Race/Related: Black satire is having its Hollywood moment, but something is missing

Recent releases are depicting narrow views of Blackness. [View in browser](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP4Q8AWh0dHBzOi8vbWVzc2FnaW5nLWN1c3RvbS1uZXdzbGV0dGVycy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS9keW5hbWljL3JlbmRlcj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDUxNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjM1MjImaXNWaWV3SW5Ccm93c2VyPXRydWUmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcGFpZF9yZWdpPTAmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjkzNiZ0ZT0xJnVyaT1ueXQlM0ElMkYlMkZuZXdzbGV0dGVyJTJGNmY0YWQ4YTAtNzY2MS01NzNkLWI0MGUtNzljMDk2MGQ5NmZlJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZkXKRkdmI-5JrlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD)|[nytimes.com](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0SyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwNTE3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEyMzUyMiZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTY2OTM2JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpmRcpGR2Yj7kmuUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [Ad](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0SmaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjA3NTgwJmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDI0MDUxNyZzdHBlPWRlZmF1bHQmdGU9MSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDUxN1cDbnl0QgpmRcpGR2Yj7kmuUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [Race/Related](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0TAaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vc3BvdGxpZ2h0L3JhY2U_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyNDA1MTcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIzNTIyJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjY5MzYmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmZFykZHZiPuSa5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) May 17, 2024 [A man with a gray beard, wearing a blue suit, applauds a man standing to his left, who holds a small gold trophy.] Justice Smith and David Alan Grier in “The American Society of Magical Negroes.” Tobin Yelland/Focus Features A one-handed satirical approach By [Maya Phillips](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0TCaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvbWF5YS1waGlsbGlwcz9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDUxNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjM1MjImbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjkzNiZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZkXKRkdmI-5JrlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) In 2017, Jordan Peele’s “[Get Out](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0TkaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxNy8wMi8yMy9tb3ZpZXMvZ2V0LW91dC1yZXZpZXctam9yZGFuLXBlZWxlLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyNDA1MTcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIzNTIyJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjY5MzYmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmZFykZHZiPuSa5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~)” was a critical and commercial smash that immediately became one of the defining movies of the Trump Era. The next year, Boots Riley’s masterful “[Sorry to Bother You](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0T1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxOC8wNy8wMi9tb3ZpZXMvc29ycnktdG8tYm90aGVyLXlvdS1yZXZpZXctbGFrZWl0aC1zdGFuZmllbGQuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDUxNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjM1MjImbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjkzNiZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZkXKRkdmI-5JrlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD)” seemed to herald a new golden age for Black satire films. But as those movies stood out for using surreal plot twists to humorously — and horrifically — unpack complex ideas like racial appropriation and consumer culture, the crop that has followed hasn’t kept pace. The current moment is defined by a central question: What does the “Black” look like in Black satire films today? Too often lately it’s “not Black enough.” By that I mean to say a recent influx of films, including “[The American Society of Magical Negroes](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0T3aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wMy8xNS9tb3ZpZXMvdGhlLWFtZXJpY2FuLXNvY2lldHktb2YtbWFnaWNhbC1uZWdyb2VzLXJldmlldy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwNTE3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEyMzUyMiZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTY2OTM2JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpmRcpGR2Yj7kmuUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~),” “[American Fiction](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0TgaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8xNC9tb3ZpZXMvYW1lcmljYW4tZmljdGlvbi1yZXZpZXcuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDUxNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjM1MjImbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjkzNiZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZkXKRkdmI-5JrlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD)” and “[The Blackening](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0TeaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8wNi8xNS9tb3ZpZXMvdGhlLWJsYWNrZW5pbmctcmV2aWV3Lmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyNDA1MTcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIzNTIyJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjY5MzYmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmZFykZHZiPuSa5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~),” have failed