april zhu
@aprzhu.bsky.social
writer, editor, painter, mad
www.aprzhu.com
www.aprzhu.com
Pinned
april zhu
@aprzhu.bsky.social
· Sep 12
A Document of Complicity | Sarah Khatry and April Zhu
April Zhu: Let’s start with the charges. UnHerd columnist Kat Rosenfeld wrote that we editors who resigned in protest had reached with our “hot little hands” for “the censor’s pen.
www.nplusonemag.com
Last March, I and other editors at Guernica resigned over the publication of an essay by an Israeli writer about treading the line of empathy.
The ensuing criticism—'condemn even empathy?'—pushed my ex-colleague and I to re-interrogate the piece's shortcomings.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
The ensuing criticism—'condemn even empathy?'—pushed my ex-colleague and I to re-interrogate the piece's shortcomings.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
Reposted by april zhu
When Hassan returned home to Chicago, he was eager to share his experiences and advocate for an end to Israel’s assault on Gaza. But instead of being welcomed like he had been after previous missions to Ukraine and Syria, Hassan soon found himself on the receiving end of a doxxing campaign.
These Health Care Workers Spoke Out for Their Peers in Gaza. Then Came Backlash.
Medical institutions are silencing their staff and impeding efforts to build solidarity with medical workers in Gaza.
truthout.org
November 17, 2025 at 10:15 PM
When Hassan returned home to Chicago, he was eager to share his experiences and advocate for an end to Israel’s assault on Gaza. But instead of being welcomed like he had been after previous missions to Ukraine and Syria, Hassan soon found himself on the receiving end of a doxxing campaign.
International diplomats assume that regional powers simply need to be convinced that their interests are better served by a stabilized Sudan. Sudan's actual wartime political economy—which turns exorbitant profits for Gulf States and militias alike—belies that.
novaramedia.com/2025/11/14/g...
novaramedia.com/2025/11/14/g...
Gulf States and Warring Militias Alike Are Profiting From War in Sudan | Novara Media
For the UAE and Saudi Arabia, a divided Sudan is easier to dominate and profit from, writes Joshua Craze.
novaramedia.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:14 PM
International diplomats assume that regional powers simply need to be convinced that their interests are better served by a stabilized Sudan. Sudan's actual wartime political economy—which turns exorbitant profits for Gulf States and militias alike—belies that.
novaramedia.com/2025/11/14/g...
novaramedia.com/2025/11/14/g...
Reposted by april zhu
"UN refugee agency official Jacqueline Wilma Parlevliet said that the new arrivals told stories of widespread ethnic and politically motivated killings, including reports of people with disabilities shot dead because they were unable to flee"
this keeps getting worse
www.ctvnews.ca/world/articl...
this keeps getting worse
www.ctvnews.ca/world/articl...
Sudan’s paramilitary killed hundreds including hospital patients in Darfur, residents say
Sudan’s paramilitary forces killed hundreds of people including patients in a hospital after they seized el-Fasher city in the western Darfur region over the weekend, according to the UN, displaced re...
www.ctvnews.ca
October 29, 2025 at 4:37 PM
"UN refugee agency official Jacqueline Wilma Parlevliet said that the new arrivals told stories of widespread ethnic and politically motivated killings, including reports of people with disabilities shot dead because they were unable to flee"
this keeps getting worse
www.ctvnews.ca/world/articl...
this keeps getting worse
www.ctvnews.ca/world/articl...
"It was not liberalism that bestowed upon America a utopian aura; it was the country’s sheer power, the sense of boundless strength it projected after its geopolitical win in the early 1990s."
Rahmane Idrissa for @equatormag.bsky.social
www.equator.org/articles/sta...
Rahmane Idrissa for @equatormag.bsky.social
www.equator.org/articles/sta...
Statemania • Articles • EQUATOR
When the American Dream came to Africa
www.equator.org
October 30, 2025 at 1:55 AM
"It was not liberalism that bestowed upon America a utopian aura; it was the country’s sheer power, the sense of boundless strength it projected after its geopolitical win in the early 1990s."
Rahmane Idrissa for @equatormag.bsky.social
www.equator.org/articles/sta...
Rahmane Idrissa for @equatormag.bsky.social
www.equator.org/articles/sta...
