Global Uprising begins with the historical events of November 1999, when more than 50,000 people and 700 organizations demonstrated in Seattle (and in solidarity events around the world) to protest the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) corporate agenda and the new round of closed-door trade talks that govern the global economy. Students, teachers, farm workers, factory and steel workers, feminists, environmentalists, scientists, spiritual leaders, gay rights activists, animal lovers, magic workers, shopkeepers, friends and families all took to the streets for the sake of global justice.

From the 60 stories and essays of these courageous activists, you will begin to build a map to help you navigate the often confusing issues around global justice. Shannon Services exposes the spectacle of global consumer culture in her essay entitled, Our Sacred Duty; Roli Khare talks about taking responsibility to wake up to the connection between privilege and poverty; Chris Dixon tells us of the roots of his resistance; Noam Chomsky helps us understand what he calls the biggest issue of our time, globalization, and "the unprecedented assault against human values."

Alli Starr shares about the value of revitalizing political protest through merging art and revolution; Kevin Danaher asks us to change our culture by choosing life over money; Jeff Pinzino shares about the Stone Soup Cooperative where joy and justice combine; John Sellers talks about Ruckus Camp and the work to train activists in nonviolent direct action.

Warcry explains why her "family" wears black, through her manifesto on militancy and anarchism in the anti-globalization movement; Tom Hayden warns us about the "opposition's plan to discredit radicals, cultivate idealists, create pragmatists and find the opportunists among them...;" Amy Goodman advises that we must chose between being the sword or the shield as she challenges power with her radio show, Democracy Now.

J. L. Chestnut reminds us of the history of the civil rights movement; Luis Sanchez shares how he supports youth movements of resistance for educational equity; Malachi Larabee-Garza tells of her journey as a lesbiana warrior from oppression to liberation; and members of the 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement in Selma, Alabama reveal how they foster community based activism among black youth.

Terri Swearingen shares how it is no picnic to fight against environmental racism; Abby Reyes speaks of the work of slain activist Terrance Unity Freitas in her essay Por Vida: In Solidarity with the U'Wa People; Jia Ching Chen tells us why globalization is the new face of imperialism; 'Anela 'O Maunakea shares her struggle for Hawaiian sovereignty and her love of her land; Leonard Peltier offers a poem, Aboriginal Sin; and Cynthia P. Marentes and Jason Wallach give us a brief history of the Zapatista movement and the present day lives of the indigenous peoples of Chiapas; Lhadon Tethong describes the work of Students for a Free Tibet.

Burmese student revolutionary, Ka Hsaw Wa, tells us "the stories that must be told" in his essay on rape, forced relocation, labor and poverty in Burma; Sarah Anderson and John Cavanagh give us an example of the top 200 corporate powers; and Vandana Shiva laments about the violence of globalization on the people of India.

John Peck lets us in on the dangers of genetically modified foods and Maude Barlow talks about the struggle for international water rights and the protection of the commons; David Korten describes capitalism as a pathology of the market economy; Paul Shapiro shares his work as an animal rights activist in his essay, Compassion over Killing; May Castro tells us to "wake up and smell the exploitation" as she stands up for fair traded coffee; and Romeo Ramirez shares how his work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers is helping to eliminate slavery in agricultural labor.

Dr. Riffat Hassan exposes the issues behind Pakistan's custom of honor killings and the horrific crimes against women; Coumba Toure shares about women's empowerment through deep awareness education; Betty Krawczyk says she's not guilty in her essay, "Speaking Truth to Power"; Julia Butterfly HIll tells us the lessons she's learned from nature; and Eboo Patal brings spirit into social change with his piece on interfaith action.

Sonia Beatriz Lara and Charles Kernaghan help us understand the horror of sweatshop labor and the need for union organizing in the garment industry; Kouthar and Marwa Alrawi invite us to join them in their campaign to remember the 5000 Iraqui children who die each month from our embargo; Song Kosal, a young landmine survivor speaks out for peace; and Steven Nabieu Rogers asks us to have the courage to demand democracy in Sierra Leone.

Hari Acharya speaks for the voiceless, the exiled refugees from Bhutan; Neta Golan shares how she uses herself as a human shield as an Israeli activist in Palestine; Nikola Damnjanovic describes his part in the student movement, Otpor, to overthrow Slobadan Milosevic; Tad Hargrave warns us not to burn out by choosing activism "at the speed of life"; Tsipi Mankovsy tells us that love is what the activist world needs now; and Starhawk supports lifelong activism through nurturing courage, tenacity, and love.

These stories and others will move you; challenge you; shock, anger, and educate you. Most importantly, we hope they will inspire you to action. As the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., "No social advance rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of dedicated individuals."