TONIGHT! Independent Lens, the documentary series on PBS, will present the broadcast premiere of a powerful new film called Pushing the Elephant. Directed by Beth Davenport and Elizabeth Mandel, the film follows the life of Rose Mapendo many years after the civil war that engulfed the Democratic Republic of Congo. The summary of the film [...]

March 29, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: Arts Engine, Congo, genocide, Ishita Srivastava, pbs, Pushing the Elephant, war | Comments Off

Great news! Breakthrough will be at this year’s National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR)! Our very own Multimedia Manager, Crissy Spivey, will be giving a presentation at the largest conference dedicated to media, democracy and technology in the panel titled- Pop Culture Warriors: How Online Fan Communities Are Organizing to Save the World. The NCMR, [...]

March 24, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: b-listed, Boston, breakthrough, breakthrough beat, Crissy Spivey, Media, Nancy Pelosi, NCMR, Sarah Jones, Twitter | Comments Off

From our Restore Fairness blog: In the early hours of March 12, a bus ferrying passengers from the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut met with a horrific accident on the I-95 expressway in the Bronx, en route to Chinatown in Manhattan. The crash killed 15 of the passengers onboard, and the driver was later accused of being [...]

March 24, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: American Immigration Lawyers Association, anti-immigrant bills, Arizona, b-listed, Bill Wright, breakthrough, bus crash, children, Chinese American, comprehensive immigration reform, culture shockers, Emily Ruiz, human rights, immigration, Jeanne A. Butterfield, Mohegan Sun casino, New York City, new york times, SB1070, undocumented immigrant, Wang Jianhua | Comments Off

Today, the ‘It Gets Better Project’ is officially launching their book It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living.   The org, started by Dan Savage and partner Terry Miller, was in response to the spate of suicides in 2010 by gay teens who were facing continued harassment.  According to the [...]

March 22, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: b-listed, because we found it, Billy Lucas, blisted, breakthrough, Bullying, cyber bullying, Dan Savage, Gay, gay teenagers, harassment, High school bullying, homophobia, human rights, It Gets Better, It Gets Better project, lesbian, lgbt, LGBT youth, LGBTQ, MTV, new york times, teenage suicides, teens, transgender, Tyler Clementi, You Tube, youth | Comments Off

On this, the 250th St. Patrick’s Day in the United States, we look at the symbolism of the holiday and its tremendous significance in current debates around immigration and civil rights in America. While the inclusiveness of the parade has come a long way since it first started, this year the New York City parade [...]

March 17, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: b-listed, b-the change, breakthrough, immigration, immigration reform, Ireland, Irish American, lgbt, New York City, Sunnyside, Woodside | Comments Off

Believe it or not, there are STILL some skeptics out there that doubt the success and importance of using social media to further a cause.  Yes, they exist.  We didn’t believe it either!  Some have argued that online activism often leads to citizens aligning with groups or communities of like-minded individuals, what is called the [...]

March 16, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: b-listed, because we found it, breakthrough, civic engagement, digital media, education, internet, social media, youth, Youth & Participatory Politics, YPP | Comments Off

The devastating magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that rocked Japan on March 11 has left the country and its people in dire need of the world’s help. As the search and rescue efforts yield little results, and some of the country’s nuclear power plants are at serious risk of meltdown, governments and institutions across [...]

March 14, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: b-listed, breakthrough, earthquake, earthquake relief, Facebook, guide to, homepage, Japan, Lady Gaga, New York City, Red Cross, tsunami | Comments Off

Breakthrough’s I AM THIS LAND contest called on people to make a video on diversity to celebrate our differences.  We spoke to the first runner up, Genevieve Lin, who made the video What Are You? that teaches us to “see that diversity is not about having cookie-cutter identities.” b-listed: Tell us about yourself?/ Your video [...]

March 9, 2011 by crissy spivey | Tags: b-side chat, breakthrough, I AM THIS LAND | Comments Off

Happy 100th annual International Women’s Day! As part of our call to men and boys and communities all over the world to take a stand against domestic violence, Breakthrough welcomed the US Ambassador to India, Timothy Roemer, to “ring the bell” with us at our Bell Bajao van in New Delhi. We hope that he [...]

March 8, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: b-listed, Bell Bajao, breakthrough, breakthrough beat, Ring the Bell, Timothy Roemer, youtube | Comments Off

(DRUMROLL PLEASE…) The judges have spoken! We’re pleased to announce that the winner for the I AM THIS LAND contest on diversity is Role Call! Role Call was created by a team of students and alumni from Flushing International High School (FIHS) in Queens, New York under the supervision of FIHS Media Arts Teacher, Dillon [...]

March 1, 2011 by crissy spivey | Tags: breakthrough beat, contest, contest winners, diversity, FIHS, Flushing International High School, I AM THIS LAND, NY, Queens, Role Call, video | 1 Comment »