This is a week too hot to be anything but yourself I think.Authenticity has been the theme of this week it seems, as the Macklemore/Ed Sheeran controversy has taken over entertainment news over the last few days. The download for those of us who haven't listened to either of these artists in a decade (which is fair tbh) is that Macklemore was an opener for Ed Sheeran's tour and did the thing he's been doing for awhile now, aka being very pro-Palestine and loud about it. Robert Kraft, aka the owner of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, rallied a bunch of other billionaire stadium owners to tell Ed Sheeran that he could not play at their venues if Macklemore was opening. So Macklemore dropped out of the tour at the behest of the tour promoter, but what people are side-eyeing is how Ed Sheeran in trying to be apolitical is still taking a side by not standing with Macklemore. And to add insult to injury, all of the other opening acts (Finneas, and Irish musicians Aaron Rowe and Beoga) and Ed's backing band Lukas Graham have all dropped out in solidarity with Macklemore. Outside of Finneas, these are all smaller acts who are dropping the visibility of a US tour for the sake of standing up for what's right, meanwhile Ed Sheeran is trying to both sides a genocide. 

This is all relevant to the question of authenticity because it brings up the question what are you willing to stand up for when the chips are down? I'm not going say when the chips are down you see who you truly are, because I think there is more to a person then who they are in crisis or chaos. However it does teach you an important part of yourself. We should all have something we're willing to risk our stability for, because it's just that important. We should all have lines that can't be crossed. And those lines can change with time, but it can become really easy to be so flexible and passive that you lose all sense of self. You start walking wherever the wind takes you, not with a sense of adventure but because you don't have a grounded idea of where you intend to go and who you intend to be. These crisis points can help clarify where these lines are and test their strength, and then it's the everyday battle of sticking to those beliefs. That could be talking opening about things that matter to you to people who may not like it but need to hear it. It may be dedicating time to supporting a cause in-person rather than just reposting about it on your Insta story. It sucks sometimes, because surviving often feels like it takes up so much physical and emotional labor, it often feels like you can't fit another thing in. But we are more than just crisis points, authenticity is living your values every day, in big ways and small ways, just make sure it's not just one or the other. 

News to Know

One of AI’s Fiercest Critics Says All the Doom Talk Is ‘Meant to Distract Us’ (Wired): Tragically an article for Wired subscribers, but it's worth the subscription! Timnit Gebru has been sounding the alarm on this troubling AI industry since well before most of us were paying attention. A reminder to stay grounded in our conversations of the effects of AI on our world, and how the fears of AI taking over is keeping our attention away from the concrete things that are coming from this industry currently. Subscribe to Wired if you don't already, but if you can't then here's a quote from the article: 

• "...what’s really existential is AI powering autonomous weapons, killing machines, that are actually being used in warfare. The climate catastrophe is a real thing that could be exacerbated by what these tech companies are building. Bosses are using AI as an excuse to get rid of their pesky workers. This machine-god narrative is, in my opinion, meant to distract us from these. The industry has become a mix of cults, a mix of people who are true believers, just like a preacher who says the end times is coming. The singularity has been coming for decades now." - Timnit Gebru, AI Researcher
• Philo Road Ahead Initiative moves forward with opening of Community Engagement & Violence Prevention Office (Illinois Public Media): For those who think this venture sounds familiar, then you're likely remembering the saga of the UPD budget increase in the Summer of 2024 (Check out our reporting on it here). This office was a part of that bargaining and was one of the things UPD gained. I love violence prevention and I loveeee community engagement, wish it wasn't for the cops tho :/
• This city led the way on reparations for Black people. Trump is trying to stop it (NPR): A rare national spotlight on another issue Illinois communities are leading the charge in: Reparations for African Americans. This story is about Evanston, Illinois, which is the first city in the US to start giving it's residents for real reparations. Their reparations program is focuses on housing discrimination in Evanston during the 20th century, but it is worked that has reinvigorated a movement throughout the country. Our local reparations coalition is very connected to the Evanston group, so read this to learn more and also check out the work happening in Champaign County for reparations! Trump may try to stop it, but these groups aren't gonna stop fighting for repair for the harms of slavery, segregation, and discrimination in Illinois and across the country. 
• 5 public universities in Illinois use Flock surveillance cameras on campus, records show (WBEZ): Disappointing to see the entire UI system included on this list, with UIUC spending the most one Flock cameras of all the unis listed ($180k since 2021 when it became the first public university to get a Flock contract, which is also yikes...). 

Lavender Vibes

• Telefone by Noname (2016): This year is the 10th anniversary of Telefone, as well as a wealth of Black Chicago album's that changed my mind and heart for the better. Not to brag, but I did go to the Noname concert in Chicago last Friday and it was everything I wanted it to be. A beautiful, Black crowd and a great venue, This album will always be in rotation for me, and as a young Black woman from Chicagoland, listening always make me feel close to home. I'm just a little older than Noname was when she dropped that first album, and it feels even more relevant to me now than it did at 16. This is an album that lives in the Black femme pantheon along with folks like Jamila Woods, Willow, and Ravyn Lenae. Also love going to a concert and hearing Noname say "are there any socialists in the crowd?" There are so few artists who are not only great musicians but who exemplify leftist values that I live by. in a work that is still seeking to glamorize abusers like Chris Brown, Noname is a salve to a bitter world. Listen to this album, now preferably. 

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