Youth violence is way down, especially in California. But that doesn’t mean juvenile halls are closing. Find out why in this week’s lead article, and ready yourself for outrage when you find out how much money counties are spending to incarcerate young people. 

This week’s lead article about the roots of white nationalism in the United States came to my attention the day before the horrific act of hate in Christchurch, New Zealand, which killed 50 Muslims as they met in mosques to worship and pray. My worry is that after Charleston, after Charlottesville, after Pittsburgh, we’ve become hardened, accustomed to the terrorism carried out by white men. 

The college admissions scandal riveted our attention this week, and several loyal readers reached out for my take. Besides the usual thoughts — yes, the system is rigged — I was reminded of the hard work of teachers and mentors who support young people who will be the first in their families to graduate from college. This is deeply important work. Certainly, it’s hard to compete with rich cheating parents and pricey college counselors. But still, young people persist, and they hold fast to their dreams of higher education, because of the good people who surround them.

“For more than 250 years, the nation’s news media, no matter how politically liberal, conservative, or radical, no matter what class they purported to represent, remained the press of its white population.”

Bryant’s Grocery & Meat Market, where Emmett Till was accused of whistling at a white woman, before two white men kidnapped and lynched him in 1955, still stands, barely, in Money, Mississippi. The Emmett Till Memorial Commission wants to restore the market. The family of Ray Tribble, who sat on the jury that acquitted the white men, and who currently owns the market, does not.

If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money? Many people say they’d share the jackpot with friends and family. But what if your financial success did not come suddenly, and in fact emerged as a result of your hard work? Today’s lead article explores how our racial identity impacts how we think about money and the responsibility we feel to share our wealth (or not). Please read it!

What should students learn about in their U.S. History class? That’s the question at the heart of this week’s lead article, which explores Chicago’s striking decision to require teachers to cover the long history of police abuse in the city. Not everyone agrees.

Also in today’s issue, read about the heavy burden of student loans, the tragic loss of young lives to gun violence, and the epic rise of alternative milks. (Poor cows.)

Do you own the 2019 Pets of The Highlighter calendar?

If so: It's time to flip to February, Layla’s month. Here are loyal readers Marni and Indie celebrating the event.

We’re in the middle of an age of activism. Teachers are striking, women are marching, people are protesting. Many of us believe that resistance must involve an outward action against injustice. But this week’s lead article, which focuses on one strand of activism among American Indians, explores the power of an inward approach — where physical health and spiritual well-being are at the center. Please read it and let me know what you think!

In the middle of my teaching career, many of my students stopped believing in the promise of college. They doubted that high-paying jobs were waiting for them on the other side. They weighed the opportunity cost, calculating their chances of graduating vs. the heavy debt they would accrue. In short, they were having millennial thoughts.