Common Laughter
Relationships and connections between Miami and Cuba are being forged and lived by the people building and maintaining them across the Florida Straits. The increasing fluidity of popular culture across creates a web of common references, shared experiences, and points of contact that is no doubt contributing to an intensifying transnational cubanía.
Dog Whistles, Fog Horns, and Racism in the Trump Era
—James M. Thomas
Whereas the era of dog whistles may have signaled an ambient level of white rage, today’s white rage is so constantly amplified it no longer makes sense to talk about it as rage, or any other set of feelings that fall outside of normal conditions. In the Trump era, white supremacy is no longer a matter of rage. It’s a matter of fact.
Magic in Central Park and Other Amazing Feats
—Maureen Meister
The recently rebuilt boat landings on the Lake in Central Park have inspired Meister to analyze how people think about reconstructions. Why are some praiseworthy and others cheesy? Quality and intent both matter. When reconstructions are grounded in a people’s attachment to a special place, such as Central Park, the new work can be splendid and even admirable.
How the social gospel movement explains the roots of today’s religious left
—Christopher H. Evans
The idea of “social salvation” that was critical to Walter Rauschenbusch, A.J. Muste and Martin Luther King Jr. is galvanizing the activism of a new generation of religious progressives. Can the religious left achieve the public status of the religious right and become a potent political force?
Say Her Name! Confronting Erasure and Rethinking Possibilities for a Democratic Future
—Stanley I. Thangaraj
The work of women of color and trans people of color often goes unrecognized in our larger world. This silence informs us about the politics of living and which bodies and lives are made to count. Their names must be said, or the very system of inequality will continue to operate and grow.