#5SmartReads - May 17, 2023

Madison works as a full-time freelance writer and is the owner of Grief Cards, where she sells sympathy cards that don't suck. In her free time, she plays in Stonewall Sports leagues and attends KC Current games.

‘It’s Very Cruel. I Think That’s The Point’ (The Cut)

Every news cycle seems to contain yet another order in yet another city/state where trans people are directly under attack. My home state of Missouri has been no different.

This is an especially important read because The Cut went straight to the people impacted by Missouri’s new ruling to learn how it’s already having harmful ripple effects, and the very valid anxieties it’s producing in both adults and kids who rely on this healthcare. This order, and all of the others like it, are intentionally harmful and are already harming people all over the country.

This is still an evolving situation, especially as certain rules are deemed unconstitutional and various additional courts weigh in -- regardless, I am grateful for the organizers, for the healthcare troublemakers, for every person toeing every vague line of this intentionally harmful order so they can continue to provide life-saving, life-changing HRT to Missourians.

Where The Sidewalk Ends (Lux Magazine)

If you know one of those incredible, rare people who can fix just about anything, then you know what a gift it is to see them work. My dad, I’m proud to say, is one of those people; additionally, all of the volunteers at the Automotive Free Clinic in Alabama seem to be the exact same way.

Just outside of Montgomery, the AFC is a “pay-what-you-can auto repair shop.” It’s run under progressive leadership, yet chooses to keep that information slightly under wraps in order to ensure that anyone feels comfortable using their services. One of my favorite parts of the founder’s values-driven ideology? “When people ask Henson about his communist ideas, he just points to the shop. ‘We’re living communism,’ he says with a shrug.”

Creating And Holding Space For Ourselves And Each Other After Student Death (School Crisis Recovery and Renewal)

As a former teacher, I hate knowing that, after my 18-year-old brother passed away in 2008, his high school teachers had to contend with a 6’5” charismatic and highly talkative empty space in their classrooms. I also hate knowing that increasing instances of gun violence and suicide are overlapping with traditionally high rates of teen driver car accidents to mean that this type of emptiness is happening in more and more classrooms every year.

Simultaneously, I appreciate that The Dinner Party Labs partnered with the School Crisis Recovery and Renewal Project to co-create a guide intended to help educators create and hold space, both on an individual and communal level, after a student dies. The United States’ cultural perspective on loss and grief is reductive and harmful at best, so this type of tool can have long lasting positive impacts.

If you are an educator, if you know an educator, or if you love a student of any age, I encourage you to distribute this guide to all of them.

How ‘Weathering’ Contributes To Racial Health Disparities (The New York Times)

The idea of “weathering,” that “the constant stress of living within a racist society could lead to poor health for marginalized groups,” was first introduced in 1990. At the time, no matter where people fell on the political spectrum, Dr. Arline Geronimus’ research was seen as an enemy. Understandably so, threats against her life and her livelihood led her to retreat into her research.

In the years since, Dr. Geronimus has continued to expand her research to prove that marginalized communities have poorer health outcomes directly linked to the chronic stress they feel as a direct result of their identities. Heartbreakingly, this research was furthered when people of color were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 in the height of the pandemic. Today, her work continues to expand our understanding of public health and health equity.

Can A ‘Fingerprint’ Of Your Brain Help Predict Disorders? (Smithsonian Magazine)

I knew that every human has a unique fingerprint, but I (maybe naively?) never considered the fact that the same reality could apply to our brains? If there’s one thing I’ve learned on my own mental health diagnosis journey, it’s that the subjectivity of diagnosis tools - coupled with my PTSD and OCD brain - means my score can vary widely depending on how much my GAD is impacting that day’s thought patterns.

However, as this read outlines, these brain fingerprints could lead us to have clearer, more objective ways to diagnose any number of developmental disorders and mental illnesses. There are already multiple companies working hand in hand with health care researchers to leverage emerging tech in ways that will further the potential uses of our brains’ fingerprints.