#316: Black Spaces, White Spaces

Happy Thursday, loyal readers. Thank you very much for being here.

Today’s issue focuses on the challenges of sharing private and public space across racial difference. In this week’s lead article, “On White Violence, Black Survival, and Learning to Shoot,” Kim McLarin decides to participate in a white space – a local shooters club – in order to protect herself, after the January 6 insurrection, from potential white violence. It’s a well-written, powerful piece. The other articles are great, too. Mychal Denzel Smith navigates the predominantly white world of writing and publishing as a Black man, while Greg Tate explains why so many white people are pushing back against the growing popularity of Afropessimism and critical race theory. (The refrain: “Can’t we all just get along?”) Finishing up this week’s issue is a podcast episode tracing the history of the Karen phenomenon and explaining how public space is no longer public once a white person decides is it theirs. Please enjoy one or more of this week’s articles, and let me know what you think!

+ One great benefit of being part of our reading community is that I get to chat with authors I admire. That’s what happened last week when I got the opportunity to interview Brian Broome, author of Punch Me Up to the Gods and “79,” which I featured here in 2018. Here’s our conversation if you’re interested in checking it out.

+ Is The Highlighter simply not enough for you? Don’t worry, there’s more: I have two other reading-related projects for you. Check out Article Club (for adults) and the Kindle Classroom Project (for young people).

On White Violence, Black Survival, And Learning To Shoot

Kim McLarin: “If a civil war breaks out, I say, if violent white mobs begin roaming the country as they have done in the past, I will not worry about precision shooting. I intend to sit on my porch with my legally acquired handgun and as much ammunition as I have and perhaps a bottle of Scotch and take them as they come.

“Are you afraid?” my husband asks. Only of my anger. Only of becoming like them. Is it possible to be angry without being violent? Is it possible to live in a violent society without becoming that way?

They march in Charlottesville, Virginia, chanting about replacement. They run down Heather Heyer like a dog. I sit at home and watch, angry.

They storm the United States Capitol, smashing windows, assaulting cops, chasing a Black officer up the stairs like a lynch mob running through the Mississippi woods, slinging racial epithets. They invade our government while waving the flag of slavery. “This is our house!” they chant. “This is our house!”

At home I watch the television, fists balled. Our house? Our house? This house that sits on a bloody foundation, which rests on stolen land? This house painted on the outside but inside left to crumble and rot? This house that has room for all but also locked doors and hidden keys? This house?

This house is not your house. This house is either everyone’s house or it is no one’s. That’s what I want to defend.” (19 min)

The Gatekeepers

Toni Morrison said, “I have spent my entire writing life trying to make sure that the white gaze was not the dominant one in any of my books.” But in this essay, writer Mychal Denzel Smith argues that not everyone can be like Ms. Morrison. Despite the recent rise of Black intellectuals in public literary spaces, the old burden remains: White editors and readers want Black writers to explain their experience – and most important, their pain. Mr. Smith writes, “I feel as though I’ve built a career by capitalizing on Black pain — exploiting that of others and monetizing my own. The guilt of my ambition is intertwined with the sense of a fruitless project. Writing to white people about the Black experience is meant to engender their sympathy. Yet it never comes. Appeals to the white conscience have not worked, and there are no signs that they ever will.” (16 min)

Afropessimism And Its Discontents

The problem with Afropessimism – a school of thought that advances that slavery did not end in the 19th century but rather evolved to challenge Black resistance, leaving Black people invisible in society – is that it’s too pessimistic for white people, writes Greg Tate in this thought-provoking essay. After all, progressive white people expect empathy and solidarity. They want to be allies. But for Prof. Frank Wilderson and other Afropessimists, “after coming home from Black Lives Matter protests” and realizing that “nothing is going to stop these cops from killing us,” a “pissed-off urge to withdraw from interaction with white people” emerges as the most rational and healthy way forward. (11 min)

+ For more about Afropessimism, see Issue #310.

The Once And Future Karen

We know who a Karen is: a white woman using her race and gender to patrol and police Black people from public spaces. But even before the pandemic, Gene Demby explains, “being in public was always contentious because public space, and how we show up in it, is always, on some level, political.” In this informative episode of Code Switch, Mr. Demby traces the history of “the modern Karen,” beginning with Miss Ann, and wonders, “What does the next generation of Karens look like, and might they be harder to spot?” (26 min)

+ Readers’ Annotations: Several of you wrote to express your appreciation for “To Be A Field Of Poppies,” in last week’s issue exploring the common good. Loyal reader Linda was thankful to be introduced to composting as an alternative to traditional burial. Article Clubber and loyal reader Kati recommended that we check out The Order of the Good Death. Founder Caitlyn Doughty “is a pioneer in natural burial,” Kati writes, and “her book, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, is fantastic.” Thank you, Linda and Kati, for reaching out and sharing your thoughts.

Thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Highlighter. Did you enjoy it? Let me know by clicking on “Yes” or ”No” below. I like hearing from you.

I was thinking the other day: Wow, I’ve been doing this newsletter mostly every week for more than six years – and even better, great folks like you have been reading it! I’d like to appreciate our long-time subscribers, including Laura, Lars, and Larry. Thank you for sharing the newsletter and getting the word out. That’s how our reading community gets better.

If you like The Highlighter, please help it grow. I appreciate your support. Here are a few ways you can help:

On the other hand, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, please unsubscribe. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am PT!

#315: The Common Good

Happy Thursday, loyal readers. Thank you very much for being here.

“Some Americans no longer believe in the common good,” author Silas House wrote in The Atlantic in August. Do you agree? Certainly the pandemic, the last presidency, and the effects of capitalism have strained our capacity for kindness. But maybe the problem is that it’s easier for us to find examples of selfishness than generosity. Our feeds, after all, serve up plenty of the negative. Or maybe the issue is that our world is too big and distracting now – national, international, all at once! – that even if we try to focus on making a contribution, it seems like a drop in the bucket.

