Thanksgiving 2017 Part 3

 

African American History Part 7: The Third Era

The Age of Obama (2008- 2017)

One thing about black people is that we are always in involved in historic events. The historic campaign and election of Barack Obama as the first African American President of the United States of America represented a new era of our history. The end of the Bush administration was marred with economic recession, failures from the Iraq War, NSA warrantless wiretapping, the Katrina disaster aftermath, and other problems. Barack Obama spoke to the frustration of black people and others who desired a new way out of a situation caused by far right wing policies. Barack Obama’s gift was his usage of extraordinary intellect, oratory, and charisma to advance story, consensus among different groups, and using structure plus detail to advance his ideas. He was elected with massive support among black people, other people of color, white progressives, the youth, women, college educated people, those who lived in urban areas, first time voters, and other human beings.

Some even promoted the myth that the election of the center-left politician Barack Obama would mean the establishment of a post racial era. Now, we see that to be a myth completely. Barack Obama would represent ironies and paradoxes. Barack Obama, on many occasions, would give middle of the road speeches on race and education (many of which are those that I don't agree with), yet reactionaries would still slander him as a racist and a person who is a socialist. Barack Obama would speak about personal responsibility and family parenting (which conservatives love to hear) involving schools, but that wasn’t good enough for those who viewed him as far left (which he wasn’t). Barack Obama would both execute legitimate policies (like the Lily-Leadbetter Act, the economic compensation to black farmers, the Iranian nuclear deal, normalizing relations among Cuba and America, many reforms in the criminal justice system, etc.) while also executing blatantly bad, neoliberal plus imperial policies (like the Wall Street bailout, the continuation of the NDAA, the massive prosecution of whistleblowers, and the massive drone strikes overseas). He in fact is the representation of the achievements of Black Americans in many areas and how far we have to go in achieving justice and human liberation. One cornerstone of the Obama legacy is his signing the Affordable Care Act, which was a national overhaul of the health care system (filled with legitimate policies and imperfections).

In a sense, how many conservatives view Reagan, many liberals view the same for Obama. Barack Obama is the man who is the paradox of having massive genius intellectually, while we (as black Americans) saw increases of economic inequality, problems of infant mortality, decreases of black Americans wealth during the peak of the Great Recession (as a product of the recession and a fallible capitalist system), and a continued epidemic of police terrorism against black people (especially against poor and working class black people). This is caused by a system which has existed long before Obama was elected, but he is responsible for some of these policies. This reality has been caused by a neoliberal capitalist system that can never solve the problems of poverty and economic exploitation period. Part of the Age of Obama was the inspirational words from First Lady Michelle Obama (she is a black woman with great intelligence and she has heroically advanced the importance of health plus exercise). She told the truth that White House was built by slaves. Michelle Obama is easily the greatest First Lady in history.  The two extreme views (which has been promoted by some) of Obama being nearly perfect (and being immune from any critique as advanced by black bourgeois political figures especially) or Obama being evil incarnate (as advanced by white supremacists especially) must be rejected. We ought to fairly evaluate the Age of Obama as both filled with crisis and filled with a renewed fight among a new generation of social activists for social change. By the end of the Age of Obama, the unemployment rate declined with millions of jobs being created. In terms of LGBT rights, he is the most pro-LGBT President in American history. The Age of Obama did saw the birth of the progressive Black Lives Matter Movement (which I will describe in more detail in the future) and the Occupy Wall Street movement. It saw both the tragedy in Ferguson including in Charleston and it saw more activism by heroes in opposing bigotry, police terrorism, and any injustice. Therefore, we have to look at the Age of Obama in comprehensive terms as a new era of Black America.

Obama's Election

The campaign of Barack Obama grew after he announced his candidacy on February of 2007. It was a long campaign with social media being heavily involved from Myspace, Facebook, and to the rest of the Internet. He fought against Hillary Clinton and John Edwards during the Democratic primary among other candidates. By the end of June 2007, Barack Obama out-raised then Senator Hillary Clinton for funds with a $31 million haul. Barack Obama’s campaign was based on “hope and change.” He advocated a withdrawal of American troops from the Iraqi territory (by the end of 2008). He was a previous opponent of the Iraq War. Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson, and others ran for President too.  On September 18, 2007, Barack Obama advocated an $80 billion in tax cuts for the middle class while eliminating part of the Bush tax cuts on the super wealthy. Oprah Winfrey publicly supported Barack Obama on December 8, 2007. Massive crowds would hear him speak and almost 30,000 people came to see Oprah and Obama in Columbia, South Carolina. The historic Democratic Iowa caucus had its results. Obama won the Iowa caucus on January 3, 2008. This sent shock waves all over the world. People celebrated. Hillary Clinton won the New Hampshire primary. Obama won the South Carolina primary later. The South Carolina primary results caused Bill Clinton to compare Obama’s victories to Jesse Jackson’s campaigns in 1984 and 1988 (and Bill Clinton said that Obama would be making him coffee back then according to the late Edward Kennedy). That comment from Bill Clinton caused rightful anger in the African American community. Barack Obama surged in popularity. First Lady Michelle Obama also spoke throughout the campaign. By February 27, 2008, Georgia Democratic Representative and civil rights hero John Lewis reversed his endorsement from Clinton to Obama. Small donations caused Obama to receive massive support. Axelrod was a great apolitical advisor to him too. There were controversies too. There was the Tony Rezko scandal.

