Coal is no longer the top source of electricity in the U.S., with renewables rapidly catching up and fossil fuels, especially natural gas, still accounting for 57.2% of electricity production.

Government involvement, through tax breaks for green energy, carbon emission charges, and pollution regulations, has been crucial in shifting energy sources.

Efforts must accelerate for the U.S. to achieve a zero-emission electric grid by the late 2020s.

The New York Power Authority’s EVolve NY network has expanded, recently introducing open-access fast-charging stations in Plattsburgh to support clean energy goals.

Latvia is looking to enhance cooperation between TRACECA, the Baltic countries, and Central Asia through active EU partnerships.

A council in Pensacola, aided by an AARP grant, purchased two tiny homes for seniors, offering minimalist, affordable housing options but facing placement limitations due to size and materials.

Research increasingly shows that switching to a plant-rich diet can greatly impact climate change mitigation.

Giza Systems in Cairo, Egypt completed a major upgrade of the Rawd El Farag water plant’s control system, supporting the country’s Vision 2030, under the oversight of the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater.

Urban development in West Point Grey faces public scrutiny and debate about future standards and community context.

British technology and partnerships, such as the new UK Agriculture Partnership, aim to address global food crises, with a special focus on food security and national resilience through domestic food production.

Virus yellows, impacting up to 50% of sugar beet yields, exemplifies the agricultural risks motivating the UK’s renewed focus on food production.

Bay Area Climate Justice recently held a vigil at a main Wells Fargo branch to raise awareness.

Coal is no longer the top source of electricity in the U.S., with renewables rapidly catching up and fossil fuels, especially natural gas, still accounting for 57.2% of electricity production.

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Content: Shifting Trends in U.S. Electricity Production: A Comprehensive Analysis

Recent statistics from the United States show a big change in where we get our electricity from. It turns out that coal is not the top source anymore. Now, renewable energies like solar and wind have taken the lead.

Major Decline of Coal and Rise of Renewables

  • In October, wind and solar energy together produced 16.8% of the US’s electricity, slightly more than coal’s 15.2%.
  • This change is a big deal because coal used to be way ahead of wind and solar.
  • From January to October this year, coal was barely ahead of wind and solar in energy production, but it’s clear that coal is losing ground.

Renewables vs. Fossil Fuels

  • Renewable energy made up 23.7% of the electricity produced in October, noticeably more than the 15.2% from coal.
  • But if you add up all the fossil fuels like natural gas, they lead with 57.2%, showing we still depend on them heavily.
  • Still, renewable energy is steadily increasing, hinting that we’re moving toward a greener future.

Analysis of 2023 Trends and Predictions

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Agency up to October gives us a good idea of the energy trends for 2023.

Stabilizing Renewable Growth and Electricity Consumption

  • Electricity production didn’t change much from last year, with demand being a little higher in October.
  • Renewable energies are catching up to coal and might even pass it by the end of the year.
  • Particularly, solar power is doing really well and now accounts for 6% of total electricity.

Hydroelectric and Nuclear Power

  • Hydroelectric production witnessed a slight decline, potentially allowing solar to surpass it among renewable sources.
  • Nuclear power remains stable, with new additions like the 1.1 Gigawatt reactor at Vogtle in Georgia.
  • Together, nuclear and renewables are closing in on accounting for 40% of U.S. electricity production, a milestone in carbon-free generation.

Opportunities and Challenges

Moving away from coal affects the economy, especially in places that rely on mining coal or coal power plants for jobs and money. On the flip side, the boom in renewable energy is sparking new tech developments and job openings in making and looking after green energy setups. There’s been great progress, but hitting a fully green energy grid isn’t easy. One big hurdle is how unpredictable renewable energy can be. To deal with this, we’re looking at things like better batteries and updating our power grids to keep our energy flow steady and sure.

Economic Implications

Rules and decisions made by the government play a big role in how quickly and where our energy systems change. Things like rewards for using renewable energy, putting a price on carbon, and rules about how much pollution is allowed are key in deciding what the energy world will look like tomorrow. The part that the US government, both at the federal and state levels, has in all this is super important.

Policy and Regulatory Landscape

The rules set by the government really steer where our energy future is headed. Things like tax breaks for green energy, charging for carbon emissions, and rules about pollution are key players in changing how we get and use our power. The role of both the federal and state governments in America is big here.

Conclusion and Future Outlook

The energy scene in the U.S. is really changing. Wind and solar power are stepping up their game while we’re still using a lot of natural gas. We’re clearly moving towards less polluting energy, and that’s a good thing to see. We’re a bit concerned about our pace. We need to hasten if we aim for a zero-emission electric grid by the late 2020s. It’s vital to keep up-to-date and involved in this key shift. Digging into the information and stats on the U.S. Energy Information Agency’s site is crucial for anyone keen on the energy prospects in the U.S. and around the world.

Government involvement, through tax breaks for green energy, carbon emission charges, and pollution regulations, has been crucial in shifting energy sources.

Efforts must accelerate for the U.S. to achieve a zero-emission electric grid by the late 2020s.

The New York Power Authority’s EVolve NY network has expanded, recently introducing open-access fast-charging stations in Plattsburgh to support clean energy goals.

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Content: PLATTSBURGH — The New York Power Authority announced this week the Town of Plattsburgh's first open-access, fast-charging stations for any make or model of electric vehicles.

The four parking lot chargers, installed by NYPA, are located at the Consumer Square shopping center and mark one of the northernmost sites in New York State for NYPA’s EVolve NY high-speed charging network, according to a press release.

“Being Clinton County’s first community designated by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority as a Clean Energy Community, we celebrate the new installation of NYPA’s EVolve NY charging stations in the Town of Plattsburgh," Town Supervisor Michael Cashman said in a statement.

"Conveniently located in the core of our town center and the economic hub of our region, it is a great service to residents and visitors. The chargers fit well within our adopted smart growth plan — Elevate Plattsburgh — which leads to a greener and more sustainable future. Public-private partnerships like this will no doubt enable New York State to meet its climate agenda goals.”

FIRST OF THREE SITES

The Consumer Square location is the first of three Benderson Development sites that will host NYPA fast charging stations, the release said.

The other two, which should be operational in the first quarter of 2022, will be in Niagara Falls and Victor, located in the Finger Lakes region.

