The conversation between Klein and Coates showed me that a lot of people who screech about “infighting” on the left aren’t aware of the fact that marginalized people have been forced to learn how to regulate their emotions during conflict, and so, are better able to hear what’s actually being said.

Amy Sherald says the Smithsonian suggested removing a painting of a transgender woman as the Statue of Liberty from her upcoming show at the National Portrait Gallery “to avoid provoking President Trump.” Sherald: “I cannot in good conscience comply with a culture of censorship”

Because the reporting across outlets hasn’t mentioned it I want to stress that Justice Jackson referenced the courageous & resolute stance of federal judges J. Shelly Wright in Louisiana and Frank Johnson in Alabama who issued school desegregation orders in the face of “Massive Resistance” to Brown.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the Supreme Court’s newest member, denounced on Thursday what she described as "relentless attacks" on judges, and an environment of harassment that "ultimately risks undermining our Constitution and the rule of law."

In case you missed it: really important reporting from @loganhullinger.bsky.social and @skamidi.bsky.social baltimorebeat.com/leader-of-no...

"The National Museum of African American History and Culture is not a place that traffics in improper ideology," Clint Smith writes. "It is a museum that recognizes that America has been suffused in improper ideologies for most of its history." https://theatln.tc/81hXXEqK

Your periodic reminder that one way to think about privilege is: who's allowed to make mistakes?

“Not only is silence in the face of mounting authoritarianism morally objectionable…IT’S NOT WORKING... We must learn from the past. We cannot remain silent in the face of authoritarian attacks on our peers, even if they have not yet come for us.”
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Perry’s keynote transforms into an interrogative lecture about the history of the blues as a focal point of Black life, organizing, and art deserving of rigorous study. baltimorebeat.com/black-in-blu...

‘Paint Me a Road Out of Here’: Faith Ringgold’s Gift to Prisoners www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/m...

One thing I have learned that explains inaction and lack of strategizing in ways large and small during these attacks on governmental structures is folks don’t want to hear about the larger context and possible outcomes. It doesn’t motivate them to action, but frightens them to silence.

You can also reach out to me on Signal at nhannahjones.67

If you have tips about the DEI mandates coming from the Trump Administration, if you are being impacted or know of others being impacted, email me at nhannahjones@nytimes.com.

One last thing on this piece: the best contemporary film critics are Black women (by a sizable distance).

I wrote about the disparate journeys of Black films throughout award season — Nickel Boys and Exhibiting Forgiveness in particular this year — and how their successes are too often dictated by their relationship to the white audience. My latest: www.huffpost.com/entry/nickel...