Essential Reading Materials
Title: Animating Resistance, Resilience, and Representation: Recent Cultural Moments Worth Watching
The world of contemporary art, literature, and media is witnessing a resurgence in the value of representation, digital independence, and socially conscious storytelling. From animation and poetry to flip phones and street vending, creatives and communities alike are redefining narratives in powerful new ways. Below is a roundup of recent cultural developments that reflect society’s evolving conversations around identity, activism, and art.
The Art of Depicting the Hijab Authentically
Pulitzer Prize-winning illustrator Mona Chalabi recently opened up about her artistic process in The Guardian, reflecting on her work animating a hijabi character for the new show #1 Happy Family USA. For Chalabi, representing Muslim women through thoughtful design meant refusing to conform to the oversimplified or exoticized portrayals prevalent in mainstream media.
She emphasized the importance of illustrating the hijab in all its nuance—recognizing that Muslim women may choose not to wear it in private spaces, and that modest fashion can still express personality and style. The character she created, Sharia, reflects a lived reality—interweaving cultural tradition, personal taste, and female agency. Animation, often misused to flatten identities into caricatures, here becomes a canvas for inclusion and truth.
Mafalda: Reintroducing a Young Philosopher to English Readers
Quino’s Mafalda, a comic strip icon in Latin America, is now being introduced to English-speaking audiences thanks to Archipelago Books. Debuting in the 1960s, the six-year-old protagonist offered sharp, humorous critique of politics, war, and consumerism. Far from a typical children’s character, Mafalda grappled with issues like nuclear disarmament and societal injustice, all through the lens of youthful sincerity.
Though rooted in Argentine history and politics, Mafalda’s existential worries and questioning of adult failures remain resonant today. Her revival reminds us that even in a child’s hands, imagination can be a powerful instrument for critical thought and change.
Saul Williams on the Politics of Artistic Expression
In an interview with Essence, poet and actor Saul Williams articulated a foundational truth: all art is political. Reflecting on his role in the film Sinners and his broader body of work, Williams invoked artists like Nina Simone and Toni Morrison, whose creative outputs were inseparable from their commitments to justice.
Williams underscores the idea that neutrality in art is a myth. Every artistic decision communicates values—whether intentionally or not—and for Black artists especially, storytelling is often a medium of survival and defiance. His call to conscious creation is a reminder that cultural production is not just a mirror but a vehicle for societal transformation.
Remembering Puerto Rican Poet Julia de Burgos
Sophia Stewart’s essay in the Los Angeles Review of Books revives the legacy of Julia de Burgos, a revolutionary Puerto Rican poet whose activism transcended the page. As a member of the Nationalist Party, Burgos challenged U.S. colonialism and advocated for Puerto Rican independence. Her poetry, enriched with emotion and political conviction, provided a human voice to a national struggle.
Today, her image watches over East Harlem via a mosaic by Manny Vega, a silent testament to her enduring influence as both a cultural and political icon. In an era of vocal activism and renewed attention to colonial histories, Burgos’s life feels more relevant than ever.
Screensavers and Digital Nostalgia
In a poetic essay for the Paris Review, Nora Claire Miller explored the intimate world of screensavers—those kinetic images that once filled idle monitors. Recounting memories of helping their grandmother navigate her iMac, Miller highlighted how digital environments can be both bewildering and tender spaces for connection.
Screensavers become more than functional software—they are artifacts of an evolving technological landscape, akin to stereoscopes or audiobooks shared among generations. Miller’s reflections capture how even the simplest digital constructs carry emotional depth, linking the futuristic with the nostalgic.
Street Vendors and Centuries of Struggle
New York’s street vendors—long an integral part of the city’s culture—are still fighting for legitimacy. Errol Louis’s recent piece in Intelligencer details new legislative efforts to simplify the permitting process and offer vendors more support. Historically marginalized, these entrepreneurs have faced crackdowns since colonial times, with policies like the “Thirty Minute Law” designed to undermine their livelihoods.
Today, vendors are pushing back—helped by policy advocates and community support—to claim their rightful space in the city’s economy. Their struggle reflects broader questions about inclusivity and the rights of working-class immigrants in urban landscapes.
Technological Independence in Mexico
In Chiapas and across Mexico, feminist collectives and activist organizations are building their own web infrastructures to escape the surveillance and exploitation of Big Tech. As Tamara Pearson reports in Truthout, these groups are creating alternative platforms—open-source and community-driven—to protect user rights and autonomy.
These projects, like Sursiendo and feminist server movements, challenge