The four chargers at the Plattsburgh site consist of three 150kW Direct Current Fast Charger (DCFC) stations and one 350kW charger, which is capable of charging a compatible vehicle at speeds up to 20 miles per minute.

Two of the charging stations are equipped with both fast charging connectors, Combined Charging System (CCS) and CHAdeMO, so all electric vehicles can plug in and charge.

The town also has about 35 public level 2 chargers, which are used for charging during a longer stop.

CLEAN ENERGY GOALS

NYPA Interim President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said his agency's EVolve NY network now has dozens of sites throughout the state.

"The Plattsburgh station will help advance New York’s clean energy goals by supporting the decarbonization of the transportation sector and reduction of overall greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2050,” he added.

“NYPA is leading the charge, quite literally, in developing New York’s electric vehicle infrastructure, and we’re proud to partner in this innovative and important pilot program at several of our properties in upstate New York — starting with this Plattsburgh location,” Benderson Development Vice President of Development and Leasing Eric Recoon said in a statement.

New York State Electric and Gas provided financial assistance through the EV Make-Ready Program and completed the grid interconnection to power the equipment at Consumer Square, the release said.

“Providing expanded access to EV charging stations is important as we seek to support the state’s clean energy goals and is just one of the many ways we are helping customers and local communities build a more sustainable future," NYSEG President and CEO Carl Taylor said.

LEGISLATION

The clean energy initiative supports New York’s Climate Act (the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act), which sets targets for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from the transportation sector.

Gov. Kathy Hochul recently signed legislation setting a goal for all new passenger cars and trucks sold in New York to be zero-emissions by 2035, the release said.

As part of Charge NY, other EV charging and deployment initiatives aim to get 850,000 zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025.

Hochul also announced that utility companies can fully implement the EV Make-Ready infrastructure program, which will deploy more than 50,000 new public and commercial charging ports across the state by 2025.

EV owners can locate public chargers using smartphone apps such as Greenlots, PlugShare, ChargeHub, ChargeWay, Electrify America, Google Maps or the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center.

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Latvia is looking to enhance cooperation between TRACECA, the Baltic countries, and Central Asia through active EU partnerships.

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Latvia looks to connect TRACECA and Baltic countries via co-op with Central Asia, MFA says

Central Asia Materials 14 September 2023 09:01 (UTC +04:00)
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 14. Latvia is actively cooperating with Central Asia, in order to connect the TRACECA corridor with the Baltic States, including connections to Scandinavia and Western Europe with regular ferry lines, a source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia told Trend.

"Our transport and logistics systems continue to serve as a gateway for Central Asian export to Europe. Cargo turnover between the Central Asian countries and Latvia is growing and Latvian ports are actively providing cargo distribution services of bulk, liquid and general cargoes from Central Asia. Also, road carriers from Central Asia are actively using the route via Latvian ports to access Northern and Western Europe," the ministry said.

According to the MFA, secure, stable and reliable supply chains between the EU and Central Asia have become the highest priority, since traditional logistics chains are broken. In this regard, trade and transport connectivity issues have to be addressed immediately.

"We eagerly awaited the results of the EBRD Study, since the development of alternative routes stands high on our agenda already for a while. Together with the industry we are actively identifying new clients, who can use new alternative routes. Moreover, in a long term we also are looking forward to see the Rail Baltica project to be implemented, which will open new possibilities for the transport connectivity," the source added.

Moreover, as the ministry pointed out, Latvia is one of the EU Member States that is actively committed to strengthening relations between the EU and Central Asia.

"We welcome the active dialogue and the regular exchange of high-level visits between the EU and Central Asia and we are truly glad to see that Central Asia is also interested to deepen cooperation with the EU. We should take advantage of the Global Gateway that aims to create smart, sustainable and secure links with countries around the world in the thematic areas of digitalization, energy, transport, education," the ministry said.

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A council in Pensacola, aided by an AARP grant, purchased two tiny homes for seniors, offering minimalist, affordable housing options but facing placement limitations due to size and materials.

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Trying a tiny solution to a big problem

The Council on Ageing of West Florida is taking a tiny bite out of the affordable housing crisis in Northwest Florida. With help from a grant from the AARP late last year, the council purchased two tiny homes to give two seniors a new start.

“Housing is not normally under our purview,” said Emily Echavaria, marketing and communications director for the Council on Aging of West Florida. “When we saw the AARP Livable Communities Grant, we decided we wanted to tackle something with housing because we know that it is such an issue in our community.”

The council is a nonprofit that provides home and community based services seniors in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties. With the grant, they were awarded $50,000 to purchase the two homes from Incredible Tiny Homes, a Tennessee company that had been making the traditional tiny houses with multi-stores, 300 to 400 square feet of living space and price tags up to $100,000.

To be sure, these two houses are not the kind you see on HGTV, with multi-stories and granite countertops. These are single story units called the Incread-I-Box model.

“This is the tiniest that it gets,” said Echavaria. “It’s pretty bare-bones. But it’s certainly a livable space. It’s cute. You can add whatever your personal flair is to it within the 128 square feet. It is great for someone who is either extremely minimalist and is a step up for someone who is living in a vehicle or a camp.”

Incredible Tiny Homes is a company that had been building larger and more elaborate tiny homes.

“About two years ago (Randy Jones), the creator and the owner of the company got hit with the reality of the housing affordability crisis, and he said ‘Golly, I know I can make a small home that can pass building codes,’” said Rick Dye, a consultant for the Affordable Housing Advisory Group, an organization that partners with other groups and individuals to create affordable rental housing in the Pensacola area. “And he went out and found supplies and products and enough materials to begin to manufacture on an assembly line this Incred-I-Box, and is able to retail it for $20,000 utilizing stuff that would normally have gone to the landfill.”

While the size and construction materials and methods used to make the homes keep the price low, it limits where the houses can be placed. They are currently classified as RVs, even though they are not mobile or even on wheels. This means they can only be set up in RV parks and mobile home communities.

“These really ought to be called simple homes,” said Rick Dye. “Because when you say tiny homes everyone goes off on their own tangent of what they know. But if you introduce a new name like a simple home, then people can give you a chance to explain that this is for people who are living in their cars, who have been living out in the woods, who have income, but there’s not enough (affordable) vacancies in the community to supply the need. And that’s our case here in Pensacola.”

The two homes have been placed in an RV park in Pensacola and one senior is already getting settled into their new home. The Council of Ageing is set to relocate someone into the second home before the end of January.

