#5SmartReads - March 25, 2022

Diksha can be found at An Inspired Day musing on good eats, reads, and favorite beauty buys. Professionally, she has worked in humanitarian response for over a decade. Personally, she is mom to 2 curious news junkies. Some of her favorite hobbies: running a more green home, DEI work at school and Peloton metrics. All thoughts on her own.

Ukraine Crisis: Why You Should Donate Money Rather Than Supplies (The Conversation)

Please do not ship stuff to Ukraine. Other than sitting unused in customs, requiring the receiving organization to pay customs, and there often not being the logistical support to sort through every random item shipped, it just isn't helpful. We know this from every crisis out there, contributing money goes farthest and helps those most in need.

The EU Should Treat All Refugees Like It Is TreatingUkrainians (The New Humanitarian)

The warm welcome and support Ukranian refugees are receiving is heart warming. And yet it's a stark reminder of how differently refugees from other crises have been treated. "If the EU can find a win-win solution by entrusting Ukrainians with this much agency, surely there must be win-win solutions to be found by entrusting all refugees with greater agency than the EU currently allows."

Is Ginni Thomas A Threat To The Supreme Court? (The New Yorker)

If the current questioning of the very well deserving Ketanji Brown Jackson has you in rage, this piece will not do much to help. Ginni Thomas, wife of Clarence, and vocal right wing activist with ties to problematic hard line groups. I didn't see this article get much mainstream attention but it's absolutely worth a read.

Gurkha Veterans Fight A Colonial-Era Legacy Still Shaping Nepal (The New York Times)

Seeing the protests greeting Will and Kate feels overdue. For those that argue against colonialisms long hold in many countries and the way exploitation still manifests today, this is a worthy read. Though Nepal was never colonized, the British Army has been recruiting the best and brightest Gurkha fighters from Nepal for over 200 years, having them fight on their behalf, robbing them of their dignity and not paying them their worth, neither in pay or pension.

How Tunde Oyeneyin Went From ‘Last One Picked’ To Peloton Instructor (Elle) 

With all the strife in the world and the stress of work, I often find myself relying on Peloton (on and off the bike) and there are few instructors that motivate me like Tunde. Though she's arguably one of their tougher instructors, there's something welcoming about her (could be that she was picked last in PE or she's the child of immigrants). How she always shows up as herself unapologetically is also a reminder when you're in her presence to do the same. I loved this inspiring read.