Non-U.S. citizens are now eligible for the National Book Awards
The change expands representation in one of the United States’ highest literary accolades. Starting in the 2024 cycle, longtime residents of the United States, U.S. territories, and tribal lands will be eligible for awards in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young people’s literature, regardless of their immigration status. The unanimous decision by the National Book Foundation’s board is the culmination of a yearslong effort to allow more participation from immigrant authors.
In 2018, the foundation started a petition process that allowed American publishers to submit works by noncitizens. Publishers had to vouch that an author had resided in the U.S. for at least 10 years and was pursuing naturalization or had no viable pathway to do so. The updated rules mandate only that the writer “maintain their primary, long-term home” in the U.S.
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In our progress roundup, we focus on equality for noncitizen writers in America, speakers of native tongues in Brazil, and Maasai women in Kenya.
The change is part of a broader trend. Last year, the Pulitzer Prize Board amended its requirements for awards in books, music, and drama to include anyone who considers the U.S. their permanent home, following an open letter signed by hundreds of writers. “We have a duty to ask what constitutes the literature of a nation,” the letter read.
Sources: Mother Jones, The New York Times
An app is helping Brazil’s Indigenous communities connect in their native languages
In this tech-savvy nation, the country’s 1.7 million Indigenous people, many of whom live in the Amazon, struggle to remain connected in writing via cellphones. Linklado offers a fix: a digital keyboard that allows Indigenous people to quickly type with letters and diacritics used to write Indigenous languages in the Latin alphabet.
Though many Indigenous languages are primarily oral, Portuguese colonizers transcribed them using the Latin alphabet in the 16th century. Launched in 2022 by Juliano Portela and Samuel Benzecry, two natives of the Amazon region, Linklado is now available for every Indigenous language in the region – about 40 in total. The app also allows nonspeakers to have their texts translated into Indigenous language for a fee, providing a valuable stream of revenue to Indigenous women, who are often left out of Brazil’s economy.
Linklado is free to use and has been downloaded about 3,000 times. The creators said that many people are still using the original test version, meaning that usage numbers are likely higher. Some Indigenous activists hope the app will help preserve Brazil’s native languages, many of which are at risk of dying out.
Source: Agence France-Presse
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
The first Orthodox Christian country to do so, Greece joins 15 other European Union states and more than 30 nations around the world that have granted same-sex marriage rights. The law allows same-sex couples to adopt children and have full parental rights, though not in cases of surrogacy. The vote crossed party lines, with 176 members of the 300-person parliament voting in favor.
Though Greece has allowed same-sex civil unions since 2015, this legislation defies intense opposition from the Greek Orthodox Church, the socially conservative religious institution to which 80% of the country’s population belongs. Recent polls by the Pew Research Center and Metron Analysis showed that 48% and 62%, respectively, of respondents support same-sex marriage, though more than two-thirds in the latter survey opposed same-sex parenthood. Analysts say that the new law could help the center-right government gain favor from the left.
Some have leveled criticism against the law for not including any protections for transgender people. But supporters cheered outside of parliament after the vote was announced. “This isn’t just about legal recognition; it’s about validation, acceptance, and the affirmation of our inherent worth,” rights group Thessaloniki Pride said on social media.
Sources: Financial Times, Pew Research Center, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report
Maasai women are stepping into leading roles
Challenging stereotypes and empowering their families, women in Kenya are assuming more duties in conservancies. These lands are collectively owned and managed by Indigenous groups, which earn income from ecotourism. In the Maasai’s patriarchal society, governance of these lands has typically fallen to men. But at Mara Ripoi conservancy in Maasai Mara, in southwestern Kenya, three women sit on the reserve’s 10-person governing committee, making decisions on cattle grazing zones, finances, and employment opportunities.
Conservancies are one of Africa’s primary models for managing protected lands, about two-thirds of which lie outside of national parks. During the pandemic, the African Conservancies Fund supported around 100,000 people in the Maasai Mara, replacing tourism income while safeguarding ecosystems. Participating conservancies agreed to increase training of female park rangers and include women in leadership positions.
James Wakibia/Sopa Images/Sipa Usa/Reuters/File
“Educating girls and empowering women is changing Maasailand,” said Evans Nchoe, whose wife is a local leader in Mara Ripoi. “We have a new generation of men that is closer to women than the previous one. Today, we sit down and consult. … That is progress.”
Founded in 2023, the Mara Ripoi conservancy is one of more than 100 in Kenya and protects about 13,500 acres of land.
Sources: The Guardian, Conservation International
Farmers are relearning ancient practices to guard rice crops against climate change
The Green Revolution, which swept through The Philippines and other parts of the developing world in the latter half of the 20th century, introduced high-yield seeds that reduced hunger and poverty in many regions. But farmers who could not afford the prescribed fertilizer and pesticides were left behind.
Masipag, a farmer-led network in the Philippines, is trying to improve food sovereignty and climate resilience for smallholder farmers. Over four decades, the group has bred dozens of native rice varieties to be more resistant to drought, salt water, pests, and disease. And it’s trained over 30,000 farmers to grow them using agroecology – principles that include fewer chemicals, open access to seeds, and more humane labor conditions.
A 2018 University of British Columbia study of Masipag rice varieties grown organically found them to be more resilient to climate change than conventionally grown rice. Organic rice systems also produced social empowerment. Agroecology studies have found that the practices can increase food security, generate more income for farmers, and boost biodiversity.
Though countries such as India, Senegal, and Brazil have advanced policies favoring agroecology recently, the method faces industry pushback and existing agricultural policy. In the United States, some nonprofits such as the Traditional Native American Farmers Association have sought to promote agroecology.
Sources: Reasons To Be Cheerful, Cambridge University Press