Blogs by Author | Free Press

The Resistance Must Be Digitized
Joseph Torres
Malkia Cyril
March 16, 2017
In January, Trump appointed Ajit Pai as the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. In so doing he found someone who shares his disdain for popular democracy, privacy rights, the truth and the poor.
Black America's State of Surveillance
Malkia Cyril
March 31, 2015
Ten years ago, on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, my mother, a former Black Panther, died from complications of sickle cell anemia. Weeks before she died, the FBI came knocking at our door.
Only Net Neutrality Can Protect the Internet from Becoming Like TV: White, Middle-Class and Exclusive
Malkia Cyril
February 26, 2015
The future of the Internet is about to be decided. Will it continue to be a place where dreams are born, dissent is protected, and democracy thrives? That depends on a crucial Net Neutrality vote at the Federal Communications Commission on Feb. 26.
Net Neutrality Is the Civil Rights Act for the Internet
Malkia Cyril
February 24, 2015
The mainstream media has been marveling lately at the grassroots movement that took on the powerful telecom industry and has all but won the battle for Net Neutrality.
In a Digital Age, Feminism Demands an Open Internet
Malkia Cyril
February 24, 2015
In just a few days, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on whether to preserve an open Internet with strong Net Neutrality rules, or turn the Internet over to corporate providers who’d prefer an online environment that looks more like cable, where the corporate bottom line trumps free speech, every time.
Black Digital Power in the 21st Century
Malkia Cyril
February 5, 2015
"Super-predator." "Crack baby." "Welfare Queen." It was 1987, and my 13-year-old interaction with mainstream news and entertainment media was a martial one.
A New Generation of Civil Rights Leaders Applaud Chairman Wheeler’s Proposal to Pass Strong Network Neutrality Rules
Malkia Cyril
February 4, 2015
On Tuesday, 30 members of Congress signed a letter put forward by Representatives Maxine Waters and Keith Ellison, urging the Federal Communications Commission to guarantee Net Neutrality by reclassifying broadband under Title II of the Communications Act.
Can You Hear Us Now?
Malkia Cyril
January 20, 2015
Speaking just a few weeks before his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “It is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard.”
Turn Up: 21st-Century Black Millennials Are Bringing Direct Action Back
Malkia Cyril
December 23, 2014
At 7:30 a.m. on a rainy Monday morning, a multiracial team of activists led by Black millennial direct action groups Blackout Collective, #BlackBrunch and Black Lives Matter accomplished what had never been done before.
Five Really Big Myths About 'Next Generation' Civil Rights and the Fight for an Open Internet
Malkia Cyril
December 15, 2014
As Black communities emerge from the shadows of criminalization, hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter have jumped off the computer screen and into the street. Beyond sparking a long-awaited new civil rights movement, they are also catalyzing an amazing 21st-century model for civil rights activism.

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