“For us this is an advocacy project,” said Echavaria. “We don’t want to be landlords.”

Bob Barrett has been a radio broadcaster since the mid 1970s and has worked at stations from northern New York to south Florida and, oddly, has been able to make a living that way. He began work in public radio in 2001. Over the years he has produced nationally syndicated programs such as The Environment Show and The Health Show for Northeast Public Radio's National Productions.

Research increasingly shows that switching to a plant-rich diet can greatly impact climate change mitigation.

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The Climate Connection: A plant-rich Thanksgiving

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According to Sarah Bridle, a researcher at the University of Manchester and author of "Food and Climate Change Without the Hot Air," “a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for an eight-person family — the turkey, the stuffing, the hours of oven time — is as harmful to the planet as a three-hour car trip.” But how can we embrace one of our favorite holidays and minimize our impact to the planet?

As big and complex as the climate change issue is, a growing body of research shows that we can make a tremendous impact on our planet’s future by switching to a plant-rich diet. A study described in the journal, Nature Food, found that food production accounts for 35 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Project Drawdown, Paul Hawken’s compendium of climate solutions, “If cattle were their own nation, they would be the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases.” It’s for this reason that of the 80 ranked solutions proposed in Project Drawdown, adopting a plant-rich diet was number four on the most important and impactful changes to be made.

This means that cutting your meat intake, or taking the full plunge and becoming a vegetarian, could make a bigger dent in your personal carbon footprint than buying an electric vehicle, installing solar panels, or upgrading the efficiency of your home.

Note that Project Drawdown encourages a plant-rich diet; it doesn't recommend that everyone become a vegan. It is about a shift, not a complete overhaul, of our behavior. But it won’t work if business continues as usual, which means that we should not only retrain our palettes, but also bring an end to government subsidies that benefit the U.S. livestock market, so that the prices of meat more accurately reflect their husbandry and processing costs as well as their planetary impact.

Starting at your own table, adopting a plant-rich diet has tons of other benefits, as well: better gut health, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and a cheaper price tag. And unlike some other climate actions, a plant-rich diet can be implemented today with zero switching costs. No need to install anything, buy anything, or retrofit a grid. Climate action has never been so easy.

As a “flexitarian” (someone who sometimes eats vegetarian) myself though, I would add one final benefit that is particularly apparent at Thanksgiving: it’s flippin’ delicious!

Departing from the traditional meat-focused meal gave my family permission to experiment with other things as well. So while I would fully recommend a vegetarian or vegan Thanksgiving as a fresh take on a known menu, with things like spinach puffs, crispy potato skillet, green bean casseroles, cauliflower stuffing and mushroom wellington, I’d also say that you can dress the table up however you want.

In my household, we’ve decided to explore a different vegetarian cuisine every year and have (so far) hosted a Middle Eastern Thanksgiving meal, a Polynesian Thanksgiving meal, and this year a Mexican Thanksgiving feast.

For us, the thing that made the Thanksgiving meal “traditional” was sitting around a table, passing plates hand-over-wrist, telling stories and eating so much food that we had to lie down gasping with laughter. Everything else was just an opportunity to explore new culinary frontiers, play new music and unpack seldom-used tablecloths.

So give yourself permission to try something new and remake the holiday in a new light, both for yourself and the planet. You can find some napkin-dropping vegetarian recipe options at the Napa Climate NOW! website for inspiration: http://napa.350bayarea.org/thanksgiving-vegetarian-recipes

Actions you can take:• Host a vegetarian Thanksgiving or minimize the meat dishes on your table and rotate in some new veggie ones. After all, this is an opportunity to get creative and have fun! Share the results with Napa Climate NOW! on our Facebook or Instagram pages. Check out some recipes at http://napa.350bayarea.org/thanksgiving-vegetarian-recipes.

• If a vegetarian meal doesn’t seem possible, consider serving smaller portions or eat less meat ahead of the holiday splurge (basically you’re balancing the cost in your carbon wallet).

• Track the US Food & Agriculture bills here and contact committee members about supporting a climate-friendly Farm Bill at http://bit.ly/agandfoodbills

• Contact places where you dine (your favorite restaurant, your cafeteria) and encourage them to provide more meatless options or institute Meatless Monday.

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Jessica Day, is co-founder and chief marketing officer at IdeaScale - a crowdsourcing software. She holds an MFA in creative writing, is a member of Napa Climate NOW! and regularly speaks about climate action.

Napa Climate NOW! is a local non-profit citizens’ group advocating for smart climate solutions based on the latest climate science, part of 350 Bay Area. Like, comment, and share our daily Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter posts @napaclimatenow or visit us at: http://napa.350bayarea.org.

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Napa Climate NOW! has drafted a proposed mandate for adoption county-wide Reusable Foodware and Waste Reduction Ordinance to transition food establishments and customers from disposable plates, cups, straws, napkins, condiment packages, and so on to reusable and compostable foodware.

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Giza Systems in Cairo, Egypt completed a major upgrade of the Rawd El Farag water plant’s control system, supporting the country’s Vision 2030, under the oversight of the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater.

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Content: Cairo, Egypt – Contributing towards the realization of Egypt's Vision 2030, Giza Systems proudly announces the successful completion of the Rawd El Farag water plant SCADA system and control center revamp project for the Greater Cairo Water Company (GCWC).

This transformative project represents a significant milestone, encompassing cutting-edge solutions, including the latest in Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. Notably, this initiative stands out as the first large-scale implementation of a fully Egypt-developed SCADA solution in the country.

Giza Systems, renowned for its digital transformation enablement, also provided GCWC with remote workstations and mobile applications, enabling seamless remote monitoring of the water plant. To bolster communication capabilities, 4G communication protocol was deployed, offering diverse links and protocols for robust communication.

The Rawd El Farag project was driven by a multitude of challenges, including the scarcity of software and hardware spare parts for obsolete systems. With the integration of various communication links, particularly the 4G communication technology, the project significantly mitigates the risk of data loss. Additionally, the incorporation of remote monitoring tools has expedited issue identification and response, rendering the system more agile and efficient.

Despite the complexity and challenges inherent in the project, GCWC placed its trust in Giza Systems, cementing their decade-long business relationship and Giza Systems' commendable track record in similar projects. The project, originally slated for a one-year timeline, was completed successfully despite all obstacles, demonstrating the unwavering commitment and capability of Giza Systems.

