They Hit 16 Different Places In 7 Days. Now 2,000 People Are Dead.

I didn't hear about this on the news. Did you?

 Chie Davis
01.13.15
<span id="selection-marker-1" class="redactor-selection-marker"> </span><span class="redactor-invisible-space"> </span>

So ... what happened, exactly?

While the details are still sketchy, what we do know so far is:

  • The militant terrorist group Boko Haram (which has been linked to the kidnapping of over 200 Nigerian school girls) is allegedly responsible.
  • They unleashed a shooting and bombing spree on innocent people around Baga, a village in northern Nigeria.
  • The total lives lost is reported as "up to 2,000" across 16 villages. The body count is currently unclear due to conflicting reports between eyewitnesses and the Nigerian government.
  • The attacks began at a military outpost on Jan. 3, made their way to Baga on the 7th, and lasted until about the 10th, with three additional but separate suicide bombings over the weekend. That's almost a full week of violent, deadly attacks.
  • The youngest reported suicide bomber was a 10-year-old girl. Yeah. They used a 10-year-old girl as a bomb.
  • Mostly women and children were killed, and thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes.
  • Conflicting reports aside, this is the most devastating attack linked to Boko Haram to date.
"This attack reiterates the urgent need for Boko Haram to stop the senseless killing of civilians and for the Nigerian government to take measures to protect a population who live in constant fear of such attacks." — Daniel Eyre, Amnesty International

With details still unfolding and the major media organizations only just now starting to pay attention to this story, the best way to stay updated is through social media using the hastag #PrayForNigeria on both Facebook and Twitter. (Warning: some graphic images.)

democracy race diversity and equality guns violence cops prisons justice citizenship democracy international war peace terrorism religion prisons guns crime war conflict
More

Jaden Smith is responding to L.A.’s homeless crisis by launching a free vegan food truck.

Los Angeles is experiencing a homeless epidemic that was years in the making.

Over the past six years, the unhoused population in the city has risen 75 percent. The city's lack of homeless shelters and affordable housing has forced many who can't afford L.A.'s sky-high rents to live on the streets.

According to LAist, since 2000, renter incomes have decreased by 3 percent while rents have gone up 32 percent.

While the city has launched a $100 million-per-year program to help the problem, rapper, entrepreneur, and actor Jaden Smith has found his own way of responding to the crisis: love.

Keep Reading Show less
jaden smith los angeles housing crisis i love you restaurant food truck vegan food
Communities

A 3-year-old gave her mom a 25-word master class on what forgiveness really means.

Mom and blogger Mary Katherine Backstrom regularly shares snippets of life with her two children on her Facebook page. One particularly touching interaction with her daughter is melting hearts and blowing minds due to the three-year-old's wise words about forgiveness.

Even adults struggle with the concept of forgiveness. Entire books have been written about how and why to forgive those who have wronged us, but many still have a hard time getting it. Who would guess that a preschooler could encapsulate what forgiveness means in a handful of innocent words?

Keep Reading Show less
parenting motherhood children
Family

Racist women told Burger King manager to 'go back to Mexico.' He gave them a lesson in civics instead.


Social media may be "ruining society" according to a lot of people's grandparents. But it's also a pretty helpful tool for spotting racists and publicly shaming them. Incidentally, a lot of those racists are also people's grandparents... kinda makes you think, hmmm?

Recently, two elderly white ladies were spotted in a Burger King in Central Florida being racist towards a man who they overheard speaking Spanish. That man turned out to be the manager.

Some nearby customers were filming the incident and posted the video online where it's gone viral. "Go back to Mexico," says one of the women. "If you want to keep speaking Spanish, go back to your Mexican country." She then continues: "this is America. Our main language is English. ... Speak your Mexican at home."

Keep Reading Show less
Culture

Megan Rapinoe says the best way to support equal pay is by putting your money where your mouth is.

The U.S. women's soccer team won the Women's World Cup, but the victory is marred by the fact that the team is currently fighting for equal pay. In soccer, the game is won by scoring points, but the fight for equal pay isn't as clearly winnable and the playing field isn't as even.

We live in a world where winning the World Cup is easier than winning equal pay, but co-captain Megan Rapinoe says there's one easy way fans can support the team: Go see games.

Some people argue the men's team deserves to get paid more because they are more successful and earn more money for the United States Soccer Federation. Pay depends on merchandise and ticket sales, and in general, men's sporting events tend to draw a bigger crowd than women's sporting events. It's not about sex, many argue; it's about the fact that people just prefer to see men play.

Keep Reading Show less
Culture