in light of israel's looming invasion on rafah, south africa implored the icj to call for the protection of palestinians with new preliminary orders. the icj denied this request, insisting that its january orders would be sufficient in ensuring the safety of people residing in rafah.
we have all seen how israel responded to the icj verdict earlier this month. they have all but intensified their attacks on palestinians, their favorite of whom seem to be children. this will end in a bloodbath. palestinians, already malnourished and living in literal tents, will be bombarded, they will be shot, they will be slaughtered. and when i say palestinians, a lot of them are actual toddlers. the videos coming out of this are proof enough.
at this point, it has been made amply clear that palestinians will never experience safety in their own homeland. a lot of the families in gaza are trying to raise funds to get out of it, because there's nowhere left to go.
there is nowhere left to go. if these people don't get the funds necessary to escape, they will die.
it's vital that you go to operation olive branch's spreadsheet, choose a family that resonates with you, and donate as much as you can to their gofundme. every last dollar counts. one dollar could be the difference between life and death for a family. please don't fall victim to the bystander effect. your contribution matters, however little it may be. and whether you're able to donate or not, spread this to as many people as you can. each second we stay silent is a second an entire family is brutally massacred.
Also. Kendrick opened with an unapologetically loud performance focused on Black America with a ton of political messaging. And the women sang “someone better squabble” in almost a mocking tone?? Because so many white Americans only know Kendrick from the Drake beef, and they’re there to see two black men fight, not a celebration of Black Culture.
The american flag literally dissolved into depictions of violence and shooting. And then, once the performers were united in sync again, the audience flashed “WARNING, WRONG WAY”
That has so many meanings, both in the context of the performance being about politics and the path America as a whole is going down—the wrong way.
But also in that specific moment, when black men were working together as a whole, America would rather see them fighting. After that section is over, Uncle Sam mocks Kendrick.
Once the performance turns into a pop song Uncle Sam says, “yeah, that’s what I’m talking about! That’s what America wants—nice and calm! You’re almost there. Don’t mess this-“ and he is cut off by Not Like Us starting. White America is content to watch Black artists as long as the art is palatable to them, but Kendrick disrupted that with the Drake beef, and white America watched because it glorifies violence between black men.
But Kendrick emphasizes that this is not what this performance is about. When asked if he’s really about to do this, he says “It’s a cultural divide, Imma get it on the floor.” And “40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music.” He is doing this for Black America. Not Like Us has brought folks together when America has tried its hardest to divide and conquer. Hell, Kendrick had Crips and Bloods dancing on stage together at a concert. He’s managed to work through centuries of oppression and trauma to bring Black America together in this moment. This is bigger than the music.
And he brings it back to politics with “yeah, they tried to rig the game, but you can’t fake influence.” There’s a reason he said that with the president in the audience. Kendrick had the biggest stage in the world and he used it to say “They Not Like Us” with the president, a known child predator, in the audience. And the rest of the crowd was screaming the lyrics along with Kendrick.
Kendrick Lamar the man you are
"I would kill for you. I would die for you" would you take a break for me? Would you sit down and rest? For a day, a week, a year? Would you let others take care of your needs for me? Would you let yourself be held for me? By me?
i hope everything gets easier soon. or at least funnier. amen
on shame and yearning (pt.2)
Yes the horrors are still on for Monday BUT they just made a special announcement and we get an extra babygirlified middle aged man in the mail with our next horror
han sooyoung girl of all time. she really painstakingly wrote a whole novel for over a decade for a single reader and then another version of herself logged in just to dislike that person's comments specifically
begging people to start paying attention to prison organizing and listening directly to incarcerated activists who are talking about these things instead of just basing your knowledge of the US prison system off of true crime podcasts or brooklyn 99 or whatever.
Marshall Project, Prison Journalism Project, and Scalawag Magazine all have a lot of really good coverage of US prison news and share a lot of writing from incarcerated journalists. Prison Radio has a bunch of important commentaries from incarcerated journalists.
there are a ton of books to prisoners programs and inside/outside organizing collectives and just so much out there if you look for it.