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Racism by Design: The Building of Interstate 81

Jay A. Fernandez ACLU Magazine
The I-81 project, completed in 1968—and Syracuse remains one of the most segregated cities in the country, with the highest concentration of poverty among communities of color, and the highest rates of lead poisoning in children. This was by design.

Racism and Race – The John Roberts Two-Step

Jamelle Bouie New York Times
The Roberts two-step. He takes racism, a system of subjugation and social control, and removes the racists. What’s left is the mark of racism - race. A landmark case about the legitimacy of race hierarchy becomes, the use of race in school placement.

books

The Writers Who Went Undercover To Show America Its Ugly Side

Samuel G. Freedman The Atlantic
In the 1940s, a series of books tried to use the conventions of detective fiction to expose the degree of prejudice in postwar America. Their books — along with Sinatra’s song and film; Richard Wright’s memoir, coincided with a surge of activism.

books

Martin Luther King Understood Solidarity

Michael K. Honey Jacobin
Jonathan Eig’s new Martin Luther King biography stirs exhilaration and visceral pain at the unexpected triumphs and vicious violence that he and the freedom movement endured. It largely leaves out a key piece of King’s legacy: his commitment to labor

books

Celebrating the Leadership and Comradeship of Charlene Mitchell

William P. Jones Portside
“People who truly believe in justice and equality, and peace and socialism, should not actually really care whether their contributions are individually noted,” Angela Davis asserted at a tribute to her friend and mentor, Charlene Mitchell, in 2009.

Tidbits – June 15, 2023 – Reader Comments: Trump Indictment; Killing Blacks a Growth Industry; David Byrne Relents; Readers Respond: “People’s Media” Network; 10 Years of Fight for $15; Eddie Kay Way-Street Naming Ceremony; Cartoons; More

Portside
Reader Comments: Trump Indictment; Killing Blacks a Growth Industry; David Byrne Relents-Musical to Have Live Orchestra; Readers Respond: “People’s Media” Network; Crypto Currency; 10 Years of Fight for $15; Eddie Kay Way-Street Naming Ceremony; more

Is Killing Blacks a Growth Industry?

Ishmael Reed CounterPunch
A growth industry is a sector of an economy that experiences a higher-than-average growth rate compared to other sectors. Growth industries are often new or pioneer industries that did not exist in the past. Lynching Black men is nothing new....
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