Breakthrough

The media team has been hangin’ at Internet Week NY this...

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:40:29 -0400

The media team has been hangin’ at Internet Week NY this week, learning about crazy tech stuff ranging from baseball to drones. We’ve been having a blast- can you tell!? -Dana

Breakthrough at Mount Holyoke College annual commencement

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:33:00 -0400

This past weekend, Mallika attended Mount Holyoke College’s 176th annual commencement where Kavita N. Ramdas addressed 600 bright young graduates. In her beautiful commencement speech, Kavita highlighted why we need the work of compassionate and passionate uncommon women to lead a world free of violence.

Here’s an excerpt from her inspiring address:

“As we walked in memory of a 23-year-old who died with an iron rod rammed hard inside her body, I turned in quiet despair to the young man walking beside me and asked, “Tell me, why are you here? Why are all these men here? You are the ones who do this to women and to other men everywhere. Why the bloodthirsty calls for the death penalty? Why, why, why?”

He turned to me, his face somber and serious. “Ma’am, I know you may not believe me, but I was totally shaken by this experience. Nirbhaya was not alone in being abused—her male friend was beaten brutally, stripped, and thrown out of the bus along with her. He was a victim, too, and he survived to tell us what happened. For years men have thought that rape is a “woman’s issue” and that it has nothing to do with us. This incident has made us wake up and pay attention, and we are asking what is our role as men in addressing this ugly side of ourselves and of the society we dominate.” I looked around me—there were so many young men walking with their sisters, with their girlfriends, with their moms. It was different than in ’83. “We need the help of women, ma’am,” he went on. “This is a confusing time for us, and we need to think what does it mean to be a man and what is it we expect of ourselves. Maybe if we work on this together, we can make it right.

His words echoed in my ears a few months later, when I celebrated International Women’s Day with MHC grad and good friend, Mallika Dutt, as Breakthrough launched the One Million Men—One Million Promises: Bell Bajao campaign in New York. There, Captain Jean Luc Picard, aka Patrick Stewart [described being] a survivor and silent witness to domestic violence. On the verge of tears, he said, “No child should have to grow up as I did—knowing the exact moment at which to fling themselves across the room to come between their father’s fist and their mother’s body.” Who helped Patrick Stewart find the courage to come out in front of a global audience on the issue of domestic violence? One of our own—a 1983 MOHO! Yes, I will assert—it matters. An MHC education—a women’s college education—a liberal arts education matters. It may matter more today than it ever has in the history of our world.”

Full text of Mount Holyoke College’s 176th annual commencement address.

- Nadia

Lynn and Marc just came back from their trip to...

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:02:18 -0400

Lynn and Marc just came back from their trip to Breakthrough’s India office and they brought back totally awesome colorful swag!

- Nadia

thinkmexican: Over the Line Why are U.S. Border Patrol agents...

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:35:40 -0400

thinkmexican:

Over the Line

Why are U.S. Border Patrol agents shooting into Mexico and killing innocent civilians?

By John Carlos Frey

Until moments before U.S. Border Patrol agents shot him dead on the night of October 10, 2012, Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez had passed a pleasant evening in his hometown of Nogales, Mexico. He had visited his girlfriend, Luz, and watched television with her family; at around eleven o’clock, he asked Luz if she wanted to join him in his nightly routine of grabbing a hot dog at the convenience store where his brother worked. When she declined, he set out alone on the five-minute walk down International Avenue.

At about the same time, right across the border, a Nogales, Arizona, police officer named Quinardo Garcia responded to a call about “suspicious subjects” running south toward the fourteen-foot wall that divides the two towns. At 11:19 p.m., Border Patrol agents, including K-9 Officer John Zuniga, arrived as backup.

“I passed Officer Garcia’s patrol vehicle and I saw two male subjects climbing the international fence and were trying to get over to the country of Mexico,” Zuniga wrote in his report. “I gave them numerous commands to climb down.… I then decided to deploy my assigned canine, Tesko, and hold him on a leash and secure the area in case the male subjects climbed down. Moments later, additional Border Patrol Agents arrived on the scene.”

The two Mexican men were carrying large backpacks, according to the police report. Garcia and Zuniga stated that they presumed the packs contained illegal narcotics and that the two men were trying to evade capture. “I then heard several rocks start hitting the ground and I looked up and I could see the rocks flying through the air,” Zuniga’s account continues. “As I tried to get cover between a brick wall and small dirt hill, I heard an agent say, ‘Hey your canine’s been hit! Your canine’s been hit!’ ”

Border Patrol agents responded by opening fire across the border into the dark streets of Nogales, Mexico. No agents or officers claimed they’d been struck by rocks—the dog was the only one hit. By the time the agents were done firing, Jose Antonio had received two bullets to the back of the head; at least six more bullets entered the back of his body after he fell to the ground.

