Happy Sunday #BlavityFam! We’ve arrived at the end of March and yet another installation of #BlavitySundayReads, where we compile our favorite stories from across the Internet for you to read and discuss. This week, learn about the murder of San Francisco’s Alejandro Nieto, dissect the intricacies of the “blaccent”, and listen while your Fairy DragMother RuPaul spills allllll the tea. And don’t forget to let us know what you’re reading in the comments!
1. “Death by Gentrification: The Killing that Shamed San Francisco” (via The Guardian)
Rebecca Solnit investigates the circumstances surrounding the death of Alejandro Nieto at the hands of San Francisco PD, and how the changing race and class demographics of SF and other major cities spell disaster for the people that have lived there for generations.
2. “If an Ex-Con Can Forgive Hillary Clinton, Why Can’t Other Liberals?” (via Blavity)
Matthew J. Parker writes about battle scars, forgiveness and redemption as it relates to the fight for the Democratic candidacy, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.
3. “Thick of Tongue” (via Guernica Mag)
Political commentator and linguist John McWhorter wrote this fascinating essay on the implications of “sounding white”, the Black American sound, and how just being yourself can utterly mess with other people’s expectations of you.
4. “What I Learned Tindering My Way Across Europe” (via Travel and Leisure)
Allison P. Davis went on a Tinder-inspired Euro-trip to London, Berlin, and Stockholm and was shocked at the differences and similarities between mobile-dating as a Black woman in Europe and at home in Brooklyn. Spoiler alert: the opening lines in Europe are just as cheesy as the ones guys send here.
5. “Real Talk with RuPaul” (via NY Mag)
NY Mag’s E. Alex Jung spoke with the legendary drag superstar RuPaul about the eighth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, how mainstream pop culture rips off gay culture, and why he would “rather have an enema than have an Emmy”.
