“Zoot suiters, then, played an important role in the formation of Chicago’s Nikkei community. As individuals, they forced the WRA and its partners to reconsider their strict assimilationist blueprint for resettlement. And as symbolic figures, they provided a powerful rhetorical specter that Japanese American spokespersons skillfully invoked to legitimate the establishment of ethnic organizations.”
—
Ellen D. Wu, “The Forgotten Story of Japanese American Zoot Suiters”
New socialist Seattle councilmember Kshama Sawant just gets more and more awesome: pledging to take home less than half of a councilmember’s $117,000 salary. The rest? Solidarity fund to support workers’ strike funds and environmental, women’s, and civil rights causes.
The University of Louisiana at Monroe honored basketball star Eun Jung (Lee) Ok this weekend, who in 1985 led the team to the Final Four. They finished ranked #2 in the nation.
ULM retired her #5 jersey, and it now hangs in the rafters next to Glynn Saulters’ jersey. Ok is the assistant head coach of the current team.
“Words help us become the leading species on earth to the point where we are now ready to wipe ourselves off the earth. But I think that all the arts are needed, and sports too, and cooking, food, and all these different ways of communication. Smiles, looking into eyes directly, all these different means of communication are needed to save this world.”
R.I.P. Pete Seeger (May 3, 1919-Jan. 27, 2014), a giant of American music & activism
As part of an initiative to empower youth and involve them in the decision-making process, Bashaer Othman will be the mayor of the town of Allar in the city of Tulkarm in the northwestern West Bank for two months.
Othman is in charge of all matters related to the municipality of Allar and which include supervising employees and signing all official documents with the exception of financial ones.
Othman is working under the supervision of elected mayor Sufian Shadid who expressed his enthusiasm for the teengar’s appointment as a step towards supporting youth.
“There are many ways of supporting youth other than financial means. First, we should make sure we remove obstacles that might stand in their way and with determination and perseverance we can do so,” he said. For Othman, the new position constitutes a major challenge that she is hoping she can be up to.
“I want to go through this experience in order to be able to share it with other youth so that they can be prepared for running state institutions in the future,” she said.
The attack is being investigated as a possible hate incident, and though Randy has had surgery and is stable, there’s a long road to recovery ahead. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his loved ones.
Chloe Kim is my new hero. She’s the youngest X Games medalist ever. And…I mean just watch this clip from the X Games on Saturday:
Eight openly gay members of Congress are on the cover of the National Journal. Host Michel Martin speaks with Representative Mark Takano of California and Adam Kushman, executive editor of the National Journal, about gay power brokers in D.C.
![“Sea is for Cookie.”
That’s good enough for me.
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