Moonlight Was Robbed of Its Moment, The Rise and Fall of Gluten-Free Diets, and “Blue Lives Matter” Bills

Why It’s Important to Recognize That “Moonlight” Was Robbed Of Its Moment

This debacle brought into stark relief just exactly how messy it is and will continue to be to make traditionally white institutions more diverse and inclusive. In many cases, it will look like black people coming on stage to take away the very awards that white people presumed they would win and prepared themselves to receive. This is the scary part of what it means for white people to challenge white privilege: it means sometimes they will lose. More than that, it means they will have to endure the humiliation of losing when they were so entirely sure they had won.

Gluten-free diets: Where do we stand?

Nonetheless, “this is a medical intervention,” he said. “For those who just brush it off that this is a fad and a fashion lifestyle, be considerate of the people that survive on this diet. For people with celiac disease, the gluten-free diet is like insulin for diabetics.”
There is little research to support the idea that a gluten-free diet can help improve health problems aside from celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, according to the US National Library of Medicine.
So how did gluten-free eating shift from a rare treatment approach to a trendy way of living? Here’s a look at the rise and fall of gluten and how the gluten-free diet has shaped public health over the years.

32 Blue Lives Matter Bills Have Been Introduced Across 14 States This Year

The wave of legislation exposes an appetite to provide political sanctuary to an already protected class. Including police officers in hate crime statutes is legally redundant, or even counterproductive, creating deeper divisions between police and the communities they serve. All 50 states, according to the Anti-Defamation League, have statutes that automatically increase the penalties for violent attacks on police.

After the Protests: Practical Tactics for Long-Term Resistance and Rebuilding

Despite the dismal daily news, I am encouraged by the protests and demonstrations also regularly making the news. People are deeply frustrated and ready to take action. Some folks are cynical and judgmental about the effectiveness of these “flash in the pan” protests. And while I understand that critique, I think these protests serve an important function, and the key to sustained engagement will be establishing pipelines from these protests to people-power. What do we do after the protests? Luckily, there are some folks (with far more experience and insight than I have) who are sharing pragmatic strategies and initiatives to help us collectively oppose the current expression of political depravity and build a more just, equitable, and free society. Afer all, this is bigger and deeper than Trump. Before him, there was much work to do…and after him, there will be much more work to do. Where do we begin?

A 10-Point Plan to Stop Trump—And Make Gains in Justice and Equality

In short, there’s good reason to see the Trump era as an opportunity not only to stop him, but to make major gains in justice and equality. It will help to learn to turn our fear into power. We’ll also need strategy and the humility to learn from successes of other movements that have come out ahead during hard times. It is not rocket science. If we’re willing to shift personal habits and priorities, support each other through hardship, and come together on a plan, we can win. That is our opportunity.

 

Some folks affiliated with Black Lives Matter recently put out a Resistance Guide. The wiki style guide is chock-full of issue specific information and updates at the national and state levels. Bookmark this! It will come in handy.

 

For those more inclined to work through the established political channels, here is an interesting resource called the Indivisible Guide. Though I think we are in a moment that demands a break from decorum and less reliance on electoral politics, I don’t discount any avenue for putting pressure on those with power.

 

 

Resistance Is on the Agenda

The Women’s March earlier this month may be viewed by future historians as the inauguration of the popular resistance to Trump as well as the resurrection of feminism as a collective political project. The character of that resistance, and of this renewed feminist energy, will still have to be shaped in the months and years ahead. Will the broad forces who participated continue to espouse a liberal perspective, or will they adopt a sharper left-wing outlook and strategy? Will there be splits in the movement, or will the Left be able to shift the popular anti-Trump base away from the consensus of the neoliberal center? It’s difficult to answer these questions now, but it is urgent that the Left continue to reflect on the women’s march in order to build a roadmap of what comes next, both for resisting Trump and reviving the socialist-feminist project. Here, three Jacobin contributors offer analysis of the march and what left activists can do next.

