Maggie Soladay

Colombia has suffered the highest number of murders of environmental defenders for three years in a row. In the country’s Sierra Nevada, Indigenous land defenders face a dilemma: speak out now or cease to exist. Across Colombia, illegal groups have driven a surge in violence, and the government has struggled to quell the violence, particularly in remote rural areas.

On this International Women’s Day, I feel it's important to recognize that the anti-gender and anti-rights movement should, in some ways, be understood as a reaction to progress:

Yesterday's piece by UN @SRPoverty @DeSchutterO on how punitive welfare systems fuel the far-right is a must-read. "Mainstream political parties must reclaim narrative around welfare — a human right that we will all benefit from." 👇 euobserver.com/eu-political/a…

Attempts to silence speech undermine our democracy and harm all Americans. We’ve signed a letter with 120+ organizations to stand for this fundamental freedom. The recent murders of Charlie Kirk and Melissa Hortman have no place in our democracy. As we extend our sympathies, we must renew our commitment to ensuring everyone has the right to express themselves, even when others don’t agree with or like what they say. No one should fear for their safety simply for expressing their views. Together, our organizations will continue focusing on helping people across all backgrounds, geographies, ideologies, and belief systems, to heal, thrive, and live peacefully together, protected by the freedoms guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.

The Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros and chaired by Alex Soros, do not support or fund violent protests. Allegations to the contrary are false, and the threats against our founder and chair are outrageous. Our mission is to advance human rights, justice, and democratic principles in the United States and around the world. We stand for fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, including the rights to free speech and peaceful protest that are hallmarks of any vibrant democracy.

Throughout his career, George Soros has been committed to fighting the world’s most intractable problems. Learn more: osf.to/4fyDFVN

Happy 95th birthday to George Soros, the founder of the Open Society Foundations! Starting in Hungary in the mid-1980s, George Soros used his fortune to build a philanthropic network that became the Open Society Foundations—supporting a vast array of new efforts to create more accountable, transparent, and democratic societies. Here are some highlights of his leadership of Open Society: In the 1980s, he funded the free exchange of information and ideas behind the Iron Curtain and fostered open, democratic societies after the fall of the Soviet Union—steps that would lead to our establishment as the Open Society Foundations. In the 1990s, he returned to South Africa to nurture democracy and address inequality after apartheid. He also seeded important new thinking around drug policy reform and end-of-life care in the United States. In the 2000s, he supported efforts to foster international justice for atrocities, strengthen disability rights globally, and tackle the scourges of TB and HIV. In the 2010s, he expanded our work to Latin America, confronted the CIA on torture at black sites, helped refugees who fled war, and celebrated gains in LGBTQI+ rights globally. In the 2020s, he released millions in emergency funding to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, invest in building Black power in the U.S., and support a free and democratic Ukraine, especially after Russia’s invasion. Photo credits: Lauren Frohne/Open Society Foundations, Beka Vuco/Open Society Foundations, © Jason Kempin/Redux, Open Society Foundations

🌟 Meet the 2025 Young Photographer Award jury! These past YPA winners bring expert eyes from photojournalism, documentary, and storytelling—and they’re here to spotlight Uganda’s next visual storytellers👇 #MeetTheJudges #YPA2025

@UPPAward @DrSanallah @Kharumwa @luistatophoto @tmukwazhi It was such a pleasure working with you all! Incredible work from the photographers, many images and projects that will stick with me and continue to inspire all of our work.

🌍We’re proud to introduce the 2025 East African Photography Award judges — a panel of globally acclaimed photographers, editors, & visual storytellers📸 #EAPA2025 #Photography

@NewYorker The $30 ticket price—yikes. Does anyone know if kids need a $30 ticket as well? I really want to see this and bring my son, but that is steep.

“Constellation,” the largest-ever show of the photographer Diane Arbus’s work in New York, contains 454 images with mirrors mounted on the back of each picture frame; you can see yourself in some, as though the camera had been turned on you. nyer.cm/ChVASSx

At the @ParkAveArmory until August 17. Unfortunately, it is $30 per person.

IWMF Statement on Imprisonment of Ulviyya Guliyeva: mailchi.mp/743439d2b2a5/i…

@Author_PCorrell Nightshade Market? @minjinlee11 Is this where inflamed joints come from?

The Chicago Sun-Times published an upcoming summer books list that is obviously AI. The clues are that there is no byline and at least 8 of these titles do not exist.

OMGOMGOMG

Meet Elizabeth O’Connor and our wonderful local community garden, @MooreJacksonNYC ! canvasrebel.com/meet-elizabeth…

@CPFNYC when will registration open for the spring track and field program? Website states February. I’ve been checking every few days for 5 weeks now! 🤞🏽

@CPFNYC when will registration for the spring track and field open? The website says check back… in February.

Great piece from @OSFKasia against (dumb) healing farms treatment for drug use. salon.com/2025/02/28/the…