Name: Juno Walker

Social Justice Group: 2018-2019, Freedom of the Press

Date of Fieldwork: December 26, 2018

Name of Organization: Pen America

Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles:

Type of Fieldwork: Direct Action

What I did:

We wrote letters to imprisoned journalists in Iran, Myanmar, and Russia. The letters let them know that there are people who support them outside of prison and that they are others who fight for their cause.

What I learned:

I learned about how strict different countries can be about freedom of the press. These journalists were arrested a number of times just for speaking out about their personal opinions. It gave me a little more of an insight into how different countries react to people trying to publish their ideas.

What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:

I learned a little more about why people are so afraid to speak out against the governments in many countries. Many governments around the world are willing to arrest and sometimes kill in order to prevent the press from publishing their articles or news broadcasts. It also taught me about how the First Amendment like in the US can really change how a country works.