The week of February 20, 2021 was weeping as we landed on Mars; bringing back the nervous breakdown; remembering to commit to it; and rereading, on her birthday, Ms. Morrison’s wisdom: We are not the work we do. 

Texas, we love you. Here’s how you all can help.

Mash-Ups In The News

What We’re Into: Súp Noodle Bar’s Rib Bone Pho

“I focused on going back to my roots to show them what pho could be, not what pho is.”

Today, Viet Nguyen leads a thriving restaurant group. While his journey spans Vietnam factory kitchens and work as a restaurant IT technician, his story ends how it began: with pho.

via LA Times

Stop Telling Black People To “Just Trust Science.”

How can you trust science or the healthcare system when both have exploited and betrayed you throughout history?

Vaccine hesitancy is high in Black communities, but let’s unpack the when, where, why, and what next. 

via Incision

Bling Empire And The Potential Of Asian-American Mediocrity

It’s “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” meets “Crazy Rich Asians.” It’s trash, but it’s our trash. Bling Empire is a new milestone in Asian-American media representation: joyfully entertaining, fantastically mediocre.

via Harpers Bazaar

The Generational Rift Over ‘Intersectional Environmentalism’

“Environmental justice”? Or “intersectional environmentalism?” Putting a name to a movement means balancing different world views without stoking division.

via Grist

Meet The Queens Native Who Helped Engineer Mars Rover Perseverance

27-year-old Vishnu Sridhar is a part of human (and hopefully non-human) history after the landing of Perseverance — a rover seeking signs of ancient life on Mars. 

“We have a pandemic going on. It’s a difficult time. The sort of stuff that’s happening with Mars rover landing, it really allows us to take a step back to reflect on human achievements and what’s left to explore in the future.”

via Gothamist

Asian American Attacks: What’s Behind The Rise In Violence?

Another look at the rise in violence and xenophobic attacks against Asian Americans. How do we embrace the reality and history of Black and Asian solidarity in a way where all communities can thrive?

Facebook’s Eric Toda speaks out: “I’ve had enough. And I’m now big enough to avenge the hate visited on my grandfather when I was a kid…And in case you haven’t been paying attention, we have been speaking up the entire time, loud and clear.”

via Time

Chloé Zhao On Directing Oscar Front-Runner ‘Nomadland’

Can feeling as if you’re from nowhere be an advantage? She directed the exquisitely intimate “Nomadland” and is queued for the massively corporate Marvel movie, “Eternals.” A Mash-Up in all respects, Chloé Zhao is the present and future of Hollywood directors.

via Vulture

Why Do King Cakes Have Plastic Babies Hidden Inside?

From hidden beans and murder(?!) to plastic babies and cake duty at the next party, the tradition of king cake goes back centuries.

 via Garden and Gun

COVID-19 Has Already Cut U.S. Life Expectancy By A Year. For Black Americans, It’s Worse

In 2020, Black males lost 3 years of life in six months.

It takes a long time for progress in health equity to prolong people’s lives, but only a few months to shorten them again.

via PBS