Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Tamara Oyola Santiago

WHO @who.int · 13d

📢 Access to medical abortion saves lives.

The medications used – #mifepristone and #misoprostol - are included on WHO’s list of Essential Medicines.

🔗 bit.ly/3OynjiA

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Zinn Education Project @zinnedproject.bsky.social · 14d

"Let me emphasize that justice for me is not the issue I am addressing here; it is justice for my people that is at stake. When my people receive justice, I am sure that I will receive it, too." -- Assata Shakur (7/16/1947 – 9/25/2025) 💔 @democracynow.org ⬇️ 🧵
www.democracynow.org/2025/9/26/bl...

Black Liberation Activist Assata Shakur, 78, Dies in Cuba After Decades in Exile

The Cuban government has announced Assata Shakur died in Havana on Thursday at the age of 78. Shakur was a legendary figure within the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army.

www.democracynow.org

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ProPublica @propublica.org · 17d

In 2020, we mapped out the danger zones that will close in on Americans over the next 30 years — combining climate data with wildfire projections by US Forest Service researchers and others.

See what changes are in store for your county 👇

New Climate Maps Show a Transformed United States

According to new data analyzed by ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine, warming temperatures, rising seas and changing rainfall will profoundly reshape the way people have lived in North America...

projects.propublica.org

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┗━━━⊱ ꀤꈤꀸꀤꂦ ⊰━━━┛ @indioborinquen.bsky.social · 17d

El Grito de Lares (1868) A demand to end Spanish colonial rule and slavery in Puerto Rico. From Lares to Utuado to Ponce, the spirit of rebellion carried on. Our history is written in courage, not chains. ✊🏽
\\

#ElGritoDeLares #PuertoRicoLibre #Utuado #Ponce #Boriken

Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio @rlmartstudio.bsky.social · 17d

El Grito de Lares, a pro independence uprising in Puerto Rican seeks to end Spanish colonial rule and slavery. 1868.

Poster used here: www.rlmartstudio.com/product/beta...

A black and white portrait in a scratchboard style, with many small markings making up larger textures. The portrait is of Ramon Emeterio Betances, a Puerto Rican with a long beard and sideburns, a mustache and bushy hair, wearing a suit coat and facing forward and to the right while sitting in a tall-backed chair. In his left hand, held up to face the viewer, is a quote in large brown letters: "Y que les pasa a los puertoriquenos que no se rebelan?" In his other hand, he holds another sheet of paper, this one with an eagle and the green and red letters "PROMESA a los butres" - the "S" is a dollar sign. Under the eagle in small letters it says "por tio Sam" - referencing the venture-capitalist friendly PROMESA bill in the US Congress.

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Alicia Ault @aliciaault.bsky.social · 18d

“She was flat-out brilliant,” Professor Dasgupta said in an interview. “She identified problems in the system and could frame injustices in truly amazing ways.”

@nabarund.bsky.social

#Psychsky #harmreduction

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 18d

Louise Vincent, a heroin addict who overcame multiple overdoses, the amputation of her leg and her daughter’s death from opioids to help lead a movement promoting expanded access to needle exchanges, naloxone and other methods of reducing harm to drug users, died last month at 49.

Louise Vincent, Addict Who Led Harm Reduction Movement, Dies at 49

She was instrumental in helping promote wider use of needle exchanges, naloxone and tests to assist drug users in identifying dangerous ingredients.

nyti.ms

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Zinn Education Project @zinnedproject.bsky.social · 18d

#tdih 1968 The Young Lords were established in Chicago to fight gentrification, police brutality, racism, and more.

Watch doc "Takeover: How We Occupied a Hospital and Changed . . . "⬇️

Read "The Young Lords: A Radical History" by @jfernandez1202.bsky.social

www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/yo...

Sept. 23, 1968: Young Lords Founded

The Young Lords were established in Chicago, Illinois in 1968, led by a street activist named Cha Cha Jiménez, who organized the group to fight local gentrification, police brutality, and racism.

www.zinnedproject.org

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Kitsafebcn @kitsafebcn.bsky.social · 18d

🚨 Se publica un nuevo informe del Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (UNDP), donde la ONU Critica directamente la “guerra contra las dr0g4s” y analiza los riesgos y oportunidades de transitar hacia la regulación.

🔗 Lee el informe completo: lc.cx/PXZXtW

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NPR @npr.org · 23d

The head of an independent United Nations commission that concludes Israel has committed genocide in Gaza argues that countries supplying weapons to Israel, like the United States, are also complicit.

Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, a UN inquiry finds

The head of an independent United Nations commission that concludes Israel has committed genocide in Gaza argues that countries supplying weapons to Israel, like the United States, are also complicit.

n.pr

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Democracy Now! @democracynow.org · 24d

Bishop William J. Barber II responds to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

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Bronx Móvil @bronxmovil.bsky.social · 28d

Join us!

