Hi, all, and happy Wednesday. Also, happy Black history month! I’ve decided to honor it (and thumb my nose at Ron DeSantis) by reading multiple books on the subject this February. I’ll be encouraging everyone I know to do the same. Want to join me? Tell me in the comments what you’ll be reading to take a deeper dive on the subject. I received a biography of
I too was going to recommend reading the 1619 Project, by Nikole Hannah Jones. You can pick and choose amongst the chapters and read it a little at a time. Added incentive: it is banned in Florida (or at least in the schools)!
We're watching the 1619 series on Hulu. Saw the first episode last night. It's excellent. Today I watched Reverend Al Sharpton give the eulogy at Tyre Nichols' funeral, live via Wapo website. In light of the material in 1619, it made a great impact on me.
1619 Project sounds good to me too, following the suggestion by commenters Mary Humstone and Dori Galton. The book breaks down neatly into 19 segments (Preface and 18 sections) which should make a nice slog through the 28 days of February without being a forced march, so to speak. The notes collected at the end allow for extensive deeper delving. Thanks for this suggestion, y'all.
I will also re-watch I Am Not Your Negro for the third or fourth time. In addition to the Youtube link posted by M. Carter, this film is available on Amazon Prime free to prime members.
I am also taking a course on Shame offered through the Episcopal Church of Connecticut being led by Christena Cleveland, author of God is a Black Woman. So maybe that book should be third on my list.
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson is a wonderful book. It discusses the migration of people out of Jim Crow states to the North. It is recent Black History, relatively speaking and a part of history about which I had little knowledge before reading this book. It talks about the “Green Book” some as well, what share cropping was really like, and the menial jobs and abuse.
I really like using Resitbot but have one question and one comment: it is a little confusing to copy and paste in your text for calls, but a great idea if you can't/don't want to make phone calls. the prompts were confusing. can you elucidate again? and the question: why does Resitbot always ask for $5 at the end? thanks.
So the ask for donations I'm not sure about, but I'd assume it's because Resistbot is entirely funded by donations and they're probably always hard up for cash. But you can ignore them if you want. I give them $5 a month and, I guess as a result, I don't get the asks. As for the prompts, did you go to their website and read the instructions? It's spelled out pretty clearly.
thanks. good idea, i will give $5 a month too, now that i know what it is for...maybe tell your readers. and no, i just went ahead and copy and pasted your text, which worked but the Resitbot responses were a bit confusing, but i will read up on their website. it is much easier (once i do it properly) than going on each individual website and filling in all your details.
Hi Penelope, another way to use Resistbot that may be less confusing (once you get it set up) is to use Telegram web on your pc. I live in italy so can't text the US number. You'd have to do a one-time set up of an account on Telegram Web (it's an app similar to Whatsapp) and then do a one time search for Resistbot, but then once you have it, it's super simple to just to go to Telegram & resistbot with the code Jessica provides and type "sign + the code". Hope this helps
thank you Kelly. I am in Guatemala so can text on my U.S. phone but must call using Skype but this sounds like a great idea so i will try it. i'm also in Qatar and England for some of the year so it gets difficult. i will pass this on to my office too. Jessica is amazing how she helps us get this all done. we spent some time in Sicily last fall. so beautiful. as is all of Italy. and thank you for Elena Ferrante!
ALthough perhaps dated, I remember reading both volumes of Herbert Aptheker's work - it is first level history - that is documentary. It was enlightening to me MANY years ago as an undergraduate in the late 60s.
This law should not be objectionable to anyone. It does not forbid any particular type of firearm. It does not place restrictions on ammunition magazines or bump stocks. It does not fret over background checks. It simply requires that guns be stored safely.
You can read the (very short) text of the bill, and you can also find out whether your Senators and House Representative co-sponsored the bill in the 117th Congress. I am adding to my call script, "If not, why not?"
The Findings listed in the bill section 2 are worth review. They include the following:
(1) An estimated 4,600,000 minors in the United States live in homes with at least 1 unsecured firearm.
(2) 73 percent of children under the age of 10 living in homes with firearms reported knowing the location of their parents’ firearms. 36 percent of those children reported handling their parents’ unsecured firearms.
