jonetta
@jonetta.bsky.social
freelance journalist/columnist, member Society of Professional Journalists Hall of Fame, published author, poet, public scholar, and nonprofit manager based in Washington DC. The views expressed here are my own--mostly. I am happy to be educated by others.
This instigates one of those what about when discussions, although all the points of caution and concern are valid, in my view.
The Literary World’s D.E.I. Checklist www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/o...
The Literary World’s D.E.I. Checklist www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/o...
Opinion | The National Book Awards Are No Longer National
The National Book Awards longlists are a study in tedious political orthodoxy.
www.nytimes.com
September 22, 2026 at 1:07 PM
This instigates one of those what about when discussions, although all the points of caution and concern are valid, in my view.
The Literary World’s D.E.I. Checklist www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/o...
The Literary World’s D.E.I. Checklist www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/o...
blues harmonica, jazz and a few revolutionary words help kick off Season 3 of MidnightRose: A Reading Series of Poetry and Prose. Come Join us Sept. 12, 2-4pm, Tenley Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW, DC 20016. Register: estherproductionsinc.com/event
September 7, 2026 at 4:29 PM
blues harmonica, jazz and a few revolutionary words help kick off Season 3 of MidnightRose: A Reading Series of Poetry and Prose. Come Join us Sept. 12, 2-4pm, Tenley Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW, DC 20016. Register: estherproductionsinc.com/event
Proof, yet again, that Black History is American History--city, county, state, country.
wapo.st/3UUMe6T
wapo.st/3UUMe6T
Black workers built a garden they couldn’t visit. A new memorial honors them.
The Norfolk Botanical Garden opens a new $50 million conservatory and unveils a Chihuly work, with a renewed commitment to reckon with its past.
wapo.st
September 6, 2026 at 12:18 PM
Proof, yet again, that Black History is American History--city, county, state, country.
wapo.st/3UUMe6T
wapo.st/3UUMe6T
When a map is the first step to correcting false perceptions about a continent--its people, its power and its vast resources.
wapo.st/4gElcZZ
wapo.st/4gElcZZ
The U.N. backed a map that shows Africa true to size. The U.S. was sole objector.
The U.S. was the only country to vote against the U.N. resolution, which encourages the use of an “Equal Earth” map. The U.S. described it as a “radical ideological project.”
wapo.st
September 6, 2026 at 12:05 PM
When a map is the first step to correcting false perceptions about a continent--its people, its power and its vast resources.
wapo.st/4gElcZZ
wapo.st/4gElcZZ
Here's what I wrote in 2025 about DC's child welfare system. There is good reason for a US Attorney General convened special grand jury. DC children, especially low-income children, are being abused, neglected or killed at alarming rates.
thedcline.org/2025/02/13/j...
thedcline.org/2025/02/13/j...
jonetta rose barras: Many of DC’s children remain an endangered class
When Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker, chair of the newly constituted Committee on Youth Affairs, conducts his performance oversight of the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children and the Child and...
thedcline.org
September 6, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Here's what I wrote in 2025 about DC's child welfare system. There is good reason for a US Attorney General convened special grand jury. DC children, especially low-income children, are being abused, neglected or killed at alarming rates.
thedcline.org/2025/02/13/j...
thedcline.org/2025/02/13/j...
Reposted by jonetta
Your state can't mail your ballot until it uploads you into a federal portal.
The portal doesn't exist. The government told a federal judge that Thursday, then asked her to trust them.
49 pages Friday. Page 38 is the one. www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/great-news...
The portal doesn't exist. The government told a federal judge that Thursday, then asked her to trust them.
49 pages Friday. Page 38 is the one. www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/great-news...
September 5, 2026 at 9:55 PM
Your state can't mail your ballot until it uploads you into a federal portal.
The portal doesn't exist. The government told a federal judge that Thursday, then asked her to trust them.
49 pages Friday. Page 38 is the one. www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/great-news...
The portal doesn't exist. The government told a federal judge that Thursday, then asked her to trust them.
49 pages Friday. Page 38 is the one. www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/great-news...
