The Top 5: Student homelessness, prison life & leaving the USA for Africa
Plus, childcare costs are unsustainable
ICYMI Wear We Are this week:
Episode 36: Nationalism, Identity and Politics
The Morning Five: September 26, 2022
The Morning Five: September 27, 2022
The Morning Five: September 28, 2022
The Morning Five: September 29, 2022
And, in last week’s episodes, we partnered with Thistle Farms and you can use our code “wearweare” for 15% your entire purchase!
Welcome to your weekly edition of the Top 5 articles we’ve read this week. Each week, we read dozens of articles in the hope we find essays and reporting that speaks to big ideas, trends, future looks, and incredible human stories. We hope you enjoy our list, and do always let us know if you have a suggestion or a recommendation! Please also consider becoming a paid subscriber if this is one of those newsletters you open up all the time or look forward to each week.
The Top 5 articles for your week:
“Young and Homeless in Rural America” (NYT)
Because “families…don’t fit easily into the ‘homeless industrial complex,’ as some advocates for homeless youth and families have taken to calling the funding mechanisms, rules and priorities that determine the fates of millions of Americans who struggle with housing insecurity every year. The system is focused largely on adults experiencing homelessness in cities, and it is not well equipped to address the types of homelessness experienced by children and families, especially in rural areas. The limited data that exists suggests that rural students face homelessness in roughly the same proportion as their urban counterparts — and with far less in the way of a support system. In this vacuum of resources, schools sometimes offer the only form of help available to homeless families.”
“Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò Reconsiders ‘Centering the Marginalized’” (Sojourners)
Because this is a broad and fascinating interview on identity politics, deference politics, Black radicalism, reparations and more.
“The Case for Leaving America to Escape Racism” (Washington Post Magazine)
Because a WaPo reporter discusses her own views and gives insight into the growing movement around African Americans leaving the US and moving to Africa: “…it was not merely White politicians discussing this topic. Black intellectuals, philosophers and leaders have long debated whether African Americans should be seeking to integrate or to separate. In short: Should we go, or should we stay?”
“The Reason Child Care Is So Hard to Afford” (The Atlantic)
Because “Child care is labor-intensive. You have vulnerable, fragile kids. You need competent adults to keep those kids safe. Advanced robotics, AI computing systems, assembly lines, and McKinsey consultants will not make child care more efficient. No other business is so impervious to productivity enhancement, because the core services being provided—tenderness, watchfulness—do not scale up.”
“The Art of Bidding, or How I Survived Federal Prison” (The Marshall Project)
Because this essay gives detailed insight into American prison life — its culture, grime, and profound brokenness. (n.b. lots of vulgarity)