10 Things I'm Thinking About

More than a few thoughts on the outcome and aftermath of this week's election results, as well as the best content from across the internet, my own life, and beyond to make sense of it all.

If a week can be both eye-opening and sobering, it's the week of November 4th, 2024. We said goodbye to Quincy Jones, leading to a touching retrospective of his life written by Hanif Abdurraqib for The New Yorker. The Sephora sale is coming to a close. Shop

Hana J

’s recommendations below.

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The biggest news is that Donald Trump won the election, securing both the popular vote and the electoral college.

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Here are ten things I’m reading, tuning into, daydreaming about, listening to, doing, and everything in between to navigate it all from my mind and heart to yours. 💖

Najma Sharif on All Platforms

Her substack is

Inconvenient Taste

!

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” - from Matthew 25:40

I joked earlier this week that with the election results, we’d see a bastardization of James Baldwin quotes—taken out of context and stripped of their politics. This week’s electoral outcome feels like a political and racial betrayal, but it is precisely what America is at its foundation: a country of broken and false promises. But as James Baldwin once said, “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” In his timely essay from the September 29th, 1979, issue of The Nation—Baldwin explores the failures of Christianity, righteousness, and interconnected struggles for justice—a framework we need now more than ever.

Quote: “I know what I am talking about: my grandfather never got the promised ‘forty acres, and a mule,’ the Indians who survived that holocaust are either on reservations or dying in the streets, and not a single treaty between the United States and the Indian was ever honored. That is quite a record.”

I can’t wait to start dressing!!!!!!!!

When life feels overwhelming, a new playlist and a walk can be a breath of fresh air. Bump this

A Reminder from Kwame Ture

We don’t have to wait another 2 or 4 years; politics is every day.

The Dinner Party From Heaven

There’s a version of adulthood I dreamt up in my head where my social life was just a revolving door of get-togethers with friends—where everyone looked good, food was abundant, and you wouldn’t be judged for being a bit messy. I’m happy to say that dream is my reality.

What was on the menu? Homemade spring rolls, bubbly, traditional Filipino lumpia, and, most importantly, conversation about Russian manicures and how no one wants to be a super mom.

Tressie McMillan Cottom is always right.

Want a short, lighthearted, and thoughtful conversation on what cost the Democrats the 2024 election? It's this week’s episode of The New York Times The Opinion where Tressie McMillan Cottom and Lydia Polgreen argue that both the 2016 and 2024 U.S. presidential elections were shaped not just by “economic anxiety” but by deep-seated anger towards failing social institutions, racial and gender dynamics, and the Democratic Party's inability to capture the righteous anger of those facing economic insecurity.

Instead, the party relied on the sympathies of loyal supporters, while Trump capitalized on these societal frustrations with his populist message.

The two also chat about the gendered expectation that white women should and would abandon the Republican Party. The reality? Instead of abandoning their conservatism, white woman attach their political outcomes to men's security and aim to choose better partners and increase financial stability, particularly in light of the looming threat of a national abortion ban and other threats to women’s rights.

@sofiamsd#narasmith #luckybluesmith #tradwife #marxist #marxism #marxistleninist

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Cottom makes a pragmatic statement about the party's messaging about inflation and other economic issues: “One of the things that are important for the left’s role in the Democratic Party is writing that story. That’s what populism on the right has done for the G.O.P., and the message we took was: Our populism on the left is too toxic and too dangerous for us to even entertain salvaging the best parts of their storytelling.” This episode is a must-listen if you're grappling with analyzing the election beyond the confines of misogynoir.

Another note on messaging: Tressie unpacks that Trump is stupid and lucky for The Daily Show, but he has a strange gift: he knows what people want. He also acknowledges that American politics is rooted in identity politics and that every American has an identity. Trump understood how to tap into the white identity to fuel his populist appeal.

Desi Lydic asks an excellent question: “What do you think his character says about American masculinity?” Tressie replies, “It says almost everything.”

No Place for Self-Pity, No Room for Fear

In 2015, Toni Morrison provided a blueprint in The Nation when she reflected on her thoughts following George W. Bush's 2004 presidential reelection.

She asks:

“In this contemporary world of violent protests, internecine war, cries for food and peace, in which whole desert cities are thrown up to shelter the dispossessed, abandoned, terrified populations running for their lives and the breath of their children, what are we (the so-called civilized) to do?”

She tells us it's not more war, more colonialism, more debate, or wallowing.

