3 Things: Kiese Laymon, Ron Funches, and Justin Ellis

Hey there,

It feels like progress is being made, but we're not done yet. I'm going to keep it brief up top this week and let the recommendations speak for themselves. But first:

Keep wearing your masks. 
Keep protesting.
Keep taking care of yourselves and your neighbors.
Don't forget to drink water.
Make good choices.

Ok! Let's get into this week's email...

Upcoming Events

LIVESTREAMS:
- TODAY Saturday, June 13th at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
COME ON DOWN, YOU'RE ALREADY HERE! Today's Zoom game show will be a fundraiser for the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network. And back on the show today is musical guest and hilarious comedian Tommy MacNamara. You can play a round or just watch and laugh from the comfort of your home. Free, but with donations suggested. Link

AROUND THE INTERNET:
- WYATT CENAC'S PROBLEM AREAS: HBO made the whole series free on YouTube (in the US). I wrote for the show and we spent the whole first season looking at solutions to policing in America. Link 

This week’s list

GREAT:
Kiese Laymon is a professor and a writer. He's the author of the incredibly moving memoir Heavy. Andre D. Wagner is a photographer working in NYC, who's able to capture the energy and excitement of everyday life in his work. The two of them paired up for a beautiful piece ruminating on "Black boyhood and the season." City Summer, Country Summer


FUNNY:
Ron Funches is weird, hilarious, and delightful. Once, we were performing on the same show at a comedy festival and I saw him end one of his jokes by throwing a handful of loose Skittles into the crowd. Or one of my all-time favorite jokes in the world is Ron talking about interrogating a toaster. Ron has always had a unique ability to shift between absurdity and emotionally vulnerable sincerity. He showed that this week when he went on Conan for a very serious and insightful talk about race and being the parent of an autistic son, and then also sent his assistant to protest for him with a set of absolutely perfect signs. 


INTERESTING:
Justin Ellis is an incredible writer. He's one of the smartest people out there and he's able to clarify massively complex topics while also giving them an emotional gut punch. He wrote a piece for The Atlantic his week about growing up in Minneapolis and what it means to try and live in America's "most liveable city." I can't do it justice by describing it, so just do yourself a favor and read it. Minneapolis Had This Coming 

(Justin also sends out a great, very occasional newsletter, Midnight Burger Productions, which I strongly recommend.) 

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Take care of yourselves,
Chris

3 Things: Amber Ruffin, Michael Che, and Alex S. Vitale

Hey there,

This week, I went to one of the big protests in downtown L.A. I'll be honest. I was scared to go. Scared because of coronavirus and the footage I'd seen on the news. Scared of getting hurt or sick. But some friends offered that we could march together and I took them up on it.

Thousands of us were together in the streets to protest injustice and violence and racism. There was such a spirit of generosity and community at the action. People were walking through the crowd offering hand sanitizer and water and snacks and masks, all for free. One guy brought a big stack of pizzas and another brought a giant tray of In-N-Out Burgers. And the only people I saw not wearing masks were the police and soldiers. 

As for the protest itself, it was big and diverse and loud and angry but also entirely peaceful. At one point, everyone in the entire crowd of thousands took a knee and had a moment of silence. It was incredibly powerful and also called into question why heavily armed soldiers in military vehicles and police in full riot gear were considered an appropriate response?

It's a very intense time in our country right now. There's so much happening all at once. But it's clearly also a time when there is the potential for change. Don't give in to fear. Support justice. Support equality. You might even get a free slice of pizza along the way.

Upcoming Events

LIVESTREAMS:
With everything going on, it doesn't feel right to me to do a goofy gameshow today. I know we need to take a break from the world and have some escapist laughs sometimes too, but I'm just not feeling it today. So no "Come On Down" this week. 

AROUND THE INTERNET:
- WYATT CENAC'S PROBLEM AREAS: HBO made the whole series free on YouTube (in the US). I wrote for the show and we spent the whole first season looking at solutions to policing in America. Two episodes in particular that I'd recommend watching are the look at policing/training in Minnesota and the episode where Wyatt goes to LA to explore what would happen if we funded social services instead of expanding law enforcement. Both of those links are cued up to the right spot in the episode. But you can also just watch the whole season! 