Reposted by jonetta
The Trump administration pushed back on a federal judge’s finding that states cannot realistically comply with sweeping new USPS mail voting restrictions before the midterms, telling an appeals court that election officials’ concerns are overstated. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Trump DOJ says states can handle last-minute mail voting overhaul, asks appeals court to narrow block
DOJ argued that states facing the earliest deadlines for mailing ballots have not shown compliance is impossible.
www.democracydocket.com
September 5, 2026 at 9:58 PM
The Trump administration pushed back on a federal judge’s finding that states cannot realistically comply with sweeping new USPS mail voting restrictions before the midterms, telling an appeals court that election officials’ concerns are overstated. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Reposted by jonetta
Let’s take a moment to talk about something close to our hearts: why electing more women leaders locally matters. ✅
The Power of Women Leaders in Our Local Communities
Today, let’s talk about something that’s close to our hearts — the importance of electing women leaders locally. You might wonder why it…
blog.matriarchy.now
September 5, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Let’s take a moment to talk about something close to our hearts: why electing more women leaders locally matters. ✅
Reposted by jonetta
Once again, I will note a post that needs a history lesson. This person is denying that Dukakis spoke at Neshoba, like Reagan. He did- and didn't mention civil rights, on the anniversary of the deaths of the civil rights workers.
www.nytimes.com/1988/08/05/u...
www.nytimes.com/1988/08/05/u...
September 6, 2026 at 2:56 AM
Once again, I will note a post that needs a history lesson. This person is denying that Dukakis spoke at Neshoba, like Reagan. He did- and didn't mention civil rights, on the anniversary of the deaths of the civil rights workers.
www.nytimes.com/1988/08/05/u...
www.nytimes.com/1988/08/05/u...
Since 2018, I have conducted multiple investigative reports & analyses of DC's child welfare system. DC's children, especially low-income children, are an endangered species. Elected officials seem oblivious & have done next to nothing to address the problems.
wapo.st/4gSolnQ
wapo.st/4gSolnQ
Inside Pirro’s special grand jury probe into D.C. agencies supervising kids
The investigation appears focused on whether officials are adequately supervising children in and out of school, with scrutiny on attendance and social worker visits.
wapo.st
September 6, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Since 2018, I have conducted multiple investigative reports & analyses of DC's child welfare system. DC's children, especially low-income children, are an endangered species. Elected officials seem oblivious & have done next to nothing to address the problems.
wapo.st/4gSolnQ
wapo.st/4gSolnQ
Reposted by jonetta
Oh, this is going to piss some folks off. They’ve repeated the lie so many times they thought nobody would check the receipts.
We checked.
Jeffries is the first Black party leader in congressional history, and the “bought by AIPAC” smear has been repeated like gospel.
Here are the actual numbers.
We checked.
Jeffries is the first Black party leader in congressional history, and the “bought by AIPAC” smear has been repeated like gospel.
Here are the actual numbers.
September 4, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Oh, this is going to piss some folks off. They’ve repeated the lie so many times they thought nobody would check the receipts.
We checked.
Jeffries is the first Black party leader in congressional history, and the “bought by AIPAC” smear has been repeated like gospel.
Here are the actual numbers.
We checked.
Jeffries is the first Black party leader in congressional history, and the “bought by AIPAC” smear has been repeated like gospel.
Here are the actual numbers.
Reposted by jonetta
625,000 Americans filed comments telling them not to open 45 million acres to logging.
99% said no.
They filed the paperwork to do it anyway on Tuesday.
They're not counting on winning the argument. They're counting on you not saying it twice.
👇 Say it twice:
actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
99% said no.
They filed the paperwork to do it anyway on Tuesday.
They're not counting on winning the argument. They're counting on you not saying it twice.
👇 Say it twice:
actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
August 24, 2026 at 11:49 AM
625,000 Americans filed comments telling them not to open 45 million acres to logging.
99% said no.
They filed the paperwork to do it anyway on Tuesday.
They're not counting on winning the argument. They're counting on you not saying it twice.
👇 Say it twice:
actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
99% said no.
They filed the paperwork to do it anyway on Tuesday.
They're not counting on winning the argument. They're counting on you not saying it twice.
👇 Say it twice:
actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
Reposted by jonetta
The early conventional wisdom among many financial analysts over a year ago during tariff madness was that Bessent was the voice of reason in the room who got some reversed. The reality is that he might be the single most dangerous person in the Trump admin to our economy.
August 24, 2026 at 1:01 PM
The early conventional wisdom among many financial analysts over a year ago during tariff madness was that Bessent was the voice of reason in the room who got some reversed. The reality is that he might be the single most dangerous person in the Trump admin to our economy.
Reposted by jonetta
There was a flurry of activity in the courts over the weekend involving Trump's plan to conscript the US Postal Service into his election subversion scheme. Democracy Docket will be sending my analysis to members this morning.
