taking a short break this week
... but I'm leaving you with podcast suggestions & a reading list!
Welcome to The Breaking Point, a weekly newsletter that draws on the historical legacies of injustice based on the news cycle and culture trends to understand what in the world is going on.
hiiiii! I’m taking a short break this week, but I still wanted to give you podcast suggestions and a reading list. I also binge-watched Itaewon Class on Netflix over the weekend, and ahhh — I highly recommend!
anyway, I know it’s a busy news cycle — but I really need this short break. To those of you in California and other parts of the West Coast feeling the impacts of raging wildfires, extreme heat, and poor air quality, please stay safe. What’s happening in the West Coast, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, is literally a recipe for disaster. So please please drink water, stay indoors, and stay safe.
in case you missed last week’s newsletter, click here for a Q&A with my friend Maria Theresa Dizon on Filipinos in the medical field, being an Asian American during the pandemic, data disaggregation, and more.
by Rachel Ramirez
Figure of the week: 410,451
The estimated number of COVID-19 fatalities that is forecast to happen in the United States by January 1, 2021, according to a key forecasting model produced by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
A reading list …
For the First Time, America May Have an Anti-Racist Majority by Adam Serwer, The Atlantic
The Eco–Yogi Slumlords of Brooklyn: How did a couple who built an empire of yoga studios and homes with “living walls” end up as pandemic villains? by Bridget Read, The Cut
Much of the American West is on fire, illustrating the dangers of a climate of extremes by Scott Wilson, The Washington Post
Black, Native American and Fighting for Recognition in Indian Country by Jack Healy, The New York Times
Homeless Californians face new crisis: living outside in smoke-filled air by Vivian Ho, The Guardian
‘Kill All You See’: In a First, Myanmar Soldiers Tell of Rohingya Slaughter by Hannah Beech, Saw Nang and Marlise Simons, The New York Times
What book am I reading? 📖
I’m currently reading Mario Alejandro Ariza’s “Disposable City: Miami’s Future on the Shores of Climate Catastrophe”
… also, I just finished “Dear Martin” (as in MLK) by Nic Stone, so good!!
Trust me, listen to these podcasts 🔊
American Rehab series, Reveal
Balls and Strikes episode, NPR Code Switch
There’s No Climate Justice Without Indigenous Sovereignty episode, Hot Take
…. also, if you’re looking for non-newsy, more entertainment-type podcasts, I listen to Wild ‘Til 9 and Pretty Basic, don’t judge 💁♀️
thanks everyone, and don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already. see you next week!