There was the March release of news clips of the sermons of Rev. Jeremiah Wright (who was Obama’s pastor for 20 years) at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Ironically, Wright told the truth on many issues from exposing imperialism, disagreeing with social injustice, and criticizing the overt war crimes of dropping bombs in Hirsohima (plus Nagasaki). Past Jeremiah Wright rightfully abhorred the many evils against black people and Native Americans like slavery and genocide. Yet, it was taboo for anyone to say these comments in public, because courageous black preaching against imperialism has been demonized by the enemies of truth. Jeremiah Wright said “God d___ America.” Barack Obama gave his Philadelphia speech where he denounced Wright’s remarks while saying that black people’s legitimate grievance against racial injustice must be respected. His speech tried to appealed to people’s better natures and it was very conciliatory and moderate. His historic speech on race was called, “A More Perfect Union.” Barack Obama was a genius political figure during the 2008 campaign. Obama talked about some people clinging to guns, religion, and anti-immigrant sentiment. Hillary Clinton criticized this comment, but we know now that many people falsely scapegoat immigrants in explaining why neoliberal policies have caused jobs to be outsourced unfortunately. Debates about Ayers persisted, but he won the Democratic nomination for President among the Democratic Party.

By June 3, 2008, Barack Obama became victorious to be a Democratic Presidential nominee. His Democratic National Convention speech in 2008 was in Denver. It was powerful and historic. He appealed to black people, working people, and other Americans. He called for energy independence, economic reforms, health care improvement, and other progressive positions. He wanted to end the Iraq War. The Republican candidate John McCain was his political opponent. He debated him in many debates. The Presidential campaign was fierce. Barack Obama equated McCain to the failed policy of the Bush administration. Barack Obama won the election in November of 2008. People cheered. Jesse Jackson cried. Oprah Winfrey celebrated. John McCain gave a very gracious concession speech. Barack Obama gave his victory speech in Grant Park of Chicago, Illinois with his wife and children. He was inaugurated on January 20, 2009 to a large crowd of people. Parades existed and hopes were high for the future of America.

Political News

During his first 100 days in office, President Barack Obama passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It promoted emergency assistance. The stimulus law gave 40 percent of the money to tax cuts and credits to individuals and businesses. It wasn’t a direct government jobs program modeled on the 1930’s era Works Progress Administration. The stimulus package stopped a massive plunge into a worse depression. The unemployment rate continued to increase for a while. He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that promoted gender equality involving pay. He promoted an expanded S-CHIP or the State’s Children’s Health Insurance Program. President Barack Obama appointed Sonia Sotomayor (who is the first Latina American on the Supreme Court) and Elan Kagan to the Supreme Court. On October 8, 2009, he signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This is a measure that expanded the 1969 United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. On October 30, 2009, Obama lifted the ban on travel to the United States by those infected with HIV, which was celebrated by Immigration Equality. He repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in December 22, 2010. On March 11, 2009, Obama created the White House Council on Women and Girls, which forms part of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, having been established by Executive Order 13506 with a broad mandate to advise him on issues relating to the welfare of American women and girls. He continued to expanded military involvement in the Afghanistan war while withdrawing military forces from Iraq involving combat missions. President Barack Obama had discussions about Israel, Russia, and the Muslim world. He gave his historic speech promoting tolerance to the Muslim world in Cairo during his first term, but he executed drones strikes and other militarist policies in the Muslim world. So, political news was definitely part of his administration.

The Great Recession

The Great Recession harmed the Black American community in such bad ways, that we have not fully recovered from it to this very day. In essence, the Great Recession was caused by many factors not just one. It involved a massive economic decline in many world markets from the late 2000's to the early 2010's. It was the worse global recession since the Great Depression according to the IMF. The causes of the Great Recession related directly to the financial crisis of 2007, and the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis of 2007-2009 too. Under the economy definition of recession (which is about 2 or more consecutive quarters of GDP decline), it lasted from December of 2007 to June or July of 2009. Yet, the African American community suffered economic hurt to this very day. Subprime loan losses in 2007 expanded the economic crisis. Loses continued and Lehman Brothers fell on September 15, 2008. Neoliberal politicians passed bailouts in their minds to save the largest banks from total financial collapse. During the Great Recession, international trade, and commodity prices declined. Unemployment grew and many human beings foreclosed on their housing since they couldn’t afford to pay their mortgage payments. Household debt increased also. The housing bubble nearly tripled the prices of homes and other real-estate from 1999 to 2007. This huge increase was due in part to the uncontrolled credit given by the American banks that engaged in such practices, and which further increased demand in the housing sector. On December 30, 2008, the Case-Shiller home price index reported the largest price drop in its history. Increased foreclosure rates in 2006–2007 among U.S. homeowners led to a crisis in August 2008 for the subprime, collateralized debt obligation, mortgage, credit, hedge fund, and foreign bank markets.

