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The Roundup Top Ten for February 12, 2021

What’s at Stake in the Fight Over Reopening Schools

by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

In Chicago, parents anxious to return children to school have blamed teachers' unions. Some proponents of reopening are using racial equity arguments while ignoring the gross racial inequality of schooling-as-usual before the pandemic and the work of teachers' unions to fight it.

Immigration Enforcement and the Afterlife of the Slave Ship

by Ryan Fontanilla

Since Ronald Reagan's executive order introduced the Haitian Migrant Interdiction Operation, the U.S. Coast Guard has been in an undeclared war against the 120,000 Haitian asylum-seekers it has interdicted, labeled "economic" rather than "political" refugees, as though the poverty they are fleeing is not political in nature. 

How Will Jeff Bezos Spend His Billions Now?

by Margaret O'Mara

John D. Rockefeller used philanthropy to blunt harsh criticism of his business practices and the social dysfunction represented by his immense wealth. What will his 21st-century analogue Jeff Bezos do for an image-burnishing second act? And will it be about service to the public or service to Bezos? 

Empire Shaped Ireland's Past. A Century After Partition, It Still Shapes Our Present

by Michael D. Higgins

The Irish President argues for a full reckoning with the difficult aspects of imperialism and sectarian violence in Ireland's history, by recognizing that a singular unifying narrative is an impossibility. 

The Problem of Environmental Racism in Mexico Today is Rooted in History

by Jayson Maurice Porter

The marginalization of Afro-Mexican history in the state of Guerrero prevents considering policy solutions that could advance environmental justice in areas harmed by tourism development and deforestation. 

Black History is Often Shunned, Like the Book I Wrote

by Martha S. Jones

The historian of voting rights and Black women's activism examines the reaction to a planned discussion of her book through a Louisiana public library. 

What Kyle Rittenhouse's Fate Reveals about Law and Order

by Nicole Hemmer

Historically, white vigilantism, especially against the demands of minorities for civil and economic equality, has been a key component of the politics of "law and order."

Marjorie Taylor Greene is Just the Latest Radical White Woman Poisoning Politics

by Elizabeth Gillespie McRae

White women have been active participants in creating and advancing the politics of white supremacy and eliminationist conspiracy theorizing. Marjorie Taylor Greene's antics are nothing new. 

Why a Shootout Between Black Panthers and Law Enforcement 50 Years Ago Matters Today

by Paul Ringel

A 50 year-old police attack on members of the High Point chapter of the Black Panther Party has been largely forgotten, but it shows the historical development of a pattern of law enforcement that targets Black militants and allows white supremacist radicals free rein. 

Henry Aaron and American Memory

by Robert Greene II

"The memories of Jackie Robinson and Henry Aaron, two Americans reviled by many of their compatriots during their playing days but embraced by virtually everyone now, are but the sports phase of a nationwide problem—the problem of properly remembering a painful past."