This week’s list

GREAT:
Amber Ruffin is a delight. She's so smart and funny and unique. Amber is one of the writers on Late Night with Seth Meyers and a frequent on-camera presence. This week, she's opened their show each night with a story about one of her run-ins with the police. You should watch them all. But here is her most recent: Amber Ruffin's Experience with the Police

FUNNY:
Michael Che had one of the sharpest jokes about the phrase "Black Lives Matter" in his 2016 Netflix special. This week he said, “I’m happy that people like the clip, but it’s also kind of a bummer that it’s still relevant... [I feel like] the guy who wrote ‘Amazing Grace’: You’re happy you hear the song, but every time you hear it you’re like ‘Oh no, what happened?’” Michael Che Matters


INTERESTING:
During the year that we covered policing on Problem Areas, we heard from activists, experts, and police across the country. I read a bunch of books and watched every documentary I could find. One of the big surprises for me was that conservative cops and hardcore activists tended to agree that police are asked to do far too much. Why are they the ones we put in charge of mental illness, homelessness, drug addiction, or domestic violence? Obviously those groups differ on what the solutions should be. But one of the most helpful and insightful resources I came across about the role of police in our society was The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale. It's available for free now as an e-book and I think it's an important (and ultimately hopeful!) read. Here's also an interesting PBS Newshour segment with him from 2018: Has Policing in America Gone Too Far?


Thanks for reading! if you like these emails, please forward to a friend or spread the word. If someone forwarded you this email but you're not yet on the list, you can subscribe here.

Take care of each other,
Chris

3 Things: Josie Duffy Rice, Wyatt Cenac, and Quaker Meeting

Growing up, there were two phrases my dad always said to me. One was anytime I left the house, he'd say "Make good choices!" I always assumed that was mostly about contraception. The other one was "life is about mess management." In other words, things aren't always going to be smooth or easy or good. Life is about how you clean up the messes and make things better. And, boy, there are messes all around right now. It's easy to be overwhelmed by how much is broken and unjust and idiotic and infuriating. But I'm trying my best to remember that my job is to help manage the mess. For too long, a lot of us have ignored the structural issues and assumed someone else was going to clean them up for us. For once, I hope we can all do our part to mop up a little bit.

Upcoming Events

LIVESTREAMS:
- TODAY Saturday, May 30th at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
COME ON DOWN, YOU'RE ALREADY HERE! It's Saturday so it's time for my Zoom game show. Today's show features two of the funniest Second City alums I know, Carley Moseley and Maria Randazzo. Watch as audience members from around the globe share talents, show us their homes, and compete in games like "Name That Bean!" Link

AROUND THE INTERNET:
- CELEBRITY SUBSTITUTE: New episodes of this YouTube original series I helped produce are coming out every week. In the most recent episode, Terry Crews shows off his (truly impressive) skills as a visual artist. Link

- COURT WATCH: If you're looking for ways to get involved in reforming the system, my public defender friends recommend finding a court watch program in your city. It's a concrete way you can educate yourself about the way things work in practice, not on TV, and also move the legal system towards accountability. Here are programs in NYC, Boston, and LA, but there are many more, often doing some form of work even during the pandemic. 

- THE MARSHALL PROJECT: Another excellent resource for award-winning criminal justice reform information and reporting.

This week’s list

GREAT:
Josie Duffy Rice (no relation) co-hosts the Justice in America podcast. She's a journalist and lawyer and one of the smartest people writing about America's criminal justice system. Hers is an important voice to listen to in this moment. Here's a particularly thought-provoking idea from her: "Many people in America already exist in a world where police and prisons do not exist."


FUNNY:
Policing in America is, without a doubt, one of the least funny topics imaginable. Tragic, broken, complicated, sure... but funny? Only Wyatt Cenac could face the harsh realities and still find a way to make you laugh. One of the highlights of my career was getting to work with him on Problem Areas. I'm still so impressed with the nuance and humor he was able to give to a topic many public figures avoid like the plague. How could we fix policing? You can watch the full first season of the show on HBO, which covers ten different attempts to answer that question, or you can watch this short clip that Wyatt put up on Instagram. Or both! 


INTERESTING:
I have a card on my desk that says "Proceed as the way opens." It's a Quaker phrase I learned from a friend who grew up in that tradition. I'm not Quaker myself, but I've found that idea to be very helpful in scary and uncertain times. You may not know where you'll end up, but if you can figure out the right next step, well.. proceed and let the way open before you. It's almost always all we can do. Bianca Giaever has a photo essay in the NYT about Quaker meetings in the age of Zoom and whether it's possible to find stillness and spirituality online. Like the card on my desk, it's something I'll be thinking about for years to come. And like everything Bianca makes, I love it. Can You Gather With God Over Zoom?


Thanks for reading! if you like these emails, please forward to a friend or spread the word. If someone forwarded you this email but you're not yet on the list, you can subscribe here.

Take care of each other,
Chris