Dear John,

George Floyd should be alive right now.

Our hearts are broken. The emotions that engulfed our cities in flames this week are demonstrations of pain and a cry for justice. It is an old pain, borne of the historic, violent, publicly funded oppression of Black people. 

And there is no going back. The only choice in front of us is create a different path. We’re focused on justice.

Together, we can make meaning of the historic uprising we are a part of. We can talk to our friends and neighbors with unwavering clarity about the death of George Floyd and the systems—not just the individual cops—that have traumatized Black people. We can grow our political consciousness to understand how racist police systems, ICE, and the U.S. military are interconnected and deployed against our communities to gobble up billions of dollars in public resources, tear apart our families, and perpetuate trauma on stolen land. 

No matter how you identify, we can push ourselves to more deeply understand how white supremacy – rooted in patriarchy, racism, anti-Blackness, Islamophobia, antisemitism, xenophobia, transphobia, and bigotry of all forms – deeply hurts all of us. 

That’s what this news digest is about. 

Take the next steps with us. If you are white or a non-Black POC ally, read these articles carefully. Commit to solidarity with people most directly impacted by persistent, publicly funded oppression. 

Together, we can from these ashes to build a better world.

Here’s what we’re reading, watching, and listening to this week: 

1. George Floyd

Three things to read first: TakeAction’s statement on George Floyd, a blog by Duluth organizer Breanna Ellison: Today I Woke Up, and this Facebook post from Rep. Aisha Gomez.

2. Anti-Racism

A list of anti-racism resources has been circling social media week. See them all here.

A news article we recommend from the list is from The Atlantic: Coronavirus was an emergency until Trump found out who was dying. Read it here.

3. Rising Up

“Young black people must endure the contusions caused by rubber bullets or the acrid burn of tear gas because government has abandoned us. Black Lives Matter only because we will make it so.”

For hundreds of years, this country has failed our Black neighbors. We have to change. Read this.

4. Defund the Police

Crimes are down across the country because of COVID-19, but police are still killing people at the same rate. It’s time to divest from police and invest in our community. Read more.  

5. Remembering

Twin Cities artists painted a powerful mural at 38^th and Chicago in Minneapolis, remembering George Floyd and other people murdered by police. See it here.

6. 1967

“Change does not come about without conflict.” – T Williams

In 1967, Plymouth Avenue in North Minneapolis went up in flames as Black youth rebelled during the Long Hot Summer. Listen to a podcast interviewing folks who were there and remember this history.

7. Solidarity Pt. 1

Members of ATU 1005 – union bus drivers in the Twin Cities – refused to transport arrested protests and police in solidarity with their community. This is what solidarity looks like. Read more.

8. Solidarity Pt. 2

Gandhi Mahal, a restaurant next to the third precinct, caught on fire last night. The owners just want justice for George Floyd. Read and share.

9. Looting

Truth in comedy. Read it in The Onion.

10. ACT UP

Larry Kramer, LGBTQ activist and founder of ACT UP, died this week from pneumonia. Anger is powerful and his activism saved countless lives. Thank you, Larry. Rest in power. Read more about his life and read this beautiful Instagram post.

Sending love, light, and power to all of you. That's a wrap.

-- Kenza Hadj-Moussa and Patrick Burke