I’ve recently been finding a lot of new blogs that center around social justice and non-profit issues, and I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you! Some of these blogs are new; others have been around for years. Regardless of which category they fall into, I’d say that many are a worthwhile addition to your google reader. Without further ado, please check out:
Bites of News
is a new blog providing commentary on current events and recent news, with a focus on politics, social justice, feminism, and other issues related to social change and activism. The blog is easy to read, frequently updated, and quite simply — makes the news fun! What makes it unique is the enthusiasm and passion that comes across in each post, as well as the fact that it is co-authored by two best friends, Pragya and Valeriya, students at GWU and Columbia respectively. Follow for summaries of the news – often with a controversial, humorous, or opinionated twist!
Blogging for Branding
is a new, but already extremely popular blog created by non-profit professional and social change leader Rosetta Thurman. The blog includes daily posts with valuable and vital tips on improving your blog’s design and content that are helpful for blogging novices and old timers alike. I’ve joined her 31 days challenge and I’d encourage you to do the same if you’re interested in bettering your blog! While Blogging for Branding doesn’t focus exclusively on non-profits, the great advice she gives can be very helpful for anyone who wants to land a position with a non-profit or expand a blog about social change issues.
Cherita Smith – social media + social change
is a consistently interesting blog that discusses – you guessed it – social media and social change. All of Cherita’s posts are well written and interesting, and I’m fascinated by the topics she discusses related to social media for social good. The advice she has is very relevant to anyone wanting to use the social web to market non-profits or raise awareness of an issue. Always a good read!
Medicine for Change
is another recently created blog by University of Chicago first year medical student Emily Lu, who has also worked for a non-profit foundation prior to medical school. Emily provides a look into a very unique career path – that of a medical student who wants to pursue a career in community-based health serving poor communities in the U.S. Emily’s posts are a mixture of the medical, non-profit, and social media fields and it’s fascinating to follow her as she strives to define her career path and her role in social change as a med student! She provides a much-needed perspective which I don’t see too often in the blogosphere.
My Nonprofit Experience
is yet another fledgling blog by Madelyn, Director of Development of Kentucky Habitat for Humanity. Her passion for the non-profit field, Habitat for Humanity, her job, and the issue of homelessness is absolutely infectious. Her posts chronicle her development as a young non-profit professional and also discuss the social change issues she cares about and works towards. Her blog is easy to relate to and always interesting.
PhilanTopic
is an older and well established blog that I found recently and really enjoy reading now. The blog is a project of the Philanthropy News Digest, and is run by a number of contributors. PhilanTopic discusses a range of philanthropy issues: aid and development, fundraising, disaster relief, generation Y and social change, social innovation, non-profit tech, marketing/communications, and much more! They cover the gamut of non-profit issues you might be interested in and I find that each post and link on their blog is relevant and interesting. Definitely worth subscribing to.
That African Girl
is written by two friends, Makafui and Adey, recent college graduates – one born and raised in Togo, the other Ethiopian-American. Their unique experiences living in Africa and America shapes their passions, interests, and perspectives. The blog address cultural issues, social change topics like human rights and development, the experiences of African immigrants, and highlights African and American leaders. The tagline describes it best – “Learning to live between worlds.” Most recently, That African Girl has begun a series called “The Chronicles of the African Childhood,” a number of posts written by African immigrants to the U.S. The blog quotes it best:
Since people started immigrating to the United States, they’ve had stories to tell. Stories of the life prior to the journey, stories of the journey and stories of their lives after the journey. What I find most fascinating are the stories of the children. Confronted with a new reality, they often grow up with unique stories of blending both cultures, both identities and both perspectives.
It’s in the spirit of capturing some of these stories that we bring you, The Chronicles of the African Childhood…Some people are first-generation African and consider themselves both African and American. Some are “half-generation, born somewhere else, growing up somewhere else. Some consider themselves simply African. Despite these differences, their stories are as unique as they are similar, full of hope, sadness, laughter, reflection and everything in between.
The South Asian Philanthropy Project
(last, but not least!) is a blog which aims to inspire South Asians to become more involved in philanthropy and volunteering. The Project highlights efforts of charities, non-profits, and other organizations led by South Asians or contributing to change for South Asians and the diaspora. The project (and blog) hopes to increase South Asian’s involvement in donating, volunteering, and serving on non-profit boards. The blog discusses issues like human rights, international development, disaster relief, non-profit issues, and domestic violence — all from the South Asian lens. As a South Asian person myself, I know how important this mission is. Indians, for instance, are less involved in philanthropy than Americans, Canadians and other Western countries, and this needs to change.
That’s it!
I hope you enjoyed this list and added a bunch of new bloggers to your Google Readers, and to all the bloggers on this list: keep on writing with passion and I know you’ll do great things as part of the movement for social change! My thanks to all of you 
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