Friday Updates.

The FBI report has been released to many Senators. The truth is known about Kavanaugh. We know about his bad temperament and his lying about his drinking among other issues. Kavanaugh's views are well known to be reactionary and repugnant. He wrote that Presidents should be protected from criminal prosecutions. More than 1,000 people are protesting on Capitol Hill. The GOP wants a vote today. The probe has been limited in scope and one big problem with it was that it never involved an interview with Dr. Ford. Dozens of witnesses have been rebuffed by the FBI too. Kavanaugh is overt in his advocacy of advancing Bush's torture policies, and has a pro-surveillance record. Also, we are opposed to immigrant children being separated from their families, healthcare being attacked, tax cuts for wealthy corporations (who don't need them), and other evils policies.

One of the most unsung events of the life of Dr. King was his speech honoring Dr. W.E.B Du Bois on February 23, 1968. This was very near to the end of his life. Back then, Dr. King was very unpopular. Most Americans didn't agree with his opposition to the Vietnam War. Moderate black civil rights leaders didn't like his views on opposing that war and his views on combating poverty by a redistribution of wealth. Many black people (who called themselves "militant" but weren't militant enough to fight in the class struggle for proletarian liberation) hated his views in support of nonviolence and using protest in getting solutions made. White racists hated his anti-war views, his pro-labor views, his promotion of racial justice, and his pro-economic justice views. So, he was attacked by many quarters. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He said that Du Bois represented black intellectual strength and that he was courageous to expose Jim Crow apartheid in eloquent, honest terms. Du Bois mastered the sociological research of black and poor human beings. His studies cultivated a greater understanding about sociology. Dr. King gave his speech to celebrate the 100th Birthday of Du Bois and praise his research on the history of Reconstruction (which was a noble experiment and saw historical firsts among many African Americans). Today, we live during this time in the span of over 150 years after his birth.

We know now that injustice can never be ended by token talk or token action, but radical action in changing the system itself. Du Bois was a radical and he was once a socialist and became a Communist by the end of his life. To be a Communist or not is part of the freedom of speech. Some of my greatest heroes were Communists like Paul Robeson, Claudia Jones, and Du Bois. Are these men or women not my Brothers and my Sisters because they are Communists? No. They are still my Brothers and my Sisters regardless of their political views. Therefore, Dr. King made that point in his speech along with exposing the evil, unjust war in Vietnam. We learn lessons from Du Bois and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that intellectual curiosity and the fight for justice are the preeminent goals of our generation. The oppressed deserve our empathy and we will fight for freedom in this world.

Yesterday was the Birthday of Sister Lil Mama and she is 29 years old. Her whole name is Niatia Jessica Kirkland. She was born in Harlem and raised in Brooklyn, NYC. She was the eldest daughter of her family and since your youth, she took up dance, poetry, and music. I remember when she was a teenager performing in videos and in other arenas. Her first studio album VYP (Voice of the Young People) was released in late April 2008. The album spawned four singles: "Lip Gloss", "G-Slide (Tour Bus)", etc. She made more music and one of her greatest acting roles was in the VH1 film CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, which aired on October 21, 2013, alongside Keke Palmer and Drew Sidora, who played Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, respectively. I saw the film before and it was a classic movie. I enjoyed it a lot like I enjoyed the Temptations movie. On August 28, 2017, Mama starred in the television movie When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story, based on a true story. It premiered to 1.6 million viewers, ranking as TV One's #1 original movie premiere of all time among all key demos. Lil Mama is about empowering people, supporting love, and fighting for change. She is a survivor and a courageous black woman. I wish Sister Lil Mama more blessings. Yesterday was the Birthday of Sister Shontelle. I remember her songs for years. She always has a positive spirit and her music has great messages of love, of overcoming obstacles, and having joy in life. She is now 33 years old and she was born in Saint James, Barbados. Therefore, she is Afro-Caribbean and she loves her Caribbean heritage. Impossible is one of her great songs. Also, she is a philanthropist. She has worked with charities that fight Alzheimer's disease. She has worked to invest in breast cancer research and helping girls reach their highest potentials. She has endorsed VH1's Save the Music Foundation. Music is a great way to develop the mind and the soul, so it should be invested among people of every age. Shontelle's beauty is found in her wisdom, charisma, and in her steadfast advocacy for the development of the world society. She is certainly a greatly talented human being. I wish Sister Shontelle more blessings.

There are many legendary musicians of our generation and she is one living legend. It was her Birthday days and she is India Arie. For years, she has graced stages in displaying her music worldwide. Her songs are uplifting. They have glorious content outlining the beauty of our skin color, the glory of human expression, and the monumental beauty of Black Love. She has shown records that appeal to people of every background and her sound has immaculate range in its voice and in her artistry. India Arie is now 43 years old and she was born in Denver, Colorado. Both of her parents encouraged her to prodigiously pursue a music career. When she was 13, she lived in Atlanta. She was part of an musical group while in Atlanta called Groovement EarthShare. She mastered the playing of the guitar. India Arie released her debut album called Acoustic Soul on March 27, 2001. Her song "Video" made the important message that inner beauty is better than the superficiality found in many aspects of modern society. True beauty is diverse among humanity and it is never monolithic for beauty also deals with human compassion. She made the song Breathe (in support of the BLM in opposing the injustice of the death of Eric Garner which caused by members of the NYPD) and other records that grow our souls. India Arie is a beautiful black woman whose creativity is bountiful. Love, romance, social issues, and other parts of our culture represent her music. She has sold over 3.3 million records in the US and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album. India Arie made us all aware that our dreams don't have to be in the backburner. They can persist and grow mightily high. I wish Sister India Arie more blessings.

By Timothy