As early as October 2007, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury had called the bursting housing bubble "the most significant risk to our only economy.” Economic inequality further grew. The distribution of household incomes in the United States has become more unequal during the post-2008 economic recovery, a first for the U.S but in line with the trend over the last ten economic recoveries since 1949. Income inequality in the United States has grown from 2005 to 2012 in more than 2 out of 3 metropolitan areas. Median household wealth fell 35% in the US, from $106,591 to $68,839 between 2005 and 2011. The U.S. Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission found that some of the causes were the failures of financial regulation (like the Federal Reserve’s failure to stop the spread of toxic mortgages. Back then, many aspects of the derivatives trading lacked transparency and basic regulatory controls) and the financial firms acting too reckless and taking too much risk. Other factors that caused the Great Recession included the following: excessive borrowing and risk by households and Wall Street that permitted this risky reality, and many policy makers failing to prepare for the crisis. Many conservatives blamed the crisis on the actions of Fannie & Freddie since they were involved in government policy in dealing with much of American housing. Liberals, of course, disagree with that assumption. The capitalist system was filled with risky practices, excessive leverage, and instability that contributed to the recession. African American suffered greatly during this era.

The Economic Policy Institute mentioned that in 2010, black unemployment reached above 10 percent. There was the 2001 recession too (as a result of the dot com bubble). Many black workers suffered discrimination, loss of wealth, and massive economic troubles. Bailouts existed for big Wall Street corporations (when no major Wall Street banker have been convicted of financial malfeasance) while the leadership of both parties refused to bailout state and local governments during the Great Recession (and afterwards because many of them believe in the neoliberal, faulty  philosophies of austerity and free market fundamentalism). During the Great Recession, Black household wealth fell to one-twentieth that of median white households. After debts were subtracted from assets, the median white household was worth a little over $113,000, while Black households could lay claim to only $5,600 in assets. Half of Black households were worse off than that, and about half of those had virtually no family worth at all. Studies have documented racial discrimination against black Americans involving many financial situations. Wall Street oligarchs and their allies received the majority of the economic benefits post-Great Recession. That’s the sad part.

There has been economic growth since 2009, but that growth has been uneven. The US gained 1.058 million jobs in 2010, 2.083 million in 2011, 2.236 million in 2012, 2.331 million in 2013, and 3.116 in 2014. GDP grew roughly 2.5% in 2010, 1.6% in 2011, 2.3% in 2012, 2.2% in 2013, and 2.4% in 2014. May of 2014 also marked the recovery of all jobs lost during the recession. Over 12.1 million jobs have been created since job losses stopped in February 2010 as of June 2015. However, these new jobs are not equal in pay to those medium-paying jobs lost: roughly 40% are high-paying jobs and 60% are low-paying jobs, further widening the income gap between poor and affluent Americans. Government attempts to reduce deficits via the sequester budget cuts will remain a drag on the economy for as long as the Budget Control Act of 2011 remains in place. I don’t agree with sequester, because of obvious reasons. Economics are complex, so every aspect of an economy can’t be blamed on any President completely. Goods and services spread in the economy while Wall Street banking interests have used hedge funds including derivatives to establish record profits. Only a revolutionary policy can be a real solution. In essence, Americans (and other people worldwide) were victims of an imperfect economic system while the financial oligarchs were heavily involved in exacerbating the Great Recession in the first place. One aspect of the Great Recession was that it has inspired many progressive activists (from Occupy Wall Street to Black Lives Matter) to advance the goal of economic justice.

Shirley Sherrod

Shirley Sherrod is one of the most heroic black women of our generation. She fought against racial injustice and economic exploitation for decades. On the date of July 19, 2010, Shirley Sherrod was pressured to resign from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (as Georgia State Director). The reason was that she was falsely accused of being racist towards white Americans (in a March 2010 event of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). The speech was about overcoming personal prejudices. She helped out a white farmer in 1986 named Roger Spooner. She, at first, thought that he had a superior attitude towards her (and she recalled the murder of her father in the South back in 1965 in Georgia). Later, they became friends. She said that poverty affected all races of people. Sherrod explained that her father’s murder led her to a decision: “I couldn't just let his death go without doing something in answer to what happened. I made the commitment on the night of my father's death, at the age of 17, that I would not leave the South, that I would stay in the South and devote my life to working for change. And I've been true to that commitment all of these 45 years.” The right wing blogger Andrew Breitbart (who died years ago) took her words out of context and edited them in order for him to lie about Sherrod. In regard to the NAACP, Sherrod told CNN, “The NAACP has not tried to contact me one time … I would have appreciated—when you look at my history of civil rights, I would have appreciated having the NAACP at least contact me …contact me to try to get the truth about what happened…That hurts, because if you look at my history, that's what I'm saying. I've done more to advance the causes of civil rights in this area than some of them who are sitting in those positions now with the NAACP. They need to learn something about me. They need to know about my work. They need to know what I've contributed through the years.” Shirley Sherrod was so disrespected that the Obama administration (which included United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, other White House officials, and NAACP officials) apologized to her. Back in 2010, there has been massive coverage of the incident. The situation further caused more debates about racism in American society. I’m glad that Sherrod filed a defamation lawsuit against Breitbart and co-defendant Larry O’Connor. By 2015, the suit was settled in undisclosed terms. Shirley Sherrod is a heroic black woman and a great human being.