Sign-up now to receive: demdock.com/4w6emld
Sign-up now to receive: demdock.com/4w6emld
August 24, 2026 at 1:04 PM
There was a flurry of activity in the courts over the weekend involving Trump's plan to conscript the US Postal Service into his election subversion scheme. Democracy Docket will be sending my analysis to members this morning.
Sign-up now to receive: demdock.com/4w6emld
Sign-up now to receive: demdock.com/4w6emld
Jason Arday, Cambridge Scholar Who Resigned Under Scrutiny, Is Found Dead www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/w...
Jason Arday, Cambridge Professor Accused of Plagiarism, Is Found Dead
Mr. Arday resigned last week after the university announced an investigation into allegations of plagiarism and fabrication.
www.nytimes.com
August 15, 2026 at 6:16 AM
Jason Arday, Cambridge Scholar Who Resigned Under Scrutiny, Is Found Dead www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/w...
Reposted by jonetta
Someone said to me, "I'm sorry but I got your book from a library." Nobody should ever apologise for that. You read my book! That's brilliant! I grew up hanging out in libraries and the idea of a world without them fills me with dread. Without libraries, authors, like readers, will only suffer.
July 23, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Someone said to me, "I'm sorry but I got your book from a library." Nobody should ever apologise for that. You read my book! That's brilliant! I grew up hanging out in libraries and the idea of a world without them fills me with dread. Without libraries, authors, like readers, will only suffer.
Reposted by jonetta
I guess they don’t count as Iran War casualties then. These things are important to Trump - for his scorecard.
July 23, 2026 at 11:06 PM
I guess they don’t count as Iran War casualties then. These things are important to Trump - for his scorecard.
Reposted by jonetta
Someone in DC set up a “little free blockbuster” with DVDs inside instead of books lol
July 22, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Someone in DC set up a “little free blockbuster” with DVDs inside instead of books lol
Reposted by jonetta
Police murdered a Black man in the street in Madison WI today. Shot point blank in the head while on the ground, tased, and surrounded by four cops. It looks like an execution. Multiple videos circulating online. Things are about to get very bad here.
July 22, 2026 at 9:52 PM
Police murdered a Black man in the street in Madison WI today. Shot point blank in the head while on the ground, tased, and surrounded by four cops. It looks like an execution. Multiple videos circulating online. Things are about to get very bad here.
amazing!
George E. Johnson, Who Built a Black Hair-Care Empire, Dies at 99 www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/b...
George E. Johnson, Who Built a Black Hair-Care Empire, Dies at 99 www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/b...
George E. Johnson, Who Built a Black Hair-Care Empire, Dies at 99
www.nytimes.com
July 7, 2026 at 12:19 PM
amazing!
George E. Johnson, Who Built a Black Hair-Care Empire, Dies at 99 www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/b...
George E. Johnson, Who Built a Black Hair-Care Empire, Dies at 99 www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/b...
Reposted by jonetta
Red-headed Woodpecker family ♥️♥️🩶
June 25, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Red-headed Woodpecker family ♥️♥️🩶
Reposted by jonetta
Well yeah, if Watergate happened again it would have gone off without a hitch because no one would have known about it until a year later when Woodward and Bernstein's book came out.
June 25, 2026 at 9:59 PM
Well yeah, if Watergate happened again it would have gone off without a hitch because no one would have known about it until a year later when Woodward and Bernstein's book came out.
Reposted by jonetta
Fulfilling the purpose for which it was built almost 2000 years ago, football fans packed the Roman Theatre of Amman to watch the Jordan v Algeria World Cup match. What a sight. [kottke.org]
2000-Year-Old Roman Amphitheatre Hosts World Cup Watch Party
Fulfilling the purpose for which it was built almost 2000 years ago, football fans packed the Roman Theatre of Amman to watch the Jordan v Algeria World Cup match. I don’t know whether Roman rulers, builders, and archite
kottke.org
June 25, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Fulfilling the purpose for which it was built almost 2000 years ago, football fans packed the Roman Theatre of Amman to watch the Jordan v Algeria World Cup match. What a sight. [kottke.org]
Reposted by jonetta
Look who's at the game tonight! Our 48th President @kamalaharris.com & first First Gentleman @douglasemhoff.bsky.social!
June 26, 2026 at 3:13 AM
Look who's at the game tonight! Our 48th President @kamalaharris.com & first First Gentleman @douglasemhoff.bsky.social!