This project stands as a crucial steppingstone towards the realization of Egypt's Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, Dr. Assem El Gazzar's vision to automate work systems and enhance citizen services. Leveraging its extensive knowledge and expertise in digital transformation, Giza Systems remains dedicated to envisioning a digital Egypt through further innovative solutions and integrations.

Sherif Elshimy, Giza Systems Customer Value Proposition Director, stated, "Our commitment to advancing Egypt's infrastructure and services is unwavering. The Rawd El Farag project is a testament to our dedication and ability to deliver transformative solutions that pave the way for a more connected and efficient Egypt."

About Giza Systems

Giza Systems, a leading digital transformation enabler and systems integrator in the MEA region, designs and deploys industry-specific technology solutions for asset-intensive industries such as the Telecoms, Utilities, Oil & Gas, Transportation and other market sectors. Giza Systems helps its clients streamline their operations and businesses through their portfolio of solutions, managed services, and consultancy practice. Giza Systems’ team of 2000 professionals are spread throughout the region with anchor offices in Cairo, Riyadh, Dubai, Doha, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kampala and New Jersey, allowing the Company to service an ever-increasing client base in over 25 countries.

About the Greater Cairo Water Company (GCWC)

As a result of the state’s sense of the great necessity to restructure the drinking water and sanitation sector, in order to ensure the achievement of the strategic goals that are hoped to be implemented for the benefit of the Egyptian citizen; The state decided to establish the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater and the regulatory body for drinking water, sanitation, and consumer protection, by presidential decree in 2004.

The Holding Company for Water and Wastewater was established by Presidential Decree No. 135 of 2004 to establish a Holding Company for Potable Water and Wastewater and its subsidiaries, which shall have a legal personality and be subject to the provisions of Law No. 203 of 1991 and its executive regulations.

Pursuant to the third paragraph of the stated presidential decree, public economic authorities and public sector companies for drinking water and sanitation were transformed into subsidiaries of the holding company, subject to the provisions of the Public Business Sector Companies Law promulgated by Law No. 203 of 1991, so that the number of subsidiaries became 25 subsidiaries serving 27 governorates.

Urban development in West Point Grey faces public scrutiny and debate about future standards and community context.

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Early proposal for Jericho Lands development includes three, 38-storey towers, and 10,000 new homes

After years of consultation and anticipation over the future of this prime site, the public got a look at what could be built in one of the most expensive and least developed parts of the city, and what it might look like

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The City of Vancouver is seeking feedback on bold, but preliminary ideas for the Jericho Lands, 90 acres in the city’s West Point Grey area that is owned and will be developed by three Indigenous Nations and a federal Crown corp.

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After years of consultation and anticipation over the future of the prime site, a sketch of what could be built and what it might look like was presented Monday. It showed the building of 10 million square feet of floor area with three, tall, condo towers of up to 38-storeys and some 10,000 new homes in one of the most expensive and least-developed parts of the city, near the University of B.C. and overlooking Jericho Beach Park.

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By comparison, the expansive Oakridge Centre redevelopment at 41st Avenue and Cambie Street is building 5.5 million square feet in floor area and about 2,330 new homes.

The Jericho project is a partnership between MST Development Corp., which is run by the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, and Canada Lands Co.

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“It is still an early stage of the overall development process,” said Elisa Campbell, who is leading the project for CLC and working with MST.

The public has until Nov. 14 to comment on two options, named “Eagle” and “Weave,” which each offer different design features. Both include dozens of shorter buildings, community centres, parkland and the potential for a SkyTrain station.

“What I like about it is we’re not saying, ‘This is what is going to be done on the site.’ We’re saying, ‘Here’s two examples of what it could be like. We really want to hear from you,’ ” said Campbell.

She added: “Our work with the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh is really at the core of this and when you listen to their culture, their tradition, it’s fascinating to then take some of those stories and apply it to this development.”

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West Point Grey is currently home to about 13,000 residents. The Jericho lands house a former army garrison, some low-rise homes rented to military families and an independent school.

“I think they were all shocked at the size of the (proposed) development,” said Murray Hendren, president of the strata for Mayfair House condo, which is on Highbury Street across from the Jericho Lands.

He’s also a member of the West Point Grey Residents Association but said he was speaking about his own, initial feelings and those of others in his building.

“It’s just completely out-of-context with the rest of West Point Grey. It’s not to say, some time in the future, the whole city isn’t going to be like this and there would be a different standard,” Hendren said.

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Campbell said, “We’ve heard really positive response to the concept of using this site as an example of how to, through development, address reconciliation, how to address the climate emergency and so overall, we’ve been really happy with the positive tone. That doesn’t mean there aren’t people who are concerned about transformation because transformation can be hard.”

The Jericho Lands development must comply with city policies and regulations unlike the Senakw development that the Squamish Nation is planning near the Burrard Bridge, which is on reserve land.

MST bought the part of Jericho Lands owned by the B.C. government, a 39-acre site, in 2016 for $480 million. MST had previously partnered with Canada Lands to buy a 52-acre portion owned by the federal government in 2014 for $237 million.

jlee-young@postmedia.com

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British technology and partnerships, such as the new UK Agriculture Partnership, aim to address global food crises, with a special focus on food security and national resilience through domestic food production.

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British tech can solve the world’s food crises

From disease resistance to heat resilience, our agritech innovations will make food production more secure

The Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports has prevented food, including wheat, from reaching the global market. The UK is taking a lead and supporting Ukrainian efforts to find and develop alternative routes out of the country. My own department is using its expertise to help detect Ukrainian grain that has been illegally taken by the Russians.

It has become clear in recent weeks that Russia is forcibly seizing the Ukrainian harvest or purchasing it at artificially low prices in the east and south of the country. We are getting first-hand reports from Ukraine on the scale of this theft, which are corroborated by satellite imagery and vessel tracking data.

Russia’s actions are putting tens of millions of people at risk of hunger. We want to work with international partners to put in place a programme which will verify and identify seized grain upon import and deter these illegal activities. Indeed the UK has committed to providing £1.5 million to set up the sampling of grain, using an approach currently taken to identify illegally harvested timber. Once that is in place it will be possible to share this intelligence around the world.

But with agriculture being a devolved policy area, I want us to be able to share scientific ideas and solutions to the challenges faced across the UK as well. A few months ago, I set up the UK Agriculture Partnership. Today, this forum of farmers, businesses, researchers and policy makers will be meeting at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland. It is only right that we come together now to discuss food security.

