+ SNAP and work requirements; more Americans moving to red states US Edition - Today's top story: White House plan to combat antisemitism needs to take on centuries of hatred, discrimination and even lynching in America [View in browser]( US Edition | 25 May 2023 [The Conversation]
[The Conversation]( Thereâs no question about it. We live in a polarized country during polarizing times. Some of the issues driving us apart are new; others, like antisemitism, are old, ugly and dangerous. In fact, that particular form of hate has a long history in the United States, one that dates back to the Colonial era. But in 2022, antisemitic incidents in the U.S. reached an all-time high. Pamela S. Nadell, a scholar of American Jewish history, explains this week that the White House has a multipronged plan, expected soon, to take antisemitism head-on. She also gives us a brief rundown of [bigger-than-life historic American figures who were colossal antisemites]( to show just how stubborn the problem has always been. During the Civil War, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant expelled Jewish people from his military district. Fortunately, President Abraham Lincoln reversed the order. In 1920, automobile magnate Henry Ford ran a 91-week series attacking Jewish people in a newspaper he owned. Today, we hear major political figures spouting antisemitic ideas regularly. Whatever the era, itâs damaging. âEncounters with antisemitism, and not only those from public figures, linger in the memories of American Jews,â Nadell writes. âIn the 1880s, a Philadelphia writer ruefully recalled a teacher saying: âIt is your misfortune, not your fault, that you are a Jew.ââ Lorna Grisby Senior Politics & Society Editor
Bess Myerson, center, was crowned Miss America in 1945, but was turned away from hotels that did not admit Jews when she went on tour. AP photo/Sam Myers
[White House plan to combat antisemitism needs to take on centuries of hatred, discrimination and even lynching in America]( Pamela S. Nadell, American University Incidents of antisemitism in the US have risen to historic levels, and the White House has vowed to fight them.
While blue, Democratic states are becoming bluer, red, Republican-leaning states are becoming more conservative. Matt Champlin
[Americans are increasingly moving to red, Republican-leaning states â where life is cheaper, but people also die younger]( Robert Samuels, University of California, Santa Barbara Idaho, Montana and Florida had the highest population growth among US states between 2020 and 2022.
A microscopic image of a hookworm egg that can cause intestinal problems in humans. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
[Parasitic infections hit the health of low-income Black communities where states have neglected sewage systems]( Theresa E. Gildner, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis Though many Americans believe that parasitic infections exist in poorer countries, research shows that the problem exists in the US and has a higher impact in communities of color. [GOPâs proposed expansion of SNAP work requirements targets many low-income people in their early 50s â but many of them already work]( Katherine Engel, American University School of Public Affairs; Taryn Morrissey, American University School of Public Affairs Republicans are pressing for policy changes based on a misconception that hardly anyone who gets help buying groceries with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits is employed. [Africa is getting renewed attention from Washington â and some African states are courting African Americans]( Asafa Jalata, University of Tennessee As the United States government builds economic and security ties with African countries, some of those countries are encouraging African Americans to establish social and economic ties in Africa. [More than two dozen cities and states are suing Big Oil over climate change â they just got a boost from the US Supreme Court]( Patrick Parenteau, Vermont Law & Graduate School; John Dernbach, Widener University Honolulu, Baltimore, Charleston, S.C. and several other cities harmed by rising seas and extreme weather are suing the oil industry. At stake is who pays for the staggering costs of climate change. [Turkeyâs ErdoÄan took a page from US presidents and boosted reelection campaign by claiming to have killed a terrorist]( Graig Klein, Leiden University; Scott Boddery, Gettysburg College Invading, attacking and killing adversaries abroad can boost the political prospects of leaders doing poorly at home. -
[Craft breweries are fermenting change, addressing local ills while serving local ales]( Colleen C. Myles, Texas State University And you thought you were just going out for a beer. -
[NFL icon and social activist Jim Brown leaves a complicated legacy]( Kenneth L. Shropshire, University of Pennsylvania The death of NFL great and Hollywood star Jim Brown renews questions about the role of modern-day athletes in political and social issues. -
[Salman Rushdie renews fight against book-banning â 3 essential articles on right-wing challenges to what schoolkids can read]( Howard Manly, The Conversation The constitutionality of the recent wave of proposed book bans is unclear, as the US Supreme Court has given states wide latitude to regulate what is read in public schools and libraries. Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails:
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