The New York Times Rethinks Obituaries
The New York Times recently added a section called "Overlooked" which challenges the all-white male obituary section of the NYT since 1891 by posting obituaries of historical women, trans people, and people of color who should have been remembered at the time of their deaths. I have not previously thought about the messages that are conveyed through ALL aspects of the media- including the obituary section of newspapers. They decide whose lives and deaths are worthy of being remembered and archived. This new section in the obituary section is an attempt to try to fix their past mistakes, and it is added to weekly.
I think it's a great start that the New York Times has attempted to recognize certain marginalized people with important impacts on history. However, it's a bit melancholy in that this brings attention to the countless people who, because of their outgroup status, will be entirely forgotten by history.
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