The week of July 18, 2020 was screaming peacocks; cake; and all the rogan josh. All of it!

Also! Our friends + Call Your Girlfriend hosts Aminatou Sow + Ann Friedman have a new book out about the deep and enduring power of female friendship and well. We are grateful. Buy it and be moved. 

Desus And Mero Have Conquered Comedy

The duo is BACK. Hear them chat about transforming television during a pandemic, dealing with cops selfies, being funny without being a jerk, and listening to their fans to create Late Night For The People.

via New Yorker

How BTS Army Raised $1 Million For Black Lives Matter

And they did it mostly in one day. We’ll never match the mobilizing force of K-pop, but we can at least try to comprehend their power. Read this for some handy graphic guides on BTS, ARMY, and their Twitter ecosystem.

via Reuters

Ask A Sane Person: Jia Tolentino On Practicing The Discipline Of Hope

One of our fave essayists of today talks about the death cult of capitalist individualism, her daily routine, how she maintains hope in the human race and its future, and, somehow, so much more.

via Interview

What Queens Can Teach America

“I rode city buses with rich and poor, black and white, young and old, and everyone in between. I learned curse words in at least seven different languages, and I learned that no one was inherently better than me, nor I inherently better than anyone else because of the color of our skin.”

via NY Daily

Ava DuVernay Unveils New Social Experiment

Two families with very different lives and a full-immersion cultural experiment. Participants exchange homes for a week and experience the life of someone unlike them to understand and appreciate the ways they are alike.

via Variety 

Minimum Wage Workers Cannot Afford Rent In Any U.S. State

The average minimum wage worker would need to work almost 80 hours per week to afford a one-bedroom apartment. Almost 100 hours to afford a two-bedroom. How is this a minimum wage, again?

via CNBC

What Black Lives Matter Has Revealed About Small-Town America

Trump flags still hang from front porches, but even in the small counties of middle America, you could find Black Lives Matter signs and people proud to hold them up.

via NY Times

The Color Of My Skin Is Sometimes Confused With The Scope Of My Talent

We should be seen as varied, evolving. Acknowledged in fields we’ve worked to become experts in, our race a facet of our perspective. We should be given not just space, but the space to be our whole selves.

via Epicurious

Yara Shahidi Has Been Preparing For This Moment Since Birth

She gained recognition as Zoey, the eldest daughter on the series Black-ish, and its spin-off, Grown-ish. Hear her thoughts on reclaiming Black joy, taking back our ability to imagine, and knowing how to hand over the mic.

via Elle

Dungeons & Dragons Will Change To Address Racism, But Someone Has Already Done The Work

There weren’t many Mash-Ups in Dungeons and Dragons lore before, but one game designer has created a zine that embraces the beauty, diversity, strength, and languages of Mash-Up culture. Elves, humans, dwarves, halflings — live and thrive together.

via Polygon

Can Millions Of Deep Conversations With Total Strangers Beat Trump — And Heal America?

How do you win the hearts and minds of voters in the middle of a deadly pandemic? Deep canvassing. Volunteers and organizers engage in extended, empathetic conversations, with the goal of combating prejudice and shifting beliefs.

Mash-Up Creative Studio also produces “The Next Move,” a People’s Action podcast, and you should definitely be listening to it. Are you listening?