Global gas prices have led to increased input costs for farmers, particularly for manufactured fertilisers, livestock feed, energy and fuel. We need to look at the full range of solutions available to us, and we must work alongside our world-leading agricultural research institutes to do so.

Those include the John Innes Centre in Norwich with its focus on agricultural technology, the work of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany with its work on climate resilient crops, the James Hutton Institute with its pioneering work on vertical farming, the work done by Aberystwyth on grassland management, and the work of Rothamsted Research on genetic technologies.

Through these technologies, we will have the power to develop crops that are more resistant to pests and diseases, less reliant on fertilisers and pesticides – which will cut costs to farmers – and more resilient to climate change. With water scarcity likely to become an increasingly pressing issue across the world, the ability to develop plants that cope better with water stress will be all-important for global food security.

The recent introduction of our Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill gives us the opportunity to make the UK the best place in the world to invest in agritech innovation. Through the Bill, we are going to remove unnecessary barriers inherited from the EU to enable the development and marketing of precision-bred plants and animals.

We have the chance to breed disease-resistant crops and reduce reliance on pesticides. One example is virus yellows, a group of viruses that can cause yield losses of up to 50 per cent in sugar beet. Boosting resistance to those viruses would be a game changer and a study funded by UK Research and Innovation has identified several promising sources of genetic resistance that can be introduced through precision breeding.

Moreover, developing wheat that is resilient to climate change will help to increase food production from a crop that 2.5 billion people are dependent on globally. Researchers at the John Innes Centre have used gene editing techniques to identify a key gene in wheat that can be used to introduce traits such as heat resilience whilst maintaining high yield.

Domestic food producers give us national resilience and that is why we put UK food production at the heart of our Food Strategy. At the same time, global food security requires open markets and the transfer of technical knowledge and innovation. Here, the UK has a world-leading role to play.

George Eustice is the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Virus yellows, impacting up to 50% of sugar beet yields, exemplifies the agricultural risks motivating the UK’s renewed focus on food production.

Bay Area Climate Justice recently held a vigil at a main Wells Fargo branch to raise awareness.

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Seven Arrested at Wells Fargo Climate Protest

by Bay Area Climate Justice
Vigil held in main Wells Fargo branch

Photos: Leon Kunstenaar / Pro Bono Photo

(San Francisco, April 24) - Seven local activists were arrested today for occupying the lobby of Wells Fargo branch at 464 California Street, after 30 concerned citizens conducted a solemn vigil to highlight the disconnectedness of environmental injustices and financial misconduct.

The vigil included a mournful choir calling out Wells Fargo’s complicity in climate chaos, interspersed with participants speaking the personal stories of individuals across the globe who are directly affected by the environmental offenses perpetrated by the bank. Participants shared these stories of loss, struggle, and resilience in the face of environmental degradation and corporate greed.

Outside, passersby were given flyers encouraging them to write to Wells Fargo’s Chief Sustainability Officer to send the message to top executives at Wells Fargo to take immediate action on climate justice.

Today’s action against Wells Fargo is part of a national campaign to demand that large banks divest from the fossil fuels that are killing the planet. 30 protesters were arrested this morning in a blockade of Citi Bank in New York City.

Local participating organizations included Oil and Gas Action Network, Extinction Rebellion SF Bay Area, Scientist Rebellion Turtle Island West and Third Act.

Wells Fargo has long been implicated in perpetrating a myriad of environmental violations, from toxic waste dumping to unchecked pollution, in addition to spending over $300 billion in 2016-2022 alone to support the fossil fuel industry. These offenses not only harm the planet but also disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, exacerbating existing inequalities and perpetuating environmental racism.

See all high resolution photos here.
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Prior to being detained in a Russian prison for 294 days, Brittney Griner was on top of the world.

The 32-year-old was coming off one of the best WNBA seasons of her career.

She was later sentenced to nine years in Russian prison.

“She had to live in prison for such a long time."

So I think she has that joy.

In fact, Griner has already been harassed this season when a conservative media personality confronted her and her teammates inside a Dallas airport in mid-June.

“It’s a shame that it had to get to rock bottom."

“So I’m glad that they finally got it together and are going to allow us to do this."

Russian basketball, hockey, and soccer teams have been excluded from international competition since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and star foreign players are dropping their contracts and leaving the country.

“The level of our games ... will be dragged down.”
Less than a year ago, Russia’s domestic sports leagues, like their peers across Europe, flourished with a mix of foreign and domestic players.

What a difference a war makes.

The Ukraine war’s ramifications may not be hitting the Russian public hard, but Russian sports are suffering as foreign players and organizations boycott them.

Ms. Griner, a leading player with the Urals city of Yekaterinburg’s UMMC basketball team, was arrested on Feb. 17, before the war started, and charged with possession of a small quantity of hashish oil.

We not only played together, but also spent a lot of time off the court.

“Right now we have no foreign players in our club."

As a result, teams cannot plan ahead,” he says.

“I don’t think that we will be in Europe for at least two or three years."

“It’s very hard to say what we should do now."

The Black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde once said that she wrote “for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves.”
In February, Griner re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury for a one-year deal.

Title:

Content: ‘She brings light’: Brittney Griner’s triumphant return to the WNBA

Prior to being detained in a Russian prison for 294 days, Brittney Griner was on top of the world.

The 32-year-old was coming off one of the best WNBA seasons of her career. She was the Most Valuable Player runner-up, averaging 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds for the Phoenix Mercury, who she led back to the WNBA finals for the first time since winning the title in 2014. Meanwhile, Griner was on her way to play for Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg, who she had led to four EuroLeague titles since she started spending her WNBA off-seasons there in 2014.

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At the time of her arrest Griner was, according to the testimony of her Russian teammate Evgenia Belyakova, “the most beloved player in Russia.”

To become such a popular figure in both America and Russia is no easy task for a gay, Black woman. But Griner’s ascent was never easy. She was bullied relentlessly growing up, first for her size and later for her sexuality, becoming one of the first active athletes in professional North American sports to come out as gay, shortly after being drafted No 1 overall by the Mercury in 2013.

In her first game as a pro, the 6ft 9in Griner towered over her opponents, changing the perceptions of what a female basketball player was capable of when she set a WNBA record with two dunks in a game. Griner went on to win a WNBA title, two Olympic gold medals, and seven WNBA All-Star appearances, on pace to achieve a level of greatness few ever have in the women’s game, and being marketed accordingly.