Visual AIDS presents:
Harm Reduction Today- Needle Exchange, Abolition, and Sex Parties, Oh MY!!

MoMA PS1
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 4:00pm–5:30pm

#harmreduction
#drugsky
@vocal-ny.bsky.social
@jawanza.bsky.social
@flordepascua.bsky.social
(See alt text for description of event)

Visual AIDS |

Upcoming Event
Harm Reduction Today: Needle Exchange, Abolition, and Sex Parties, Oh MY!!

MoMA PS1
Date:
Saturday, September 27, 2025 from 4:00pm–5:30pm
https://share.google/bgHD3QtcgzUWf9v20

In tandem with Love Rules: The Harm Reduction Archives of Heather Edney and Richard Berkowitz, our current exhibition at MoMA PS1, Visual AIDS presents a conversation exploring the landscape of harm reduction today — from Mpox, PrEP, and sex parties to Narcan, fentanyl, and the enduring value of community-based outreach efforts.

Tickets are not required to attend. MoMA PS1 is free for all New Yorkers.

Following the tradition of safe sex and safer drug use practices championed by harm reduction activists such as Heathey Edney and Richard Berkowitz, this program will bring together three individuals applying harm reduction strategies in their work. Harm reductionist Tamara Oyola-Santiago, co-founder of Bronx Móvil, will recount her work as a public health educator implementing syringe exchange programs. Organizer Jawanza James Williams, of VOCAL-NY, will discuss harm reduction as it intersects with housing justice and abolition. Filmmaker/curator Adam Baran, co-producer of HOW TO HAVE SEX IN A PANDEMIC and an organizer of monthly sex parties in Brooklyn, will share practices to support collective sexual health care. This panel will celebrate the final weeks of Love Rules by reflecting on what has and hasn't changed since the early days of safe sex and safe injection practices.

Following the discussion, visitors are welcome to explore the exhibition and converse with the panelists.

Love Rules: The Harm Reduction Archives of Heather Edney and Richard Berkowitz is on view at MoMA PS1 from April 24 to October 6.

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André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · Sep 10

‘Who wouldn’t want pure cocaine?’ -- A radical plan in Vancouver to prevent overdoses with better drugs. If so many people are self-medicating, why not give them the clean stuff? by PE Moskowitz www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i... via @theguardian.com #HarmReduction #SaferSupply

‘Who wouldn’t want pure cocaine?’: the radical plan to prevent overdoses with better drugs

Vancouver’s Drug User Liberation Front believes we shouldn’t blame users for the ills of capitalism: if so many people are self-medicating, why not give them the clean stuff?

www.theguardian.com

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Deb Houry @drdebhoury.bsky.social · Sep 6

3 former Surgeon Generals issue a warning: "The CDC is more than just an agency. It is the cornerstone of public health... The recent turbulence at the CDC threatens to undermine this legacy, and we feel this is not just a bureaucratic or political issue. It’s truly a matter of life and death."

Surgeons general warning: CDC saves lives. It's up to us to save public health. | Opinion

As surgeons general, we took an oath to protect Americans. It includes speaking up when public health is in danger. We see that danger now at the CDC.

www.usatoday.com

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God @thegodpodcast.com · Aug 31

Thou shalt not end vaccines. God will not save you from plague. The Middle Ages should’ve made that very clear.

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Bronx Móvil @bronxmovil.bsky.social · Aug 27

Nuestra campaña Narcanazo es creada y liderada por la comunidad. Nos movilizamos porque salvar vidas en la crisis de opioides requiere diálogo, acceso a la naloxona y promoción de la salud.

Un Solo Pueblo
Un Solo Propósito
Salvar Vidas con Narcanazo

#drugsky
#harmreduction

Image in color. Three hands raised, centering intranasal naloxone.

Our Narcanazo campaign is community created and led. We mobilize across New York City because saving lives in the opioid crisis requires dialogue, naloxone access and health promotion. Narcanazo is about people who care and will act as empowered upstanders.

Text reads in Spanish:
One People
One Purpose
Saving Lives with Narcanazo

¡Pálante!

Art by Uma Santiago

Black and White image of other image in this post.

Three hands raíces centering intranasal naloxons.

#naloxonesaveslives
#narcanazo
#lanaloxonasalvavidas
#elpueblounidojamásserávencido
#lasaludenlascalles
#healthonthestreets
#harmreductionsaveslives
#lareduccióndedañossalvavidas
#bronxmóvil
#endthestigma
#finalestigma
#endthedrugwar
#finalaguerracontralasdrogas

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karen ward @kwardvancouver.bsky.social · Aug 27

people are dying from drug policy, which governments can change.

the relentless messaging that this is addiction and trauma and individuals is preventing all of us from confronting the overwhelming horror of this and seeing it as systemic violence for which the only solution is systemic change.

