Lots and Lots of Political Links

If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.
--Frederick Douglass, letter to abolitionist associate, 1853

One thing very important to me about the Web is how it can provide people the information to take political action. I've complied this list of organizations and issues so that you can find out more about what's going on in the world and what you can do about it. E-mail me if you have suggestions for groups or resources I should add to this list.

But while I am excited about the Web as a political resource for social change, I'm also very aware of just who has the money to have access to the Web, whether subscribing to a commercial service like AmericaOnline or attending a university that provides "free" access to the Internet as part of its sky-high tuition. Creating a Web page can be very important for activist groups, but is no substitute for grass-roots organizing, giving people the skills and information they need to improve the quality of their everyday life. To borrow from Gil-Scott Heron, the revolution will not be downloaded.

So now I'll get off my soapbox, and check out these cool links:

Equal Rights for Queers

[queer quote]

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force: The NGLTF is a grass-roots organization dedicated to fighting for equal rights for lesbians and gay men in the cities and towns across the country and battling homophobic violence and discrimination. Their "Fight the Right" campaign, challenging the virulent homophobia of the Radical Right, is particularly noteworthy.
Human Rights Campaign: The HRC lobbies elected officials to support a broad range of queer and HIV/AIDS-related issues. The HRC home page lets you write to your Senators and Representatives online and check their voting record.
Youth Action Online: YAO offers a wide range of resources for teenagers wrestling with their sexual orientation and for people working with teenagers on these issues.
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays: PFLAG is a wonderful support group for parents and other friends and family members of lesbians, gay men, & bisexuals. PFLAG has also begun to take political actions to support lgb issues.
Queer Resources Directory: The QRD offers links to many, many other queer political and social groups around the world; if its queer and online, you'll find it in the QRD.

Human Rights and Freedom of Speech

"It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

Amnesty International: I've been an Amnesty International member since high school. Their unrelenting work to free political prisoners, to uncover the whereabouts of "disappeared" persons, and to abolish the death penalty won them the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize.
American Civil Liberties Union: The ACLU has defended the individual rights and freedoms of U.S. citizens since 1920.
People for the American Way: People for the American Way fights the Radical Right's war on public schools, religious liberty, and the rights of women and queers.

The Environment

BLOCKQUOTE
Eno River Association
Sierra Club
Sierra Club -- Headwaters Chapter (Durham-Chapel Hill)
Greenpeace
Environmental News Network
Student Environmental Action Coalition
Earth Island Institute
Rainforest Action Network
EnoNet's Environmental Racism/Environmental Justice Home Page
EcoNet's Evironmental Organizations Page
Green Parties of North America
Native Americans and the Environment
Indigenous Environment Network
Solstice: Sustainable Energy and Development Online

AIDS

Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.
-- Mother Jones, 1830-1930

The STOP AIDS Program of San Francisco maintains a comprehensive list of AIDS Resources on the WWW, with everything from organizations to facts and reports to educational programs. Also check out The Body for info on HIV and AIDS.

Other Economic and Social Justice and Peace Organizations

[In Germany...]

The Institute for Global Communications sponsors the Progressive Directory, a gateway to environmental and progressive WWW resources worldwide. The five IGC networks are:
EcoNet
LaborNet
WomensNet
PeaceNet
ConflictNet

WebActive: What's New in Activism is a weekly publication offering progressive activists a current resource on the WWW to find organizations and individuals who share their interests. Includes a Site of the Week, with information on the group sponsoring that site; and two or three Hot Activist Projects that can be conducted via the Internet.

Impact Online provides one of the most complete listings of volunteer opportunities and information available on the WWW.

National Organization for Women
Abortion Rights Web
Pro-Choice Web
Women's Wire

Children's Defense Fund
The Carter Center
Habitat for Humanity
National Coalition for the Homeless

Cultural Survival

Southerners for Economic Justice

Turn Left...The Home of Liberalism on the Web
Rock the Vote works to get young people registered to vote, and to make voter registration easier.
The Office of Senator Ted Kennedy
The Office of Senator Paul Wellstone
The Office of Representative Barney Frank
House Progressive Caucus

Here in North Carolina, we're working to elect Harvey Gantt to the U.S. Senate this year. Hopefully Gantt, the former mayor of Charlotte, will become the first African American in the Senate from the South since Reconstruction, and in so doing, get rid of the nation's preemminent unreconstructed bigot, the infamous Jesse Helms.

North Carolina General Assembly

Green Parties of North America
Democratic Socialists of America
The New Party
Labor Party

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Last updated July 11, 1996

lekus@acpub.duke.edu