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Rebirth of Venus

Dan Chiasson The New Yorker
The Voyage of the Sable Venus, the highly regarded debut poetry collection by Robin Coste Lewis, won the national book award this year for poetry. The title poem unites art history with the history of slavery and racism. Here, Dan Chiasson introduces this book, which has become a must-read across the literary spectrum.

An American Tragedy: #SayHerName #SandraBland

Bryan Smith Chicago Magazine
Five months after Sandra Bland was found hanging in a Texas jail cell, her family still searches for resolution. An intimate look at a life interrupted published in Chicago Magazine last week.

Filmmaker Michael Moore's Letter to Donald Trump

Michael Moore michaelmoore.com
'In desperation and insanity, you call for a ban on all Muslims entering this country. I was raised to believe that we are all each other's brother and sister, regardless of race, creed or color. That means if you want to ban Muslims, you are first going to have to ban me. And everyone else.'

 China’s Latest Crackdown on Workers Is Unprecedented

Michelle Chen The Nation
 While the government remains mum on the detentions, the police sweep seems an unusually harsh crackdown on community-based groups that have long struggled to balance mutual aid and advocacy without courting controversy. Working outside the international spotlight and concentrated in China’s gritty southern manufacturing belt, organizers toil thanklessly each day on behalf of local workers: filing complaints, winning back wages, fostering collective bargaining, ...

The Northern Student Movement

Andy Piascik Black Star News
Beginning with the lunch counter sit-ins in early 1961 and continuing on through 1969 and beyond, college students around the country rallied to the cause of justice and freedom. The two best known student organizations of that time were the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Another important group, though less well known, was the Northern Student Movement (NSM) and it was founded on the Yale campus in New Haven

Why $2 a Gallon Gas? OPEC and the Frackers

Karl Grossman The Daily Journalist
Fracking is a relatively expensive process—about ten times more costly than the $5 to $6 per barrel cost of drilling oil from conventional wells in Saudi Arabia. By letting the price of oil drop, OPEC, in which Saudi Arabia is the key partner, has been applying financial pressure on the fracking industry.

UN Declares 2016 The Year of Pulses

Judie Bizzozero Natural Products Insider
The United Nations has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses, nutritious sources of protein which include peas and many kinds of dried beans.