Photo by SHVETS production on Pexels.
Note: “In Progress” simply means I don’t yet have pages or information for every category for a region. “Coming Soon” is a place holder for the regions I haven’t started on yet. The Turtle Island section is laid out a little differently, and may evolve as I add to it. I welcome additions to every region at any time. (In case you came here from someplace else, I’m @kcotenti on Twitter.)
Take Action for Agadez
The people at Niger’s Agadez “ Humanitarian “ Centre—refugees from multiple African countries—are not receiving food, water, or medical care.
They’ve been protesting for over 300 days.
Learn more about the situation and sign the petitions at Keep Eyes on Agadez.
Hurricane Helene Relief
GoFundMe has a landing page with links to verified fundraisers for individuals and families needing help in the wake of Hurricane Helene. You can search for specific fundraisers, filter by state, or browse to see who needs help.
Hurricane Beryl Relief Fund
Black Curatorial, Kwanda, Twossaints, Black Eats London & West India Cinema Corporation are raising money for grassroots organizations providing support for people affected by Hurricane Beryl in Barbados, St Vincent & the Grenadines (including Carriacou & Union), Grenada, and Jamaica.
Palestine
On May 15, 1948, Britain gave Zionists its mandate in Palestine for the purpose of creating an Israeli state. Ever since, Palestinians have been occupied, kidnapped, under siege, displaced, and/or murdered by white supremacists weaponizing the Jewish faith (with help from their international allies).
On October 7, 2023, Palestinians trapped in Gaza dared break out of their cage and fight their oppressors. We are now more than 21 months into the genocide that is the occupation’s outsized retaliation, where many more than the reported 61,000+ Palestinians have been gruesomely murdered and those who survive the acute attacks suffer from famine, water scarcity, and disease, and have little to no protection from the elements.
Sign petitions, send letters to your reps about Palestine.
Donate to mutual aid or organizations helping Palestine.
Palestine/Gaza strike and boycott information.
Sudan
In April 2023, a conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out, then intensified. As each group tries to preserve their power and take more, civilians are caught in the middle.
Moreover, foreign powers are backing both sides. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Iran, and Israel’s Foreign Ministry are supporting the SAF while the UAE, Central African Republic, Russia, Chad, Libya, Israel’s Mossad support the RSF.
Nearly 11 million people have been displaced and over 13,000 have been killed. Almost 25 million people are in need of humanitarian aid.
Sign petitions, send letters to your reps about Sudan.
Donate to mutual aid or organizations helping Sudan.
Sudan strike and boycott information.
DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo)
DRC is being exploited by Western nations for its resources, especially coltan, which is used in electronic devices. Countries like US, UK, and France have been aiding Uganda and Rwanda in invading coltan-rich areas.
On top of the invasions, multinational mining companies—the ones doing the direct exploitation—enslave men, women, and children to work in their mines.
Due to all of this, millions have been killed, millions more have been displaced, and survivors are assaulted in various ways.
Sign petitions, send letters to your reps about DRC.
Donate to mutual aid or organizations helping DRC.
DRC strike and boycott information.
In Progress: Haiti
First invaded by Columbus in 1492, Haiti has been heavily oppressed over the centuries. It, as Saint Domingue, was a colony of France (and the richest colony in the world) until, after a 12-year revolution, it retook its independence in 1804.
That was not the end of things, though, as France extorted the nation for the equivalent of $560 million (or into the billions, if you factor in the loss to Haiti’s economy) in today’s money for France to consider the nation sovereign. (It took Haiti 122 years to pay off its “double debt,” as it had to take loans *from France* to pay the extortion money.)
The US didn’t recognize Haiti’s sovereignty until 1862. It didn’t extort Haiti but did violently invade and occupy Haiti from 1915-1934. The US completely controlled the economy, military, and police and terrorized citizens until withdrawing by 1941.
Today, Haiti is among the poorest nations, has been subject to violence from gangs armed by the US, and is now being invaded again, with the US using Kenya as a proxy.
Sign petitions, send letters to your reps about Haiti.
Donate to mutual aid or organizations helping Haiti.
Haiti strike and boycott information.
In Progress: Turtle Island
There are over a thousand of nations and tribes throughout the northern Western Hemisphere. (Cartographer Aaron Carapella has mapped 1,100 in what colonizers consider “the lower 48” US states, and 4,200 in all of the Western Hemisphere.) I will not be able to cover them all. But I’ll start with the nations whose lands I have occupied.
I was born in Magunkaquog and have lived most of my life on Nipmuc lands (local page).
