The Lens

01/15/2021

05/18/2019

"Motherhood! What an unspeakably huge thing for all my fluttering butterflies to drown in. A still pool, holding the sky. I looked into it day after day, and sometimes I could see the sky, and sometimes only my drowned butterflies."

https://medium.com/s/story/what-an-abortion-felt-like-in-1907-10246f91a743

Abortions have occurred for centuries, but with little available documentation of the experience. Nora May French left behind writings of what it was like to terminate a pregnancy in the early 1900s.

04/03/2019

The Lens is proud to announce the winners of our first emerging filmmaker competition - Not Done Yet by MaryAnn Talino and Hoan Alone by Aaron Johnson. The Lens' competition challenged emerging filmmakers to share a local story with a new perspective on a social issue. MaryAnn accepted her award at the SLO International Film Festival where her film was screened alongside Guillermo García López's A Delicate Balance. This event was created in partnership with Cal Poly's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Science, Technology and Society programs, the Allan Hancock film program, and Cause Cinema. The Lens would like to thank its partners as well as the supporters and sponsors of the competition including SLO Brew The Rock and Jack Levy, whose generous support of emerging social filmmakers is an inspiration.

Please watch Not Done Yet on The Lens:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hku7V4vsJ6k

Not Done Yet, by MaryAnn Talino, is an award winner of The Lens Film Fest 2019. Not Done Yet is a documentary about Jasmine Pickett who is a multi-talented y...

11/27/2018

While Puerto Rico is still recovering from Hurricane Maria, communities are trying to prepare for future hurricane seasons. We're partnering with Project HOPE and Network for Good to support these communities to recover and rebuild stronger than ever.
Support Puerto Rico this Giving Tuesday: https://www.nfggive.com/thelens/53-0242962

For months, Puerto Rican officials have said their government is ready for another hurricane. But the part of its emergency response plan dealing specifically with hurricanes hasn't been completed.

11/27/2018

Consider donating to Project HOPE this Giving Tuesday to help Puerto Rico rebuild stronger than ever

https://www.nfggive.com/thelens/53-0242962

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11/27/2018

This Giving Tuesday, we're partnering with Project HOPE and Network for Good to support communities in Puerto Rico that are still recovering from Hurricane Maria.
Give now: https://www.nfggive.com/thelens/53-0242962

The New York Times visited more than 150 homes in Punta Santiago to document the damage that remains a year after Hurricane Maria.

11/27/2018

For Giving Tuesday, The Lens is raising money for Puerto Rico's disaster recovery through Project HOPE, a nonprofit addressing health education and humanitarian assistance in these primary areas: non communicable disease, infectious disease, women's and children's health, disaster relief and health system strengthening.

Please see how the community of Mariana is recovering and consider helping our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico with a recurring, or single, donation if you're able.

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10/05/2018

American Lens Fans, voter registration deadlines are approaching! Check your states policies and take part in democracy!
https://www.vote.org/voter-registration-deadlines/

Voter registration deadlines for all 50 states. Register now so you can vote in the next election.

09/04/2018

We've been publishing a multi-part series on the Rohingya crisis. It's ongoing and not much has changed for the better. https://www.wsj.com/video/jailed-journalists-rohingya-and-suu-kyi-whats-next-for-myanmar/6BC696D6-8A3C-471E-9CFA-6EC4BEC85040.html

Subscribe to our youtube channel to be notified about the next part in our series! - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZfBa5bx2u4aQVufIe6qfKw

Myanmar faces growing international criticism after two Reuters journalists who investigated a massacre of ethnic Rohingya Muslims were sentenced to seven years in prison. The WSJ’s Jon Emont explains. Photo: Getty Images and Reuters

08/28/2018

A recent study by George Washington University found that Hurricane Maria caused about 2,975 deaths: about as many as 9/11.

See how the community of Mariana is bringing people together and rebuilding for the future

Want to get involved? Check out PBS' list of resources to help in whatever way you can: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/puerto-rico-hurricane-victims-still-need-help-heres-what-you-can-do

08/10/2018

Josh and Matt share their stories of how he**in entered and conquered their lives. They're both clean now and reflecting on the most important parts of recovery and sobriety.

Like The Lens for more stories that humanize the news.

08/03/2018

Thanks to everyone who has joined us in our mission to humanize the news and create a community around empathy and action! Please invite your friends to the page, and join the group Your Lens to dive deeper into these conversations

The Lens is a global media brand that captures a familiar world through authentic perspectives. We connect you with developing human stories on global affa

07/31/2018

Christine Nieves, a professor and community organizer in Puerto Rico, is working to build a brighter further by transitioning from emergency response to long-term strategic initiatives to help the community grow and be better prepared for future catastrophic storms like Hurricane Maria.

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07/17/2018

Alexa Lopez protested her father's detention by ICE by dancing in front of his prison - a dance she was supposed to share with him.