In fact, Griner was the first openly gay athlete to be endorsed by Nike. And the WNBA used her at the center of its marketing, acknowledging that gay athletes and LGBTQ+ activists like Griner were good for business.

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So when it all came crashing down at a Moscow airport on 17 February 2022, when Griner was found with vape cartridges containing traces of hashish oil in her luggage, not only did her career come to a screeching halt, but the league that she had been bound to since 2013 lost some of its forward momentum, too. She was later sentenced to nine years in Russian prison.

As much as Griner tried to stay positive, and as much as the WNBA community tried to help, a cloud hung over the entire 2022 season – one that would not dissipate until Griner was released and returned to America.

“Last year, it felt as though we couldn’t play with joy … It felt bad for us to be happy or to celebrate things because the weight of BG’s wrongful detainment weighed over us,” says former Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard.

When the US negotiated a prisoner swap to secure Griner’s freedom last December, she almost immediately announced her intention to return to the WNBA in 2023, signing a one-year deal with the Mercury. But nobody knew what to expect from Griner, who had spent almost a year under arduous physical and mental conditions.

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But, against all odds, Griner appears to be back to her normal self, on and off the court.

Related: WNBA power lies with two superteams. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing

In her first WNBA game in 579 days, Griner had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocks in a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. In her first home game a couple of days later, she hit just the seventh three-pointer of her career, yelling “I’m back!” to the crowd of 14,000 cheering fans.

“I appreciate everything a little more,” Griner said about being back in the league. “All the little, small moments that I used to just [think]: ‘Oh, I’m so tired, I don’t want to go to practice today. And, oh, this and that.’ That has changed, honestly. Just appreciating everything because tomorrow’s not guaranteed.”

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Griner is averaging 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.4 blocks on a career-high 61.8% shooting through her first nine games of the 2023 season. She is back to being the Mercury’s best player, dominating in the post over swarms of defenders and blocking everything that comes her way on the other end of the floor. After being an honorary All-Star selection last season, Griner was named an All-Star starter on Sunday.

But what may be even more impressive is the enthusiasm and spirit she has brought to the Mercury and the WNBA, constantly flashing her trademark smile, joking around at press conferences, and uplifting her teammates at every opportunity.

“We were all hoping that she was going to be OK coming back, and that she did not lose her light, and she really didn’t,” says Mercury forward Megan Gustafson, adding that Griner’s presence has transformed the locker room. “I think we were a little bit surprised, because anyone that goes through an experience like that – I mean, I couldn’t even imagine being the same person. But she really is and I’m just so proud of her and just the light that she brings again … It’s really just her light, her positivity that [has] shone through.”

Sandy Brondello, who coached Griner in Phoenix for eight seasons prior to moving on to New York, is also glowing about the player’s return to the WNBA. “It’s like sometimes we sweat having a bad game – she was in prison,” says Brondello. “She had to live in prison for such a long time. So I think she has that joy. Just go out there and play.”

Griner has brought a lot of attention to the WNBA, which was already growing rapidly. Not only is the league averaging almost 1,000 more fans a game in Griner’s return season, but its broadcasts have also hit record viewership numbers – up 49% from last season across ESPN networks.

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“I think that if you look at last season, there was something and someone missing in the WNBA and that was obviously Brittney Griner,” former WNBA MVP and Griner’s one-time UMMC Ekaterinburg teammate Breanna Stewart says. “So the ability to have her back here kind of makes our circle complete, because she is such a force and a presence on and off the court and her ability to kind of be so dominant and aggressive but also such a kind, caring person – everybody’s missed that.”

Griner’s on-court play cannot be separated from her political advocacy off it, especially in a league as socially active as the WNBA. And Griner’s imprisonment has forced the WNBA to reckon with its lackluster treatment of athletes in the past, forcing the league to improve pay and travel standards so that the Griner situation does not repeat itself.

After all, the primary reason that Griner was in Russia in the first place is because her salary at UMMC Ekaterinburg is over $1m compared to the $165,100 she will make this year in the WNBA. In fact, 67 of the league’s 144 players still played internationally last off-season despite Griner’s detainment. Doing so is a financial necessity rather than a choice for most of the world’s best female basketball players.

The incident also highlighted concerns about commercial travel for WNBA players, many of whom are gay, Black women who can be targets of abuse. In fact, Griner has already been harassed this season when a conservative media personality confronted her and her teammates inside a Dallas airport in mid-June.

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In the past, the league has argued that charter flights create an unfair competitive advantage for teams that can afford to pay for them, fining the New York Liberty $500,000 for chartering flights last season. But the WNBA has already made improvements this season, allowing private flights for back-to-back games and for all playoff games. And after the news of Griner’s harassment and the pressure that came from it, the league recently announced that teams are permitted to fly on a public chartering service called JSX for the rest of the season.

It’s a step in the right direction that may not have been possible if not for Griner – a singular force who is as easy to galvanize around because of her on-court performances as she is for her personality. The league still has a long way to go in regards to growing the game and improving standards for its athletes, but Griner’s return has undoubtedly expedited the process.

“It’s a shame that it had to get to rock bottom. Because I feel like waiting for something to happen and then making a change, you don’t know what that something’s gonna be,” Griner said. “We’ve all seen what can happen in this world. And when you play the ‘let’s wait and see game,’ you’re really playing with fire. You’re playing with people’s lives.

“So I’m glad that they finally got it together and are going to allow us to do this. It’s just a shame that it took so damn long.”

“She had to live in prison for such a long time."

So I think she has that joy.

“It’s a shame that it had to get to rock bottom."

“So I’m glad that they finally got it together and are going to allow us to do this."

Title:

Content: Foreign sports stars flee Russia as world shuns their teams

Darko Vojinovic/AP/File
Russia players react at the end of the 2019 Women's EuroBasket European Basketball Championship match between Russia and Sweden in Belgrade, Serbia, July 6, 2019.

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Less than a year ago, Russia’s domestic sports leagues, like their peers across Europe, flourished with a mix of foreign and domestic players.

What a difference a war makes.

Why We Wrote This

The Ukraine war’s ramifications may not be hitting the Russian public hard, but Russian sports are suffering as foreign players and organizations boycott them.

