Stay informed, bwesties!
Happening in the World: Women around the world are cutting their hair in protest against the Iranian government. These started after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who was arrested and died in a hospital after not wearing her hijab in accordance with government standards, and showing some hair. Demonstrators include actresses Juliette Binoche and Marion Cotillard, and a Swedish Member of the European Parliament Abir Al-Sahlani. (BBC)
Happening in the US: Evanston, Illinois is the first US city to begin paying reparations to Black residents, specifically surrounding housing inequality. This project is focused on a specific subset of the Black community; residents are eligible if they’ve lived in the town before 1969 (when housing discrimination was at its height). These reparations are grants of $24,000, which can only be used relative to housing: repairs, a mortgage, or a down payment on a house. Community members are split over whether the plan is ambitious enough, as well as if it leaves out poorer residents. (BBC)
Happening in NYC: The number of people in NYC shelters hit the highest number in decades, according to figures released by the city’s Homeless Services Department on Tuesday. As of Sunday, at least 62,070 people were housed in city shelters. This crisis is related to the surge of asylum seekers in NYC in recent months—both people who were priced out of their housing and recent arrivals from the southern border. These figures are also likely an undercount, as they do not include people staying in youth shelters, domestic violence shelters, faith-based shelters, and more. (Gothamist)
Happening in Our Community: At 6 pm tomorrow, there will be a virtual screening of Truth Tellers, a “new documentary film chronicling the lives of courageous Americans fighting for peace, racial equity, environmental justice, and indigenous rights through the eyes of Robert Shetterly, a long-time activist and artist.” This film screening will be followed by a Q&A with film subject Maulian Dana. Register here!
Film via Bwarchives