Friday, January 31, 2020
Updates.
Artistry emanates from her voice. She is a living legend. During the 1970's and the 1980's, she had songs that were the soundtracks of the lives of millions. Yesterday was the Birthday of Sister Jody Watley, and she is 61 years old. She was born in Chicago. She has been involved in R&B, jazz, dance, electronic soul, and pop for decades. Back in 1987, she won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, and she has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. Many artists inspired her like Roberta Flack, Prince, The Jackson 5, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, etc. Her godfather was Jackie Wilson (who was a great soul singer in his own right). People knew her as being in the group Shalamar. Don Corneilus created the group with Jeffrey Daniel and Gary Mumford. Howard Hewett joined the group later on. Jody Watley toured the world and enjoy much success. Many of Shalamar's hits were The Second Time Around, For the Lover in You, A Night to Remember, etc. Back in the day, you had to SANG. Later, Jody Watley created her own solo career. Her single Looking for a New Love was about her own musical independence. Real Love is a classic song by her. She made more music in the 1990's and worked in Broadway. Jody Watley is a beautiful black woman inside and out. She has 2 children. She still makes music, and her legendary career has been gloriously powerful. I wish Sister Jody Watley more Blessings.
Truth matters. The recent comments from Daniel Kaluuya about race are not only wrong and hypocritical. These are the same views are here from compromisers, those calling themselves the "new black people," and many celebrities. First, I'm going to mention what he said, why it is wrong, and other things. Daniel said that he is surrounded by racial issues, but he isn't defined by it. He doesn't want to be the race guy. He said that he's Daniel who happens to be black. He finds it boring to talk about race. He said that he isn't defined by it. He questions the debate about race and said that he's a doer. He is completely wrong. He hypocritically doesn't want to be defined by race or talk about racial issues, but you're in movie roles that deal with racial issues like Get Out, Black Panther, Queen and Silm, etc. This is the same person who came into America (that is the land that I was born in), because of the racism he experienced in the United Kingdom. That is why he is in America.
See, some people in this generation are naive. Many of these celebrities are too afraid to confront racial injustice because of fear of losing a check. Some things are more important than money when your Brothers and Sisters are struggling in the streets. I'm all for the debate too. Talking about racial issues isn't boring to me. It's a matter of survival, because we don't have justice here right now. He or Daniel also sued the London Met Police for racial police. So, he wanted to sue because of racism, but he is bored with race now. I'm not bored with race issues. I'm tired of racial oppression. There's a difference. How can you end racial injustice without talking about it? That refutes everything Daniel mentioned. To eliminate racism, you have to talk about it and use policies to end it on a structural plus individual level. This is the same person who wants to play Fred Hampton. People know that Fred Hampton talked about racial and class issues all of the time. Fred Hampton was a revolutionary. Daniel talks about being a doer, but is he confronting the wealth gap between black and white Americans. Is he is confronting the evils of gentrification and other evils in our world? These types of people hypocritically don't want to talk about race, but they complain about the lack of diversity in Hollywood. You can't have it both ways. That is why we have to stand for our principles.
It is no secret that my maternal relatives are part of the Bynum family. Many of them originated from Southampton County, Virginia. My first cousin is Pamela Bynum (she was born in 1959). She married Lorenza Terry Doles. There is a Lowe family connection with Lorenza Doles too. Pamela Bynum's parents were Abbington Bynum (1915-1984) and Florence Nightingale Smith (1927-2012). Abbington Bynum was my 2nd great uncle. Lorenza Doles' parents are James Raymond Monroe Doles (1930-1987) and Eunice Agnes Bradshaw (b. 1937). James Raymond Monroe Doles' parents were Alvin Benjamin Doles (1886-1964) and Edna Virginia Davis (1892-?). Alvin Benjamin Doles' parents were Robert Doles (1863-?) and Elizabeth Lowe (1867-?). Elizabeth Lowe was the daughter of Jane Ridley and Madison Lowe. You can Google the names of Jane Ridley and Madison Lowe to see the historical significance of both people. Jane D. Ridley's son is Bishop Charlie Welsey Lowe (1875-1954). His son is my 2nd cousin Elgin Madison Lowe (1914-2000). Elgin's mother was my 1st cousin Louisa A. Sykes (1876-1955). Louisa is the granddaughter of my 5th grandmother Zilphy Claud (1820-1893). So, everything is connected. Why show this information? I do this, because I don't believe that the keys of knowledge should be restricted from the people. If a person wants to find the truth, they should have the right to do so.
Yesterday was the Birthday of Brother Charles Dutton, and he is 69 years old. He is known actor, director, and producer. For decades, he has been on powerful shows and movies. He was born in Baltimore. He was born on the East Side. Later, Dutton was an amateur boxer. He didn't live an easy life. I can't sugarcoat his life. He was a man who experienced it all. Yet, God's grace allowed him to overcome the rain and the storm in order for him to be one of the greatest actors of this generation. He graduated form Towson University in 1978. Also, he earned a master's degree in acting from the Yale School of Drama in 1983. He was famous being the show Roc. That show talked about many real issues from economics to other social issues. He worked on plays and other films like Menace to Society, Secret Window, etc. He was in The Express: The Ernie Davis Story, and other types of TV shows. He has shown courageous actions. I wish Brother Charles Dutton more blessings.
By Timothy
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Relevant Information.
During these days, it is always important to love the African Diaspora. I remember many years ago of having a dream to learn more about the black African Diaspora and about my ancestors in general. Today, I know not only tons of information about my ancestors. I have a greater appreciation of the Diaspora. There are black people in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and in other places of the world who are righting the good fight. There are always those who want to minimize the issue of racial oppression or put their heads in the sand. Yet, I reject that path. It is always our responsibility to fight for right and to acknowledge that the journey for freedom is not insignificant. It is vital part of our existence in general. When you see suffering in poorer neighborhood, when you see the suffering of our Sisters, and when you understand the injustices inflicted on our Brothers, then you recognize that black lives always matter. Souls are valuable, and we honor the power of the Most High God. One truth in life is to constantly learn. We have to gain wisdom no matter the age which we are in. We are all in this together. For example, most African Americans are descendants of West and Central African people. Many people from across the Diaspora contributed heavily in the anti-slavery, civil rights, and other pro-freedom movements spanning history. Our intention is always to believe in health care for all, an end to police brutality, promote justice for black people, end colorism, and maintain integrity in our world. In order to be a free, you have to love truth and the defend the rights of human beings.
I am disappointed by Terry Crews saying words that minimize the racism that Gabrielle Union has suffered. We stand with her. The sad thing is that many of us black people tried to give Terry Crews the benefit of the doubt. We deplore the abuse that Terry suffered at the hands of a coward, but his recent comments should be called out as wrong and disgraceful. The irony is that Gabrielle Union defended Terry Crews at first. Terry Crews said that the only woman that he must please is his wife. This has nothing to do with Terry's wife. This has to do with the obligation of any black man and any black person in general to defend the human rights plus the human dignity of any black woman like Gabrielle Union period. That is our job. Crews is also wrong, because men including women ought to speak out against sexism. It takes a real coward to hide behind his wife as an excuse to justify his abhorrent views. Crews refusal to stand with Gabrielle Union, who is a victim of sexism and racism, outlines what we need to know. I will never follow Terry Crews' views or tactics. Terry needs to stop his tap dancing. The major point is that our eyes is on the prize of black liberation.
The quarantine of Wuhan during the aftermath of the coronavrius outbreak should be taken seriously. Wuhan is a metropolis of 11 million people. New viruses have evolved over years. Many doctors and nurses plus other medical experts are forced to work around the clock in order for them to save lives. Public transportation has been suspended in Wuhan. There are about 4,494 cases in China and 106 deaths. Many nations have it outside of China in 14 nations. Guan Yi said that the Wuhan outbreak is 10 times larger than the SARS outbreak back in 2003. Guan Yi is one of China's leading virologists. Health care infrastructure suffers by economic disruptions, illness, social inequality, economic inequality, etc. The CDC is doing their best to educate the public. You have to have international cooperation to comeback global pandemics, climate change, other ecological disasters, and wars.
The long impeachment trial continues into a new phrase. The Trump legal team wraps up their case in trying to defend Trump. They claim that impeachment is not warraned and that even if Trump did evil acts as its relates to Ukraine, he still shouldn't be impeached. This is desperate, because Trump now is impeached. The House has every right to impeach any President who is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors. Trump has been caught trying to benefit his election chances by withholding economic funds from Ukraine. Now, people want to talk about the Bolton book, and questions will be asked to the prosecution and the defense starting tomorrow. The Democrats want Bolton to testify as a witness in the Senate.
Bolton is the infamous war hawk who not only promoted the Iraq War, but he wants regime change in Iran. Senate Republican leaders have been opposing allowing more witnesses to testify like White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. The irony is that many Democrats haven't promoted impeachment against Trump for his crimes against immigrants, his attacks on democratic rights, or his violation of international law (like assassinating a governmental leader in Iraq). Bolton is born in the anticommunism of the American far right. He knows that his warmongering is controversial. Kenneth Starr and Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz are wrong to say that a President can only be impeached for a criminal act, and it was unconstitutional for a President to be impeached for abuse of power. We shall wee what the future holds.
By Timothy
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Monday, January 27, 2020
Monday News.
