Issue No. 58
Digital minimalism, racism on buses, and a whole lot of water
🧩Podcast Trivia: Which historic black woman was the inspiration for Nina Simone's song To Be Young, Gifted and Black? (Answer at the end)
100 Historic Black Women Podcast Highlights
No. 16: Augusta Savage
What if I told you that one woman’s passion for sculpting not only captured the spirit of Black America but also ignited a cultural revolution in the heart of Harlem? Augusta Savage didn’t just make art—she made history, and her work still resonates today.
No. 15: Admiral Michelle Howard
In a field where Black women had never been expected to rise, she climbed all the way to the top, reshaping what leadership could look like in the U.S. Navy. From commanding critical rescue missions to becoming the first woman to hold a four-star rank, Howard redefined who belongs in the rooms where decisions are made. Her story isn’t just about breaking barriers—it’s about transforming them.
No. 14: Dorothy Height
Imagine walking into a room full of America’s most powerful leaders and knowing that you inspired their success. Dorothy Height was that woman. A force behind the scenes of every major civil rights victory of the 20th century, yet too often forgotten. But not today—because we’re here to ensure that Black women like Dorothy Height are no longer just footnotes in history.
No. 13: Ella Baker
Ella Baker’s name may not be as widely known as some of the civil rights leaders she worked alongside, but her impact is just as powerful—if not more. She wasn’t the face of the movement, but without her, there may not have been a movement at all. Her tireless work behind the scenes gave rise to the strategies, organizations, and leaders that shaped the fight for Black liberation.
No. 12: Claudette Colvin
Before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, there was Claudette Colvin—a teenager who stood up, or rather sat down, for justice. At just 15 years old, she challenged segregation and sparked a wave of resistance that forever changed the course of the civil rights movement. But despite her bold actions, history almost forgot her name.
No. 11: Harriet Tubman
Imagine being the most wanted person in the South, with a bounty on your head and slave catchers lurking at every turn. Now imagine defying those odds and returning, time and time again, to rescue hundreds of others from bondage. That was Harriet Tubman.
Black History Month (UK)
Bringing back this personal essay for all new subscribers about my experience riding on a bus through central London and encountering a modern relic of the British empire. Check out the full story here:
Musings From My Personal Desk
I’ve been thinking a lot about tech, modern living, and why it is so hard to connect with people these days. Check out this week’s musing below.
📖 Currently Reading
I’m currently reading Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen (this one is going to take me a while to finish because I keep stopping out of utter horror 🫣) Here’s an excerpt:
“The fact that no limits exist to the destructiveness of this weapon makes its very existence and the knowledge of its construction a danger to humanity as a whole. It is necessarily an evil thing considered in any light.”
So I picked up Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport to balance the horror.
📚 Community Reads
These are the nonfiction books our community is currently reading:
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro (quite a few of you all are reading this one–let me know your thoughts when you’re finished)
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides
Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell by Sy Montgomery
On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service by Dr. Anthony Fauci
Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice by Bill Browder
Freezing Order: A True Story of Money Laundering, Murder, and Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath by Bill Browder
Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlensky
Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession, and the Birth of the Lie Detector by Amit Katwala
Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzer
How to Tell When We Will Die: On Pain, Disability, and Doom by Johanna Hedva
Let me know which nonfiction books you’re currently reading!
with care,
Trivia Answer: Lorraine Hansbury. You can listen to her episode here.
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