Saturday, March 31, 2018
Friday, March 30, 2018
Friday News in late March of 2018
One of the most disgraceful acts of the Trump administration is to claim that the brutal, unjust murder of Stephon Clark was a "local matter." That callous statement from Sarah Huckabee shows all you need to know about Trump. Police terrorism against black people, people of color, the poor, and other human beings is not a local matter. It is a national and global issue. We know of Afro-Brazilians being subjected to police terrorism. We know of Afro- Canadians and Afro-French people being subject to racial profiling constantly. We see black people in the UK and the world over being oppressed with discrimination too. That is why Pan-African movements the world over are fighting for human rights, reparations, justice, and an end to any system of oppression. We are always in solidarity with these legitimate, heroic organizations. Therefore, we live in an international world. The Trump administration has cowardly omitted the need for justice. Trump has refused to call out police brutality and racism against black people by white racists by name. There is no need to sugarcoat this situation. We have parents of a young man mourning this man's death. This person in the White House is stone cold silent about this tragedy. Obama (despite his imperfections) spoke out and gave words about Trayvon Martin and other victims of injustices. This fact is real. This isn't a one party deal too. We now the GOP is extremist. Yet, some Democrats want to advance moderation, imperialism, and piecemeal plans instead of revolutionary solutions that deal with universal health care, student loan debt forgiveness, and an end to unfair gentrification (which harms black people, people of color, and the poor).
Trump is a person who uses his rhetoric to inflame not to advance harmony. He uses lies to manipulate public discourse not to engineer enlightenment. It is not shocking and shameful that Roseanne Barr supports Trump when he has gotten out of his way to demonize women and other minorities. That is why we have to honor integrity not those who use their celebrity platform to glamorize a white racist male who has shown total anti-intellectual extremism plus vicious demonization of his political opponents. The funeral of Stephon Clark has transpired. Protesters have marched in the streets of Sacramento, the city hall building in Sacramento, and in other places. Some protesters have marched near the Sacramento Kings arena to make the audacious point that police terrorism is an evil that must end now. When murderers like Dylann Roof are caught by the police, some of them are taken in for food to eat. Yet, when many black unarmed people are caught by police, they risk their lives being extinguished by crooked cops. We know how Trump views the African American community. Trump is an overt white supremacist. He slanders the Central Park Five, many black people, women, and other human beings. Trump has said that he wants cops to be rough with people. We need more than reforms. We need revolutionary change. This struggle for freedom has existed for centuries and thousands of years. This is the new chapter in a long story in fighting for black liberation and justice in general.
It is important to recognize that this is a fight against police brutality, against racism, and against injustice in general. Many cops are killing our people at will without any form of accountability and we have the right to be angry about it. Stephon Clark only had a cell phone with him and he was still murdered. A cop can yell gun and murder people even if that cop was never in immediate danger. That's evil and disgusting. No one on this Earth has the right to tell people in pain how to grieve. The fundamental point is that the gang in blue for centuries in America alone has terrorized our people. Over a century ago, some Texas Rangers brutalized African Americans and Latinx Americans unjustly. We demand not only justice, but revolutionary change where our people are safe. The goal of black liberation is a goal that I do believe in wholeheartedly.
For a long time, tennis has inspired crowds and helps untold human beings the world over. It is a sport that can be played among 2 people, 4 people, or more. It is a sport that focuses on accuracy, strength, grace, speed, and determination. Legendary athletes who participated in tennis are household names. We know them as Pete Sampras, Andy Roddick, Steffi Graf, Venus Williams, and of course the majestic Serena Williams (who is the greatest woman tennis player of all time. I will document tons of evidence proving this in the very near future). It or tennis can be played indoors or outdoors. Excitement, changing scores, and upsets encompass the atmosphere of tennis regularly. It has been part of the Olympics, worldwide championships, and other capacities locally as well. The Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open make up the four Grand Slam tournaments. Since the 19th century, modern tennis has evolved greatly. Computerized technology can easily check if a person scored a point or not. That is why we have the electronic review technology with a point challenge system. This allows any player to contest the line call of a point. This system is called Hawk Eye. The origins of tennis go back centuries before the 19th century too.
Culturally, tennis has expanded and has been embraced by people of every color, creed, and background. For long decades, there have always been black men and black women who have excelled in the sport of tennis in unparalleled ways. We honor their contributions completely. The Sister Althea Gibson won many awards and expressed great resiliency. Brother Arthur Ashe wrote about the historical experience of black athletes and won tournaments too. Sisters Venus and Serena Williams have inspired tons of black people and young people in general to pursue tennis. Therefore, tennis is a universal game whose impact and strength is unyielding. We are inspired with tennis players and we still believe in the Dream. The Dream relates to the goal of making justice succinctly a reality for the human race and making sure that human beings have the opportunity to reach their highest potential possible. The Dream is about seeing the impossible being made possible for us and our posterity. In that sense, we fulfill the essence of the Golden Rule and the glorious, awe-inspiring proclamations of heroes before us.
By Timothy
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Black Lives Matter
https://www.vox.com/world/2018/3/6/17059744/israel-deport-african-migrants-asylum
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=socialmedia
https://psmag.com/social-justice/the-irish-were-not-slaves
https://theestablishment.co/new-book-highlights-women-nonbinary-people-rewriting-herstory-5c8b44d0a674
https://goodblacknews.org/2018/03/23/civil-rights-leader-and-educator-clara-luper-has-department-named-in-her-honor-at-university-of-oklahoma/
https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/jo-ann-robinson-heroine-montgomery-bus-boycott
http://theculture.forharriet.com/2015/08/fight-power-10-black-women-activists-in.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=socialmedia
https://psmag.com/social-justice/the-irish-were-not-slaves
https://theestablishment.co/new-book-highlights-women-nonbinary-people-rewriting-herstory-5c8b44d0a674
https://goodblacknews.org/2018/03/23/civil-rights-leader-and-educator-clara-luper-has-department-named-in-her-honor-at-university-of-oklahoma/
https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/jo-ann-robinson-heroine-montgomery-bus-boycott
http://theculture.forharriet.com/2015/08/fight-power-10-black-women-activists-in.html
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Late March News
This is the year of massive historical anniversaries. This is the time when Lyndon Johnson (near his 110th birthday this year) has refused to run a future Presidential candidate 50 years ago. For years, he was the President in the peak of the post World War II economic boom (which lasted from 1945 to 1973). This era saw decreases in poverty, expansion of civil and human rights, and other economic growth. Likewise, we saw the fights against racism, economic exploitation, militarism, and other evils intensified. We saw the rights of the Civil Rights movement, the Black Power movement, the women's rights movement, the Counter culture, and other social movements. LBJ in his speech in late March of 1968 wanted to end bombings in North Vietnam in exchange of negotiations with North Vietnam. The paradox of Johnson was that he started his Presidency in the midst of a landslide, and massive social programs that saved the lives of millions of Americans (like the Voting Rights Act, Medicare, Medicaid, the Civil Rights Act, public television, etc.). Yet, he expanded the war so much that it cut social programs, increased inflation, and ultimately torn his party a part on ideological lines. The casualties of thousands of Americans and millions of Vietnamese ended his Presidency literally. In the midst of economic troubles in America, the world saw the rise of Germany and Japan. Decades later, China would grow their economy greatly in its GDP. The lesson of LBJ is that we can both love legitimate social programs and abhor imperialistic adventures overseas at the same time.
Scott Pruitt is head of the EPA now. He has refused to support a lawsuit about pollution existing in a mostly African American Alabama town named Uniontown. A toxic landfill has caused cancer among many people living there. It is no secret that classism and racism play a part in environmental pollution among many occasions. Many young and older protesters are carrying signs in opposition to the landfill in their community. Pruit is known to sue on the behalf of oil and gas companies. We believe in a clean environment 100%. Polluters need no coddling. They deserve accountability and justice. The residents of Uniontown deserve respect in their time of need. She is a legendary artist whose legacy is always extensive and glorious. She has shown many that they can be multifaceted in their attributes and have joy at the same time. Her name is Sister Diana Ross and it was her Birthday recently. She was born in Detroit and now she is 74 years old. For decades, she was part of the Supremes and she has her own soloist career too. Always filled with glamour and a creative spirit, she has inspired current musicians and future musicians too. "Where Did Our Love Go", "Baby Love", "Come See About Me", "Stop! In the Name of Love", "You Can't Hurry Love", "You Keep Me Hangin' On", "Love Child", and "Someday We'll Be Together" are some of her classics. Her iconic voice has been shown in parties, rallies, concerts, and other places worldwide. She was involved in many movies dealing with drama, fantasy, and other genres. She was a close friend of Michael Jackson and other prominent people. From the projects to world famous stages, she is Black Excellence period. On November 19, 2017, Ross received the American Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. She has a large family and she's a blessed black woman. I wish Sister Diana Ross more Blessings
Sister Linda Brown has passed away at 75 years old. She was the young person back during the 1950's who helped to promote the Brown v. Board of Education decision which desegregated public educational facilities in America. Oliver Brown, became the lead plaintiff in the Brown v. Board case and he was her father. She was born in Topeka, Kansas. Heroes aren't necessarily celebrities. On many times, heroes are unsung people and Linda Brown was a hero to billions worldwide. I send prayers and condolences to her family. Rest in Power Sister Linda Brown. Recently, it was the Birthday of Brother Ernest Lee Thomas. He is now 69 years old and he was born in Gary, Indiana. He is famous as the actors in What's Happening, What's Happening Now, and Everybody Hates Chris. His gift is to show realistic characters on TV. Also, he is a very spiritual man. He has been very creative in showing creativity and his shows has been favorites among people worldwide. He was in Broadway during the 1970's. He continues to make movies to this very day. I wish Brother Ernest Lee Thomas more blessings.
The movement for gun violence is powerful. Recently, those in the movement have been slandered by the NRA and other reactionary forces. Rick Santorum said that the young people should do CPR instead of standing up against gun violence. He is wrong since kids can do both and he ignores he epidemic of people being murdered by guns. This is about the moral question about how the value of human life is more important than guns. The far right wing smear campaign against little kids is cowardly, disgusting, and evil period. Wayne La Pierre, who is the head of the NRA, made the racist comment that Chicago is like a third world country and other offensive nonsense for years. The NRA is pro-Trump and anyone allying with the NRA is blatantly wrong. The majority of Americans want gun stocks, a ban on assault weapons among civilians, universal background checks, and other reasonable gun control measures. We desire solutions. Many protesters there talked about gun violence in urban communities too, so the Hoteps are wrong in saying that isn't my issue for my people. This is a very important issue for my people (and the rest of the human race too). Therefore, we will speak up. The lie that we want gun disarmament of everybody will be refuted constantly, and we shall overcome.
Dr. King's granddaughter or Yolanda Renee King gave an inspirational speech at the March for Our Lives rally. She expressed a dream of ending gun violence and she spoke eloquently about peace and the necessity to enact justice in the world. Also, the 11 year old girl named Naomi Wadler wanted the world to recognize the victims of gun violence who are black girls and black women. She independently told her story at the gathering and wants change like we all do. These young human beings prove that the youth can make history and can make genuine change via voter registration, protests, and grassroots activism. We are in solidarity with these very strong people. I saw the documentary about the civil rights movement called Hope and Fury: MLK, the Movement, and the Media. It was found on NBC. It gives a great analysis of the people involved in freedom struggles and shows the diverse media coverage of the movement in general. Lester Holt narrated the whole documentary which lasted for about 2 hours. The whole civil rights movement reminds us of a blueprint of how to fight injustice in general. Grassroots organizing, organization, courage, consistency, and a motivation of incorporating the love of people certainly equate into a powerful formula in enacting change. Fire and Fury talked about Tamir Rice, Emmett Till, Michael Brown, the Black Power Movement, and other important subject matter. It is almost 50 years since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We believe in his principles of social justice and human equality. After five decades, culture has changed and music has changed in a great degree, but the fundamental goal of freedom and justice hasn't changed. We desire the same goal just like anyone else. From the events of Birmingham, Selma, and the Black Lives Matter movement in our time, we certainly witness people of diverse ages coming together in desiring the quintessential premise of justice for all. The events of Ferguson, Missouri and the recent rally in cities nationwide make us all aware that the journey isn't easy, but our cause is just.
