Dear John,

It’s been a busy news week, and we’re just scratching the surface here. To us, it is clear the next half of the year is going to be harder than the first. The level of compounding crises we’re witnessing across the country feels like a crushing weight. It’s not surprise to many of us who’ve been following the Trump Administration for years, bracing for worst-case scenarios, but it still feels like a shock.

100 days before the November election, it looks like: federal agents descending violently on the people of Portland (and around the country), the GOP ripping the tattered economic safety net from millions of Americans, and corporate-backed politicians brushing off the death toll of COVID19.

Our country is not going back to normal; we are going through a rite of passage so we can hopefully level up. If problems are not seen, they are not solved. We have the opportunity to rise together and find a new America.

Take good care of yourself this weekend. Send us what you’re reading.

Here’s what we’re reading, watching, and listening to this week:

John Lewis & C.T. Vivian

“Freedom is not a state; it is an act.” – John Lewis

Two titans of the Civil Rights Movement – John Lewis and C.T. Vivian – passed away last weekend. Now it is up to us to continue their work, building our democracy. Read a reflection in The Atlantic.

And watch a clip of John Lewis receiving the National Book Award in 2016.

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Portland

We are still finding words to make meaning of what is happening in Portland. We are in a sober state of shock, but not surprised. If you haven’t been able to follow, get caught up now in Teen Vogue.

And check out videos of the Mom Bloc – mostly white women who have been putting their bodies on the line, demanding justice for Black people murdered by police – on Twitter.

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Police Accountability

Legislators of color worked tirelessly with community on police accountability laws signed by Gov. Walz this week. This is just the beginning. More coverage in the Minnesota Reformer.

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AOC

Over 12 million people watched Representative Ocasio Cortez’ incredibly powerful response to Rep. Yoho calling her a “f-cking b*tch.” This could be the beginning of the end of a political culture that allows harassment, sexism, and misogyny go without public accountability. Watch her full remarks on Twitter here or find a one minute clip here.

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COVID Relief

Unemployment benefits are set to expire at the end of the month. We’ve been waiting for the U.S. Senate to release its relief proposal. Read more in the Minnesota Reformer and a round up of reports from the Center on Policy & Budget Priorities on Twitter.

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folklore

Taylor Swift surprised us with a new, stripped down folk album written and produced in isolation. It’s good. Read about it in Pitchfork.

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The Amazon

Our Climate Organizer, Magdalena, sent us this piece. Minnesota-based Cargill has been encouraging its suppliers in Brazil to set fire to the Amazon rainforest. Read the report from Mighty Earth here.

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RBG

Famously, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of only nine women in her Harvard Law School class. However, unlike the Supreme Court Justice, these other women – all pioneers – have largely been just treated as side characters in RBG’s story. Slate sought to correct the record, letting these women tell their own stories. Read this impressive piece here.

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Running While Black

Ahmaud Arbery was murdered by two white man while out for a run in Georgia. NPR’s podcast Code Switch dug into the white origin of jogging – and why we haven’t had a conversation about safety for Black runners. Watch the video here.

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Comet

Imagine the love of your life is asking you to marry them under the stars as a rare, breathtaking comet lights up the sky. Ok, here are the pictures.

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That’s a wrap.

-- Kenza Hadj-Moussa & Patrick Burke

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