What Charleston Taught Us

Just issues, news, and other stuff that matters to you [Fusion] June 17, 2016 Today marks one year since Charleston. One year since nine churchgoers were shot and killed during a Bible study at the historically black Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina. One year since Dylann Roof was arrested for the heinous crime he committed. [One more year] [that] America has had to grapple with gun control and racism (and homophobia, and Islamophobia). Activist and filmmaker [Bree Newsome], who last year courageously scaled the flagpole in front of the South Carolina State House to take down the Confederate flag, [reminds us] of the year we’ve been through in [mass shootings] and police brutality. She has a poignant message for those who are committed to social justice: If you want to make America great, you’ll have to continue to fight for the world you imagine, because it has yet to exist. —[Darian Symoné Harvin] THE READ [Bree Newsome: A Year After Charleston, We Still Need to Cure What Ails America] by Bree Newsome It seems we barely have time to grieve and process one tragedy before we are struck by another. It has felt that way especially since 2014, when the high-profile cases of Eric Garner, John Crawford, and Michael Brown occurred in rapid succession and brought police brutality to the forefront of the national consciousness. Each day brought a new headline, a new hashtag, a new violence, a new trauma. We began to ask, “Who will be next? Who will survive in America? Will I be the next hashtag?” We lifted up the names and cases of those who are marginalized even within marginalized communities: the queer, the trans, the undocumented. We expanded the scope of the national conversation beyond police brutality, to the systemic nature of injustice and inequity in the United States. We shined light on how this system especially devalues the lives of the poor and nonwhite, how it inflicts violence and trauma upon historically oppressed communities. Despite this work, the trauma continues—routine, repetitious, unceasing. We didn’t even arrive at the one-year anniversary of the [Charleston] massacre before the nation was rocked by yet another [hate crime], another mass shooting, another attack on a community that has suffered systemic [persecution]. With so much repeated trauma, how do we possibly make time to process what has happened? [Read more] THE LIST 1 A Spotlight on the Private Prison System America has the biggest population of incarcerated people in the world. Piper Kerman, author of "Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison," writes about the safety and human rights violations that occur within the [private prison system], a plot point of the show’s new season (which is out today on Netflix). 2 How Do You Land on the Terror Watch List? In theory, it’s a good idea to ban those on a terror watch list from owning a gun. But what gets someone on the list? The criteria can, maybe unsurprisingly, involve [biased views] on race and religion. 3 Apple’s iMessage Update Takes the Fun Out of Emojis Predictive emojis were among the upcoming features Apple announced at the developer conference this week. This may be a convenient feature for some, but it also feels like a step toward making emoji more literal. Whatever happened to [creative expression]? 4 America’s Immigrants Speak Their Truth On Saturday night, celebrities, activists, and allies will [gather in Los Angeles] to pay homage to both immigrant narratives and our country’s Native American history. Tune in [here], on Fusion.net, and Fusion’s [Facebook page]. 5 Pucker Up for Blac Chyna The soon-to-be Angela Kardashian is a mogul in the making. Her cosmetics brand, Lashed by Blac Chyna (which she started before Kylie Jenner’s [lip kits], btw), is a game-changer for women of color. Fusion’s Tahirah Hairston tried out the line’s liquid lip glosses and is here to confirm they’re [the real deal]. TODAY IN #NEVERTRUMP One Republican went on a [Twitter rant] yesterday and stumbled upon the best Trump insult we’ve heard so far: "Cheeto Jesus," which has since inspired the best [Trump Photoshop memes] in recent memory. [Facebook] [Twitter] [Vine] [Instagram] [Youtube] Remember, you can always [click here to unsubscribe] and never see another one of these emails until the apocalypse (at which time it'll be nothing but emails). This email was sent to {EMAIL} Fusion · 419 Lafayette St · New York, NY 10003 · USA