The 2010 Fair Sentencing Act

Involving black American history, the War on Drugs has harmed so many communities that the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act was passed. For a long time, sentencing disparities have existed among those who use crack cocaine and those who have use powdered cocaine. Also, there are sentences being different among people of different races even if everyone was convicted of the same offense. By the 2010’s, many people from across the political spectrum have called for reforms involving drug policy. People reject the act of massive incarceration as that alone is no solution as families have been ruined as a product of the War on Drugs. The disparities of drug convictions are racist. Even the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) found out in a report in 1995 that showed that almost 90 percent of defendants sentenced under crack cocaine rule were black people.  The USSC, hardly a bastion of antiracism, advocated for the elimination of the 100-to-1 rule, issuing four reports over 20 years that concluded there was indisputable racial bias in the disparity between the mandatory minimum sentencing. Their recommendations were ignored by both Republican and Democratic administrations (who wanted to promote the “tough on crime” rhetoric). The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 dropped the disparity to 18 to 1. This new law didn’t apply retroactively. Many federal inmates (who are serving time for past crack cocaine convictions) could apply for reduced prison terms. Yet, inmates with criminal histories or those who possessed or use a gun will not be eligible for sentence reductions. So Telisha Watkins, sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2007, won't be eligible for a reduction because of a prior criminal conviction for drug possession. Her likely release date is 2024. Nor will Derrick Cain, sentenced to 10 years for selling cocaine and possession of a firearm. Derrick's gun was legally registered and wasn't used in connection with cocaine sales, but he'll be in prison until 2017. 

The War on Drugs continues even though we know that prohibition doesn’t work and discrimination exists in the criminal justice system among all levels. The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 also eliminated the five-year mandatory minimum sentence for simple possession of crack cocaine, among other provisions. Some progressives wanted the entire act to be retroactive. According to Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, "there is no scientific basis for the disparity and by promoting laws and policies that treat all Americans equally, and by working to amend or end those that do not, we can only increase public confidence in the criminal justice system and help create a safer and healthier nation for us all." The sentencing disparity should be eliminated completely. The 2010 Fair Sentencing Act does not reduce sentences for those prosecuted under state law, and state prosecutions account for a vast majority of incarcerations for drug-related offenses. The law represents the further need to end the War on Drugs once and for all (and implement creative alternatives to help society).

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

One of the greatest events of African American history during the 21st century was the opening of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on Washington, D.C. on the date of August 22, 2011. It is found near the National Mall. It is found in 4 acres of land. Lei Yixin was the sculptor who created the Stone of Hope for the granite statue of the Civil Rights leader Dr. King. It existed after long decades of planning, fundraising, and construction. The location is found at the northwest corner of the Tidal Basin near the Franklin Delano Memorial on a sightline linking the Lincoln Memorial to the northwest and the Jefferson Memorial to the southeast. The official address of the monument is 1964 Independence Avenue, S.W. which honors the year when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became law. This memorial is the first memorial near or on the National Mall that memorializes an African American. The memorial, which is first to honor an African American in Washington, D.C., is the Mary McLeod Bethune bronze statue. It is administered by the National Park Service. The Vision statement of the King Memorial is very clear on how Dr. King wanted freedom and democracy for all. Harry E. Johnson is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the memorial foundation. The Dr. King Memorial has quotes from King’s speeches and sermons. They are found on the Inscription Wall. SCLC staff photographer Bob Fitch and others were involved in the design and construction of the memorial. The official dedication ceremony took place on October 16, 2011 after much delay because of Hurricane Irene. President Barack Obama gave his speech about how the work for justice is not done, but we are still going forward. He linked the civil rights movement from the past to the 21st century events of the Great Recession. Barack Obama talked about Dr. King’s legacy and the need for economic justice. Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young, Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III spoke at the ceremony. Many singers performed like Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, James Taylor, Jennifer Holiday, and Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Over 10,000 people attended. First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Congressman John Lewis, Congressman Elijah Cummings and former Congressman Walter E. Fauntroy were there too.  Now, it is also important to make other points as well. We have to reject the notion that Dr. King wasn’t a great radical, because many people want to sanitize his message and legacy. The truth is that Dr. King was a revolutionary who wanted a redistribution of wealth. He praised democratic socialism and he admitted that many of the civil rights reforms were limited mainly to the black middle class. So, he wanted to use the Poor Peoples Campaign in order to fight against economic injustice. While both major parties (the Democratic and Republican Parties) are in league with the interests of the military industrial complex, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. publicly denounced the Vietnam War and exposed the U.S. for its war crimes in Vietnam.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali were great friends. Each opposed the Vietnam War and wanted freedom, justice, and equality for black people. Also, Coretta Scott King loved Dr. King a great deal. Coretta Scott King also was a social activist who promoted peace, social justice, and equality. She was a singer too. 

He also branded the United States government “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today” during his Riverside Baptist Church speech in 1967. Dr. King was a pacifist preacher. The former President Barack Obama have been very aggressive in punishing whistleblowers, giving record bailouts to large banks (while not giving equivalent resources to homeowners, workers, and the poor), and maintaining the growth of the military industrial complex. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said the following:  “…I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today – my own government.” So, Dr. King wanted peace in the world.  He spoke out against racism, materialism, and militarism. Therefore, we are in favor of justice, which is about promoting housing, living wages, jobs, and human justice. We certainly need a revolution of values in our public life as Dr. King has eloquently stated. This is why it is always important to endorse black liberation, social justice, environmental justice, and gender justice 100 percent. Our eyes are on the prize. 

Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin’s death was one of the biggest tragedies in American history. He was a young teenager whose life was cut short by a coward named George Zimmerman. Trayvon Martin was killed in Sanford, Florida. Trayvon Martin was trying to return home. Zimmerman stalked him and the police told him not to follow Martin. Yet, he proceeded to do so. He met up with Martin and struggle occurred. Then, Zimmerman used his gun to kill Trayvon Martin. Pressure came in order for authorities to investigate the case. Zimmerman was arrested and a trial commenced. By July 2013, a mostly white jury acquitted Zimmerman. This caused protests nationwide and it inspired the creation of the Black Lives Matter Movement. The Trayvon Martin tragedy makes known of how racism, savage vigilantism, and police brutality continues to exist in our generation. We have to be made aware of the uncomfortable truth that the system of racism/white supremacist was created to harm us and the system must be replaced with a real system of justice. Trayvon Martin’s black life was valuable as any other human life.

2012 re-election of Obama (and the 2013 inauguration)

The 2012 election or the 57^th quadrennial United States Presidential election was the most difficult election of Barack Obama. He worked hard and many of his supporters continued to ally with him. His opposition included Republicans and the new Tea Party movement. The Tea Party movement were made up heavily of right wing conservatives and deficit hawks who believed in the false notion that trickled down economics was a panacea to the end economic problems in America. The 2012 election was about health care, the economy, foreign policy matters, and what would be best for the future. On January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision on Citizens United made the bad decision of allowing corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate election to be unlimited. By November 2010, the Republicans gained control of the House. Many Republican candidates existed like Jon Huntsman Jr., Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Tim Pawlenty, Thaddeus McCotter, and others. They debated each other on many social and foreign policy issues. Barack Obama was the Democratic candidate and Mitt Romney won the Republican nomination. Paul Ryan was the Republican vice Presidential candidate. The 2012 Republican National Convention was held in Tampa, Florida in August of 2012 while the Democratic National Convention was held in Charlotte, North Carolina in September 2012. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney debated each other 3 times. The first Presidential debate was at University of Denver in Denver, Colorado. The second one was in Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York and the third one was at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. Barack Obama struggled in the first debate and did a much greater job in the last 2 debates.

By late October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy pummels the East Coast. President Barack Obama’s response to the East Coast was praised by Democrats and Republicans. Barack Obama won the election and he was re-elected as President with 51% of the vote. Most African Americans voted for his re-election too. The second inauguration of Barack Obama happened in January of 2013. This was the time of the 150^th Year Anniversary of the Lincoln Emancipation Proclamation and the  completion of the Capitol dome in 1863. During the public inauguration on January 21, 2013, the invocation was expressed by Myrlie Evers-Williams, who is the widow of the civil rights leader Medgar Evers. Barack Obama spoke about human rights, climate change, immigration reform, and gun control. About 1 million people came into the inauguration. Later, there was a performance of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Vice President elect Biden took his oath from Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. After completing his oath of office as the Vice President, Biden received in his honor the first playing of four ruffles and flourishes and the march "Hail, Columbia" by members of the armed forces. This was followed by a performance of "America the Beautiful" by James Taylor. 

 

After the performance of "America the Beautiful", Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office to President elect Obama. The Obama family marched in a parade and was part of a National prayer service. The Obama couple danced in many inauguration balls too. President Barack Obama’s 2nd inauguration address was historic since it was an embrace of many causes, especially on social issues. It was his expression of what he wanted to do and why he wanted to do it. He eloquently showed the linkages of many social movements and why it is important to promote equal rights for all. After the inauguration, President Barack Obama will make more decisions that affected Black Americans forever.

The Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act on June 25, 2013

That date of June 25, 2013 was a date of infamy. It’s a date that I will remember for the rest of my life. This is a milestone of the attack on the courage and sacrifice of activists who caused the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to exist in the first place. The people who protested in Selma for voting rights were of many races. Many were poor, many were working class, some were clergymen, some were clergywomen, and they continued to fight. This act of a wrong judicial decision is an attack of democratic rights. The margin of victory was 5-4. Yes, Clarence Thomas was in favor of the gutting of part of the Voting Rights Act too. Chief Justice John Roberts defended the decision. Even Anthony Kennedy supported the evil decision. The law gutted Section 4, which tried to prevent voting discrimination in various states of the Union. Even today in the 21st century, there are countless pieces of evidence of racially motivated discrimination involving voting from the efforts to purge of the rolls of black voters, the redrawing of electoral boundaries, and the Voter ID laws which limit the times and types of ID used to vote. Shelby County v. Holder has gone down in history as one of the most disgraceful decisions of the Supreme Court.

Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act required Alaska and eight southern states, plus parts of seven other states, to pre-clear (or get federal government approval from the Department of Justice and show that they don’t have a discriminatory purpose or effect) any changes in voting procedures with the federal government. To their credits, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the ACLU have expressed dissent with the decision. Voting rights continue to be under attack. Many Voter ID laws restrict when people can vote, what types of ID people can use, and the locations in which people can vote. Social activists in North Carolina especially have opposed the Voting ID law in that state. According to the Sentencing Project, "1 of every 13 African Americans of voting age is disenfranchised, a rate more than four times greater than non-African Americans. Nearly 7.7 percent of the adult African American population is disenfranchised compared to 1.8 percent of the non-African American population." Nineteen states passed more than 24 measures in 2011 and 2012 that make it harder to vote--"the biggest rollback in voting rights since the Jim Crow era," according to the Brennan Center's Myrna Pérez and Lucy Zhou, writing in the Christian Science Monitor. The 19 states are all over the country, including New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. This is a national problem not just a Southern problem. Black Americans continue to fight for voting rights to this very day.