This work will deal with Part 2 of the Hair series. Hair is all around us. It is found in our culture, in our history, and in our civilizations. Also, there are those who are bald. Those, who are bald and with thinning hair, are entitled with the same dignity and respect as those will a large amount of hair. Hair’s dynamics are amazing, and we should investigate many facets of hair in order to get a greater appreciation of human diversity. Diversity is good, especially when it is applied to build up the world’s societal institutions positively. When you see people of diverse personalities, sexes, and backgrounds, they represent the greatness of the human race. Fashion shows, barber shops, and hair salons always lead us to see how hair culture has great importance in our daily lives. Also, we have a very long way to go. You have evil people trying to cut the dreadlocks of kids in order to graduate high school or to be educated in schools. That is disgraceful as a person’s hair should be expressed in many ways. People with dreadlocks should be respected as equal human beings regardless of a person’s color or race. We witness wars, malice, hatreds, poverty, racism, sexism, and neo-colonialism. Yet, we will carry onward with the work in making sure that the dream lives on. There are differences in the lengths of hair, in hair texture, and in other components of human hair. Learning about hair is also learning about hair curl patterns. Hair experts have known about this for thousands of years. One woman, who has a northern accent, told me much information about the diversity of hair types. The shape of the follicle that your hair grows from your scalp determines the curl type. They can be 1s, 2s, 3s, and 4s. The sub classifications of A to C are based on the width of diameter of your wave. We live in the 2020s now. It is very important to not know about the complexities of hair. People’s views on different forms of hair differ on social position, ethnicity, sex, religion, age, and culture. It is also vital to allow folks to realize that someone with hair and someone without has the same human value (and we will show compassion to all people who reside in the Universe).
There are many parts of the human hair that people should comprehend. To know hair is to know that hair is a protein filament that grows from the follicles of the dermis. Hair is found on all mammals. All of the human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin is covered in follicles. These follicles produce thick terminal and fine vellus hair. There has been research increased over the years on hair growth, hair types, and hair care. Hair is a vital biomaterial. It’s an entity made up of mostly alpha-keratin and protein. Hair is part of the integumentary system. Each strand of hair is made up of the medulla, cortex, and cuticle. The medulla is the innermost region of the hair. It is not always present and is an open, unstructured region. The highly structural and organized cortex or the second of the three layers of the hair is the primary source of mechanical strength plus water uptake. The cortex has the melanin, which colors the fibers based on the number, distribution, and types of melanin granules. The shape of the follicle determines the shape of the cortex and the shape of the fiber is related to how straight or curly the hair is. People with straight hair have round hair fibers. Oval and other shaped fibers are generally more wavy or curly. The cuticle is the outer covering. Their complexes structures slides as the hair cells and is covered with a single molecular layer of lipid that makes the hair repel water. The diameter of human hair varies from 0.017 to 0.18 millimeters (0.00067 to 0.00709 in.). There are two million small, tubular glands and sweat glands that produce watery fluids that cool the body by evaporation. The glands at the opening of the hair produce a fatty secretion that lubricates the hair. Hair growth starts inside the hair follicle. In the follicle is found the living part of the hair. The hair that is visible is the hair shaft, which exhibits no biochemical activity and is considered “dead.” The base of a hair’s root or the bulb has the cells that produce the hair shaft. Other structures of the hair follicle include the oil producing sebaceous gland which lubricates the hair and the arrector pili muscles, which are responsible for causing hairs to stand up. In humans with little body hair, the effect results in goose bumps. The root of the hair is the hair bulb. It is whiter in color and softer in texture than the shaft. It is found in a follicular involution of the epidermis called the hair follicle. The bulb of hair consists of fibrous connective tissue, glassy membrane, external root sheath, internal root sheath composed of epithelium stratum (Henle's layer) and granular stratum (Huxley's layer), cuticle, cortex and medulla. All natural hair colors are the result of two types of hair pigments. Both of these pigments are melanin types, produced inside the hair follicle and packed into granules found in the fibers. Eumelanin is the dominant pigment in brown hair and black hair, while pheomelanin is dominant in red hair. Blond hair is the result of having little pigmentation in the hair strand. Gray hair occurs when melanin production decreases or stops, while poliosis is hair (and often the skin to which the hair is attached), typically in spots, that never possessed melanin at all in the first place, or ceased for natural genetic reasons, generally, in the first years of life. Hair grows everywhere on the external body except for mucus membranes and glabrous skin, such as that found on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and lips. Hair follows a specific growth cycle with three distinct and concurrent phases: anagen, catagen, and telogen phases; all three occur simultaneously - while one strand of hair may be in the anagen phase, another may be in the telogen phase. Each has specific characteristics that determine the length of the hair.
The body has different types of hair, including vellus hair and androgenic hair, each with its own type of cellular construction. The different construction gives the hair unique characteristics, serving specific purposes, mainly, warmth and protection. Hair promotes thermal regulation among human beings. The eyebrows help protect the eyes from dirt, sweat, and rain.
There are many rules to boxing. Modern boxing rules relate to the Marquess of Queensberry. These rules were published since 1867. Each boxing match can have a number of three minute rounds with a total up to 9 to 12 rounds. During each round’s break, it usually lasts for one minute. The boxers are given advice and attention from their coach and staff during each break. The referee controls the fight. He or she has the right to judge and control the actions of the fighter. He or she can rule to end a fight for safety reasons or because of a knock down count. He or she can rule on rounds. There are up to three judges that are present at ringside to score the bout, give points to boxers, and give a winner. The points are based on punches connecting; each fighter has an assigned corner of the ring, where his or her coach, as well as one or more "seconds" may administer to the fighter at the beginning of the fight and between rounds. Each boxer enters into the ring from their assigned corners at the beginning of each round and must cease fighting and return to their corner at the signaled end of each round.
A bout in which the predetermined number of rounds passes is decided by the judges, and is said to "go the distance". The fighter with the higher score at the end of the fight is ruled the winner. With three judges, unanimous and split decisions are possible, as are draws. A boxer may win the bout before a decision is reached through a knock-out; such bouts are said to have ended "inside the distance". If a fighter is knocked down during the fight, determined by whether the boxer touches the canvas floor of the ring with any part of their body other than the feet as a result of the opponent's punch and not a slip, as determined by the referee, the referee begins counting until the fighter returns to his or her feet and can continue. Some jurisdictions require the referee to count to eight regardless of if the fighter gets up before. If a boxer fails to get up by the 10 count, then the boxer loses by KO or knockout. A technical knockout or a TKO is ruled by the referee fight doctor or a fighter’s corner. A TKO is when a fighter is unable to safely continue to fight, based upon injuries or being judged unable to effectively defend themselves. Many jurisdictions and sanctioning agencies also have a "three-knockdown rule", in which three knockdowns in a given round result in a TKO. A TKO is considered a knockout in a fighter's record. A "standing eight" count rule may also be in effect. This gives the referee the right to step in and administer a count of eight to a fighter that he or she feels may be in danger, even if no knockdown has taken place. After counting the referee will observe the fighter, and decide if he or she is fit to continue. For scoring purposes, a standing eight count is treated as a knockdown. In general, boxers are prohibited from hitting below the belt, holding, tripping, pushing, biting, or spitting. The boxer's shorts are raised so the opponent is not allowed to hit to the groin area with intent to cause pain or injury. Failure to abide by the former may result in a foul. They also are prohibited from kicking, head-butting, or hitting with any part of the arm other than the knuckles of a closed fist (including hitting with the elbow, shoulder or forearm, as well as with open gloves, the wrist, the inside, back or side of the hand). They are prohibited as well from hitting the back, back of the head or neck (called a "rabbit-punch") or the kidneys. They are prohibited from holding the ropes for support when punching, holding an opponent while punching, or ducking below the belt of their opponent (dropping below the waist of your opponent, no matter the distance between). A referee can end the clinch. Back in the day, some newspapers had no decision rules.
Boxing history goes back thousands of years. A Sumerian relief in Iraq showed boxing. By the 2nd millennium B.C. have reliefs in Assyria and Babylonia of boxing actions. Boxing existed in the Hittite area too. There was a relief sculpture from Egyptian Thebes (in ca. 1350 B.C.) showed both boxers and spectators. In those places, the boxing contests had fighters being bare fisted or using a band on the wrist. Minoan Crete in ca. 1500-1400 B.C. used gloves in boxing. Various types of boxing existed in ancient India. The earliest references to musti-yuddha come from classical Vedic epics such as the Ramayana and Rig Veda. The Mahabharata describes two combatants boxing with clenched fists and fighting with kicks, finger strikes, knee strikes and headbutts. Duels (niyuddham) were often fought to the death. During the period of the Western Satraps, the ruler Rudradaman - in addition to being well-versed in "the great sciences" which included Indian classical music, Sanskrit grammar, and logic - was said to be an excellent horseman, charioteer, elephant rider, swordsman and boxer. The Gurbilas Shemi, an 18th-century Sikh text, gives numerous references to musti-yuddha. Boxing was in ancient Greece. It was very popular. In the ancient Olympics, it was first introduced in the 23rd Olympiad, 688 BC. The boxers would wind leather thongs around their hands in order to protect them. There were no rounds and boxers fought until one of them acknowledged defeat or could not continue. Weight categories were not used, which meant heavyweights had a tendency to dominate. The style of boxing practiced typically featured an advanced left leg stance, with the left arm semi-extended as a guard, in addition to being used for striking, and with the right arm drawn back ready to strike. It was the head of the opponent which was primarily targeted, and there is little evidence to suggest that targeting the body was common.