Russian basketball, hockey, and soccer teams have been excluded from international competition since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and star foreign players are dropping their contracts and leaving the country. U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner’s 9-year prison sentence on drug smuggling charges has not improved the atmosphere.

Russian athletes have been shut out of international sports before – from the Russian Revolution in 1917 until 1952 – and the effects were clear. “There was no way to compare our level” with that of other countries, says Nikolai Yeremenko, a leading sports journalist.

Some veteran Soviet athletes say Russia’s isolation should be taken as an opportunity to better develop Russian players. But Russian sports fans will be the biggest losers, as the quality of games drops in the absence of foreigners.

“Right now we have no foreign players in our club,” says Sergei Druzhinin, manager of the Metallurg ice hockey team in Magnitogorsk. “The level of our games ... will be dragged down.”

Less than a year ago, Russia’s domestic sports leagues, like their peers across Europe, flourished with a mix of foreign and domestic players.

What a difference a war makes.

Today, amid deepening Cold War-like tensions between the Kremlin and the West, and as WNBA star Brittney Griner faces a 9-year sentence in a Russian penal colony, Russian basketball, hockey, and soccer teams are finding themselves forced out of international competition. And many of the one-time “legionnaires” – foreign players – on whom they depend are dropping their contracts and leaving the country.

Why We Wrote This

The Ukraine war’s ramifications may not be hitting the Russian public hard, but Russian sports are suffering as foreign players and organizations boycott them.

The alienation of Russian athletes from global sports has been an ongoing saga for years, since massive doping allegations largely forced official Russia out of the Olympics. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February led most international sports federations to ban Russian teams from scheduled competitions.

But less well known is the fate of hundreds of foreign players who, like Ms. Griner, had brought their expertise to far-flung local Russian sports teams that had been developing reputations at both the national and European levels.

The war has brought all that to a grinding halt, and upended European championship hopes for Russian basketball and soccer teams. Many European and American players have decamped while the few who remain have been subjected to considerable opprobrium.

The exodus of foreign legionnaires has been the subject of considerable debate in the Russian sports media, with some arguing that it spells the end of Russia’s sports ambitions for a generation, while others claim it will give more opportunities to Russian players and boost domestic sports development.

“Not enough qualified players”

Ms. Griner, a leading player with the Urals city of Yekaterinburg’s UMMC basketball team, was arrested on Feb. 17, before the war started, and charged with possession of a small quantity of hashish oil. In August, she was sentenced to 9 years in prison, an exceedingly harsh judgement even by Russian standards, which has caused speculation that the Kremlin hopes to use her in a Cold-War-style prisoner exchange with the United States.

But her ordeal has added to the wartime chill that’s already driving foreign players out of Russia.

“Obviously if one of the best basketball players is sitting in prison, it’s going to have a very discouraging effect on all foreign players who might think of signing a contract in Russia,” says Eduard Sorokin, an independent sports expert.

“All efforts to create a situation that attracts players of the highest level to Russian sports teams have been undermined, and all the benefits ruined. It’s not to say that legal violations should be overlooked. She pleaded guilty, [but] she might have just been fined and justice satisfied with minimal punishment. Now the damage is done.”

In an extensive interview with the official RIA-Novosti agency, UMMC captain Yevgenia Belyakova, who went to Moscow to testify on Ms. Griner’s behalf, praised her as a “good person” and a “disciplined” player who did not intend to break any laws. She lamented the fact that all the team’s foreign players and its Spanish coach left in February after Ms. Griner was arrested and the team was excluded from the EuroLeague Women’s competition.

“Naturally, the situation with Brittney could not but affect our legionnaires,” she said. “[We were] a big and friendly family. We not only played together, but also spent a lot of time off the court. It’s no secret that our team was formed for the Euroleague, and victory in [the championship] was our main goal of the season.”

Evgenia Novozhenina/AP
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner (background center) listens to a verdict in a courtroom in Khimki, Russia, just outside Moscow, Aug. 4, 2022.

A similar situation pervades other sports, including hockey, where Russian teams have long been seen as a spawning ground for the NHL. The Kontinental Hockey League, which includes several non-Russian clubs, saw teams in Latvia and Finland drop out in protest of the war, and many players have followed suit.

“There are not enough qualified players to fill all Russian hockey teams; we need foreign players,” says Sergei Druzhinin, manager of the Metallurg hockey team in the Urals city of Magnitogorsk. “Right now we have no foreign players in our club. They’ve all gone. It means the level of our games, both as spectacle and professional attainment, will be dragged down.”

Some see an opportunity

Russian soccer may be taking the worst hit of all, says Nikolai Yeremenko, editor of Sovetsky Sport, a leading sports daily. “Football [soccer] has suffered more than most other sports. The money earned by leading Russian teams in [European competition] was a serious support for club budgets. But now all the high-level foreign players have left.”

“FIFA [international soccer’s governing body] made this possible by changing the rules to allow foreign players to suspend their contracts [with Russian teams] without facing any legal consequences. As a result, teams cannot plan ahead,” he says. “A player can disappear and not face any punishment. It’s already clear that the level of Russian football has deteriorated. We can no longer compare our level with the European one.”

As of early August, 37 legionnaires had left the Russian Premier League, which includes 16 clubs, and 23 new foreign players have replaced them, according to the Moscow daily Sport Express. But most of those who have left were top-rated European players, and their replacements are lesser-known players from South America and Serbia.

“A year ago, the league was replenished with players from dozens of different countries, but now there is no such wide choice. In terms of newcomers, Brazil and Serbia are in the lead – countries that have always willingly sent footballers to Russia. The difference is that before they were one of many donors, and now they are almost the only ones,” the paper said.

Some Russians, such as Soviet-era basketball legend Stanislav Yeremin, argue that the crisis should be treated as an opportunity to develop Russian sports and forge new links with countries that will still compete with Russians.

“Look forward,” Mr. Yeremin told the Sport MK newspaper. “I don’t think that we will be in Europe for at least two or three years. Therefore, we need to turn to the Russian market, or try to look for opportunities for international competitions with those countries and clubs that could still play with us. If you close yourself in, then it will be difficult.”

Russian sports have been isolated before – excluded from international competition from the Russian Revolution in 1917 until 1952.  “There was no way to compare our level, and so we were left completely outside normal development of sports” says Mr. Yeremenko. “I don’t believe in any claims that this situation can work to our advantage. Progress is only possible when the strongest compete with the strongest. Sports can’t develop under sanctions.