Black Cabinet members (during the Obama years)

There were many African Americans in the Cabinet of the Obama administration from 2009 to 2017. Eric Holder was the first black Attorney General in American history. The first black woman Attorney General was Loretta Lynch. Both human beings were superbly qualified and dealt with a diversity of issues from legal cases to issues of police brutality (including the criminal justice system). Jeff Johnson was the first black Secretary of Homeland Security in history. John King Jr. was the Secretary of Education. Anthony Foxx was the Secretary of Transportation. Valerie Jarrett was a key advisor in the Obama administration. She has been a long supporter of the Obama family and a businesswoman. She was Assistant to the President for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs. Susan Rice was Obama’s National Security Advisor. Her expertise dealt with the complexities of foreign policy affairs. Deesha Dyer was the Special Assistant to the President and Social Secretary.  Ashley Allison was the Deputy Director of the Office of Public Engagement. Ashley Etienne was the Special Assistant to President and Cabinet Communications Director.

African American music and culture of the 2010's

African American music and culture during the 2010’s represented new music, diverse cultures, and creative expressions of the diversity of the black experience. During this decade of the 2010’s, indie pop grew. Also, instruments like banjos, ukulele, and other instruments were common. Experimental music had a comeback and hip hop music further evolved with experimentation and the new genre of mumble rap. Electronica were used heavily during the early 2010’s. Gospel music continued to be popular and youth gospel musicians have shown their gifts to the world. By January of 2010, Teddy Pendergrass (who was a R&B soul legend) passed away at the age of 59. For decades, he has performed the world to express his music about love, introspection, and joy in life. Many artists (on January 22, 2010) from Wyclef Jean to Mary J. Blige are involved in the Hope for Haiti Now telethon, which dealt with helping people who suffered from the Haitian earthquake. Haitians fought Western imperialism to create Haiti as the first black Republic of the Americas by 1804. So, we have a great love for Haiti forever. Hope for Haiti Now becomes the first digital-only album to top Billboard 200 albums chart and the largest pre-order album on iTunes until broken in 2012 by Madonna's album MDNA. The January 31, 2010 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Beyoncé broke a record winning 6 Grammys in one night including Song of The Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” It was announced that within 6 months after the death of Michael Jackson sales increased 75% sold in just 6 months 57.5 million records. Beyoncé played at a sold out crowd of 60,000 people in São Paulo, Brazil at Morumbi Stadium. A lot of Beyonce's songs were soundtracks of women empowerment. By February 12, 2010, there was the remake of the 1985 song "We Are the World" for victims of the earthquake debuts during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics. On March 18, 2010, Rihanna’s “Rude Boy" reaches No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her sixth no. 1. This tied her fifth among females to reach no. 1 in the US. Also, it made her the female with the most no. 1 singles since 2000. On May 2010, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony released their reunion album with all original five members entitled Uni5: The World's Enemy.

Macy Gray (on June 2010) released The Sellout to critical acclaim. It is her first studio album in over three years. Drake continued to perform music. On November 22, 2010, Kanye West releases his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which becomes the best-reviewed album of the year, according to Metacritic. Kanye West is known as a very talented producer and a hip hop artist who expands boundaries about his expression. The 53rd Grammy Awards happen on December 1, 2010. Many artists were nominated and won. 2011 comes about and new music exists. By March of 2011, Chris Brown topped the charts for the first time ever after the release of his fourth studio album F.A.M.E. I don’t agree with Chris Brown on many issues, so I want to make that clear. On August 8, 2011, Jay Z and Kanye West released their anticipated collaborated album called, “Watch the Throne.” On January 20, 2012, Etta James died of leukemia at the age of 73. Etta James was one of the greatest singers of the 20th century and she was a woman who inspired so many artists in our time too. During the Super Bowl XLVI, Nicki Minaj, Cee Lo Green, and other artists performed at its halftime show. The twelve-minute performance becomes the most watched television event of all time, gathering a record 118 million viewers, six more than the game itself.

Whitney Houston in 2011. Rest in Power Sister Whitney Houston. 

On February 11, 2012, the iconic singer Whitney Houston passed away at the age of 48 in her Los Angeles hotel room. This was hours before a pre-Grammy party hosted by Clive Davis. She suffered heart diseases and a drowning. Whitney Houston was a legend and I felt shocked when she passed.  Sales of her albums spike, and "I Will Always Love You" re-enters the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. Whitney Houston was more than a singer. She was a woman who loved her spirituality and she greatly loved her family plus fans. She was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. Whitney Houston was heavily awarded and she was the greatest vocalist singer of our generation period.

On the February 12 Grammys, Kanye West won 4 Grammy awards. Donna Summer passed away in May 17, 2012 at the age of 63. On June 29, 2012, Chris Brown goes to number 1 on the charts a second time after the release of his fifth studio album Fortune. This was the year when Snoop Dogg changed his name to Snoop Lion. On November 19, 2012, Rihanna released her new album Unapologetic scoring her first #1 album on the US charts. In January 2013, Jay Z tours. Alicia Keys sang the National Anthem and Beyoncé performed during the Super bowl XLVII halftime show on February 3, 2013. On June of 2013, Kanye West released his sixth studio album (filled with controversy and unique sounds) called Yeezus. Yeezus was unlike any hip hop album in history. 