Today’s issue focuses on the challenges of working toward the common good, and what people are doing to make the world a better place. If you read just one article this week, make it “Good Mother,” one of my favorite pieces so far this year. You won’t regret taking a half hour. The other articles this week – about voting rights in Florida, high school kids in Texas defending their Black principal, and people choosing alternatives to cremation and burial when they die – are worth your time and attention, too. Please enjoy!

+ What’s one thing you’re trying to do for the common good? I’d love to hear what you’re up to, what little spark you’re sparking, what’s maybe not working yet but at least you’re trying.

+ If you’re seeking to deepen your reading practice, and to connect with other thoughtful readers, I invite you to try Article Club. This month, on October 24, we’re discussing “The Key,” by Brian Broome. Here’s more information about the piece, and here’s where you can sign up.

Good Mother: Custody And Care In The Shadow Of Colonization

Lissa Yellow Bird wants to become a foster parent. But the county social services department in North Dakota isn’t so sure. So they send a questionnaire to journalist Sierra Crane Murdoch, asking for her thoughts.

In this touching, beautifully written essay, Ms. Murdoch reflects on what it means to be a good mother in the shadow of colonization. She traces how the United States government decimated American Indian motherhood by separating families, forcing children to attend boarding schools, and sterilizing women – all the way until the mid-1970s.

Ms. Murdoch writes, “Mothering was the only conceivable role in society for a Native woman, and yet motherhood was at odds with indigeneity. To become a citizen, a woman had to become a mother; to become a mother, she had to become less Indian.”

She also writes, “In the Yellow Bird family, the antidote to intergenerational trauma is intergenerational love, the piling on of relatives. When a mother falls short, the solution is not to take the child away from the mother, but to give the child more mothers and fathers.” (27 min)

When It Costs $53,000 To Vote

There’s no way for us to achieve the common good unless everyone gets their right to the franchise. We know that voter suppression is rampant, and it’s the most egregious in Florida, where the legislature overturned a 2018 constitutional amendment that allowed ex-felons to vote after serving their time. That’s not enough, lawmakers said. You have to pay all your outstanding fines first. For Judy Bolden, who got out of prison 20 years ago, and who owes $53,000, that’s not going to happen. It’s also not going to happen for 700,000 Floridians, like Sergio Thornton, who’s been out of prison since 2012, owes $20,000, and makes $13 an hour. (9 min)

BIPOC Teens In A White High School In Texas Defend Their Black Principal On Critical Race Theory Accusations

Sean Vo has never felt comfortable going to school in Colleyville, Texas, an affluent white suburb of the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex. His white teachers have avoided discussions about race, taking a colorblind approach, while his white peers have blamed him for the pandemic and mocked his Chinese and Vietnamese culture. When the community turned on the school’s first Black principal, Dr. James Whitfield, accusing him of embracing critical race theory (and for having a white wife), Mr. Vo had had enough. He organized his classmates, staged a walkout, and demanded Dr. Whitfield be reinstated. “I’m done being ignored,” he said. (20 min)

To Be A Field Of Poppies

We’re doing very little in our daily lives to mitigate the catastrophic effects of climate change. But here’s good news: We make better choices when we’re dead. Cremation now exceeds traditional burial in the United States. Despite its advantages, a cremated body still releases 540 pounds of carbon into the atmosphere, not exactly eco-friendly. That’s why Katrina Spade, founder of Recompose, has a better idea for the common good: composting your body. Think of yourself as a future poppy, Ms. Spade says – or a pinecone, or a forest grove. (28 min)

+ For the truly adventurous: Try sky burial.

+ Readers’ Annotations: Several of you wrote to share your appreciation of last week’s issue on the role of work in our lives. VIP Jamie shared that she found the articles “thought provoking,” and VIP Martha, a self-professed workaholic, wrote that she was excited to read the pieces despite feeling anxious. “The idea of ‘lazy’ stresses me out,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, in this NYT column, Roxane Gay (not a loyal reader, yet) had this advice for a 27-year-old woman who has a dog and hobbies and wants to work less: “At 46, as the workaholic daughter of immigrants with an intense work ethic, I am inclined to tell you that this is life. You have to get over it and find a way to balance your professional and personal lives. I don’t want to discourage you, but there is no magical way to earn a full-time salary without working full-time.”

Jamie and Martha, thank you very much for reaching out and sharing your thoughts. Loyal readers, want to keep talking about how to work less, or how to achieve the common good? Let’s do it. Hit reply and say hi.

Thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Highlighter. Did you enjoy it? Let me know by clicking on “Yes” or ”No” below. I like hearing from you.

To our five new subscribers – including Nat, Albina, Robert, and Emily – I hope you find the newsletter a solid addition to your email inbox. To our long-time subscribers (Kristen! Kirsten! Kristian!), you’re pretty great, too. Thank you for sharing the newsletter and getting the word out.

If you like The Highlighter, please help it grow. I appreciate your support. Here are a few ways you can help:

On the other hand, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, please unsubscribe. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am PT!

#314: The Death Of The Job

Happy Thursday, loyal readers. Thank you very much for being here.

Today’s issue focuses on the role of work in our lives. All of us want to be of use, to be in service of others, and to do good work in the world. But the pandemic – all 19 months of it so far – has challenged us to reconsider our thinking. How much should our work define our identity? Do we really want a daily commute, or a physical office, or the expectation to answer emails around the clock and on weekends?

Over the past few years, my younger colleagues have taught me that no matter how much we find meaning in our work, our job is only one part of our lives. We are still performing labor in a capitalist system. There’s time to work, and there’s time to rest. (I’m an advanced rester.)

But as we get better at saying no to exploitative work, I’m concerned that we’re not saying no to the other part of the capitalist system: the desire for more stuff. We haven’t changed our minds as much about consumerism.

With those thoughts in mind, I’ve selected four well-written articles that I hope are worth your time and attention. My personal favorite is “Revolt of the NYC Delivery Workers,” an important, well-reported piece of journalism that hopefully sparks change. If you have more time, go back up to the top of the newsletter and check out the lead article, which traces the history of work in the United States and explains how we got here. And if you’re feeling lazy, read the piece on laziness, then dream about your next job by taking in the perspectives of those who have left theirs. Please enjoy!

