This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Dynamic Dames by Sloan De Forest.
Activist In The U.S. Arrested After Reading Poem
Thirty-six hours after reading Dear America, a poem critical of the U.S.’s immigration policy, student activist Jose Bello was arrested. The ACLU has filed a court petition wanting a valid reason for his arrest stating, “the arrest violates the first amendment because ICE agents targeted activists who publicly criticised its immigration enforcement practices.”
#BookstoresAgainstBorders Fundraiser
Gretchen Treu, co-owner of the Madison, Wisconsin indie bookstore A Room of One’s Own, is leading the fundraising campaign #BookstoresAgainstBorders and asking fellow Indie bookstores to join by donating a percentage of July 5th weekend sales to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services. RAICES is “a Texas-based organization that provides low-to-no-cost legal services to the people who are incarcerated in the immigrant camps run by the U.S. Border Patrol.” You can also donate directly at the fundraiser page here.
Idris Elba On Playing James Bond After The Racist Backlash
In a new Vanity Fair interview, Idris Elba talked about how the racist backlash over the idea of him playing James Bond impacted his view of the role: “And it really turns out to be the color of my skin. And then if I get it and it didn’t work, or it did work, would it be because of the color of my skin? That’s a difficult position to put myself into when I don’t need to.” You can read more on that bit here and for the full article here.