5 Things Friday
The dirt on Disney, a righteous ride and #FreeBrtittney. Here are your antiracism action steps for March 11.
Illustrations by George McCalman for Ebony’s Hidden Black History.
It's Friday, again! (funny how it keeps creeping up on us). This week we've got some good reads, a delish podcast, and one VERY important fundraiser. Like really...we don't usually like to play favorites with our beloved 5 things, but if you only do one, make it the first one. There is no one quite like Mr. Peter Limata, and the man — a public elementary school teacher — is choosing to spend his weekend off riding his bike more than 100 miles to raise some cash for his students. HELP THE MAN OUT.
Here are your 5 Things.
DONATE TO THIS.You have likely heard about Oakland Unified having to close 7 schools, but it should come as no surprise the squeeze in public education funding is felt everywhere and by everyone. And so of course, one of our very favorite Oakland public school teachers,Peter Limata of Storytime with Mr. Limata, is doing something about it. He'll be riding his bike over 100 miles from Oakland to Sacramento for Ride 4a Reason, which helps raise much needed funds for public schoolsin Oakland and Alameda. Says Mr. Limata: "My aim this year, with your help, is to raise at least $5000.Please donate to my ride and share the link far and wide.Every $$ counts. Thank you for investing in our kids. Shame to leaders that refuse to fund education appropriately."Help him reach his goal NOW!
LISTEN TO THIS. Setting the Table—a new podcast from Whetstone Radio Collective hosted by food writer Deb Freeman—premiered this week and has already shot to the top of the food podcasts charts on iTunes. Setting the Tableexplores the stories and histories of African-American cuisine and footways, and lays out the argument that African-Americans created the foundation of American cuisine, even though it is one of the least explored food genres. Just a few of the topics explored throughout the ten episodes include the Great Migration, the decline of Black farmers, the complicated relationship between Black chefs and soul food, and the hidden legacy of Black distillers and brewers. Listen here!
KNOW THIS. Why Isn’t Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story in the Country? "She is the best of the best. She is a legend." ...yet this WNBA superstar has been in the custody of the Russian government for more than a month now, and until Russian officials released a statement over the weekend saying they had detained Griner after finding hashish oil in her airport bag, it seemed that nobody had noticed. This NY mag article digs into why.
SIGN THIS. You’ll never guess who funded Florida’s horrific “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which would make it illegal to discuss LGBTQ+ issues, including history, in Florida classrooms. That funder is none other than Walt Disney Company. In the past two years, they have donated $197,126 to supporters of the bill. That’s right; the beloved institution behind our beloved childhood movie nights is bankrolling the very same politicians who want to make it illegal to teach our children accurate and complete history in schools. Make no mistake; the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and anti-critical race theory legislation are essentially the same thing. They are a rejection of our country’s history and prevent our children from learning the whole truth. Everyone’s history is essential to the fabric of our country, and companies like Disney should denounce anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation wherever it occurs, not fund it. Demand that Disney stop funding hate bills and direct their political giving to candidates committed to making our country a more loving and inclusive place.
READ THIS. Ebony Magazine presents ‘Hidden Black History,’ a four-part series highlighting unsung pioneers across industries. They just dropped Part 2 with a look at STEM trailblazers. "Black women have always been mothers of invention. That genius, however, isn’t always acknowledged. These 10 creators are just handful of the legions of “hidden figures” who must be seen." Even better? The story is illustrated by none other than George McCalman, in the signature style of his forthcoming Illustrated Black History book.