Work Is No Longer The Centerpiece Of American Life

Ever since the 1940s, we’ve been told that the way to get ahead in this country is to work hard, follow the rules, and be rewarded with a good job that offers a high wage, health insurance, and retirement benefits. This has been the dominant message, even though this version of the American dream has not been available to everyone.

Then the pandemic hit, and 4 million Americans left their jobs and said, “Enough is enough.” The Great Resignation has left many of us questioning the role of work in our lives. In this well-written article, Anna North explains how jobs got bad, how “workism” made things worse, and how many people are now decoupling their work from their worth.

Instead of fighting for a living wage and better working conditions, Ms. North suggests, maybe the answer is to work less, or to guarantee an income for all. “For now, it seems like a fairy tale — the idea that Americans could choose to work or not work based on their desire, rather than the threat of starvation. But maybe, in some ways, the pandemic has brought that fairy tale a little closer to reality.” (14 min)

Laziness Is Fine. Mostly.

Laziness is all the rage. Just ask Jenny Odell, author of How to Do Nothing, or Liao Zenghu, founder of the “lying flat” movement. The latest proponent is Devon Price, author of Laziness Does Not Exist. A social psychologist, Dr. Price argues that the “laziness lie” has marginalized the poor, homeless, unemployed, and disabled. But in this piece, James Greig argues that there are limits to Dr. Price’s suggestion that “you’re fine exactly the way you are.” He writes, “If I don’t lift a finger to help any kind of social cause, I’m surely complicit in the suffering of others.” (8 min)

Revolt Of The NYC Delivery Workers

Juan Solano doesn’t want to be called essential. Dignity is his goal. One of New York City’s 65,000 delivery workers, Mr. Solano is tired of being attacked at night, with thieves stealing his bike, police turning a blind eye, and lawmakers dilly-dallying on change. He wants a decent wage from DoorDash, a way to charge his electric bike, and a place to go to the bathroom. Mr. Solano is part of a growing group of workers fighting to protect themselves from danger and demanding respect in our inequitable economy. (34 min)

+ Check out and support the work of Los Deliveristas Unidos and Los Deliveryboys en la Gran Manzana.

Leaving Restaurant Jobs For Good

One way to protest low wages and unsatisfactory working conditions is to bow out completely. In this collection of first-person accounts, Bay Area restaurant workers Ana Sloan, Benjamin Ahn, Jacqueline, Daniel Lovett, Sasha Gaona, and Gray Nance share why they left their jobs. With owners skimping on salaries, and diners loathe to pay more for their meals, it’s no wonder the industry is facing a major labor shortage. (12 min)

+ Readers’ Annotations: Loyal reader Gena, a school counselor in Mexico City, kindly wrote to share that last week’s article about men in college has sparked conversation and controversy among her colleagues. She offered two blog posts (here and here) by Jon Boeckenstedt, who questions the reporting after crunching the numbers on Tableau. Gena writes, “My favorite quote is from the second piece: ‘When the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, and the Washington Post talk about “college” what they mean is private, highly rejective colleges in the northeastern part of the country.’ This does not represent the vast majority of colleges and universities, nor students’ experiences.” Gena, thank you very much for bringing this analysis to The Highlighter community. I appreciate how we continue reading together to get smarter.

Thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Highlighter. Did you enjoy it? Let me know by clicking on “Yes” or ”No” below. I like hearing from you.

To our two new subscribers – Chunxin and Adam – I hope you find the newsletter a solid addition to your email inbox. To our long-time subscribers (Hank! Helene! Hui Su!), you’re pretty great, too.

If you like The Highlighter, please help it grow. I appreciate your support. Here are a few ways you can help:

On the other hand, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, please unsubscribe. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am PT!

#313: Back To School 📚 🏫 🎓 👨‍🏫

Happy Thursday, loyal readers. Thank you very much for being here.

If you’re an educator, or if you’re a parent, or if you know an educator or a parent, you know that this new school year has been rough so far. Young people are returning to classrooms with heightened anxiety and trauma. Many teachers have left the profession, and positions remain unfilled. For the most part, salary schedules haven’t budged. Substitutes aren’t showing up. And like they always do, dedicated educators are working long hours, doing their best to provide young people a meaningful experience. Many of those educators are you. I appreciate you.

This week’s issue focuses on education. I highly recommend the lead article, “The Tragedy of America’s Rural Schools,” which makes clear that many of our young people have faced intractable structural challenges for a long time, well before the pandemic. If the state of rural schools doesn’t concern you, you may appreciate pieces on why the “acting white” myth won’t die, how men continue to disappear from college campuses, and how the master’s degree, for the most part, is a bad idea economically. Please enjoy!

+ If you’re a white parent who lives in Oakland (or Brooklyn, or somewhere similar), I recommend Learning In Public, by Courtney Martin. In this cringey but well-written book, Ms. Martin gets vulnerable (i.e., overshares) about her decision to send her daughter to the local “global-majority school” in her neighborhood. Here’s a review, and here’s a good podcast episode. If you read it and want to talk about it, let me know. (But please, spare your BIPOC friends.) (I might ask Ms. Martin to participate in Article Club.)

The Tragedy Of America’s Rural Schools

Harvey Ellington is a junior at Holmes County Central High School in Lexington, Mississippi, and he wants a better education. “I have laid out some ideas and changes I want to see,” he writes in an email to the superintendent. He wants a teacher for all his classes. (They make $44,000 on average.) He wants a debate club (or, really, any club – his school doesn’t have any). At some point before he graduates, he’d like to go on his first field trip, and he’d like to cheer for his school’s football team on a playable field. He’d like ventilation in his classrooms.

In this touching, devastating article, Casey Parks follows Mr. Ellington as he advocates for himself and his peers, while trying to keep up hope. He’s one of 9.3 million children in the country who attend rural schools, largely disconnected from social-service agencies and forgotten by state and federal policymakers.

