Art by Quiet Creature

Written by Jackson Bird

This week we’re honing skills to keep ourselves and each other going––skills that absolutely include rest and self-forgiveness.

What we’re checking out…

Today is Rosh Hashana, the start of the Jewish New Year, and whether you celebrate or not, this weekend could be a good time to pause and reflect on what has been an extraordinarily trying year and look for where you can find glimmers of light and renewal. Here are a few suggestions.

The hurricanes at the gulf coast and the wildfires on the west coast continue to destroy thousands of homes and endanger millions of people. This article has suggestions for how to help both disasters. And here are some further suggestions specific to Hurricane Laura, which has left hundreds of thousands of people without power for weeks and has been largely ignored by national media.

It’s been a few months since most major companies put out statements in support of Black Lives Matter. Have they kept their promises? Five people of color weigh in on what their employers have, or haven’t, done since then.

via IntoAction

Actress and model Emily Ratajkowski wrote a captivating and infuriating meditation on the dehumanizing power of copyright and what it means to lose ownership of your own image. 

If you have kids doing virtual school or are a teacher yourself, you might find this poignant piece by Dan Sinker frustratingly relatable.

As many of us continue working remotely and large in-person gatherings remain suspended, it might be useful to start figuring out how to network from home. Julie Weed has some excellent tips. 

And as many people try to find a new work-life balance at home, perhaps it’s time we bring back the humble away message?

Recently, our CEO Vanessa Valenti spoke with FRESH Speaker Tiffany Dufu’s organization The Cru and shared some of her top public speaking tips.

The latest from our speakers…

Simran Jeet Singh was named one of the Open Society Foundations’ 2020 Soros Equality Fellows!

Mychal Denzel Smith’s new book Stakes Is High: Life After the American Dream debuted this week as a Kirkus Prize finalist. You can buy the book here and hear more about it from Mychal on The Daily Show.

T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison’s organization GirlTrek launched the Black Girl Justice League to mobilize Black women and allies to vote this November.

via GirlTrek

Tiffany Dufu joined LifeHacker to share some of her famous time and stress management tips.

In his latest for Rolling Stone, Jamil Smith wrote about President Trump’s failure to protect even the one group of people he claims to care about.

Like what you see? Get the reFRESH in your inbox each week.