On September 2013, Sister Janelle Monae related her critically acclaimed album, "The Electric Lady." It was very popularity and it showed the myriad of musical skills from Janelle Monae. It outlined important messages about creativity, tolerance, acceptance, and a love of music. As music can unite people, Janelle Monae wants her music to unite people, especially among those who feel left out or oppressed. She is a great dancer too. She was born in Kansas City, Kansas in the Midwest. Electric Lady has influences from  hip hop soul, funk, gospel, jazz and rock. Songs like Electric Lady, Q.U.E.E.N., Victory, etc. outline her intentions and her gifts of expression. She continues to advocate for Black Lives Matter, STEM fields for human beings, and artistic growth among humanity in general. 

By December of 2013, one of Beyoncé’s most acclaimed albums and her surprise fifth studio album was called Beyoncé. It is a visual album and it has 14 songs and an accompanying music video for each song. The album debuts at #1 based on 3 days of digital sales, maybe Beyoncé the first female artist, and second artist overall to debut at the top spot with her first five studio efforts. The album of Beyoncé shows anthems of women empowerment, sexuality, and many diverse issues. It includes contemporary R&B with electronic and soul music. One of her greatest songs on her album was "Pretty Hurts" which promotes human self esteem. On January 26, 2014, the 56th Annual Grammy Awards existed. It was located in Staples Center in Los Angeles. By May 13, 2014, Michael Jackson released his second posthumous album of previously unreleased songs. The album is called Xscape. On August 24, 2014, there was the 31st Annual MTV Video Music Awards take place in Inglewood, California. Beyoncé won 4 awards that night and also received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, presented to her by her husband Jay Z and her daughter Blue Ivy following her 16-minute performance to close the show. TLC released their first single in nine years called "Gift Wrapped Kiss" (on December 15, 2014).

On October 2, 2015, Janet Jackson releases Unbreakable her first album since 2008's Discipline to widespread critical acclaim. The album goes on to top the Billboard 200 chart. In 2015, Kendrick Lamar grows in popularity with his lyricism and diverse messages in his songs. On January 11, 2016, Ciara performed the National Anthem at the second College Football Playoff Championship. On January 28, 2016,  Rihanna released her eighth studio album Anti. Two days following its release, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after receiving 1 million free downloads in 15 hours due to a deal with Samsung. This was the fastest certified platinum album in history. Beyoncé performs in the halftime show of the Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California on February of 2016. Beyoncé pays homage to the Black Panthers, BLM, and pro-black movements in general with her performance. We know that is truly sacrosanct to praise Blackness and to acknowledge great social activism from the past and during the present too. Kanye West released his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo, as a Tidal exclusive. After a couple of months being exclusive to the streaming service it was made available for purchase in an updated format (on February 14, 2016).

The 58th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 15, 2016. Lamar won the most awards of the night with five. On March 5, 2016, Rihanna's single "Work" became the first dancehall song to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Sean Paul's "Temperature" in 2006. La’Porsha Renae continues to do music from 2016 to the present. Prince passed away on April 21, 2016. It was a shock. He won the Grammy Awards seven times. He could sing, play instruments, and dance. Prince broke down taboos and still was himself while he was doing it. He passed away in his recording studio in Minnesota.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA are certainly black artists of the present and the future. 

On April 23, 2016, Beyoncé premiered her sixth studio album Lemonade on HBO with an hour-long film. The album was released on Tidal, where it remained exclusively available to stream for 24 hours, until it was uploaded to all formats, including iTunes. Upon the album debuting at number-one on the Billboard 200 chart, Beyoncé became the first act in Billboard history to have their first six albums debut at number one. I saw the whole Lemonade film on HBO for free. It was very creative, innovative, and showed the diverse experiences of black women in general. Lemonade is her signature album and it will be analyzed for generations. On September 30, 2016, Solange released her critical acclaim album “A Seat at the Table. “ It was unapologetic in promoting Blackness, women empowerment, mental health awareness, and self-determination. It showed her showing emotion, joy, love, and anger at injustice. “Cranes in the Sky” is one song that was honest in showing feeling. Other songs like 'F.U.B.U.,' 'Mad,' 'Don't Touch My Hair' outline the truth that a black woman’s autonomy, wisdom, and passion for change must always be honored and respected.

On November 11, 2016, A Tribe Called Quest released We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, their first studio album since 1998 and also their final studio album. The album was tribute to Phife, who was the heart and soul voice of the group A Trible Called Quest. He recently passed away on March 22, 2016. He was 45 years old and he was born in St. Albans, Queens, NYC.

Rest in Power Brother Phife.

In 2017, artists continued to perform and innovative involving music. On January of 2017, Bell Biv DeVoe released their first album in sixteen years, Three Stripes. On February 12, 2017, the 59th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.  Chance the Rapper became the first ever unsigned artist to win a Grammy. The awards he won are Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance, and Best Rap Album. On March 5, 2017, the iHeartRadio Music Awards took place at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Chrisette Michelle, Jill Scott, Tamia, Deborah Cox, Coco, Ledisi, and other artists are amazing singers of the 21st century as well.