Ms. Parks writes, “Ellington’s mom told him once that the district was in disrepair when she graduated in 1997. Whole generations of Holmes students had suffered the way Ellington had, and it pained the boy to think his brothers might inherit the same broken system. Sitting in the gym, sweating through his school uniform, Ellington told himself to hold on to the bit of hope he had left. His brothers were still young, though. Maybe, he thought, there would be time enough for them.” (41 min)

Nerds Come In All Colors

Linguist John McWhorter still talks about it: Black students underperform academically to avoid being labeled by their peers as “acting white.” Based on old, debunked research by UC Berkeley professor John Ogbu, this myth has seen a resurgence as conservatives decry Critical Race Theory. Let’s be clear, we cannot do this anymore, says Jenée Desmond-Harris in this clear essay from 2017. “All racial groups have nerds,” she writes, and it’s time for white educators to interrupt their colleagues’ uninformed racist thinking. (12 min)

‘I Just Feel Lost’: A Generation of American Men Give Up On College

The statistics are staggering: Men now account for only 40 percent of college students, the highest gender achievement gap in history. Given that men also have a lower graduation rate, women soon will earn their degrees at a rate of two to one. Experts predict the trend will likely not reverse. “I would say I feel hazy,” said 23-year-old Jay Wells, who quit Defiance College after a semester. Admissions officers don’t want to talk about it, but they’re considering affirmative action for men. (15 min)

+ If you hit a paywall: Here’s a copy you can access.

The Master’s Trap

Sure, dropping out of college is not a good idea, but is getting a higher degree still worth it? Be careful, writes Anne Helen Petersen, and beware of elite universities like Columbia and the University of Chicago promising big returns for big money. In this piece, Ms. Petersen answers the question, What makes a graduate program predatory? One tip: If the tuition is $62,640, think twice. (11 min)

+ “I was financially hobbled for life,” says Matt Black, a 36-year-old writer who completed his master’s program $233,000 in debt.

Thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Highlighter. Did you enjoy it? Let me know by clicking on “Yes” or ”No” below. I like hearing from you.

To our two new subscribers – Umar and Bink – I hope you find the newsletter a solid addition to your email inbox. To our long-time subscribers (Jenny! Jeremiah! Jessica!), you’re pretty great, too.

If you like The Highlighter, please help it grow. I appreciate your support. Here are a few ways you can help:

On the other hand, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, please unsubscribe. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am PT!

#312: Twenty Years Later

Happy Thursday, loyal readers. Thank you very much for being here.

A little more than a week ago, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, came and went with barely a notice. Like most news events these days, it was easily ignored with a quick swipe on our phones.

I suppose I can’t be frustrated that our divided and overwhelmed nation does not have the capacity right now to acknowledge the lives lost and reflect on the ramifications of our country’s response.

But what I can do is share some outstanding articles with you and ask that we, as a thoughtful reading community, take some time to pause. What have we learned, twenty years later? What do we teach our children?

This week’s issue includes a well-written contemporaneous account of the attacks, a touching profile of a restaurant manager who still regrets not being able to save his colleagues, a disturbing report of high rates of dementia among first responders, and a podcast episode tracing today’s current conspiracy theorists back to 9/11. I hope that you find at least one article that is worthy of your time and attention. Have a great week.

If You Want To Humble An Empire

Nancy Gibbs: “This was the bloodiest day on American soil since our Civil War, a modern Antietam played out in real time, on fast-forward, and not with soldiers but with secretaries, security guards, lawyers, bankers, janitors. It was strange that a day of war was a day we stood still. We couldn’t move — that must have been the whole idea — so we had no choice but to watch.

“Every city cataloged its targets; residents looked at their skylines, wondering if they would be different in the morning. The Sears Tower in Chicago was evacuated, as were colleges and museums. Disney World shut down, and Major League Baseball canceled its games, and nuclear power plants went to top security status; the Hoover Dam and the Mall of America shut down, and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and Mount Rushmore.

“It was as though someone had taken a huge brush and painted a bull’s-eye around every place Americans gather, every icon we revere, every service we depend on, and vowed to take them out or shut them down, or force us to do it ourselves.” (43 min)

‘I Was Responsible For Those People’

Twenty years later, Glenn Vogt, who managed the restaurant Windows on the World, still can’t forgive himself that he couldn’t save his 79 colleagues who died on 9/11. This touching profile by Tim Alberta reveals how Mr. Vogt has processed his loss, supported victims’ families, founded the Windows of Hope relief fund, and raised his son Taylor, who suffers from bipolar disorder. Despite taking care of many people, he feels like he hasn’t done enough. “Moving forward is different from moving on,” he says. (23 min)

The Mystery Of 9/11 First Responders And Dementia

After the Twin Towers fell, Queens firefighter Ron Kirchner worked more than 600 hours at Ground Zero, looking for survivors and clearing the debris. He breathed in glass fibers, dioxins, asbestos lead, and PCBs, and seven years ago, at the age of 52, he was diagnosed with dementia. Hundreds of first responders now experience cognitive impairment, which scientists have called alarming and unnatural. While the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act provides compensation to 9/11 workers, the law does not cover people with cognitive ailments. (24 min)

‘Loose Change’ And The Rise Of Conspiratorial Thinking After 9/11

By now we know to question people who like to do their own research. Someone who says “I’m just asking questions” does not inspire my trust. Today’s conspiracy theorists who believe the vaccine kills or the election was stolen come from a line of thinking that emerged from 9/11. In this podcast, Kevin Roose takes us back to a time when some liberals and conservatives could agree – with the help of a grainy, slapdash movie distributed on Google Video – that one thing was true: 9/11 was an inside job. (36 min)

+ Yes, Alex Jones and his ilk got their start as 9/11 Truthers. So did others who later disputed Obama’s birth certificate and stormed the Capitol on Jan 6.

+ Reader Annotations: Last week’s issue on Roe v. Wade led many of you to share kind notes of appreciation. Loyal reader Cindy found the lead article riveting. She wrote:

I couldn’t stop reading it. It’s a voice like no other on this earth to be the baby at the center of this political divide and to speak honestly about the difficulty of being born unwanted. Though I am forever pro-choice, I agree with the writer when he says it’s not tidy on either side.

