Justin:
Ellen Kuras, Lisa Orth, Annik Troxler
Erik:
April Greiman,
Kaori Watanabe
Katie:
Bianca Xunise
Mimi Li
senior editor
Katie Edwards
designer
Go to Katies’s pick
I recently discovered the story of Dorothy Porter, the chief librarian at Howard University from 1930 to 1973, through this Q&A with historian and literary scholar Laura Helton. Porter, by reconfiguring the way books were catalogued, including rewriting Dewey decimals, helped make Black stories searchable and more accessible. And, ultimately, her efforts contributed to the creation of the field of Black Studies. Helton explains Porter’s work: “Porter understood that access was not only about whether a library was open to Black readers, but also about how objects were shelved and described. Her agenda, then, was infrastructural. She wanted to build access to Black print culture everywhere.”
Annie Mullowney
senior editor
Go to Annies’s pick
Jennifer Bulat
managing editor
Go to Jennifer’s pick
I rarely read a book twice because there are just too many things to read and not enough time. But Station Eleven—which involves a near-extinction-level pandemic—was, ironically, a comfort read for me last summer. (I’d first read it in 2015.) The story follows arts performers and others whose lives are intertwined in the early, terrifying days of the outbreak and then again 20 years later, and it gave me renewed faith in what our species is capable of through acts of generosity and love. I may have to read it a third time.
The New Yorker article “Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the Limits of Representation” by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor came out in August of last year but remains incredibly fitting, especially as we shift focus to uplift women and nonbinary people this Women’s History Month, as a reminder of how limiting representation in neoliberal politics can be. Taylor explains how people in power often do not attempt to advocate for all people—including Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, poor people, unsheltered people, disabled people, and incarcerated people. In order for our celebration of Women’s History Month to be intersectional, we can’t get too focused on identity politics. Rather, we need to pay attention to which people in power are actually helping the folks who need it the most—and demand better of those who are not.
Some of our favorite women and nonbinary artists and creatives:
Delilah:
Frida Kahlo, Barbara Kruger, Lorna Simpson
It’s Women’s History Month, and we’re taking the opportunity to reflect on stories by and about women—including about women who changed history, how the economy exploits women, and the limits of representation.
Go to Mimi’s pick
The book The Value of Everything by Mariana Mazzucato and the New York Times Magazine article “The Lockdown Showed How the Economy Exploits Women. She Already Knew.” by Jordan Kisner are companion reads about value extraction. Mazzucato uses her book to show us the ways in which the modern economy has strayed from value creation and into value extraction, while the Times’ feature on Silvia Federici discusses her work to illuminate the ways in which the economic system extracts value from women's labor without compensating them (much) for it.