to represent Blackness with all its due complexity — as sometimes messy, sometimes contradictory. Instead, they flatten and simplify Blackness to serve a more singular, and thus digestible, form of satirical storytelling. The foremost example is “American Fiction,” inspired by Percival Everett’s 2001 novel “[Erasure](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0T2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wMi8wMy9ib29rcy9hbWVyaWNhbi1maWN0aW9uLWJvb2stZXJhc3VyZS1wZXJjaXZhbC1ldmVyZXR0Lmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyNDA1MTcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIzNTIyJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjY5MzYmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmZFykZHZiPuSa5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~),” which won this year’s Oscar for best screenplay. In the film, a Black author and professor named Monk (played by Jeffrey Wright) finds literary success through “My Pafology,” a novel satirizing books that feed negative Black stereotypes. But Monk’s audience receives his book with earnest praise, forcing him to reconcile his newfound prosperity with his racial ethics. The surface layer of satire is obvious: The white audiences and publishing professionals who celebrate “My Pafology” do so not because of its merits but because the book allows them to fetishize another tragic Black story. It’s a performance of racial acceptance; these fans are literally buying into their own white guilt. [A man in a white button-up shirt and black rimmed glasses is deep in thought as he stands in front of a wood-panelled beach house.] “American Fiction,” released in 2023, employs race-based satire. Claire Folger/Orion Pictures Monk’s foil in the film is another Black author, Sintara Golden (Issa Rae), who publishes a popular book of sensationalist Black trauma about life in the ghetto. Profiting on her white audience’s racist assumptions about Blackness, Sintara is this satire’s race traitor — or so it initially seems. Because when, in one scene, Monk questions whether Sintara’s book is any different from “My Pafology,” which she dismisses as pandering, she counters that she is spotlighting an authentic Black experience. Sintara accuses Monk of snobbery, saying that his highfalutin notion of Blackness excludes other Black experiences because he is too ashamed to recognize them. But the fact that it is Sintara who voices the film’s criticism of Monk shows how loath “American Fiction” is to make a value statement on the characters’ actions within the context of their Blackness. Sintara, whom Monk catches reading “White Negroes,” a text about Black cultural appropriation, somehow isn’t winkingly framed as the hypocrite or the inauthentic one pointing out the hypocrisy and inauthenticity of the hero. ADVERTISEMENT [Ad](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0SmaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTc0MTQ5JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDI0MDUxNyZzdHBlPWRlZmF1bHQmdGU9MSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDUxN1cDbnl0QgpmRcpGR2Yj7kmuUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [Ad](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0SmaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTc0MTQ5JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDI0MDUxNyZzdHBlPWRlZmF1bHQmdGU9MSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDUxN1cDbnl0QgpmRcpGR2Yj7kmuUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) This adaptation seems to misunderstand that “Erasure” is as much a critique of how white audiences perceive these Black characters’ art and their identities as it is about how the characters decide to manipulate or contradict these perceptions. “American Fiction” takes the easy way out by making both of these characters right, a move which undercuts the nuances of how Monk and Sintara are negotiating themselves as Black people and the ethical weight of their choices. In the similarly watered-down comedy-horror film “The Blackening,” a group of Black college friends reunites in a remote cabin for a Juneteenth celebration. Once there, the friends are hunted and threatened by unknown assailants and forced to play a minstrel-style trivia game proving their Blackness. [Four Black friends, two women and two men, stand around a small card table. All look into the distance with shocked expressions.] A scene from “The Blackening.”  Glen Wilson/Lionsgate The racial satire of “The Blackening” is straightforward: The villains are white people who appropriate, sell and kill Black bodies. And the whole concept of the film is based on that common racist horror film trope in which the Black character is the first to die. ADVERTISEMENT [Ad](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0SmaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjA3NTc3JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDI0MDUxNyZzdHBlPWRlZmF1bHQmdGU9MSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDUxN1cDbnl0QgpmRcpGR2Yj7kmuUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [Ad](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0SmaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjA3NTc3JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDI0MDUxNyZzdHBlPWRlZmF1bHQmdGU9MSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDUxN1cDbnl0QgpmRcpGR2Yj7kmuUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) Like “American Fiction,” it falls into the trap of building its scaffolding from an outside look at Blackness, as something defined by and reactionary against whiteness. The result is another film that neglects being “too Black” — skimping on an interior look into Blackness that may sometimes contradict or betray itself. Blackness is so singularly defined — these Black friends are celebrating Juneteenth, and the game