Loyal reader Monica agreed that the abortion issue is nuanced. “I find myself in the complicated position of being both pro-choice and pro-life,” she wrote. “Yes, we exist. It’s a hard place to be.”

Finally, several of you said that the issue was extremely personal and brought up important memories. Loyal reader Kathleen wrote, “I too was 19 in 1969 when I accidentally conceived my first daughter (of 3, eventually), and I know so very well the era and the complex sequelae (emotional and otherwise) … I might have missed it.”

Thank you Cindy, Monica, and Kathleen for sharing your experiences with our reading community. Loyal readers, if an article intrigued you, or resonated with you personally, please feel free to share your thoughts and feelings. They make our reading community kinder.

Thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Highlighter. Did you enjoy it? Let me know by clicking on “Yes” or ”No” below. I like hearing from you.

To our four new subscribers – Samsie, Tomas, Dhruv, and Phoebe – I hope you find the newsletter a solid addition to your email inbox. To our long-time subscribers (Isis! Isabel! Irene!), you’re pretty great, too.

If you like The Highlighter, please help it grow. I appreciate your support. Here are a few ways you can help:

On the other hand, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, please unsubscribe. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am PT!

#311: Roe

When Ruth Bader Ginsburg died last year, loyal reader and good friend Marni reached out. I liked and respected RBG; Marni loved and admired her. As we talked, Marni shared her deep sadness as well as her concern for the future. What’s going to happen with the Court? she asked.

Roe v. Wade didn’t come up that day. But it didn’t need to, I guess. Marni and I both understood that RBG’s passing might mean the end of a woman’s right to choose. Two weeks ago, when the state of Texas passed Senate Bill 8, making it a crime to perform or aid an abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy, and deputizing citizens to enforce the ban, the Court did not intervene. Dissenting, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, “The court’s order is stunning. Presented with an application to enjoin a flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights and evade judicial scrutiny, a majority of Justices have opted to bury their heads in the sand.”

This week’s issue of The Highlighter includes articles and essays that focus on the legacy of Roe, centering stories of pregnant women and the women who support them. You’ll meet a California physician who provides abortions across state lines. You’ll meet Anna, a midwife who helps poor women end their pregnancies in their homes. You’ll meet Alex, an abortion doula, who says that sometimes, “kindness is more important than truth.” And in today’s lead article, “Jane Roe’s Baby Tells Her Story,” you’ll meet Shelley, who speaks publicly for the first time.

I hope you find at least one article worth your time and attention. If a piece moves you, please feel free to hit reply and let me know.

+ Tickets to Highlighter Happy Hour #14 sold out quickly last Thursday! I can’t wait to see all of you. (It’s been a very long time.) If you can’t make HHH this time, never fear. There will be more events and meet-ups soon. Like maybe another Game Show?

Jane Roe’s Baby Tells Her Story

Landmark Supreme Cases like Brown v. Board and Roe v. Wade are so monumental that sometimes we forget that the litigants were real people living regular lives. Before reading this outstanding article, an excerpt from Joshua Prager’s new book, The Family Roe, I knew very little about Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff in Roe. And nobody knew anything about Shelley Lynn Thornton, who revealed last week that she is Jane Roe’s child.

In the piece, Ms. Thornton shares her complicated feelings about her mother, her place in history, and the constitutional right to an abortion. She said, “When someone’s pregnant with a baby, and they don’t want that baby, that person develops knowing they’re not wanted.” (28 min)

50 Abortions in 60 Hours: A California Doctor’s Commute To A Texas Clinic

Getting an abortion in Texas was burdensome even before the state made the practice illegal. With so many restrictions, few physicians were willing to provide abortions. In this thoughtful article, Soumya Karlamangla follows a California doctor who regularly commuted to Texas to perform abortions. “I can’t have people scare me away,” she said. About 100 of the country’s 1,700 abortion providers travel out of state. (15 min)

Safe, Cheap, Illegal Home Abortions

In the 1800s, midwives helped women end their pregnancies safely with plants like pennyroyal, savin, tansy, and ergot. Only after a 40-year campaign by the American Medical Association, once an organization made up exclusively by male doctors, did states begin to criminalize abortion in the 1880s, calling the practice “immoral.” In this intimate article, Lizzie Presser tells the story of Anna, who is part of a network of 200 midwives and doulas across the country who provide cheap, illegal home abortions. (30 min)

+ Ms. Presser’s writing has appeared five times in The Highlighter. See also #80, #96, #164, and #244.

My Year As an Abortion Doula

Alex Ronan: “In the hospital, I’m not anyone important — I don’t even know how to insert an IV — but I spend the most time with the patients, so I almost always have their trust. Honesty is a core principle of being a doula. But I quickly learn that you do whatever you need to and sometimes you are dishonest. In the beginning, I shadow a more experienced doula as she reassures a patient that the woman in the next room screaming wildly is not here for the same procedure, though, of course, she is. Sometimes kindness is more important than truth, but if a patient wants to know how big the fetus is, I won’t lie.” (18 min)

Thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Highlighter. Did you enjoy it? Or do you think we should go back to the regular format (fewer theme issues, more eclectic issues)? Let me know by clicking on “Yes” or ”No” below. I like hearing from you.

To our two new subscribers Jennifer and Zaneta, I hope you find the newsletter a solid addition to your email inbox. Also, thank you to Mea, Summer, Elise, Sivan, David, Joanna, Scott, and Karen for your kind word of mouth. To our long-time subscribers (Hank! Henrietta! Hannah!), you’re pretty great, too.

If you like The Highlighter, please help it grow. I appreciate your support. Here are a few ways you can help:

On the other hand, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, please unsubscribe. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am PT!

#310: Afropessimism

Happy Thursday, loyal readers. Thank you very much for being here.

This week’s issue of The Highlighter includes essays and articles on the theme of Afropessimism, a school of thought founded by Professor Frank Wilderson. The philosophy advances that slavery did not end in the 19th century but rather evolved to challenge Black resistance. As a result, while Black people are integral to society, they’re excluded and made invisible.

