The Draw To White Supremacy (And Other Headlines)

Mauricio Garcia. Sai Varshith Kandula. Nick Fuentes. Kanye West. There’s a long list of people of color who have subscribed to white supremacist and far right-wing extremism ideologies.

Why people of color are pulled into white supremacist ideologies

But why?

As it turns out, it’s complicated. In my colleague Leslie Berestein Rojas’ latest article, she explored why some people of color are pulled into white supremacy. Anti-semitism, anti-Blackness and anti-government feelings often go hand-in-hand with white supremacy ideologies.

One of the commonalities experts like Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino sees, is social isolation. Misogyny and a sense of brotherhood among a group of people also have a huge impact that transcends race and ethnic groups. The internet and social media just make the outreach and broadcasting of their messages much worse.

“Today, it's not like you're joining a terrestrial group that you would 30 years ago,” Levin said. “If you share enough of the common hatreds, starting with misogyny and a sense of fraternity, you don't have to worry about the bouncer at the front door of the virtual meeting hall.”

But there’s more. Leslie wrote about the deeper reasons as to what would make some people of color cling to white supremacy.

Read more about how the legacies of colonization and slavery among other historical consequences have made it appealing for people of color to join the train of white supremacy here.

There’s more news below — just keep reading.

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• California is now helping to insure private practitioners who set up burn plans like Jim Wills. My colleague Jacob Margolis has more details behind why a lack of insurance has been an issue and who is eligible to lead these programs. 
• The state is awarding $217 million to local drought-resilience projects in Southern California. My colleague Erin Stone has the details on how a boost in funds could impact L.A. County. 
• As soon as this summer, 15,000 Southern California hotel workers may strike. My colleagues Jackie Fortiér and Libby Rainey wrote about what the union wants and how the threat of a strike could impact the upcoming tourist season.
• As inflation increases and CalFresh food assistance continues to decrease, California food banks are seeing an influx of people who are needing groceries. Because of this, food banks are warning of a “catastrophic hunger crisis” in 2023. 
• California lawmakers aim to drastically change a new $500 million program that was going to bring more college and career programs to high school and middle school students. CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn has more details about why they want to cut the program.

Correction: In Friday’s “Other News” section of the newsletter, it was mentioned that Erin Stone wrote the article about flash fires in the summer. Jackie Fortiér wrote the article.

Wait... One More Thing

The Top Three Tea-Sipping Trends

Interior of the Pasadena Playhouse.

(

Jeff Lorch

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Courtesy of Pasadena Playhouse

)

THREE — Four young children found alive after 40 days in the Amazon jungle 

No, this is not a spin-off of Lost, Yellowjackets, or any other television show that dealt with a plane crash. Four children, including an infant, were found alive after spending 40 days stranded in the Amazon jungle after a tragic plane crash. Colombian officials said their indigenous roots fared them well, as they were able to navigate the jungle through their knowledge of the land. What did they want a day after they were found? They asked for books to read.

TWO — The Tony Awards 

The Tony Awards were just shy of potentially getting canceled due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, but last night, the show went on. It was an award-winning night for the local Pasadena Playhouse, which received the 2023 Regional Theatre Tony Award. Here’s more of what’s trending from the Tony Awards.

ONE — L.A. Pride footage 

This past weekend was the big L.A. Pride music festival and parade. Here’s some footage of singer Janelle Monae as the Community Grand Marshal. Rapper Megan Thee Stallion also had a surprise visit from one of her former classmates. Check out more in store for you this Pride Month in this guide.