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The Roundup Top Ten for July 2, 2021

The Strange, Sad Death of America’s Political Imagination

by Daniel Immerwahr

What happened to big-thinking utopianism as a response to national problems? 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s #Pride Tweet Conceals a Violent History

by Jessica Ordaz and Alejandra Portillos

"ICE’s message, that immigration enforcement and LGBTQ equality can be compatible, is dangerous because it conceals a violent history of immigration enforcement that has targeted and harmed LGBTQ people in the name of policing borders."

Racism has Long Undermined Military Cohesion, Just as Gen. Milley Testified

by Natalie Shibley

Right-wing attacks on Gen. Mark Milley's support for military education about racism ignore the long history of similar training in the military and the persistence of the racial inequalities it has tried to address. 

My Relatives Went to a Catholic School for Native Children. It was a Place of Horrors

by Nick Estes

The discovery of mass graves at the site of a Canadian residential school for indigenous children should prompt the United States to investigate abuse at similar schools. 

The Bishops Are Wrong About Biden — and Abortion

by Garry Wills

The historian of Catholicism argues that the US Bishops' demand to deny communion to Joe Biden over his abortion policies rests on a shoddy understanding of the Church's own history with the issue. 

Country Music's Next Big Question: Where are Latino Artists?

by Amanda Marie Martinez

“My dream is for the cowboys and the vaqueros — who were the first cowboys — to all be in one place, to bring those two worlds together.”

The Statue of Chief Justice Taney Never Belonged in the Capitol

by Corey M. Brooks

“If a man,” famed Massachusetts radical Charles Sumner asserted, “has done evil during his life he must not be complimented in marble.” Instead Sumner demanded “the name of Taney … be hooted down the page of history.”

Blackness and the Bomb

by Erica X. Eisen

"Throughout the atomic age, civil defense authorities demanded the active participation of Black citizens whom their measures failed to protect."

Infrastructure Spending Has Always Involved Social Engineering

by Erika M. Bsumek and James Sidbury

Infrastructure projects have always created winners and losers. Historically, communities of color in America have been more likely to suffer harm from them. It's therefore entirely appropriate to make justice concerns a part of a proposed infrastructure bill. 

This Late Civil Rights Icon's Imprint Is Everywhere Today

by Peniel E. Joseph

"Stokely Carmichael's legacy spans the movement for Black power, the push for voting rights in the 21st century and the recent political campaigns that have given voice to those seeking more radical change."