My favorite journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones has often been called pessimistic for her 1619 Project and views on segregation. “More like realistic,” she has said to white progressive audiences who would prefer that she sound more hopeful. She said, “One of the biggest acts of resistance is to say, ‘I will exist.’ Our existence is our resistance.”

Today’s issue includes articles on Afropessmism and reparations, the limitations of big business to counteract white supremacy, the effects of digital technologies on colorism, and the decline of Black ballplayers in our national pastime. I hope you find one or more pieces worthy of your time and attention. Enjoy!

+ Highlighter Happy Hour is back for the first time since March 2020! We’ll meet at Room 389 in Oakland on Thursday, September 23, beginning at 5:30 pm. Bring your vaccination card, connect with other loyal readers, and spread the joy of our reading community. We’re capping this outside event to ~15 people, to keep things safe and intimate, so get your free ticket soon!

Reparations, Afropessimism, And White Supremacy

Loren Laomina: “Know thyself, we are told. As a student, I sprinted through ‘Black history,’ afraid that if I slowed to look long at our stories, ghouls would emerge from between the pages. Centuries of slavery, decades of Jim Crow, of these I sped read with clenched fists from a great emotional distance. I stuck to dates and stats, wrote papers with words like ‘unfortunate’ and ‘trying’ instead of ‘tragic’ and ‘horrifying.’ My understanding of the Black existential condition has changed over time, but there is at least one throughline: to be a Black American is to be psychically imperiled by your history.” (14 min)

Big Business Pledged $50 Billion After George Floyd’s Murder. Where’d It Go?

After George Floyd’s murder last year, corporations announced they could no longer stay silent in the face of white supremacy and police brutality. This article tracks the $50 billion that big business promised and reveals that most of the money has not gone to reform criminal justice or to organizations directly related to Black Lives Matter. Law professor Mehrsa Baradaran said, “The answer to these massive problems is not going to come from promises. We don’t want just benevolent billionaires and nicer, softer, more-woke monopolies. We want an economic structure that allows for more mobility, and we don’t have that.” (25 min)

Beauty Filters Perpetuate Colorism Against People With Darker Skin

While the skin-lightening industry continues to boom (now $8 billion each year), the real problem contributing to colorism is the pervasiveness of beauty filters and other digital technologies (e.g., Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram) that uphold warped, narrow beauty standards. Millions of people, especially young women, consider photo editing as desirable. Beautywell’s Amira Adawe says, “They think it’s normal. They’re like, ‘Oh, this is not skin lightening, Amira. This is just a filter,’” she says. “A lot of these young girls use these filters and think, ‘Oh my God, I look beautiful.’ ” (11 min)

The Nine: Why Baseball Is Confronting A Decline In African American Players

For several years, when my beloved San Francisco Giants had no Black American players on their team, I didn’t hear a peep of surprise or protest. That’s because Black ballplayers have largely disappeared, now making up just 8 percent of major league rosters. This outstanding collection, which profiles nine outstanding players – including Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Ian Moller – reveals the barriers they faced and explores how baseball can make the game more inclusive. (27 min)

+ Reader Annotations: Loyal reader Katherine loved last week’s Food Issue. She wrote, “I’m very into this issue. Because: I LOVE corn. I have always wanted to know why chicken is SO CHEAP! And I discovered garlic noodles when I moved to the Bay, now I can’t imagine life without them.” Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Katherine! Loyal readers, if a piece moves you, or you have something to say, hit reply and let me know.

Thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Highlighter. Did you enjoy the theme? Or do you think we should go back to the regular format (fewer theme issues, more eclectic issues)? Let me know by clicking on “Yes” or ”No” below. I like hearing from you.

To our 11 new subscribers – Elis, Axel, Nicole, Jacquie, Sara, Avani, Will, Jac, Becca, Alex, and Ruth – I hope you find the newsletter a solid addition to your email inbox. To our long-time subscribers (Greg! Gary! Georgia!), you’re pretty great, too.

If you like The Highlighter, please help it grow. I appreciate your support. Here are a few ways you can help:

On the other hand, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, please unsubscribe. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am PT!

#309: The Food Issue 🌽 🥭 🍗 🍜

Hello and happy Thursday, loyal readers. Thank you very much for opening The Highlighter. Last week’s Animal Issue was a big hit. And many of you have told me you appreciate the recent move to focus on themes that intersect with race, education, and culture.

So let’s do more of that, shall we? (I say yes.)

To that end, this week, I’m highlighting four great articles about food. Food is culture, after all — and if I ever forget that, all I need to do is remember my grandmother’s pasta al pesto or my mom’s coniglio alla ligure. (They’re delicious.) In today’s issue, you’ll read about the cultural importance of corn, the exclusivity of Pakistani mangoes, the ramifications of cheap chicken, and the multiethnic popularity of garlic noodles. I hope you find at least one of the articles worth your time and attention. Please enjoy!

+ At Article Club this month, we’re reading and discussing “How to Name Your Black Son in a Racist Country,” by Tyrone Fleurizard. The essay is “a master class in content and technique,” says Article Clubber Lisa, and I agree. Right from the beginning, Mr. Fleurizard hooks you and doesn’t let go. I encourage you to sign up for our conversation. All you need to do is hit reply and tell me you’re interested.

+ I’m also happy to announce that at long last, after 18 months of sadness and despair, Highlighter Happy Hour is back! We will be at Room 389 in Oakland on Thursday, September 23, beginning at 5:30 pm. I’ll share more details next Thursday, but in the meantime, if you want to secure your free ticket early, let me know!

Corn Tastes Better On The Honor System

For some people, corn is a great summer side to complement barbecue ribs or grilled chicken. But for Robin Wall Kimmerer, a member of Citizen Potawatomi Nation, and the author of Braiding Sweetgrass, corn is the “center of culture,” the “bringer of life,” and an opportunity for us to learn about reciprocity, rematriation, and the abundance of the land.