By Timothy
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Francia Elena Marquez Mina
http://afrocolombianosvisibles.blogspot.com/2016/03/francia-elena-marquez-mina.html
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francia_M%25C3%25A1rquez&prev=search
http://lawg.org/action-center/lawg-blog/69-general/1607-qwe-are-defenders-of-lifeq-francia-elena-marquez-mina
https://losafrolatinos.com/2012/06/06/clemencia-francia-in-their-words/
https://twitter.com/franciamarquezm?lang=en
Gun Issues
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/policing/spotlight/2018/03/24/black-organizers-march-our-lives-gun-control/453836002/
http://www.theblackscholar.org/on-the-imperative-of-transnational-solidarity-a-u-s-black-feminist-statement-on-the-assassination-of-marielle-franco/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/the-story-behind-11-year-old-naomi-wadler-and-her-march-for-our-lives-speech/2018/03/25/3a6dccdc-3058-11e8-8abc-22a366b72f2d_story.html
http://www.theblackscholar.org/on-the-imperative-of-transnational-solidarity-a-u-s-black-feminist-statement-on-the-assassination-of-marielle-franco/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/the-story-behind-11-year-old-naomi-wadler-and-her-march-for-our-lives-speech/2018/03/25/3a6dccdc-3058-11e8-8abc-22a366b72f2d_story.html
Monday, March 26, 2018
Monday Information in late March of 2018.
Art is found worldwide. Art can be used to express cultural and ritualistic expression. One example involves the megaliths found in Stonehenge in the United Kingdom. Some researchers believe that the stones were situated because of astronomical purposes or religious significance. The Mississippian culture of ancient North America used many large mound building structures. From 3,000 B.C. to 1,000 B.C, during the time of the Neolithic and Bronze Age eras, art evolved to be more complex. Rulers, hierarchies, and empires flourished in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, the Americas, Australia, Oceania, etc. There were paintings and drawings of people working found in Ur. There were figurines found in the Cycladic culture of Greece. The early Harappan location in the Indus Valley civilization had many sculptures and complex city patterns. One figuring of a person found in the city of Mohenjo-Daro appears to show a priest king. In Africa, there were hieroglyphics and pyramids in both ancient Egypt (with the Great Pyramid of Giza, statues of pharaohs, paintings of people, and many tools available. Ancient Egyptian art celebrate polytheism with their praise of Horus, Isis, Geb, and other ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses) and ancient Nubia. The ancient Hittites of Asia Minor had their own art too. During the Bronze Age era of China, we see pottery with complex designs. Later, ancient texts in China show Chinese characters and diverse, exquisite artistic images.
Ancient Central America with the Olmec culture, the Mayan civilization, etc. had large head structures, images of jaguars, and literature filled with complex languages. Ancient Greece and Rome used many forms of columns, paintings, and temple in celebrations of their deities. Ancient Rome copies mosaics from the Etruscans and other forms of art from ancient Greece too. The ancient great Parthenon (created during the 400’s B.C.) was a large temple with a state of the goddess Athena in the middle of it. It was found in Athens, Greece. The Persian Empire with its palace of Susa showed images of soldiers in colorful, court robes. The Ming dynasty of China from the late 1300’s A.D. had porcelain, the explorer Zheng He, and a huge amount of artistic expression. India incorporated Hinduism and Buddhism in its art too. The ancient Sanchi gate is representative of early Indian art. Early Islamic art used calligraphy, pendants, drawings, and other forms of expression. Sub Saharan art focused on bronze structures, bronze plates, various diverse structures, paintings, and other forms of art. One example is of the soapstone bird structure from the ancient Great Zimbabwe civilization. The West African terra-cotta head is found heavily in places like Nigeria. Oceania had art too in its large images of people. Today, art is more diverse during the 21st century with the advent on complicated technological advances (from the Internet to 3-D printing). We live in a new time, but we have the same love of artistic expression as the ancients did thousands of years ago.
Art museums are worldwide. Where I was born in Virginia, there is an art museum that I have visited before. For centuries and thousands of years, art museums have existed. Religious institutions and the wealthy organized numerous collections of art. During the Medieval period, royal palaces, castles, and large country houses had art collections. Some of them were inaccessible to a section of the public. The Palace of Versailles centuries ago allowed some of the public to witness art works. Today, times are different. More of the public can see art works. Some art museums are more expensive than others. The British Museum was created in 1753 and it allowed public viewing of artwork. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. is the world’s largest research and museum complex. It has 19 museums and galleries. It has more than 137 million objects that describe American history. It has tons of paintings and artwork. The Louvre in Paris, France is found in the shape of a pyramid. The pyramid was created by I. M. Pei. It has works like Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace, and Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. The British Museum in London, England has 8 million objects and many Ancient Egyptian paintings and other works like the Rosetta Stone. The Prado in Madrid Spain has a lot of art including classical masterpieces. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere. It has a collection of more than 1 million items. It has works from ancient Egypt. It also has works from Botticelli, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas, Rodin, and other artists. Renaissance paintings and Baroque artwork are found in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. The Chrysler Museum of Art is found in Norfolk, Virginia. It was created in 1933. It is one of the major art museums in the Southeastern United States. It has places like the Glass Studio and Moses Myers House. It has works spanning over 5,000 years. It has works from Tintoretto, Veronese, Peter Paul Rubens, Diego Velázquez, Salvator Rosa, Gianlorenzo Bernini, John Singleton Copley, Thomas Cole, Eugène Delacroix, Édouard Manet, Paul Cézanne, Gustave Doré, Albert Bierstadt, Auguste Rodin, Mary Cassatt, Paul Gauguin, Georges Rouault, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Edward Hopper, and other people. The arts of the ancient world, Asia, Africa, and Pre-Columbian America (particularly Maya ceramics) are also well represented. Art museums magnify our creativity and stir up our imagination legitimately.
Art is related to architecture and vice versa. The reason is that art signifies the development of creative expression of humanity. Architecture can be created not only for housing or building culture. It can be created for artistic purposes as well. So, there is always that linkage between architecture and art. The Gobeki Tepe in Turkey is an ancient structure and it is the earliest found place of worship being dated to the 10th millennium B.C. The Longshan culture of China had advanced architecture. We already know that the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Pyramid of Djoser being constructed in ancient Egypt are very historic. They possessed great building properties. They have existed since the 2600’s B.C. Ancient Egyptian priests usually ordered or founded the creation of the city palaces and temples plus the rulers did it too. Back then, the priests were very powerful as they organized the religious rituals and influenced the pharaohs and the ruling class in ancient Egypt too. In essence, architecture deals with the planning, designing, and developing of buildings and other structures. Neolithic architecture is found all over Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia. One of the greatest forms of architecture in Mesopotamia was the ziggurat. This was a religious temple. It was created for the purpose of the worship of gods and goddesses of Mesopotamia. Leonard Woolley excavated the ziggurat at Ur. It was 64 by 46 meters at the base. It was originally some 12 meters in height with 3 stories. It was built under Ur-Nammu (in ca. 2100 B.C.) and rebuilt under Nabonidus (555-539 B.C.). It was increased to probably seven stories by that time of the 6th century B.C. Greek architecture used temples, public buildings, and the acropolis (or the buildings being on a hill). Greek architecture used the column styles of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns. Ancient Roman used amphitheaters, circus buildings, arches, bridges, domes, and other complex images. Byzantine architecture used many mosaics and complex domes upon massive piers. The Persians used buildings in a massive scale with carved stucco, floral motifs, and brickwork in many patterns. Islamic architecture is found in many lands from Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, etc.
It is found with mosques, forts, places, and excluding illustrations of anything living (that means that there can be no human and no animal depictions in ancient Islamic art). Islamic art is also found in Sudano-Sahelian locations, Moorish areas, and in Iran plus Saudi Arabia. Large rectangular churches are found in Ethiopia on the basis of Aksumite style. The conical shaped enclosure in the Great Zimbabwe civilization outlines the largest medieval city in sub-Saharan Africa. Hindu temples existed back then during the Middle Ages throughout India. Southeast Asia with Khmer architecture has the Angkor Wat temple, which was huge. It is filled with durable brick, laterite, and sandstone. The Angkor Wat temple is a great example of Khmer architectural masterpiece, was built by king Suryavarman II in 12th century. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Oceanic architectures flourished too. The Forbidden City in China was created during the 15th century. It has yellow roof tiles. Mesoamerican architecture had stepped filled pyramids and temples. The Incas used suspension bridges. Ancient North American architecture had Native Americans using mounds, and buildings near caves (inlcluding pueblos) and other locations. Modern architecture in the 21st century is diverse. It relates to technological advancements, environmental concerns, large creativity, and other unique aesthetics. The Sydney Opera House was designed to evoke the sails of yachts in the Sydney harbor. 3-D printers have created artificial marble for construction and the development of architecture as well. 3-D printed buildings have been cost effective and environmentally friendly. We have new Urbanism, New Classical architecture, and Eco-cities. So, architecture continues to be awe-inspiring and diverse.
By Timothy
Ancient Central America with the Olmec culture, the Mayan civilization, etc. had large head structures, images of jaguars, and literature filled with complex languages. Ancient Greece and Rome used many forms of columns, paintings, and temple in celebrations of their deities. Ancient Rome copies mosaics from the Etruscans and other forms of art from ancient Greece too. The ancient great Parthenon (created during the 400’s B.C.) was a large temple with a state of the goddess Athena in the middle of it. It was found in Athens, Greece. The Persian Empire with its palace of Susa showed images of soldiers in colorful, court robes. The Ming dynasty of China from the late 1300’s A.D. had porcelain, the explorer Zheng He, and a huge amount of artistic expression. India incorporated Hinduism and Buddhism in its art too. The ancient Sanchi gate is representative of early Indian art. Early Islamic art used calligraphy, pendants, drawings, and other forms of expression. Sub Saharan art focused on bronze structures, bronze plates, various diverse structures, paintings, and other forms of art. One example is of the soapstone bird structure from the ancient Great Zimbabwe civilization. The West African terra-cotta head is found heavily in places like Nigeria. Oceania had art too in its large images of people. Today, art is more diverse during the 21st century with the advent on complicated technological advances (from the Internet to 3-D printing). We live in a new time, but we have the same love of artistic expression as the ancients did thousands of years ago.