Reposted by april zhu
Particularly compelled by how Sarah Khatry and @aprzhu.bsky.social's @nplusonemag.com interview shows the ways Chen's poor craft obscures Israel's colonial project.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
September 30, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Particularly compelled by how Sarah Khatry and @aprzhu.bsky.social's @nplusonemag.com interview shows the ways Chen's poor craft obscures Israel's colonial project.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
Reposted by april zhu
"Common decency stigmatizes people that do not participate in it—removes them from voluntary association. We indeed have to live with one another, but terms and conditions apply."
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
How Can We Live Together? - Boston Review
Ezra Klein is wrong: shame is essential.
www.bostonreview.net
September 23, 2025 at 5:09 PM
"Common decency stigmatizes people that do not participate in it—removes them from voluntary association. We indeed have to live with one another, but terms and conditions apply."
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
"Aziz knew that not all the trash would make it back to America.... But that is, to some extent, the point. Part of the violence of the occupation lies in America’s refusal to accept the gravity of what it left behind."
Joshua Craze on Aziz Hazara's art
canopycanopycanopy.com/contents/jun...
Joshua Craze on Aziz Hazara's art
canopycanopycanopy.com/contents/jun...
Junk Empire | Triple Canopy
Like all great found objects, the butt plug invites questions.” On American waste in Afghanistan....
canopycanopycanopy.com
September 14, 2025 at 2:27 PM
"Aziz knew that not all the trash would make it back to America.... But that is, to some extent, the point. Part of the violence of the occupation lies in America’s refusal to accept the gravity of what it left behind."
Joshua Craze on Aziz Hazara's art
canopycanopycanopy.com/contents/jun...
Joshua Craze on Aziz Hazara's art
canopycanopycanopy.com/contents/jun...
Reposted by april zhu
This is good. Really really good.
A lot of insights to take away to all our conversations about empathy & its limits. And some crucial ideas for me to consider as someone who hopes & tries to be a writer of both empathy & liberation.
A lot of insights to take away to all our conversations about empathy & its limits. And some crucial ideas for me to consider as someone who hopes & tries to be a writer of both empathy & liberation.
Last March, I and other editors at Guernica resigned over the publication of an essay by an Israeli writer about treading the line of empathy.
The ensuing criticism—'condemn even empathy?'—pushed my ex-colleague and I to re-interrogate the piece's shortcomings.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
The ensuing criticism—'condemn even empathy?'—pushed my ex-colleague and I to re-interrogate the piece's shortcomings.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
A Document of Complicity | Sarah Khatry and April Zhu
April Zhu: Let’s start with the charges. UnHerd columnist Kat Rosenfeld wrote that we editors who resigned in protest had reached with our “hot little hands” for “the censor’s pen.
www.nplusonemag.com
September 13, 2025 at 7:42 PM
This is good. Really really good.
A lot of insights to take away to all our conversations about empathy & its limits. And some crucial ideas for me to consider as someone who hopes & tries to be a writer of both empathy & liberation.
A lot of insights to take away to all our conversations about empathy & its limits. And some crucial ideas for me to consider as someone who hopes & tries to be a writer of both empathy & liberation.
Reposted by april zhu
Last March, I and other editors at Guernica resigned over the publication of an essay by an Israeli writer about treading the line of empathy.
The ensuing criticism—'condemn even empathy?'—pushed my ex-colleague and I to re-interrogate the piece's shortcomings.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
The ensuing criticism—'condemn even empathy?'—pushed my ex-colleague and I to re-interrogate the piece's shortcomings.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
A Document of Complicity | Sarah Khatry and April Zhu
April Zhu: Let’s start with the charges. UnHerd columnist Kat Rosenfeld wrote that we editors who resigned in protest had reached with our “hot little hands” for “the censor’s pen.
www.nplusonemag.com
September 12, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Last March, I and other editors at Guernica resigned over the publication of an essay by an Israeli writer about treading the line of empathy.
The ensuing criticism—'condemn even empathy?'—pushed my ex-colleague and I to re-interrogate the piece's shortcomings.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
The ensuing criticism—'condemn even empathy?'—pushed my ex-colleague and I to re-interrogate the piece's shortcomings.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
Last March, I and other editors at Guernica resigned over the publication of an essay by an Israeli writer about treading the line of empathy.
The ensuing criticism—'condemn even empathy?'—pushed my ex-colleague and I to re-interrogate the piece's shortcomings.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
The ensuing criticism—'condemn even empathy?'—pushed my ex-colleague and I to re-interrogate the piece's shortcomings.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
A Document of Complicity | Sarah Khatry and April Zhu
April Zhu: Let’s start with the charges. UnHerd columnist Kat Rosenfeld wrote that we editors who resigned in protest had reached with our “hot little hands” for “the censor’s pen.
www.nplusonemag.com
September 12, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Last March, I and other editors at Guernica resigned over the publication of an essay by an Israeli writer about treading the line of empathy.
