Wednesday, May 23, 2018

New History and Other Information.



Today, history is being made all of the time. One of the greatest political news of our history is how Stacey Abrams is now the Democratic candidate for the governor of Georgia. She won the primary with about 70 percent of the vote going for her. She is the first black woman to be the official major candidate for the governor of Georgia. She is a lawyer, a businesswoman, and an author. In 1995, Abrams earned her B.A. degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Political Science, Economics and Sociology) from Spelman College, magna cum laude. She was in the Georgia General Assembly from 2007 to 2017. She promotes economic fairness and children's issues. Black women desire more representation in politics as they are entitled to it completely. Black women were the key difference in ending Roy Moore's campaign and allowing political progressives to win many races for years and decades. Stacey Abrams has certainly talked about issues that black people, other people of color, the young, and other voters care about. In Kentucky, another woman named Amy McGrath (who is a Marine veteran) won a primary. Barbara Underwood is the new first woman Attorney General of the state of New York. A military veteran, former Air Force intelligence officer Gina Ortiz Jones, won a runoff in Texas' 23rd District. With these news, we see the power of women in full view. Georgia is emerging as a swing state. In my lifetime, Georgia could be in play for the Presidential election by 2020 which is amazing. I always knew that the South (with its progressives living in it) would redeem this nation and these recent events as found in Virginia, Alabama, and Georgia prove me right.

Naomi Campbell is a fashion legend. It was her birthday yesterday and she is 48 years old. She was born in London, England. For years and decades, she has fought not only for her right to do fashion comprehensively. Also, she has fought for more black representation in fashion covers internationally. The reason is obvious. Back in the day and today, racism is heavily found in the mainstream fashion industry. People have always known of her honesty and strength. Today, she has utilized her strength to contribute heavily in the spheres of music, fashion, and other aspects of human living. She is a supermodel. From the late 1980's, she has been on magazine covers, acted in movies, and shown music in R&B pop. Giving back is part of her repertoire. She has organized charities to fund children, to help the victims of Katrina, to help victims of the Mumbai terrorist attack, to help to fight poverty in Brazil, and I can go on and on. In 2013, Campbell joined fellow black models Iman and Bethann Hardison in an advocacy group called "Diversity Coalition." This group wants to promote more people of color representation in the fashion industry. She is a black woman who walks her talk. Therefore, I wish Sister Naomi Campbell more Blessings.

Days ago was the Birthday of one of the most famous people in the world. He has been involved in movies and charities for years and decades. His name is Mr. T. or Laurence Tureaud. He is now 66 years old and he was born in the great city of Chicago. Always in awe of his mother, his mother taught him about the great values of kindness, humane treatment, strength, courage, perseverance, and humility. He worked hard prodigiously throughout his life. He called himself Mr. T as a means for others to respect him as a black man (as many of his relatives were victims of racism, disrespect, and discrimination). At Dunbar Vocational High school, he played football, studied martial arts, and wrestled. He came into the Army, so he is a military veteran. Mr. T also was a bouncer and a famous bodyguard for many celebrities from Muhammad Ali to Diana Ross. He was paid $3,000 a day. The A-Team was a show that he displayed acting skills on prominently. In that show, he played a member of a fictional cast of a group of people who helped people and exposed corruption. From video games to professional wrestling shows, he displayed a diversity of human expression. Always a compassionate man, he credits his faith for sustaining his life. He believes in God and there is nothing wrong with a man expressing his spirituality in public or in private. He continues to inspire others. I wish Brother Mr. T more Blessings.

As we approach the 100th year anniversary of the end of World War One, we witness new information and great insights of that very violent conflict. World War I or the Great impacted the world society in a myriad of ways. Advanced technologies like tanks and complex airplanes plus machine guns were utilized in a huge fashion. It first involved the European continent since European powers desired to gather as much power of the world as possible via imperialism including colonialism. This came after the Boxer Rebellion where Boxers from China were defeated by Western Powers by 1901. Also, WWI existed in the midst of nationalist movements including the Communist Russian Revolution of 1917 too. 70 million military personnel were mobilized. The war started in many situations. First, England and France wanted to contain the expansion of Germany (with the growth of its army and navy). Also, the Ottoman Empire was weakening. The Serbian nationalist Princip assassinated Archduke Ferdinand in a means to gain Serbian independence. Princip was allied with the Secret society called the Black Hand. Alliances among France and England plus the alliance of Germany and Austria-Hungary were in full display. So, war existed as a result of competing alliances fighting for control of geopolitical power. World War One transpired globally too with battles in Asia, Africa, and in other locations. Supporters and opponents of the war were abundant during that time period.

The Armenian genocide, the Greek genocide, and the Assyrian genocide all occurred during World War I. Chemical warfare was committed by both sides during the war (which was a war crime) too. The majority of the war existed in a stalemate among the Allies and the Central Powers in part because of trench warfare (which caused both sides to fight and being slaughtered from across the battlefield especially in places like Verdun). American involvement, the weakening of the Ottoman Empire, and various military tactics contributed to the Allied victory. The war ended in 1918, but issues of autonomy and nationhood wouldn’t be resolved so readily. The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 (headed by Britain, France, the United States, and Italy or the Big Four) involved the Allied forces to place sanctions on Germany. It refused to give people of color (especially black people and Asian people) true national independence. Ho Chi Minh back then wanted Vietnam to have independence from France, but the Paris Peace Conference refused to do so. The subsequent League of Nations couldn’t enforce treaties, it lacked great strength, and it was rejected by the U.S. Congress. Soon, economic depression, international tensions, anger, and the growth of fascism contributed to the beginning of World War II. World War One was an international war that saw the modernization of how we live in the Earth. It was a war that saw monarchies fall and new national realities develop. It was an epoch of world history indeed.


By Timothy



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