Kenneth Copeland is one of the most prominent prosperity gospel leaders in the world. He promotes the World Faith movement too. He has been a leader of his television show for years. Many of his programming has been shown on Trinity Broadcasting Network. He wrote many books and articles. His show was Believers’ Voice of Victory. He created his Believer’s Voice of Victory magazine. Many people have known of his doctrinal errors. He once said that, “It would have been impossible for Jesus to have been poor!" (9/90, Charisma). (Reported in the 2/15/93, Calvary Contender.). We know that Jesus Christ was poor. He lived under the occupation and oppression of the Roman Empire. The World Faith movement means that faith is a matter of what we say more than whom we place trust or what truths we embrace. In other words, it teaches the words have creative power. Its followers believe that positive confessions can make things happen. Copeland believes in the errors that every Christian is guaranteed physical healing and financial prosperity. The deal is that God has not promised health and prosperity to His people in the present world. There are many people who are sick, but they are very righteous people. Sickness comes from biological reasons not spiritual faith. He also has a New Age view that humans are little gods: "You're all God. You don't have a God living in you; you are one! ... When I read in the Bible where God tells Moses, 'I AM,' I say, 'Yah, I am too!'" ("The Force of Love," Tape BBC-56). The reality is that man is not God and man can’t become a god or God. Copeland said that Adam was a god with an authority of a god. He said that Adam was not subordinate to God, which is blasphemy. Copeland made the other blasphemous statement that Jesus Christ was tortured by Satan in hell for three days to have people to have a chance for redemption. Before He died, Jesus cried in triumph, "It is finished" (Jn. 19:30), indicating that our redemption has been accomplished on the Cross. Christ told the thief on the cross who believed in Him, "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Lk. 23:43), not in hell! He said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Lk. 23:46). Copeland in his audiotape from 1989 called, Following the Faith of Abraham said that Adam was God manifested in the flesh, which is overt blasphemy again. Kenneth Copeland said God lives on a mother planet, God is a failure, and the death of Jesus on the cross didn’t pay the price for our sins. This sounds like another religion not Christianity. The core of the Christian faith is that Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead for the sins of the whole world. In that sense, all living people now have a chance to be saved. Romans 5:8-10 is clear that we are justified by the blood of Jesus Christ. The same thing is taught in Colossians 1:19-22, Ephesians 1:7, and in 1 John 1:7. There are many rumors that Kenneth Copeland is a Freemason. Regardless if that it is true or not, Copeland embraces many false doctrines.
Anyone has the right to learn about car exterior parts. The windshield wiper helps with protecting the vehicle against rain and other weather events. The bumper is in the front of the car. The fender is in the side of the car. The hood hides the engine and the battery of the vehicle. The grille is found in front in between the headlights. The front fascia is found below the headlights. There is the door handle, the antenna, the sunroof, the trunk, the fuel door, the tire, the wheel cover, the mud flap, the windows, the quarter windows, the cowl, and the washer nozzle.
By Timothy
Friday, January 24, 2020
Political and Social News in Late January of 2020.
The crimes of Donald Trump are numerous. Adam Schiff, Val Demings, Jerry Nadler, and others have done a great job in bringing up the case that Trump is wrong to use his political influence to try to conduct election espionage against the Bidens. Today, the House Managers are arguing that Trump enacted an abuse of power. Trump said that he just wanted to end Ukrainian corruption. That is a lie, because official governmental records show that Trump was focused on Biden. Trump didn't publicly raised corruption issues before with the Ukrainians. Trump can't do what he wants to. No President should act as a monarch. Trump wanted to use coercion against Ukraine to try to influence an election via cheating. There are many impeachment witnesses who said under oath that Trump's Ukraine conduct was wrong. Later, Trump's legal team will present their arguments, and then the total Senate will vote on whether Trump stays or leaves in office. I respect greatly many parts of the 1619 Project (I believe that it is a great first step in evaluating our identity as black people), but their omissions of Dr. King (except in one place with a photo caption), Malcolm, and the Harlem Renaissance is shocking. The 1619 didn't even show information about A. Philip Randolph or the Black Power Movement. You can't talk about black American history without talking about the people of Dr. King, Malcolm X, and folks found in the Harlem Renaissance.
Recently, my parents said that my family are related to the Upshur family on my father's side. They are right because of many reasons. Long ago, the Upshur family came from the Eastern Shore in Virginia. Esther Perkins was born in 1816. Her husband was George Perkins I (he was born in 1815). Later, the couple had a child named Carolina Perkins (1862-1927). Caroline Perkins was my 4th great aunt. She married Henry Upshur (1858-1940) on December 29, 1881 at Northampton County, Virginia. One of their daughters was Roxyana Upshur (she was born on 1895). She married a man named James Willard Morris (1885-?) on October 28, 1914 at Northampton County, Virginia. One of their children was Willard O. Morris (1916-2005). Willard O. Morris married Odessa Morris (1921-?), and their daughter was Madeline Morris. She married Clifton James Showell. One of their sons was Clifton James Showell Jr. (1956-present). He married a woman named Vivian Douglin (born in 1958). Vivian Douglin is the daughter of the late Frank St. Clair Douglin (1922-2001). Frank was from the Caribbean at Barbados in his ancestors. Clfiton James Showell Jr. and Vivian Douglin's daughter was Vivian Chantel Showell (1988-present). Vivian Chantel Showell is my 5th cousin. The Upshurs live in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and as far north as New York. Therefore, secrets are being revealed at the right time.
During this time of the year, we recognize what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other heroes stand for. After the two Great Migrations, we witnessed many African Americans stand up for equal rights nationwide. Dr. King was a Baptist theologian. He lived in a middle class, mostly black neighborhood. He was a victim of racism and assaults. Yet, he never forsaken his vision of using nonviolent resistance to enact social change. Dr. King was overt in criticizing racism, militarism, poverty and capitalism. His federal holiday was created back in the 1980's. Dr. King and others wanted a unified movement among all oppressed people to unite to fight for justice. Today, we know how many in the Republican leadership are advancing racist pro-prison policies, anti-social programs, etc. Before the early 20th century, the Democratic Party had similar reactionary views as the Republicans today. The Democratic Party ruled the Jim Crow South unchallenged. I live in Virginia. My parents and grandparents were victims of Jim Crow. This is not ancient history. Jim Crow grew after the Populist movement. Jim Crow wanted the South oligarchy to maintain control over black people and all oppressed people with unjust laws. It took protests, activism, and rebellions against injustice to end Jim Crow apartheid. Also, the two Great Migrations transformed America. It spread jazz and other culture from black folks into Chicago, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and other places.
Dr. King's politics have been distorted not only by the far right (under the guise of opposing affirmative action when Dr. King supported reparations and affirmative action), but by the liberal establishment. The liberal establishment (which is funded by large foundations) embraces the neoliberal notion that token change is necessary to make justice. They believe in giving people rights domestically at the expense of expanding war mongering, imperialistic policies overseas. They want a upper middle class to have privileges at the expense of the dignity and humanity of the poor and working class. The reality is that equal rights for all means it's for all people, and we reject wars with Iran or drone strikes killing people without due process of law. We want our civil liberties protected without torture.
Dr. King focused on a human struggle against tyranny from his time in the Montgomery Boycott in 1955 to the Memphis sanitation workers movement of 1968. Dr. King knew of Communism (which is an imperfect system). Dr. King knew that Communism was a response to the situation where Capitalism didn't do enough to help the oppressed. Dr. King didn't agree with Communism, but he expressed support for many socialistic principles. Dr. King's 1967 Poor Peoples Campaign was inspired by one woman named Edelman. He wanted many people to go to Washington to end poverty via the federal government using billions of dollars. Dr. King opposed the unjust Vietnam War. It took courage to do that, because the FBI illegally harassed him and his friends. Today, we have to continue to fight for the audacious proclamation of his Dream.
By Timothy
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
The Senate Impeachment Trial of Donald Trump.
The Senate is having the impeachment trial. This involved Donald Trump being very historic. Any trial should evidence, exist with transparency, and be very comprehensive. Mitch McConnell has made it his duty to restrict witnesses and limit evidence. He has admitted that he lacks impartiality, which is antithetical to what a real legal proceeding ought to be like. The Senate should never be obstructed on knowing the events of the Ukraine scandal. Adam Schiff gave a compelling case about the corruption found in the Trump administration. Schumer and others want White House documents to be placed as evidence. The Supreme Court Justice John Roberts presides over the Senate impeachment trial. Other experts have spoke on this day like Val Demings. The impeachment of Bill Clinton trial took place in 1999 when I was in high school as a sophomore. McConnell wants each side to get 24 hours to give their opening arguments over three days. He wants the trial to end in about a week and a half. Republican Senator Susan Collins from Maine has hinted that she wanted a motion on witnesses. Schumer failed to pass his motion to subpoenaed documents from the White House or from the Defense Department. One Trump lawyer named Philbin said that the Democrats are afraid that they don't have sufficient evidence to convict Trump. Rules on how the trial will exist continue to exist. It is also important to note the important issue of housing in the 21st century. We witness capitalists would use people with guns to remove the homeless in many cases.
Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are once again in the news. Hillary Clinton said that nobody likes Bernie Sanders, nobody wants to work with him, and he got nothing done. It is one thing to disagree with Bernie on issues. I disagree with Bernie Sanders on his refusal to support reparations for black Americans and his economic nationalism (instead of advancing international cooperation among workers worldwide). Yet, Bernie Sanders is liked by many people, he is right on tons of issues, and he has gotten work done on many issues. Bernie Sanders has promoted a multiracial populist movement that scholars will write about decades and centuries into the future. So, Hillary Clinton is angry that Bernie Sanders is in the race. The acts of sexism done by some Bernie Bros. against Hillary Clinton is wrong and evil. That should be made known. The sexist attacks on Hillary Clinton done by anyone are wrong. Likewise, it is a fact that Sanders is more progressive on some issues than Hillary Clinton. There is no question that many folks have shown smears against Bernie Sanders for decades. The Democratic Party establishment (which is funded by CIA and Wall Street banking interests) never liked or respected Bernie Sanders even when he had his 2016 Presidential campaign.
It's a fact that many people have disdain for Bernie Sanders because of personal issues beyond just political disagreements like members of the DNC, some in the corporate media (we know who they are from many in FOX News to some in MSNBC. The New York Times is clear who they support. They love realism instead of justice. These are some of the same people that defend Western imperialism in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places of the world), and others who want a token neoliberal moderate to be the Democratic candidate. That is why Bloomberg is promoted in commercials. That is why Biden is praised by many in the media. That is why some in the corporate media care more for the status quo (or piecemeal change that Dr. King condemned rightfully) than true, comprehensive liberation. The whole structure of society must change in order to witness real justice. If Bernie did say what he said to Warren, then he should apologize. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez is right to praise the mothers in Oakland fighting for housing rights, and she is the right to said that the many in the left are trying to shift the Democratic Party away from the center. So, the big issue is that we shouldn't place Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders as being perfect gods that should have no criticism. We should keep our focus on the prize in making sure that Trump is voted out of office at November 2020 by any means necessary.
The bad gun extremist rally in Richmond, Virginia is disgraceful. Yet, it is important to note the obvious. Just because we don't deify or worship guns doesn't mean that we hate the Second Amendment. We hate innocent people being murdered by guns. We hate gun violence against people who don't deserve to die. We hate a culture that places the value of a gun higher than the value of human life. That is why I endorse reasonable gun reform legislation from background checks to other gun control measures that are proven to have saved lives in many states like Connecticut. It is hypocritical for some to condemn peaceful, anti-racism, anti-police brutality protests but are being silent on armed people in Richmond with tactical gear complaining about gun rights when their gun rights aren't being violated. Many of the notorious terrorists in America now are known members of the far right, white supremacist movement. For these jokers to do this rally on Dr. King's holiday is disrespectful, because Dr. King never advocated armed men threatening to intimidate people, but Dr. Martin Luther King endorsed peaceful nonviolence.
Cordelia (Candy) Turner was my 4th great aunt. She was born on March 1860 in Virginia. She lived in Southampton County, Virginia near the Nottoway River. The Nottoway River is named after the Nottoway Native American people who lived and continue to live in the state of Virginia. She was a woman with a lot of mysteries. I never knew who she was until recently. She was born during the antebellum era. Her mother was Millie Woodson-Turner (1830-1910), and Millie's husband was a black man named Morefield Hurst (1827-1918). Morefield Hurst and Millie Woodson Turner had a daughter named Susanna Field Hurst (she lived form 1862-1949). Susanna was my 3rd great grandmother. Later, Cordelia Turner married John Henry Wiggins on the date of December 14, 1876 at Southampton County, Virginia. That is where my maternal ancestors came from. Back then, Courtland was called Jerusalem during the old days centuries ago. John Henry Wiggins and Cordelia Turner had many children. There names are William Wiggins (1878-1931), Annie Wiggins (1879-1958), Benjamin Wiggins (1896-1957), and Lula Wiggins (1899-1971). John Henry Wiggins passed away, so Cordelia married again to a man named Marshall Darden on the date of October 2, 1898 at Southampton, County, Virginia. Cordelia was once widowed before she married Marshall Darden. Their children were Caster Darden (1912-?), Rose Darden, and Unis (or Eunice) Darden. One of of Cordelia's children was Benjamin Wiggins (1896-1957). She married a woman named Rosa Darden on March 22, 1923 at Suffolk, Virginia. Their children are Casper Lee Wiggins (1921-1985), Rufus Wiggins (1921-?), Eunice Virginia Wiggins (1925-?), and William Henry Wiggins (1928-2009). My 2nd cousin Eunice Virginia Wiggins had many children like Ronald Casssonva Thomas of Suffolk (1949-2013). Ronald's wife is Barbara and their children are my 4th cousins whose names are: Felicia, Ronald Jr. Ca Shae, Shalonda, and Norman.
By Timothy
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Monday, January 20, 2020
Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the Dr. King Holiday (in 2020)
It is always important to show the legacy of the Baptist clergyman Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is an icon of the ages. In 2020, it is very historic to promote the Dream that he audaciously advocated. In our generation in 2020, we see a racist, sexist President impeached, we witness a Presidential election (among Democratic progressives and moderates), and we see massive technological plus social changes being abundant. Tons of people now are helping the sick, defending women, loving black human beings, and being an upright example of excellence. Still, we have so far to go. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in the year of 1929 at January. His father and grandfathers were well known preachers of spiritual views. Therefore, Dr. King (who loved to preach at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church) preached the Gospel in many places of the world, and he opposed materialism (as some Wall Street bankers are not in prison for financial corruption). His father was named Martin Luther King Sr. and his mother was Alberta Williams King. Not only that, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a revolutionary who disagreed with racism, economic exploitation, and militarism. Also, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was such an intellectual child that he went into Morehouse College at the age of 15 by 1944. As early as 1944, Dr. King published a letter to the Atlanta Constitution to say that black people are "entitled to the basic rights and opportunities of American citizens." Just like many young people, he played football and basketball. He had many friends. Likewise, he was a victim of racism. On a bus, he was forced to go into the back of a bus (after an academic competition during his youth). His mother and his father taught him to stand up against racial injustice.
He was stabbed and assaulted by people. A stone hit his head by rabid racists in the Chicago area back in 1966. Yet, he followed the principle of Love. In his view, Love is the most powerful force in the Universe, because it has the transformative power to cause even an enemy to become a friend. Love is intertwined with the personality of God in Dr. King's eyes, because God is Love. In other words, we want folks to wake up. It is not enough to condemn evil (which we must do). We have to be active to change lives for the better. He earned his Ph.D. As a student of theology (as he came into Crozier Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania and in Boston), philosophy, politics, and economics, he enjoyed debate and intellectual curiosity. Dr. King earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology in 1948. He met Coretta Scott King by the time of his 20s. Coretta was just as dedicated to justice as Dr. King was. Coretta Scott King was from Alabama. She opposed nuclear bombs, she opposed the Vietnam War, and she was involved in pro-peace groups. Coretta joined the NAACP early on, and she was a great singer. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King married at 1953. Dr. King started his preaching career in Montgomery, Alabama at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. This came during the time of 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision that banned public school segregation. Later, the Montgomery bus boycott existed.
Many leaders in Montgomery choose Dr. King, because he was young, eloquent, and wasn't completely controlled by the elites in the city. He was made leader of the MIA or the Montgomery Improvement Association. Dr. King spoke loudly in favor of freedom and encouraged the boycott. In his speeches, he invoked the Bible, the Constitution, and the aspirations of black people to be free. The bus boycott included men, women, and children to end segregation like Rosa Parks, Claudette Colvin, Mary Louise Smith, Jo Ann Robinson, E.D. Nixon, Georgia Gilmore, etc. After Dr. King's home was bombed, he never gave up. At that time, he prayed to God to give him strength. The cause was victorious as the Montgomery Bus Boycott caused the buses to be integrated. After that, Dr. King increased his popularity. Dr. King was on magazine covers, he started to write a book, and he was beloved by our people. He spoke from New York City to California to promote nonviolent resistance. There was a time when Dr. King owned a gun for self defense, but Bayard Rustin encouraged him (at Montgomery) to follow nonviolence involving public demonstrations. Dr. King felt that to fight with nonviolence was better than fighting against the government using guns recklessly. Yet, Dr. King always believed that family have every right to have a gun to protect their family in their homes. Dr. King worked with Eisenhower and Nixon to try to get civil rights legislation passed, but the Civil Rights bills weren't strong during the 1950's.
