Latin America | Peru | Activism

Peruvian Farmer Wins Monumental Battle Against U.S. Mining Giant

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Acuña’s inspiring story is proof that activists’ efforts do matter, and that even the world’s largest companies will be held to account. Peruvian activists knew they were entering a David-and-Goliath battle when they decided to shut down the creation of a $5 billion open-caste gold and copper mine next to a pristine lake, but they have so far succeeded. However, much of the community’s success in this endeavor can be credited to Maxima Acuña, a farmer who owns a 60-acre plot of land on the exact site where the giant Newmont Mining Corporation desires to dig. Earlier this yea
Africa | Uganda | Corruption

Follow the Money: How Women of Uganda Made the Corrupt Accountable

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Several months ago in Uganda's remote Kole district, a teacher at Baramindyang Primary School discovered that members of the local Parent Teacher Association had embezzled some 700,000 Ugandan shillings -- about $225 -- from the school. Appalled, the teacher managed to get her hands on a photo of the meeting at which the embezzlers allegedly committed the theft. She then gathered parents and local leaders together for a meeting and threatened to show the police the picture. In short order, the embezzlers handed the money back. That happy ending is thanks to a program of the Women of Uganda
Africa | Uganda | Activism

The Ugandan women who strip to defend their land

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A group of elderly women in a village in northern Uganda did something culturally taboo to express their anger - they began to strip. In front of two government ministers, soldiers, policemen and hundreds of people from their community, they started removing their clothes. Off came their tops - then some of the women pulled down their wrappers and skirts so they were completely naked. "Lobowa, Lobowa!" they chanted, which means "our land" in the Luo dialect. Others remained seated, but showed support by wailing in unison with with the women as they stripped. The incident, which fo
North America | United States | Corruption

Meet Marilyn Mosby, the badass prosecutor fighting for justice in Baltimore

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After only four months as Baltimore City state’s attorney, 35-year-old Marilyn Mosby was thrust into the national spotlight when she announced in a press conference Friday morning that her team had deemed Freddie Gray’s death a homicide. Somehow, after a minutes-long briefing, the Internet decided that she was the woman who would save us all. And I am so down with that. At the briefing, Mosby — who is the youngest prosecutor in any major American city — gave us some insight into her upbringing: “To the rank-and-file officers of the Baltimore City police department, please know th
Africa | Uganda | Activism

Angry women strip naked in Ugandan land dispute protest

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A long-running district border dispute in northern Uganda took a new turn when a group of elderly local women stripped naked before two visiting ministers, in protest against perceived land grabbing. Members of the local Acholi tribe fear that a government plan to draw up new boundaries between the districts of Amuru and Adjumani will be the prelude to mass evictions, as happened in 2012 when over 6,000 Acholis were evicted to make way for a game reserve. The protest led the ministers to announce a postponement of the boundary demarcation exercise pending further consultations with inter