The Bloom Report Vol 17 [Bloomology]

Welcome To Friday! 📆

This week has been exhausting! With all the bad happening in the world, I almost didn’t show up here today. But I press on. I’ve heard somewhere that on days when you’re experiencing the most sadness, grief, or hardships, one thing that helps is sticking to your natural routines and doing the things you normally enjoy doing. AND actually pushing through and doing them in spite of.

Today, I want to hold space for what is currently happening in Israel and Palestine. Listen, I’m not on either side. I am on the side of life and peace. I think when looking at this conflict and observing the atrocities that occurred you have to understand the history and culture.

I have been reading some really good posts, educating me on that history and I want to share that with you. Let’s take a look….

• One of my fave creators, Hala Taha ( one of the only Palestinian voices on the LinkedIn platform) shared some of that history in this post

• DEI leader, Avery Francis shared this post to help people feel more comfortable talking about the conflict in the workplace

• Vox shared some nonbasis journalism urging us not to believe everything we’re hearing and seeing on social media about the conflict and the moral responsibility of modern journalism.

I also want to bring attention to this list of fifteen other conflicts and countries in crisis that are not on the news cycles regularly. The last five on the list specifically impact the lives of Black and Brown skinfolk every day but nobody seems to care (just in case someone is saying all lives matter).

Ten World Conflicts Happening Right Now

1. The Syrian Civil War (2011-onward): A multifaceted conflict involving the Assad government, opposition factions, ISIS, and several foreign powers.

2. The Yemeni Civil War (2015-onward): A conflict involving Houthi rebels and the internationally recognized Yemeni government, with significant foreign military intervention, particularly from Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

3. The Rohingya Crisis in Myanmar (2016-onward): Mass displacement and reported genocide of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine state by the Myanmar military.

4. Conflict in Eastern Ukraine (2014-onward): Bloody conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

5. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A long-standing conflict over territory and statehood, with periodic flare-ups of violence.

6. The Afghan Conflict: Following the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces in 2021, the Taliban rapidly took control of much of the country, leading to a new phase of conflict and instability.

7. Venezuelan Crisis (2010s-onward): Political, economic, and humanitarian crisis marked by hyperinflation, food and medicine shortages, and mass migration.

8. Ethiopian Tigray Conflict (2020-onward): Conflict between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and Ethiopian federal forces, with reports of large-scale human rights abuses and a developing humanitarian crisis.

9. Conflict in the Sahel: Islamist insurgencies in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, involving various jihadist groups and local and foreign military forces.

10. North Korea Tensions: The nuclear ambitions of North Korea and its intermittent missile tests and military provocations have been a source of tension, particularly with South Korea, Japan, and the United States.

11. Systemic Racism in the United States: African Americans have historically faced and continue to face systemic racism, which manifests in various forms, including economic disparities, mass incarceration, and police violence.

12. Police Violence & Brutality: The genocide of unarmed Black individuals by police in the U.S., such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others, have ignited massive protests and calls for police reform and racial justice.

13. Mass Incarceration: The U.S. prison system disproportionately affects African Americans due to policies like the "War on Drugs" and mandatory minimum sentences.

14. Gentrification & Displacement: Urban renewal and rising property values often displace longstanding Black communities, erasing cultural landmarks and increasing economic hardships.

15. Economic Inequality: Historical disparities in wealth, income, and employment opportunities persist for Black communities, a legacy of systemic discrimination.

16. Educational Disparities: African Americans facing educational inequalities due to underfunded schools in predominantly Black neighborhoods and systemic barriers to higher education.

No judgment and I definitely don’t have all the answers, but what I do have is global and spatial awareness and I’ve always had this desire to be a global citizen. I think there is something really special about caring, having knowledge, empathy, sympathy, and awareness about more than just your immediate surroundings.

If you’re reading this you’re blessed to have another Friday and experience another weekend. Take that in.

XoXo,

Jeneba