Art museums are worldwide. Where I was born in Virginia, there is an art museum that I have visited before. For centuries and thousands of years, art museums have existed. Religious institutions and the wealthy organized numerous collections of art. During the Medieval period, royal palaces, castles, and large country houses had art collections. Some of them were inaccessible to a section of the public. The Palace of Versailles centuries ago allowed some of the public to witness art works. Today, times are different. More of the public can see art works. Some art museums are more expensive than others. The British Museum was created in 1753 and it allowed public viewing of artwork. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. is the world’s largest research and museum complex. It has 19 museums and galleries. It has more than 137 million objects that describe American history. It has tons of paintings and artwork. The Louvre in Paris, France is found in the shape of a pyramid. The pyramid was created by I. M. Pei. It has works like Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace, and Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. The British Museum in London, England has 8 million objects and many Ancient Egyptian paintings and other works like the Rosetta Stone. The Prado in Madrid Spain has a lot of art including classical masterpieces. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere. It has a collection of more than 1 million items. It has works from ancient Egypt. It also has works from Botticelli, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas, Rodin, and other artists. Renaissance paintings and Baroque artwork are found in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. The Chrysler Museum of Art is found in Norfolk, Virginia. It was created in 1933. It is one of the major art museums in the Southeastern United States. It has places like the Glass Studio and Moses Myers House. It has works spanning over 5,000 years. It has works from Tintoretto, Veronese, Peter Paul Rubens, Diego Velázquez, Salvator Rosa, Gianlorenzo Bernini, John Singleton Copley, Thomas Cole, Eugène Delacroix, Édouard Manet, Paul Cézanne, Gustave Doré, Albert Bierstadt, Auguste Rodin, Mary Cassatt, Paul Gauguin, Georges Rouault, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Edward Hopper, and other people. The arts of the ancient world, Asia, Africa, and Pre-Columbian America (particularly Maya ceramics) are also well represented. Art museums magnify our creativity and stir up our imagination legitimately.
Art is related to architecture and vice versa. The reason is that art signifies the development of creative expression of humanity. Architecture can be created not only for housing or building culture. It can be created for artistic purposes as well. So, there is always that linkage between architecture and art. The Gobeki Tepe in Turkey is an ancient structure and it is the earliest found place of worship being dated to the 10th millennium B.C. The Longshan culture of China had advanced architecture. We already know that the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Pyramid of Djoser being constructed in ancient Egypt are very historic. They possessed great building properties. They have existed since the 2600’s B.C. Ancient Egyptian priests usually ordered or founded the creation of the city palaces and temples plus the rulers did it too. Back then, the priests were very powerful as they organized the religious rituals and influenced the pharaohs and the ruling class in ancient Egypt too. In essence, architecture deals with the planning, designing, and developing of buildings and other structures. Neolithic architecture is found all over Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia. One of the greatest forms of architecture in Mesopotamia was the ziggurat. This was a religious temple. It was created for the purpose of the worship of gods and goddesses of Mesopotamia. Leonard Woolley excavated the ziggurat at Ur. It was 64 by 46 meters at the base. It was originally some 12 meters in height with 3 stories. It was built under Ur-Nammu (in ca. 2100 B.C.) and rebuilt under Nabonidus (555-539 B.C.). It was increased to probably seven stories by that time of the 6th century B.C. Greek architecture used temples, public buildings, and the acropolis (or the buildings being on a hill). Greek architecture used the column styles of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns. Ancient Roman used amphitheaters, circus buildings, arches, bridges, domes, and other complex images. Byzantine architecture used many mosaics and complex domes upon massive piers. The Persians used buildings in a massive scale with carved stucco, floral motifs, and brickwork in many patterns. Islamic architecture is found in many lands from Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, etc.
It is found with mosques, forts, places, and excluding illustrations of anything living (that means that there can be no human and no animal depictions in ancient Islamic art). Islamic art is also found in Sudano-Sahelian locations, Moorish areas, and in Iran plus Saudi Arabia. Large rectangular churches are found in Ethiopia on the basis of Aksumite style. The conical shaped enclosure in the Great Zimbabwe civilization outlines the largest medieval city in sub-Saharan Africa. Hindu temples existed back then during the Middle Ages throughout India. Southeast Asia with Khmer architecture has the Angkor Wat temple, which was huge. It is filled with durable brick, laterite, and sandstone. The Angkor Wat temple is a great example of Khmer architectural masterpiece, was built by king Suryavarman II in 12th century. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Oceanic architectures flourished too. The Forbidden City in China was created during the 15th century. It has yellow roof tiles. Mesoamerican architecture had stepped filled pyramids and temples. The Incas used suspension bridges. Ancient North American architecture had Native Americans using mounds, and buildings near caves (inlcluding pueblos) and other locations. Modern architecture in the 21st century is diverse. It relates to technological advancements, environmental concerns, large creativity, and other unique aesthetics. The Sydney Opera House was designed to evoke the sails of yachts in the Sydney harbor. 3-D printers have created artificial marble for construction and the development of architecture as well. 3-D printed buildings have been cost effective and environmentally friendly. We have new Urbanism, New Classical architecture, and Eco-cities. So, architecture continues to be awe-inspiring and diverse.
By Timothy
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Friday, March 23, 2018
More Research
http://quiz.teachingforchange.org/march-on-washington-hidden-history-quiz/
https://zinnedproject.org/2013/08/the-1963-march-on-washington/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossie_Davis
http://kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/documentsentry/to_coretta_scott/index.html
https://www.solidarity-us.org/node/1030
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Burnett_Talbert
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/jfk-lbj-time-greatness-full-episode/2240/
https://thisisafrica.me/africa-colonisation/
https://newrepublic.com/article/131587/women-march-washington
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2012/05/24/americas-nastiest-blood-feud/
Spring 2018 Part 6
Miriam Makeba
One of the greatest heroes in human history was Sister Miriam Makeba. We remember her legacy and her glorious contributions to the human race. Miriam Makeba was born in Johannesburg to Swazi and Xhosa parents. She traveled the world to spread her great, sacrosanct messages of equality, music, love, and human justice. She lived in this Earth for decades as an ambassador of not only being against apartheid, but showing international music as a precise, important means of bringing people together. She was full of compassion, strength, and intellectual power throughout her life. She loved Africa unconditionally and we love Africa eternally too. Africa is the birthplace of humanity with its inspiring people, and its glorious cultural diversity. Decades ago, she was in a movie that opposed apartheid in Africa. The 1959 film is called Come Back, Africa, an anti-apartheid film produced and directed by the American independent filmmaker Lionel Rogosin. Her music was ahead of its time and she was one of the first African musicians that had worldwide acclaim. She worked with American civil rights leaders and she made famous records throughout the 1950’s, the 1960’s and beyond. She made tons of people aware that freedom in South Africa means freedom for humanity globally. Also, unsung anti-apartheid heroes must always be acknowledged for their courage too. She gave us light and hope. Miriam Makeba inspires us to this very day. Miriam Makeba was an icon and she will always be a legendary black woman.
The Beginning
The story of Miriam Makeba begins in South Africa. She was born on March 4, 1932 in the black township of Prospect. That is near Johannesburg. Her mother was a Swazi woman named Christina Makeba. She was a traditional healer or a sangoma and a domestic worker. He father was a Xhosa human being. His name was Caswell Makeba and he was a teacher. He passed away when he was only 6 years old. Her mother gave her the name Zenzile. Later, she was 18 days old. At that time, her mother was arrested and sentenced for 6 months in prison for selling umqombothi. Umqombothi is a homemade beer brewed from malt and cornmeal. Since the family couldn’t afford the small fine required to avoid a jail term, her mother went to jail including her (as a young toddler). Makeba sang in the choir of the Kilnerton Training Institute in Pretoria as a child. That location was an all-black Methodist primary school. She attended the school for eight years. Her gift of singing was praised by people at the school. Makeba was baptized as a Protestant. She sang in church choirs in English, Xhosa, Sotho, and Zulu. Later, she said that she learned to sing in English before she could speak the language. Her family moved into Transvaal when Makeba was a child. She did domestic work after her father passed away.
She also worked as a nanny. She said that she was a shy person during those years. Her mother worked for white families in Johannesburg and had to live away from her six children. Miriam Makeba lived for a while with her grandmother and a large number of cousins in Pretoria. She was influenced by her family’s musical tastes. Her mother in fact played many traditional instruments. Her older brother collected records like those of Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald (who are legendary black American musicians). He taught her about songs. Her father played the piano. Her family inspired her in her pursuit of musical expression. On 1949, Makeba married James Kubaby, who was a policeman in training. They had their only child named Bongi Makeba. That was in 1950. Later, Makeba was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her husband was said to have beaten her. He left her after a 2 year marriage. After one decade, she overcame cervical cancer via a hysterectomy (or the surgical removal of the uterus of a woman).
Early Career
Miriam Makeba’s start of her professional musical career started with the Cuban Brothers. They were a South African all-men close harmony group. She sang covers of many popular American songs with them. By the age of 21, she joined a jazz group called the Manhattan Brothers. This group sang a mixture of South African songs and pieces from popular African American groups. She was the only woman in the group. With the Manhattan Brothers, she recorded her first hit called “Laku Tshoni Ilanga.” That was in 1953 and it developed her a national reputation as a musician. In 1956, Miriam Makeba joined a new all-women group called the Skylarks. This group sang a blend of jazz and traditional South African melodies. They were formed by Gallotone Records and the group was also known as the Sunbeams. While traveling abroad, she sang with both the Skylarks and the Manhattan Brothers. She sang alongside the Rhodesian-born (now Zimbabwe) musician Dorothy Masuka (with the Skylarks). She followed Dorothy’s music including the music from Dolly Rathebe.
Several of the Skylarks' pieces from this period became popular; the music historian Rob Allingham later described the group as "real trendsetters, with harmonization that had never been heard before." Makeba received no royalties from her work with the Skylarks. She met Nelson Mandela in 1955 while she was performing with the Manhattan Brothers. Makeba said that Nelson said that she was “going to be someone.” In 1956, Gallotone Records released "Lovely Eyes", Makeba's first solo success; the Xhosa lyric about a man looking for his beloved in jails and hospitals was replaced with the unrelated and innocuous line "You tell such lovely lies with your two lovely eyes" in the English version. The record became the first South African record to chart on the United States Billboard Top 100. In 1957, Makeba was featured on the cover of Drum magazine.
In 1959, Makeba sang the lead female role in the Broadway inspired African jazz opera called King Kong. Among those in the case was the musician Hugh Masekela. The musical was performed to racially integrated audiences. This raised her profile among all South Africans regardless of skin color. By 1959, she had a short guest appearance in the anti-apartheid movie Come Back, Africa. It was directed by the American independent filmmaker Lionel Rogosin. Rogosin cast her after seeing her on stage in African Jazz and Variety show. She performed for 18 months on the show. The film blended parts of a documentary and fiction. It had to be filmed in secret as the government was expected to be hostile to it. Makeba appeared on stage and sang 2 songs. Her appearance in the film lasted for about 4 minutes. The viewers loved her cameo. Rogosin organized a visa for her to attend the premiere of the film at the 24th Venice Film Festival in Italy. The film won the prestigious Critics’ Choice Award in Italy. Makeba’s presence was key in the film since it showed a cosmopolitan black identity that also connected with the working class people because of the dialogue being in Zulu. Her popularity increased after the release of the movie of Come Back, Africa (which was a honest movie about the strong spirit of black South Africans). She traveled into London and New York City to perform her great music.
In London, she met the American singer Harry Belafonte. He helped her with her first solo recordings. These recordings included “Pata Pata.” That song would be released many years later. Another song was a traditional Xhosa song called, “"Qongqothwane", which she had first performed with the Skylarks. Though "Pata Pata"—described by Musician magazine as a "groundbreaking Afropop gem”—became her most famous song, Makeba described it as "one of my most insignificant songs.” While in England, she married Sonny Pillay, a South African ballad singer of Indian descent; they divorced within a few months. She moved into New York City making her U.S. music debut on November 1, 1959 on the Steve Allen Show in Los Angeles for a television audience of 60 million people. Her New York debut at the Village Vanguard occurred soon after. She sang in Xhosa and Zulu, and performed a Yiddish folk song. Her audience at this concert included Miles Davis and Duke Ellington. Her performance received strongly positive reviews from critics. She first came to popular and critical attention in jazz clubs, after which her reputation grew rapidly. Belafonte worked to handle the logistics of her first performances. When she first moved into America, she lived in Greenwich Village along with other musicians and actors. She worked as a babysitter for a time.
