Dear Reader
Today is my brother’s birthday. He’s one of many having to celebrate a special occasion within the confines of a pandemic (and I hope my gift got to him in London in one piece!) But at least he still gets to celebrate.
Today would have also been the day that Ahmaud Arbery turned 26. He was the runner who was shot and killed in Georgia by two men who were only arrested last night, after very disturbing video footage was leaked and there was a public outcry. Social distancing mandates made it difficult for his friends and family to protest the lack of justice for his murder, 2 months ago. Today, I, and other runners around the world, will be running 2.23 miles in Maud’s name — the date of his death. We will keep our social distance while doing so.
Even as the narrative that we are in this together is touted during the pandemic, real life continues to show us the ways in which that is very much not true, as we also see how this disease has affected black and brown people disproportionately, and enforcement of social distancing rules plays out differently too. This is just another reason why we cannot go back to “normal” after Corona, or “A.C.”, as Spike Lee dubs it. It’s a sobering note, but we need to address this for things to ever get better.
On a lighter note, here is your weekend selection of online entertainment:
1. Tonight, Chance the Rapper is hosting the final night of his teachers’ awards, the Twilight Awards, which he had initially created to celebrate 10 teachers from across the country, with an in-person bash. He moved it online to his IG Live, 5pm PST / 8pm EST.
2. The Lower East Side’s longtime Hester Street Fair is taking its wares online. From 11am-6pm EST on Saturday, there will be 15-minute Instagram takeovers to get to know the vendors and there’ll be a dance party too.
3. Pull up for the latest in the Verzuz battle of appreciation, organized by Timbaland & Swissbeatz, this Saturday, between Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, 4pm PST / 7pm EST.
4. I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s definitely worth mentioning again: if you haven’t yet had the chance to check out the offerings from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, please do. As of now, they are showing vintage 1972 video of former artistic director Judith Jamison in her tour-de-force performance of Cry.
5. On Sunday, the Lincoln Center will hold another #MemorialforUsAll, a secular community remembrance, celebrating the lives of those who have left us too soon, during this time. You’re invited to submit the names of anyone you’d like to be included on their site. Sunday 3pm PST / 6pm EST.
Thank you for reading. In case you missed it, here’s Spike Lee’s short film ode to New York and its people. He told CNN’s Anderson Cooper after he debuted it last night: “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now but here in New York, the epicenter.” I’m with him on that.
Stay safe, stay sane
Your neighbour
Nadia