This well-written, well-researched essay is overflowing with knowledge and thought-provoking ideas. You’ll learn in depth the 9,000-year history of mahiz, the ways Indigenous peoples honored the grass, the marvelous science of the plant, and how colonization and capitalism threaten the cooperative mutual relationship humans have with corn, and vice versa.

Prof. Kimmerer writes, “With all those kernels packed tightly together and completely enclosed by the husk, the seeds are trapped. They can’t disseminate themselves. They need human hands to liberate them from the husk, to twist them from the cob and to sow them in fertile soil. They need us to poke them into the earth every spring. People and corn are linked in a circle of reciprocity; we cannot live without them and they cannot live without us.” (28 min)

The Secretive, Semi-Illicit, High Stakes World Of WhatsApp Mango Importing

Ahmed Ali Akbar loves mangoes, but he saves his energy for the best in the world: Pakistan’s Anwar Ratol and Chaunsa varieties. The experience of eating the explosively sweet fruit is “like drinking a juice box from nature,” he writes. The only problem: Because of USDA regulations, and slow-going “mango diplomacy,” it’s almost impossible to find Pakistani mangoes in the United States. Unless, of course, you know how to navigate WhatsApp suppliers and the Southwest Airlines cargo bay at your local airport. (27 min)

+ Americans doubled their mango consumption between 2000 and 2018. (I prefer peaches.)

America’s Favorite Illogically Cheap, Ecologically Dubious Roasted Chicken

When I visit my mom, she asks, “What do you want for dinner?” as if she doesn’t know the answer. Her roasted chicken rivals fancy restaurants. But ever since Boston Market, and with the proliferation of $4.99 rotisserie chickens from Costco, now everyone can take home a tasty bird, no problem. Except we know that there’s no good reason chicken should be that cheap. In this informative article, Cathy Erway explains the harmful consequences of paying too little for the food we put into our bodies. (15 min)

How Garlic Noodles Became One of the Bay Area’s Most Iconic Foods

They’re Vietnamese. They’re Filipino. They’re Burmese and Black, Korean and Japanese, Peruvian and Mexican. They’re garlic noodles, and no matter who makes them, they’re as Bay Area as Mission burritos and Dutch Crunch sandwiches. In this tribute, Luke Tsai honors the origins of the butter- and garlic-soaked dish, praising Chef Helene An and Thanh Long restaurant in the Outer Sunset. Then Mr. Tsai turns his attention to how the Black community contributed to the dish’s rise in popularity beginning in the 1990s. Chef Tiffany Carter says, “This is soul food for us. Our generation is not going to have a cookout without garlic noodles. Ten out of ten, that’s what they want.” (13 min)

+ Reader Annotations: Loyal reader Matt appreciated last week’s Animal Issue. He wrote, “I found this to be a refreshing theme and timely. The week has been rough in the world of education. The animals are so therapeutic! Of course, I’m a bit biased as a dog owner and all.” Thank you for your kind words, Matt! If an issue or article resonates with you, please let me know by hitting reply or leaving a quick voice message.

Thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Highlighter. Did you enjoy the theme? Or do you think we should go back to the regular format (less food, more race, education, and culture)? Let me know by clicking on “Yes” or ”No” below. I like hearing from you.

To our new subscribers Sue and Jenn, I hope you find the newsletter a solid addition to your email inbox. To our long-time subscribers (Fernanda! Felix! Fred!), you’re pretty great, too.

If you like The Highlighter, please help it grow. I appreciate your support. Here are a few ways you can help:

On the other hand, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, please unsubscribe. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am PT!

#308: The Animal Issue 🐶 🐱 🦔 🐋 🐙 🐤

Now for an entirely different experience, let’s talk about animals.

Newer subscribers might be asking, “Why does a newsletter that focuses on race, education, and culture also include pictures of pets?” The official answer is, I don’t know! But ever since Indie graced these pages more than five years ago in Issue #29, loyal readers have sent in photos every week, and they’ve brought us joy and brought our reading community closer together.

So this week, for the first time ever, I’m dedicating an entire issue on great articles about animals. Don’t like animals? That’s OK. The pieces are deep and thought provoking regardless. My favorite is the one about hedgehogs. How about you? Please feel free to let me know!

Eating The Whale

In this moving piece about the effects of climate change and the power of lineage, former restaurant critic Wyatt Williams travels to Utqiagvik, Alaska, because he wants to eat whale. He does, at a nalukataq, a festival of the hunting season. But instead of feeling affirmed by the community celebration, Mr. Williams turns melancholy. “I wanted to tell people that if only we could eat more like the whalers, sharing the food of our own communities, we’d probably be better off,” he writes. “But I knew it wouldn’t really matter. The world would go on continuing to end.” (26 min)

Millennials Are Obsessed With Dogs

Since last year’s pandemic pet surge, Millennials have now surpassed Baby Boomers as the generation most likely to own dogs. How come? According to Amanda Mull, herself a chihuahua lover, the reasons are systemic (wage stagnation, student loan debt, other ills of late-stage capitalism), Millennial (e.g., delayed marriage, delayed parenthood) and personal (e.g., the desire for touch and companionship). Most viscerally, Ms. Mull says, taking care of Midge (her “booboo”) is a way “to soothe the psychic wounds of modern life” and “a balm for purgatorial anxieties.” (11 min)

The Incredible Mind Of The Octopus

Years before the Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher, Sy Montgomery got to know and appreciate Athena, a Pacific octopus. Athena is 5 feet long, weighs 40 pounds, has a brain the size of a walnut, and can slither inside small holes and change shape and texture. Most amazing, though, is Athena’s ability to connect through touch. (Each arm includes 200 suckers and millions of neurons.) “Meeting an octopus is like meeting an intelligent alien,” Ms. Montgomery writes. But if humans and octopuses diverged 500 million years ago from our common ancestors, how did both species become so smart? (22 min)

A Dog’s Inner Life: What A Robot Pet Taught Me About Consciousness

This week on my commute (a book a week!), I’m reading Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro, about an “Artificial Friend” and her ability to love. While artificial intelligence has not yet brought us human companions, robot dogs – that bark and play and respond to touch – are already here, thanks to Sony. This article by Meghan O’Gieblyn begins playful but then delves deeply (and creepily, I must add) into issues of consciousness, free will, and whether machines can have inner lives. (16 min)

