Dear Friends,
As we write this, a hundred or so Minnesotans are rallying outside the Governor’s residence, echoing calls from Trump to open the state and prolong the pandemic by spreading COVID-19 further.
We feel the panic and pain that so many people and small businesses are going through right now. At the same time, we’re seeing the stock market soar despite 20% unemployment and an economy in free-fall. Wall Street knows that their portfolios are “too big to fail,” and this presidential administration will try to take the our money and give it to billionaires.
It can all feel like too much.
In these difficult times, one thing we can do for each other is express appreciation and not lose hope. As we go into the weekend, we’re grateful for the leadership of Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan. They’ve been doing an extraordinary job.
And we’re grateful to you, our members and readers, who are with us on this journey as we struggle to understand and rebuild our world as it is coming apart. We’re going to get through this, together.
Here’s what we’re reading, watching, and listening to this week:
1. Inequality
“Discrimination shouldn’t just end; the inequity it causes should be remedied.”
COVID-19 is hitting Black communities in the U.S hard. Minneapolis City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison wrote in the New York Times about COVID-19, his grandmother, and reparations. If you read nothing else this week, read this.
2. Martyrdom
“If I die, I don’t want to be remembered as a hero. I want my death to make you angry too.”
Medical professionals who are putting their lives on the line every day don’t need to be remembered as heroes. They need personal protective equipment – but the richest country in the history of the world won’t provide it. Read this painful reflection from a Minnesota nurse and MNA member.
3. Women
Did you know Erna Solberg, the PM of Norway held a live streamed press conference for children? With care and empathy, she answered their questions and no adults were allowed. From Iceland to Taiwan, women heads of state are stepping up in this moment. Read about their leadership here.
4. Wisconsin
No one should ever have to choose between getting sick and casting a ballot. Despite the horrific choice our neighbors across the border faced last week, Democrats came out strong against a Trump-backed judge. Read what happened.
5. South Dakota
The biggest cluster of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is at the Smithfield pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The governor still refuses to implement a shelter-in-place order. Corporate greed and political negligence are killing people. Read more.
6. 1918 Pandemic
Six-minute history of the Spanish flu. Watch it here.
7. Ads
Do all Coronavirus-themed ads from big corporations seem the same to you? You’re not alone. Check out this eerie compilation video.
8. Reproductive Labor
In this week’s long form blog, Trisha Harms, our new communications director, writes about feminized work and the invisible caring labor that is keeping us together during this global pandemic. Read it here and let us know what you think.
9. 2020
Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez talked with a reporter from the New York Times about 2020 and embracing the discomfort of coming together. This interview is definitely worth a read or a listen.
10. Fine Art
Quarantined art re-creation is one of the best things we’ve found on the Internet right now. Check it out here.
That’s a wrap.
— Kenza Hadj-Moussa and Patrick Burke
