Musk’s Misinformation, Commemorating the Nakba, Meddling in Latin America
KTF Weekly Newsletter
Hi all,
We thought we would try soliciting questions from you all for Shake the Dust episodes we’re recording. Your input is always great, and we would love to get some questions for our guests directly from you. So this upcoming Wednesday, we’re interviewing Pastor Jose Humphreys and Dr. Adam Gustine about their new book, Ecosystems of Jubilee: Economic Ethics for the Neighborhood. If you have questions about the biblical idea of Jubilee, God’s economic justice, neighborhood economic development , or anything similar, please let us know!
And now, on to this week’s highlights as we leave colonized faith for the Kingdom of God.
Sy’s recommendations:
studies have documented The awful maternal healthcare outcomes and child mortality rates for Black people in the US. But new studies and articles like this recent piece are focusing on the racism Black women experience in hospitals, regardless of class, that don’t always result in the “negative birth outcomes” we typically measure. But these instances of racism do positively correlate with all kinds of medical conditions and make a real difference in how Black women receive healthcare. The reporters tell stories from women who did not seek certain treatments, switched providers, or left their birth feeling demeaned and frustrated, all because of poor treatment from staff or the fear of being labelled a “difficult,” Black patient. The article has actually inspired an episode for Season 3 of Shake the Dust, so stay tuned!
This article from Judd Legum’s popular Substack publication discusses Elon Musk’s fixation on the idea of anti-white bias. It debunks popular nonsense that the internet’s right wingers broadcast and Musk amplifies, starting with their accusation that the media only ran with the story of Jordan Neely’s murder because the killer was white. Musk claims his purchase and changes to Twitter champion the free press and the democratization of information. When someone that rich and powerful makes those claims, it is important for us to question what he really means when he is uncritically regurgitating the same racist disinformation you could find a million other places on the web.
A recent opinion piece from the New York Times asked the surprisingly deep question “Why Are There So Many Asian American Women Named Connie?” The author, herself a Connie, outlines the experiences of many post-1965 Asian immigrants to the US. She explains how the trials of those immigrants’ lives made them hope for better for their children. So it was an attractive idea to name their little girls after the most successful, intelligent, brave Asian American woman they knew: Connie Chung. The author wrestles with the ways that television diversity initiatives, like that which first got Chung hired, easily become tokenization, as well as the awful things Chung had to endure to get where she is. But she also takes seriously the hope a figure like Chung provided to so many people, and remarks that “it is a small triumph that I can now imagine my child looking back with curiosity on the days when a single news anchor could matter so, so much.” The piece is also unexpectedly emotional, as Connie Chung herself, who had no idea anyone was named after her at all, meets several members of “Generation Connie” and listens to their stories.
Jonathan’s Recommendations:
For the first time, the United Nations commemorated the displacement of Palestinians from their homeland to form the state of Israel. 75 years ago, the “Nakba,” or the “catastrophe,” turned hundreds of thousands into refugees, and those who remained suffer under apartheid. 30 countries, including the US, Canada, and the UK voted against this year’s commemoration, and Israel is advocating for a boycott of events associated with it. But momentum for the occasion is increasing. About a thousand people gathered in Brooklyn to memorialize and protest. And Senator Bernie Sanders hosted Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib for an event in the Senate after Congressman Kevin McCarthy cancelled the event in the House. In the United States, we have a hard time reckoning with history. We try to hide it instead of telling the truth and pursuing reconciliation. I am grateful that we serve a God who sees all who are oppressed, and from whom no injustice is hidden.
The Biden administration has eliminated the policy known as Title 42, a Trump era measure allowing the US to turn away asylum seekers and other migrants entering the country at the Mexican border under the guise of fighting Covid-19. Many are now whipping up fear of a surge of immigration. But it’s important to take a step back and examine why migrants from Central and South America are leaving in the first place. This episode of Latino USA explains how US corporations destabilized the Honduran government, anti-gang policies created MS-13, and the dangers and the destitution that migrants leave behind are byproducts of American systems and structures. Passing through an unforgiving jungle, trudging across a desert, or riding atop a dangerous freight train, the journeys undertaken to achieve a better life are harrowing. God give us eyes to see and ears to hear so that we pray, vote, give, and advocate with the most vulnerable in mind.
A great primer for engaging in honest celebration, honor, and solidarity with AANHPI relatives this heritage month is this video from PBS on the complexity of Asian American identity and the abundance of other related resources PBS provides. The month focuses on people from the diverse backgrounds of over 40 countries and 25,000 islands in the Pacific. It has therefore changed names a few times over the years. Such rich and distinct people groups just don’t fit racial categories in the United States; and God never intended them to. Each group has its own history with the US. Each person is made in the image of God with their own experiences, perspectives and stories. As we celebrate, we must not generalize or stereotype, resisting the cultural pull to minimize and dismiss people’s distinct gifts.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
The KTF team