudanese Journalist –David Mono Danga, a journalist from South Sudan, joined CCIJ because of his steadfast belief in collaborative reporting. Amid a violent civil war, Mono Danga constantly worries for his safety and the safety of his reporters. Now, with coronavirus on the rise in South Sudan, Mono Danga believes journalism has never been more dangerous, or important.
Environmental Justice: Connecting the dots between racism and environmentalism –Environmental justice, as it is widely known as throughout the United States, is a movement that explores the intersection between environmental and race issues while advocating for systematic change.
CCIJ Launches ‘Transparency Talks’ and ‘Waterless’:
Transparency Talks
Transparency Talks is a CCIJ and Volume podcast that focuses on issues of truth, transparency and trust. In conversations guided by host and CCIJ Executive Director Jeff Kelly Lowenstein, people within the CCIJ community talk about their work and lives, explaining what sparked their passion and describing the challenges they’ve overcome along the way.
Listen to the inaugural episode with CCIJ South African Hub Director Raymond, who discusses his career in journalism spanning over 45 years.
Waterless
Waterless is a CCIJ and Volume podcast that contributes to the global water conversation by giving voice to, and advocating for, everyone across the world who is water disadvantaged, hosted by CCIJ Social Media Director Ruona Meyer.
Listen to the inaugural episode with CCIJ member Khaled Sulaiman, whose relationship with water stretches back to his early childhood and inspired his new book, “Guardians of the Water: Drought and Climate Change in Iraq.
In Other News
Other news from CCIJ members and partner organizations.
- In his first interview since his release from prison, Beninese journalist Ignace Sossou spoke with a local Beninese television station about his experience in prison.
“In prison, I considered myself to be on a mission or reporting, in a difficult environment. It really helped me adapt quickly and not suffer too much.” –Ignace Sossou
Read the whole interview here.
- CCIJ Member Frederick Clayton published a piece, with the help of CCIJ member Lesiba Machaka, juxtaposing Las Vegas’s water conservation efforts with the “boundless” economy the U.S. is always striving for.
“Of course, people–especially in government and big business–don’t like to talk about limiting growth, but the reality is that water and conservation is limited. And conservation efforts are only effective as long as they stay ahead of the factors that are constantly pushing them.” –Frederick Clayton
Read the whole piece here.