(3) The presence of unsecured firearms in the home increases the risk of unintentional and intentional shootings. Over 75 percent of firearms used in youth suicide attempts and unintentional firearm injuries were stored in the residence of the victim, a relative, or a friend.
(4) The United States Secret Service and the Department of Education report that in 65 percent of deadly school shootings the attacker obtained the firearm from his or her own home or that of a relative.
I just re-read item (2) from that list after copying and pasting it into the reply box. 3/4 of children under age 10 -- under age 10 !! -- living in homes with firearms reported knowing the location of their parents' firearms, and 1/4 of children under age 10 -- UNDER AGE 10 !! -- reported handling those firearms.
Granted, knowing the location would be okay, if the firearms were secured safely. And handling the firearms might also be fine, even perhaps well and good, if they handled them under direct supervision by a responsible adult (and without ammunition). Still......under age 10......
YESYESYES it's such a no-brainer! Truly ridiculous that we couldn't get it passed last session but the NRA is fighting it. WHY? no one knows. Because they're awful.
I love the reading tips! I’m reading The 1619 Project and South to America by Imani Perry. I’ve learned so much from the 1619 Project. It really explains how we got to where we are today, in all facets of our lives.
Another couple of great books that explain how we go to where we are today are "White Rage" by Carol Anderson and "There is Nothing for your Here" by Fiona Hill. The latter explores the economic pressures which in part have contributed to the resurgence of white nationalism.
Ooh White Rage is one I've been meaning to read. Haven't heard of the other one but will add it to the list. I need someone to compile all of these suggestions!
I too was going to recommend reading the 1619 Project, by Nikole Hannah Jones. You can pick and choose amongst the chapters and read it a little at a time. Added incentive: it is banned in Florida (or at least in the schools)!
Love this initiative. I'm in! Reading "The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America" by Carol Anderson.
Whoa. That sounds intense and very important.
We're watching the 1619 series on Hulu. Saw the first episode last night. It's excellent. Today I watched Reverend Al Sharpton give the eulogy at Tyre Nichols' funeral, live via Wapo website. In light of the material in 1619, it made a great impact on me.
I will check that out. For some reason I didn't know there was a series on hulu.
1619 Project sounds good to me too, following the suggestion by commenters Mary Humstone and Dori Galton. The book breaks down neatly into 19 segments (Preface and 18 sections) which should make a nice slog through the 28 days of February without being a forced march, so to speak. The notes collected at the end allow for extensive deeper delving. Thanks for this suggestion, y'all.
I will also re-watch I Am Not Your Negro for the third or fourth time. In addition to the Youtube link posted by M. Carter, this film is available on Amazon Prime free to prime members.
I am also taking a course on Shame offered through the Episcopal Church of Connecticut being led by Christena Cleveland, author of God is a Black Woman. So maybe that book should be third on my list.
That sounds great, Bill.
I heartily recommend Raoul Peck's excellent documentary, I Am Not Your Negro (2016):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNUYdgIyaPM
And anything written by James Baldwin, especially his non-fiction: The Fire Next Time (1963) and The Price of the Ticket: Nonfiction, 1948-1985.
James Baldwin is one of my favorite authors. I love ANYTHING he's written. Don't know the documentary. I'll check it out!
It is a great documentary!
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson is a wonderful book. It discusses the migration of people out of Jim Crow states to the North. It is recent Black History, relatively speaking and a part of history about which I had little knowledge before reading this book. It talks about the “Green Book” some as well, what share cropping was really like, and the menial jobs and abuse.
How to contact your Representatives
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative#:~:text=If%20you%20know%20who%20your,the%20U.S.%20House%20switchboard%20operator.
How to contact your Senators
https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
I really like using Resitbot but have one question and one comment: it is a little confusing to copy and paste in your text for calls, but a great idea if you can't/don't want to make phone calls. the prompts were confusing. can you elucidate again? and the question: why does Resitbot always ask for $5 at the end? thanks.
So the ask for donations I'm not sure about, but I'd assume it's because Resistbot is entirely funded by donations and they're probably always hard up for cash. But you can ignore them if you want. I give them $5 a month and, I guess as a result, I don't get the asks. As for the prompts, did you go to their website and read the instructions? It's spelled out pretty clearly.
thanks. good idea, i will give $5 a month too, now that i know what it is for...maybe tell your readers. and no, i just went ahead and copy and pasted your text, which worked but the Resitbot responses were a bit confusing, but i will read up on their website. it is much easier (once i do it properly) than going on each individual website and filling in all your details.
