The Fantasy of Integration in Shaker Heights, Ohio

Plus: Coco Gauff’s glorious progress; the tenth anniversary of “Braiding Sweetgrass”; and is Scarr’s the best pizza in New York? View in browser | Update your preferences Sunday, August 27, 2023 The Sporting Scene Coco Gauff’s Glorious Progress Gauff has the charisma and talent to be not just a champion but a star, and this summer she has played better than ever before. By Gerald Marzorati From the News Desk The New Yorker Radio Hour “Braiding Sweetgrass,” and a Lesson in Extreme Heat Parul Sehgal visits Robin Wall Kimmerer, who set out to bridge the gap between Western science and Indigenous teaching. Plus, Dhruv Khullar looks at extreme heat and the body. With David Remnick Jay Caspian Kang The Fantasy of Integration in Shaker Heights, Ohio A new book chronicles the affluent suburb’s strides toward desegregation. Are residents’ good intentions good enough? Photograph courtesy Local History Collection / Shaker Heights Public Library Shaker Heights, Ohio is a town that embraced integration as early as the sixties. Yet, Jay Caspian Kang writes, the gap between the richest and poorest families in the area has only increased. “Black students in Shaker Heights do better than Black students elsewhere, but they have not kept up with the ‘uber achievement’ of Shaker’s white students. The achievement gap has become a constant and pernicious source of conflict in the community; there have been countless initiatives, meetings, and committees on the topic. To date, nothing has really worked to shrink the disparities.” Read more » Free Gift from The New Yorker Store: For a limited time, orders of $75 and above come with a free Rite in the Rain notebook. Check out beach towels, T-shirts, tote bags, and more great offerings. Culture Dept. The Food Scene Is Scarr’s the Best Pizza in New York? In the golden age of the slice, Scarr Pimentel treats pizza like a form of art. By Helen Rosner Poems “The Nature of Memory” “Once again I am trying to fall into the light.” By Major Jackson Poems “What’s Poetry Like?” “Poets play the winter tarantella, / making love in the midnight hours / on a white iron bed like a dog skeleton.” By Bianca Stone Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play the Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Andy Kravis Cryptic Crossword The Cryptic Puzzle Salt and pepper, toward the end, make a mess: eight letters. By Sara Goodchild Daily Shouts We Are Pivoting to Radical Empathy There is no you or I, only we and us, inextricably bound together. And that is what makes it so hard for me to announce that we will be implementing ten-per-cent layoffs. By Josh Gondelman Cartoons from the Issue Cartoons from the Issue Funny drawings from this week’s magazine. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for the daily newsletter from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.