Levi Pierpont's Blog
February 24, 2025
The hardest sacrifice is to live: Reflections on collectivism one year after my friend’s self-immolation
I don’t remember when I first heard about the airman who had set himself on fire outside of the Israeli embassy. All I know is that I knew about it before I knew it was Aaron. And so, I responded to his death at that time with the same callousness with which I had responded […]
May 28, 2024
Protected: Encampment religion
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Encampment religion: protest as religious practice
From April 22nd until the 21st of May, I had the honor of being part of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where I am a student. For 30 days, it was an integral part of my life, a place I went for community almost every day. Students and other […]
Encampment religion
From April 22nd until the 21st of May, I had the honor of being part of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where I am a student. For 30 days, it was an integral part of my life, a place I went for community almost every day. Students and other […]
March 7, 2024
When a friend becomes an icon
You probably know how my friend, Aaron, died. Maybe you’ve seen the video, heard his last words, and seen his last posts. Maybe you’ve seen some of his Reddit posts, where he identified a myriad of social justice issues and spoke about how we could move past current injustice and create a better world. I’ve […]
February 27, 2024
Aaron
[The following was most of the basis for what was later published in The Guardian US Opinion article, “Aaron Bushnell was my friend. May he never be forgotten”] On Monday, February 26th, at 3:43pm, I got a text from a friend. “Have you seen the news out of DC today about the Air Force member? […]
Aaron
On Monday, February 26th, at 3:43pm, I got a text from a friend. “Have you seen the news out of DC today about the Air Force member? Let me know if you need to talk tonight or later this week.” I replied, explaining that I had seen the headline, and that it saddened me. She […]
December 8, 2023
How I learned Tagalog in 2023, and what I learned along the way
Before this year, my only language learning experience had to do with studying American Sign Language. I’m conversationally comfortable with ASL, one-on-one, thanks to many ASL classes and patient Deaf friends. At the end of 2022, though, I decided to start learning Tagalog, basically the most spoken Philippine language and the main language of the […]
Protected: I learned a language in 2023! Here’s what I learned along the way
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
I learned a language in 2023! Here’s what I learned along the way
Before this year, my only language learning experience had to do with studying American Sign Language. I’m conversationally comfortable with ASL, one-on-one, thanks to many ASL classes and patient Deaf friends. At the end of 2022, though, I decided to start learning Tagalog, basically the most spoken Philippine language and the main language of the […]
