Baristas in Buffalo just formed the first Starbucks union in the United States

[View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter]( December 9, 2021 Good afternoon. Over Thanksgiving week, my girlfriend binged the Hulu miniseries Dopesick, a gripping drama about the opioid epidemic, and I got used to hearing her exclaim with outrage whenever Michael Stuhlbarg, who plays Purdue Pharma president Richard Sackler, acted out something abhorrent in the script: "WHAT?! NO! EVIL!" The story of the Sackler family's [documented involvement]( in the opioid epidemic is enough to make anyone scream. So today, I immediately clicked on the belated but welcome news that the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City announced it would remove the Sackler name from seven exhibition spaces, including the wing that houses the world-renowned Temple of Dendur. According to New Yorker [reporter]( Patrick Radden Keefe, who wrote an enraging book on the Sackler family titled Empire of Pain, the Met's decision is likely to influence other museums that are deciding whether they should continue to prominently display the Sackler name. This doesn't really resemble anybody's idea of justice, especially for a family that reaped [billions]( when their company, Purdue Pharma, [flooded pharmacies]( with opiates, a move that devastated predominantly rural communities. In 2019, court [documents]( revealed that members of the family had continued to push to expand the market for OxyContin and other opiates years after Purdue Pharma had admitted in a [2007 plea deal]( that it had misrepresented the addictive nature of the drugs. Despite being shamed and hounded out of New York City, the Sacklers remain one of the richest families in the world, and in September 2021 they cut a [sweeping deal]( that won them immunity from opioid lawsuits linked to their company. But at least it's a sign that the Sacklers' [PR strategy]( of flooding the philanthropic zone with mega-donations no longer holds much sway with elite organizations (see: [the Louvre](). It's also a victory for activists like photographer Nan Goldin, who led demonstrations raising awareness about the Sacklers' involvement in the opioid epidemic. In March 2018, Goldin and her supporters dumped empty pill bottles into the reflecting pool in the Met's Sackler wing. My colleague Julia Lurie has [done some]( [fantastic]( [investigative]( reporting into the Sacklers and their role in the opioid crisis. Check out her work if you haven't already. —Noah Y. Kim Advertisement [Tisbest]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Baristas in Buffalo Just Formed the First Starbucks Union in the United States]( This is huge. BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG SPONSORED POST [Sponsored Content]( [Mother Jones Giving Guide]( THIS CONTENT WAS PAID FOR AND SPONSORED BY [MOTHER JONES PARTNERS](. [Trending] [Just shut up and testify already, Mark Meadows]( BY TIM MURPHY [South Africa's white-rhino ranchers face an uncertain future]( BY ED STODDARD [Who poured $1 billion into Trump's media empire? We might never know.]( BY RUSS CHOMA [It sure looks like Trump is going to decide the Georgia governor's race]( BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG Advertisement [Tisbest]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Trump Continues to Glorify the January 6 Insurrection]( The ex-president has been expanding his attempted cover-up of the historic assault on Congress. BY MARK FOLLMAN [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755