Jennifer takes a look at a the book, Voices Of Protest: Documents of Courage and Dissent.
Voices of Protest carries the reader through a whirlwind tour of protests across the world and throughout history. It vividly frames the importance of protest in democratic societies, presenting approximately 300 documents- essays, letters, newspaper articles, court decisions, song lyrics, poetry, cartoons, and more- that represent seven main categories of protest: Civil Rights; National Self- Determination; Economic Justice; Environmental Conservation; Religious Freedom and Morality; Peace and War; and International Political Freedoms. A small sampling of the entries includes Seneca Falls Declaration of Women’s Rights; Fidel Castro’s anti- American writings protesting cultural domination; John Muir’s essay "The American Forests"; and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s letter from a Birmingham jail. The editors have framed the documents with concise original commentary that places each selection in a political, historical, and social context. The book is a rousing confirmation that individual and community action matters and has had great influence in shaping global society today.