Vanity Fair & Jacob Blake

I'm only part-way through Vanity Fair's special issue but this is well done so far.

Ta-Nehisi Coates still refusing to pass around empty words of hope because his pragmatism prevents him from doing so, Killer Mike explaining (again) why he spoke in Atlanta- the complexity of his decision to do that, and how it felt to see that police precinct burn in Minneapolis (we share the same sentiment), Al Sharpton convening with the Floyd family before they buried him, and talking about how a call from Obama on the day of his funeral allowed them to "exhale" if only for a few minutes, and Amy Sherald's breathtaking art. I mean, really. Her work, man. Jacqueline Woodson is featured here too, though I haven't yet read her contribution. Anyway. You can read the issue for free online.

Fitting it drops on the day we're talking about Jacob Blake being shot seven times in the back by police, while his children were psychologically tortured as they watched and pleaded and screamed from the backseat of his car. Reminder: Philando Castile was also shot in front of his girlfriend's 4 year-old-daughter. When you dehumanize a group of people, their children also become expendable.