The evil Sharpeville Massacre of 1960 changed her life forever. The massacre was about black anti-apartheid protesters being murdered by white supremacist South African police forces. After the massacre, Makeba learned that her mother had died. She tried to go home into South Africa to witness her funeral, but her South African passport was cancelled. 2 of Makeba’s family members were killed in the massacre. That is why she was concerned about her family and many of her relatives were in South Africa including her daughter. The nine year old Bongi joined her mother into the U.S. in August 1960. During her first years in America, Miriam Makeba rarely sung explicitly political music. Yet, her popularity had led an increase of awareness of apartheid and the anti-apartheid movement. Following the Sharpeville killings, Makeba felt a responsibility to help, as she had been able to leave the country while others had not. From this point, she became an increasingly outspoken critic of apartheid and the white-minority government; before the massacre, she had taken care to avoid overtly political statements in South Africa. Now, this was a different era and Miriam Makeba would become one of the greatest activists in human history.
Here is Miriam Makeba at the United Nations in 1963.
Exile
During her exile, Miriam Makeba’s musical career increased greatly in America. She signed with the recording label RCA Victor. Later, she released her first studio album entitled, Miriam Makeba in 1960. It was backed by Belafonte’s band. RCA chose to buy out Makeba’s contract with Gallotone Records. This was despite the fact that Makeba couldn’t perform in South Africa back then. Gallotone received US$45,000 in the deal, which meant that Makeba received no royalties for her debut album. The album included one of her most famous hits in the US, "Qongqothwane", which was known in English as "The Click Song" because Makeba's audiences could not pronounce the Xhosa name. Time magazine called her the "most exciting new singing talent to appear in many years," and Newsweek compared her voice to "the smoky tones and delicate phrasing" of Ella Fitzgerald and the "intimate warmth" of Frank Sinatra. Since the album wasn’t commercially successful, Makeba was briefly dropped from the RCA label. She was re-signed soon after as the label recognized the commercial possibilities of the growing American interest in African culture. Her South African identity was downplayed during her first singing, but it was strongly empathized the second time as a representation of increased interest. Makeba made many appearances on television, often with Belafonte.
In 1962, Miriam Makeba and Belafonte sang at the birthday party for U.S. President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden, but Makeba didn’t go to the party afterwards because she was ill. Kennedy nevertheless insisted on meeting her, so Belafonte sent a car to pick her up. In 1964, Makeba released her second studio album for RCA called, The World of Miriam Makeba. An early example of world music, the album peaked at number eighty-six on the Billboard 200. Makeba’s music had a cross racial appeal in America. Black Americans, white Americans, and other Americans were fans of her. Black African Americans related our experiences of racial segregation to Makeba’s struggle against apartheid. She was friends and allies with many African exiles and emigres in New York City like Hugh Masekela. She married him from 1963 to 1968. During their marriage, Makeba and Masekela were neighbors of the jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie in Englewood, New Jersey. They spent much of their time in Harlem. She came to know actors like Marlon Brando and Lauren Bacall plus musicians like Louis Armstrong and Ray Charles. Fellow singer-activist Nina Simone became friendly with Makeba along with actress Cicely Tyson. Makeba and Simone performed together at Carnegie Hall.
Continued Activism
Miriam Makeba was among the black entertainers, activists, and intellectuals in New York City at that time who believed that the civil rights movement and popular culture could reinforce each other to create “a sense of intertwined political and cultural vibrancy.” Other people who believed in this true ideal were Maya Angelou and Sidney Poitier. She later described about her difficulty living with Jim Crow apartheid in America. She said that, "There wasn't much difference in America; it was a country that had abolished slavery but there was apartheid in its own way.” She continued to travel and promote activism. Her music was popular in Europe too. She toured and performed there. She added songs from Latin America, Europe, Israel, and in Africa to her repertoire via the advice from Belafonte. She visited Kenya in 1962 in support of the country’s independence from British colonial rule. She also raised funds for its independence leader Jomo Kenyatta. Later in 1962, she testified before the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid about the effects of the system.
She wanted economic sanctions against South Africa’s National Party government (that government endorsed the evil apartheid system). She requested an arms embargo against South Africa, because the weapons sold to the government would likely be used against black women and children. Later, South Africa banned her music. Her South African citizenship and right to return were revoked. So, Makeba was a stateless person. She was soon issued passports by Algeria, Guinea, Belgium, and Ghana. Throughout her life, she held nine passports. She was granted honorary citizenship in ten countries. Soon after her testimony to the United Nations, Haile Selassie or the emperor of Ethiopia, invited her to sing at the inauguration of the Organization of African Unity. She was the only performer to be invited. As the fact of her ban from South Africa, she was a well-known. She was a cause célébre for Western liberals, and her presence in the African-American civil rights movement provided a link between that movement and the anti-apartheid struggle. In 1964, she was taught the song "Malaika" by a Kenyan student while backstage at a performance in San Francisco; the song later became a staple of her performances.
Throughout the 1960’s, Miriam Makeba strengthened her involvement in a wide range of black-centered political movements. She worked in support of the civil rights, anti-apartheid, Black Consciousness, and Black Power movements. She briefly met the Trinidadian American activist Kwame Ture (his original name was Stokely Carmichael). Kwame Ture was the leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and an ally in the Black Panther Party for years. Belafonte invited Ture to one of Makeba’s concerts. They met again in Conakry six years later. They entered a romantic relationship. It was initially secret from all but their closest friends and family. Makeba was involved in fundraising activities for many civil rights groups including a benefit concert for the 1962 Southern Christian Leadership Conference that civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. referred to as “the event of the year.” Following a concert and rally in Atlanta in support of King, Makeba and others were denied entrance to a restaurant as a result of Jim Crow laws, leading to a televised protest in front of the establishment. She also criticized King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference for its investment in South African companies, informing press that "Now my friend of long standing supports the country's persecution of my people and I must find a new idol.” Her identity as an African woman in the US civil rights movement helped create "an emerging liberal consensus" that extreme racial discrimination, whether domestically or internationally, was harmful.
Also, Dr. King opposed apartheid and supported Nelson Mandela too. In 1964 she testified at the UN for a second time, quoting a song by Vanessa Redgrave in calling for quick action against the South African government. In 1966, both Makeba and Belafonte received the Grammy Award for Best Folk Recording for An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba. The album dealt with the plight of black South Africans under apartheid. It had songs that were critical of the South African government like "Ndodemnyama we Verwoerd" ("Watch our Verwoerd", a reference to Hendrik Verwoerd, one of the architects of apartheid). It sold greatly. Makeba’s profile increased in America. Belafonte and Makeba’s concert tour following its release was often sold out and the album has been described as the best they made together. Makeba used lyrics in Swahili, Xhosa, and Sotho. American audiences loved her for her love of her African heritage. In 1967, more than ten years after she first recorded the song, the single "Pata Pata" was released in the US on an album of the same title, and became a worldwide hit. During its recording, she and Belafonte had a disagreement, after which they stopped recording together.
This rare picture showed Amiri Baraka, Amina Baraka, Miriam Makeba, and Kwame Ture.
Miriam Makeba and Kwame Ture married on March of 1968. There was a backlash against this, but Miriam is her own black woman who has the right to marry who she wanted. Her popularity in America started to decline. Conservatives viewed her as a militant and extremist. Her performances were cancelled and her coverage in the press declined despite her efforts to portray her marriage as apolitical. Many American audiences stopped supporting her. Black Americans and the rest of her fans of diverse backgrounds continued to love her. The U.S. government took an interest in her activities. The Central Intelligence Agency started to follow her and placed hidden microphones in her apartment. The FBI also placed her under surveillance. While she and Kwame Ture (her new husband) traveled in the Bahamas, she was banned from returning to the United States. She was refused a visa. As a result, the couple moved into Guinea in Africa. That is where Kwame called himself Kwame Ture. Makeba didn’t return to America until 1987. Guinea remained Makeba’s home for the next 15 years.
She and her husband became close to President Ahmed Sekou Toure and his wife, Andree. Touré wanted to create a new style of African music, and all musicians received a minimum wage if they practiced for several hours every day. Makeba later stated that "I've never seen a country that did what Sékou Touré did for artists.” After her rejection from the US she began to write music more directly critical of the US government's racial policies, recording and singing songs such as "Lumumba" in 1970, (referring to Patrice Lumumba, the assassinated Prime Minister of the Congo), and "Malcolm X" in 1974. During this time, she performed more frequently in African countries. More African nations became independent of European colonial powers. She was invited to sing at independence ceremonies in places like Kenya, Angola, Zambia, Tanganyika, and Mozambique. By September 1974, she performed alongside a multitude of well-known African and American musicians at the Zaire 74 festivals in Kinshasa, Zaire (formerly the Congo). This was around the time when Muhammad Ali fought and defeated George Foreman in the boxing match in Congo. She also was a diplomat for Ghana. She was appointed Guinea’s official delegate to the UN in 1975.
She addressed the United Nations General Assembly in 1975. She performed in Europe and in Asia. She didn’t perform in America where there was a de facto boycott in effect. In Africa, she was very popular. She was the highlight of FESTAC 77, which was a Pan-African arts festival in Nigeria in 1977. During a Liberian performance of “Pata Pata,” the stadium was so loud that she was unable to complete the song. “Pata Pata” and her other songs were banned in South Africa. During this period, she sang the song of “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” She never recorded the song. Makeba later said that during this period, she accepted the label of Mama Africa. In 1976, the South African government replaced English with Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in all schools. This caused the Soweto uprising where black children wanted to promote their own black South African identity. Between 15,000 and 20,000 students took part, caught unprepared, the police opened fire on the protesting children. The police killed hundreds of black people including injuring over a thousand. Hugh Masekela wrote “Soweto Blues’ in response to the massacre of innocent black people. The song was performed by Makeba and it was a staple of her live performances for many years. A review in the magazine Musician said that the song had "searingly righteous lyrics" about the uprising that "cut to the bone." In 1973, she was separated from Kwame Ture. In 1978, they divorced and in 1980, she married Bageot Bah, an airline executive.
Miriam Makeba’s daughter named Bongi was a singer in her own right. She accompanied her mother on stage. She died in childbirth in 1985. Makeba was left responsible for her two grandchildren. She moved out of Guinea. She settled in the Woluwe-Saint-Lambert district of the Belgian capital of Brussels. In 1986, Masekela introduced Makeba to Paul Simon (who is a famous American singer). In a few months later, she embarked on Simon’s very successful Graceland Tour. The tour concluded with 2 concerts held in Harare, Zimbabwe. It was filed in 1987 of the release of Graceland: The African Concert. After touring the world with Simon, Warner Bros. Records signed Makeba and she released Sangoma ("Healer"), an album of healing chants named in honor of her sangoma mother. Her involvement with Simon caused controversy: Graceland had been recorded in South Africa, breaking the cultural boycott of the country, and thus Makeba's participation in the tour was regarded as contravening the boycott (which Makeba herself endorsed). When she prepared for the Graceland tour, she started on her autobiography. She worked with journalist James Hall. Her autobiography was entitled, “Makeba: My Story.” The book shown information about her experiences involving apartheid and the criticism by her of the commodification and consumerism she experienced in America. The book was translated into five languages.
Sister Miriam Makeba was a great black woman whose wisdom inspires us to this very day in 2018.
Return to South Africa
She took part in the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute. This was a popular music concert that took place on June 11, 1988 at London’s Wembley Stadium. It was broadcast to an audience of 600 million across 67 countries. The political aspects of the concert were heavily censored in the U.S. by the Fox television network. The use of music was used to raise awareness about the evil of apartheid. A survey after the concert found that among young people between the ages of 16 and 24, three quarters knew of Nelson Mandela and supported his release from prison. After growing pressure from the anti-apartheid movement domestically and internationally, State President Frederik Willem de Klerk in 1990 reversed the ban on the African National Congress (plus other anti-apartheid organizations). He announced that Mandela would shortly be released from prison. Mandela was released on February of 1990. Mandela persuaded Makeba to return to South Africa, which she did, using her French passport on June 10, 1990.
