Friday News.

The low voter turnout (in the Chicago mayoral race) signified the dissatisfaction that many have of the mainstream two party system. The interview between Jaisal Noor and Kari Lydersen had the great mention of how some of the council seats are going to be in a runoff election too. The mayor is not the only person with great political power in Chicago, but council members as well. Recently, there has been the public revelation of the secret interrogation facility operated by the Chicago Police Department. We have a long way to go to combat police terrorism. It’s obvious that Rahm Emanuel represented the interests of the 1 percent. It is an exciting, but we have to use our discernment and we will see who will win the mayoral race. Rahm Emanuel has only 45 percent of the total votes and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia had 34 percent. Therefore, the runoff election will take place in the first Tuesday in April of 2015. Rahm Emanuel has spent eight times the amount raised by Garcia. There was the referendum for Chicago getting an elected school board instead of the mayor controlling it totally. People are fighting against the privatizers and the corporate exploitation of society. We know that former Chicago public schools chief has been a big advocate of charter schools, teacher firings (even of qualified, excellent teachers), high stakes testing, and privatization. This has been carried out in Chicago and throughout the America. Over 50 Chicago public schools were closed in 2014. That was down over the proposal of over 100. Rahm did this action despite opposition and all of the closed schools were in mostly Black and Latino communities.  And under Rahm and the Daleys, Chicago has expelled roughly as many poor and black residents in the last 20 years as New Orleans after Katrina. The city that elected Harold Washington in 1983 was over 40% black. Today's Chicago is about 27% African American. Rahm supported many privatizations like giving the city’s parking spaces to a consortium that is linked to corporate interests. Garcia supports a city ordinance that would grant reparations in the form of cash settlements, housing assistance, free tuition at city area colleges and free medical care for the falsely convicted.  Now, we will see what will happen. The people on the side of justice want real changes not neoliberal status quo policies.





I wouldn't blame people to be angry over this outcome (of no civil rights charges being made against George Zimmerman). We should be angry at our people being killed in America unjustly. This action comes as no surprise. The memory of Trayvon Martin should definitely be utilized for us to continue to fight. In our lives, what is past is not even prologue. The issue of race must be overtly spoken about in public despite what any pro-post racial advocates say. We live in a state of oppression currently. Past will never be prologue for us unless we experience authentic, unequivocal justice. Melissa Harris Perry has grieved over the passing of Trayvon Martin. I wish that George Zimmerman would never have stalked Trayvon Martin in the first place. In that sense, Trayvon Martin would be alive today. Zimmerman is a sick man who said that it was God's will for him to kill Trayvon Martin. I understand Melissa Harris Perry's frustration. We should be angry at the status quo. That is why we must continue to fight unjust laws, we ought to oppose police brutality, and we have to defend the human dignity of black lives. RIP Trayvon Martin. Hip hop is a complex, diverse, and creative art form. It was created by the black poor and the black proletariat of the ghettoes of NYC (during the 1970's. Hip hop has Caribbean influences too. Kool Herc has Jamaican ancestry). The masses of the people have the right to listen to or not listen to an artist’s records. Iggy Azalea says that she doesn’t get enough respect, but people should never be required to listen to her records or even like her artistry. She has to realize that some people will like her and some people will not. White privilege is real and that privilege should not be used as a means for one artist to demand undue preference. All human beings should be treated fairly and equitably (as people). I don't believe that Iggy should be called out of her name or disrespected unfairly. Yet, any hip hop artist is not entitled for the coerced listening of their music. No hip hop artist should expect all people to listen to their records. That is the fundamental point. It is not about hating on Iggy. This situation is far bigger than Iggy Azelea. It is about disagreeing with the machine that glamorizes materialism and other evils at the expense of the aspirations of the masses of the people. That is the point.