Dr. King supported JFK since he used his power to get him out of jail. John F. Kennedy as President did many great things for civil rights, and Dr. King had to encourage him to be more militant. JFK wanted equality primarily by the courts not by mostly demonstrations. Dr. King wanted equality by both the courts and civil disobedience plus demonstrations. It is not a secret that Dr. King publicly praised and criticized President John F. Kennedy throughout his Presidency. JFK explicitly supported the Civil Rights Act and racial equality in his historic June 1963 speech (this was when Medgar Evers would later be assassinated in 1963). As early as 1952, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. praised socialism, labor rights, and social justice. He praised Norman Thomas in an article, and Norman Thomas was a famous socialist. This is why the FBI stalked him. The FBI via J. Edgar Hoover hated Dr. King, because Dr. King was a progressive, he was a democratic socialist, and he wanted a radical redistribution of political plus economic power. Not to mention that it is no secret that J. Edgar Hoover was a racist who didn't like socially conscious black people. Hoover was a hypocrite, because he claimed to represent democratic principles in public, but behind closed doors, he authorized illegal, warrantless wiretaps against those who disagreed with Hoover. Hoover promoted COINTELPRO that slandered and illegal monitored civil rights and pro-freedom leaders. Also, J. Edgar Hoover personally prevented federal prosecution against the Klan members involved in the terrorist bombing against the kids at the 16th Street Baptist Church. The FBI falsely accused Dr. King of being a Communist when Levison left Communism by 1960, and Dr. King publicly condemned Soviet style Communism (in speeches and in his books. Dr. King didn't agree with Communism). By 1962, Dr. King worked in Albany, Georgia, but it wasn't a victory. This came after the 1960 sit ins in Greensboro, North Carolina. Dr. King and other activists wanted total desegregation of Albany, Georgia's theaters, restaurants, schools, libraries, etc. SNCC rose up, while Dr. King was a leader in the SCLC or the Southern Christian Leadership Council. SCLC were mostly made up of religious people, but SNCC were made up of mostly young people who did grassroots organizing (as advocated by Ella Baker). The Urban League worked in the job arena to advance employment opportunities for black Americans, and the NAACP advanced legislative plus voting rights work. Dr. King continued to fight for justice in 1963 in Birmingham, St. Augustine, Florida, and other places of America. The 1963 movement in Birmingham involved adults and later children to march. This was controversial, because many people didn't want children in demonstrations. When children were assaulted with water, tons of people were outraged and angry over that including Malcolm X. Fred Shuttesworth was a leading preacher involved in the Birmingham movement. Even Dr. King was jailed in 1963 during that movement too. He was criticized by moderate Christian preachers, moderate Jewish rabbis, and moderate political leaders for his demonstrations in Birmingham. Dr. King responded to them in his A Letter From a Birmingham Jail. It was a very powerful, eloquent letter that described his arguments and justifications for his actions. The letter said that freedom shouldn't be delayed based upon time. Freedom must be given to all people by birthright. Also, he said that he would oppose Hitler's unjust, legal laws against Jewish people, because an unjust law is no law at all. Dr. King's letter refuted the white moderate's call for patience and tokenism. Dr. King said that justice to exist for all people, which includes black people as well. The letter made many excellent points that when black people are victims of humiliation, cursing, lynching, murder, and other evils by racists, then you have every justification to fight for black freedom.
Dr. King, Randolph, Rustin, and others created the 1963 March on Washington. That march wasn't just about promoting the Dream of racial equality. It was about ending police brutality, investments in education, federal government investments in housing, passing living wages, and other progressive ideals. It took many hours and tons of people to make the March on Washington a reality. It was not without controversies. Many people like Malcolm X didn't view it as militant enough. Far right people viewed it as going too far. Many women speakers were restricted to speak there, and that was wrong. John Lewis had his speech censored, which I don't agree with. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream Speech" which called for justice. It was made up of many parts from the indictment of America's injustices to black people to his dream of racial equality among all people. He at times gave his own words without a script. His dream was spoken about previously in Detroit during 1963 too. The I Have a Dream speech galvanized popularity for the agenda of the Civil Rights Movement. Later, the four little black girls were killed via a bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. These girls just wanted to worship God in their own way. Their names are Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Welsey. Dr. King gave the eulogy to blame not only the racists for their deaths, but the moderates who wanted compliance instead of human liberation for their deaths as well. Dr. King later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in America in 1964. Hoover was furious, but Hoover can't stop the truth that progressive solutions are a necessity in ending reactionary injustices. After long fights, the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964. It was the most progressive form of legislation involving race since Reconstruction. LBJ signed the bill. It came after the 1963 Birmingham protests (where racists cops used water hoses on men, women, and children). 1964 saw Fannie Lou Hamer opposing the Democratic Party restricting seats from the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) which opposed segregationists in the Deep South. After that event, many SNCC came into Africa and some rejected mainstream political activism all together. Malcolm X passed away in 1965. The irony is that both Dr. King and Malcolm X were becoming more progressive as time went on. Freedom Summer existed in 1964 where young people came into the South to help with voting, education, and civil rights. In that same year, Goodman, Chaney, and Schwerner were murdered by racists in Mississippi (the NYC public school boycotts happened in 1964 too). Malcolm X was in the Nation of Islam until 1964. Later, he became more internationalist, he promoted Pan-African Unity, he opposed the Vietnam War, and wanted self-defense to be a means to gain human rights. Both Malcolm X and Dr. King believed in the same goal (which is justice for black people). They disagreed on tactics, and both them shook hands in 1964. After his 1964 Hajj, Malcolm X was transformed to embraced more insights about life in general. His Organization of Afro-American Unity inspires us to this day.
Bloody Sunday was an event in the Selma movement where peaceful protesters were viciously assaulted by the police in March of 1965. John Lewis and other people were almost killed. Amelia Platts Boynton Robinson was viciously assaulted too. The Voting Rights Act was passed by the work of Dr. King, SNCC, other SCLC leaders, more unsung heroes, and other courageous people in Selma, Alabama. Many people died in the quest for civil rights and voting rights. These people include people of every color. More people could now vote for the first time in their lives. The Voting Rights Act being passed in 1965 signaled the end of one phrase of the American Civil Rights movement. A new chapter came with the rebellions in Watts. The people rebelling didn't do so for no reason. After years of police brutality, racism, economic exploitation, and lax resources, the residents of Watts, Los Angeles rebelled.
Dr. King came and condemned riots, but he made it is clear that a riot is the language of the unheard. Dr. King wanted government intervention to improve the conditions of people living in poverty and oppression. Class oppression is real. Many of our people live in neo-colonialism even in the States. Dr. King was booed when he was in Los Angeles, because people were frustrated with the lack of progress involving their daily lives. Dr. King understood that. He worked in 1965 and made statements against the Vietnam War in public. LBJ wanted Dr. King to not mention such words. LBJ lied and said that he was making a negotiated settlement. By 1966, Dr. King was mostly silent on the Vietnam War, and worked in non-Southern cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, etc. He wanted housing discrimination to end in Chicago along with adequate education, an end to slums, great transpiration, great health care, and justice. Chicago was different than the South. Chicago had a larger urban community. Dr. King tried his best to talk with Chicago residents including some members of the Black P. Stone Rangers gang to embrace nonviolence. Chicago had more party bosses, and some black preachers there were pro-Daley. Chicago leader Al Raby supported Dr. King in his cause. The racism in Chicago was fierce. Chicago is heavily segregated even among white ethnic groups (like Lithuanians, Irish, Russians, Greek people, Romanians, Polish, etc.). Dr. King's ally Jesse Jackson stayed in Chicago to promote Operation Breadbasket (to basically prevent corporations from discriminating against black people or face boycotts). Dr. King had to deal with Black Power in 1966 as advocated by Kwame Ture in public on June 17, 1966. Kwame Ture called for Black Power in Greenwood, Mississippi. Floyd McKissick of CORE also agreed with Black Power. Kwame Ture wanted black institutions and black people to build a powerbase so powerful to stop white racism. It was basically a call for black independence. He wanted white people to go into their communities to fight racism among their people. Dr. King agreed with black economic and political development as found in Black Power. He rejected separatism, he believed in the beauty of Blackness, and he expressed concerns about the connotations of the words of Black Power. The Black Panthers existed in 1966 with Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. By the end of 1966, Dr. King was in a crossroads. Many wanted him to go the moderate path and just discuss about civil rights. Others wanted him to expose the Vietnam War as unjust and wrong. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would choose the later path. He knew what he had to do. He knew that he would risk his life in doing it, but he knew that he was right on Vietnam War question. In early January 1967, he was in Jamaica where he was writing his final book, "Where Do We do From here?: Community or Chaos." Bevel inspired him to oppose the war in a higher level. Dr. King seeing his children with napalm on them was the final straw. He publicly opposed the war in a speech in February 1967. Dr. King was in end anti-war rallies in Chicago plus New York City.
