WNV’s top stories of 2021

In a world where so much is often going wrong, we all need stories of people fighting back and tipping the scales toward justice. Without those stories we lose track of our own potential and the knowledge that change is possible. Being there to provide those reminders, is a role we at Waging Nonviolence relish. And we’re thrilled that this year’s list of “most-read” stories is yet another reflection of the good going on in the world today.
 
As you go through the list, please be aware that support from readers like you is what makes these stories possible. So, if you’re looking to make any final tax-deductible donations before the end of the year, please consider giving today.

10. Arrested in rocking chairs, grandparents protest Chase and pressure Biden on climate
By George Lakey
Tired from trekking 170 miles from Biden’s birthplace to his hometown, a dozen of us grandparents decided to take a stand for climate justice by sitting down.       

9. The only way to effectively counter terror is to end war
By Kathy Kelly
As we approach the 20th anniversary of 9/11, U.S. citizens must insist on paying reparations and choose to lay aside the cruel futility of our forever wars.                                           

8. Meet the trailblazing nuns who took on the patriarchy of the church in the 1960s
By Frida Berrigan                                           
A new documentary tells the story of the Los Angeles nuns who stood up for the people and faith they served, paying a high price for change.                      

7. Everyone has a role to play in stopping the Line 3 pipeline
By Eileen Flanagan
Indigenous water protectors and allies are effectively engaging all four roles of social change — just what’s needed to beat a company as powerful as Enbridge.           

6. My long-lost conversation with John Lewis on his vision of nonviolence
By John Dear
In this never-before-released interview, the late civil rights leader and congressman talks systemic racism, permanent warfare, extreme poverty and nonviolence as a way of life.   

5. 50 years ago, Winter Soldier exposed the Vietnam War as one long war crime
By Chris Lombardi
Despite being largely ignored, the powerful testimony by vets at Winter Soldier alerted the American public that the whole war in Vietnam was an atrocity.   

4. How Hitler found his blueprint for a German empire by looking to the American West
By David Carroll Cochran
On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Americans must recognize the ugly history of how the Nazis were inspired by the long and brutal U.S. campaign against Native Americans.       

3. We need to prepare for ongoing insurrectionary violence and address its root causes
By Maria J. Stephan
To prevent future far-right violence, first we need accountability. Then we must build movements capable of transforming our social, political and economic systems.       

2. It’s a myth that presidents welcome movement pressure — and Biden is no different
By Mark Engler and Paul Engler
Politicians fear the disruptive power of a mobilized base, even when it helps them succeed.   

1. Garment workers win historic victory in effort to transform the fashion industry
By Loretta Graceffo
The PayUp campaign has clawed back $22 billion from apparel companies owed to factories and workers, and they’re just getting started.