Esther

'I hope that she will center the idea that art is for everyone in this city'... Vij said she believed her apptmt 'affirms that NYC celebrates — not punishes, not just tolerates — the audacity of artists + cultural orgs to take on the urgent questions of the day.'" 🤗 (thx, @arunadsouza.bsky.social!

Mamdani Is Naming New York’s Next Culture Czar

Continuing the pattern of: Amid Apocalyptic Federal News, Some Very Good News in New York City:

Diya Vij is our new cultural affairs commissioner.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/28/a...

This person took this when they called the race

Events Events happening at Theatre of the Oppressed NYC. RSVP for a show, learn about how to get involved!

If you're curious about Theatre of the Oppressed and want to train with Julian Boal in NYC, Register for Nov 1-2. Early bird price until 9/30

www.tonyc.nyc/events

Loathe thy neighbor: Elon Musk and the Christian right are waging war on empathy Trump’s actions are irreconcilable with Christian compassion. But an unholy alliance seeks to cast empathy as a parasitic plague

I tried to write about empathy and ended up writing about fascism again

METROCrossReferenceCoalition_Students The Cross-Reference Coalition An Experimental School

[1/5] We're launching a new thing @ the Metro NY Library Council: The Cross-Reference Coalition is an experimental school tracing exuberantly🤗 interdisciplinary links btw NYC's libraries + archives; connecting its knwldg workers, grad students, artists + designers. We'll also make a rad book...

Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting. Others should follow As the administration does its best to hide public records from the public, Wired magazine is stepping up to help stem the secrecy

They're called public records for a reason. Starting today, WIRED will *stop paywalling* articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, becoming the first publication to partner with @freedom.press to offer this for our new coverage.

How the Red Scare Reshaped American Politics At its height, the political crackdown felt terrifying and all-encompassing. What can we learn from how the movement unfolded—and from how it came to an end?

McCarthy “introduced a whole new political style. As a noun, McCarthyism was a mode of politics rather than an ideology. It meant hitting hard, moving fast, telling lies, and grabbing headlines along the way.”

Resistance Lab: Making and Distributing Media Under Surveillance — Interrupting Criminalization In this two-hour session, we will think through and skill-share ways of keeping our communities and sources safer when reporting in a context of criminalization and surveillance. (All times in EST.)

By popular demand, we are offering an online resistance lab for journalists and media makers about making and distributing media under surveillance. @interruptcrim.bsky.social www.interruptingcriminalization.com/events/all/r...

L.A.’s Clear Skies Conceal a ‘Toxic Soup’ Scientists collecting water, air and soil samples in neighborhoods ravaged by fires say they’re concerned about long-term health risks for residents.

Scientists collecting water, air and soil samples in Los Angeles neighborhoods ravaged by fires say they’re concerned about long-term health risks for residents.

Cornell University’s Critical Inquiry into Values, Imagination, and Culture initiative seeks a postdoc with exp in data-driven or computational methods in the humanities. INFO academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/29746, contact @lindsaythomas.net

Thrilled to have Jason Stanley (Yale University) join us this week for a talk about "Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future about"

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 - 12:10PM-1:30PM - SLB 128

DM for Zoom details

yeah my thoughts "of course he would say that .... and tbh, good for him."

I had no idea.

And -- "we are famous in Korea"

ㅎㅎㅎ

Here’s how Wisconsin’s state budget process works Democratic Gov. Tony Evers unveiled his 2025-27 biennial state budget proposal. The nearly year-long process is now picking up speed, but the next two-year budget is still far from being finalized.

2025 is budget year in Wisconsin. Not sure how the process works or why it matters? Reporter Hallie Claflin explains it all in this 2-minute read.

if your state or city doesn't have a digital services group or office of innovation, one thing you can do is start advocating for one.

This Young Lawmaker Went Viral on TikTok for Calling Out Dems Voting for Trump’s Agenda Angelita Morillo wants Democrats to grow a spine.

"It is no longer enough to say, 'The other side is really bad, so vote for us because we’re slightly less bad.'"

In this op-ed, Angelita Morillo calls on fellow Democrats to stand up to Trump. ⤵️

Can't wait ⚡

Call for papers: A special upcoming issue of Social Text invites critical and cultural theorists of the colonial era to engage the ways in which their scholarship is foundational for tackling the problems of this digital era. Abstracts due March 1. socialtextjournal.org/call-for-pap...

Can't Pay, Won't Pay by Debt Collective book cover A People's Guide to Capitalism by Hadas Thier book cover

Let This Radicalize You by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba book cover Haymarket eBook Club subscription

Dangerously, I've also discovered that small presses have book clubs!

@haymarketbooks.org has a $10 monthly subscription for every new Haymarket title released *and* 50% off all other titles.

I got "Can't Pay Won't Pay" from @debtcollective.bsky.social for free today, and a couple others 🥳

NPR host Adrian Ma remembers his girlfriend who died in D.C. plane crash NPR host Adrian Ma's girlfriend, Kiah Duggins, was aboard the American Airlines flight that crashed into the Potomac River. He spoke to NPR about that night and about his late girlfriend.

NPR host Adrian Ma's girlfriend, Kiah Duggins, was aboard the American Airlines flight that crashed into the Potomac River. He spoke to NPR about that night and about his late girlfriend.

Welcome to Teen Vogue’s The Last Stop As we head into fashion month, we’re taking a step forward to also highlight the impact of our clothing with The Last Stop, a package emphasizing the long journey of our discarded clothing and their o...

Hey, @teenvogue.com has launched a sustainability series—featuring vintage and thrifted finds, a sustainable fashion glossary, and more. Wish every fashion publication could do this. www.teenvogue.com/the-last-sto...

A Year Without Nex Benedict "We are saying that the rhetoric is just as damaging as the bullet or the blow."

Nex Benedict’s death was confirmation that anti-trans policies and rhetoric have a body count. Is anyone listening?

Read more here ⤵️

For more on the Compton's Cafeteria Riot and the legacies of anti-carceral activism at the intersection of Turk & Taylor Streets, this essay by @susanstryker.bsky.social is worth a close read:

"The crossroads of Turk and Taylor challenge us to envision — and build — a future where justice dwells."

Save the CFPB Supporters

📢 The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is under attack. Trump and Big Tech friends don’t like the CFPB and its work to protect consumers and their rights so they're trying to take it down.

Take action now to help save it fftf.link/cfpb

Everard Williams: Instant Minimalist YouTube video by Just Fix It In Post!

#LAFire The story of how the fire impacted my friend, Everard, and his family is captured in this episode (micro-documentary) of Just Fix It In Post! with one of his former students, Sean Rice. You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0kz... #LA #ACCD