Read with me: Britain, biscuits, and another case for reparations
Read with Me is my weekly selection of articles from across the internet— an assortment of current events, commentary, contemplations and more.
Nikole Hannah-Jones on reparations
“What is Owed” via New York Times Magazine: “If black lives are to truly matter in America, this nation must move beyond slogans and symbolism. Citizens don’t inherit just the glory of their nation, but its wrongs too. A truly great country does not ignore or excuse its sins. It confronts them and then works to make them right.” A crucial piece.
A truer history of Britain
Tea, Biscuits, and Empire: The Long Con of Britishness via Longreads:The soft-focus Britain of Downton Abbey bears little resemblance to the real Britain collapsing under the weight of racism, austerity, and COVID-19. As Brexit plods on, it’s time for an honest reckoning of the history and future of this outsize little island.
A snack tells a much bigger story in India
“India’s Comfort Food Tells the Story of Its Pandemic” via The Atlantic: The country’s coronavirus response has affected Indians very differently. One thing unites them, though: a biscuit.
Jamil Hill on Black Lives Matter
The Power of Black Lives Matter via Rolling Stone: How the movement that’s changing America was built and where it goes next
When distributing bail funds gets complicated
“Racial justice groups have never had so much cash. It’s actually hard to spend it.” via VOX: In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, Americans eager to support protests against police brutality have flooded racial justice groups with donations. The groups are, of course, grateful. But they’re also not used to receiving so many millions of dollars at once. Some are struggling to figure out how to handle the unprecedented influx of cash.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
“Colossal societal ruptures have been the only things potent enough to birth transformative racial change in this country, and perhaps a viral pandemic colliding with our nation’s 400-year racial one has forced that type of rupture today. Maybe it had to be this way; this deep and collective suffering was necessary for white Americans to feel enough of the pain that black Americans have always known to tilt the scale.“
—Nikole Hannah-Jones, in New York Times Magazine