默默新聞08

November 30, 2019

By Lauretta Charlton

Race/Related Editor

And just like that, the year is almost behind us. Another turkey has been pardoned and another holiday season has begun. But what have we learned in 2019?

Multiple synagogues were attacked. A racist manifesto was circulated on a college campus. Elected officials, all women of color, were told to “go back” to where they came from.

But also, Montgomery, Ala., elected its first black mayor, and The New York Times Magazine published its groundbreaking 1619 project, to observe the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery.

I like to think that the purpose of this newsletter is to ask one simple question: What would it take to bring us all closer together? That could make us less afraid of the things and places and people we do not know, who may look and act differently. And have a little more patience and empathy for the lives and experiences of others.

I sometimes worry that the answer is becoming more elusive. That the daily goings-on, the rush to get here and there, are making it all more difficult to see through.

I, of course, would never be so bold as to suggest that I have the answers. There is no silver bullet, and anyone who professes to have one probably has a bridge to sell.

But I’m encouraged by all the letters that we receive from readers who are equally enthralled by the idea that it is possible to bring a little more sanity into the world. To make it a little more difficult for the hate that we see to take root and spread and infect more minds.

So, I would like to say thank you for being on this journey with me and the Race/Related crew.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

EDITOR’S PICKS

We publish many articles that touch on race. Here are a few you shouldn’t miss.

Ryan Christopher Jones for The New York Times

How Racism Ripples Through Rural California’s Pipes

In the 20th century, California’s black farmworkers settled in waterless colonies. The history endures underground, through old pipes, dry wells and shoddy septic tanks.

By Jose A. Del Real

William Chambers for The New York Times

Texas Is Taking Over Houston’s Schools, Prompting Charges of Racism

A takeover of the state’s largest school district has led to lawsuits and accusations that minority voters are being ignored. At the center of it are a majority-black high school and a member of the Class of 1961.

By Manny Fernandez

Universal Pictures

Critic’s Notebook

What ‘Queen & Slim’ Gets Right About Black Women

Through love and conflict, the drama shows the different ways we can be. And, it’s refreshing, especially in today’s cinema.

By Gina Cherelus

Maranie Rae Staab for The New York Times

Racial Slurs, and the 15 Days That Shook Syracuse

How a protest by students of color at Syracuse University — #NotAgainSU — electrified the campus and gained national attention.

By Aaron Randle

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

TikTok Reverses Ban on Teen Who Slammed China’s Muslim Crackdown

The video app said it would review its policies after a 17-year-old in New Jersey who discussed Chinese detention camps was locked out of her account.

By Raymond Zhong

Erica Yoon for The New York Times

She Wants to Row to Get From N.Y.C. Into College

That goal, Sebastiana Lopez says, is worth the grind of six days a week leading her crew team. “I know this will help me get there.”

By Juliet Macur

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