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*Editors Note: We are sharing a re-edited cut of this story which was originally uploaded on Friday, July 13th. It was brought to our attention that some of the language used in the previous edit was not entirely accurate, or portrayed some policies as unique to the Trump administration when in fact they were in-action under the Obama administration as well. In an effort for full transparency, we have left the previous post up on our page.

Our mission is always to provide accurate information about the human effects of certain policies and we work tirelessly towards this goal, which sometimes means admitting mistakes or making a statement less bombastic, and therefore possibly less "clickbaity." We would always prefer an engaged audience who yearns for truth and understanding to an audience only attracted by controversy and bombast.

Thank you for understanding, and please feel free to contact The Lens with any questions, comments, or concerns on this topic or any other.

07/13/2018

Alexa Lopez protested her father's detention by ICE by dancing in front of his prison - a dance she was supposed to share with him.

Follow The Lens for more stories like this

07/06/2018

We sat down with Antar Davidson to talk about working for one of the youth migrant shelters in Tuscon, Arizona where the effects of the family separations are clear. Please consider donating to Raices to help reunite families

https://www.raicestexas.org/

07/04/2018

Don't just celebrate freedom on this independence day, fight for it. Hear Antar Davidson's story about working for one of the youth migrant shelters at our southern border and consider donating to Raices to help reunite families

https://www.raicestexas.org/

06/27/2018

Feel like the world isn't seeing something important in your community? Have a unique perspective that would be constructive for global audiences? Share your Lens.

Help us see the world through your eyes in your words

The Lens is a user-generated political news platform designed to form movements around shared experiences.

06/20/2018

Our team is looking for answers about what is happening to the migrant children who have been separated from their parents

06/15/2018

"One morning we heard chaos in our community. Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) didn't allow us to leave our house. We couldn't leave. What were we supposed to do?"
Like The Lens for more stories on the Rohingya crisis.

06/09/2018

“ARSA threatened us by saying they will slaughter us if we don’t leave. Where were we supposed to go?”
While the majority of Rohingya refugees are Muslims fleeing ethnic cleansing by the Myanmar military, some Hindu Rohingyas are fleeing Myanmar after being attacked by ARSA, an insurgent Rohingya group. This is Sunil’s story.
Like The Lens for more stories on the Rohingya crisis.

06/04/2018

"We struggled throughout the journey to Bangladesh. We didn't have food or water."
Vijay Mantha's story of fleeing Myanmar for refuge in Bangladesh.
Like The Lens for more first-person stories from the Rohingya.

05/25/2018

"There is no peace. We do not have enough."
Rohingya refugees coming out of Myanmar reflect on life in the refugee camps.
Like The Lens for more stories on the Rohingya crisis.

05/18/2018

"Drugs and the streets are all that I actually know."
CONTENT WARNING: This video contains visuals of drug use and addiction which may be triggering to some.
Like The Lens for more stories on the Opioid Epidemic.

05/12/2018

"People need to know that homeless people are not just nobody."
See the full video on our YouTube: https://youtu.be/W4FG6aKNVBE

CONTENT WARNING: This video contains visuals of drug use and addiction which may be triggering to some.

05/04/2018

"Our children and grandchildren have been brutally killed. Our parents were killed."

The Rohingya are suffering from an ethnic cleansing campaign led by the Myanmar Army. This is Abdul's story.

Like The Lens for more stories on the Rohingya crisis.

04/27/2018

"People think he**in is only affecting the suburbs."
See how the opioid crisis has changed life in Chicago's West Garfield Park, where the city is spending more on police resources than community resources.
Like The Lens for more stories like this.

04/26/2018

"Whether or not you're from our neighborhood using he**in, we're paying the price and no one's getting help."

Tune in to The Lens this Friday for the full story.

04/20/2018

"We have been thrown out of Myanmar."
Escaping Myanmar has torn apart Rohingya families searching for safety.
Follow The Lens to hear more personal stories from the Rohingya.

04/13/2018

"We were brutally tortured in Myanmar."
How 600,000 Muslims fled a massacre in Myanmar. This is Siddik's story.
Like The Lens for more stories on the Rohingya crisis.

04/06/2018

"I don't know how many votes I will get, but I will win."

Venezuela has closed voting locations, hoping to discourage citizens from turning out. Hope for democracy lives through the young generations who have taken to the streets.

Like The Lens for more stories like these.

03/31/2018

800+ March for Our Lives events brought together over a million people calling for gun reform. These are their voices.

We want to hear yours too. Submit a video of yourself describing your experiences with guns in America at www.TheLens.online/guns
Like The Lens for more stories like this.

03/23/2018

"I would like the world to know the truth."

Find ways to get involved at www.TheLens.online/Venezuela

03/16/2018

"Everyone is leaving the country. There is no future here."
The Venezuelan crisis has left many unhopeful for change. Is there a chance to return to normalcy?
Find ways to take action at www.TheLens.online/Venezuela

03/09/2018

"We have all lost a friend or family member because of the crisis."
How has life changed through an economic and democratic collapse? Stories from the lives of Venezuelans.