8.2, Ignite the Flame
"All that you touch, you change. All that you change, changes you. The only lasting truth is change. God is Change." - Octavia Butler
Hi Friends:
I heard from so many of you welcoming me back! It was so lovely to hear that you missed me, and to feel like I’m not entirely always shouting into the dark electronic void of the internet. It’s a gift and my honor to have your attention!
Happy February! The shortest month! But also, a month infused with legacy and vibrant stories: Black History Month. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating some of the extraordinary contributions of Black individuals who have shaped our world. Happy Black History Month!
A Note of Appreciation: Your feedback is a gift. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with me.
Anyways, on with the links!
“Self-Made Men”, speech by Frederick Douglass delivered to the Indian Industrial School of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1872
One gem in this speech is Frederick Douglass’ belief that, to be successful, one must be orderly and systematic in one’s work.
But another element of the secret of success demands a word. That element is order, systematic endeavor. We succeed, not alone by the laborious exertion of our faculties, be they small or great, but by the regular, thoughtful and systematic exercise of them.
Order, the first law of heaven, is itself a power. The battle is nearly lost when your lines are in disorder. Regular, orderly and systematic effort which moves without friction and needless loss of time or power; which has a place for everything and everything in its place; which knows just where to begin, how to proceed and where to end, though marked by no extraordinary outlay of energy or activity, will work wonders, not only in the matter of accomplishment, but also in the increase of the ability of the individual.
It will make the weak man strong and the strong man stronger; the simple man wise and the wise man, wiser, and will insure success by the power and influence that belong to habit.A sentiment that pairs well with this quote by Gustave Flaubert, “Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.”
Fifty shades of white: the long fight against racism in romance novels
"You can relate to shapeshifters, you can relate to vampires, you can relate to werewolves, but you can’t relate to a story written by and about black Americans?” #longread
The librarian at the nexus of the Harlem Renaissance
"At the NYPL, all patrons were welcome at all branches, but when it came to employment, there was a certain amount of de facto segregation based on neighborhood demographics. Eastern European applicants were generally sent to the Webster Library on the Upper East Side, Russian-Jewish ones to the Seward Park Branch on the Lower East Side, and black applicants were habitually referred to the 135th Street Branch, in Harlem.”
“I always considered myself an American. I don’t know what else I could be,” she explained to her interviewer. “To us you’re not an American,” he replied. “You’re not white.” And so, although Anderson had never been to Harlem, she, too, was sent to the 135th Street Branch."
Reclaiming Henrietta Lacks, Petrie Dish Podcast, from Texas Public Radio
Henrietta’s cells, which became and are still known as HeLa cells for the first two letters of her first and last name, would make it possible to develop a polio vaccine. They would help scientists understand the impact of x-rays on human cells. They would be shot in a capsule into outer space to see what that did to human cells. They would play a role in the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
Additional background from New Scientist:
Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman whose cancer cells were taken in 1951 without her or her family’s permission and used to generate the HeLa cell line – the world’s first immortalised human cell line.
Living in a Poor Neighborhood Can Change Your Biology
This "healthy immigrant effect" is complex & deserves nuance. While genetics may play a role, research suggests social factors like discrimination & access to healthcare contribute heavily. Discrimination & its long-term effects (psychological & biological) must be addressed.
"... epidemiological evidence shows that first-generation immigrants, whether black, Hispanic, or Asian, are healthier and live longer than their U.S.-born descendants.For minorities, the U.S. is the bad neighborhood. “African-Americans do perceive discrimination, and it gets under their skin,” says McEwen. “Native-born African-Americans react differently than African-born or Caribbean-born blacks. They haven’t been exposed to these effects as much, and maybe they don’t perceive discrimination in the same way.” #longread