Graphic essay: What the Civil Rights movement can teach us about surviving Trump
Jeff Sessions fights for racist outcomes. Who cares what’s in his heart?
The vain, counterproductive myth that there’s no way most Americans can be racist
Many mass shooters have a history of domestic violence. It’s time to pay attention.
A century of abortion onscreen, 1916-2016
These online services offer birth control without visiting a doctor
The new film I Am Not Your Negro takes James Baldwin’s words from an unfinished book and turns them into an examination of race in America that is getting rave reviews.
Watch the trailer for this very timely documentary below. It opens in theaters on February 3.
The kids who rocked the racial justice movement in 2016
If someone doesn’t like immigrants, ask them this question
Democrats don’t have a “religion problem”
Study: racism and sexism predict support for Trump much more than economic dissatisfaction
16 women of color who made history in 2016
Another, more beautiful America is rising. Trump will be resisted
Instead of trashing homeless camps, this city is providing them trash pickup
Black Lives Matter launches site to support black businesses around the country
This year we’re going to need strength to draw from and role models to inspire us. Buzzfeed put together this video of 17 badass women you probably didn’t hear about last year. Check it out and do some research to find out more about these women’s stories.
TV’s 10 best abortion moments of 2016
13 women who should think about running for president in 2020
“My journey through grief and abortion: why women need all the choice they can get”
There is nothing progressive or winning about a “big tent” on abortion
All Illinois hairdressers will be trained to spot domestic abuse
9 of the biggest feminist wins of 2016, from Hillary Clinton to Lemonade
Lawyers offer free representation to media facing Trump threats
Watch: first harrowing trailer for Kalief Browder docuseries
The Equal Justice Initiative is creating a memorial by collecting soil from the sites of lynchings to honor the victims. Watch their video about the project and check out this New Yorker piece for more detail on how the memorial is coming together in an important effort to remind us of our harrowing history.
Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ) is an organization that works to mobilize a critical mass of white people to fight for racial justice. It recognizes the responsibility white people bear for fighting against racism and white supremacy, and provides tools and organizing opportunities for white people to support efforts led by people of color.
I attended a webinar soon after the election where SURJ was training people to phone bank to raise money for them and a migrants’ rights organization. It was an encouraging experience to be with hundreds of white people, many of whom had never phone banked before, who were stepping up to do more. Work like this is going to be even more important in the next four years. You can find out more here, find a local chapter here and donate here.
The Golden Globes show why people of color need to be behind the camera, not just in front
Referring to abortion bans like Ohio’s as “heartbeat” bills supports anti-choice propaganda
45 brilliant things Samantha Bee said this year
North Carolina just gave Donald Trump a strategy for undermining democracy
My president was black: a history of the first African American White House–and what came next
Despite a campaign driven by racism, Islamophobia and misogyny, some people have taken a wait-and-see attitude, thinking Trump’s rhetoric may have been just that, with no intention of following through.
His cabinet appointments should put that theory to rest, and this video from Think Progress provides a good summary of why we need to be alarmed and prepared to fight back.
We can hardly predict what the next four years hold for us, but the signs are anything but encouraging. We need to steel ourselves for the fight ahead, learn from the past and find comfort and encouragement anywhere we can, including books.
Here is some recommended reading for your holidays that feels just right for our political moment: Continue reading “10 books for our current political moment”
