Race Inquiry Digest ( August 4 ) – Important Current Stories On Race In America

Featured – James Baldwin: How to Cool It : Read the landmark 1968 Q&A on race in America. In Esquire’s July 1968 issue, published just after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., the magazine talked to James Baldwin about the state of race relations in the country. On what would be the author’s 93rd birthday, we’ve republished the interview in full—and his words are incredibly relevant today. Read more 

Why the lack of Indian and African faces in Dunkirk matters. The blockbuster purports to be a historical portrayal, but in fact it’s a whitewash. And these decisions help corrode societal attitudes. Read more  

Kyrie Irving got tired of being ‘son’ to LeBron. When you’re universally recognized as the best in the world, why would any player want to leave you? What has James done? And what is it about James that pushed Irving to say, essentially, “I simply can’t take it anymore”? Read more 

The Thorny Relationship Between Asians and Affirmative Action. The Justice Department plans to investigate whether Harvard discriminates against applicants because of their race, but such efforts are often futile because admissions practices are so complex. Read more 

NAACP issues its first statewide travel advisory, for Missouri. The NAACP is sending a strong message to people of color traveling through Missouri: Go at your own risk. The warning cites several discriminatory incidents in Missouri, included as examples of “looming danger” in the state. Read more 

Racial Justice Demands Affirmative Action. “President Trump’s Justice Department has retreated from meaningful police reform, argued on behalf of state laws that suppress minority voting rights, directed prosecutors to seek harsh sentences for nonviolent drug offenses, and extended the federal government’s power to seize the property of innocent Americans.” Read more 

Department of Justification. Stephen Bannon and Jeff Sessions, the new attorney general, have long shared a vision for remaking America. Now the nation’s top law-enforcement agency can serve as a tool for enacting it. Read more 

In Minneapolis, response to police shooting of white woman by Somali officer has been different. “But now, this Minneapolis cop has killed a beautiful, middle-class white lady they don’t know how to vilify,” Thompson said. “White people are outraged. And you know what? I say, ‘Come on,’ because we need their voices.” Read more  

Against all odds, this Little League team reached the divisional championship. The final score doesn’t matter. The JMS team on Monday night with one of their coaches, Kevin Anderson, at right. JMS is the first all-black team to play in the D.C. Little League championship game, parents and coaches said. Read more 

We don’t need a TV show about the Confederacy winning. In many ways, it did. “It frankly doesn’t require much imagination to fantasize a world where the Confederacy remained undefeated. After all, the current president of the United States received endorsements from various white supremacist organizations, including the Ku Klux Klan.” Read more 

Serena Williams: Black Women Deserve Better Pay. “Black women: Be fearless. Speak out for equal pay. Every time you do, you’re making it a little easier for a woman behind you.” Read more 

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