Later Years
Miriam Makeba, Gillespie, Simone, and Masekela recorded and released her studio album in 1991 called, "Eyes on Tomorrow." It merged jazz, R&B, pop, and traditional African music. It was hit across Africa. Makeba and Gillespie toured the world together to promote it. By 1992, she she starred in the film Sarafina! Sarafina! is one of my favorite films. The movie is about students involved in the 1976 Soweto uprising. Makeba portrayed the title character's mother Angelina. The title character is the famous South African actress named Leleti Khumalo (she was born in Durban, South Africa on March 30, 1970). That was the role which the New York Times mentioned that Miriam Makeba performed with "immense dignity." By October 16, 1999, Makeba was named a Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Homeland was the name of her January 2000 album. It was produced by the New York City based record company Putumayo World Music. It was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best World Music Album category. She worked closely with Graca Mchael-Mandeal or the South African first lady. They both advocated for children suffering from HIV/AIDS, child soldiers, and the physically handicapped.
She formed the Makeba Centre for Girls which was home for orphans. This was her personal project. She also took part in the 2002 documentary Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony, which examined the struggles of black South Africans against apartheid through the music of the period. Her second autobiography was entitled, "Makeba: The Miriam Mekeba Story." It was published in 2004. In 2005, she said that she would retire and began a farewell tour. She had osteoarthritis. She continued to perform until her death. During this period, her grandchildren Nelson Lumumba Lee and Zenzi Lee, and her great-grandchild Lindelani, occasionally joined her performances. She was ill during a concert in Castel Colturno near Caserta, Italy. This was on November 9, 2008.
The concert had been organized to support the writer Roberto Saviano in his stand against the Camorra, a criminal organisation active in the Campania region. She suffered a heart attack after singing her hit song "Pata Pata", and was taken to the Pineta Grande clinic, where doctors were unable to revive her. She was 76 years old.
Legacy
Sister Miriam Makeba was one of the greatest singers in human existence. Her legacy encompasses great singing and social activism. She revolutionized not only African music, but music in general. Her style was a combination of African music, jazz, R&B, and other genres. She made more than 30 albums during her life. World music was loved by her. Human beings from across racial and national plus political backgrounds love her music. She loved South Africa and believed in justice for humanity. As an active fighter against apartheid, she spoke out and worked for social change. She sang songs in Xhosa and in English. She promoted her hair as an liberated, beautiful black African aesthetic. She was a gorgeous black woman. She wore African jewelry. She was Mama Africa. Other musicians influenced by her include Youssou N'Dour, Salif Keita, Ali Farka Toure, Baaba Maal, and Angelique Kidjo. She increased the power and vitality of world music. Pata Pata is a record that will always be cherished by us. She promoted Pan-Africanism, liberation, and black identity. Part of advancing black liberation is the promotion of black families. There is always glory in black men and black women having black children. We should unite with the African Diaspora and Africans globally. She once promoted unity among black people of African descent globally by mentioning the following magnificient words: "Africans who live everywhere should fight everywhere. The struggle is no different in South Africa, the streets of Chicago, Trinidad or Canada. The Black people are the victims of capitalism, racism and oppression, period." Miriam Makeba promoted equality among the sexes and social justice. She won many awards (like the Dag Hammarskjold Peace Prize in 1986 and the Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold by the United Nations Association of Germany or the DGVN in Berlin for promoting peace and international understanding) because of her great accomplishments. Legend, strong, wise, and consciousness personified plus defined the life of Sister Miriam Makeba.
Rest in Power Sister Miriam Makeba.
Conclusion (for Spring of 2018)
Certainly, after all of these years, we haven't backed down. We still believe in fighting against economic inequality, which is one of the most important issues of the 21st century. We believe in the growth of jobs and living wages via progressive policies from the super wealthy paying their fair share of taxation to investments in public infrastructure programs (used to repair roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, etc.) without massive corporate privatization. We believe in education that is strong, modernized, and creative which benefits all children not just some children in more affluent, rich communities. Likewise, we believe in social justice and an end to police brutality. In terms of the environment, we fight for a clean environment. It was our forebears who fought for Social Security, a 40 hour work week, voting rights, civil rights, suffrage, and other important regulations in dealing with the environment plus health safety standards. In our time, we are renewed in our commitment to human justice.
Donald Trump, nativists, and xenophobes continue to spread lies about immigrants and immigration in general. Therefore, it is always the right time to show the truth about immigration in America. One big myth is that immigrants collectively take away American jobs. The truth is that immigrants add to demand and increase jobs. For the few past decades, deindustralization, trickled down economics, and other economically regressive policies (not immigrants) have harmed American jobs for real. Some believe that we don’t need any more immigrants, which is false. The reality is that the American population is massively aging and retiring at a high rate. Immigration is essential to build up the retirement system. Immigrants pay taxes. There is a recent study that says that undocumented immigrants pay $11.8 billion dollars in taxes (in 2012), which is a net positive to state plus local budgets. Comprehensive immigration reform can add more 2.2 billion dollars in extra tax revenue. Another lie promoted by xenophobes is that they believe that legal immigration and undocumented migration is increasing in America. The truth is that net rate of undocumented immigration into America has declined in recent years. The net rate of undocumented immigration went from 12.2 million in 2007 to 11.3 million in 2015. The blame for economic problems in America is not caused by immigrants.
The real issue is that economic oligarchs have promoted economic unfairness and economic inequality via their policies (for decades and centuries in America) which harm the masses of people (regardless of immigration status) nationwide and worldwide. That is why I believe in comprehensive immigration solutions whereby those who are here and are undocumented can have a pathway to citizenship. Scapegoating immigrants doesn’t solve anything and it’s xenophobic plus wrong. I agree with DACA and I certainly stand with the Dreamers. Not to mention that many immigrants are black people. Therefore, I support black immigrants as I always believe in black liberation. Also, we must promote the freedom of the press. Trump is known for demonizing the press and journalists in ad hominem attacks. Trump is the notorious liar by saying that there is massive voting fraud and he won in a landslide (which are notorious falsehoods). Trump is known to block many of the media from traveling with him and has threatened to sue the media (and he wanted to change libel laws, which attacks the freedom of speech). We must always support responsible media, especially media that legitimately critiques those in power. I reject imperialism too. One solution to economic inequality is to use progressive economic policies and end racism. The marketplace can’t be trusted unconditionally which is why laws exist to regulate the environment and other aspects of our society. Also, I am not a class reductionist. I don't believe that ending economic inequality alone will end racism. That's false and that's fantasy. What ends racism is using policies and activism to confront and defeat racist barriers, racist institutions, and racism itself period. That is my position.
During March 24, 2018, people have made history in rallying in Washington, D.C. New York City, Australia, Florida, Virginia, and other places in fighting against gun violence. When the history books are written, the decade of the 2010's will be seen as a further growth of protest movements. The young people are clear that a human life is worth more than gun. They are clear that change is needed and they will have their voices heard. Many of them will vote for the first time in 2018 by November and we all salute their strength and courage to stand up against reprehensible violence. We have to also confront lies. One lie is that anyone promoting gun safety laws desire total gun disarmament. We don't want total gun disarmament from everyone in the world. We desire those who are criminals or those with severe mental health issues (and are a danger to themselves plus others) to not own a gun. We desire children to not have access to AR-15s. We desire universal background checks (which a majority of Americans want). We desire to get rid of bump stocks. We want accountability from the NRA which funds a lot of rhetoric that promotes fear mongering not facts. We want more people to know that the Heller Supreme Court decision calls for gun regulation. We express empathy with people in urban, rural, and suburban communities. Also, we are motivated to fight for our rights and refute the gun worshiping hysteria of the NRA. We believe in truth and safety is an important goal to achieve. This is our country too and we have the right to love democratic principles and to love freedom.
Recently, protests have existed in Sacramento, California over the shooting death of the unarmed black man named Stephon Clark.The police investigated cars having their windows being broken. Stephon Clark ran from the police and he was cornered near his grandmother's house. The police falsely assumed that he had a gun and they shot at him 20 times. He had no weapon and he wasn't a direct threat to any officer at all. He had a cell phone. Later, some officers turned off their body camera audio, which is very strange and suspicious. We have been through this before. In our time and back in the days, many cops have been given immunity to abuse and kill black people without much consequences even if the black person is non threatening. There has never been a real discussion among officers collectively on the problem of police brutality. Many cops get defensive every time black people talk about this issue in opposition to police terrorism since they want to defend the blue.
We must defend truth not every cop unconditionally. That proclamation is what the Black Lives Matter movement believes in. Our ancestors fought against the evil of Jim Crow not to suck up to white people in a self-hating fashion. We wanted desegregation, so our human rights would be honored and we could be allowed to have the freedom to set up our own infrastructure as we see fit. We wanted adequate resources (which were denied to us), so we can use those resources to build in our communities. Jim Crow involved racism, lynching, and other wicked barriers to our freedom. Our ancestors fought to end Jim Crow oppression. Today, we live in a new time where it is necessary to advocate economic empowerment, a fight against poverty, and complete liberation among the black community. That is the point of black liberation. We want to free economically, socially, and politically (and not allow the government to discriminate against us based on our skin color). People have protested and marched in one highway in California. This problem of police brutality is not just a regional or urban problem. This is a national and worldwide problem since police terrorism is happening against our Black Brothers and our Black Sisters overseas in Brazil, Canada, the UK, France, etc. Therefore, we want the truth about this shooting to be known fully for the sake of honoring the dignity of Clark's family and friends. Yes, Black Lives Matter. Justice for all is a key principle that we accept. Addressing racism and getting rid of it (plus other policies being instituted) eliminate economic inequality too. After what we have lived through, we still rise.
By Timothy
Spring 2018 Part 5
LBJ Part 2
The Voting Rights Act
Lyndon Baines Johnson began his elected Presidential term in 1965 with similar motives as he had upon succeeding into office. He wanted to carry forward the plans and programs of the late President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. He was reticent to push southern congressmen even further after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He suspected that their support have been temporarily tapped out. Yet, civil rights activists continued onward in the cause of freedom despite the opposition. The Selma to Montgomery marches were led by Dr. Martin Luther King, the SNCC, the NAACP, and the DCVL. This led Johnson to initiate debate on a voting rights bill in February 1965. Johnson gave a congressional speech—Dallek considers it his greatest—in which he said "rarely at anytime does an issue lay bare the secret heart of America itself…rarely are we met with the challenge… to the values and the purposes and the meaning of our beloved nation. The issue of equal rights for American Negroes is such an issue. And should we defeat every enemy, should we double our wealth and conquer the stars, and still be unequal to this issue, then we will have failed as a people and as a nation."
In 1965, he achieved passage of a second civil rights bill called the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination in voting thus allowing millions of southern black Americans to vote for the first time. In accordance with the act, several states, "seven of the eleven southern states of the former confederacy" (Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia) were subjected to the procedure of preclearance in 1965 while Texas, then home to the largest African American population of any state, followed in 1975. The Senate passed the voting rights bill by a vote of 77–19 just after 2 1/2 months and won passage in the House on July, by 333–85. The results were significant. Between the years of 1968 and 1980, the number of southern black elected state and federal officeholders nearly doubled. The act also made a large difference in the numbers of black elected officials nationally. In 1965, a few hundred black office-holders mushroomed to 6,000 in 1989. This law was created by the blood of martyrs like Jimmie Lee Jackson, Viola Liuzzo (a civil rights worker from Michigan), and James Reeb. After these murders, Lyndon Baines Johnson went on television to announce the arrest of four Ku Klux Klansmen implicated in her death. He angrily denounced the Klan as a "hooded society of bigots," and warned them to "return to a decent society before it's too late."
