How Black communities cope with racist police violence

+ the pig that ran for prez, and other memorable moments US Edition - Today's top story: From Michael Brown to Sonya Massey, a decade of police antiblack violence causes grief, worry and coping for Black parents [View in browser]( US Edition | 8 August 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Genocide kills both people and cultural heritage]( - [Flooding Florida fields with rice for healthier soil]( - [For International Cat Day, learn about cat science]( Lead story Among the names of unarmed Black men killed by police, none is more prominent than Michael Brown. Nearly 10 years ago, Darren Wilson, a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, shot and killed Brown after the 18-year-old refused to stop walking in the middle of a busy street. Brown’s death, followed by a Missouri grand jury’s decision to not indict Wilson on charges of murder, triggered months of protests and demands for nationwide police reforms. Wilson said his actions were in self-defense. But as scholars Seanna Leath and Sheretta T. Butler-Barnes of Washington University in St. Louis have learned through their research on racist violence in Black communities, [the more things change, the more they stay the same](. Nearly 10 years after Brown’s killing and less than 90 miles away from Ferguson, Sonya Massey, an unarmed, 36-year-old Black woman, was shot and killed on July 6, 2024, by one of the police officers who had responded to her emergency call for help. She had called police to investigate a mysterious sound near her home. “Massey and Brown were not exceptions to the norm – but, rather, representative of the everyday racism that pervades American society,” Leath and Butler-Barnes write. “Developing ways to cope is often a necessary reality of living in the United States.” [ [The Conversation has no ads or paywalls, because of support from our readers](. ] Howard Manly Race + Equity Editor Demonstrators protest the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in August 2014. Joshua Lott/AFP/Getty Images [From Michael Brown to Sonya Massey, a decade of police antiblack violence causes grief, worry and coping for Black parents]( Seanna Leath, Washington University in St. Louis; Sheretta T. Butler-Barnes, Washington University in St. Louis With every new incident of racial violence, Black people tend to undergo a collective sense of racial grief. Politics + Society - [Decades on, Delbert Africa’s surrender still provides powerful image of US racism and Black victimhood]( Nicole Maurantonio, University of Richmond A white Philadelphia police officer was killed during a 1978 confrontation with the radical group MOVE. Often overlooked was the brutality leveled against the group’s spokesman. - [Members of Congress undermine the country – and their own legitimacy – with antidemocratic rhetoric]( Christopher Miller, University of Richmond 2 scholars analyzed more than 1 million official Tweets from members of Congress − and found a lot of antidemocratic language that damages the very institution the politicians belong to. - [From a pig as political candidate to a breakout speech for Obama − Democratic National Convention often leaves its mark on history]( Shannon Bow O'Brien, The University of Texas at Austin Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will officially accept their nominations at the Democratic National Convention. A scholar of the presidency shares memorable moments from previous events. Environment + Energy - [Good flooding? Scientists use rice cultivation to preserve soil in Florida’s Everglades Agricultural Area]( Jehangir Bhadha, University of Florida A soil expert explains why flooding rice fields in South Florida benefits the agriculture-rich region. Science + Technology - [Love for cats lures students into this course, which uses feline research to teach science]( Jonathan Losos, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis Cats provide a purr-fect introduction to science topics, including ecology, evolution, genetics and behavior. Ethics + Religion - [Islamic State’s genocide was not limited to killing and enslaving Yazidis, Christians and other communities − it also erased their heritage]( Alda Benjamen, University of Dayton A scholar of Iraq describes the ongoing loss following the genocidal violence by IS − not just of human lives, but of a rich cultural heritage. International - [Qatari mediation was already producing diminishing returns – assassination of Hamas negotiator further erodes Gulf state’s role]( Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University Successor to slain Palestinian negotiator is a hardliner who resides in Gaza’s tunnels and has no realistic chance of being in Doha for talks. Economy + Business - [How charities with thrift shops can get better stuff from their donors instead of junk]( Chao Wu, Wayne State University Giving cruddy clothing, furniture and other useless stuff to a charity does it no favors, since it costs money to get rid of damaged goods. The power of peer pressure could help alleviate this problem. Education - [How to get your kids ready to go back to school without stress − 5 tips from an experienced school counselor]( Shannon Pickett, Purdue University Taking the stress and uncertainty out of going back to school can ease the process, a veteran counselor explains. Trending on site - [Imane Khelif controversy at Paris Olympics shows how sex testing in women’s sports puts regulators in an impossible bind]( - [Brain implants to restore sight, like Neuralink’s Blindsight, face a fundamental problem − more pixels don’t ensure better vision]( - [What is love? A philosopher explains it’s not a choice or a feeling − it’s a practice]( Today's graphic 📈 [In two-parent families, mothers physically do more of the chores that keep the household running. They also report being even more responsible for the cognitive load of planning, anticipating and delegating this domestic work. Mothers reported responsibility on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being ]( From the story, [Moms think more about household chores − and this cognitive burden hurts their mental health]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [Giving Today]( [New!] • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Follow us on social media: • [Bluesky]( • [Mastodon]( • [Threads]( • [Nostr]( • [LinkedIn]( • [Instagram]( • [Facebook]( • Or [get a daily text from us]( - - About The Conversation We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to [help you make sense of our complex world](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](