OZY's Top Social Justice Reads

www.ozy.com [OZY]() The newsletter to fuel — and thrill — your mind. Read for deep dives into the unmissable ideas and topics shaping our world. Dec 29, 2021 TODAY In June, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to a prison term of 22 ½ years for the murder of George Floyd. In the 18 months since Floyd’s death a lot of things have changed. And so much has not. In today’s Daily Dose we’ve set out to collate OZY’s most important reporting and research, delving into the persistent problems, and remarkable rises, hoping to change the country for the better. Politics 1 - Where Is the Next MLK? Inequality. Sexuality. Race. Gender. These and a host of other societal issues are being openly discussed like never before in America. Still, many wonder why there aren’t more consensus-building leaders emerging to take on those challenges — a Martin Luther King Jr., for the modern age. Here, we dive into what has changed since the civil rights movement of MLK, who may be poised to follow in his footsteps or whether anyone should even try. By the end, we hope to get a bit closer to resetting America. [Read more]( 2 - How America's Original Sin Lives On America’s original sin — slavery — may have been outlawed more than 150 years ago, but it’s far from an arcane issue that was put to rest more than a century ago. It still plagues the soul of that nation, and beyond, with its many modern-day iterations — whether in West Africa, the Persian Gulf or on cruise ships — a crushing reality for countless misfortunate people. And yet, the debate around how, or even if it’s possible, to make amends for the past has rarely been as vibrant. In this Daily Dose, we pick up that discussion, exploring how long-standing structures of racism have shaped the modern world, and what’s being done to acknowledge a historic cruelty that continues to resonate in our lives today. [Read more]( 3 - The Battle for America’s Vets America’s longest war came to a close in August. That was just days before the 20th anniversary of 9/11 — the cataclysmic terrorist attack on America that prompted the military invasion of Afghanistan, more than 6,500 miles away. But for the thousands of U.S. soldiers who have served in Afghanistan, many of whom have returned home in recent months, a different conflict is very much alive. Here, we look at the challenges faced by the country’s bravest, the unlikely fixes that could help them, the soldiers fighting for change and how vets around the world fare. [Read more]( 4 - How George Floyd's Murder Sparked Change So much has changed over the past year and a half. And yet so much more needs to be done. [Universities](, for example, are feeling the pressure, as students and community members are calling for academic institutions — including Brown, Georgetown and the University of Georgia — to atone for legacies of slavery and discrimination through reparations for slave descendants, programs funding their surrounding Black communities and greater efforts to establish racial equity on campus. What’s more, there’s no data for high-speed car chases; only one state, Utah, tracks forcible entries by police. Even worse, police officials have no idea how many people are arrested but later proven innocent or released without facing a single charge. [Read more]( Culture 1 - The Power Of Black Fashion When online retailer Shein started[selling a phone case]( earlier this year that featured an art piece depicting Michael Brown’s murder without permission from the artist, social media erupted in outrage. The design depicts a Black man lying on the ground, outlined in chalk. Designer Jean Jullien created the image in 2014 in response to Brown’s murder and the Ferguson protests. Jullien’s design had been poached by fast fashion, the name given to the industry that employs exploitative practices to rapidly and cheaply produce clothes and accessories. And the community of creatives was not about to let that slide. This season’s hottest trend, however, is giving credit where credit is due. [Read more]( 2 - Why the Future Is HBCU Historically Black Colleges and Universities have played a pivotal role in American higher education for the last 150 years, awarding degrees to students who have gone on to become some of America’s finest innovators, leaders and revolutionaries. The schools have done this with considerably less money than their non-HBCU counterparts, serving significant proportions of first-generation students and students needing financial assistance. In the last year, the spotlight has shone on HBCUs as benefactors[donated large sums]( to them following last summer’s protests for racial justice and, most recently, with[President Joe Biden’s proposed American Families Plan]( earmarking $46 billion for colleges, universities and financial institutions serving minority groups. [Read more]( 3 - Meet the Black Rising Stars of Music There was a time not too long ago when music could be divided into genres fairly neatly. Today, even seemingly polar opposite strains, such as country and hip-hop, are merging. And Black artists are leading this bold new world. As America continues to struggle with its original sin, meet the rising star musicians who are breaking boundaries and could soon shatter records. This Daily Dose is a song of change. [Read more]( Ideas 1 - Ten Big, Bold Ideas to Reset America “Your skin color should not define who you are,” George Floyd’s brother,[Philonise, told reporters]( shortly after the sentencing of Derek Chauvin in June. “It should never be a weapon.” With Chauvin now in prison we ask: What are the likely battlegrounds ahead? Where are the opportunities for change? [Read more]( 2 - Journey To Juneteenth Juneteenth is the anniversary of the day when enslaved people in Texas were emancipated — two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. We at OZY have worked hard to present a series of newsletters that grapple with issues of racial injustice and equality. This Daily Dose highlights some fascinating podcasts exploring this theme, as well as the latest in audio-related news from around the globe. [Read more]( 3 - Can America Heal Its Health Care Racism? The shocking disparities in health between white Americans and people of color have been exacerbated in the pandemic, but the distrust of doctors among Black Americans has been simmering for generations. When white doctors still carry old misconceptions and when Black women in pain aren’t heard, it adds up to doctors generating fear and skepticism rather than a feeling of protection within the Black community. How do we fix it? [Read more]( Sebastian Junger on 'The Carlos Watson Show' Carlos gets deep and real with veteran war journalist, author and filmmaker Sebastian Junger. Learn from someone who’s been closer to death than most — whether when he was being shot at by the Taliban, or when he lost 90% of his blood from a ruptured aneurysm last year. Come for the (literal) war stories; stay for the deep meditations on love, fatherhood, the meaning of freedom, and more. 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