Pro-Palestine students at Columbia University speak out about 'skunk' attackDuring a rally on Jan. 19, while Students for Justice of Palestine and Jewish Voices for Palestine called for Columbia University to divest from its relationship with Israel, two individuals unleashed a foul-smelling chemical substance into the crowd. The student protestors reported that the substance, known as "skunk," left them feeling nauseous and with burning eyes. Days later, a national outlet reported that the chemical attack resulted in eight hospitalizations. "When I was there, when I smelled it, it smelled like somebody just died," said Layla, a Palestinian student protestor.
Prism reports that the same chemical substance used at the rally is also regularly used by Israel Defense Forces to suppress demonstrations and punish Palestinians protesting the occupation. The outlet adds that the chemical is rarely used on Jewish Israelis, with the exception of marginalized groups in the occupied state, including ultra-Orthodox Israelis and Ethiopian Israelis protesting racially motivated violence.
Pro-Palestine activists at Columbia are now calling on the administration to support students since the Jan. 19 attack, including providing financial compensation for medical costs, loss of property, and psychological care for those affected.
Nearly half of Native women will experience stalking in their lifetime, survey findsJanuary isn't just a month to bring national awareness to stalking or the experience of unwanted contact and harassment in one's daily life, it's specifically an opportunity for Native American women to discuss this very real but often minimized or overlooked public health issue within their community. According to the National Institute of Justice, nearly half of Native American women will be stalked at some point in their lives, and a report by the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey in 2022 points out that stalking victimization is associated with post traumatic stress, feelings of hopelessness, fear of safety, depression, and anxiety. Stalking, in extreme cases, can even lead to homicide.
Since the 2022 survey, Native News Online has interviewed victims and experts about the systemic racism facing Native women, as well as their ability to protect themselves from stalking.“There's geographic isolation, fear of being identified, lack of law enforcement, the gaps in culturally-based supportive services, and then the historical distrust of law enforcement and big government agencies. And then of course the cross-jurisdictional issues when they do seek help or they do report, which is completely unique to Indian Country," said a communications manager at StrongHearts Native Helpline, a national domestic, dating and sexual violence hotline that supports and advocates for Native people.
Read more here → More: ▶️ Domestic Violence Prevention Specialist Kayla Woody discusses the dangers of stalking (Native News Online)
🚀
You can now find our partners' essential intersectional reporting and perspectives at our new URL Media website updated daily. Dive into the stories that matter. Check us out here!
Hacks for a Happier 2024If you’re reading this on Jan. 31, congratulations for making it through the first month of 2024! Have you made progress on New Year’s goals you set last month? Chances are you’ve already forgotten them. Luz Media cites data that shows 80% of people forget their New Year goals by February, and that fewer than 50% of adults still stick to their resolutions after six months. So, this question about progress might feel like a trick question altogether because the reality is a new year doesn’t necessarily have to result in being a new you. Instead ditch the pressure with these hacks for a pressure-free 2024 from Luz Media.
Meet the Game Changers
Highlighting the innovators transforming health outcomes in our communities
Anthony Taylor is an avid cyclist, cross-country skier and snowboarder. Through his organization Melanin in Motion, Taylor organizes winter skiing and snowboarding classes to draw Minnesotans of color into outdoor sports