Roosevelt Must-Reads: Recent News + a Break from the News Cycle (if You Need It)

This week, I want to share a NYT opinion piece on the many ways our current government has consistently undermined the labor movement and extended advantages to employers—at the detriment of workers. I recommend following that up with this other piece that looks more specifically at the rise of contract workers and the challenges they face, particularly with mega corps like Google.

I also wanted to elevate a couple pieces from earlier in May that reminded me of the importance of staying vigilant of policies that are on-the-surface not explicitly about race. While they may be used for good and advancing solutions that alleviate racial disparities, as explored in this Upshot article on progressive candidates’ policies that could help narrow the  Black-white wealth gap, they can also be used to cover more sinister motivations, as The Atlantic‘s article on educational segregation trends (and how wealthy white residents are seceding from cities and towns to create their own better—or whiter—schools) shows.

For those looking for a break from the news cycle, I’m currently working through Abraham Verghese’s Cutting for Stone. It’s a beautiful story set in Addis Ababa about a set of twins born to unusual circumstances and the people and characters that surround their lives. It’s a wonderful read, and I’d recommend it!