Huck’s changemakers of 2016: The year’s greatest activism

It’s hard to look back at 2016 without thinking you were watching an episode of Black Mirror – fake news proliferated our social media feeds, Brexit exacerbated deep divisions across Europe and Donald Trump’s victorious presidential campaign has helped to catapult the alt-right into the mainstream.

Yet whilst the world seemed to be plummeting further into disarray, there were those who refused to remain complacent and brought a little more positivity to a year fraught with despair. Whether they are fighting Trump’s chaotic climate agenda, or fighting for the freedom to be themselves, here are Huck’s most inspiring activism stories from the past 12 months.

Ugandan trans woman Cleo Kambugu Kentaro is fighting for her right to love

Photo by Dominic Nahr

As a trans woman, Cleopatra Kambugu Kentaro was set to face more challenges in her life than many. But being born in Uganda, where homophobic laws see trans people targeted, her struggle at times looked insurmountable. In the run up to the passing of Uganda’s 2014 Anti-Homosexuality Bill, she found herself “exposed” in a popular tabloid.

Forced to flee her hometown for safety, Cleo made her way across the Kenyan border to Nairobi, where she works today supporting East African LGBT movements. She is now the subject of the documentary The Pearl of Africa. Read more.

Smoking marijuana to treat mental illness has the power to change lives

Photo by Theo McInnes

While British politicians and the general public support legalisation of medical cannabis, too many lives, like patient Julien Jesse’s, are still being devastated by prohibition.

“You also have to compare it with other drugs available. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs work, but they have significant side effects. Cannabis has a better safety profile than both those alternatives.” Read more.

The Travel Diary: Native Americans on the frontlines at Standing Rock

Photo by Mico Toledo

Native American Nations have come together in a historic protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline, which threatens sacred tribal lands. Photographer Mico Toledo went to hear their stories, before news broke that their fight was nearly won.

“When I saw young native people in circles chanting the same chants their fathers sang before them and their grandfathers sang before that, I felt they found themselves as people and realised the beauty and importance of their own culture.” Read more.

The breakdancers and ballet artists reclaiming Palestine

Photo by Tamara Abdul Hadi

From breakdancing to ballet, a new wave of Middle Eastern dancers are finding creative ways to restore the one thing they feel they’re being denied: freedom of movement.

“It’s a culture that gives you space and, as Palestinians who are suffering from a lot, from occupation, we need that space to express ourselves.” Read more.

Education is a right: Thousands of students protest in Central London

Photo by Theo McInnes

Over 15,000 students marched through central London on 19th November to demand free and accessible education for all, not rip off fees and a lifetime of debt. Read more.

The poet-turned-hero fighting for her country’s future

Photo by Alex Ramadan

Ketty Nivyabandi was a little-known Burundian poet until she led a peaceful but dangerous protest against her country’s president. But becoming an unlikely leader meant having to flee for her life. Now she’s campaigning from afar.

“Being silent was never an option. I feel lucky to have left with my life, so I have a duty to keep raising my voice and speaking for those who are not able to be heard. But I don’t want to just talk about the horrors that are happening.” Read more.

Leading voice in environmentalism talks about a post-Trump world and what we can do to help

Photo by Patagonia

How will Hugo Tagholm, CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, fight for environmentalism when the leader of the free world thinks climate change is a ‘Chinese hoax’?

“This is all part of the same agenda and we need to look at it in a more joined up way to start living in a successful planet.” Read more.

#WearWhatYouWant: Protest in London over French burkini ban

Photo by Theo McInnes

In response to the attempted Islamophobic ban on burkini wearing in many parts of France, women protested at the French Embassy in London to call out the prejudice.

“The ban on burkinis contradicts all those values that France claims to uphold – liberty, equality, and fraternity. If a woman is free to expose her body, why isn’t she free to cover it up?” Read more.

How you can help homeless people this Christmas without handing over money

Photo by Keep Bristol Warm

Gavyn Emery launched Keep Bristol Warm to encourage people to share clothes, time and love with the homeless, rather than cash – and he’s eager to see the idea spread across the UK.

“We live in such a materialistic world, everyone’s buying brand new stuff all the time, so everybody has enough disposable stuff to give away. Why not re-use that and give it to people that actually need it?” Read more.

The Londoners fighting to save the planet with bumble bees

Photo by Abbie Trayler-Smith/Panos Pictures

The fight to save the humble honey bee has become an urban battle, thanks to London beekeepers Chris Barnes and Paul Webb.

“Ecosystems are not just about us and our needs, they’re about a whole interconnected system.” Read more.

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