Sonya Massey, the WNBA's New Success, and What We Missed While We Were Away
Plus, the music of Bernice Johnson Reagon
Hi everyone!
We’re back! While we were off, we hope you enjoyed Sy’s essay on whether Americans are hypocrites for protesting Israel’s settler colonialism. That, and the recording of our first subscriber Zoom chat, which went really well (and then maybe was outdone by Tuesday’s second chat? We’ll see when we publish that one). Subscribe if you want to join these chats, get access to our bonus podcasts, and more! We still need a lot of new or upgrading subscribers if we’re going to be able to keep doing this work past the next few months, so please sign up!
Our highlights this week include:
- The law enforcement murder of Sonya Massey
- The WNBA’s new media deal
- A roundup from Sy of useful articles you may have missed on all the news the last few weeks
- And Jonathan keeps us Grounded with the music of the late Bernice Johnson Reagon
Jonathan’s Recommendations
Sonya Massey
(Content warning, police brutality) Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson fatally shot Sonya Massey in her home over July 4th weekend after she called 911 to report a possible break-in. He did not mistake her for the burglar. They were having an apparently normal conversation before he implied, she should turn the heat off on her stove while he and his partner conducted their investigation. She picked up the pot of boiling water that was on top of the heat, and Grayson fired seconds later. Local prosecutors charged Grayson with murder. Instead of watching the body camera footage, I would encourage you to pray and meditate on an Instagram post from Pan Cook. He recaps what happened to Massey in a way that does not turn tragedy into entertainment, or just another piece of consumable content. Also take a look at another profound post from Cole Arthur Riley. And lastly, I invite you to remember that fear and need mark the realities of so many people every day. Black people fear the police, and yet need assistance. Unfortunately, 911 is often the only option. Please consider how you can respond actively to police brutality as you pray.
- Read about Sonya Massey here.
The WNBA’s New Media Deal
After producing stellar television with amazing players for years, the WNBA is starting to see financial rewards. It has signed a $2.2 billion dollar media contract for the next 11 years, quadrupling the value of its prior deal. This will raise players’ paltry annual salaries, increase the value of teams, and move the league closer to sustainability. Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Sheryl Swoopes, Maya Moore, and others laid the foundation. Now, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are taking the game to wider, more diverse audiences. However, the NBA’s next media contract for the same period is worth $76 billion. In a world where we say that women and men are both valuable, we continue to create systems and structures that testify to the contrary. I celebrate how far we have come and pray hard for the work that has yet to be done.
- Read more about the WNBA’s historic contract
Sy’s Recommendations
There were entirely too many major news stories while we were on our break, so here’s my roundup of useful things to read on recent events.
- First, a few things on our new, emboldened, conservative federal courts. One Supreme Court ruling narrowed the scope of a statute prosecutors have used against January 6 defendants. But the ruling will materially affect very few of those cases. And certainly not Trump’s classified documents case, even though that one involves the same statute.
- While we’re on the subject, the judge overseeing Trump’s classified documents prosecution threw the case out based on a constitutional theory rejected decades ago by the Supreme Court. Her ruling will probably be overturned, but it means there will definitely be no pre-election trial. Take a wild guess who appointed this judge.
- The Supreme Court gave itself and other federal courts wide-ranging new power to override decisions made by executive branch agencies in one of the larger constitutional power grabs in recent history.
- And here’s Adam Serwer’s analysis of the Supreme court ruling on presidential immunity that effectively legalizes anything Trump wants to do in a second term, including refusing to leave office. Fortunately, this won’t affect his classified documents case when it likely comes back for trial.
- David Frum’s fantastic article on why we all must say, at the same time, that attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate is horrible, and that calls for unity or “toning down rhetoric” are absurd when it comes to Trump.
- Jonathan Last, reporting on the RNC, arguing that Trump’s poll numbers before Biden dropped out were really not that impressive considering how well things were going for him at the time. But the attendees at the RNC seemed absolutely certain Trump would win in a way that made Last nervous for what they will do if he loses.
- The pick of J. D. Vance for Trump’s VP was a strategic move to lock in the support of rich tech bros who mentored and enculturated Vance into their world. But some in the Republican camp are regretting the pick now that Biden’s out of the race.
- I looked for a while for something that adequately captured the importance of Kamala Harris’ likely nomination before realizing…we already published it. It’s the excerpt of Faith Unleavened we put on our site and released as a podcast. Listen to Tamice tell the story of several generations of her family as they struggled under White Christianity while holding on to Jesus. The story culminates with Harris’ swearing in as vice president in a scene that never once failed to make me cry, even as I edited it about 15 times.
- Finally, on a much less headline-y note, I was recently on a podcast about trauma-informed story telling. I had a great conversation about my time as a public defender in family court. Jonathan has also been on an episode of the same show.
Staying Grounded with Jonathan
The founder of Sweet Honey in the Rock, a civil rights icon, and a holder of deep, deep wisdom, Bernice Johnson Reagon passed away last week. She was 81 years old. The documentary Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice was a staple in the curriculum of the justice programs I ran with InterVarsity during the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s a reminder that our resistance is rooted in worship and the pursuit of a justice that God desires. The world may hate Black bodies, but God loves them. Every time I watch this doc, I cry. I remember where we come from, what we were made for, what we work for, and where we are going. God demonstrated amazing faithfulness through Reagon and I am grateful. Her songs ministered to my soul and will continue to do so. I hope they minister to you. She was tired, but now she is home.
- Read Reagon’s New York Times Obituary here
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
Jonathan and Sy