Check it out here on our Substack:

From personal perspectives to historical milestones, we’re taking a closer look at the many ways people connect with Juneteenth and how it resonates for people all around the world.⁠.

In honor of Juneteenth, we're sharing reflections and history that show how this holiday came to be and continues to evolve—both in the US and beyond in this week's Field Guide.

Give it a read online here:

Despite the excitement of a jail break, most inmates are living a slower kind of life. Katy Reckdahl’s extraordinary article, “Slow Time” from our New Orleans guide, is about an OPJC inmate named Blakk and his daily difficulties of making a call home or waking up at 3 am to eat.

The inmates even left a taunting message behind on the wall “to easy LOL.” Nearly a month later, two of the men are still at large.

The Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans has been in the news for weeks due to the daunting prison break of 10 inmates. The press has been riveted by the story of them removing a toilet and sink from a cell and cutting steel bars, escaping through a hole in the wall.

Eleven years later, the speech stands as a striking example of courage in speaking truth to power, and the unpredictable paths of progress. Check out our recent Vignette on Substack to read an excerpt of the speech or watch the video of the speech in its entirety.

Check it out here:

Whether they’re representing collective identities or social movements, flags remain powerful and often complicated symbols in our world. In this week's Field Guide, we take a look at some of the most interesting flags and their histories. ⁠.

The vast array of Pride flags have long been a symbol of the diversity of identities and experiences within the LGBTQ+ community.⁠.

Sweden, Peru, Romania, Argentina, Armenia and more, also celebrate their nation's flags as symbols of national identity and cultural heritage. In many parts of the world, June is also Pride Month, the annual celebration of LGBTQ+ people and communities around the world.

Around the world, many countries honor their national flag in June. June 14 is Flag Day in the US, a celebration of the adoption of the nation’s red, white and blue banner in 1777.

Read this week's Passport newsletter where we share recent highlights and some of our favorite things online here:

Over the last month, we have published new works from Syria, Nigeria, Ukraine, South Africa and New Orleans. As the US seeks to disengage from the rest of the world, we are determined to make space that explores new perspectives and embraces cultural complexities.⁠

Check out the full Vignette and essay here:

Mhlongo’s portrait of his beloved city is nuanced and complicated, while this week we saw his country reduced to caricature by President Donald Trump in his meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Today we’re publishing Niq Mhlongo’s essay, “What Was Lost” about Johannesburg, in all its messiness, all its loveliness and all its history.

In this week’s Field Guide, we’re turning our attention to teachers—the challenges they face, their accomplishments and their crucial role in communities.

Around the world, teachers have often been a conduit to new ideas and powerful concepts. In other places, education systems have reinforced powerful dynamics and sought to suppress alternative ideas.