Looks That Quill: The Dark Side of Hedgehog Instagram

Mr. Pokee, an African pygmy hedgehog, has 1.9 million Instagram followers and enjoys taking pictures out in nature and inside ice cream cones. He’s cute, and so are Cinnamon and Maple and Lionel. But there’s a dark underbelly to the hedgehog craze, as Noelle Mateer reveals in this piece. Since 2017, thousands of people have made exotic hedgehogs their pets without knowing how to take care of them. The poop, the high rate of cancer, and wobbly hedgehog syndrome have left many hedgehogs abandoned, with states cracking down on their distribution and ownership. (14 min)

The Surprise Hit Board Game That’s Transforming An $11 Billion Industry

I’m not a birder, though I appreciate people who know about and appreciate birds. So when VIPs Phoebe and Peter introduced me to Wingspan, by Elizabeth Hargrave, I didn’t know what to expect from the game. But the experience turned out calming and delightful, as this article explains, a respite from the stress of the outside world – and a great way to connect with the people you love, uncompetitively, while you place your birds in their habitats, make sure they’re fed, and remind yourself of the glory of nature. (17 min)

Thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Highlighter. Did you enjoy the theme? Or do you think we should go back to the regular format (fewer animals, more race / education / culture)? Let me know by clicking on “Yes” or ”No” below. I like hearing from you.

To our new subscribers Lauren, David, and Jenny, I hope you find the newsletter a solid addition to your email inbox. To our long-time subscribers (Eunice! Emily! Eric!), you’re pretty great, too.

If you like The Highlighter, please help it grow. I appreciate your support. Here are a few ways you can help:

On the other hand, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, please unsubscribe. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am PT!

#307: Actions > Words

Hi loyal readers. I’m very grateful that you opened today’s issue of The Highlighter. It’s a good one: focusing on race (as usual) and exploring the theme of words vs. actions. More than a year after George Floyd’s murder, and after a year of protest and (some) change, our country has (mostly) returned to the same script. Let’s talk about equity and antiracism, but let’s not do very much. Besides, we’re too busy yelling about masks, wishing the pandemic would go away, worrying about our children at school, and avoiding the news in Afghanistan and Haiti. Many of us are exhausted. We’re languishing in our cocoons. We’re practicing self-care.

Lately, I’ve found myself there, too – resting, reflecting, and reading in an effort to determine my next steps. This week’s articles helped me get unstuck, and I hope you’ll appreciate them, too. “We Talk About Racial Inequality But Do Little About It“ reminds us that this year’s pause on racial equality is not unique, that white Americans have long advocated for fairness as long as justice does not lead to personal inconvenience.

The other three pieces in this week’s newsletter build on those ideas. The second article explains the roots of anti-Asian hate on the West coast (recommended especially for history teachers), while the third and fourth selections explore various ways that Black Americans have acted – and the backlash they’ve endured – to promote a freer and fairer world.

Please enjoy. And let me know what you think! All you need to do is hit reply.

We Talk About Racial Inequality But Do Little About It

In 1944, the Nobel Prize-winning economist and sociologist Gunnar Myrdal published An American Dilemma, a two-volume study that explored the gap between nation’s ideals and its racial reality. He concluded, “The average white American does not want to sacrifice much himself in order to improve the living condition of Negroes.”

More than 75 years later, according to senior correspondent Janell Ross, not much has changed. We might be getting a little better at talking about race, but talk is cheap. Ms. Ross writes, “As the notion of white America’s inherent superiority is verbally rejected, very few are willing to use what power they have to shift the systems that have served them well. Some people who are used to winning are having trouble playing fair.” (10 min)

+ Is Time Magazine back? They’re publishing some solid articles lately.

The Anti-Asian Roots of Today’s Anti-Immigrant Politics

One reason it’s easier to talk change than enact change is that racism remains deeply embedded in our laws and institutions. This excellent history of the anti-Asian movement in California explains how white politicians and labor leaders pitted the white working class against Chinese and Japanese citizens, redefining Europeans as “native” and inventing the concept of “illegal immigrant” after the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Writer Mari Uyehara points out that fear-mongering tactics worked then as they do now, as did political slogans like “The Chinese Must Go!” and “Keep California White.” So much for the California Dream. (20 min)

+ U.S. History teachers, this article is a good one.

Doing Equity Work While Black

One institution that prefers words over actions is our public school system. Even in affluent progressive districts like Bellevue, Washington, whose ample budget funds a “department of equity,” Black leaders like Shomari Jones find themselves “losing an arm” when facing white resistance. The district’s director of equity and strategic engagement, Mr. Jones described his job this way: “I put on the flak jacket and I knew I was going to take some hits. And you get hit and you get hit, and you’re cool because you got the jacket on. But when you get hit enough times, the jacket doesn’t work for you anymore. You’re hoping there are other people who are willing to put on their jackets and take a hit for you, or alongside you. But if that day never comes, you have to decide, to what point am I willing to sacrifice myself?” (16 min)

For Black Women, Working From Home Meant Freedom From Microaggressions

Project manager Mary Smith loved working from home during the pandemic – but not because of the quick commute and the flexible schedule. Rather, she appreciated not having to worry about making sure her hair, clothes, and demeanor were presentable for her white colleagues. So when her employer called everyone back to the office, Mary quit. She’s not alone. A Gallup survey last Fall concluded what Black women already know: They’re less respected and treated less fairly in the workplace than any other demographic. And many are leaving. (10 min)

Thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Highlighter. Did you enjoy the theme? Or do you think we should go back to the regular format? Let me know by clicking on “Yes” or ”No” below. I like hearing from you.

To our new subscribers Ipek and Kait, I hope you find the newsletter a solid addition to your email inbox. To our long-time subscribers (Darlene! Dan! David!), you’re pretty great, too.

If you like The Highlighter, please help it grow. I appreciate your support. Here are a few ways you can help:

On the other hand, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, please unsubscribe. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am PT!