CTV News Vancouver @ctvnewsvancouver.bsky.social · Aug 27

Deaths of despair: Gabor Maté urges empathy during B.C.’s toxic drug crisis

He’s a best-selling author with millions of people around the world watching his TED Talks and interviews, but Dr. Gabor Maté still calls Vancouver home and wants his fellow British Columbians to educate themselves about the many factors leading to drug use and what he calls “deaths of despair.”

bit.ly

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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · Aug 8

mRNA vaccines can be modified and produced cheaply and quickly. This doesn't only help us respond to pandemics better, it enables researchers to rapidly test different treatment strategies for many diseases such as cancer. Cutting mRNA funding slows all of health research and makes us all sicker.

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George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · Aug 1

Thank you, Sen. Schiff, for staying focused and seeking always to hold him accountable.

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Bronx Móvil @bronxmovil.bsky.social · Jul 31

Harm reduction saves lives. Naloxone saves lives. Syringe exchange saves lives. Overdose prevention centers save lives. People who use drugs are lifesavers; they are first responders. Testing strips save lives. Knowledge is power.

Naloxone kit hanging from train line in Kensington, Philadelphia. 2022

Empaque de naloxona guindando de poste del tren en Kensington, Philadelphia. 2022.

Below is translation of main post: La reducción de daños salva vidas. La naloxona salva vidas. El intercambio de jeringuillas salva vidas. Los centros de prevención de sobredosis salvan vidas. Las personas que consumen drogas salvan vidas, son personal de primera respuesta. Las tiras reactivas salvan vidas. El conocimiento es poder.

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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · Jul 30

For the millionth time, health and scientific research are inherently political. This administration isn't reducing "ideological research," it is choosing to focus on ideological policies that make billionaires even richer and everyone else sicker.

NIH director says cuts aim to reduce ‘ideological research,’ focus on health
Some scientists say that the Trump administration has forced the NIH “to politicize research” with cuts to research on health disparities and gender identity. Jay Bhattacharya says he aims to focus on chronic diseases, but he faces criticism over funding freezes.

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Liz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social · Jul 30

Dismantling Public Health Infrastructure, Endangering American Lives | New England Journal of Medicine www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Dismantling Public Health Infrastructure, Endangering American Lives | NEJM

The extreme reductions that the Trump administration is making at the vital, mission-driven Centers for Disease Control and Prevention amount to unilateral disarmament against health hazards.

www.nejm.org

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Bronx Móvil @bronxmovil.bsky.social · Jul 30

Lean esta historia de Iniciativa Comunitaria y su proyecto de cuarto de inyección más segura.

La reducción de daños en Puerto Rico nace formalmente con @iniciativapr (Instagram).

¡Gracias por ser ejemplo de liderazgo y modelo a seguir!

#HarmReduction
#DrugSky
#PuertoRico
#overdoseprevention

Photograph from Instagram post by Iniciativa Comunitaria with text that reads:
Puerto Rico's harm reduction starts with Iniciativa Comunitaria and Dr. Chaco Vargas Vidot.

Harm reduction by and for PWID is historic and unrecorded. From work in hospitalillos and encampments, Puerto Rican harm reduction is Everywhere.

In 2002 Iniciativa opened an overdose prevention center.

All over the world there have been MANY safer consumption facilities led by and organized by PWID.

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Corey Ranger @nurseranger.bsky.social · Jul 28

This Order apparently will gut both #HousingFirst, and #HarmReduction.

The intentional framing of Housing First as “deprioritize[d] accountability” and Harm Reduction as “only facilitate illegal drug use and its attendant harm” is chillingly anti-science and dangerous.

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ProPublica @propublica.org · Jul 26

ProPublica spoke to about 150 people who had lived in homeless encampments when cities cleared them out in “sweeps.”

We distributed notecards so people could tell us about the toll in their own words.

➡️ This is what they wrote: projects.propublica.org/impact-of-ho...

Handwritten notecard. Prompt at the top asks: What object was most devastating for you to lose, and how have you been coping? Answer below: Dentures. Were thrown away and coping isn't somthing I can do. It’s made me feel ugly, unworthy, can’t go get a job with no teeth. So how can get off the streets until another pair can be made?

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APHA @apha.org · Jul 7

APHA and other leading health and medical organizations filed a lawsuit against HHS/Secretary Kennedy for unlawful changes to vaccine policy. We refuse to stand by while America’s public health safeguards are torn apart. www.apha.org/news-and-med...

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EcoTienda La Chiwinha @lachiwinha.bsky.social · Jul 5

Defendamos el Escambron!

Documental sobre la defensa del espacio público ante la privatización de esta playa en Puerto Rico 🇵🇷

youtu.be/zeKcInKTGXQ?...

Defendamos el Escambrón - documental 22 min.

YouTube video by Sonia Fritz

youtu.be

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