The ensuing criticism—'condemn even empathy?'—pushed my ex-colleague and I to re-interrogate the piece's shortcomings.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
The ensuing criticism—'condemn even empathy?'—pushed my ex-colleague and I to re-interrogate the piece's shortcomings.
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
Reposted by april zhu
"Today in UFW History - 8/21/88: Cesar Chavez ended his 36 day fast over the pesticide poisoning of farmworkers & their children during a mass at the UFWs “Forty Acres” property attended by Ethel & Kerry Kennedy, Rev. Jessie Jackson and 1000s of farm workers and supporters.
August 21, 2025 at 12:27 PM
"Today in UFW History - 8/21/88: Cesar Chavez ended his 36 day fast over the pesticide poisoning of farmworkers & their children during a mass at the UFWs “Forty Acres” property attended by Ethel & Kerry Kennedy, Rev. Jessie Jackson and 1000s of farm workers and supporters.
Reposted by april zhu
politics is conflictual and you should pay attention to who benefits from pretending otherwise and how they do so
One of the biggest blunders (when well-intentioned) and betrayals (when not) in Democratic rhetoric over the years is their impenetrable insistence that what voters respond to is somebody who begins by finding common ground with their opponent, no matter who that opponent is or what that ground is.
August 20, 2025 at 4:54 PM
politics is conflictual and you should pay attention to who benefits from pretending otherwise and how they do so
Reposted by april zhu
Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif was killed in an Israeli strike, while he and other journalists were inside their tent
Al Jazeera Says Its Correspondent Anas Al-Sharif Has Been Killed In Gaza, And Israel Confirms It
Broadcaster Al Jazeera says its correspondent Anas al-Sharif has been killed in Gaza City, and Israel’s military confirms it.
www.huffpost.com
August 10, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif was killed in an Israeli strike, while he and other journalists were inside their tent
Reposted by april zhu
40 minutes before he was killed by an Israeli air strike, Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif shared this message.
August 10, 2025 at 10:17 PM
40 minutes before he was killed by an Israeli air strike, Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif shared this message.
More vile than calling this war "a war about nothing" is attributing the humanitarian tragedy in any way to the retreat of the US, whose unmentioned sanctions (with exemptions for the American empire of Coke) shaped Sudan's extractive, militarized economy.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
The Most Nihilistic Conflict on Earth
Sudan’s devastating civil war shows what will replace the liberal order: anarchy and greed.
www.theatlantic.com
August 7, 2025 at 2:26 PM
More vile than calling this war "a war about nothing" is attributing the humanitarian tragedy in any way to the retreat of the US, whose unmentioned sanctions (with exemptions for the American empire of Coke) shaped Sudan's extractive, militarized economy.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
"[Dubai] provides normal people with the chance to buy the purest form of the most heinous commodity: the exploitation of others. If you want to know how it feels to have slaves, in the modern world – and not be blamed openly for this desire – visit Dubai."
newleftreview.org/sidecar/post...
newleftreview.org/sidecar/post...
Caitlín Doherty, Everything Else — Sidecar
In Dubai.
newleftreview.org
August 5, 2025 at 5:43 PM
"[Dubai] provides normal people with the chance to buy the purest form of the most heinous commodity: the exploitation of others. If you want to know how it feels to have slaves, in the modern world – and not be blamed openly for this desire – visit Dubai."
newleftreview.org/sidecar/post...
newleftreview.org/sidecar/post...
[email protected] wrote about the complicated co-authorship of Malcolm X’s autobiography with Alex Haley—particularly Haley’s lack of understanding of Malcolm’s Pan-African turn (which he sometimes made up for with plagiarism), leading to distorting omissions.
aeon.co/essays/how-a...
aeon.co/essays/how-a...
How Alex Haley wrote and reframed the life of Malcolm X | Aeon Essays
Alex Haley co-wrote The Autobiography of Malcolm X but Haley left out some profound elements of Malcolm’s political thought
aeon.co
July 31, 2025 at 8:12 PM
[email protected] wrote about the complicated co-authorship of Malcolm X’s autobiography with Alex Haley—particularly Haley’s lack of understanding of Malcolm’s Pan-African turn (which he sometimes made up for with plagiarism), leading to distorting omissions.
aeon.co/essays/how-a...
aeon.co/essays/how-a...
