Weekly Wrap 8.25.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week | Sojourners

Weekly Wrap 8.25.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

1. Northeast D.C. Gets a New Mural Honoring the Workers Who Built the Lincoln Memorial Statue
The mural features the African-American men who quarried the stones that built the memorial.

2. I’m a Historical Curator. Removing Confederate Statues Isn’t Erasing History.
He works to contextualize a statue of Jefferson Davis at a Southern university. Here, Ben Wright knocks down each of the arguments being made for keeping Confederate statues one by one.

3. Jehovah’s Witnesses Are Banned in Russia. That Doesn’t Stop Them from Worshipping.
“They enter the building in twos and threes to avoid attracting attention. They mix up the homes they use, to keep it difficult for government forces or potential harassers to track. They set a table laden with food, which, during the Saturday worship session I attended in July, goes entirely untouched. It’s there so that if police arrive, they can claim that they’re simply gathering for a party.”

4. Liberty Grads Are Sending Back Their Diplomas, Saying School Has ‘Degraded Its Core Mission’
The alumni are withdrawing support and sending their diplomas back to the office of Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr., citing his continued support for President Donald Trump.

5. Hurricane Harvey Brings Back Memories of Devastation in 1970
Nearly 50 years ago, Hurricane Celia devastated Rockport, Texas — now the coastal town is in the crosshairs of Hurricane Harvey, set to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday as a Category 3 hurricane.

6. Where Do Pro-Life Feminists Belong?
As the Democratic Party struggles with where pro-lifers fit within its ranks, groups of Christian feminists are evolving and embracing more progressive politics.

7. Arsenic in Drinking Water Threatens Up to 60 Million in Pakistan
“It has been called the largest mass poisoning in history.”

8. UT-Austin Sued for Removing Confederate Statues from Campus Grounds
And it isn’t the first time the Sons of Confederate Veterans have sued the school.

9. ‘Anti-Sanctuary’ Cities Have Nearly Doubled Under Trump
Under the 287(g) program, jailers can carry out ICE responsibility.

10. Israel Destroys Palestinian Classrooms Ahead of First Day of School
“Four Palestinian communities have seen their educational facilities – donated by international bodies and NGOs – destroyed on grounds they have been built without permission.”