I currently live on land stolen from the Wabanaki Alliance (external page).
I have also lived on the lands of (external pages):
- Jumanos, Wichita, Tawakoni, and Kickapoo;
- Cheraw (page for the Sumter Tribe in SC) and Catawba; and
- Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk Nation, Ganienkeh Territory, member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy).
I encourage all colonizers to become familiar with whose lands you occupy and support the people you’re displacing however possible. (This can range anywhere from boosting social media to land/money donations. If you’re not sure how best to help, reach out to them and ask!)
In Progress: Hawai’i
Hawai’i is a sovereign island kingdom that was first invaded by England in 1778. there were missionaries, colonizing, and land disputes, but eventually (in 1843), England and France recognized Hawai’i’s independence. France, of course, held a grudge, raided Honolulu, and never made reparations for the damages.
The US had recognized Hawai’i’s independence the year before the Europeans did. However, USians would travel to Hawai’i, settle there, then violently overthrow the kingdom. US President Cleveland condemned this and delayed the annexation, but there’s always the next president to come along and ruin everything. McKinley’s Congress annexed Hawai’i and the US military took over.
Sign petitions, send letters to your reps about Hawai’i.
Donate to mutual aid or organizations helping Hawai’i.
Hawai’i strike and boycott information.
In Progress: West Papua
Indonesia’s military occupation is forcibly taking Indigenous West Papuan lands, having been occupying West Papua since 1963. West Papuans have been killed, tortured, and displaced by both state and non-state armed groups. Over 500,000 West Papuans have been killed and over 105,000 have been displaced under the occupation.
Learn more about West Papua (external link).
Sign petitions, send letters to your reps about West Papua.
Donate to mutual aid or organizations helping West Papua.
West Papua boycott information (external link).
West Papua social media.
Coming Soon
People and places I haven’t added yet but hope to.
Keep these folks in mind, too, and if you have links/resources I can add, feel free to send them my way.
Syria
I have a 4-Minute Primer for what’s gone on in Syria up to early 2021. The elevator pitch is the government sucks, factions formed to fight back, and foreign actors (including the US, currently controlling their oil fields) inserted themselves while citizens carry the brunt of the death and destruction.
Tigray
Tigrayans are an ethnic group in Ethiopia. There was a war from 2020 to 2022 where thousands died, but both Ethiopia and Eritrea have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity even since the war. There are about 1.5 million refugees, and Tigrayans are still being forcibly displaced.
Rohingya
The Rohingya people are a Muslim ethnic group denied citizenship in Myanmar, which is a majority-Buddhist country. Rohingya have faced persecution for decades and after an increase in violence in 2017, many fled the country, especially to Bangladesh. However, they’re facing violence in Bangladesh from armed groups, and the refugee camps are in an area vulnerable to natural disasters. There are around 1 million refugees, and over half are children.
Two places to donate to help Rohingya refugees are Rohingya Community Partners and Rohingya Humanitarian Initiative.
Kashmir
Kashmir has been a contested area since before India and Pakistan gained their independence from Britain in 1947. It was divided in 1949: Pakistan-administered Kashmir and India-administered Kashmir. Both countries, however, claim the entire region. A revolt started in 1989 against Indian rule has left tens of thousands of people dead. Article 370 in India granted their portion of Kashmir some level of autonomy, but in 2019, Article 370 was revoked.
Puerto Rico
Formerly a colony of Spain and currently a colony of the US, Puerto Rico does not have the full rights or protections that independence—or even statehood—would afford. While it lays vulnerable to natural disasters, the US does not aid it in any meaningful or honest way. Puerto Ricans frequently suffers blackouts. The island of Vieques has been without a hospital for six years. Major financial institutions keep Puerto Rico in debt. Other corporations exploit tax loopholes with a presence in Puerto Rico.
Yemen
One of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The war started in 2014 when Ansar Allah took control of Saada province. A Saudi-led and US-backed coalition intervened the following year to restore the former president’s government. Other armed groups (including one backed by the UAE) have since joined in. The economy is in shambles and over 50% of households don’t get enough food.
Proposal to Boycott the US
Link to my PDF: Proposal to Boycott the United States.
It contains basics on boycotting, how to start organizing a boycott, what to look for in partners, how to choose targets plus profiles of potentials, and sources/resources.
How to Support My Work
Buy my novel, Through the Mirrah [Amazon]. (Learn more about it first here.)
Hook me up with a remote job recommendation. My portfolio is here. Contact me on Twitter or via email.
Donate to me on Ko-Fi or via Venmo @kcotenti.