Where to donate for earthquake victims
Plus a Civil Rights virtual travel exhibit, Louisiana sugarcane, and a drinking poll
Over the past three days, I’ve struggled to wrap my head around the rising death toll in Turkey and Syria. 12,000 and counting. There’s much to say and I’ll leave it to the people there to say it. A reading list is below. If you want to donate to relief efforts, I recommend Syria Relief & Development and Syria Civil Defence (also known as the White Helmets). These are local organizations in Syria, where aid is scarce and gravely needed. Even before the earthquake people there were struggling after 12 years of civil war.
Nearly 11 million people in Syria were affected by the earthquake, yet the U.N. says that very little aid has reached them and it has so far been unable to send any convoys. There are several reasons for this: damaged roads, the fact that international organizations have to negotiate access with the government of Bashar Al-Assad and rely on the U.N. Security Council’s authority for cross-border access to opposition held areas, and sanctions. Aid is more easily mobilized in Turkey.
Reading list:
In a Turkish town shattered by the earthquake, death is everywhere - Washington Post
Some history on earthquakes in the region dating back to 1143
The scale of this disaster would be heartbreaking no matter what, but I think things always hit a little harder when it’s a place you love. Nathan lived in Gaziantep for a few years (he was working there when we met) and it’s one of my favorite places I’ve ever visited. Did you know the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its food? Did you know it has one of the largest and most stunning mosaic museums in the world? I was planning to do a Gaziantep guide soon, but that will obviously wait. If you want to see what the city looked like before the earthquake, click through the ‘Gaziantep’ highlight on my Instagram.
I’ve seen too many people on Twitter (admittedly not a good sample of human compassion) saying terrible things like, ‘at least people in Syria are used to suffering’ or ‘just another day in the Middle East.’ I think it’s easy for people to dismiss this region of the world because so much media has focused on war. Maybe seeing what a vibrant, historic, beautiful place Gaziantep and the surrounding areas are will help you see it differently. And for what it’s worth, no one gets used to something like this.
Travel
It’s Black History Month. My fellow travel writer Kwin Mosby said it best:
“It’s again that time of year. Americans take the allotted 28 or 29 days in February to commemorate the achievements of Black Americans in all fields – from civil rights to technology. But instead of a month to support Black-owned businesses – let’s admit that this should be a year-round effort – 24/7 and all 365 days. We should always recommend and support Black- and minority-owned businesses, entrepreneurs and thought leaders who push us forward. These are the people who inspire me.”
Watch: The Southern Poverty Law Center recently ran an exhibit at the Civil Rights Memorial Center where visitors were immersed via virtual reality into Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington, D.C. for conversations with patrons who shared their experiences about traveling in the U.S. in the mid 1900s. The exhibit was based on The Negro Motorist Green Book. If you have an Oculus Go you can still watch it at home.
Related: Movement and Space is a guide created by the Civil Rights Memorial Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center about the constraints on Black people’s right to move freely.
Travel extraordinaire Evita Robinson’s TED talk explores this, and the future.
One last recommendation: Travelling While Black. This book is so beautiful and insightful. “From Nepal to Botswana, Sicily to Haiti, New York to Nairobi, her sharp, humane essays ask tough questions and offer surprising, deeply shocking and sometimes funny answers.”
Travel for the Food
Well, in this case you don’t have to travel, because sugar is in everything you eat. Just kidding. Not everything, but a lot.
Sugarcane is the most lucrative crop grown in Louisiana, bringing in about $3 billion annually. Louisiana produces about 13 million tons of sugarcane each year, second only to Florida. Most of it is grown in the areas I cover for work, so I’ve been learning a lot about its history, how it’s grown, production, etc. It’s fascinating stuff. While much of my learning here is focused on the advances in technology and understanding how sugarcane grows and when, the history is more interesting and important. A great place to start is Khalil Gibran Muhammad’s essay for the 1619 project. It ties in plantation tourism, Angola prison, and has lots of mind boggling stats about sugar consumption. Highly recommend reading if you haven’t already.
Visit: If you’re near New Orleans, the Whitney Plantation Museum is the only sugar-slavery museum in the country and one of several plantation museums that have grappled with their history and now share it in an educational way. It’s well worth a visit. Some of the others, not so much. (As the director of the Whitney Plantation Museum told Gibran, “the currency has been the distortion of the past.”) It’s also worth reading about the 1811 German Coast Uprising, which happened across sugarcane plantations. It was the largest revolt by enslaved people in the U.S. South, yet is often overlooked.
Wine of the Week
Ok, I don’t have a specific wine this week and I have to say that while I prefer Baton Rouge weather this time of year, I am really missing the Chicago wine selection. Making some trips to New Orleans soon so that will hopefully help and I can bring this section back.
Last month I taste-tested some non-alcoholic beers (do you want reviews?) and bought the same Sicilian white wine a few times in a row because it’s one of the few decent options at my local grocery store. Sigh.
There’s been a lot of buzz lately (no pun intended, haha) about how bad alcohol is for you. More on that for paid subscribers. But I’m curious:
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Why cash is still king in Iraq
Premium pizzas are filling the grocery aisles. How do they taste?
Does anyone actually enjoy group travel? A debate.
You know you’re in Louisiana when…. ⬇️
Random Things
Cook: Made this blood orange, ricotta and almond flour cake last night on a whim. Incredibly moist and the caramelized citrus technique works like a charm.
Read: I just finished Cloud Cuckoo Land and am in awe of Anthony Doerr’s creativity. I adored this book and was aching to go back to Istanbul the whole time I was reading. But I have no idea how to explain it. Sci-fi meets historical fiction meets mythology meets fairytale? Trust me (and my brother who gifted it to me) and just read it.
Watch: Chiara Ferragni –I love you and this speech. And in honor of the winningest Grammy artist of all time, this blast from the past is pure joy.
ALSO
Thank you for reading! Next week, paid subscribers will get a guide to Ghana and a Valentine’s Day giveaway.
–Rebecca 💛