Race Inquiry Digest (September 24) – Important Current Stories On Race In America

Feature – On Hating the Jews. Is there a single explanation for the astonishing persistence of anti-Semitism?No hatred has as rich and as lethal a history as anti-Semitism—“the longest hatred,” as the historian Robert Wistrich has dubbed it. Over the millennia, anti-Semitism has infected a multitude of peoples, religions, and civilizations, in the process inflicting a host of terrors on its Jewish victims. But while there is no disputing the impressive reach of the phenomenon, there is surprisingly little agreement about its cause or causes. Natan Sharansky / Commentary Read more

Land of the free? How Trump has put America’s identity in peril.  As the midterm elections approach, argues white voters should know that a real democracy can only survive if there is true equality for everyone. Ben Fountain / The Guardian Read more

Kavanaugh Accusations Test a ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ Culture. Power, privilege, white male prerogative—that’s the backdrop of the Kavanaugh hearings. Ruth Conniff / TheProgressive Read more

Anita Hill and the Senate ‘sham trial’ that echoes down to Kavanaugh. In 1991, a panel of men tormented a professor who accused a supreme court nominee of sexual harassment. Nearly three decades later, how far have we come? David Smith / The Guardian Read more

It’s not a blue wave that’s coming in the midterm elections — it’s a black wave. From left: Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous; Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and Florida gubernatorial candidate, Andrew Gillum. Rochelle Riley / USA Today Read more 

Anthony Bourdain’s Message of Tolerance Continues On After His Death. The first of the final episodes of his travel series will premiere Sept. 23 on CNN. The season 12 premiere, screened at the Tribeca TV Festival, focuses on Bourdain’s travels to Kenya with guest W. Kamau Bell (of United Shades of America). Libby Tomes / The Daily Beast Read more
We Need More Enemies of the People. A forgotten slice of history about courageous African-American high school students and the journalists who covered them. Jerry Dhonau, left, was among journalists who helped shield a 15-year-old student, Elizabeth Eckford, from a hostile white crowd in 1957 near Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. David Margolick / NYT Read more

Integrated but unequal: a world laid bare by high-schoolers, documented on film.  “People like myself, identifying as Caucasian,… need to be honest [about] the continuation of segregation in society, racism…. I want to be part of this change,” she says, explaining what brought her to the Boston Public Library Sept. 13 for a screening of an episode of “America to Me” – a kickoff event before the small watch groups start discussing the documentary and how it connects to their communities. Stacy Teicher Khadaroo / Christian Science Monitor Read more

REVIEW: 5 times ‘Nappily Ever After’ proved a Black woman’s struggle is real AF.  The much anticipated film, Nappily Ever After dropped on Netflix today and it’s sure to tickle you in more ways than one. As the title suggests, the movie that stars Sanaa Lathan is equal parts fun fairytale and horrifying reality that will leave any Black woman feeling frustrated, empowered, and understood in a way particular to us. Courtney Wills / The Grio Read more

‘Arthur Ashe: A Life’: 5 fascinating things we learn about the tennis legend in new bio. Raymond Arsenault’s wide-ranging, massively researched and thoroughly absorbing biography of the legendary African-American tennis champion whose activism on issues ranging from equal opportunity in America to apartheid in South Africa are as large a part of his legacy as his exploits on the court. Gene Seymour / USA Today Read more

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