Dr. King's April 4, 1967 speech at the Riverside Baptist Church was one of his greatest speeches. It outlined his arguments for his opposition to the Vietnam War, and it outlined solutions. Dr. King said that the war stripped programs from America (that could be used to build up urban and rural communities), it harmed the lives of both Americans and Vietnamese people, it didn't advanced a negotiated settlement, it is against national plus international law (like the Geneva Accords), and war crimes were in that war. Anti-war activists praised him. The political establishment (even some moderate black civil rights leaders) criticized him. Editorials from TIME, The New York Times, and other magazines disrespected him. Whitney Young had an argument with Dr. King on Dr. King's opposition to the war. Many in the media called him wrong, and some extremists called him a traitor. LBJ cursed him, and Hoover continued to illegally spy on him. Dr. King didn't back down though. He gave more speeches in London, Norfolk, Virginia, California, and all over the world. He helped to make Cleveland elect its first black mayor. Dr. King gave a very progressive speech in August 1967 called The Three Evils speech. in that speech, Dr. King condemned socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor. He also wanted a boycott of the 1968 Olympics until changes are met. He worked with Memphis sanitation workers in early 1968 in order for them to have living wages, no bad conditions, and racism abolished. The strikers wore "I Am a Man" signs. The people, who supported him in Memphis, loved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The leaders of the Memphis sanitation strike were: T. O. Jones, Reverend James Lawson, Echol Cole, Tarlease Matthews, Maxine Smith, and other people. He was part of one protest that ended via the agent provocateurs agitating violence. Many strikers were victims of police brutality. His friends loved him like Dorothy Cotton, Hosea Williams, and Ralph Abernathy. While this was going on, there was the Poor People Campaign. It was a planned rally by Dr. King and others to force the federal government to address poverty. He announced it in 1967 and wanted it to happen by Spring 1968. He organized black people, Latino Americans, Native Americans, poor white people from Appalachia, and other human beings to join up in this cause. The Poor People Campaign wanted billions of dollars to invest in fighting poverty, building housing, and utilize other acts to help humanity. Dr. King's Christmas sermon on peace said the following words:
"...Now let me say that the next thing we must be concerned about if we are to have peace on earth and goodwill toward men is the nonviolent affirmation of the sacredness of all human life. Every man is somebody because he is a child of God. And so when we say “Thou shalt not kill,” we’re really saying that human life is too sacred to be taken on the battlefields of the world. Man is more than a tiny vagary of whirling electrons or a wisp of smoke from a limitless smoldering. Man is a child of God, made in His image, and therefore must be respected as such. Until men see this everywhere, until nations see this everywhere, we will be fighting wars. One day somebody should remind us that, even though there may be political and ideological differences between us, the Vietnamese are our brothers, the Russians are our brothers, the Chinese are our brothers; and one day we’ve got to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. But in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile. In Christ there is neither male nor female. In Christ there is neither Communist nor capitalist. In Christ, somehow, there is neither bound nor free. We are all one in Christ Jesus. And when we truly believe in the sacredness of human personality, we won’t exploit people, we won’t trample over people with the iron feet of oppression, we won’t kill anybody...."
On April 26, 1967, at Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. King Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech that said that Black is Beautiful too in the following words:
"...Now this is all I’m saying this morning that we must feel that we count. That we belong. That we are persons. That we are children of the living God. And it means that we go down in our soul and find that somebodiness and we must never again be ashamed of ourselves. We must never be ashamed of our heritage. We must not be ashamed of the color of our skin. Black is as beautiful as any color and we must believe it.
And so every black person in this country must rise up and say I’m somebody; I have a rich proud and noble history, however painful and exploited it has been. I am black, but I am black and beautiful..."
Dr. King promised to make another Memphis march which would be peaceful. A snowstorm delayed another march. Then, Dr. King gave his famous I Have Been to the Mountaintop speech. It was his last speech on April 3, 1968. Dr. King had to be woken up from his sleep to go into the place where he gave his address. He spoke about economic justice, building up black institutions, and fighting an unjust injunction. He predicted that he wouldn't see the Promised Land, but black people will see it in the future. It was an emotional, eloquent moment where he cited Greek philosophers, Lincoln, and African people. He later celebrated in another place and came into his hotel room. Dr. King wanted to use more plans on that day. On the afternoon at 6 pm. (on April 4th, 1968), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated with a bullet hitting his jaw. He fell to the ground. His advisers sent him to the hospital where he passed away. As we know, rebellions happened in over 100 cities afterwards. Later, people reflected on his views. Many people knew that they were wrong to slander the man, and more people gave him their respects. The historic 1999 case court case found the federal government complicit in the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The feds deny this, but the federal government is guilty of using the FBI, the NSA, etc. of illegally spying on Dr. King and other civil rights heroes for a long time. Today, Dr. King's legacy is about volunteerism, protest, social activism, and believing in human justice.
The King Center to this day educates people on using nonviolent means to solve problems. Also, we celebrate those (in our time of 2020) fighting for racial justice, gun control, liberation for various communities, and economic justice. Dr. King went into jail many times for our freedom. Sacrifice is part of his legacy. You have to sacrifice in order to achieve freedom for real. One important point is to help the poor. Dr. King spent his life fighting for those in poverty. He visited Africa, Asia, Newark, Harlem, and other places of the world where he saw massive poverty. It is not right to witness homes filled with lead and folks dying of lead poisoning. It is not right to witness billions of people working for very little wages everyday. It is not right to witness imperialism and the lives of people ruined by war. That is why Dr. King was passionate to stand up for the interests and the dignity of the poor and the oppressed worldwide. He was right to say that the ghetto was a colony, because corporate interests dominated the ghettos for profit at the expense of the economic destinies of its residents. He wanted to end the exploitation of the poor. We have a long way to go. We don't want children being held in cages. We don't want police brutality or any other evil. We believe in democracy. We believe that any human being of any color should have equal rights. We are certainly in a class struggle in opposition to oligarchy but in favor of egalitarianism. We believe in a society filled with human tolerance and integrity. Dr. King and Coretta Scott King have 4 children of Dexter, Yolanda (who passed away years ago), Bernie, and Martin Luther King III. The couple has one granddaughter named Yolanda Renee King, and she earnestly desires justice right now. We must never forget the militancy of Dr. King. Dr. King wanted no death penalty, he opposed nuclear weapons, he support anti-colonial movements in Africa (that is why Dr. King opposed apartheid in South Africa), he believed in reparations, and he wanted billions of dollars from the federal government to eradicate poverty in America.
On this Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, we advocate his rightful views, and we should always exist as a living example of righteousness in our daily lives.
By Timothy
Sunday, January 19, 2020
The Legacy of Barack Obama (with new information)
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Note by Me: The following facts are filled with more graphics and more vital information.
Enjoy.
https://www.scribd.com/document/352229339/The-Legacy-of-President-Barack-Obama
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RikJbVgmt0qiGfilq9KQqYcJKrYtT28F/view?usp=sharing
By Timothy
Note by Me: The following facts are filled with more graphics and more vital information.
Enjoy.
https://www.scribd.com/document/352229339/The-Legacy-of-President-Barack-Obama
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RikJbVgmt0qiGfilq9KQqYcJKrYtT28F/view?usp=sharing
By Timothy
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Friday, January 17, 2020
Showing the Truth.
A lot of people don't know about the revolutionary history of Dr. King and his wife, Coretta Scott King. Coretta Scott King was at the Progressive Party Convention in 1948 to support Henry Wallace (who wanted racial equality and economic justice back in the 1940's). Coretta admitted in a letter in 1952 that Dr. King sympathized with the views of socialism. Also, Coretta Scott King opposed the Vietnam War in public before Dr. King did so. She was part of the Women's International Strike for Peace in 1962. She came to Geneva, Switzerland to protest the Vietnam War. That is why the FBI monitored her just like Dr. King. Dr. King's historic Riverside Church speech in 1967 condemned the neo-colonial war in Vietnam. His speech articulated the accurate point that it is hypocritical for the American government to tell folks to be nonviolent in America while being violent in Vietnam with naplam, with free fire zones, and with other war crimes via Operation Phoenix. The speech is also known as "Beyond Vietnam." After Dr. King made that speech, the whole liberal establishment from Time to the New York Times turned on him and criticized him for his anti-war views. Even moderate, bourgeoisie civil rights leaders turned on him because of his views on Vietnam. Whitney Young publicly opposed Dr. King's foreign policy views until after he was died. Yet, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was courageous and stood his ground to speak truth to power on exposing imperial aggression overseas. He passed away during a working class strike done by black Memphis sanitation workers. The couple of Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspires us to this very day.
The Senate jurors are sworn in as Trump braces for trial. Trump is the third President to have been impeached. Others are Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Parnas said that he lied about Ukraine. Parnas said that Trump, Pence, and other people had involvement in the scheme to try to find dirt on the Bidens. Parnas mentioned that Trump knows who he is, while Trump denies it. We have pictures of Parnas and Trump together. Congress impeached Trump for abuse of power and contempt of Congress. Arguments will open on Tuesday after the federal Dr. King holiday. House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving and Clerk of the House Cheryl Johnson delivered the articles of impeachment against Trump to the Secretary of State Julie Adams on Capitol Hill in Washington (on January 15, 2020). The Senate trial is presided over by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts. Trump is representative of one of the two factions of the political elites. One political elite faction wants confrontation with Russia and a rule of Eurasia resources to gain more power over China. The second faction wants to battle China while using Russia as a tool to do so. Trump represents the later faction.
I remember her on I love the 90's and I love the 80s back when I was in my early 20s. Loni Love decided on being part of her side. Many celebrities want to be exploited by the powers that be to scapegoat black people (or be politically correct under the guise of "colorblindness"), but they claim that "they don't see color." They ignore the vicious injustices against black people, but they falsely make the lie that black men disproportionately cheat based upon slavery (which is the same talking points that white racists use all of the time). Cheating exists because of many reasons not because of slavery. That thinking is offensive to the victims of slavery. Many people believe in the lie that black men or black women are socially inferior (you know that they can't say that overtly in public), but many of these even black celebrities unfortunately believe it.
