Good Monday morning. Turn your attention to the small, unnoticed gifts.
I plan to publish another newsletter on Tuesday, June 1. Beyond that? Unclear… maybe through the summer? Stay tuned.
Conversation Starters
START YOUR WEEK HERE (Just trust us! h/t Susannah Washburn)
Funny Tweets About The CDC's Latest Mask Guidance (Buzzfeed)
MASKLESS HORIZONS, MANY QUESTIONS
The combination of new CDC mask guidelines for vaccinated people + better weather (cicadas soon?) + the end of the academic year = things actually feel different, no? This in-between period — caution mixed with hope — changed dramatically on Thursday, May 13. Yet, there are many lingering questions, which I’ve captured here:
When will the pandemic “end”? 723 Epidemiologists on When and How the U.S. Can Fully Return to Normal (NYT)
Is it now reasonable to discuss the end of the pandemic? Yes, but with caveats. (WaPo)
What about hugs? Hugs are coming back. Not everyone is thrilled. (WaPo)
Pictures from the weekend: America is Reopening. Here's What it Looks Like (NYT)
Despite progress in the U.S., what about the rest of the world? The Pandemic Has Split in Two (NYT).
REFRAMING THE MASK CONVERSATION
The people who want to keep masking: ‘It’s like an invisibility cloak’ (Guardian)
Reading this piece made me think a lot about who gets to exist in public without being questioned or harassed, and how much the pro/anti-science and liberal/conservative dichotomies miss when it comes to explaining people’s actual motives. People who are still masking outdoors are not anti-science or pandemic “addicts”. They’re making a choice based on how they’re treated in public.
“It’s like taking away the male gaze. There’s freedom in taking that power back.”
Masks protects retail workers from the aggression of customers. Masks have given some people a sense of freedom from scrutiny.
Some Asian Americans are using masks and sunglasses as a disguise amid anti-Asian attacks. Some trans or non-binary people find masks lead to less misgendering.
“I definitely feel a sense of protection when no one can see my face.”
RETURNING TO THE OFFICE / WORKING FROM HOME
Some employees simply don't want to go back to the office; some are desperate to. Some are struggling to rearrange their routines yet again; some don't have that flexibility. And everyone — employers and employees — is figuring out on the fly how to make it work.
“Working remotely for the last year has revealed just how much of office culture is accidental, arbitrary, and sexist.” It’s not their job to buy you cake (Nieman)
“No one is exempt from the trauma.” What we’re getting wrong in the return-to-office debate (Fortune)
ARE YOU FLOURISHING?
Are You Flourishing? Take the Quiz. (NYT)
Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program uses this quiz to gauge a person’s overall physical, mental and emotional well-being. Just taking the quiz, and reflecting on the questions, can put you on a path to making positive changes.
“THE MILESTONE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX”
Covid graduation season is the time to end the milestone-industrial complex (NBCNews)
It isn't that we should celebrate less. If anything, shifting our attention to small moments gives us more opportunities to embrace our communities, find joy and mark time — coupled with less chasing of “big” moments. Not to mention that those mega-moments signal that we should all have the same life events to celebrate, which inherently leaves out those who don’t have “traditional” milestones or community structures in which to share them. Instead, we can ask ourselves: How do I honor the in-betweens, and celebrate the process of getting here rather than merely the finale?
The DEI-alogue
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
BLACK LIVES MATTER
Kiese Laymon on Black revision, repayment, and renewal. What we owe and are owed. (NYMag)
Gen Z Black Activists Push Back On Sharing Video Of Police Killings (Buzzfeed)
Black mothers are the real experts on the toll of gun violence (NYT)
Why Does the Myth of the Confederate Lost Cause Persist? (Atlantic)
The Achievement of Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad (New Yorker)
THE WAR ON CRITICAL RACE THEORY
The War on Critical Race Theory (Boston Review)
The GOP's 'Critical Race Theory' Fixation, Explained (Atlantic)
AMPLIFYING VOICES
Instagram Is Changing Therapy For People Of Color (Buzzfeed)
How People of Color Have Found Community During the Pandemic (Time)
Asian American Adoptees Try To Connect With Their Past (Buzzfeed)
The term “Asian American” doesn't serve everyone it covers (Vox)
The Artist Upending Photography's Brutal Racial Legacy (NYT)
How Trans And Nonbinary Actors Are Revolutionizing Audiobooks (Buzzfeed)
Future of Higher Education
HOT TOPICS
Recommend: Long read tracing HS students throughout the year: Sophomore Year: Students Struggle With the Coronavirus Pandemic (NYT)
Groundbreaking and important: IUPUI creates a path to promotion and tenure based on DEI work
New study says more abstract, jargony articles get cited less (IHE)
Elite parents want to get their kids into college: How College Became a Ruthless Competition Divorced From Learning (Atlantic)
A Historic Decline in US Births Signals More Enrollment Troubles (Chronicle)
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Very helpful compilation: No More Easy Button: A Suggested Approach to Post-Pandemic Teaching (Cult of Pedagogy)
What Will Weary Faculty Members Need Post-Pandemic? (Chronicle)
7 Dos & Don'ts for Post-Pandemic Teaching With Technology (Chronicle)
Best of the Rest
WELLNESS
Why We Feel Exhausted And Irritable And Lack Focus During The Pandemic (NPR)
Stress in America: One Year Later, A New Wave of Pandemic Health Concerns (APA)
The Pandemic Has Changed Their Shower Habits. How About Yours? (NYT)
In praise of checkmarks: The Oldest Productivity Trick Around (NYT)
UNDER THE RADAR
Ezra Klein: Even if You Think Discussing Aliens Is Ridiculous, Just Hear Me Out (NYT)
Your Household's Secret 'Familect' (Atlantic)
FUN
Remember the Homeless Chess Champion? The Boy Is Now a Chess Master (NYT)
Two Assholes Lost in the Woods: An Oral History of ‘Pine Barrens’ (Ringer)
What’s the best hard seltzer? We tried 18 new flavors to find out. (WaPo)
7 new outdoor bars where you can soak up the sun in the DC area (WaPo)
Until next time (Tuesday, June 1), be strong and be well.