Rachel

Council of Historians

by  • 

That recent Atlantic article suggesting that the President needs a council of historians to consult.

Word.

lead_960

“Why the President Needs a Council of Historians” (Graham Allison and Niall Ferguson)

While I’d never thought of it before, I certainly agree. As a food historian and a former grad student in history (ugh, don’t ask and I won’t tell), and former high school history teacher, I can tell you that people don’t know anything. It’s really rare that people really know history, even the party line. Honestly, if you want to change your entire life, your whole entire self, pick up a history book. It’s been made painfully obvious, most of our government officials don’t know their history and if they do, it’s probably what you learn in high schools or basic college history courses. It is necessary. I hope the idea of such a council is given some serious consideration.

Click the image to read that article if you haven’t already.

#BlackLivesMatter

by  • 

Saw this on Twitter via @triciamatthew. A poem about Eric Garner by way of Split This Rock written by Ross Gay:

 
A Small Needful Fact
Is that Eric Garner worked
for some time for the Parks and Rec.
Horticultural Department, which means,
perhaps, that with his very large hands,
perhaps, in all likelihood,
he put gently into the earth
some plants which, most likely,
some of them, in all likelihood,
continue to grow, continue
to do what such plants do, like house
and feed small and necessary creatures,
like being pleasant to touch and smell,
like converting sunlight
into food, like making it easier
for us to breathe.
***
Used with permission.
***
Ross Gay is a gardener and teacher living in Bloomington, Indiana. His book, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, is available from University of Pittsburgh Press, 2015.
#BlackLivesMatter