#267: America In Line

In this touching tribute, filmmaker Adrian Burrell tells the story of his 94-year-old grandmother, the “Queen of San Pablo,” who has lived in West Oakland since 1945, ever since migrating from Jim Crow Louisiana. Despite the losses of gentrification and the gravity of white supremacy, Grandma does not dwell on the negative. Rather, she focuses on family and on the joys of her 16 children, 58 grandchildren, 112 great-grandchildren, and 158 great-great-grandchildren. Mr. Burrell says, “Long after I’m gone, and even longer after my grandma, our people are going to have something to look back on.” (11 min)

+ This weekend, call your mom, dad, aunt, uncle, or grandparent, and ask them to tell you a story.

A long time ago, I was going through a rough patch, and a good friend reminded me that the only reality we experience is the one we create with our thoughts. Hogwash, I thought. But apparently, the process of manifesting has taken hold, especially among young people, who maintain that if you practice positive thinking and script your dreams, your crush will text you back, or you’ll land a great job, or Lorde will drop a new album. (Bonus points if you manifest on TikTok.) Don’t mind the research that says that reaching your goals takes effort. (14 min)

Nobody knows whether kids will trick or treat this weekend or if families will convene for Thanksgiving, but once thing’s for sure: Fall is upon us, and that means white women will enjoy their pumpkin spice. In this playful-yet-serious article, Hazel Cillis connects the dots of this phenomenon all the way back to New England, to the myth of Thanksgiving, the role of 19th-century influencer Sara Josepha Hale, the rise of domesticity and agritourism, and later contributions by Martha Stewart and the romanticism of Gilmore Girls. You don’t like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves just because. (14 min)