SARA NILES. Author and Social Media Influencer. Books, Essays, Social Awareness The lives we live determine our passions, and our passions impact the lives we live, in a dynamic, reciprocal pattern. My Life inspired me to write Memoirs: TORN From the Inside Out, The Journey, Out of the Maelstrom, Essays, Opinion Editorials, and social narratives that shed light during dark times.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Ferguson and Civil Disobedience: A Human Rights Issue
Sara Niles
Riots and acts of ‘Civil Disobedience’, even
peaceful protests are signs that something is wrong on a large scale. The history
of civil disobedience in the U.S. has, in each individual case resulted when a
sense of injustice lay smoldering in the minds of many until it erupted as a
visible sign of unrest; a few examples from the past include the 1965 Watts Riot,
which occurred hot on the heels of the Harlem riots a year before. In both
cases there was a prevailing mindset of racial discrimination and maltreatment
of Blacks, a sense of wrongness about things that festered untended by
political forces. There needed to be change but no change was coming, and there
was no sign of change in the near The earlier riots were clumsy attempts at
forcing change and were forerunners of the
national acts of civil disobedience that
were to come, as more and more people became acutely aware of injustice.
The building mindset of racial injustice ignited a
human rights storm that set the stage for the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement,
with Martin Luther King emerging as its leader (http://www.detroits-great-rebellion.com/Birmingham.html).
Change was being forged as history was made. The major work of the civil right
movement took place in the 1960’s, but there is still work to be done when it
comes of justice and human rights.
The issue at stake in the 60’s was a matter of being
treated fairly, justly, and with respect, just as it is now in Ferguson, Missouri
as crowds continue to protest the slaying of Michal Brown, an unarmed Black
teenager, who was shot ‘at least six times’ according to autopsy reports, by a
White police officer lCNN:Missouri Teen
The Civil Disobedience in Fergusson Missouri is a
sign of a much bigger issue in the United States: a double standard between the
treatment of Whites and Blacks in the justice system. The fair exercise of
human rights applies equally to all races, and all economic divisions; because
justice should be a basic human right of all people.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
SARA NILES: Books, Writing, and Social Issues: Out of the Maelstrom by Sara Niles
SARA NILES: Books, Writing, and Social Issues: Out of the Maelstrom by Sara Niles: Narrative Memoir: Trauma Tragedy and Triumph 260 pages 71,152 words Out of the Maelstrom is a stand-alone narrative memo...
Out of the Maelstrom by Sara Niles
Narrative Memoir: Trauma
Tragedy and Triumph 260 pages 71,152 words
Out of the Maelstrom is a
stand-alone narrative memoir that can be read as part of The Torn From the
Inside Out trilogy, or separately. Out of the Maelstrom is narrated by Sara
Niles as a collection of short stories , philosophical insights and world views
that create a global view of human suffering and provide an inspirational
mirror that reflects the “power of the human spirit under fire”
Sara Niles survived extreme
abuse and fled with her five children in 1987; over a decade later, Sara became
a counselor and trainer for a domestic violence agency in a small town. It was
during the ten years Sara was employed as a domestic violence professional that
she was exposed to the worst of the worst , and the best of the best , those
who were defeated and hardened by life and those who were empowered by trauma
and tragedy and who not only survived, by triumphed.
Excerpts and Quotes
"When the storms of life
are worse than the storms of nature, those who survive rise out of the
maelstrom"
“The pages of my books are
the parchment upon which I wrote using the 'ink' of my life: the blood, sweat
and tears that represent the long struggle of the 'journey', the life trip that
began long ago with the hungry little girl who 'sat in the sand' waiting to be
saved by ‘an ancient old man’. The story
of child abuse, salvation, domestic violence and escape as told in Torn From
the Inside Out, continued with the endearing and heart wrenching story of the
children of Torn From the Inside Out in The Journey, as they struggled with the
issues of their own survival and redemption.
Out of the Maelstrom Out of the Maelstrom
contains stories about real people: stories of trauma and triumph, and extremes
of what life has to offer, from the kindness that defines the best of human
nature to the cruelty that defines the worst. Many of the stories contain
paradoxical dilemmas of social significance that have arisen out of our culture
and stand as a testament to the broken parts of society that affect the
marginalized and the forgotten members, the ones most in need of help. The
scope of Out of the Maelstrom broadly sweeps in the worldview as part of the
context of everyday human life, since no man exists on an island.
Excerpts from Chapter One
"He was dead, alright.
The sight of death is an ugly and fearsome thing, I thought, as I absorbed the
tragic sight in front of me. It was a man, 'The man', who was lying in the road
with blackish--red blood pooled around his head, and as he lay face down with
his feet in his own yard, while his head and shoulders were planted in the
street, he gave the appearance of a killed animal felled in its tracks by a
hunter."