He landed facedown on the sidewalk, and died there, outside a small clinic whose sign read “Emergencias Medicas.” He was unarmed, according to the Nogales, Mexico, police report. Border Patrol officials, as of this writing, have declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation by the FBI, which has also declined to comment.

Read More at the Washington Monthly

Photo: Ernestina Santillan stands on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, where her son, Juan Pablo, was shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents last July. Credit: John Carlos Frey.

We hit the streets of NYC this May Day to raise our voices for...

Fri, 03 May 2013 13:53:00 -0400

We hit the streets of NYC this May Day to raise our voices for worker’s rights and immigrant rights, and met some amazingly awesome people. How did you celebrate? -Dana & Nadia

Happy May Day all! Time to take it to the streets. See you...

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:57:00 -0400

Happy May Day all! Time to take it to the streets. See you there?

Here’s Mallika with Alex at the North Star Fund annual...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:18:46 -0400

Here’s Mallika with Alex at the North Star Fund annual gala last night where she was honored for her more than 30 years of work of advancing human rights for women and girls.

-Nadia

Here’s Mallika warming up to receive her award tonight...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:13:04 -0400

Here’s Mallika warming up to receive her award tonight from @northstarfund!

With developments in Boston getting more & more frightening,...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:34:28 -0400

With developments in Boston getting more & more frightening, it’s even more important for all of us to take action to end the violence and the hate. Our hearts are with you, Boston.

We’re excited about this new street art campaign in...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:32:56 -0400

We’re excited about this new street art campaign in Egypt! Local cultural manager Angie Balata and Swedish journalist Mia Grondahl came together to launch “Women on Walls” or WOW, a dynamic street art project opening this Friday in downtown Cairo. Throughout April the collective of more than 30 local artists will bring street art to four major cities in Egypt - Luxor, Mansoura, Cairo and Alexandria - to spread their message of women’s empowerment through a graffiti campaign.

We couldn’t resist #freeconeday on the first real spring...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:20:00 -0400

We couldn’t resist #freeconeday on the first real spring day in New York City. Oh, and doing some taste testing for the soon-to-be Breakthrough Brownie Chunk flavor! -Dana, Ishita, and Nadia

stidda-bedda: “Chiddu chi fa beddu u disertu,” rissi u...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:23:26 -0400

stidda-bedda:

“Chiddu chi fa beddu u disertu,” rissi u principinu, “è c’ammuccia ‘n puzzu a quarchi banna.”

“What makes the desert beautiful,” says the little prince, “is that somewhere it hides a well.”

Quote from The Little Prince, or, U Principinu, in Sicilian.

days-turn-to-night: Espacios Abatidos (Depressed Spaces) by...

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 15:42:37 -0400

days-turn-to-night:

Espacios Abatidos (Depressed Spaces) by Julio César Barrita Sierra

Portraits of families split by migration.

Morpheus wouldn’t lead you astray- make your promise to...

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:04:45 -0400

Morpheus wouldn’t lead you astray- make your promise to end violence against women today. www.breakthrough.tv/ringthebell

practiceinpublic: Family

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:36:50 -0400

practiceinpublic:

Family

Yum! We are drooling over these delicious goodies Alex...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:09:00 -0400

Yum! We are drooling over these delicious goodies Alex home-baked from scratch to celebrate two very important birthdays in the office this week: Mallika, our president and Ishita, our multimedia producer.

-Nadia

Undocumented & Unafraid: No, Migration Is Not Beautiful

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:31:00 -0400

Undocumented & Unafraid: No, Migration Is Not Beautiful:

theangy:

there is nothing beautiful

about a mother or father having to leave their family behind to find work else where.

about immigrants dying while trying to cross the border into a country that still wont respect them

about people being raped, killed or robbed while crossing the border

about people being raped, killed or abused in detention centers

…

Chicago-based artist Nick Cave’s colorful dancing horses in...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:40:00 -0400

Chicago-based artist Nick Cave’s colorful dancing horses in Vanderbilt Hall at the Grand Central Terminal. The 30 life-sized horses are part of “Heard NY” by Creative Time and MTA Arts for Transit, a series of events celebrating Grand Central’s 100th anniversary.

- Nadia

Alex, Reshma, Ishita and I went over to the Grand Central...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:36:00 -0400

Alex, Reshma, Ishita and I went over to the Grand Central Terminal this afternoon to check out Nick Cave’s amazing and colorful dancing horses in Vanderbilt Hall at the Grand Central Terminal.

- Nadia

People from 137 different countries have rung the bell against...

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:38:46 -0400

People from 137 different countries have rung the bell against violence in just 2 weeks, since our campaign launch! Join them and add your voice