If any of you are under the impression that our billionaires might succeed in "escaping" to space, while the world burns, let me put those fears to rest with what I know from being the spouse of a NASA flight controller. 🧵
Five young descendants of Frederick Douglass read and respond to excerpts of his famous speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" — which asks all of us to consider America's long history of denying equal rights to Black Americans.
When they say that the 4th of July is about American freedom, remember this: the freedom they’re referring to is for white people.
This land is stolen land and Black people still aren’t free.
Please never forget that Chauvin is going to prison today not because the legal system works but because Darnella Frazier captured video that prevented the city of Minneapolis from engaging in a cover up.
Important article by Walter Shaub. Inconvenient truths are often the most important to understand, shining light on them is vital to protecting democracy.
The TikTok strike truly is amazing b/c it shows not only how US pop culture is built on stealing from Black people, but how the music industry depends on this cycle of theft & white washing in order to monetize the music.
Our children must learn that we are the greatest and freest country in the history of the world, and we will demonstrate this by barring educators from teaching things we do not like, and in the name of liberty, mandating government control of what ideas can be exchanged.
This is damn near impossible. It's like asking: "Can you briefly explain how the universe works?"
However, there are some things people should know.
A thread.