“I cared enough about justice to abandon ease..."
Hey y’all,
On this Sunday morning, I hope you find some peace and inspiration as you prepare to begin a new week of work, hospitality, community, and demanding a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Before we jump in, I wanted to give you one last chance to donate to the #WalkForPalestine I did a few weeks ago. If you remember, I committed to walk 109 miles (the combined lengths of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank) to raise money for multiple organizations doing vital work in Gaza. I finished the 109 miles and I’ll be sending the money raised to the orgs this next week. So, one last chance to get in! For those reading this that donated, thank you so much. It means the world.
I’m going to keep it short and sweet today. Here are a few things I think you should read, watch, listen to, and consider as we approach this new week in which loads of damn-giving will be required of us:
🎧 PODCAST TO LISTEN TO
My latest podcast conversation is delightful, sobering, and incredibly important, Katie Bogen (pictured above) is a clinical psychology PhD student, a trauma therapist, a sex researcher, a Palestinian-supporting Jewess, a queer activist, and a rabble-rouser.
Here’s a short clip where we talk about the physical and mental trauma Palestinians will have to deal with for decades to come.
In this clip, I asked Katie about what she hopes her legacy will be. I got the title for this email from Katie’s response in this clip.
Lastly, I asked Katie her thoughts on what’s *really* behind the rise in antisemitism right now. Her answer was so incredibly helpful.
Follow Katie on Instagram and TikTok.
You can watch our conversation by clicking below:
Or you can listen to our conversation on Spotify or Apply Podcasts.
P.S. This is a listen-supported podcast. We just launched a Patreon and I’d love for you to join, if you’re able. We need your help. ❤️
🗞️ ARTICLE TO READ
My friend Jon Pavlovitz wrote a great piece last week called Stop Saying Love Wins. The entire piece is gold but this bit was a sober reminder as we continue to fight against bigotry, racism, genocide, capitalism and more:
“Love will not win on its own simply because. Courageous, empathetic, pissed off people armed with sacrificial love, fully participating in the political process and relentlessly engaging the broken systems around them, will win.”
From start to finish, this piece is incredibly helpful. Read the whole thing here.
📺 VIDEO TO WATCH
I’m not sure if you’ve heard but Jon Stewart is back on The Daily Show on Monday nights from now until the election. Jon left the show in 2015 and returned to the show last Monday night seamlessly. His opening line was, “Welcome to The Daily Show. My name is Jon Stewart. Now, where was I?” He went on host the show as if he had never left. If you haven’t watched the opening monologue, take a few minutes today to watch it.
🧠 QUOTE TO PONDER
“You can spend your time agonizing or organizing.” — Dorothy Day
I want you to read that again because it’s so fucking powerful. I hope these words from my patron saint and anarchist activist hero, Dorothy Day, provide marching orders for you this week, and next week, and the next. ORGANIZE. That’s how we save us.
👋🏽 GOODBYE!
Well, that’s it for this week! Thank you for reading. I'm truly grateful. Consider forward this email to a friend? Or send them this link so they can sign up. And you can always email me about anything. I’ll be back next week with good news and steps we can take together to make our world a much better place. We have a lot of work to do. Love y'all.
Peace and love,
Nick Laparra