@jbenton Ah, I remember that all too well. There were two things that mortified me about that day.

The first was that as it was happening, I looked off-stage and the Principal was standing there, staring at his shoes. He did nothing to stop it. A few teachers were actually crying. @jbenton The other was that when I got back to my hotel, I was inundated with emails from marginalized kids (and teachers) in that school. They shared their horror stories, but also begged me not to mention any of them for fear of reprisals.

My mom is a descendant of Constance Hopkins, who was on the Mayflower. The story of the pilgrims is a myth told to 3rd graders and people, like Sen. Cotton, would have a faith crisis if forced to confront the historical reality instead of the cartoon still playing in his head.

https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1329197835800154117

"The pilgrims came here because they wanted religious freedom." They were separatists, and once here, didn't allow anyone to practice anything other than their radical brand of Christianity.

A deadly epidemic in Asia has spread to the US.

While the Chinese were the first to die, Chinese Americans have been subjected to instances of abuse and harassment, called unclean, filthy, and “a constant menace to public health.” 1/18 A quarantine and travel restrictions have been put in place.

The travel of minorities has been limited, while Caucasian people have fewer travel restrictions, as though this is a disease that only affects people of color. 2/18

In 2017, I gave a keynote address at Highland Park High School (Dallas) and was trolled by an entire auditorium of students. They randomly interrupted my talk again and again and I walked off the stage after they cheered for the Japanese Internment. 1/9 That was followed by students defacing my Wikipedia page, posting racial slurs on my author page on Facebook, and some charming emails from parents threatening me. 2/9

Defund the police? Here's an example that you're benefiting from right now. 1/9 Until the 70s, ambulance services were generally run by local police and fire departments. There was no law requiring medical training beyond basic first-aid and in many cases the assignment of ambulance duty was used as a form of punishment. 2/9

It’s June 6th, the anniversary of D-Day, a day we should also remember that 1.2 million black soldiers who served during WWII, came home and were denied the GI Bill.

If you’re thinking, "What? I’ve never heard of this.” Welcome to Privilege Town, population: you. 1/13 The language of the GI bill didn’t exclude black veterans. It didn’t have to, because there was already a system in place that saw 39% of black soldiers dishonorably discharged, twice as many as white soldiers. 2/13

WHY ARE WE ALLOCATING EMERGENCY AID FOR THE ARTS?

Screamed by people who have been watching Netflix, reading books, and playing video games for 18 hours/day. The WPA Federal Art Project during the Great Depression gave us thousands of incredible artists and lasting work now considered to have been created by "American Masters."

December 7th 1941 - The Imperial Japanese Navy bombs Pearl Harbor.

December 8th 1941 - FDR declares war on Japan, saying no one could have seen this coming. 1/8 December 11th, 1941 - FDR addresses the nation and says that despite the loss of the Philippines and its entire garrison, he'd give himself and his team a 10 for their outstanding work. 2/8