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Sometimes a message needs to be heard or read multiple times for it to ring through to the person on the other end. Last week was another celebration of the birthday and life of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Yet, there was something unsettling about this iteration of his birthday. Something that undoubtedly occurred in the past but was extra disgusting on January 18, 2021. The continued misuse of MLK’s quotes and legacies by those who stand directly opposed to the message and purpose he lived up until his life was tragically cut short. In a previous post, GWI discussed...

Twelve days into 2021 and finding the words to describe the start is still a challenge. On January 6 the world watched as the United States Capitol building was stormed by domestic terrorists who were hell bent on “overturning” the election that Donald Trump lost in November. A fair and free election. The fallout from that riot continues to unfold but recent revelations point to deeper issues within policing and elected officials. Many will feign surprise, but voices within marginalized communities have worked tirelessly to point out many of these matters in the past. So much so, it’s hard to...

COVID-19 has forced much of the world to grind to a halt. The martial arts industry is impacted just as much as others. The IBJJF, perhaps the largest promoter of grappling tournaments, held one of its most important events this past weekend – the Pan-Ams. While much of the grappling community was excited to get back to competition, now that the event is over gym leaders should ask those that participated to do the right thing, and that is quarantine for two weeks. We are living amid a global pandemic. Cases and deaths continue to rise in the United States....

Conspiracy theories are not new, but they have become quite the talking point in recent months as the country gets closer to Election Day. QAnon is the go-to conversation piece as the group is backed by elected officials from the state, all the way up to President Donald Trump. But what is? Why should martial artists be concerned? Those are the types of questions that need addressing to better understand the real issue at hand. Though QAnon is a term that many are hearing for the first time in media, it dates back to 2017. According to Kevin Roose of...

The push against police brutality continues throughout the United States. Protests and demonstrations have occurred daily for months without any clear end in sight. And they should not, at least until some clear legislation is passed to address the continuing over-policing facing marginalized communities in the United States. Misinformation is one of the primary tactics used to push back against the efforts to drive police reform, with one of the main narratives focusing on the number of people killed by police officers. Unpacking those numbers show exactly why this tactic is yet another in the tired playbook use by racist...