Johnson was the first President to arrest and prosecute members of the Klan since President Ulysses S. Grant did so about 93 years earlier. He turned to themes of Christian redemption to push for civil rights, thereby mobilizing support from churches North and South. At the Howard University commencement address on June 4, 1965, he said that both the government and the nation needed to help achieve goals, "To shatter forever not only the barriers of law and public practice, but the walls which bound the condition of many by the color of his skin. To dissolve, as best we can, the antique enmities of the heart which diminish the holder, divide the great democracy, and do wrong—great wrong—to the children of God..." Some view these words as endorsing affirmative action. In 1967, Johnson nominated civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall to be the first African American justice of the Supreme Court. To head the new Department of Housing and Urban Development, Johnson appointed Robert C. Weaver—the first African-American cabinet secretary in any U.S. Presidential administration.
In 1968 Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which provided for equal housing opportunities regardless of race, creed, or national origin. The impetus for the law's passage came from the 1966 Chicago Open Housing Movement, the April 4, 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the civil unrest across the country following King's death. On April 5, 1968, Johnson wrote a letter to the United States House of Representatives urging passage of the Fair Housing Act. With newly urgent attention from legislative director Joseph Califano and Democratic Speaker of the House John McCormack, the bill (which was previously stalled) passed the House by a wide margin on April 10.
Immigration and Education
President Johnson supported immigration. He signed the Immigration Nationality Act of 1965. It was very sweeping and Senator Edward Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy including others looked on while he signed the bill into law. It was a great, necessary law that advanced the awe-inspiring diversity of the American populace. The law ended the overtly racist quotas from the 1920's. The annual rate of inflow doubled between 1965 and 1970, and doubled again by 1990, with dramatic increases from Asia and Mexico. Scholars give Johnson little credit for the law, which was not one of his priorities; he had supported the McCarren-Walters Act of 1952 that was unpopular with reformers.
Johnson in real life used public education in order for him to escape poverty. He believed that education was a cure for ignorance and poverty. He also thought of education as vital component of the American dream, especially for minorities who endured poor facilities and tight fisted budgets from local taxes. That is why he made education a top priority of the Great Society agenda. He wanted to help poor children. After the 1964 landslide brought in many new liberal Congressmen. LBJ launched a legislative effort which took the name of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. The bill sought to double federal spending on education from $4 billion to $8 billion. This was facilitated by the White House. It was passed by the House by a vote of 263 to 153 on March 26. Then, it remarkably passed without change in the Senate by 73 to 8 without going through the usual conference committee. This was a historic accomplishment by President Lyndon Johnson with the billion dollar bill passing as introduced just 87 days before.
Afterward, for the first time, large amounts of money from the federal government came into public school. ESEA was meant to help all public school districts. More money going to districts that had large proportions of students from poor families (which included big cities) was part of the plan. For the first time, private schools (most of them Catholic schools in the inner cities) received services like library funding. This made up of 12 percent of the ESEA budget. Local officials administered the federal funds. By 1977, it was reported that less than half of the funds were actually applied toward the education of children under the poverty line.
Dallek further reports that researchers cited by Hugh Davis Graham soon found that poverty had more to do with family background and neighborhood conditions than the quantity of education a child received. Early studies suggested initial improvements for poor children helped by ESEA reading and math programs, but later assessments indicated that benefits faded quickly and left pupils little better off than those not in the policies. Johnson's second major education program was the Higher Education Act of 1965, which focused on funding for lower income students, including grants, work-study money, and government loans. This policies helped millions of Americans back then and today in many positive ways. Although ESEA solidified Johnson's support among K-12 teachers' unions, neither the Higher Education Act nor the new endowments mollified the college professors and students growing increasingly uneasy with the war in Vietnam. In 1967, Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act to create educational television programs to supplement the broadcast networks. PBS came about as a result of this law. I watch PBS and its shows are certainly creative, very educational, and enlightening.
In 1965, Johnson also set up the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts, to support academic subjects such as literature, history, and law, and arts such as music, painting, and sculpture (as the WPA once did).
Healthcare and Other Progressive Policies
Lyndon Johnson's initial effort to improve health care was the creation of the HDCS or the Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer, and Strokes. Combined, these diseases accounted for 71 percent of the nation's deaths in 1962. He wanted to enact recommendations of the commission. So, he asked Congress to funds to set up the Regional Medical Program (RMP) to create a network of hospitals with federally funded research and practice. Congress passed a significantly watered down version. As a back up position, in 1965, Johnson turned his focus to hospital insurance for the aged under Social Security. This program was heavily promoted by Wilbur Mills, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. It was called Medicare. JFK, before he died, promoted such a universal health care service for the elderly.
President Kennedy gave a speech in Madison Square Garden in New York City to advocate a Medicare system for the senior citizen population. In order to reduce Republican opposition, Mills suggested that Medicare be fashioned in a three tiered system. It includes hospital insurance under Social Security, a voluntary insurance program for doctor visits and an expanded medical welfare program for the poor, known as Medicaid. The bill passed the House by a margin of 110 votes on April 8. The effort in the Senate was considerably more complicated; however, the Medicare bill passed Congress on July 28 after negotiation in a conference committee. Medicare now covers tens of millions of Americans. Johnson gave the first two Medicare cards to former President Harry S. Truman and his wife Bess after signing the Medicare bill at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri. Medicaid and Medicare have saved lives and helped millions of American lives.
In March of 1965, LBJ sent to Congress a transportation message. He wanted the creation of a new Transportation Department. It included the Commerce Department's Office of Transportation, the Bureau of Public Roads, the Federal Aviation Agency, the Coast Guard, the Maritime Administration, the Civil Aeronautics Board and the Interstate Commerce Commission. The bill passed the Senate after some negotiation over navigation projects; in the House, passage required negotiation over maritime interests and the bill was signed October 15, 1965. On October 22, 1968, Lyndon Johnson signed the Gun Control Act of 1968, one of the largest and farthest-reaching federal gun control laws in American history. Much of the motivation for this large expansion of federal gun regulations came as a response to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
During Johnson's administration, NASA used the Gemini manned space program. It developed the Saturn V rocket and its launch facility. It prepared to make its first manned Apollo program flights. On January 27, 1967, that nation was shocked by the following event. This was when the entire crew of Apollo 1 was killed in a cabin fire during a spacecraft test on the launch pad. It stopped Apollo for a while. Johnson didn't promote a Warren style commission. He accepted Administrator James E. Webb's request for NASA to do its own investigation. It hold itself accountable to Congress and the President. LBJ continued to strongly support Apollo through Congressional and press controversy. The program recovered. The first two manned missions, Apollo 7 and the first manned flight to the Moon, Apollo 8, were completed by the end of Johnson's term. He congratulated the Apollo 8 crew, saying, "You've taken ... all of us, all over the world, into a new era." On July 16, 1969, Johnson attended the launch of the first Moon landing mission Apollo 11, becoming the first former or incumbent US president to witness a rocket launch.
1966
A lot of public impatience with the Vietnam War existed in the spring of 1966. LBJ's approval rating during that time reached new lows of 41 percent. Sen. Richard Russell, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee said in June 1966 (which reflected the mood at the time) that to "get it over or get out." Johnson responded by saying to the press, "we are trying to provide the maximum deterrence that we can to communist aggression with a minimum of cost." Johnson believed that the intensified criticism of the war effort was a product of communist subversion and the press relations became strained. That's ludicrous. One of Johnson's major war policy opponent in Congress included the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee whose name was James William Fulbright. Johnson wanted more focused bombing campaign against petroleum, oil, and lubrication facilities in North Vietnam. He desired an accelerated victory. Humphrey, Rusk, and McNamara agreed with this goal. The bombing started in the end of June 1966. During July polling, Americans favored the bombing campaign by a 5 to 1 margin. Yet, in August 1966, a Defense Department study indicated that the bombing campaign had little impact on North Vietnam. By the fall of 1966, multiple sources began to report that progress was made against the North Vietnamese logistics and infrastructure. Johnson was urged to promote peace discussions. Peace initiatives already existed among protesters. English philosopher Bertrand Russell attacked Johnson's policy as "a barbaric aggressive war of conquest" and in June he initiated the International War Crimes Tribunal as a means to condemn the American effort.
The gap with Hanoi was an unbridgeable demand on both sides for a unilateral end to bombing and withdrawal of forces. In August, Johnson appointed Averell Harriman "Ambassador for Peace" to promote negotiations. Westmoreland and McNamara then recommended a concerted program to promote pacification; Johnson formally placed this effort under military control in October. By October 1966, LBJ wanted to promote the war effort still. He organized a meeting with allies in Manila. The meeting included South Vietnamese, Thais, South Koreans, Filipinos, Australians, and New Zealanders. The conference wanted to fight "communist aggression." It claimed to promote democracy and development in Vietnam and across Asia, but obviously the Vietnam War was about promoting capitalist economic interests and overt U.S. imperialism. 63 percent of Americans supported the Vietnam War in November of 1966. Dwight Eisenhower talked with LBJ on many issues too. By the end of 1966, the policies of Johnson didn't work to end the conflict. The air campaign didn't work. Johnson then agreed to McNamara's new recommendation to add 70,000 troops in 1967 to the 400,000 previously committed. While McNamara recommended no increase in the level of bombing, Johnson agreed with CIA recommendations to increase them. The increased bombing began despite initial secret talks being held in Saigon, Hanoi and Warsaw. While the bombings ended the talks, North Vietnamese intentions were not considered genuine by the Americans when the Vietnamese people for centuries were victims of invasion from Chinese and Western forces.
Urban Rebellions
Urban rebellions in America existed in a high level from 1963 (as early as the 1963 rebellion in Cambridge, Maryland and Birmingham, Alabama) to 1971. It was a time of change. Many black and poor people were tired of police brutality, the slow pace of civil rights advancement, and poverty plus economic injustice. As the Kerner Commission accurately stated in 1967, the urban rebellions existed because of neglect, racism, and the oppression from an imperfect society. The Harlem rebellion of 1964 and in other places of that same year (like in Rochester, NY, Philadelphia, PA, etc.) made people aware of the seriousness of poverty and economic exploitation. The rebellion in Watts in 1965 caused 34 people to die and $35 million in property damaged. The public feared an expansion of violence to other cities. LBJ at first didn't understand the rebellions because of the civil and voting rights laws that he had passed. LBJ's social programs were less funded because of the Vietnam War.
There was the credibility gap in 1966 as described by the press. What Johnson was saying in press conferences was different than what was happening on the ground in Vietnam. This led the press to show less favorable coverage. By the end of 1966, the Democratic governor of Missouri, Warren E. Hearnes, warned that Johnson would lose the state by 100,000 votes, despite winning by a 500,000 margin in 1964. "Frustration over Vietnam; too much federal spending and... taxation; no great public support for your Great Society programs; and ... public disenchantment with the civil rights programs" had eroded the President's standing, the governor reported. The governor is wrong to disagree with federal spending and fair taxation. Also, civil rights must be promoted as well. People have the right to promote Great Society programs and federal spending despite opposition. On January of 1967, Johnson boasted that wages were the highest in history, unemployment was at a 13-year low, and corporate profits and farm incomes were greater than ever; a 4.5 percent jump in consumer prices was worrisome, as was the rise in interest rates.