That is why they say and do what they do. We know how the propaganda against black men and black women are ever constant. We should focus on the real issue about how systematic oppression harms both black men and black women (and find ways of healing). I don't respect a traitor. Loni Love is wrong in her statements because of many reasons. One is that black people cheating is not representative of every black man on Earth. Most people cheating on planet Earth aren't black men. During slavery, slaveowners cheated all of the time. During wars like in World War II, cheating was commonplace. So, cheating is not based upon race, but on bad choices made by people. We should oppose lies and anti-black slander. More black folks are speaking up on the reality of what is happening.
Yesterday was the Birthday of the late Sister Aaliyah. Her music was very inspirational. She knew of kindness, and she was very kind to her fans. She loved honesty. Always on the move, she traveled the world to give concerts, to express her views, and to be free in self-expression. She was born in Brooklyn, NYC, and she was raised in Detroit. She worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliot (and both of them are from the 757 where I'm from). She had a gift, and that was shown in songs like Resolution, Try Again, and other songs. Her actress career was starting to blossom with films like Romeo Must Die. Aaliyah worked with hip hop artists, because she loved hip hop too. Her intelligence, her charisma, and her power make her an icon of music. I was 17 when it was the time of her transition. Shocking was a description of the time. Today, she is in Paradise with the Creator. For us on this Earth, it is our responsibility to learn lessons and be an outstanding representation of wisdom, truth, and humbleness. Aaliyah shined her light while she was on the Earth for 22 years.
Rest in Power Sister Aaliyah.
By Timothy
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
The January 2020 Iowa Debate.
The Iowa debate hosted by CNN signals the end of the nonaggression pact among Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Some in the corporate media love this since many of them hate Bernie Sanders and hate Elizabeth Warren. Divide and conquer (among progressives) comes to mind. Yet, if Sanders said that a woman can't be President, then he should apologize as sexism has no place anywhere on Earth. The debate was about many issues from foreign policy to domestic policy. The first part of the debate dealt with the question asked to each candidate about how they would deal with the Iranian crisis. Even in 2020, it is taboo for some to say that assassination of Solemani was a violation of U.S. plus international law. All of the candidates agreed that Trump acted reckless in his actions involving Iran. They differed on how to proceed. Some wanted an international coalition to fight terrorism like Biden and Warren desired a total withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Biden is wrong to say that he opposed the war in Iraq when he voted for the authorization of the usage of force in Iraq, and he voted for the funding of the Iraq War.
More troops are now the Middle East than at the end of President Obama's term. The drone strikes are up too. Trump is known for his pro-war mongering actions. Pompeo, Lindsey Graham, and Esper are in support of Trump. Elizabeth Warren said that only she and Amy Klobuchar won elections without losses unlike their other men candidates on stage. This was a criticism towards Bernie Sanders. We know that leaders, who are women, have always made great contributions throughout human history. Bernie Sanders said that the wars in Vietnam and in Iraq were based on lies, which is true.
The candidates talked about trade. Many candidates supported the recent trade deal, because they feel that a few concessions is better than nothing. Each shown a hostility towards China. There is a difference between the Chinese government and working class Chinese people (and the masses of Chinese people in general) who want nothing more than to live a better life. Media pundits love certain moderate candidates not only because they reinforce their views philosophically. They want America to not have revolutionary change. They want America to have token, piecemeal changes when over 500,000 people are homeless, millions of Americans don't have health care, about half of all Americans live paycheck to paycheck (some Americans can't survive an emergency costing $500), we have police brutality, there is racial discrimination, and we have record income inequality. These problems require structural, revolutionary change as Dr. King, Ella Baker, Malcolm X, and other heroes have advocated.
You certainly need a radical, redistribution of economic and political power. We ought to think big and act big. Defeating the Confederacy was thinking big, passing the federal civil rights and voting rights laws was thinking big, and going out to pass Social Security was thinking big. Elizabeth Warren was powerful in the debate. Sanders did good except for the question about the women being President issue. Steyer just repeated what others have said without much details. To his credit, Steyer helped to push the impeach Trump agenda forward. Buttegieg, Klochubar, and Biden are supported explicitly by the media. The neoliberal status quo (in oppression to progressive views) is embraced by many in the corporate media. We should build manufacturing, increase infrastructure, and increase the federal minimum wage.
Trump showed an image of trying to transported the image of Pelosi and Schumer with a Muslim hijab. He is implying that both human beings sympathize with terrorism with a lie. This shows Trump as a xenophobe, an Islamophobe, and a racist. Schumer and Pelsoi don't agree with the totalitarianism found in Iran. Trump is saying that Democrats are in favor of the terrorism in the world. They also are not trying to praise the Ayatollah. People want a detailed explanation of why Trump promoted the killing of an Iranian foreign leader. The person who died was Qassem Soleimani. Trump is the person who supports the Muslim ban. That means that people from certain Muslim majority countries can't go into America even for a temporary visit. McConnell said that the Senate will deal with witnesses at a later time. The impeachment trial ought to exist, and McConnell being biased is truly disappointing but not surprising. We need to reject distractions. The evidence is clear that Trump should have a trial and be out of office afterwards.
By Timothy
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Monday, January 13, 2020
January 2020 Updates.
The history of Johannesburg is a long one. The first people who lived in the city were the San people. They were hunter gathers who used stone tools thousands of years ago. The San people are some of the oldest groups of people in human histor. By the 1200’s, there were groups of Bantu speaking people who moved southwards from central Africa into South Africa. They came and met the San people. There are stone walled ruins of Sotho-Tswana towns and villages being scattered around the parts of the former Transvaal in which Johannesburg is situated. Many of the places have the ruins of Sotho-Tswana mines and iron smelting furnaces. This suggests that the area was being utilized for its mineral wealth before the arrival of Europeans or the discovery of gold. The most prominent site within Johannesburg is Melville Kopoies, which has an iron smelting furnace. After the Great Trek, European pastoralists started to settle in Transvaal. Some of them chose to farm where Johannesburg was to rise later. Each burgher (citizen) was entitled to at least one farm, measuring 1500 morgen or about 3100 acres. The first recorded discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand was made by Jan Gerrit Bantjes in June 1884, on the farm Vogelstruisfontein. Other farms to become famous later included Langlaagte, Turffontein, Doornfontein, and Braamfontein. George Harrison is today credited as the man who discovered an outcrop of the Main Reef of gold on the farm Langlaagte in February 1886. By May 12, 1886, Harrison and his partner, George Walker came into a prospecting agreement with the owner of Langlaagte, one G.C. Oosthuizen. Two days later Colonel Ignatius Ferreira staked out his camp on Turffontein to serve as a center for diggers. Louwrens Geldenhuys found the Main Reef on Turffontein and Henry Nourse located it on Doornfontein. On September 8, 1886 nine farms, extending from Driefontein in the east to Roodepoort in the west, were declared public diggings. Carl von Brandis was appointed as the mining commissioner for the area. On November 8, 1886 a diggers' committee was elected to assist the mining commissioner in the execution of his duties. The earliest mining actions werealong and adjacent to the outcrops of the main reef. The diggers did the work by themselves at first.
The diggers had little equipment. The pits grew deeper. They need more labor people and machinery. So, they recruited black African human beings to perform the unskilled work. Machinery was imported from Europe. It is important to note that black people in South Africa were victims of colonialism, imperialism, and racial injustice. Fuel had to be found to power the machinery. There was coal found on the far east Rand at Springs and Boksburg as well as the construction of the Rand Steam Tram from colliery to the gold fields and into Johannesburg facilitated the growth of the industry in the early years. The coast has the railway. By September 1892, the Cape trailway reached the Rand. Two years later, the line Lourcenco Marques (now Maputo) arrived in the Republic. A third route opened from Durban the next year. In 1890, the MacArthur-Forrest cyanidation process successfully overcame the problems of treating the refractory ore from deeper levels.
It soon became apparent that individual diggers were different than those who had the task of mining gold in Johannesburg. Wealth could only be recovered by means of deep-shaft working and by capital-intensive companies having the necessary technical skills. Individual claims were soon joined into small mining groups. The amalgamation of smaller mining groups became a common occurrence and by 1895 the scene was dominated by a limited number of large monopolistic companies. These companies were: the Wernher-Beit-Eckstein group, Consolidated Goldfields, the J B Robinson group, the S. Neumann group, the Albu group, the A Goerz group, the Anglo-French group and the Lewis-Marks group. Of these, Cecil John Rhodes's Consolidated Goldfields was the most important. As many people know, Cecil Rhodes was the racist British oligarch who wanted the British Empire to dominate the world. In 1893, Johannesburg’s first stock exchange was opened. It is the seat of the South African stock exchange and the financial heartland today. The stock exchange is now at Sandton, Johannesburg. The Zuid-Afrikaansche Republic became the single biggest gold producer in the world, with a contribution of 27.5 percent in 1898. The city of Johannesburg was founded by many events. It was a town at first. The area was named after tow member of the ZAR named Christaan Johannes Joubert and Johannes Rissik. By 1887, the people in the area petitioned the government to proclaim a town council for the area. The proclamation was issued in November 1887. There was a health committee. The area was defined as Johannesburg. The stands were known as Marshall Town and Ferreira’s Town. Johannesburg was divided into 12 wards in 1897. The Rissik Street Post Office was built in 1897, having been designed by the architect Sytze Wierda. The Post Office was at one time the tallest building in Johannesburg. The Post Office became a national monument in 1978, and it remained in operation until 1996 when the South African Post Office vacated the building. The monument was gutted by a fire in 2009. The old City Hall is opposite the Post Office in Rissik Street.
