#5SmartReads - May 12, 2021

Today’s regular guest contributor is Kate Slater, Ph.D.

Maslow Got It Wrong (Medium)

This article knocked my socks off. It describes how Maslow based his "Hierarchy of Needs" on Blackfoot tribal wisdom about the interdependency of community, but he ignored the whole "community" aspect of it and focused instead of individual self-actualization.

Louisiana Lawmaker Wants To Ban 'Divisive Concepts' Like Critical Race Theory, Also Wants To Teach About the 'Good' in Slavery (The Root)

Linly writes "There is absolutely no way an educator can teach Black American history thoroughly without focusing on white American racism." Yet, numerous states currently are debating bills as to whether or not institutions can teach Critical Race Theory (which, put very simply, premises that racism is still endemic in America and critiques structures and systems that augment this oppression). This is an attack on critical thinking and you should follow these bills VERY CLOSELY in your state and lobby your congresspeople to fight against them. To that end...

President Trump Has Attacked Critical Race Theory. Here's What To Know About the Intellectual Movement (Time Magazine)

This is a FANTASTIC introduction to Critical Race Theory for people who haven't come across it before. CRT is, simply put, a framework and an analytical lens - a way of critically examining a world that is shaped by race and racism.

How Ashley C. Ford changed her relationship to fear and transformed her life (Today) 

In my wildest dreams, Ashley C. Ford is my best friend and we get takeout burritos together every Friday and sit on my couch ranking Celine Dion's greatest hits. Her writing is luminous. Her wit is razor sharp. And this interview was (like everything she does) wry and vulnerable and awesome. Ashley, call me.

The Crushing Contradictions of the American University (The Chronicle)

The idea of a college degree as a means of upward mobility is as baked into the American psyche as the lyrics to Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run" (just me?). But what happens when this transformative promise is a contradiction? This EXCELLENT long-form piece describes the historical interconnectedness of meritocracy, capitalism, and academia, and how that's falling apart in real time.