The new documentary sheds a light on the bond between a few of America’s greatest men.
Most activists choose one cause to support during their lifetime, but a select few go above and beyond to make the world a better place. After over 20 years in both the music and film industry, Jared Leto has risen to the public eye as one of the most passionate and versatile performers of our generation and as someone who uses his talents to bring justice to people, animals and the planet.
The L’Oreal Paris company recently advertised the “Women of Worth” campaign to bring awareness to 10 women and their independently-implemented causes and charities.
With the holiday season approaching, the need for local food drives and other food donations are in more demand than ever this year. While everyone deserves recognition for lending a helping hand, one group at Ohio University keeps the spirit going all year long: Food Matters at OU — a student organization devoted to food quality, availability, and education for all students and faculty, from our campus to a global scale. According to a flier the group handed out in October, Food Matters thrives “through experiencing, discussing, growing, selling and cooking good food.” Food Matters is an exciting and rewarding program that anyone can join or support.
Street harassment is a toxic practice that unfortunately plagues our society and has the potential to escalate to more serious and criminal matters. Not everyone is guilty of it, but every woman experiences it in some way or another in her lifetime. Something as innocent as walking down the street has become a cause for anxiety and fear.
The nationwide battle for marriage equality has certainly triumphed in waves of victory in federal courts throughout the past couple of weeks and the possibility that Ohio may be among the next to achieve that equality is not out of the question.
Celebrity activists typically focus on a specific cause that benefits a brand of hardship among humans, but some activists take their fight and attention to a global scale.
While the reward of activism is, more often than not, the success of one’s efforts to help others, great honors still exist to bring the accomplishments of activists of all ages and backgrounds to the eyes of the world. The 2014 Nobel Peace Prizes were awarded in Oslo, Norway this past Friday, and one of this year’s winners was my hero, Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan. The second honor went to Kailash Satyarthi, who has been an activist from India for over three decades. Both winners were awarded based on their activism for children’s freedom and educational rights around the world and in their respective nations.
Countless activists devote their lives to helping others and giving a voice to those without, so how could we forget about our furry, four-legged friends? Celebrity animal activists strive to make a difference in the lives of shelter animals every day, and as much can be said for the men and women of local animal shelters here in Athens.Actor Ian Somerhalder (popularly known as Damon Salvatore in the television series, The Vampire Diaries), spurred by his love for animals and the planet, established the Ian Somerhalder Foundation in 2010. Despite his acting schedule, Somerhalder has taken his role in the foundation seriously, speaking on the foundation’s behalf about topics ranging from animal activism to climate change. The foundation aims cover a spectrum of goals that focus on the betterment of life for at-risk animals and the environment by supporting green energy and global conservation. They also strive to establish awareness of deforestation and its effects, the eradication of shelters that dispose of unadopted animals, and the care of abused or neglected animals.The Foundation believes that everything on Earth is interconnected and interdependent, which is why the foundation does not discriminate what they support. It has greatly expanded since its inception four years ago. Somerhalder recently released a statement announcing the foundation’s plans to introduce the ISF Sanctuary Project, a plan to purchase a large chunk of land to be used as a sanctuary for wildlife.The beauty of animal activism is that anyone can help. Athens County has several shelters that host charity events every year. Last Saturday, OU’s Alpha Phi Omega fraternity hosted their annual charity walk, Friends of the Shelter Dogs 5k. The walk took place in TailGreat Park Saturday morning. The Friends of the Shelter Dogs volunteer group will also host a “Purses for Pooches” event at Market on State, East State Street on Saturday, Nov. 1 from 6-11 p.m. to further fund the program.I have been wishing to get involved with local volunteer work ever since I moved to Athens, and volunteering for shelter animals has been a perfect fit for me. As a life-long animal lover and a five-year vegetarian, I would do anything to get adoptable animals into good homes. I plan on devoting any time I can volunteering with shelter animals in the area. Luckily, the Athens Humane Society has several opportunities for students to give back in a variety of ways. I look forward to helping these animals find good homes and live better lives, and I hope more people will join me.Jordan Williams is a junior studying English and Women’s and Gender studies. Email her at jw719111@ohio.edu.
United Nations ambassador and Brown University graduate Emma Watson (known by many of us as Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter films) lit up news feeds recently with her Sept. 20 speech promoting the launch of her HeForShe campaign. The campaign invites men to voice their support for feminism and contribute to the eradication of violence against females and the dismissal of oppressive gender roles. HeForShe has already received a huge wave of support, with an array of men worldwide making pledges on the campaign’s website.The arrival of HeForShe brings about the dreaded question I face at least once a semester as a Women’s and Gender Studies major: can men be feminists? My gut reaction is always yes, but there is always the debate that men will never fully be able to understand what women experience in a lifetime. Watson addressed the misconception when she explained how men are also affected by gender stereotypes. She said men are often valued as lesser parents and suffer from personal struggle when they feel they are not meeting the ideals of how a man should act. Furthermore, why would anyone reject that application when feminism is just as vital as ever? If you are willing to support every human being, then welcome aboard, my friend! That’s the beauty of feminism; it is not just for one group, and anyone can become a part of it to make life better for everyone.Ohio University is infallibly on track to promote gender equality on campus, and the action has continued in a big way over the past few weeks. The Ohio University Women’s Center hosts an event called “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” which calls upon male volunteers to wear a pair of women’s shoes and walk a mile on campus “to raise awareness about the role men play in preventing sexual assault.” This year’s walk will take place on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 12 p.m.Emma Watson has been one of my favorite people in the universe for more than a decade, and I could not be more thrilled that she is using her visibility in the media to educate people and bring about some much-needed change. Watson’s speech has already proven to be a great step forward for feminism. Even under the cloud of online threats and harassment aimed at Watson for her activism, the campaign has grown stronger by the day. Watson has accomplished her goal of educating the world through her position in the United Nations and raise awareness of the importance of the movement for both men and women around the world. As Watson said during her speech, “It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals. We should stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by who we are. We can all be freer and this is what HeForShe is about. It’s about freedom.”
Solutions by The State News