I’ve jet-lagged myself since last Friday when Mike, MB and I went out dancing all night. I have not found a way back to my regular bedtime since then. Toast’s friend DJ LOUIE XIV recently moved from LA to New York and he brought his party Gorgeous Gorgeous with him. The back-to-back bangers just kept coming and we were all cackling on the drive back home over how sore we would be the next day. Now I am fully nocturnal, just in time for summer.
It’s been one year since the Supreme Court overturned its 1973 ruling on Roe v. Wade, revoking our federally constituted right to abortion. We didn’t even get to see 50 years of reproductive justice. Since 1994, only three other countries besides the U.S. have removed legal grounds for abortion: El Salvador, Nicaragua and Poland. But in that same window of time, 59 countries have liberalized their abortion laws. La Marea Verde, the Green Wave of feminists fighting in solidarity across Latin America, only keeps growing. Its name originated from the green scarves worn by the one million activists who occupied the streets of Argentina in 2018 to support legalizing abortion.
Anna turned me on to this incredible speech by Lana Wachowski many moons ago and it has lived rent-free in my head ever since. I was recently reminded of it because her sibling Lilly Wachowski had a great series of tweets about why she is voting NO on the Directors Guild of America’s new contract. As the Writers Guild of America strike is about to enter its second month, labor strife isn’t going anywhere this summer.
Gi edited a new podcast that has been such a treat to the ears, in all of the ways. Sounds Gay, hosted by Sarah Esocoff, explores queerness and music. The “Melanie Speaks” episode is a real standout. In the 90s, a trans woman named Melanie made a videotape to help others train their voices to sound more feminine. They try to track down the tape, then Melanie herself… No spoilers, but the episode takes a great turn into how to find your voice and the ethics of investigative storytelling.
The Mano Cornuto or horned hand is a traditional Italian amulet to protect from supernatural forces. The hand gesture, where the index fingers are extended and point down, mimic the horns of an animal. The charm version must also always be facing down, to push negative energy away. One ocean apart, the horns became a sign for heavy metal fans when Ronnie James Dio used it after joining Black Sabbath in 1979. He remembered his Italian grandmother using it to ward off “Malocchio”, the evil eye.
6 more days till outdoor public pools open, not that anyone’s counting. In the meantime, feast your eyes on this gorgeous trailer for Sundlaugasögur (Swimming Pool Stories). Filmmaker Jón Karl Helgason spent a decade making his film about Icelandic swimming culture, where pools are practically second homes and every child has to take mandatory swim lessons. "The British go to the pub, the French go to the cafes — in our culture, you meet in the swimming pool," says Helgason.
Historian Daina Ramey Berry wrote an incredible piece for Juneteenth about all the ways enslaved people emancipated themselves beyond being granted their freedom. “Sojourner Truth walked into freedom with an infant in her arms; Harriet Jacobs hid in a crawl space for seven years until she could become free; Ellen Craft dressed as male and passed as white; Lear Green shipped herself to freedom in a box.” She weaves a thread from there to what Black self-liberation looks like today: making the right to vote more accessible and pushing against school curriculums that try to erase how racism is embedded in American history.
Jaimie’s new record Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((World War)) is now available for preorder and it’s so great hearing her voice again. She was nearly done with the album before she died and Kate has been tirelessly shepherding her work into the world. I can’t wait to hear that sweet trumpet again.
The “gossip bench” is a great name for a piece of furniture that became popular when the telephone was invented in 1876. It’s part chair, part table, with a shelf for the heavy phone to sit on and a cubby or drawer for the phone book. It became especially popular from the 1930s to the 1950s, often found in hallways or foyers for privacy. You can get your own here, here or here.
Early voting is on through the weekend for local city positions and Election Day is June 27. As always, Soft Power Vote has put together a great guide and you can find your voting location and sample ballot here. In my district, we are just voting for one judge as our current (excellent) council member Crystal Hudson stands unopposed. This is her first term and earlier this year she released A Black Agenda, a roadmap to fighting systemic failures with comprehensive policies.
On the genius recommendation of Sarah, I am introducing our very first Field Trip! This whole newsletter emerged from my desire to be less algorithmically-bound so this feels like a natural expansion… In the future, I’ll include an invitation to an event that I’ll be at, in hopes that you can join me IRL and we can take this convo offline. Starting with… a dumpling party.
Who: Yao Collaborative (formerly known as China Residencies), the arts nonprofit my sister Kira started with Crystal.
What: A dumpling party to mark their 10 year anniversary (of helping artists, musicians, filmmakers, and organizers create great things in and about China, Hong Kong, and its diasporas in the greater Sinophere beyond.)
Where: Farm To People, 1100 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237
When: Monday June 26 from 6 to 10 pm
Tickets & more info here, the more the merrier!
Till next time,
ASK