From Breakthrough president and CEO Mallika Dutt: Like a lot of teenagers you may know, Mansimran is a basketball-loving, Starbucks-drinking, robotics-studying all-American guy. It shouldn’t surprise you that he’s funny, grounded and charming. It should surprise you that sometimes, when strangers see his turban and the color of his skin, they lean out their car [...]

January 24, 2012 by Mallika Dutt | Tags: All-American Muslim, breakthrough, Bullying, discrimination, human rights, Mallika Dutt, Mansimran, Racial Justice, racial profiling, Restore Fairness, Sikh, Starbucks | Comments Off

Meet Mansimran. He’s an all-American guy who likes Starbucks, hoops, and robotics. He’s a student, an older brother, and an active member of his Sikh religious community. Sometimes, when strangers see his turban, and the color of his skin, they lean out their car window and call him a “terrorist.” He’s not alone: especially since [...]

January 20, 2012 by crissy spivey | Tags: Bullying, discrimination, hate crimes, human rights, Mansimran, racial profiling, Religion, Restore Fairness, Sikh | Comments Off

Originally posted on our Restore Fairness site Early one morning, Maria—then nine months pregnant—and her family were stopped by the police for no discernible reason. A special breakfast outing became a nightmare—and at one of the most intimate moments of her life, Maria found a team of immigration agents—not her husband—by her side. Maria’s chilling story, which Breakthrough [...]

September 8, 2011 by crissy spivey | Tags: Arizona, b-listed, breakthrough beat, Checkpoint Nation, immigration, Mexico, Restore Fairness, Rights Working Group, SB 1070, video | Comments Off

When looking at the civil rights movement in the history of the U.S. we can see that we’ve made great strides.  But if the recent whirlwind election reforms sweeping through the country are an indication, we seem to be dangerously moving backwards on voter rights. Over the last eight months, around 13 states have passed [...]

June 14, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: Advancement Project, America 2049, b-listed, Barack Obama, breakthrough, culture shockers, democrats, early voting, EDR, election day registration, human rights, republicans, Restore Fairness, state ID, voter rights, voting rights, youth, Zooglio | Comments Off

The tragic events of September 11, 2001 also proved to be an unfortunate turning point in America’s socio-cultural dynamics. For a nation that’s built upon the principles of separating church and state, America’s multi-religious identity came to the forefront as specific groups, especially Muslims or Hindus and Sikhs (who were presumed to be Muslims), became [...]

May 31, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: 9/11, b-listed, breakthrough, Catholics, culture shockers, Facebook, Gainesville Times, ground zero, Hindus, human rights, immigration, immigration reform, Islam, Islamic Cultural Center, Islamophobia, Muslim Americans, New York City, Pigeon Forge, religious profiling, Restore Fairness, Sikhs, Southern Poverty Law Center, SPLC, The Know-Nothings | 1 Comment »

“Nothing is as sweet as self-determination.” – Zia, a character in Breakthrough‘s America 2049. This week, in Breakthrough’s Facebook game America 2049, players continue their mission in the fictional country, Independent Pueblo Nation, that has seceded from America. Players meet Zia, the Secretary of State for the Pueblo Nation, and discover the plight of the [...]

May 17, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: America 2049, american indian, b-listed, breakthrough, Chahta tribe, Cherokee, culture shockers, Facebook, human rights, I AM THIS LAND, Native Americans, Pueblo, Racism, Restore Fairness, St. Tammany Parish, The Trail of Tears, Trail of Tears Association, Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, US Census | Comments Off

Games, it turns out, imitate life — sometimes eerily so — just as history so often threatens to repeat itself. This week, Breakthrough‘s ongoing Facebook gaming event, America 2049, tackles two major issues that become linked within the narrative of the game: interracial unions and abortion. During gameplay, players encounter the story of Bonnie, a [...]

May 10, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: abortion, America 2049, b-listed, breakthrough, Center for Reproductive Rights, culture shockers, education, Facebook, H.R.3, human rights, interracial marriage, interracial union, Loving Day, Ms. Magazine, Nancy Keenan, Nancy Northup, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, PRCH, Public Policy Polling, Racism, Restore Fairness, The Loving Story, violence against women, Women, women's rights | Comments Off

On Sunday, May 1, President Obama announced the death of Al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, the notorious terrorist who spearheaded the 9/11 attacks against the U.S. While the predominant reaction from around the world has been one of relief and joy, bin Laden’s death reminds us of just how big an impact the 9/11 [...]

May 3, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: America 2049, b-listed, breakthrough, Chris Hedges, culture shockers, detention, education, Facebook, forced servitude, human rights, ICE, immigrant, immigrant workers, immigration, immigration reform, New York City, Obama, Osama bin Laden, Patriot Act, President Obama, Racism, Restore Fairness, SCPR, worker rights, youth | Comments Off

“The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don’t agree with.” – Eleanor Holmes Norton, civil rights activist and Democrat Delegate to Congress representing the District of Columbia. The freedom to disagree forms the bedrock of a thriving democratic society. Today, as we [...]

April 26, 2011 by Pulkit | Tags: AIISF, America 2049, Angel Island, Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, b-listed, breakthrough, Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Chinese immigrants, culture shockers, deportation, detention, education, Facebook, human rights, immigrant, immigration, immigration reform, Interrogation Reenactment Event, Racism, Restore Fairness, San Francisco, youth | Comments Off

In the aftermath of the shootings in Tucson, debates are raging over hate-filled rhetoric in the political sphere. According to Daniel Hernandez, the brave volunteer in Gabriel Zimmerman’s office who helped his boss amidst all the chaos: I think a lot of people are realizing that the political discourse has, for years, become completely destructive [...]

January 14, 2011 by Zebunnisa | Tags: Alto Arizona, Anti-Defamation League, Arizona, Civil Rights, Eboo patel, Gabriel Zimmerman, Harlem Gospel Choir, human rights, Jared Lee Loughner, jon stewart, Martin Luther King, Northwestern University, President Obama, Racism, Restore Fairness, The Daily Show, The Smithsonian, Tucson | Comments Off