The United States incarcerates a quarter of the world's imprisoned population. Arizona is number five regarding incarcerated persons per capita; the rate has ballooned by 60% between 2000 and 2018.… Read the rest of the article: No Human Involved: a documentary about Perryville women's prison in Arizona

Texas, Florida, and Arizona are trying to outdo each other to pass the most reactionary, anti-intellectual legislation regarding higher learning. The Texas House of Representatives just passed HB 1006 to… Read the rest of the article: Texas bill outlaws diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in Texas Higher ed.

"Don't try gate-crashing a party full of bankers. Burn the house down! Take Jesus, take Marx, take Hope." — The back cover of London O, Hull 4. The Housemartins' harmonies… Read the rest of the article: Is the acapella version of "Caravan of Love" by The Housemartins a Christmas song?

The Malcolm Effect Podcast, hosted by Mamadou Taal, whose Instagram handle is The Gambian, is "Raising the level of discussion amongst a generation." There's seventy-four episodes and counting. Here is… Read the rest of the article: The Malcolm Effect podcast covers political thought, social movement history, pop culture, Black philosophy, and theory

Honestly, memoir is an anemic category for these books. These are field guides for time travel and the survival of the earth. The words and stories are confessions and counsel,… Read the rest of the article: Book Gift Ideas: Black Feminist memoirs on justice, Africanfuturism, theoretical physics, and abolition.

"Black Speculative Art is a creative, aesthetic practice that integrates African diasporic worldviews with science or technology and seeks to interpret, engage, design or alter reality for the re-imagination of… Read the rest of the article: Checking out the Black Speculative Arts Movement

I was fortunate to see the cult documentary movie classic Hands on a Hardbody at the Dobie Mall Theater in Austin, Tx, in 1997. Memories of a sore belly from… Read the rest of the article: Cult documentary "Hands on a Hardbody" is available again

In this installment of urban racial reckonings, I want to point out a recent article from The New Yorker by Princeton Professor and 2021 McArthur Foundation Fellow Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, published… Read the rest of the article: "Hiding (insert city name)'s Racism Behind a Cloak of Unity."

I learn best from documentaries. The visuals and narratives help me remember the content, analysis, and insights, particularly when the content is intense or engaging with critical social issues. In… Read the rest of the article: The Prison in Twelve Landscapes, a documentary about prison and its life in the American Landscape

Before Ice T's Body Count and Rage Against the Machine, the Beastie Boys crossed musical genres, from Hip Hop and funk to heavy metal and punk. In this Instagram post… Read the rest of the article: The Swedish Chef, Animal, and Beaker rap the Beastie Boys

Holiday songs should be joyous, celebratory, and inviting. So, what happens when a playlist is put together for holiday cheer consisting of The Smiths and Morrissey, the most morose Manchester… Read the rest of the article: What if Morrissey and the Smiths put out a Christmas Album?

Do your fingers, wrists, hands, and arms hurt from surfing our brilliant posts, following their comment threads, and discovering new worlds? You may suffer from Mouse Arm Syndrome (MAS), or… Read the rest of the article: What is Mouse Arm Syndrome? If your appendages ache while surfing the internet, you might well feel it.

Not everyone loves, likes, or tolerates the Avatar movie franchise (there are two of them, now, and that makes it a franchise). Dr. Autumn Asher BlackDeer offers this thread on… Read the rest of the article: Sci-fi films by Indigenous people

The open conspiracy to keep Colin Kaepernick off the field is among the most underreported stories of the clash between sports and politics. David Zirin wrote a book about it,… Read the rest of the article: Colin Kaepernick: athlete, author, and publisher

In 1980, the historian Howard Zinn published A People's History of the United States, a narrative that centers on everyday people's lives. It is a history from the bottom up,… Read the rest of the article: Book series inspired by Howard Zinn's "People's History"

Kendrick Lamar, from Compton, CA, poet and 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner for Music, recently released a video for "Count me out," that is certain to be nominated, if not win,… Read the rest of the article: Kendrick Lamar releases a new video for the single "Count me out"

Tavin Dillard is a storyteller, chronicler, philosopher, and connoisseur of fine donuts and Dr. Pepper. He is especially interested in the caloric and energy potentialities of baked goods and chocolate… Read the rest of the article: Tavin Dillard: mowin', edgin', grass-cuttin' legend

Bring your stunt wood, notepad, and love for the community to Tempe, Arizona, in February. "Slow Impact – Skaters Lounging, off work" is hosting an event from February 16-19, 2023,… Read the rest of the article: Slow Impact is "A skate vacation in the desert" with panels, art, live music and more

On their bikes with the matching safety helmets, on foot in the neighborhood, always with a backpack and their nametags, you may have seen and talked to the domestic missionaries… Read the rest of the article: Extreme Mormons: "Do it for your seven wives."

Poinsettias are everywhere. You can purchase them at a local nursery, grocery store, pharmacy, home improvement chain, or anywhere. But poinsettias are a misnomer, or rather, the capitalist name. La… Read the rest of the article: La Cuetlaxochitl became the most famously misnamed holiday flower