A day in the life...of a refugee camp

Imagine quickly leaving home because of a sudden catastrophe or conflict, not knowing if you would ever be back.

Where would you go? What would you bring? What would you do for food and water? And what if you or a family member got sick?

Few Chicagoans can relate to the experience of displaced persons or refugees, yet every year millions are forced from their homes around the world. Many spend time in refugee camps, where they receive basic services and remain relatively safe.

To help understand the plight of refugees, Doctors Without Borders created a traveling exhibit, which is staffed by aid workers who lead tours and answer questions. Visitors glimpse life in a crowded tent with limited water and makeshift facilities.

"People can put themselves in the mentality of a refugee," said tour guide nurse Lisa Pint, a former aid worker in Sudan, who works at Rush University Medical Center in suburban Chicago.
Full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-refugee-camp

Beach clean-up: Chicago & 'round the world

Beaches around the world received a makeover over the weekend as volunteers gathered with gloves and garbage bags to clean up trash and debris.

Besides cleaning up items that could pollute or harm wildlife, organizers of the annual event hope to inspire people to stay involved in their local waterways.

On Chicago's North Side, about 200 people signed up to lend a hand at Montrose Beach, including teachers and students from several area high schools, families with children of all ages and members of local environmental groups, such as Sierra Club and the Alliance for the Great Lakes.

For full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/beach-clean-up-day-chicago-and-round-the-world

Locals Raise Voices for "Jena 6"

A racially charged case against six black high school students from a small town in Louisiana struck a nerve 900 miles away in Chicago. Last weekend, about 50 people gathered downtown for a march and rally on behalf of the young men known as the "Jena Six."

In September 2006, several black students sat under a shade tree popular with white students at a Louisiana high school. The next day several nooses hung from the tree and, from there, a series of conflicts erupted in the 3,000-person town of Jena.

After allegedly beating up a white student who reportedly taunted them, six black students were arrested in December and charged with attempted murder. The white student suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from a hospital the same day.

Several black students are still in jail, unable to make bond. All six face possible sentences of 15 to 100 years. Civil rights leaders, including Jesse Jackson Sr. and Al Sharpton, have come to the defense of the young men, and the NAACP says the teens are facing "overly aggressive prosecution and extended incarceration."

"We are trying to take a stand for these kids," said Tanisha Wilkerson, who first heard about the case on Democracy Now and helped organize the Chicago rally. "Why the hell are they being charged for attempted murder?"

Full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/local-voices-raised-to-defend-the-jena-six-in-louisiana