We hate bullies and we hate bigots so when OLB was asked to convene to help a young group of LBGTQ+ students and citizens in Madison, WI, we didn’t hesitate. The Light Brigades have been around for a while now, almost twelve years, and the lighted panels needed some TLC to spark ‘em up, but … Continue reading We Hate Bullies & We Hate Bigots
In 2014, the Milwaukee Water Commons began what was to become their annual celebration of water, “We Are Water” – an event that takes place in August on the shore of Lake Michigan. On the evening of Sunday, August 14, OLB joined the celebration of water set at the South Shore Park Beach. “Somos Agua,” … Continue reading Water Unites Us
It is an odd sense of deja vu. Hundreds of people pack the hearing room in the Wisconsin State Capitol throughout the day. Mostly, the GOP legislators look bored, play Candy Crush on their laptops, smirk from time to time at the heartfelt testimonials pouring forth from citizen after citizen. Their indifference always makes us want … Continue reading The Subversion of Democracy
Even with snow predicted, we knew that we would get Holders of the Light to come out last night in order to display a message against the stranglehold regarding access to high-power military-grade weaponry that the NRA has on this country. We don’t need here to outline the absolute lunacy of a society devouring itself, … Continue reading Disarm the NRA
Light Brigade actions take on their meaning from the context of people and places. The Overpass Light Brigade – San Diego continues to create vivid and powerful visual messages at the nation’s southern border, on local overpasses, and recently by adding to a famous Bruce Nauman piece of public art on the UCSD campus, which illuminates … Continue reading Overpass Light Brigade – San Diego: Context is Everything!
Driving up highway 13 the other night, just north of Washburn, WI, you might have seen a strange sight if you looked through the willow and dogwood and cattails and reeds towards the beach. Weird lighted letters were dancing down the coast, lining up on the sand bar where the Sioux River cuts into the … Continue reading Water People Unite: Reflections on Ice
Editor’s Note: OLB invited poet and activist Margaret Rozga to reflect on her experience in DC at the women’s march, which she attended with her daughter, Christine Groppi. The following is her account of the march, among other points of resistance and solidarity that fill her life. As a small group assembled for a recent … Continue reading Cold Feet, Warm Hearts: Reflection on Women’s March
Editor’s Note: OLB invited writer, veteran and medic Jacob Thomas to document his work with veterans who have served in the U.S. military, but were subsequently deported to Mexico. There are true American patriots in the world. There are people who believe in the principals set forth by the founding fathers, believe in the inalienable rights of … Continue reading Twice Betrayed: Deported Vets Struggle to Belong
Last night, Milo Yiannopoulos’s “Dangerous Faggot Tour” came to UW-Milwaukee, hosted by a student front group, also responsible for the somewhat lame exercise in neo-McCarthyism, the “Professor Watchlist.” For over a month, faculty, staff and students have been expressing concern about the known dynamics of Milo Y, a kind of sly and slick performance of … Continue reading Hate’s Insidious Face: UW-Milwaukee and the “Alt-Right”
Writing and above photo by Barbara With Today, Chief Arvol Looking Horse held a ceremony around the sacred fire. The purpose was to hear a report from the UN representatives who have been investigating the allegations of human rights abuses and to bless the belongings of the people who had been jailed. The UN representative, … Continue reading News From the Sacred Fire