Johnson asked for a temporary 6 percent surcharge in income taxes to cover the mounting deficit caused by increased spending. Johnson's approval ratings stayed below 50 percent. By January 1967, the number of his strong supporters had plunged to 16%, from 25 percent four months before. He ran about even with Republican George Romney in trial matchups that spring. Asked to explain why he was unpopular, Johnson responded, "I am a dominating personality, and when I get things done I don't always please all the people." Johnson also blamed the press, saying they showed "complete irresponsibility and lie and misstate facts and have no one to be answerable to." He also blamed "the preachers, liberals and professors" who had turned against him. In the congressional elections of 1966, the Republicans gained three seats in the Senate and 47 in the House, reinvigorating the conservative coalition and making it more difficult for Johnson to pass any additional Great Society legislation. However, in the end Congress passed almost 96 percent of the administration's Great Society programs, which Johnson then signed into law.
Newark burned in 1967, where six days of the rebellion in Newark, New Jersey left 26 dead, 1500 injured, and the inner city burned heavily. In Detroit on 1967, Governor George Romney sent in 7400 national guard troops to quell fire bombings, looting, and attacks on businesses and on police. Johnson finally sent in federal troops with tanks and machine guns. Detroit continued to burn for three more days until finally 43 were dead, 2250 were injured, 4000 were arrested. Property damage ranged into the hundreds of millions. The biggest wave of rebellions came in April 1968 in over a hundred cities after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Johnson called for even more billions to be spent in the cities and another federal civil rights law regarding housing, but this fell on deaf ears. Johnson's popularity plummeted as a massive, reactionary, and racist white political backlash took shape, reinforcing the sense Johnson had lost control of the streets of major cities as well as his party. LBJ passed crime control legislation called the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, which was one ancestor of the Clinton Crime Bill. According to press secretary George Christian, Johnson was unsurprised by the rebellions, saying: "What did you expect? I don't know why we're so surprised. When you put your foot on a man's neck and hold him down for three hundred years, and then you let him up, what's he going to do? He's going to knock your block off."
1967
By January and February of 1967, Johnson continued to reject North Vietnamese calls for peace. Ho Chi Minh declared that the only solution was a unilateral withdrawal by the U.S. A Gallup poll taken in July 1967 showed that 52 percent of the country disapproving of the President's handling of the war and only 34 percent believed that progress had been made. Johnson was angry since he rejected progressive solutions to end the Vietnam War. LBJ made a statement to Robert F. Kennedy about the war. RFK would be a public critic of the Vietnam War and loomed as a challenger of the 1968 Presidential election. Johnson had just received several reports predicting military progress by the summer, and warned Robert Kennedy, "I'll destroy you and every one of your dove friends in six months", he shouted. "You'll be dead politically in six months." McNamara offered Johnson a way out of Vietnam in May. McNamara wanted the administration could declare its objective in the war—South Vietnam's self-determination—was being achieved and upcoming September elections in South Vietnam would provide the chance for a coalition government. The United States could reasonably expect that country to then assume responsibility for the election outcome. Yet, Johnson was reluctant, in light of some optimistic reports, again of questionable reliability, which matched the negative assessments about the conflict and provided hope of improvement. The CIA was reporting wide food shortages in Hanoi and an unstable power grid, as well as military manpower reductions.
By the middle of 1967, almost 70,000 Americans had been killed or wounded in the war. By July 1967, Johnson sent McNamara, Wheeler, and other officials to meet with Westmoreland and reach agreement on plans for the immediate future. At that time the war was being commonly described by the press and others as a "stalemate." Westmoreland said such a description was pure fiction, and that "we are winning slowly but steadily and the pace can excel if we reinforce our successes." Westmoreland wanted more troops, Johnson agreed with an increase of 50,000 troops. The total troops increased to 525,000. By August of 1967, LBJ with the Joint Chiefs supported decided to expand the air campaign. He only exempted Hanoi, Haiphong, and a buffer zone with China from the target list. In September Ho Chi Minh and North Vietnamese premier Pham Van Dong appeared amenable to French mediation, so Johnson ceased bombing in a 10-mile zone around Hanoi; this was met with dissatisfaction. Johnson in a Texas speech agreed to halt all bombing if Ho Chi Minh would launch productive and meaningful discussions and if North Vietnam would not seek to take advantage of the halt; this was named the "San Antonio" formula. There was no response, but Johnson pursued the possibility of negotiations with such a bombing pause. The Vietnam war was in a stalemate. He convened the "Wise Men" for a new look at the war. These Wise Men included Dean Acheson, Gen. Omar Bradley, George Ball, Mac Bundy, Arthur Dean, Douglas Dillon, Abe Fortas, Averell Harriman, Henry Cabot Lodge, Robert Murphy and Max Taylor. McNamara by this time wanted a cap of 525,000 troops and he wanted the bombing to be halted. He was overruled. Johnson disagreed with McNamara and McNamara soon resigned from the administration. With the exception of George Ball, the "Wise Men' agreed that the administration should continue forward. Johnson believed that Hanoi would await the 1968 U.S. election results before deciding to negotiate.
LBJ supported Israel during the Six Day War. In a 1993 interview for the Johnson Presidential Library oral history archives, Johnson's Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara stated that a carrier battle group, the U.S. 6th Fleet, sent on a training exercise toward Gibraltar was re-positioned back towards the eastern Mediterranean to be able to assist Israel during the Six-Day War of June 1967. Given the rapid Israeli advances following their strike on Egypt, the administration "thought the situation was so tense in Israel that perhaps the Syrians, fearing Israel would attack them, or the Soviets supporting the Syrians might wish to redress the balance of power and might attack Israel". The Soviets learned of this course correction and regarded it as an offensive move. In a hotline message from Moscow, Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin said, "If you want war you're going to get war."
The Soviet Union supported its Arabic allies. In May 1967, the Soviets started a surge deployment of their naval forces into the East Mediterranean. Early in the crisis they began to shadow the US and British carriers with destroyers and intelligence collecting vessels. The Soviet naval squadron in the Mediterranean was sufficiently strong to act as a major restraint on the U.S. Navy. In a 1983 interview with The Boston Globe, McNamara claimed that "We d__near had war." He said Kosygin was angry that "we had turned around a carrier in the Mediterranean." Israel also destroyed the USS Liberty which LBJ downplayed when many people died from that incident. Also, Johnson allowed the FBI to illegally wiretap Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was authorized by the Kennedy administration under Attorney General Robert Kennedy. LBJ said that King was a "hypocritical preacher" because of the extramarital affairs. Johnson authorized the tapping of phone conversations of other people like Vietnamese friends of a Nixon associate. Dr. King publicly said that he will not be intimidated by the FBI's evil tactics. Dr. King was a brave man.
On June 23, 1967, Lyndon Baines Johnson came into Los Angeles. He wanted to participate in a Democratic fundraiser. At that location, thousands of anti-war protesters tried to march past the hotel where he was speaking. A coalition of peace protesters led the anti-war march. Also, a small group of Progressive Labor Party and SDS protesters placed themselves at the head of the march. They reached the hotel and staged a sit down. There were efforts made by march monitors to keep the main body of the marchers moving. They were only partially successful. Hundreds of LAPD officers were at the hotel. The march slowed down. The LAPD ordered the crowd to disperse. The Riot Act was read and 51 protesters were arrested. This was one of the first massive anti-war protests in the United States and the first major one in Los Angeles. There was a clash with riot police. This set a pattern for future massive protests. The event was large. The violence caused Johnson to issue no further public speeches in venues outside military bases. There was a more public protests against the war. On October of 1967, LBJ engaged the FBI and the CIA to investigate, monitor, and undermine anti-war activists. He supported the CIA's Operation Chaos to domestically monitor anti-war people, which is illegal. The CIA is forbidden from monitoring American citizens in American soil for the purpose of surveillance. In mid-October 1967 there was a demonstration of 100,000 at the Pentagon; Johnson and Rusk were convinced that foreign communist sources were behind the demonstration, which was refuted by CIA findings.
1968
Casualties increased in Vietnam in 1968. Success for America was far away and Johnson's popularity radically declined. College students and others protested, burn draft cards, and some chanted, "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?" Johnson traveled and saw protests. He was not allowed by the Secret Service to attend the 1968 Democratic National Convention. That was when thousands of hippies, yippies, Black Panthers, and other opponents of Johnson's policies converged to protest. These opponents of the war in Vietnam and the opponents of the policies of the ghettoes were very overt in their views. Thus by 1968, the public was polarized, with the "hawks" rejecting Johnson's refusal to continue the war indefinitely, and the "doves" rejecting his current war policies. Support for Johnson's middle position continued to shrink until he finally rejected containment and sought a peace settlement. By late summer, he realized that Nixon was closer to his position than Humphrey. He continued to support Humphrey publicly in the election, and personally despised Nixon. One of Johnson's well known quotes was "the Democratic party at its worst, is still better than the Republican party at its best."
Today is the 50th year anniversary of the Tet Offensive. This was when Vietnamese forces attacked the U.S. Embassy in Saigon and other major cities throughout Vietnam starting in January 30, 1968. Many people died. American forces were taken by surprise. Back then, many American people thought the the U.S. had a near victory in the Vietnam War. After the Tet Offensive, more people realized that the war was a stalemate. LBJ knew of this and hid a lot of this information from the public for fear of being labeled as someone losing the war. The Tet Offensive established a new era of the war and ultimately the anti-war movement grew in power. Public opinion turned against the war. The American forces won the Tet Offensive which included the massive bombing of the city of Hue. After Tet, the Vietnam War changed forever and LBJ soon would not run for President again. By this time, Dr. King was in opposition to the war. I was not born during that time, but my parents were alive back then. 1968 was a year of massive change and one of the most revolutionary years in human history. Ironically, Walter Cronkite of CBS news, voted the nation's "most trusted person" in February expressed on the air that the conflict was deadlocked and that additional fighting would change nothing. Johnson reacted, saying "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America."
Indeed, demoralization about the war was everywhere; 26% then approved of Johnson's handling of Vietnam; 63% disapproved. Johnson agreed to increase the troop level by 22,000, despite a recommendation from the Joint Chiefs for ten times that number. By March 1968 Johnson was secretly desperate for an honorable way out of the war. Clark Clifford, the new Defense Secretary, described the war as "a loser" and proposed to "cut losses and get out." On March 31, 1968, Lyndon Johnson spoke to the nation and gave his speech entitled, "Steps to Limit the War in Vietnam." He then said that he would desire an immediate unilateral halt to the bombing of North Vietnam. He announced his intention to seek out peace talks anywhere at any time. At the close of his speech he also announced, "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President." By March, LBJ restricted future bombing with the result that 90 percent of North Vietnam's population and 75 percent of its territory was off limits to bombing. On April 1968, he opened peace talks and after extensive negotiations over the site, Paris was agreed to and talks began in May.
When the talks failed to yield any results the decision was made to resort to private discussions in Paris. Two months later it was apparent that private discussions proved to be no more productive. Despite recommendations in August from Harriman, Vance, Clifford and Bundy to halt bombing as an incentive for Hanoi to seriously engage in substantive peace talks, Johnson refused. In October 1968 was when the parties came close to an agreement on a bombing halt, Republican presidential nominee Richard Nixon intervened with the South Vietnamese, and made promises of better terms, so as to delay a settlement on the issue until after the election. LBJ accused Nixon of treason for during this. After the election, Johnson's primary focus on Vietnam was to get Saigon to join the Paris peace talks. Ironically, only after Nixon added his urging did they do so. Even then they argued about procedural matters until after Nixon took office.