Reposted by april zhu
A spokesperson for the Freedom Flotilla Coalition tells me:
“Chris Smalls is still in Givon Prison and despite repeated requests to meet with the U.S. Embassy has been ignored by his country after being abducted by the IOF in international waters.”
“Chris Smalls is still in Givon Prison and despite repeated requests to meet with the U.S. Embassy has been ignored by his country after being abducted by the IOF in international waters.”
July 30, 2025 at 12:08 PM
A spokesperson for the Freedom Flotilla Coalition tells me:
“Chris Smalls is still in Givon Prison and despite repeated requests to meet with the U.S. Embassy has been ignored by his country after being abducted by the IOF in international waters.”
“Chris Smalls is still in Givon Prison and despite repeated requests to meet with the U.S. Embassy has been ignored by his country after being abducted by the IOF in international waters.”
Reposted by april zhu
Breaking news: Federal immigration officers may deport immigrants with as little as six hours’ notice to countries other than their own, even without assurances that the arrivals will be safe from persecution or torture, a top official said.
ICE memo outlines plan to deport migrants to countries where they are not citizens
The dramatic shift in policy could result in thousands of immigrants being deported to places where they lack family ties or even a common language.
www.washingtonpost.com
July 13, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Breaking news: Federal immigration officers may deport immigrants with as little as six hours’ notice to countries other than their own, even without assurances that the arrivals will be safe from persecution or torture, a top official said.
Reposted by april zhu
Kristi Noem didn't renew the expired call center contracts for five days, resulting in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) failing to answer nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster assistance line from flood survivors in Texas. It's malevolence mixed with incompetence again and again.
FEMA Didn’t Answer Thousands of Calls From Flood Survivors, Documents Show
www.nytimes.com
July 13, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Kristi Noem didn't renew the expired call center contracts for five days, resulting in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) failing to answer nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster assistance line from flood survivors in Texas. It's malevolence mixed with incompetence again and again.
Reposted by april zhu
Our hearts are heavy for the grieving family of Jaime Alanis, who died from injuries sustained during a chaotic raid on Thursday.
We will do everything we can to support them. We continue to work with the hundreds of farm worker families navigating the aftermath of this violent raid.
We will do everything we can to support them. We continue to work with the hundreds of farm worker families navigating the aftermath of this violent raid.
July 13, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Our hearts are heavy for the grieving family of Jaime Alanis, who died from injuries sustained during a chaotic raid on Thursday.
We will do everything we can to support them. We continue to work with the hundreds of farm worker families navigating the aftermath of this violent raid.
We will do everything we can to support them. We continue to work with the hundreds of farm worker families navigating the aftermath of this violent raid.
Reposted by april zhu
The horror in Kenya continues into the night as police or people acting as agents of the police allegedly break into apartment complexes and sexually assault women in their homes.
July 7, 2025 at 7:25 PM
The horror in Kenya continues into the night as police or people acting as agents of the police allegedly break into apartment complexes and sexually assault women in their homes.
Reposted by april zhu
NEW: A ChinaFile investigation into China's powerful, but leaky, internet censorship system at locknet.chinafile.com
1/21
1/21
June 30, 2025 at 10:42 AM
NEW: A ChinaFile investigation into China's powerful, but leaky, internet censorship system at locknet.chinafile.com
1/21
1/21
Wrote a micro-review on the film Black Tea (2024) in
@thedrift-mag.bsky.social
www.thedriftmag.com/mentions/
@thedrift-mag.bsky.social
www.thedriftmag.com/mentions/
July 1, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Wrote a micro-review on the film Black Tea (2024) in
@thedrift-mag.bsky.social
www.thedriftmag.com/mentions/
@thedrift-mag.bsky.social
www.thedriftmag.com/mentions/
“Bring back the child you murdered. If the state and empire wishes to act like a God that can take life, it should function as a God and resurrect life. If it cannot, then it is not a god, and its laws are not legitimate when they’re predatory.”
Professor Joy James
Professor Joy James
June 25, 2025 at 4:47 AM
“Bring back the child you murdered. If the state and empire wishes to act like a God that can take life, it should function as a God and resurrect life. If it cannot, then it is not a god, and its laws are not legitimate when they’re predatory.”
Professor Joy James
Professor Joy James