#5SmartReads- May 19, 2022

Kate Slater, Ph.D. (also known as Dr. Kate) is a white woman. She's a racial justice scholar and educator, a professor, and a director of college success at a national nonprofit. Likes: cheddar-jalapeno Cheetos. Dislikes: pants with waistbands.

Redfin Settles Lawsuit Alleging Housing Discrimination (Associated Press)

Real estate brokerage Redfin recently reached a settlement agreement with the National Fair Housing Alliance after Redfin's policies caused racial segregation and redlining. Redfin's minimum home price policy meant that it offered virtually no services in predominantly-non-white ZIP codes in major US cities, especially when compared to predominantly-white ZIP codes. This. Is. A. REALLY. Big. Deal. If you need some kind of present-day example of 'systemic racism', look no further than this. Redlining is a primary contributor of the racial wealth gap, and it's not a bygone practice of the 1940's and 50's - it's happening TODAY.

The Impact Of Racial Microaggressions On The Mental Health Of Black Women (Hip Latina)

Esteemed Critical Race scholar, public academic, author, and all-around badass Dr. Angel Jones writes a powerful piece for Hip Latina about racial battle fatigue, a phenomenon that describes the "psychological consequences of micro-aggressions include decreased self-esteem, increased anxiety, increased depression, and increased suicidal thoughts" (as coined by Dr. William Smith). This article includes testimonies from Black women who describe their experiences of being micro-aggressed and it underscores the adage that 'there's nothing micro- about racism'.

Extinction Obituary: Why Experts Weep For The Quiet And Beautiful Hawaiian Po’ouli (The Guardian)

This article tore my heart open - it is both a chronicle of the final years and days of a small songbird indigenous to Hawaii and a eulogy for the species that have gone extinct in our living memory.

What The Abortion Bans Have To Do With Poverty And Race (Yes Magazine)

Renee Bracey Sherman is the executive director of We Testify (@wetestify), an organization that uses storytelling to represent experiences of abortion across a vast range of identities. This article is from 2016, but it could have been written last week. Bracey Sherman points out how reproductive justice is also racial and social justice. She writes that mainstream abortion discourse "ignores how crucial the abortion decision is to gender equity, economic stability, and a healthy life free from violence. Mainstream discourse about abortion decisions does not often include the ability of someone to parent their children with dignity."

Epiphany In The Baby Good Aisle (The Cut)

This book excerpt from Jessi Klein's new book I'LL SHOW MYSELF OUT talks about motherhood - in all its complexities, and with all of its beautiful moments amidst the bullshit - as a hero's journey. The excerpt struck such a cord with me, as someone who suffered from severe PPA and PPD after giving birth to my second baby at the end of December, and it left me snottily weeping as I nursed her one quiet morning.