“It’s very hard to say what we should do now. When you have the ideology of a besieged fortress, everything gets all mixed up.”

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What a difference a war makes.

“Right now we have no foreign players in our club."

“I don’t think that we will be in Europe for at least two or three years."

“It’s very hard to say what we should do now."

The Black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde once said that she wrote “for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves.”
In February, Griner re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury for a one-year deal.

Title:

Content: Last Updated on July 4, 2022 by BVN

S. E. Williams |

The Black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde once said that she wrote “for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves.”

Lorde further stated, “We’ve been taught that silence would save us, but it won’t.”

However, in the decades since Lorde penned those words many Black lesbians are no longer silent. Yet, we must ask the question, how safe are Black lesbians today? Perhaps we should ask WNBA basketball star, Brittney Griner, who is among the growing number of prominent Black lesbians in America living out loud.

Most have battle scar evidence of their struggle to find a peaceful life in a world that in many ways, still considers who they are and who they love an aberration.  And, although disrespect and dangers continue to lurk for members of the LGBTQ+ community in America, it is still safer to live here than in many other places in the world.

Unfortunately for Griner, however, she is now trapped in a country, where racism against Blacks is normalized and where the government is working to ostracize members of the LGBTQ+ community. But how different is this really from many places in America today.

Despite the spread of anti-gay sentiments in Russia and right leaning countries across Europe, Griner plays basketball internationally during the WNBA’s off season. This despite writing about her “coming out” in her 2017 autobiography, “In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court,” which helped make her one of the most recognizable lesbians in the world.

Racism and Homophobia in Russia

For those who have not followed Griner’s fate in recent months, she was arrested on drug charges in Russia on February 17. Her arrest came just days after a Russian court suspended a lawsuit (February 11) intended to shut down its LGBT Network—the country’s most powerful gay rights organization—for  purportedly spreading gay views, which of course, could farcically include anything from a view out one’s window of gay people walking down the street, to realistically include gay people advocating for the same rights to live and love as they choose like any other Russian.

Identifying as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender or queer has been legal in Russia since 1993 (how enlightened) however in 2013 under Vladimir Putin’s leadership, the nation adopted what’s been called the “gay propaganda” law that made it illegal to speak words related to the LGBTQ+ community around minors.

Racism and homophobia in America

Before Russia took such action, America was already contriving to do the same.

There has been much criticism recently of Florida’s recently enacted Parental Rights in Education Bill signed into law in April that appeared to follow Russia’s lead. But, it was revealed by The Center for Media and Democracy (Center), a nonprofit that tracks the work of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), that the Parental Rights Amendment was actually listed under its “Education Task Force and included in the 1995 ALEC Sourcebook of American State Legislation.

Also, according to the Center, although ALEC has tried to distance itself from this controversial legislation since 2011, it is difficult to identify any efforts to advocate against the current movement to codify this legislative into law across the country.

ALEC is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives that drafts models of legislation for distribution and adoption by conservative legislatures around the country and for decades has worked to pull America toward extremism.

Sadly, Florida’s recent law is just the tip of the iceberg. Anti LGBTQ+ toxicity is spreading quickly in America. Red states from Ohio to Texas to Indiana to Colorado to Wyoming to South Dakota, Iowa, Utah and beyond   have pushed to pass similar bills. In some instances state’s were only prevented from doing so by Democratic legislators who held the line against Republican, anti-gay governors seeking to work their will.

As we watch and point with deserved derision and criticism, the unfolding fate of Griner in Russia, Time magazine provided a chilling reminder in mid-May, of what is possible in America regarding the welfare of LGBTQ+ citizens. It recalled the successful work of  Florida’s Johns Committee—a state legislative committee that launched an LGBTQ+ purge in the late 1950s rooted in racism, homophobia, and anti-communism.

Beginning in 1957 and continuing through 1963 the Florida legislative committee persecuted and intimidated those suspected of being gay at state universities as part of the state’s resistance to federally sanctioned school desegregation in response to the 1954 Brown v Board of Education Supreme Court decision.

According to Time, the committee’s original goal was to uncover all communists believed to be behind desegregation. Not surprisingly since it was based on a false premise, that mission failed. This subsequently compelled the committee to find another group to scapegoat—gays and lesbians. This eventually led to a report popularly known as “The Purple Pamphlet”( because of its sensational and explicit content), that highlighted “the extent of infiltration into agencies supported by state funds by practicing homosexuals.”

By1965, hundreds of Floridians were prosecuted and charged because of their sexuality. Frighteningly, not unlike the experiences of Griner in Russia today, Florida interrogations were reportedly conducted in privacy and even worse, the accused were denied legal counsel.

A need to raise our collective voices

Today, as Griner languishes in a Russian prison—most assuredly because she is Black and a lesbian who may or may not have committed a minor drug infraction in a racist, homophobic country —,there are legitimate concerns about her safety.  As her detention days turn into weeks and weeks into months, there is little doubt it is up to all of us, Black women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, those who support and validate our right to exist and every American committed to human rights to pressure the federal government to bring her home. We must raise our collective voices to keep Griner’s freedom at the forefront of America’s political consciousness.

Audre Lorde lamented about the fate of Black lesbians in her seminal work the Black Unicorn where she noted “’The black unicorn was mistaken for a shadow or symbol and taken through a cold country…, ” She further spoke to the power of Black women/lesbian strength and determination to live their truth stating,  “the Black unicorn is unrelenting.” I pray this perceived power is enough to sustain Griner (her wife and loved ones) in the days ahead.

In concluding her poem Lorde also reminded all of us that although the metaphorical Black unicorn is empowered, as we are witnessing today decades after Lorde put pen to paper on this issue, as it relates to Griner, “the Black unicorn is not free.”

Raise your voice to advocate for Griner’s freedom by calling the U.S. Department of State at 1-202-647-4000 and the White House at 202-456-1111 to advocate for Griner’s release. Remember, “Silence is complicity.”

Of course, this is just my opinion. I’m keeping it real.

S.E. Williams

Stephanie Williams is executive editor of the IE Voice and Black Voice News. A longtime champion for civil rights and justice in all its forms, she is also an advocate for government transparency and committed to ferreting out and exposing government corruption. Stephanie has received awards for her investigative reporting and for her weekly column, Keeping it Real. Contact Stephanie with tips, comments. or concerns at myopinion@ievoice.com.