Here I go, deep type flow

February 21, 2020

Library of Congress

By Jamelle Bouie

Opinion Columnist

Three of my columns this month have focused on events from the beginning of the 20th century, from the nativism that swept the United States in the 1910s and 1920s to the emergence of Jim Crow in the late 1890s and 1900s. That’s not a coincidence. In addition to my having a general interest in the period, I think that it provides a valuable comparison point to America in the present.

Think about the parallels. Then as now, we were deep into an unprecedented period of steep inequality and broad disadvantage. Then as now, we lived in a period of international strife and instability. Then as now, we saw the rise of new, aggressive forms of racial prejudice. Then as now, the world’s democracies were in crisis.

It’s not that we’ll find answers in the period, necessarily, but a close look at that past may help us ask better questions about the present, which is just as valuable. And so, as you read my work this year, look for even more on the 1900s, ’10s and ’20s. I’ll also try to use this space to give you a sense of what I’m reading, so that you can learn more if you’re so inclined.

Oh, and there won’t be a newsletter next Friday; the next one will come the week after, in March.

Continue reading the main story

What I Wrote

On the “Trumpian Liberalism” of Michael Bloomberg:

Although he never articulated it in these terms, Bloomberg’s actions as mayor reveal that he was someone who also saw black and brown people as threats to the security and prosperity of his territory, New York. And under his administration, the city became a quasi-authoritarian state for many of its black, brown and Muslim residents.

On what we can learn about authoritarianism from Jim Crow:

Look beyond America’s borders for possible authoritarian futures and you might miss important points of continuity with our own past. Which is to say that if authoritarian government is in our future, there’s no reason to think it won’t look like something we’ve already built, versus something we’ve imported.

Now Reading

Rebecca Traister on Susan Collins in New York magazine.

John Ganz on conservative intellectuals in The New Republic.

Amanda Mull on the return of the Slim Jim in The Atlantic magazine.

Jonathan Blitzer on Stephen Miller in The New Yorker.

Carter Malkasian on the war in Afghanistan in Foreign Affairs magazine.

Continue reading the main story

Feedback

If you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please consider recommending it to friends. They can sign up here. If you want to share your thoughts on an item in this week’s newsletter or on the newsletter in general, please email me at jamelle-newsletter@nytimes.com.

Photo of the Week

A convenience store in Charlottesville, Va.Jamelle Bouie

I do quite a bit of my photography while walking my dog, and I took this photo during an evening walk down one of the main streets in downtown Charlottesville. I kind of love this convenience store for its abundance of primary colors, and I used a film — Kodak Ektar — designed to emphasize those colors and make them pop. There is a cool mural on the other side of the building, and I might take that picture at a later date. For this photo, I used a Yashica twin-lens reflex camera.

Continue reading the main story

Now Eating: Palak Sengdana Nu Shaak (Spinach With Peanuts)

Unlike most recipes I share in this newsletter, this spinach isn’t a main course. But it’s so delicious I felt I needed to share it with you. It may not look like much, but it’s much more than the sum of its parts. We ate it with a black bean dal and white rice, but you can serve with any number of proteins, Indian-inspired or otherwise. Recipe comes from Raghavan Iyer’s “660 Curries,” a book that has become indispensable to my kitchen.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh spinach leaves, well rinsed
2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon whole and 1 teaspoon ground
½ cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, ground
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon asafetida
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil over medium-high heat. Grab handfuls of the spinach leaves and dump them into the boiling water, stirring until they wilt, 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat, using up all the spinach. When it is all wilted, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain the leaves into a colander. Run cold water through them to shock them, so that they retain their bright green color.

Transfer the spinach to a cutting board and chop it fine. Don’t worry about squeezing excess water from the spinach.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they sizzle, turn reddish brown and smell nutty, 5 to 10 seconds. Then add the peanuts, coriander, ground cumin, sugar, salt, cayenne, asafetida and turmeric. Allow the spices to cook without burning about 5 to 10 seconds.

Immediately pour in the reserved spinach cooking water, the chopped spinach and the ginger. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until some of the liquid has boiled off, 15 to 20 minutes. The curry will still be fairly thin. Serve over rice with the rest of your meal.

IN THE TIMES

the future of work

Breaking the Salary Sharing Taboo

Transparency about salaries can make workplaces more equitable, especially for women and people of color. Why are so few Americans willing to open up?

by susan dominus