Read the Room LIVE - On Rats and Race: Dispossession, Disenfranchisement, and Despair

‘Read the Room’ Virtual Discussion – May 29th, 2026 On Rats and Race: Dispossession, Disenfranchisement, and Despair What does it mean when rats become currency for survival? What can infestations reveal about racial capitalism, war, displacement, abandonment, and the conditions people are forced to endure? Join APEX Advocacy for our next Read the Room virtual discussion as we unpack the political and historical symbolism of rats, poverty, and survival across literature, poetry, and contemporary reporting. This session will explore excerpts from Native Son by Richard Wright, selections from Arc & Hue by Tara Betts, and recent BBC reporting on rats spreading through displaced persons camps in Gaza. Together, these texts illuminate how systems of neglect, racialized dispossession, colonial violence, and economic extraction shape the environments people are forced to survive within. From families killing rats to reduce rent payments, to children in Gaza sleeping amid collapsing sanitation infrastructure and disease outbreaks, this discussion asks participants to critically examine the relationship between poverty, public health, housing, empire, and disposability. We will also explore how literature and poetry help us process despair while creating space for resistance, dignity, and collective analysis. Read the Room is APEX Advocacy’s ongoing virtual discussion series where we unpack articles, scholarly texts, poetry, and book excerpts through critical analysis and community dialogue. Participants are encouraged to engage, reflect, and ask questions during the live Q&A. Space is limited, so please register early. All donations support APEX Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Though the $25 donation is suggested, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Reading selections and the Zoom meeting link will be provided to participants by email after registration.