The week of August 15, 2015 was saying goodbye to 8 CDs for a penny (and our youth), saying hello to shade balls, and falling in love with these baby elephants. Also: Groove is always, always in the heart, people. Finally, please invite us to your Swedish crayfish party.

Happy second birthday, Nerds of Color!

Mash-Ups in the News:

Gender Non-Conforming Kids at Summer Camp

It’s just so awesome that there’s a place where everyone gets to be free.

via Mic

Explainer: Hotep Twitter

Black Twitter has a subsection called Hotep Twitter which is misogynistic and homophobic, while being super adamant about the rights of Black men. The more you know!

via Huffington Post Live

Why Are Turbans So Important to Sikhs?

Turbans have lost favor with many young Sikhs in recent years because of the discrimination they face when wearing the garment, but it is so much more than a piece of cloth. It is a part of you.

via Roads & Kingdoms

Barack Obama Made a Spotify Playlist

It hilariously starts with “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg.”

via The White House

Oliver Sacks: Sabbath

As one of the great writers and thinkers of our time is succumbing to his battle with cancer, he continues to give us incredible insight into what it means to live a good life. Here he explores reconnecting with his Jewishness and Shabbat for the first time in 60 years.

via NY Times

If You Get Sick Abroad, Should You Stay Put or Come Back to the U.S.?

When in Sao Paulo, you are cool. When in the Brazilian countryside? Call a medivac immediately. Check out the rankings of health care across the globe.

via NPR

Ice Cube Responds to Rap Genius on “Straight Outta Compton”

You know those long hours you spent in high school talking about the meaning of lyrics? Can you imagine if the artist actually just told you you were wrong? Also, here’s a rap tribute to Ted Cruz. Exactly.

via Vanity Fair

Where Are the Poor White People in Chicago?

An interesting examination of concentrated poverty and race in Chicago.

via WBEZ

Guess Wu!

A genius changed all the characters in Guess Who to Wu-Tang members. We know what all of you are getting for Christmas.

via Toyland 

#ILookLikeAProfessor Deads Academic Stereotypes

Yaaaassss Dr. Kween!

via Colorlines

The Challenge of Being Transgender in a Nursing Home

Imagine all the complications of having a certain gender identity but not changing some part of your body when you transitioned and then aging and working with caretakers who have no idea how to treat you. We are confident that the world will evolve with those gender non-conforming kids.

via The Atlantic

Wearing My Afro Is Always a Political Act

You know we love to talk about hair. This is a good article about black women’s hair. This article is not.

via The New Republic

iPure Helps Orthodox Jews Know When Their Period is Coming

There’s an app for that! If you aren’t comfortable going to the rabbi to confirm that you are impure, there’s now an app that can help you know that you are impure. Perfect!

via Tablet