Read with me: On racism, protests, and police brutality
Read with Me is my weekly selection of articles from across the internet— an assortment of current events, commentary, contemplations and more.
A historical view of racism, police culture and protests in the U.S.
Bryan Stevenson on the Frustration Behind the George Floyd Protests via The New Yorker: A Q&A with the civil rights lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative on the roots of police violence in both slavery and Jim Crow, how to change the culture of policing, and the frustration and despair behind this week’s protests.
The toxic legacy clinging to U.S. military markers
Why does the U.S. military celebrate white supremacy? via New York Times. The New York Times editorial board makes a case for renaming bases for American heroes (not racist traitors).
A message to reporters and the rest of us: language matters
The Headlines That Are Covering Up Police Violence via The Atlantic:News reports often use euphemistic phrases that fail to engage the complex realities of the recent protests.
Racism and the nervous system
“Resmaa Menakem-“Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence” (podcast) via On Being: Therapist and trauma specialist Resmaa Menakem is working with old wisdom and very new science about our bodies and nervous systems, and all we condense into the word “race.”
Seriously, thank you, Obama
Obama to Young Black Americans: “I Want You to Know That You Matter” (Speech) via Harper’s Bazaar: In a 15-minute statement, the former president speaks to the recent protests, how to reform police across the U.S., and offers youth a message — “I want you to know that you matter, I want you to know that your lives matter, that your dreams matter.”
How do you tell your story?
Racial injustice has benefitted me: A confession via Holy Post: “Did we work hard? Yes, I guess so. But lots of people work hard and don’t have nearly as much to show for it. So what is the missing factor? The factor that may be even more important than the hard work? We were white.”