If you've ever traveled outside of the United States or considered doing so, you probably checked the Department of State's website for travel advisory and emergency information. Well, Uruguay and Venezuela (update: and now Japan) have issued their own for their citizens who are considering traveling here. Other countries see our glaring problem that is the combination of white supremacy/nationalism and weak gun legislation, and are cautioning people from inserting themselves into a potentially dangerous experience.
I'm still making my way through "Bury Me at Wounded Knee." Here we are in 2019, and the Lakota needed to push for legislation to have the medals of honor awarded to the perpetrators, rescinded. Follow HR 3467 here. While I have faith it will move through the House, I won't hold my breath for the Senate to even give it a hearing.
(W) I Hear No Lies
Surely at this point you've heard about the two mass shootings executed by white men. I didn't watch the President address the nation in live time, but I saw tweets about how he/his administration condemned white supremacy. I got excited, and was unwarranted. This isn't the explicit condemnation I anticipated after seeing those tweets. Professor Eddie Glaude minced no words.
(L) What Next (Slate) | Episode: The Last Time We Passed Gun Control
On guns: the past
(L) Today, Explained (Vox) | Episode: A Green New Deal, but for guns
On guns: the future (maybe)
Making people poor can be a lucrative business. Let me count the ways in which this is a bad business model...
Is it a good school because of the curriculum and how it stimulates growth and independence, or is it a good school because of what the parents can do for it?
(R) I'm in Mourning
I started reading authors like Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, and Toni Morrison, when I was eight years old. Those were my first chapter books. I read the other actual children's books (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Magic Treehouse series, etc.), but only intermittently, or when I needed (well, wanted) to win a prize for reading the most books in whatever the time-frame was because I knew I could breeze through them. With the aforementioned authors, I took my sweet, sweet time. Not only were the concepts and content new to me (and definitely outside of my maturity window), the writing was different, and I found myself doing what I would soon learn was called analyzing. I discussed how I felt about them with my mom as I read, asked her questions, and took in her perspective. When Maya Angelou passed away in 2014, I was numb. I'm numb at the time of writing this section (the evening of her passing), and likely still feel numb as you read this.
Over the years I've realized that when someone close (or I guess in the instance of authors, "close") to me, physically leave this earth, it isn't until a situation related to them, occurs later when the tears actually flow. The only times I experienced the same feeling was when my grandmother, and my elder cousin (like a grandmother) passed away. I learned so much about myself, and what to look for in other people, at an early age, thanks to them. Until the tears flow, you can find me pushing through (as always), and burning my candle down to the very bottom. Do yourself a favor and read Beloved, The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon, or any of her works, honestly.
Braids on Deck
(R) Give Your Money to CEOs of Color [PERIOD]
I think you understand my point here.
(L) BBC The Documentary | Episode: Black girls don’t swim
Don’t let the title fool you. For one, of course we swim. For years, my summer days were spent doing educational workbooks, reading, and swimming, instead of going to summer camp. Naturally, the title caught my attention (and made me furrow my brow). The episode, however, talks to various black women (and a few men) about history, the statistics of people of color/black people swimming, the importance of representation, black hair care, assimilation, and Western/European beauty standards. I think I’ll throw on my bathing suit this weekend and go for a swim.
(W) Killing Eve | Season 1
I'm late to the party, I know. But at least I'm here (and obsessed).
(NW) Dear White People | Season 3
A different header. I won't be watching this (hence the NW), given all of the tweets I've been seeing from Native Twitter, and other POC about how this season pans out. I've gathered that I'm better off without watching it and wanting to chuck my laptop at a wall (I like my laptop).
(L) My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry (Frederik Backman)
My latest audiobook choice is a result of my trying to cope with finding out at the beginning of my work day, that Toni Morrison passed away. In reading the summary/book details, I appreciated the plot involving an ailing grandmother guiding her granddaughter. Something about that brought comfort to me.
I’ve got some big projects and things coming up, so if you need me I’ll be in my reading/work nook!
- BKC