Standing for Principles and Justice

The late Sister Dorothy Height was a legend in our community. She eloquently spoke about equality and justice and she worked tirelessly to help women worldwide. She stood up against sexism and she inspired so many human beings today in following the same journey for human rights and social justice. She was the quintessential representation of Black excellence. She was born in Richmond, Virginia and lived for 98 years. She witnessed so much from the era of Jim Crow to the age of the 21st century. Throughout her extensive longevity, she saw many magnificent events and along the way, she realized that we have so much far to go. She loved education and her social activism will forever be remembered by us. She being honored on the stamp for the Black Heritage series is an important development. We will continue to fight for human justice. I reject a lugubrious mentality. I have hope, faith, and I believe in action too. Rest in Power Sister Dorothy Height.

Sister Unita Blackwell is a civil rights hero. She was the first African American woman to be elected in a city of Mississippi. She fought for voting rights, justice, and she was always courageous. She is now 83 years old. She is one of the most courageous, greatest heroes of American history. She also spoke about issues in the Eyes of the Prize series. That was a great documentary and the most inspirational, audacious documentary about the civil rights movement in history. It is truly a shame that such events occur constantly in American society. It is a pattern where unarmed black people are unfortunately killed by the police and cops are rarely if at all held accountable for any transgression. Kajaun Raye's family is owed justice plainly speaking. Chicago has a long history of the torture, terrorist policies of Burge. Many Brothers and Sisters being oppressed by crooked cops, economic deprivation, and discrimination. Also, Chicago is home to many black people who embrace and activate a revolutionary spirit. Some of greatest black people that I have communicated with and talked to in real life are black people from the Midwest. We desire the efflorescence of human justice. We don 't live in a land of felicity. That is why we have to fight and we have the free speech right to outline our views here in a paramount fashion and to use activism in public to defend the rights of our black people period. The past has not been filled with halcyon. We had to fight for our rights. I hope that an independent investigation exists to determine the real truth and the family of Kajaun Raye deserve condolences and prayers.


Dr. Aprille Joy Ericsson is a legend. In her youth, she loved STEM fields. She was born in 1963. She is an American aerospace engineer. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City. She received her Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Masters of Engineering and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace from Howard University. She was the first female to receive a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Howard University and the first African-American female to receive a Ph.D. in engineering at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She won many awards including the 1997 "Women in Science and Engineering" award for the best female engineer in the federal government, and she is currently the instrument manager for a proposed mission to bring dust from the Martian lower atmosphere back to Earth. She love athletics (I saw a video of her playing basketball) and she loves to help humanity graciously. Margaret Walker was an unsung hero of black people. She was part of the Chicago Renaissance. Many people know about the Harlem Renaissance, but many people don't know about how impactful the Chicago Renaissance was in African American history. The Chicago Renaissance took place in the early to mid 20th century. It was impacted by the First Great Migration where millions of black people left the deep South into the Midwest, the North, and the West Coast for economic opportunities and for a better life in general. What they found was those places still had racism and discrimination just like the deep South. Margaret Walker was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She moved into Chicago to be a great writer and poet. Her notable works include the award-winning poem For My People (1942) and the novel Jubilee (1966), set in the South during the American Civil War. She was a wife and a mother to four children. She was a literary professor at Jackson State University in Mississippi. She passed away in Chicago in 1998. She was 82. Rest in Power Sister Margaret Walker.

There is no excuse for the action of the pro-Trump passenger. That male acted disrespectful and cruel. This sick mentality is embraced by many Trump supporters too. The reality is that we will promote labor rights, economic justice, and environmental justice. Also, we believe in black liberation. Delta did a disgraceful job. There are many people who disagree with Trump, and believe in the diversity of thought at the same time. Many people who disagree with Trump are always told by the far right crowd to either tone it down, wait to see what he will do, or get with the program. I have noticed that the far right crowd is never lectured by the media or anyone else (en masse) on having an open mind, compromise, and just see what progressives are coming from. The truth is that progress in history is made by struggle, resistance, and standing up against the status quo. The abolitionist movement grew by resistance and the black freedom struggle in general achieved victories by civil disobedience, boycotts, many protests, and self defense when necessary. Therefore, the call for black liberation is real and any black person has the right to disagree with Trump's support of the anti-civil rights activist Sessions and the hypocritical male Giuliani. The drunk male was a sexist and Delta acted in a disgraceful way. The drunk male (who must experience personal responsibility) harassed passengers inappropriately without justification in a profane way. This story has nothing to do with all black people. It has to do with the actions of one white male and the lax response of Delta. The drunk male shows the sexism among many Trump supporters and it outlined how America is not in a post racial, Utopian society. This is a new generation and tons of people of the younger generation will not compromise to Trump. Trump disrespected women, minorities, and a disabled human being. His supporters voted for him. They voted for a xenophobe, a sexist, and a person who lied about the Central Park Five. It is in our right to stand up for black liberation without apology.

This is appalling (of some people trying to infiltrate the Standing Rock protests to promote Burning Man rituals and other things that disrespect the movement). We all reject neocolonialist schemes. The Native Americans and their allies are heroic in standing up against corporate interests who want to pollute the sovereignty rights of the American indigenous people. That proposed pipeline has no environmentally sound reasoning and many protesters have been subjected to brutality including water hose attacks by cops. Human liberation means that black people should be free and all oppressed people should be free. We know what it is like to be mistreated as black people. The indigenous human beings have gotten their land stolen and their people have experienced unjust mistreatment by racists and evil imperialists for multiple centuries. The common right wing talking point is that we should not discuss about these issues or we should not be involved in social activism. That is a lie, because social activism is one way in getting results. The social activism of abolitionists fought slavery. The social activism of Fannie Lou Hamer and Septima Clark caused many changed in the Deep South and throughout America. Therefore, I stand in solidarity with the NoDAPL movement (which is more than about hating white racism, which is righteous. Some people want to ignore the serious evil of white racism and ignore the necessity of promoting Black Unity. It is about promoting environmental justice, respecting sovereignty rights, and standing up against oppression). There is nothing wrong with solidarity being shown legitimately and with respect. Calling other people heroic in their activism and believing in black liberation at the same time are not mutually exclusive. In other words, showing respect to the NoDAPL movement has nothing to do with minimizing the legitimate aspirations of black people. This movement in North Dakota should never be portrayed as a Burning Man ceremony. This is a serious movement for social change. We have every right to talk about this issues and other issues via our free speech and this is relevant to our community. The same police brutality and the same ecological exploitation that the Native peoples have experienced in North Dakota is what we (as black people) have experienced. No one on this Earth can refute the reality of intersectionality involving oppression. So, I believe in black liberation forever.

By Timothy