Reflection and Standing Up for Truth

Governor Snyder has been a disgrace. Also, state and local authorities must face accountability for this too not just the Governor. No child and no adult should be in a place with conditions like this involving education. Real solutions like smaller class sizes, repairing schools, and addressing poverty has been opposed by the establishment. That is why many Detroit teachers now are considering a protest. The deplorable conditions prove that austerity doesn't work. Big banks in Michigan have received tons of money (via bailouts) while public services have been cut in Detroit and other areas of Michigan. The Emergency Management system is not only anti-democratic, but it has failed to fully promote the general welfare of the great people of Detroit. The Governor should resign ASAP. This is why I believe in investments in rebuilding our infrastructure in America. Members among both parties participated in austerity and other reactionary neoliberal policies. One emergency manager of Flint is Darnell Earley. The mayor of Detroit is Mike Duggan. Yet, one thing that I will never do is to collectively blame every citizen of Detroit for these problems in Detroit. I don't get down like that. Many individuals are correct to mention the corruption of Kilpatrick and others long before Kilpatrick was elected mayor. Kilpatrick went into prison while Synder and others aren't charged or they haven't even paid a settlement for their wrongdoing.  These emergency managers allow the pensions and public resources of Detroit, etc to be stripped in promoting big banking interests. This is why tons of people are outraged at the anti-democratic actions of Synder including others. I read that the mayor of Detroit want a large stadium to be constructed when crumbling schools are in existence. The lives of kids take precedent above a stadium. We want real change.

Certainly, this problem of the racism in Hollywood existed long before 2016. The industry has promoted the military industrial complex, sexism, and racist stereotypes for decades. So, no one should be surprised by the actions of the Oscars. Brother Davis Oyelowo (though, he is right on some of the issues that he has talked about to be fair) is incorrect to assume that the Oscars are the height of excellence. Our talent is the epitome of excellence and no Oscar can minimize the great accomplishments of excellent actors and actresses at all. Our value is never defined by an award. Our value is inherit to us by birth. Therefore, we should never beg for our freedom. We must fight for it and demand change by social activism and community development. We have a long way to go. Changes must come. Also, more black people are starting to see that cultural assimilation to a fallible industry is not liberation. Liberation deals with focusing our talents and our power to express ourselves without discrimination and without oppression. It is about seeing our human rights as so sacrosanct that no one will violate them. All people of every background has the right to express themselves. Also, black talent has the right to be expressed too (without sucking up to white establishment figures).



She or Stacey Dash is wrong on many levels. She advocate the end of BET, the NAACP, and Black History Month. First, let's look at history. Jim Crow apartheid involved the forced, unjust restrictions (via unjust laws) of the human rights of people based on skin color. That was evil and wrong. I don't even consider Hollywood truly liberal since they advance sexism, ageism, racism, classism, and a glamorization of other evils for decades. Both the liberal and conservative establishment are funded by the same corporate interests. The one percent advances socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor. Jim Cow apartheid or segregation also involve police brutality, discrimination, and even the murder of black men, women, and children. Heroic black people stood up to end segregation. Today, we have a token integration where primarily the black rich and the black upper middle class have many economic and political benefits while the black poor and working class readily suffer poverty, police brutality, educational problems, lax health care, etc. Standing up for the growth of black institutions and black self-determination has nothing to do with endorsing segregation. That is about us voluntarily showing our beautiful culture to the world. I have noticed that she doesn't criticize Chinese museums, Hispanic rights organizations, Latino TV channels, and Irish advocacy groups. We don't want segregation or a token integration where a few black people have token power. We want independence instead and we want liberation. Independence means that we define our own destinies without discrimination and we express ourselves throughout the Earth in a free fashion. Independence and liberation mean that we have unity across the Black African Diaspora and we don't suck up to white establishment figures. We stand up for ourselves and express economic justice progressively. There is nothing racist about Black History Month. We need to know black history year round, but Black History Month was created since many black people have been educated so much on white European history with scant mention of the contributions of black people in the world. With the efforts of the far right in trying to whitewash slavery and black history, it is very important for us to know about black history in February and year round. Stacey Dash is a post-racial advocate and she knows full well that this problem in the industry existed long before Obama was President. We need systematic change and an end to economic exploitation. We are in a class and racial struggle for justice. I disagree with Stacey Dash's right wing agenda. I believe in justice.


It was inevitable for this to happen (or the disrespectful children's book that tried to glamorize George Washington and slavery to be gone from Scholastic), because tons of people won't going to tolerate this. Historical inaccuracies and the outright glamorization of slavery should never be tolerated. The legitimate outcry of people caused Scholastic to change. This situation should be an opportunity for anyone to learn more about history and to promote the essence of black cultural development. Scholastic wouldn't dare do something like that to Jewish people or to Muslim people. Today is certainly a solemn day of reflection. So many Brothers and Sisters sacrificed their lives for us. That children's book (which is now not being sold by Scholastic) is an insult not only to us, but to our black ancestors. I'm sick of the slander and the disrespect of our heritage too. We have every right to be outraged at the status quo. We will not be silent. Also, Dr. King was much more radical than what the mainstream media has shown of him. He wanted full employment, he supported anti-colonial movements in Africa, and he wanted an end to the Vietnam War too. Our heroes from Marcus Garvey to Ella Baker make up a strong part of the overall strength of our blackness. Since the start of Hollywood, that entity has promoted racial stereotypes, sexism, and other negative imagery of humanity. We see how the Oscars have snubbed qualified black people for decades. Also, during this time, there should be no naivete. Too many black celebrities on the one hand want to talk about post-racial mythologies about how racism is rare or it is not that bad, but when reality comes to them, then they want to question whether a boycott should come about against the Oscars. At the end of the day, we should not desire tokenism. We desire full liberation. Liberation means that discrimination is abolished and self-determination is promoted. It means that our human rights should be expressed in its full capacity. We should respect and promote our own black award shows that respect black excellence. I wasn't planning on watching the Oscars anyway.



This is an important story. It is terrible and heartbreaking that Gynnya is not here physically. Yet, her spirit lives on forever. For years, many black youth have experienced the destructive school to prison pipeline system. We know how zero tolerance policies haven't worked completely and how suspensions in schools are readily racially biased (as proven by studies). There have been many stories of abuse and other forms of harm done to black people in juvenile centers. The Annie E. Casey Foundation and countless stories document this reality. For the authorities to not immediately give great details about the passing of Sister Gynnya McMillen shows the racist and disrespectful nature of mainstream society. It is a disgrace to see a grieving family to not see real details about her autopsy (in a comprehensive fashion) and how she passed. The family is left out. We should all be angry at how black girls are treated in this world. Many black girls have been treated very brutally and their voices are readily ignored. This should change now. This story certainly makes any freedom loving person to call for not only transparency, but for justice. We want to know exactly what happened and why. The police institution since its inception in America have numerous people in it that protect the interests of the 1 percent instead of the masses of the people (as we believe in power to the people) and has conducted terrorism (from the Haymarket situation to Bloody Sunday). The proletariat and all proponents of liberation will have their voices heard. I send prayers and condolences to the family of Gynna McMillen.
#Say Her Name.

By Timothy