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Dear John, This week there is lots to celebrate and lots to mourn. We mourn the loss of lives in the Minneapolis punk and DIY communities and in the wildfires in Maui. We celebrate lots of power in labor organizing – among rideshare drivers, home care workers, and doctors. And we’re counting down to the state fair with a crop art preview! Here’s what we’re reading, watching, and listening to this week. 1. Fair Drives Safe Rides The Minneapolis City Council passed a proposed ordinance Thursday that would grant rideshare drivers in the city increased wages, rights, and protections that could make wages for Uber and Lyft drivers some of the highest in the country. 2. Lahaina Wildfires“The tragedy on Maui belies the depiction of Hawaii as a sanctuary, a preserve of inviolate nature. In the smoking ruins of Lahaina, the erasure of indigenous history and the grievous toll of human lives defy clichés of lush jungled mountainsides, tumbling waterfalls and blissful honeymooners on black sand beaches. Such postcard images have always idealized the islands, obscuring a history marred by exploitative plantations and extractive colonialism.” Check out this powerful commentary on how the loss of precious ecosystems and erasure of indigenous history put us all at risk for more climate disasters. 3. The future of wild rice for Ojibwe communities“As Anishinaabe and tribal people, we depend on these wild plants for our food, medicines, craft materials—cultural objects made from plants. They’re a very integral part of our culture,” said Kelly Applegate, director of natural resources for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in this piece on the future of wild rice in the face of climate change. 4. MN home healthcare workers: most in-demand, lowest paidCheck out this illuminating Reformer piece on working conditions and organizing among home health care workers in Minnesota. Here’s an excerpt from the article: “Kormasah Deward is a health care support worker with 12 years of experience, an associate’s degree and several certificates in health care occupations. Being a personal care assistant is rewarding, Deward said, but also physically and emotionally demanding. Deward has gone to great lengths — including sleeping in her car when she couldn’t afford gas — to ensure that her client could get up and go to work the next day. Deward was part of the SEIU bargaining team that negotiated a contract guaranteeing a $20 per hour wage by 2025 along with other benefits, like additional pay for care workers with experience and bonuses for staying in a job longer than six months.” 5. Allina doctors unionizing“I haven’t heard about any decrease in pay for executives. Our CEO makes over $3 million a year. Allina is not investing in the people that see patients,” said Dr. Matt Hoffman, a family physician at Allina Vadnais Heights Clinic just north of St. Paul. 6. Pool Party ProgressivismOn the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act and its historic investment: a manifesto about how we all deserve nice things! 7. "These places are just devouring money."Students and families foot the bill for programs and buildings at state flagship universities, with little pushback. Read more about how families are paying for spending sprees at higher education institutions in the Wall Street Journal. 8. Honoring August Golden and the Minneapolis punk, queer, and DIY communities“Since Golden’s death, his friends have been gathering at another house to grieve… They’ve also been bowled over by the generosity and support they’ve gotten from people outside of their tightknit community. The fact that an act of violence by an outsider has pushed them into upheaval has forced some to question how to move forward within their inclusive community and protect themselves at punk shows. But for now, it’s an open-ended question — one that will only be answered through togetherness.” 9. Tomato season
10. Gigi's Crop Art Hot TakesYou likely know Gigi, aka the Pin Queen, as the artist behind the incredible Gigi’s Flair Emporium. You may not know that Gigi also moonlights as a judge for the State Fair’s Crop Art competition. Check out this article recirculating about what Gigi learned as the youngest, newest, and only Black crop art judge in 2022 as you prepare for this year’s State Fair in just a couple weeks. And that’s a wrap! Send us what you’re reading, watching and listening to. Until next time, Katie Blanchard (she/her) Jessica Zimmerman (she/her)
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