Today…
I know it’s been everywhere, but I especially enjoyed this roller coaster tale of what went down at 15th & Swann late Monday/early Tuesday. Despite the ugliness that sets it all off, there’s also a great deal of joy and kindness here. It might even make me stop talking shit about Duccini’s.
Speaking of food – I always am – a handful of recent articles have listed black-owned or -run restaurants, farms and other food-related places to give your dollars.
Food & Wine | How to Support Black-Owned Restaurants in Your Community
Grub Street | How the Food World Can Help
Feed The Malik | DC's Black-Owned Restaurants Open During COVID-19
Washingtonian | How You Can Support DC Black-Owned Restaurants Now
Abortion
Ding Ding! The Most Racist Congressman in America Just Got Beat
Tim Murphy | Mother Jones
In 2019, U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa King affirmed his belief that abortion should be outlawed with no exceptions for rape or incest. King faced criticism for his comment that questioned whether there would be "any population of the world left" if not for births due to rape and incest.
Los Angeles Times | Iowa voters oust Rep. Steve King, known for making incendiary comments about immigrants, white supremacy
Newsweek | Iowa Republicans Reject Steve King, a Racist Who Voted to Condemn His Own Views
New York Times | Steve King, House Republican With a History of Racist Remarks, Loses Primary
Salon | Iowa Republicans vote out "master of racism in Congress" Steve King amid protests for racial justice
Time | Iowa Rep. Steve King, Known for Incendiary Remarks About White Supremacy, Loses Republican Primary
VICE | The Most Racially Divisive Member of Congress Just Lost His Primary
Vox | Embattled Republican Rep. Steve King loses Iowa primary
‘Flashback’ Lecture Notes: How One ‘Uncommonly Silly’ Law Led to Abortion Rights
Sean Braswell | OZY
In episode six of Flashback, OZY’s history podcast, we learn how the U.S. Supreme Court’s efforts to address an antiquated contraception ban from the 19th century unexpectedly resulted in an expansive new bundle of rights for Americans, including the controversial right to an abortion.
LGBTQ
LGBTQ community calls for justice after black trans man shot and killed by police
Meredith Deliso | ABC News
LGBTQ advocates are calling for a full investigation and accountability into the shooting death of a black trans man by a police officer in Tallahassee, Florida, last week. The Tallahassee Police Department said an officer was responding to a deadly stabbing incident on May 27 when they came across Tony McDade, who matched the description of the stabbing suspect, in the area.
Jezebel | The Invisible Killing of Tony McDade
LGBT Pride Month 2020: What to know about its history, events, parades
Morgan Winsor | ABC News
Every summer in the United States, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community comes together for a month-long celebration of love, diversity, acceptance and unashamed self-pride.
HRC's Alphonso David: Voting Key to Racial Justice, LGBTQ+ Equality
Trudy Ring | The Advocate
If you care about equality and justice — for LGBTQ+ people, for African-Americans, for any marginalized people — you have to care about electoral politics, says Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign.
Trump refused to issue a Pride proclamation. He’s selling Pride campaign t-shirts instead.
Bil Browning | LGBTQ Nation
Once again, President Donald Trump did not issue a Pride proclamation to honor LGBTQ citizens, but that hasn’t stopped him from selling an “exclusive Make America Great Again Pride T-Shirt” on his campaign website.
Florida
Jacksonville mayor says he'll sign gay rights law
John Riley | Metro Weekly
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry (R) has promised to sign legislation that would replace a 2017 law banning discrimination against LGBTQ people that was recently struck down by a Florida appeals court — if it’s passed by the City Council, an outcome that is not certain.
Role of Guns Not Tracked For LGBT Community
Claire Goforth | Youth Today
LGBT people experience depression and suicidal tendencies at disproportionately high rates. At the same time, bisexual women and transgender women of color are among the groups more likely to experience violence. There are numerous holes in the data, however, such as the role of guns in the LGBT community. Those holes hinder efforts to address violence and self-harm, advocates and researchers say.
Idaho
Federal judge says Idaho cannot ban transgender people from amending their birth certificates
John Riley | Metro Weekly
A federal judge warned the state of Idaho that the permanent injunction she previously issued two years ago to block the state from preventing transgender people from correcting the gender markers on their birth certificates to match their gender identity continues to remain in effect.
Pregnancy & Parenting
Covid-19 Is Straining the Concept of the Family. Let’s Break It.
Sophie Lewis | The Nation
The care and love we extend to one another can no longer be confined to house-sized pockets.
Amid coronavirus, new parents face scary choices. Expanded family leave could ease fears.
Maggie Cordish | USA Today
It is a terrifying time to be pregnant. As the coronavirus rages across the country, the prospect of exposure to the virus in the hospital is placing an added strain on expecting families. The precarious journey does not end for most parents with a healthy delivery; they return home to find constrained, unsettling options for child care as well.
New Jersey
Fewer teens having babies but rates still higher in South Jersey
Jen Ursillo | WKXW-FM (Ewing, NJ)
The teen birth rate in 2018 was less than half of what it was 10 years ago across the nation, according to figures from the CDC and the National Center for Health Statistics. There were 179,871 births to mothers ages 15 to 19 in 2018 or 17 births per 1,000 teens. In 2009, the figure was 38 per 1,000. In 2018, there were 2,814 babies born to teen mothers in New Jersey, or 10 births per 1,000.
