Sharon Brisolara is a monthly Op-Ed columnist for Shasta Scout.
Societal issues emerge through a confluence of societal factors shaped by individuals. We exist in communities, we share society, and together, we make America what it is. That’s why effective solutions to the social problem of mass shootings must address the interconnected societal factors that lead to gun violence.
Put simply, finding fault is easy. Doing the work you’ve criticized, isn’t.
After losing someone she loves to suicide this fall, Sharon Brisolara reminds the community of the dangers of stigma and the power of acceptance. The words we use, including our choice to use appropriate pronouns, are powerful. Brisolara explains why.
In this era of information silos and distrust of sources that seem to offer political views different from our own, the purpose of remembrance can also be to assert that events actually happened and that they were significant.
On August 6, local Indigenous youth will share their original works as part of the film, Being Seen: Native Youth on Identity, Culture, and Justice. The project was funded through a California Humanities Youth Voices grant.
Powerful questions have been behind social innovations of all types: from Impossible Burgers to marriage equality. Below all such inquiry lies our grappling with the kind of society we want to have. Engaging in this process is fundamental to a functioning democracy.