“No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

Let’s Talk About Black Women, TikTok & Starbucks

In the wake of the 2024 election results and a sentiment that voters failed to protect the interests of Black women, Black people, particularly Black women, have been posting videos of themselves drinking Starbucks as a statement against supporting Palestinians.

This trend and discourse are disheartening and frustrating. They reflect how many people equate electoral politics with the ultimate measure of political engagement and solidarity. They also underscore the lack of political education and intention behind our activism.

@msmenopauseReplying to @Scott Terranova

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The Starbucks boycott wasn’t singularly about Palestine but in solidarity with Starbucks union workers, as the multinational company is historically anti-union.

Here’s a primer: The Starbucks boycott arose after October 7th, when a Hamas attack led to an Israeli military counterassault on Gaza, resulting in significant civilian casualties. In the U.S., Starbucks Workers United joined protests calling for a ceasefire and expressed support for Palestine. A brief “Solidarity with Palestine” post by the union sparked backlash from Starbucks executives, who denounced the message and accused the union of supporting violence while avoiding criticism of Israel’s actions. The company also sued the union for using its name, prioritizing its image over workers’ advocacy.

In addition to the boycott being multi-layered, the links between Black and Palestinian struggles aren’t new, and it’s foolish and selfish to think that solidarity is limited to an election cycle.

Here’s a piece of history: In a 2023 article for Vox on The Long, Complicated History of Black Solidarity with Palestinians and Jews, Fabiola Cineas and Sam Klug lay out the interconnectedness of the movements:

Fabiola Cineas:

How did Black and Arab people in the United States make connections in their everyday lives during this period?

Sam Klug:

This is a really important part of this story that gets overlooked. The Black Power movement was diverse and diffuse geographically and ideologically. But one of the most important nodes was the Detroit area because it was a center of [one of] the largest Arab American communities, and the key organizations in the movement there were a series of Black caucuses within the United Auto Workers. The League of Revolutionary Black Workers worked alongside Arab American workers in these auto plants and made on-the-ground connections. Arab American workers took inspiration from Black workers’ caucuses and formed an Arab Workers Caucus in 1973 and then pressured their local union to divest from Israeli state bonds after the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

I could provide countless other examples of Black and Palestinian solidarity that predate the latest wave of communal and popular resistance efforts, but the point here is that true solidarity isn’t transactional; it should be foundational to one’s morals and principles, regardless of election outcomes or perceived support from other groups. Genocide, union-busting, and human rights violations remain unjust, no matter the results of an election.

If you’re interested in Black feminist literature on Palestine, from the minds of Ntozake Shange to June Jordan, read here.

EarthGang's 'Perfect Fantasy': How The Afrofuturist Rap Duo Went "Completely Left" On Their New Album

Between Trump's unfortunate reelection, Tyla’s debut album, and the “Agora Hills” being snubbed by the Recording Academy, my interview with Atlanta rap duo EARTHGANG dropped on Grammy.com. I haven’t written about music professionally or outside of this newsletter since 2022, and it feels good to exercise that muscle again. Their new album, Perfect Fantasy, is their first independent release since leaving Dreamville. It dropped last week and is a progressive rap album featuring funky, innovative soundscapes, collaborations with Little Dragon and Snoop Dogg, and themes of Afrofuturism woven throughout.

My favorite track is “Red Flag. " It feels like a cousin of Chance’s Acid Rap…I wish I had written that in the piece.

Be Careful Where You Shop

The girls on TikTok are urging us to back up our beliefs by shutting our wallets and refusing to shop at brands that overtly or subtly align themselves with the rising tide of conservatism amid Trump's reelection—Merit Beauty and Revolve, I’m looking at you. Shopping and consumption won’t be our salvation.

Check out this article from Glossy about how brands are responding to Trump’s reelection.

@cultureworkcould a fast fashion company run by billionaire men be any more obvious? #fyp #revolve

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@meredithmlynch#greenscreen friendly reminder katherine power and @Goop paved the way #trump #maga #unhinged #meritbeauty #womensreproductiverights #losangeles

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@tamillionaire4evaI also own the place i live in and i think a lot of my personal rules around spending have helped me get here (aside from my priviledges). Im happy to share about the mindset changes ive made and would love to share organizations that need funding, please DM me! #underconsumption #overconsumption #youdontneedit #savingmoney #psychologyofmoney #staudsamplesale #deinfluencing #mutualaid #communityorganizing

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That’s all for this Sunday!

Please share this newsletter with friends, haters, colleagues, and important people who could potentially pay me to write more.

Is there anything specific you’d like me to write about? Article recs? Please email me at ellisellice@gmail.com.