The 1968 Presidential Election
The 1968 election was one of the most controversial and contentious elections in America. America was the most divided as it has ever been since the American Civil War. Issues of race, class, the Vietnam War, space, hippies, women's rights, housing, the economy, the environment, law and order (which is code for suppressing the rights of the dissenters and promoting the prison industrial complex), and other important issues were part of this election year. By 1968, there was the rise of the hippie counterculture, New Left activism, and Black Power movements. Social and cultural clashes exist among classes, generations, and races. Lyndon Johnson could run for re-election since he served less than 24 months of President Kennedy's term (as found in the 22nd Amendment). Early on, no prominent Democratic candidates wanted to challenge him since he was a sitting U.S. President. This changed by Senator Eugene McCarthy challenged Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1967. McCarthy ran as an anti-war candidate and he was from Minnesota. He was the candidate in the New Hampshire primary. He or McCarthy wanted to pressure the Democrats to oppose the Vietnam War.
By late 1967, over 500,000 American soldiers were fighting in Vietnam. Draftees made up 42 percent of the military in Vietnam, but suffered 58% of the casualties as nearly 1000 Americans a month were killed and many more were injured. By March 12, 1968, McCarthy won 42 percent of the New Hampshire primary vote to Johnson's 49 percent. That was huge for a challenger. LBJ was concerned. Later on March 16, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy of New York entered the race. Internal polling by Johnson's campaign in Wisconsin, the next state to hold a primary election, showed the President trailing badly. Johnson did not leave the White House to campaign. During March 1968, Johnson couldn't control the Democratic Party. It was divided. There were Johnson and Humphrey, labor union, local party bosses, students and intellectuals (who were against the war), Catholics, Latinx, and African Americans (who favored Robert Kennedy heavily). There were also segregationist white southerners who supported George C. Wallace and the American Independent Party. Vietnam divided the party. Johnson couldn't find a way to unite the party since he was stubborn to resist a change in policy. LBJ also had failing health. He was fearful of not living through another 4 year term.
In 1967, he secretly commissioned an actuarial study that predicted he would die at 64. Therefore, at the end of a speech on March 31, 1968, he shocked the nation when he announced he would not run for re-election by concluding with the line: "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President." The next day, his approval ratings increased from 36% to 49%. Johnson refusing to run shocked the political world. Some speculated on why Johnson decided to not run for President anymore.
Shesol says Johnson wanted out of the White House but also wanted vindication; when the indicators turned negative he decided to leave. Gould says that Johnson had neglected the party, was hurting it by his Vietnam policies, and underestimated McCarthy's strength until the very last minute, when it was too late for Johnson to recover. Woods said Johnson realized he needed to leave in order for the nation to heal. Dallek says that Johnson had no further domestic goals, and realized that his personality had eroded his popularity. His health was not good, and he was preoccupied with the Kennedy campaign; his wife was pressing for his retirement and his base of support continued to shrink. Ultimately, the crisis of the Vietnam War and the Democratic Party in crisis influenced his decision to drop out of the race. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. It was a very sad time in America. Cities burned in rebellion and people wondered about the future in terms of civil rights and justice. After Robert Kennedy's assassination, LBJ rallied the party bosses and unions to supported Hubert Humprhey at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The problems with the convention was huge. In Chicago (where it was location), the police brutally assaulted protesters and even innocent bypassers. Humphrey was great on civil rights, but very much pro-Johnson on foreign policy.
Some people wanted Johnson to support Nelson Rockefeller. Nixon won the Republican nomination and he used the racist Southern Strategy as a means to play on peoples' fears in the South in order for him to gain conservative Southern white voters (who traditionally voted Democratic). In what was termed the October surprise, Johnson announced to the nation on October 31, 1968, that he had ordered a complete cessation of "all air, naval and artillery bombardment of North Vietnam", effective November 1, should the Hanoi Government be willing to negotiate and citing progress with the Paris peace talks. In the end, Democrats did not fully unite behind Humphrey, enabling Republican candidate Richard Nixon to win the election. The election was very close among Humphrey (whose running mate was Edmund Muskie of Maine) and Nixon (whose running mate was Spiro Agnew of Maryland). Republicans would go on to win multiple future Presidential elections. Humphrey almost won, but he lost.
Later Life
Lyndon Baines Johnson's last day of office was on January 20, 1969. He saw Richard Nixon sworn into office. He decided to smoke despite his daughter's protests, because he felt that he lived his life and it was his turn now to express himself. Later, he came to his ranch in Stonewall, Texas. He literally smoke himself to death. He worked with his former aide and speechwriter Harry J. Middleton to draft his first book called, "The Choices We face." They worked together on his memoirs entitled, "The Vantage Point: Perspectives of the Presidency 1963-1969." It was published in 1971. In 1971, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum opened on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. He donated his Texas ranch in his will to the public to form the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, with the provision that the ranch "remain a working ranch and not become a sterile relic of the past." Johnson praised Nixon in foreign policy. Yet, he was worried that Nixon was being pressured into removing U.S. forces too soon from South Vietnam before the South Vietnamese were really able to defend themslves. He said that, "If the South falls to the Communists, we can have a serious backlash here at home." LBJ believed in anti-Communist rhetoric to the very end.
During the 1972 Presidential election, LBJ endorsed Democratic presidential nominee George S. McGovern, a senator from South Dakota, although McGovern had long opposed Johnson's foreign and defense policies. The McGovern nomination and presidential platform dismayed him or Johnson. Nixon could be defeated "if only the Democrats don't go too far left," he had insisted. Johnson had felt Edmund Muskie would be more likely to defeat Nixon; however, he declined an invitation to try to stop McGovern receiving the nomination as he felt his unpopularity within the Democratic party was such that anything he said was more likely to help McGovern. Johnson's protégé John Connally had served as President Nixon's Secretary of the Treasury and then stepped down to head "Democrats for Nixon", a group funded by Republicans. It was the first time that Connally and Johnson were on opposite sides of a general election campaign.
By March of 1970, LBJ experienced an attack of angina. He was taken to Brooke Army General Hospital on Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. He was urged to lose a lot of weight. He had grown to about 235 pounds. He also started smoking after nearly 15 years without having done so. This continued to advance more of his health problems. During next summer, he had chest pains. He started to promote a crash water diet. He shed 15 pounds in less than a month. On April 1972, Johnson fell victim to a second heart attack while visiting his daughter, Lynda, in Charlottesville, Virginia. "I'm hurting real bad," he confided to friends. The chest pains hit him nearly every afternoon—a series of sharp, jolting pains that left him scared and breathless. A portable oxygen tank stood next to his bed, and he periodically interrupted what he was doing to lie down and don the mask to gulp air. He continued to smoke heavily, and, although placed on a low-calorie, low-cholesterol diet, kept to it only in fits and starts.
Meanwhile, he began experiencing severe abdominal pains. Doctors diagnosed this problem through X-rays as diverticulosis—pouches of tissue forming on the intestine. His condition rapidly worsened and surgery was recommended, so Johnson flew to Houston to consult with heart specialist Dr. Michael DeBakey. DeBakey discovered that even though two of the former President's coronary arteries were critically damaged, the overall condition of his heart was so poor that even attempting a bypass surgery would likely result in fatal complications.
His heart condition was now diagnosed as terminal. So, he returned home to his ranch outside of San Antonio. At 3:39 pm. Central Time on January 22, 1973, Johnson suffered a massive heart attack. After he had placed a call to the Secret Service agents on the ranch, they rushed to the former President's bedroom. They found Johnson still holding the telephone receiver in his hand. He was unconscious and wasn't breathing. Johnson was airlifted in one of his own airplanes to San Antonio. He was taken to Booke Army General hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the facility by cardiologist and Army colonel Dr. Georga McGranahan. He was 64 years old.
Shortly after the death of Johnson, his press secretary Tom Johnson (no relation) telephoned Walter Cronkite at CBS. Cronkite was live on the air with the CBS Evening News at the time. There was a report on Vietnam and it was cut abruptly while Cronkite was still on the line, so he could break the news. Johnson's death came two days after Richard Nixon's second inauguration. This was after Nixon's landslide victory in the 1972 election. His death meant that for the first time since 1933, when Calvin Coolidge died during Herbert Hoover's final months in office, that there were no former Presidents still living; Johnson had been the only living ex-President since December 26, 1972, following the death of Harry S. Truman.
Lyndon Baines Johnson was honored with a state funeral. Texas Congressman J. J. Pickle and former Secretary of State Dean Rusk eulogized him at the Capitol. The final funeral services took place at the National City Christian Church in Washington, D.C. as this was the placed where he often worshiped as President. The service was presided over by President Richard Nixon and attended by foreign dignitaries. These foreign dignitaries were led by former Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Satō, who served as Japanese prime minister during Johnson's presidency. Eulogies were given by the Rev. Dr. George Davis, the church's pastor, and W. Marvin Watson, former postmaster general. Nixon did not speak, though he attended, as is customary for presidents during state funerals, but the eulogists turned to him and lauded him for his tributes, as Rusk did the day before, as Nixon mentioned Johnson's death in a speech he gave the day after Johnson died, announcing the peace agreement to end the Vietnam War.
Lyndon Baines Johnson was buried in his family cemetery (which, although it is part of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in Stonewall, Texas, is still privately owned by the Johnson family). The Johnson family doesn't want the public to enter the cemetery. It is also located a few yards from the house in which he was born. Eulogies were given by former Texas governor John Connally and the Rev. Billy Graham, the minister who officiated at the burial rites. Billy Graham recently passed away during this year of 2018. The state funeral, the last for a president until Ronald Reagan's in 2004, was part of an unexpectedly busy week in Washington, as the Military District of Washington (MDW) dealt with its second major task in less than a week, beginning with Nixon's second inauguration. The inauguration affected the state funeral in various ways, because Johnson died only two days after the inauguration. The MDW and the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee canceled the remainder of the ceremonies surrounding the inauguration, to allow for a full state funeral, and many of the military men who participated in the inauguration took part in the funeral. It also meant Johnson's casket traveled the entire length of the Capitol, entering through the Senate wing when taken into the rotunda to lie in state and exiting through the House wing steps due to inauguration construction on the East Front steps. So, we know the truth about his life. We are inspired to carry onward with the social justice credo. Now, it is time to recall his legacy.
Legacy
Looking at the life of Lyndon Baines Johnson is witnessing a life filled with triumphs and controversies. He fought his way into the Presidency. He wasn't born rich. He was born in a Texas community and taught the poor and Mexican children about many educational subjects. He traveled the world and participated in the great war of World War II. Later, he allied with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and was in the Senate of the United States Congress. He was even the Senate Majority leader, which is one of the most powerful positions in Congress. He ran for President in 1960 and lost to John F. Kennedy. He was his Vice President until his assassination on November 22, 1963. Later, he was the President. His helped to pass some of the most progressive legislation in human history like the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and other laws dealing with the environment, the urban community, the rural community, etc. His War on Poverty programs cut poverty in half from 1960 to 1970. His major weakness was foreign policy. The reason was that he acted too militarily aggressive in the Vietnam War (which resulted in destruction, war crimes, and other evils).
He acted so reckless, that the war evolved into a total stalemate and he refused to promote a real negotiated settlement during his Presidency. He believed in the myth that Communists collectively were seeking to take over the Earth and form a global, brutal empire. He also was more reactionary than JFK on foreign policy matters in general by supporting many far right rulers from Greece to the Dominican Republic. His popularity was low massively by 1967 and 1968. He refused to run for re-election in 1968 and saw a Nixon victory. He died in Texas as a man who done so much and achieved many mistakes along the way. His legacy is diverse and it signified the imperfections plus limitations of capitalism and the greatness of the social justice credo. LBJ changed the world and his life is definitely filled with multifaceted complexities. LBJ would also eloquently and legitimate defend immigrant rights too. He could be vulgar and ruthless and he could use commonsense to logically advance civil plus voting rights. Therefore, President Lyndon Baines Johnson was a man whose influence stretches long after the 1960's. That is why in our time, we will continue to advocate for racial justice, economic justice, health care rights, housing rights, investments in infrastructure, environmental protections, an end to poverty, and human liberty.
By Timothy