If you’ve never had the opportunity to experience an Ethiopian meal, you are missing out. I have Ethiopian family members, so I frequently get to enjoy this cuisine. A regular meal for us could be something like doro wat, gomen, atkilt wat, and mesir wat. No meal is complete without a boona, or coffee, chaser. But as incredible as it is, coffee is not the defining trademark of Ethiopian cuisine. That distinction belongs solely to injera.
Injera is a sourdough flatbread that serves as a giant “plate.” (Or maybe our plates are lazy knockoffs of injera?) All the aforementioned dishes — minus the boona of course — are served on top of the injera. And then, if you are skilled enough, with one hand, you tear off a piece of injera and use that piece to grab a little bit of the doro wat, some gomen, a pinch of atkilt wat, and a dab of mesir wat. If you do it right, you end up with a savory combination packed into a sour piece of injera. You will be amazed (Shook? Am I doing this right, kids?) to discover there are flavors you never knew about.
Think of the stories below as the unique but complementary dishes served on injera. And after your rip through these morsels, be sure to grab some boona.
1. Do You Like Paying for War? These Christians Refuse
War tax resisters, sometimes known as war tax refusers, are conscientious objectors who resist federal income taxes through a variety of methods. By Mitchell Atencio via sojo.net.
2. How 70 Years of Cop Shows Taught Us to Valorize the Police
Early Hollywood treated the cops as incompetent fools. Then everything changed. By Constance Grady via vox.com.
3. Why Democratic Socialism Isn’t Anti-Christian
White evangelicals say that socialism is an anti-Christian ideology. But are socialism and Christianity really incompatible? By Stephen Mattson via sojo.net.
4. New Poll Suggests Most Religions Back the Equality Act
75 percent of people of faith support landmark LGBTQ+ protections. By Kate Sosin via 19thnews.org.
5. Christians Counter the Rise Of Anti-Trans Legislation
Trans Christians and their allies see affirming gender expression as a “holy endeavor.” By Gina Ciliberto via sojo.net.
6. Women Who Fly: Nona Hendryx and Afrofuturist Histories
Black women have long been authors and architects of science and myth. Nona Hendryx is one of these women. By Emily Lordi via bostonreview.net.
7. U.S. Imperialism Is the Problem, Not Unaccompanied Minors
The current administration must address the immediate needs of people seeking refuge at the southern border while also tackling the root causes of forced displacement and migration: U.S. imperialism. By Sandy Ovalle via sojo.net.
8. Wither the Religious Left?
Left-leaning people of faith will never be reliable allies of the Democratic Party, nor will the party reliably offer them a comfortable home. But their fortunes are linked. By Matthew Sitman via newrepublic.com.
9. Where’s the Grace for Daunte Wright?
White Christians love to talk about grace, but don't offer that grace to everyone. By Angela Denker via sojo.net.
10. Preach the Gospel. When Necessary, Do It In Drag.
Isaac Simmons, who performs as Ms. Penny Cost, is the first drag queen certified for ordination in the UMC. By Lexi McMenamin via sojo.net.
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