asks them questions about rap lyrics and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” — that neither the plot’s action nor the comedy surprises. The reveal that the nerdy Trump-voting Black character (played by Jermaine Fowler) is the true bad guy is obvious, and says little on a satirical level beyond that “illegitimate” or “inauthentic” Blackness is dangerous and easy to spot. Read the rest of the story [here](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0TqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wNS8xNC9hcnRzL2JsYWNrLXNhdGlyZS1maWxtcy1hbWVyaWNhbi1maWN0aW9uLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyNDA1MTcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIzNTIyJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjY5MzYmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmZFykZHZiPuSa5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~). EDITORS’ PICKS We publish many articles that touch on race. Here are several you shouldn’t miss. [[Two candied hearts, one with a donkey emblem, the other with an elephant] Photo Illustration by The New York Times; Image: Getty Images](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0ToaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wNS8xMS9tYWdhemluZS9jaGFybGFtYWduZS10aGEtZ29kLWludGVydmlldy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwNTE3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEyMzUyMiZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTY2OTM2JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpmRcpGR2Yj7kmuUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [The Interview Charlamagne Tha God Won’t Take Sides The radio host talks to Lulu Garcia-Navarro about how he plans to wield his considerable political influence.](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0ToaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wNS8xMS9tYWdhemluZS9jaGFybGFtYWduZS10aGEtZ29kLWludGVydmlldy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwNTE3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEyMzUyMiZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTY2OTM2JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpmRcpGR2Yj7kmuUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [play button] 40 MIN LISTEN [[The photograph portrays a smiling woman in an apron preparing food in a wok. A television camera is pointed at her,] Cheng An-chi](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0TzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wNS8xMi9ib29rcy9yZXZpZXcvY2hvcC1mcnktd2F0Y2gtbGVhcm4tbWljaGVsbGUtdC1raW5nLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyNDA1MTcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIzNTIyJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjY5MzYmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmZFykZHZiPuSa5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) [nonfiction She Taught Generations How to Wield a Wok and a Cleaver As Michelle T. King demonstrates in this moving and ambitious biography, Fu Pei-mei was far more than “the Julia Child of Chinese cooking.” By Thessaly La Force](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0TzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wNS8xMi9ib29rcy9yZXZpZXcvY2hvcC1mcnktd2F0Y2gtbGVhcm4tbWljaGVsbGUtdC1raW5nLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyNDA1MTcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIzNTIyJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjY5MzYmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmZFykZHZiPuSa5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) [[The rectangular glass-and-steel facade of the Urban Empowerment Center, with signs for a Pandora store on the ground floor.] Katherine Marks for The New York Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0TpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wNS8wNi9yZWFsZXN0YXRlL25hdGlvbmFsLXVyYmFuLWxlYWd1ZS1oYXJsZW0uaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDUxNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjM1MjImbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjkzNiZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZkXKRkdmI-5JrlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) [The National Urban League Comes Home The civil rights organization will anchor a sprawling mixed-use development in Harlem that will include a new museum focused on the American civil rights struggle in the North. By Mia Jackson](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0TpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wNS8wNi9yZWFsZXN0YXRlL25hdGlvbmFsLXVyYmFuLWxlYWd1ZS1oYXJsZW0uaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDUxNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjM1MjImbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjkzNiZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZkXKRkdmI-5JrlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) [[The photo shows the author in a yellow baseball hat and a blue striped shirt sitting in a sunny garden against the backdrop of a flowering plant and a fence.] via Carvell Wallace](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoKcvKP0T0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wNS8xNC9ib29rcy9yZXZpZXcvYW5vdGhlci13b3JkLWZvci1sb3ZlLWNhcnZlbGwtd2FsbGFjZS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwNTE3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEyMzUyMiZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTY2OTM2JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpmRcpGR2Yj7kmuUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [nonfiction Finding Beauty in the Chaos, and God in Cherry Blossoms Tracing his path from homelessness to proud parenthood, the writer Carvell Wallace recounts a lifetime of joy and pain in his intimate memoir. 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