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Today is Friday, and we’re highlighting stories from across the URL Media network about the connection between reparations discussions in California and Philadelphia, a Haitian American designer’s superpower, and the role of “chaotic protestors” in the Stop Cop City movement.
Be sure to keep an eye on your inbox tomorrow for reporting about the killing of Jordan Neely and the responsibility we have to care for one another.
— Alicia Ramirez
Uplift. 🙌🏼 Respect. 💯 Love. 💛
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Uplifting our Communities
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As Title 42 expired this week, New York immigrant advocates keep working: After three years of using Title 42 to control the number of migrants crossing the border, the policy expired this week. The question now becomes whether New York City will continue to provide necessary humanitarian services if there is an increased need. Documented has the story here.
ICYDK: Title 42 was a public health order that officials said aimed to stop the spread of Covid-19 during the Trump administration in 2020. The order allowed authorities to turn migrants away at the U.S.-Mexico border, which US Customs and Borders Protection data reports happened more than 2.8 million times.
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Undocumented immigrants’ fight for pregnancy care through Medicaid: Depending on the state, typical care for a pregnancy covered by Medicaid can include a number of services: recurring check-ups combined with nutritional guidance, parenting classes and, in some cases, postpartum mental health assessments. But undocumented immigrants, as well as Lawful Permanent Residents who have resided in the U.S. for less than five years, are ineligible for Medicaid. Read more here from Prism.
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A deep dive into Sri Lankan politics with V.V. Ganeshananthan: Novelist V.V. Ganeshananthan, who also goes by Sugi, joins Immigrantly host Saadia Khan to talk about her writing process, the inspiration behind her work and her experiences as a Sri Lankan American. 🎧 Listen to the full conversation here.
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IDs to vote and gerrymandering, how do they affect elections?: By the end of April, the North Carolina State Supreme Court dealt two blows to democracy. First, the court overruled a previous decision that had declared the gerrymandered redistricting maps illegal. Next, it upheld the state’s voter identification law. Read more here from La Noticia.
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Detroit school board approves staffing cuts as budget squeeze looms: As the Detroit Public Schools Community District budget shrinks, due in part to the end of pandemic relief funds, the board is looking to cut costs and says it will begin eliminating positions next fall. Outlier Media has the story here.
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Taking their cue from Calif., Philly considers reparations: Rashaun Williams, Co-Chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America’s Philadelphia chapter recently joined Wake Up With WURD’s Solomon Jones to talk about the work being done to introduce the idea of reparations for the Black community in the Philadelphia City Council. Williams says California moving forward with the concept puts more pressure on other communities to address the issue. 🎧 Listen to the full interview here.
More: Calif.'s reparations task force envisions a modern-day Freedmen’s Bureau
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Calif. leading the way in criminal justice reform with proposed transformation of San Quentin: Built in July 1852, San Quentin State Prison, home to the country’s largest number of death row inmates, is undergoing a name change that will reflect its new direction — San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Read more here from Black Voice News.
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Archivists release list of Catholic-run Indian boarding schools: This week, a group of archivists who work in Catholic archives published a list identifying 87 Catholic-run Indian boarding schools that operated in 22 states through the late 1970s. It’s a two-year effort by volunteers to point tribal communities to the diocese, parishes or religious orders where specific school records might be housed. Native News Online has the story here.
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Investigating the intersection of health and inequality: In the latest throwback episode of Our Body Politic, host Farai Chideya interviews Steven Thrasher, LGBTQ scholar, journalist and author of “The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Diseases Collide,” about how systematic marginalization determines who is most affected by public health crises like HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and mpox. Listen to the full episode here.
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Respecting & Honoring Arts & Culture
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Haitian American designer’s ‘superpower’ shown in Gap collection: Born in Port-au-Prince and raised in Brooklyn, Ouigi Theodore started his own fashion brand that has since gone international, propelled by collaborations with giants like Macy’s and his latest and nearly sold-out Gap collection. “My superpower is being both Haitian and American,” Theodore told The Haitian Times. Read more here.
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4 things you need to know about the writers strike: Working in film and television might seem glamorous, but that isn’t always the case for the people who are writing the shows we watch. Epicenter-NYC spoke with screenwriter James Hart about the writers strike and why it’s important. Read more here.
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Gil Scott-Heron, the godfather of rap, redefined our understanding of revolution: Gil Scott-Heron was a writer, poet and musician. His work fused jazz, poetry, rap and passionate protest. Writing lines such as “The revolution will not be televised,” he critiqued the media’s portrayal of Black unrest. PushBlack has more here.
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Living between two worlds: Emma’s story: Last Valentine’s Day, Emma, a Mexican citizen living in England, traveled to the Mexican Embassy in London to be issued a new birth certificate. She was the first Mexican in the United Kingdom to benefit from a new interpretation of a law allowing trans Mexicans living abroad access to crucial documentation recognizing their gender identities and chosen names. Read more about her experience here from palabra.
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Tyler Lockett: It’s about family, business and community: Tyler Lockett’s big ambition in life was to go to college, get an education, play football, and someday help make a difference in his community. He has now managed to do it all. The Oklahoma Eagle has more here.
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What We're Loving This Week From Our Partners
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How to build the end of the world: In the Black Radical Tradition, chaos and experimentation are required to challenge the state and build a reality worth defending. In the Cop City movement and beyond, chaotic protesters create meaningful resistance by disrupting the state’s order. Read more here from Scalawag.
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Immigrantly needs your vote
URL Media partner Immigrantly was recently named a finalist in the 2023 Next Challenge for Media & Journalism, a national competition seeking groundbreaking startups that will reinvent media in the coming decade. The podcast is now in the running for the contest’s Audience Choice Award, which comes with a cash award of up to $10,000 for the finalist who gets the most votes. Learn more and cast your vote here.
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Outlier Media is hiring a summer intern
URL Media partner Outlier Media’s inaugural summer internship position is an opportunity for a local college student to work in its Detroit newsroom with other members of its editorial team. The intern will produce research and news articles within its coverage areas including housing, utilities, transportation, local government and policing. Learn more here.
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Epicenter-NYC is hiring a freelance copy editor
URL Media partner Epicenter-NYC, a community journalism multiplatform initiative, is looking for a freelance copy editor to edit stories for its website and four weekly newsletters: Epicenter, Epicenter Civics, The Escape Home and The Unmuted. Learn more here.
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Sara Lomax-Reese, CEO of WURD Radio, media entrepreneur for almost 30 years, served as Program Lead for the inaugural Facebook BIPOC Sustainability Accelerator and is currently a JSK Fellow.
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S. Mitra Kalita, former SVP at CNN Digital, current CEO & Publisher at Kalita Mukul Creative Inc., which publishes Epicenter-NYC, The Unmuted and The Escape Home has worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The LA Times, and has launched brands like Mint and Quartz.
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