 

If you have other resources or ideas to share, please post in the comments!

The Problem is Overpolicing

“Some will say that it was wholly appropriate for police to respond to a call about an armed man or make a traffic stop for a vehicular infraction, but that in these cases the officers misreacted or overreacted to a perceived threat, using excessive and deadly force. At first glance, this may seem like an issue of poor use-of-force training and policy, accompanied by racial bias. South Carolina Law School professor Seth Stoughton rightfully points out that part of the problem with US policing is the dominance of a warrior mindset among police that is instilled through training and police culture. Too often police seem to be looking for a justification to shoot rather than a strategy to avoid shooting, especially when it comes to young men of color. But that warrior mindset is driven by the fact that we have asked the police to be at war with the public, especially those they perceive as implicated in a war on drugs, a war on crime, a war on terror, and a war on disorder — most of whom are not white. When we ask police to be at war, excessive use of force is inevitable. Changes to training and even the prosecution of a few officers is not going to meaningfully change this dynamic.”

READ FULL ARTICLE

Policing Isn’t Working for Cops Either

“When the system comes together to defend cops like Casebolt, their defense of him is a smokescreen. The system doesn’t care about any individuals — the individuals are dispensable. It is trying to distract us from the fact that the system itself is corrupt. If the system truly cared about the people who work in the system, it would create fundamental changes to stop the killings of black people, thereby decreasing the chances of retaliatory killings like the ones in Dallas.

But for us, the more we focus our anger on the individual who pulled the trigger, the more we are letting the system off the hook. And the more the system defends the individual, the more we want to see him or her locked up, as if they are the problem. Hook, line and sinker.”

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Black Women, Fists, and U.S. Military

Their poses are typically stern and stoic, mimicking sepia-toned editions that date back to the 1800s.

They do not typically raise a clenched fist in the air.

So when a photo of 16 female, African-American cadets making the gesture was posted online last month, it raised eyebrows at the elite training academy, which produces many of the nation’s future military leaders.

The photo circulated among students over social media, said a school representative. Soon, it grew into an on-campus controversy — a potential break in the taboo against advocacy by military personnel.

Really interesting controversy around black women cadets at West Point. What do you think? Was it a political statement?

Click here for CNN article.

Click here for New York Times article.

A List of Articles in Response to Beyonce’s “Formation”

 

I am curating a “playlist” of thoughtful responses to Beyonce’s “Formation” song/video. If you have a piece you would like included, reblog or link up.

BEYONCE IS THE NEW BLACK: THE 10 BLACKEST MOMENTS IN BEYONCE’S “FORMATION” VIDEO (VerySmartBrothas)

On ‘Jackson Five Nostrils,’ Creole vs. ‘Negro’ and Beefing Over Beyoncé’s ‘Formation'(ColorLines)

Considering “Formation” And The Politics Of A Black Woman Pop Star (The Fader)

Beyoncé’s capitalism, masquerading as radical change (death and taxes mag)
We Slay, Part I

We All Still Look Alike

Today, I went to Sunday service at a local church–a mostly White, progressive church. I’ve been a few times before and have always found the services beautiful, reflective, and insightful. Today, congregants unveiled a large “Black Lives Matter” banner that will be hung outside the church for all to see. Several congregants offered remarks as part of the banner ceremony. One of those congregants was a young, Black woman. It was all fine and good. I was pleased to see the church be so forward and vocal about “Black Lives Matter” and doubly pleased to hear the minister so concisely and precisely explain why “All Lives Matter” was totally inappropriate.

The service carried on, and everything was good. Benediction, Postlude, etc, etc. Then, as my partner and I were walking out, an older white woman tapped my shoulder and said, “That was a great offering you did up there,” referring to the remarks made by the other young, Black woman as part of the ceremony.

So..you know…Black lives still don’t matter enough to distinguish one from the other. *Sigh*

For the record, we did not look alike.