The Breakdown: Rep. Omar Receives Death Threats After President’s Tweet

Getty Images: Chip Somodevilla / Staff

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The One Big Thing

Rep. Omar Says Death Threats Towards Her Have Increased Since President’s Tweet

The office of Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota reported that she received increased death threats fueled by a video tweeted out by President Trump, in which she was accused of minimizing the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A New York man who stated he supported President Trump was charged with threatening to kill Rep. Omar, and Democratic leaders have rushed to Omar’s defense in light of the terrifying threats she has been receiving. The tweet and its response highlight the disturbing and aggressive anti-Muslim hate that has spread across American communities.

(Pop) Culture Shock

Priyanka Chopra and Mindy Kaling’s New Movie Is a Huge Win for South Asian Representation

Priyanka Chopra and Mindy Kaling are officially making a movie together!. "We are about to show you what it means to be modern, global, and Indian," they said on Twitter. It’s rare to find South Asian representation in Western media that isn’t appropriative or stereotypical, and these two stars have already paved the road toward authentic representation of South Asian narratives. As an Indian-American who, like anyone else, likes to relate to the stories told on screen, I couldn’t be more excited to see what Deadline calls, “Crazy Rich Asians meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

The Good News Is...

Georgetown Students Vote to Pay Reparations to Aid Descendants of Enslaved People Sold by the University

Last Thursday, ⅔ of Georgetown students voted to add a fee of $27.20 to each semester’s tuition as reparations, compensation paid to descendants of slaves who were sold by the university in the 1800s.” A larger drop in the bucket in the reparations conversation that has taken the country by storm in government, this progress led by young people showcases this generation’s commitment to righting the wrongs of our past.

That's What He Said

“We’ve never shied away from social issues, and it’s a time for us to be the leaders that we are…to address gender identity in our rapidly changing world.”

-Terrence Dixon, Morehouse College’s vice president for enrollment management, on the new policy that allows for the admission of transgender men to the school. Morehouse, the only all-male historically black college in the US, says the policy won’t apply to trans women.

Quick Hitters

Why aren’t more people talking about… the surveillance video released last week where Chicago police dragged and tasered a 16-year-old student.

Meanwhile, in Australia… Uighur Muslims are pressuring the government to speak out against the internment and oppression of their relatives by the Chinese government.

My hero today is… the 15-year-old Italian teen, Simone, who went viral for standing up to far-right fascist protesters in his neighborhood.

I’m obsessed with… Special, the new Netflix original, starring a man with cerebral palsy. I’m always a fan of better representation in media and more authentic, nuanced stories of people with disabilities need to be told. Check out this incredible review of the series.