Urban Consulate

📣 NEW! 🎥 🎞️ Introducing Urban Consulate: In Session, a new collection of recorded wisdom on building more just & equitable communities. Featuring @DevitaDavison @drclwilks @Shari_Davis1 @orlandopbailey Darnell Adams & jessica Care moore. Watch online: urbanconsulate.com

"When I think about what it means to be an American, I truly believe it's more than a pride we inherit. It's the past we step into and how we repair it,” says American poet Amanda Gorman.

All of us are impacted by the legacy of slavery. Today we honor, celebrate, and mourn the lives of enslaved people and hope for a future where the harms created by the legacy of slavery are repaired. #Juneteenth

Through struggle and discipline, persistence and faith, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. helped move this country forward. As we honor his legacy today, let’s remember the lesson he taught us: that even in the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can help change it. In honor of #MLKDay, I hope you’ll do what you can in your community to create a better future for us all.

“Americans understand Americans less because we see Americans less,” @DKThomp told @loracorkelley in The Atlantic Daily. “I don’t think there should be any confusion about why an anti-social century has coincided with a polarized century.” theatlantic.com/newsletters/ar…

@DKThomp Thank you for your work on this! So helpful to see more of the spatial & social patterns woven together.

Here is a gift link to the full article. I would be honored if you read it, and even more honored if you shared it. theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…

ICYMI: My latest is a long piece on the historic rise in social isolation in America. Here are the 10 most important, depressing, or just mind-blowing statistics I found in my reporting. ON SOCIAL ISOLATION 1. Men who watch television now spend 7 hours in front of the TV for every 1 hour they spend hanging out with somebody outside their home. 2. The typical female pet owner spends more time actively engaged with her pet than she spends in face-to-face contact with friends of her own species. 3. From the late 1970s to the late 1990s, the frequency of hosting friends for parties, games, dinners, and so on declined by 45%, according to Robert Putnam. Then it got worse. Between the early 2000s and the latest data, the average amount of time that Americans spent hosting or attending social events declined another 32%. ON ALONENESS AND HAPPINESS 4. A 5-percentage-point increase in alone time is associated with about the same decline in life satisfaction as was a 10% lower household income. ON TV 5. From 1965 to 1995, the typical adult gained 6 weekly hours in leisure time. They funneled almost all of it into one activitiy: watching TV. 6. In 1970, just 6 percent of sixth graders had a TV set in their bedroom; in 1999, that proportion had grown to 77 percent. ON TEENS 7. The share of boys and girls who say they meet up with friends almost daily outside school hours has declined by nearly 50 percent since the early 1990s. ON 'HOMEBOUND' LIFE 8. According to Princeton's Patrick Sharkey, today's adults spend an additional 99 minutes inside their homes on any given day, compared with 2003. 9. The share of U.S. adults having dinner or drinks with friends outside the home on any given night has declined by more than 30% in the past 20 years. ON RESTAURANTS 10. I think of restaurants as the ultimate "social" business. But today, just one-quarter of restaurant traffic is "on-premises"—that is, sitting, ordering, talking with people at a table. With the rise and rise of delivery 74% of all restaurant traffic now comes from “off premises” customers—takeout and delivery. And according to data gathered by OpenTable, solo dining has increased by 29% in just the past two years. The top reason given? The need for more “me time.” *** All of these statistics were checked by our sensational fact-checking department. I provided evidence to them and am happy to provide evidence to others, on request, who have questions about the data or just want to go deeper. ***

#NikkiGiovanni, the legendary poet and revolutionary voice of justice, has left this earth, leaving an irreplaceable void. Her words, bold and unapologetic, ignited movements, healed wounds, and inspired generations to rise above oppression. She was a poet of the people, capturing the beauty and complexity of Black life with unmatched grace and power. Her passing is a profound loss to humanity, but her legacy is eternal. Nikki Giovanni’s voice will continue to echo in the hearts of all who seek justice, love, and liberation. The world is better for her presence and forever changed by her artistry. Rest in peace.

Tributes are pouring in for Nikki Giovanni, a world-renowned poet and key figure of the Black Arts Movement whatimreading.net/p/tributes-nik…

On this day in 1968, Shirley Chisholm became first black woman elected to the United States Congress.

You can register to vote on Election Day in the following states: AK, CA, CO, CT, HI, ID, IL, IA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MT, NV, NH, NM, RI, UT, VM, VA, WA, WI, WY, + Washington, D.C.

Tomorrow is the LAST day to vote! 🗳️ We decide our future, and now is the time to make our voices heard in this election. Head to WeAll.Vote/plan to make your plan to VOTE!

Quincy Jones, one of the most powerful forces in American popular music for more than half a century, died at 91. He produced Michael Jackson’s "Thriller," the best-selling album of all time, and was a prolific arranger and composer of film music. nyti.ms/3AuTahh

So saddened to hear about passing of Quincy Jones. He was the coolest cat in every room he entered over seven decades. In music, film and humanitarian work, his genius is unparalleled. Take a moment to listen to this 2008 interview I did w/ him for NPR npr.org/2008/11/27/965…

In the lead-up to Election Day, join our CEO @mikemcafee06 and President @AshleighGardere on Nov 4 at 3:30 PM ET for an insightful webinar. Gather with us before the election to ground in our purpose to be the founders of a nation where all can thrive. plcylk.org/watf-webinar

“Our climate future is not yet written. What if we act as if we love the future?” Join us Oct 30 in #Detroit for an evening of possibilities with @ayanaeliza & @adriennemaree, hosted by @orlandopbailey. Free for all ages, thanks to @kresgefdn! Tix: urbanconsulatedetroit.eventbrite.com

What if we act as if we love the future? What if we get it right? Join us Wed, Oct 30, 7pm ET for a special evening with @ayanaeliza & @adriennemaree hosted by @orlandopbailey at The Garden Theater in #Detroit! Free & open thanks to @kresgefdn. Tix: urbanconsulate.com

Voter registration deadlines start as early as TOMORROW across the country, and early voting is already underway in some states. Make sure you're registered to vote right now at WeAll.Vote/register — then retweet this to remind all your friends to register, too.

@JasonReynolds83 Yes!! Congrats Jason! 🫶

Honored is an understatement. Congrats to all the 2024 MacArthur Fellows!

The first voter registration deadlines in states across the country are just TWO weeks away! Find your state. Don’t wait. ⏳ Register to vote or check your voter registration right now at WeAll.Vote/register.