Hi Penelope, another way to use Resistbot that may be less confusing (once you get it set up) is to use Telegram web on your pc. I live in italy so can't text the US number. You'd have to do a one-time set up of an account on Telegram Web (it's an app similar to Whatsapp) and then do a one time search for Resistbot, but then once you have it, it's super simple to just to go to Telegram & resistbot with the code Jessica provides and type "sign + the code". Hope this helps
thank you Kelly. I am in Guatemala so can text on my U.S. phone but must call using Skype but this sounds like a great idea so i will try it. i'm also in Qatar and England for some of the year so it gets difficult. i will pass this on to my office too. Jessica is amazing how she helps us get this all done. we spent some time in Sicily last fall. so beautiful. as is all of Italy. and thank you for Elena Ferrante!
ALthough perhaps dated, I remember reading both volumes of Herbert Aptheker's work - it is first level history - that is documentary. It was enlightening to me MANY years ago as an undergraduate in the late 60s.
https://www.amazon.com/Documentary-History-People-United-States/dp/0806501685
https://www.amazon.com/Documentary-History-People-United-States/dp/B00EH182WQ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3J66WARZ3G3NB&keywords=A+Documentary+History+of+the+Negro+People+in+the+United+States&qid=1675279563&s=books&sprefix=a+documentary+history+of+the+negro+people+in+the+united+states%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-2
My copies were stolen decades ago from a storage unit along with a Hobie surfboard. Sigh.
MalibuBill
Regarding Ethan's Law (today's House/Senate phone call), the text of the bill as introduced by Senator Blumenthal in the 117th Congress can be viewed at https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/190.
This law should not be objectionable to anyone. It does not forbid any particular type of firearm. It does not place restrictions on ammunition magazines or bump stocks. It does not fret over background checks. It simply requires that guns be stored safely.
You can read the (very short) text of the bill, and you can also find out whether your Senators and House Representative co-sponsored the bill in the 117th Congress. I am adding to my call script, "If not, why not?"
The Findings listed in the bill section 2 are worth review. They include the following:
(1) An estimated 4,600,000 minors in the United States live in homes with at least 1 unsecured firearm.
(2) 73 percent of children under the age of 10 living in homes with firearms reported knowing the location of their parents’ firearms. 36 percent of those children reported handling their parents’ unsecured firearms.
(3) The presence of unsecured firearms in the home increases the risk of unintentional and intentional shootings. Over 75 percent of firearms used in youth suicide attempts and unintentional firearm injuries were stored in the residence of the victim, a relative, or a friend.
(4) The United States Secret Service and the Department of Education report that in 65 percent of deadly school shootings the attacker obtained the firearm from his or her own home or that of a relative.
I just re-read item (2) from that list after copying and pasting it into the reply box. 3/4 of children under age 10 -- under age 10 !! -- living in homes with firearms reported knowing the location of their parents' firearms, and 1/4 of children under age 10 -- UNDER AGE 10 !! -- reported handling those firearms.
Granted, knowing the location would be okay, if the firearms were secured safely. And handling the firearms might also be fine, even perhaps well and good, if they handled them under direct supervision by a responsible adult (and without ammunition). Still......under age 10......
Shocking, right?
YESYESYES it's such a no-brainer! Truly ridiculous that we couldn't get it passed last session but the NRA is fighting it. WHY? no one knows. Because they're awful.
I love the reading tips! I’m reading The 1619 Project and South to America by Imani Perry. I’ve learned so much from the 1619 Project. It really explains how we got to where we are today, in all facets of our lives.
Ah yes! I'd forgotten I also own the 1619 book! So much to read this month! I haven't heard of South to America but I'll add it to the list.
Another couple of great books that explain how we go to where we are today are "White Rage" by Carol Anderson and "There is Nothing for your Here" by Fiona Hill. The latter explores the economic pressures which in part have contributed to the resurgence of white nationalism.
Thanks to all for the reading tips!
Ooh White Rage is one I've been meaning to read. Haven't heard of the other one but will add it to the list. I need someone to compile all of these suggestions!