Reproductive Health & Justice
These Virtual Mental Health Resources for Black Women Can Make All the Difference
Shannon Barbour | Marie Claire
Black lives matter, and so does Black mental health. The Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health reports that African Americans are 10% more likely to experience serious psychological distress. At the same time, only 30% of African American adults with mental illnesses get help each year, which is below the U.S. average of 43%.
Surgeon general: 'You understand the anger'
Sarah Owermohle | POLITICO
There will likely be new rash of coronavirus cases following widespread protests this weekend over racism and the death of George Floyd — but people’s concerns need to be heard, Surgeon General Jerome Adams told POLITICO. “I remain concerned about the public health consequences both of individual and institutional racism [and] people out protesting in a way that is harmful to themselves and to their communities,” Adams said in a phone call.
Racial Trauma is a Public Health Emergency
Dara Winley Ph.D | Psychology Today
The recent and repeated incidents of police brutality in this country is a major public health problem and taking an arduous psychological toll on African American citizens everywhere.
Coronavirus in black people: We need to talk about medical racism
Marya T. Mtshali | Vox
The protests that have ignited across the country have been fueled by a powder keg built not just on human rights abuses like police brutality, but also on the disproportionate and dire economic and health impacts of Covid-19. While the novel coronavirus has negatively impacted the entire nation, Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities are being devastated. Recent data shows that the Covid-19 mortality rate for Black Americans is about 2.4 times higher than for whites.
Iowa
Planned Parenthood North Central States to reopen limited services in Sioux City
Dolly A. Butz | Sioux City Journal
Planned Parenthood North Central States said its Sioux City health center will offer STI testing and family planning services, including birth control, IUD consultation, Depo shots and more. Medication abortion care will also be available, according to the statement.
New Hampshire
Why no one is talking about reproductive justice
Emmett Soldati | Concord Monitor
If you are pregnant in Somersworth – my hometown – you are physically closer to three crisis pregnancy centers than you are to the nearest provider of reproductive health care. That’s three places closer that will intentionally misinform and withhold information about your constitutionally protected right to an abortion. That dramatically increases the chances of a pregnant person ending up with less access to reproductive care.
Work & Money
Pandemic Could Scar a Generation of Working Mothers
Patricia Cohen, Tiffany Hsu | The New York Times
Some economists hope the domestic imbalances exposed by women working from home could lead to structural and cultural changes, like better child care.
Activist Collaboration Fund Awards 15 Grants to WOC Orgs
Tim Lehnert | Philanthropy Women
The Ms. Foundation for Women, through its recently formed Activist Collaboration Fund, is granting $275,000 to 15 organizations across the country that are led by and for women and girls of color, trans women and girls of color, and indigenous women and girls.
More, More, More
Recognizing And Dismantling Your Anti-Blackness
Janice Gassam | Forbes
Aside from dealing with Covid-19, the world continues to grapple with racism and anti-blackness. Many are wondering how we will overcome the structural and systemic racism that continues to plague our world. A critical part of disrupting and dismantling anti-blackness is a recognition that the problem exists. Below are some ways that you can interrupt anti-black bias in your everyday life.
Why Violent Protests Work
Laura Bassett | GQ
A conversation with author and University of Pennsylvania professor Daniel Q. Gillion about the history of protests in America and how they've inspired actual policy change.
Black Women Are “The Blade And The Balm” During COVID-19 And Ongoing State Violence
Charise Frazier | MadameNoire.com
Before the recent uprisings began I saw a post that summed up how Black women operate in America and around the globe. “Black women are—too often—both the blade and the balm,” written by social media user and prison reform activist, @TheFireNexTime. The simple, yet profound statement struck me as it is packed with truth and lays out the government for how Black women conduct their lives on a daily basis. We heal and we encourage depth, we light the match to inspire.
White Women, We Need To Do Better
Maeve Barry | Ms. Magazine
“Doing better” is an oversimplification and doesn’t carry the weight of just how much better we need to do.
Ohio
'We should all be outraged': Gov. DeWine says Ohio will work to improve racial health, economic disparities
Olivia Fecteau | WEWS-TV (Cleveland, OH)
Governor Mike DeWine said Tuesday he plans to increase the state's efforts to improve health and economic disparities, saying race is "indisputably a factor." "We should all be outraged that in the year 2020, in Ohio and in this country, there's still inequality of opportunity and there is still racism," DeWine said. "The coronavirus, this global pandemic, has laid bare our vulnerabilities."
Washington
Public officials decry racism as ‘public health threat’
Arielle Dreher | Spokesman-Review
Spokane County Health Officer Dr. Bob Lutz joined thousands of people on Sunday protesting police brutality against Black Americans, marching across the Monroe Street Bridge to the Spokane County Courthouse. “It really showed that people of all colors are not willing and not wanting to allow this issue to rest,” Lutz said.
Wisconsin
Gov. Evers calls on state leaders to address systemic racism with new policies, asks Wisconsinites to show empathy
Logan Rude | WISC-TV (Madison, WI)
Gov. Tony Evers shared a statement Tuesday condeming the killing of George Floyd as unrest continues to spread throughout the country. Evers calls on Wisconsinites to show and practice empathy in the wake of Floyd’s death. “There was no empathy or humanity in George Floyd’s death, but there must be empathy and humanity in our response to it.