"I applied to work for
this agency because I felt that I belonged there, because it was where my heart
was. I wanted to help people who had hurt like I hurt and felt trapped like I
had. I wanted to empower those who felt they were powerless and give courage to
the broken hearted. My comrades in this mission were all there with me, we all
wanted the same things for similar reasons and we would share a rich and grand
experience working together, an adventure that needed telling, a soulful potion
that needs sharing in the journey of this new life" "She said her
name was Evelyn, the name sounded soft
and genteel, but the lady was not"
"Oh...You will just have
to come see for yourself-I'd get over here if I were you -and hurry!" she
said with a little nervous laugh" (Sandy the Shelter Manager)
Table of Contents (samples)
Chapter 1.....Homicide in the
Street...11 Chapter 2.....A Place of Safety in a Time of Danger...Chapter
3.....A Special Brand of People ....Norman
Rockwell & The Lady From Harvard... Chapter ....Wolves-Within ...........Chapter
28.....A Visit: Back to My Past... Chapter 29.....
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
The U.S. Immigration Dilemma is Here and Now
The Immigration Dilemma in the United States and American
Roots
The United States of America was born as a result of the
blood sweat and tears of former immigrants who sought out a new land. When the
first ‘Americans’ set foot on the new land, the natives occupying the land were
the only ‘non’ immigrants, everyone else came from England, different countries
in Europe, from forced capture from Africa, and from almost every land in the
world, so by the year 2014, America is a true melting pot of nations and
cultures. The problem with immigration is not so much that there are immigrants
still seeking out American soil, the problem is with keeping legal order so
that the borders are not flooded with undocumented immigrants who have no legal
right to be here. The U.S. has to keep order, or else situations like the case
of hundreds of children being placed at risk crossing the desert and vulnerable
to the whim of criminals, will become the new norm.
The immigration situation is filled with complications .Many
the children that are currently detained by the United States , were running away from dangerous situations and could face death if
returned to their native soil; thus placing the U.S. in a no-win situation. The
human thing to do is to protect the children by not returning them to ‘certain
death’ as O’Malley stated:
The legal thing to do is to honor American legislation
involving immigration, and send the children back. Some believe the children
should not be here at all and are protesting their arrival, and some are
protesting the possible deportation of these illegal immigrants. What to do?
Stick to the law or act humanely? The question is no longer a practice in
rhetoric, the question has to be answered immediately because the problem is
here and now.
Arizona Immigrant Children:
It may be wise to reflect upon the roots of American origins
before making a hasty decision, for example there were many icons that became
American legends, who were first immigrants before they became American
citizens. Many have contributed richness to our culture, and some have directly
changed politics, science and law.
Famous American Immigrants
Fred Astaire’s father, Frederic Austerlitz (the last name
Astaire was an attempt to Americanize the last name Austerlitz), arrived in
American via Ellis Island in 1892).
Albert Einstein was born in Germany in 1879 and arrived in
the United States just as Hitler came to power and began his campaign against
Jews; Einstein was visiting in the U.S. and decided not to return to Germany,
since he was Jewish and would have surely become a target of the Nazi regime. It
was after Einstein made the decision not to return to Germany that he
discovered his name was on a Nazi ‘hit’ list. Einstein became an American
citizen in 1940.Einstein revolutionized the world of physics with his
clarification of the
relationship between energy and matter, E=MC2
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
the former governor of California, was born in Austria and came to the United
States as a body builder in 1921. Schwarzenegger was considered the most famous
immigrant in America. Schwarzenegger became a U.S. citizen in 1983.
To name a
few more famous U.S. immigrants: Henry Kissinger, Sophia Loren, and Yao Ming
The White House Immigration Reform Plan: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Tribute to Maya Angelou by Sara Niles
Maya Angelou died just three days ago, on May 28, 2014. I
was a twelve year-old girl when I first heard of Maya Angelou, the author of I
Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and I was engrossed when the story was told via
a PBS documentary some years later. I read the book when I was in middle school
for the first time, and I re-read it several times thereafter; each time
finding a greater depth of meaning as my own perspective of life had expanded.
I found Dr. Angelou to be a fascinating person as a whole of
her many composite selves: the author and poet, the innovative entrepreneur,
the multi-talented actress and dancer, and most of all, the tireless
humanitarian philosopher and perpetual teacher whose motto was “ If you learn, teach.”
Maya Angelou was a self-made woman whose phenomenal
personality enriched the world that she lived in.
She was indeed a Phenomenal Woman: Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou from Oprah.com,
because when she walked into the ‘room’ of the world and made her place, she
was noticed as she walked through life with her head “not bowed”, and even
though she did not “talk real loud”, she left the echo of her words behind.
I feel I have lost another part of my life, another life
member, because my world has had her in it since I was a child. Although I
never met her, I knew she was there... her presence defining the perimeters of
the literary world; her tweets and posts providing encouragement and hope for
everyone.
I woke up today and remembered she is gone. I offer tribute
to the woman who was born to small things yet rose to greatness.
Dr. Maya Angelou’s biography: Biography of Maya Angelou from Maya Angelou.com
Friday, May 9, 2014
Nigerian School Girls: Bring Back Our Girls
CNN World News: Nigerian School Girls May 8
Huffington Post May 6 U.S. to act
ABC Bring Back Our Girls May 6
The vulgar terrorist targeting of Nigerian school girls has produced an international outrage that signals the world will not tolerate such a low level of cruelty.
Huffington Post May 6 U.S. to act
ABC Bring Back Our Girls May 6
The vulgar terrorist targeting of Nigerian school girls has produced an international outrage that signals the world will not tolerate such a low level of cruelty.
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