7 December 2011

Library 2.0: Supporting Underserved Communities

taliawhyte Global Wire Associates American Library Association, Berkman Center for Internet & Society, digital divide, Digital Public Library of America, economic disparities, public library, rural libraries, urban libraries

With the advent of e-books, audio books, Kindles and other devices that make the art of reading a digital experience, many wonder with the declining number of bookstores, what will happen to public libraries. For those of us who are lucky to live in places where a library exists, they are not only spaces to read and lend out books, but they also act as community meeting spaces.

However, the increase in digital media has also been compounded with the current economic downturn, which has contributed to the budget cuts and closings of many public libraries around the United States. Even more unfortunate is that many of these endangered public libraries are serving marginalized populations in rural and inner city areas.

Read the full article here

27 October 2011

Focus on the Middle Class

taliawhyte Global Wire Associates debt, economic justice, economy, green jobs, Occupy Boston, Occupy Oakland, Occupy Wall Street, poverty, recession, student loans, Van Jones

Environmental activist Van Jones spoke to Occupy Boston Oct 27, 2011. Jones served as a Special Advisor for the White House Council on Environmental Quality in 2009. He is a proponent of a “sustainable, environmentally beneficial economy,” and author of “The Green-Collar Economy; How One Solution Can Solve Our Two Biggest Problems.” He spoke to the crowd about how Washington has failed the American middle class because of the growing number of “banksters.”

24 October 2011

Focus on Capitalism

taliawhyte Global Wire Associates capitalism, corporate greed, Occupy Boston, Occupy Wall Street, recession, student debt, Vijay Prashad, war on terror

Vijay Prashad, the George and Martha Kellner Chair in South Asian History and Professor of International Studies at Trinity College, spoke before Occupy Boston activists in front of the Federal Reserve building Oct. 23, 2011. He is the author of “The Darker Nations: A People’s History of the Third World.” Prashad, a self-described socialist, talked to the crowd about his problems with capitalism, or what he calls the “militarized economy.”

21 October 2011

Focus on Youth Violence

taliawhyte Global Wire Associates criminal justice, foreclosure, Occupy Boston, Occupy the Hood, Occupy the Hood Boston, Occupy Wall Street, police brutality, youth violence

Activists from Boston’s communities of color came out in support of the first “Occupy the Hood Boston” gathering on Oct. 21, 2011, where they discussed a variety of issues including youth violence, police brutality, education and racism.