Read with me: Juneteenth, book clubs, and a data debate
Read with Me is my weekly selection of articles and more from across the internet— an assortment of current events, commentary, contemplations and more.
The heart of Juneteenth
Black Joy—Not Corporate Acknowledgment—Is the Heart of Juneteenth via The Atlantic. Companies and state governments are finally recognizing Emancipation Day as an official holiday, but black Americans have honored its significance all along. Another Juneteenth piece worth reading: A Texan’s memories of Growing up with Juneteenth.
Celebrating Juneteenth in Mexico
“Why this Mexican village celebrates Juneteenth” via Texas Monthly:Descendants of slaves who escaped across the southern border observe Texas’s emancipation holiday with their own unique traditions.
When book clubs are a cop-out
“When black people are in pain, white people just join book clubs” via Washington Post: “When things get real — really murderous, really tragic, really violent or aggressive — my white, liberal, educated friends already know what to do. What they do is read. And talk about their reading. What they do is listen. And talk about how they listened.” This hits close to home.
The food world’s obsession with the “plantation”
“When white people say “plantation” (Podcast) via Sporkful: What purpose does the word “plantation” serve in the names of so many foods and drinks? Talking to other white people in the food world – restaurant owners, recipes writers, bloggers, cookbook authors – who use the word plantation in their food branding, the hosts try to learn something about whiteness in America.
The debate about collecting data on discrimination
“France and Germany urged to rethink reluctance to gather ethnicity data” via The Guardian: Citizens in Germany and France don’t know how much more likely people of colour are to be stopped and searched by police, to be discriminated against in the workplace and the housing market, or to die of coronavirus. For historical reasons, the two biggest countries in the E.U. don’t collect any demographic data on ethnicity that would highlight such problems. Now they’re reconsidering.
The future of Bangladesh’s book industry
“Books were an essential part of life in Bangladesh before Covid-19. Will they bounce back?” via Scroll.In:Even before the publishing industry in Bangladesh was struck by the pandemic, it had been infected by the increasing religious extremism in the country. Still business was thriving for publishers before the pandemic hit. Today the road back is a long and arduous one.
Coronavirus cases continue to surge