Also, African American culture became more diverse and interesting during the decade of the 2010’s. This is the age of massive social media from Snapchat, Facebook, and to Instagram. That is why many of my relatives have Facebook accounts. In 2010, For Colored Girls was released about the pain, adversity, and triumphs of black American women. It is a very emotional film. The movie Night Catches Us is about a drama dealing with 1970’s Philadelphia (involving the Black Panthers, love, and decisions to make).  The film was directed and written by Tanya Hamilton and stars Kerry Washington, Anthony Mackie, Jamie Hector, Wendell Pierce and Novella Nelson. The Walking Dead premiered in 2010 on AMC. The Walking Dead is an unique show since fans of the show exist among every color, every socioeconomic background, and every background in general. In 2011, movies like Pariah, The Help, etc. came out. These films deal with romance, sexuality, the civil rights movement, and courage. Also, the Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 came out in 2011 too. I have watched the film and the documentary gives an eye opening look at the Black Power movement. It gives an up-close insights into the era of the Black Panthers, Kwame Ture, Dr. King, and other activists for change. Commentaries include words from poets and hip hop artists like Erykah Badu and Talib Kweli. Gina Torres is a well-known actress of Suits which started in 2011. In 2012, Red Tails, and Men in Black 3 came out. Middle of Nowhere is a 2012 independent feature film written and directed by Ava DuVernay (who is a great director and a conscious black woman) and starring Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick and Lorraine Toussaint. The film was the winner of the Directing Award for U.S. Dramatic Film at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The movie is about a Registered Nurse must come to terms with her husband receiving an eight-year prison sentence. Ava Duvernary wanted to show the turmoil many women go through when their lovers are incarcerated. She also wanted to show love among black people, which is very important. Scandal came about in 2012 and its stars Kerry Washington.

2013 was a monumental years of black movies without question. This year had 12 Years a Slave, Fruitvale Station, the Butler, 42 (or the story of Jackie Robinson, which I have seen before), The New Black documentary, Black Nativity (which has an ensemble cast of black people telling the story about a family trying to survive in a cruel world and it shows the real value of family and togetherness), etc. Orange is the New Black has African American people in it from Uzo Aduba, Lorraine Toussaint, Samira Wiley, Vicky Jeudy, Laverne Cox, Danielle Brooks, etc. It is a series on Netflix about the experiences of women in prison. In 2014, Dear White People, Selma, Annie, Black Coffee, and other films came out. In 2014, How to Get Away with Murder and Gotham premiered. By September 24, 2014, the critically acclaimed show Black-ish was released. It has an ensemble cast of black people like Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, Jenifer Lewis, Laurence Fishburne, and other people.

The comedy is about an upper middle class African American family who navigates the complex world of American society. The show tackles issues of race, culture, school, class, sex, police brutality, etc. One episode talked about the Black Lives Matter movement in emotional, important terms too. The show has received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for Tracee Ellis Ross, Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, and a TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy. Black came out in 2015 including the Black Panther documentary from Stanley Nelson. Rosewood came out in 2015. It is about doctors in Miami, Florida. Empire on FOX was released in 2015. In 2016, Fences, Moonlight, and Fifty Shades of Black (which is a comedy) were released in 2016.

These human beings are in an Afropunk festival. 

On September 26, 2016, the HBO TV series Insecure was released. It stars actress Issa Rae. It is about the experiences of a black woman in post-modern American society. It was created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore. Raphael Saadiq created original music for the first season. Solange Knowles served as music consultant; she was introduced to Rae by Matsoukas, who directed the music video for Knowles's song "Losing You.” Other actors and actresses on the series include Jay Ellis, Yvonne Orji, Lisa Joyce, Natasha Rothwell, Amanda Seales, Y’lan Noel, and other people.  On September 2016, the Netflix action series Luke Cage (relating to Marvel) was released. It stars Mike Colter as Luke Cage, who fights crime in Harlem, NYC with his superpowers. Other people in Luke Cage include Alfre Woodard, Rosario Dawson, Mahershala Ali, Simone Missck, Mustafa Shakir, Gabrielle Dennis, etc. Atlanta, the TV series was released in 2016. The 2010’s saw the continuation of reality TV shows. Many of them show some of the most anti-black stereotypes around.  

In 2017, BET released new shows like Rebel (which is about a black woman private investigator, once Oakland police officer, fighting police brutality while trying to find the killer of her brother) and the Quad (about HBCUs in the modern generation of the 2010's). BET also shown the movie Madiba, which was a film about the life story of the heroic legend Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela was played by Laurence Fishburne. Actress Danielle Moné Truitt was cast as lead character of the show Rebel, while Giancarlo Esposito, Mykelti Williamson, Method Man, and Brandon Quinn also were cast as series regulars in Rebel. In July of 2017, Snowfall premiered in FX. It is a show about the crack epidemic, drug dealers, the CIA, and Southern California. In 2017, the documentary about the role of HBCUs involved in the Civil Rights and racial equality movements was finished. It is called, “Tell Them We are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities.” Many of my relatives graduated from HBCUs, so this documentary is very personal with me. The filmmakers include an all-star cast of directors and producers like: Stanley Nelson (producer and director), Maroc Williams (co-producer and co-director), Stacey L. Holman (producer), and Cyndee Readdean (a producer). Time goes onward and culture is an exciting aspect of our humanity. 

By Timothy