I know that I'm not the only one who is confused at the statements made by Lee Daniels. I don't see the connection with the statements of Monique and "reverse racism" (which there is not such a thing as racism is racism). Monique's statements were not racist. They were based on her personal experiences and I want to hear Monique's side of the story (on the new accusations that were made by Lee Daniels that Monique was difficult to work with and refused to thank certain people). Fundamentally, the words from Monique and Lee Daniels prove how cutthroat Hollywood is. Lee Daniels' admission that he is a sellout doesn't surprise me one iota. Many people know that he said misogynistic statements about black women and he said that white people can call black people the N word. Lee Daniels and Don Lemon are loved by the establishment, because they aren't revolutionaries. We don't have to play ball at the expense of our integrity or our dignity. We can speak out, shout for the truth, and establish unique solutions. I have noticed that Lee Daniels has thrown Monique under the bus. Typically, when many black people have disagreements, we will handle it behind closed doors (then we stand as a united front in public). Don Lemon has certainly compromised to the establishment. His argument to Talib Kweli (who gave thousands of dollars to the Ferguson movement) proves that. I am certainly disappointed in Daniels and Lemon. They know better. Many brainwashed black people love massah more than they love their own people. The good news is that there is an increasing number of black people waking up and realizing their identity and they want solutions. We have to keep on going as a'int nothing is going to turn us around.


To each its own, but a person's body is a person's body. Some folks have natural bodies and some have had surgeries (in varying degrees). I think what is most important is for people to find ways to love their inner beings. There are people who have used no surgeries and those who had many surgeries, but they possess a lack of appreciation for their personal humanity. That is the problem that we should address as a society. The physical appearance will change over time due to the natural processes of human biology (and other factors), yet we can help others see the value of themselves (and the inherit beauty from within). Also, there is nothing wrong with the black African phenotype. In order for freedom to come about transparently, then we have to reject archaic, evil white supremacist notions of body image. Beauty is diverse not monolithic. On this Earth, the massive materialism, the massive economic exploitation, etc. has harmed many lives and we have to change the world (so, society exists in a more altruistic fashion). It is a sad story truly. What Sarah Baartman experienced was something (which includes mental and physical abuse) that no human being should experience. Her story should definitely inspire anybody to treat black people right, especially the black Sisters. Her story shows why we do what we do. This is why we are in total opposition to the system of white supremacy. This is why we are opposed to imperialism and any form of human exploitation.


Also, I have read the article that Sister Ilyasah Shabbaz (or Malcolm X’s daughter) has written. Her article was a critique of the Black Lives Movement. First, I had to step back and look at history (since I love history as many others do). Back during the late 1960’s, rebellions occurred because of racial oppression and police terrorism in our black communities. The capitalist elite later had no choice but to accept concessions. Later after Dr. King was killed, many black people decided to join the bourgeois and accept the neoliberal society (of the prison industrial complex, of economic regressive policies, of scapegoating the black poor especially, and neo-imperialism). The events of Diallo, Troy Davis, Trayvon Martin, Aiyana Jones, Michael Brown, etc. inspired the development of the Black Lives Matter movement. Many of the youth know what time it is. I am 31 and I know about why riots occur and the historical, political breakdown of many aspects of Western society. Sister Ilyasah is right to say that Malcolm X would fairly critique this new movement. Back then, Malcolm X critiqued the civil rights movement, sometimes in strong terms. So, he would critique this current movement. He would want solutions, but he would also encourage the movement as an elder. We are fighting the system of white supremacy and Malcolm X would make that point explicitly. Also, another point is to be made as well. Many organizations in this current movement have outlined demands and solutions. Hands UP Coalition DC has called for the demilitarization of the local police, immediate prosecution of crooked cops, the end to the War and Drugs, and other direct proposals. Ferguson Action is one group that has specific agendas in their website and I have seen it. Many relatives of the victims of police brutality have spoken up and are part of such organizations now. This movement has very politically independent people in them (as some of them are opposed to the agendas of the Republicans and the Democrats). Malcolm X was politically independent and criticized both major parties without apology. Movements don’t have to be centralized. This movement is decentralized and has many grassroots organizing. Leadership is not necessarily centralized by a few people. Leaders can be ordinary human beings fighting for real social change. Ilyasah Shabbaz’s article is a great article. She has the right to her views. We can’t rely totally on slogans. Also, we should oppose imperialism as Malcolm X was anti-imperialist, he criticized capitalism, and he wanted opportunities for women. By 1965, Malcolm X was a progressive black revolutionary. Malcolm X opposed imperialism and wanted pan-African unity. So far, the Black Lives Movement (which existed spontaneously and independently) has existed longer than the Occupy Movement. Any movement has to be critiqued. This new movement is no exception. We should encourage the youth, give advice, and establish strategies plus solutions. I wish more peace and blessings for Sister Ilyasah Shabbaz.

By Timothy