Ever since I started using Gnu/Linux and Free & Open Source Software (FOSS), I have been a champion of it. Through its teachings, I have learned to be an advocate for software that serves the user than the user serving the software. It has had a profound impact on me because it showed and continues to show me that people care. They care about privacy. They care about security. They care about usability. Most importantly, they care about one another. It aligns so well with my view on life and what I believe: freedom, integrity, principles, justice, and openness are important and work.

Lo and behold, I continue to be inspired by my peers and mentors within the FOSS community. Today, I read about the author of Notepad++ creating a Free Uyghur edition of the application. In addition, they on 2019-10-29 wrote a post regarding the importance of what is going on in China and the brutality and force the Chinese government uses on the Uyghur people to strip them of their freedoms and humanity. I highly recommend reading the post as well as downloading the specific version of the app. If you have no interest in the app but would like to help the Uyghurs, here are some actions you can take:

https://uhrp.org/what-you-can-do

For the author speaking out, the Chinese government and/or other parties have attempted to silence them by spamming their issues box on Github. (If he suffers enough, he may redact his post or give up speaking out.) This truly shows the depravity of those who partake and the nature of the situation. He speaks out while American and European software companies are caving to authoritarian bullying from China's government. We would do well to remember that united we stand and divided we fall. I urge you to write about the Uyghurs, post about the Uyghurs, and donate to groups that are attempting to help the Uyghurs. We need more voices speaking out against the Chinese government and their compulsion to hide what is most inconvenient to them.

Notepad++ Free Uyghur Edition: