Sunday Spotlights 29

By Morgan Harper Nichols

What a week, huh? When I say I was feeling good at the beginning of this week, I mean I was feeling gooooood. Lots of hope! Fun ideas for the blog! New motivation to eat healthy! Working out with a trainer for the first time! And then I saw the news alert and my heart sunk. I sat down on the couch watching the images in front me feeling sick to my stomach. On one hand, it didn’t feel real – like a scary apocalypse movie. But on the other hand, I wasn’t surprised. He has been empowering these people to come out of the shadows for the past 5 years. It makes my heart hurt so much.

Before we dive in to links, I just want to thank all of you for your kind DMs over the past few days. While I have gotten my fair share of ignorant and deflective messages, the majority of them have been full of thoughtful dialogue and virtual hugs. So, thank you for that. It is not always easy to speak up, but it’s also not easy for me to stay quiet anymore either. Not only am I a human who is affected by what is going on in the world, but I also feel a deep responsibility to make sure people of every race, sexuality, and religion know that my platforms are a safe space for them. 

I am hoping to take some time today to disengage from DMs, focus on the new layout for my email blast, and rest – but please know that I am sending lots of love to each and every one of you. We will get through this. Better days are ahead of us ❤️

Sunday Spotlights 29

If you feel like you have no idea what you have to do with what happened this week or what you can do to stop it, I highly recommend purchasing Me & White Supremacy. It isn’t just a book you read, it’s a book that asks you to really look inward and reflect. Truthfully, even if you don’t want to buy this book, I think we ALL need to take a long hard look in the mirror and confront the parts of us that allowed this to happen. It’s really difficult and uncomfortable and upsetting, I know. But it’s so important.

I finally used the new wine glasses my brother and sister in law got us for Christmas and I am in looooove. They are so gorgeous!

This article in The Atlantic does a really great job of explaining the significance of seeing the confederate flag in the Capitol building this week.

My friend Danielle wrote a beautiful piece about how to support someone after a cancer diagnosis. I highly recommend giving it a read and sending some love to her and her sweet Margot.

I ordered this sweater from the J.Crew sale last week (along with these headbands!) and it is 40% off again this weekend! It really is a perfect sweater… and now I want it in another color ?

Stephanie McNeal wrote a really excellent piece about why it is so important for influencers to use their platforms to speak up.

I treated myself to this Farmacy gift set last month because I was so impressed with their Resurfacing Serum – and now I think I love their Honey Halo moisturizer even more. Super hydrating on winter skin.

If you aren’t following @sharonsaysso on Instagram, do it right NOW!

She is so knowledgeable, explains things so well, and always urges everyone to listen to understand, even if you don’t agree.

LOVE these slides about how to respond to the news this week with empathy.

I’ve been seeing this tortilla hack everywhere and it is blowing my mind. I can’t wait to try it!

It broke my heart to chat with so many of you about how it feels to be Jewish in America this weekend. If you didn’t notice any of the anti-semitism on Wednesday, this article breaks down all of the hate symbols that were present really well.

I love Morgan Harper Nichol’s poetry so much – especially this piece about unity (one snippet seen above!). Also, I highly recommend listening to her podcast episode after the riot this week. Her perspective is so valuable.

I just found out about four modern retellings of Jane Austen books called the Austen Project and I’m so excited. Pretty sure I’m going to start with Eligible, a modern retelling of Price & Prejudice.

Also, 11 books to read if you loved Bridgerton! 

Diggy’s words in this caption are so powerful. A must read.

My mom got me the Girlfriend sherpa for Christmas and when I say it’s cozy, I mean it is COZY. Plus, it’s made from 59 recycled plastic bottles!

I know everyone has been talking about The Daily this week, but I highly recommend “An Assault on the Capitol” and “How They Stormed Congress” if you are looking to better understand what happened.

And if you’re looking for something that feels more like you’re talking to friends about what happened, I found a lot of comfort in knowing that the ladies of the Pantsuit Politics podcast felt so much of what I felt, too.