Equipment for boxing is very diverse involving weight classes and regions of the world. Boxing deals with forceful, repetitive punching. Boxers focus on hand eye coordination and other multifacted skills. Therefore, you have to use all legitimate precautions. In that sense, damage to bones in the hand is minimized. Most trainers don’t allow boxers to train and spar without wrist wraps and boxing gloves. Hand warps are used to make sure that the bones are secure in the hands. Obviously, gloves are used to protect the hand from blunt injury. It allows gives the boxers the opportunity to throw punches with more force than if they didn’t use them. Ever since the 19th century, gloves have been required in competition. Modern boxing gloves are much heavier than worn in the early 20th century. Before each fight, each boxer agrees to the weight of the gloves prior to each fight. They know that lighter gloves allow heavy punches to inflict more damage. The brand of gloves can deal with the impact of punches. This is usually decided before the match happens. Both sides are allowed to inspect the wraps and gloves of the opponent to ensure both are within agreed upon specifications and no tampering has taken place. Fighters use mouth guards to protect their teeth and gums from injury and to cushion the jaw. This decreases the chance of a knockout. Both fighters must wear soft soled shoes to reduce the damage from accidental or intentional steeping on feet. Older boxing boots are similar to a professional wrestler’s boots Modern boxing shoes and boots are similar to their amateur wrestling counterparts. Boxers use punching bags to test their skills. There is the small, tear drop shaped speed bag to hone reflexes and repetitive punching skills. A large cylindrical heavy bag is filled with sand, a synthetic substitute, or water to practice power punching and body blows. The double end bag is connected by elastic on the top and bottom and moves randomly upon getting struck (it helps the fighter work on accuracy and reflexes). There are other distinctive boxing equipment that helps to train boxers’ strength, speed, agility, and stamina. There are free weights, rowing machines, jump rope, and medicine balls. Boxers use punch/focus mitts that a trainer calls out certain combinations and the fighter strikes the mitts accordingly. This is a great exercise to help the boxer to develop his or her stamina. The boxer isn’t allowed to go at his or her pace. The trainer dictates the combination training. The boxer focuses on output and volume being higher. Trainers can make boxers improve their footwork and distances more accurately. Boxing matches happen in a boxing ring. The raised platform is surrounded by ropes attached to posts rising in each corner. The term “ring” has come to be used as a metaphor for many aspects of prize fighting in general.
The essence of the heretical prosperity gospel movement is the belief that wealth is equated to spiritual enlightenment. In other words, its followers believe that the more money that you have, the more blessings that God gave you. Some go into the extreme to proclaim the lie that anyone poor is equivalent to that person experiencing a curse from God (not socioeconomic issues of structural injustices). Sometimes, the most righteous people suffer issues or problems. Yet, people can look to faith which is invisible (Hebrews 11:24-27) in order to have joy and peace. It is not a secret that real followers of Jesus Christ will not be loved by the world and will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). This is why the Waldensians were in risk of death by those (i.e. the Vatican hierarchy) who wanted to prevent them from translating the Bible in their own tongue. That is why William Tyndale was murdered in Europe for just translating the Bible into English. That is why Christians in many nations of the world experience religious persecution. The view that God wants all of his children to be wealthy isn’t just embraced by people like Benny Hinn (who recently renounced the prosperity gospel in 2019) or Kenneth Hagan. It has been embraced by many preachers of the new Prosperity Gospel. Hagin is bold to say that God wants us to wear the best clothes, drive the best cars, and to have riches and more riches. Ever since I was a child, I didn’t believe in that type of a gospel. There is nothing wrong with having money. Yet, money is never the determining factor of one’s salvation or character. A rich or poor person can be wicked. A rich or poor person can be saved. The OT and NT are rather clear that lusting after riches readily is linked to destruction (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Creflo Dollar and the Freemason Kenneth Copeland are famous for desiring money and riches at the expense of sound spiritual doctrine. There is no evidence of Jesus Christ mentioning that his followers must make people rich by the Gospel. That is real. The Prosperity Gospel and the World Faith movement teach that faith is a force that can be manipulated by words to form health and wealth. Some extremists believe that sickness and poor living is a result of a lack of faith, which is ludicrous and disrespectful. History and life experiences just make us aware that wealth is not directly related to holiness. The historian Kat Bowler wrote a book entitled, "Blessed." In that book, she showed how many lower income Christians sending their hard earned money to prosperity gospel churches in trying to get wealthy. Bowler write that the paster and his family live in luxury while many members of those churches experience trouble paying for their bills. The book of Job showed a man who lost his wealth and his family. Yet, Job was tested and became better as a result of his faith and action to become a better human being.
Hip hop is a musical genre that has stood the test of time. It is a type of music filled with innovative creativity, constant changing over the generations, and power. Hip hop music was birthed in the Bronx, NYC in 1973. As we approach the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip hop music (which was created by Kool Herc, who has Afro-Caribbean heritage), it is important to realize its origin and impact. That is why I do plan on writing an eight part series on the history, culture, and legacy of hip hop music. Now, it it is time to do this great undertaking. First, it is important to note that hip hop is a culture. It isn’t just about rapping. Hip hop consists about DJing, breakdancing, beatboxing, graffiti, rapping battling, and working in the community. Hip hop early on was a way for rival gangs to have peace. Back in the early 1970’s, New York City saw deindustrialization and decaying poor areas. It was just a few years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was unjustly assassinated. Nixon was President. Social movements for change existed. Poverty, economic exploitation, racism, and police brutality were in NYC plus nationwide in America. Hip hop was birthed in the struggle of the oppressed to survive literally. Oppressed people created hip hop as a means for them to see hope, to focus on self-expression, and to develop their own identities. Hip hop was invented by black people. By the 1970’s, Latino Americans also worked heavily in the development of early hip hop too. Also, hip hop is a universal culture. That is why hip hop can be expressed by people of every nationality, of every sex, of every color, and of every background. Hip hop definitely contributed to improved relations among human beings. Hip hop is not without controversy. Every musical genre has been debated. We know of those debates. This series will talk about these hip hop debates from certain lyrics in hip hop to the role hip hop has to the overall world society. I won't sugarcoat issues. What is true is that sexism, and other forms of bigotry are wrong, and they should be abolished in any society. We know of the legends of hip hop like Rakim, Nas, Outkast, Salt-n-Pepa, Wu Tang Clan, and others. It is important to recognize the diversity of hip hop. Many underground artists and international hip hop artists have made great contributions in the evolution of hip hop succinctly. Hip hop fashion is global, and it has influenced pop, gospel, rock, and other genres of music. When you listen to slang, hip hop music has influenced it. When you witness how people dress fashion (from shoes, shirts, jerseys, and coats), hip hop is very notorious for its fashion designs. I listened to hip hop as a child in an urban community. As a black person, this music is definitely personal to me. Hip hop music is very integral part of the black experience and of black culture. You can’t talk about hip hop without acknowledging women MCs like Missy Elliot, Queen Latifah, Jean Grae, Rhapsody, and Lauryn Hill. After almost 50 years, hip hop continues to inspire the world. The first part of this hip hop series will come in the summer of 2020.
By Timothy
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Friday, January 10, 2020
Friday Truths.
One lesson in life is to promote unity with the black family worldwide. Some groups don't do that, we are different. Pan-Africanism believes in the premise of the unity of all African people. Black unity is always important. While others act like that they have a monopoly on the reparations movements (i.e. ADOS movement, which have members that constantly bash black immigrants in an, evil xenophobic way. Yvette Carnell once wore a MAGA hat and agrees with Trump on ending birthright citizenship), and some want to disparage people of the Afro-Caribbean community (like some in the FBA movement does. The xenophobe Tariq left Malcolm X off the FBA shirt, because of Malcolm X's ancestors came from the Caribbean), I don't believe in that agenda. I will believe in the unity of African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, Africans, Afro-British people, and all black people worldwide. The fight for reparations via the premise of global black liberation is righteousness. The reparations movement didn't start with Yvette Carnell and Antonio Moore. It started long ago during the 19th century plus before. If anyone doesn't desire global black liberation, then that person is anti-black by definition. Some scholars believe that as high as 60% of African Americans are Igbo. A lot of the slaves from the the Bight of Biafra were forced to come into Virginia. Therefore, there is an Igbo link to my birth state of Virginia. Unifying people have always been the hallmark of Pan-Africanism.
Courage defines her life. She is the proof that the resiliency of humanity is ever real. She is Sister Michaela DePrince, and it was her birthday days ago. She is 25 years old. She is a Sierra Leonean-American ballet dancer. She grew up as an orphan in Sierra Leone until she was adopted by a family. She survived the civil war in her home country. She worked hard to be a professional ballet dancer in America. She was trained in classical ballet at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia. She earned her high school diploma. She was in the TV show Dancing With the Stars. By 2012, she graduated from the American Ballet Theater's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York. She worked in the Netherlands. Later, she cited Lauren Anderson, one of the first black American principal ballerinas, as her role model. She was involved in her book entitled, "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina." She used to dance for the Dance Theater of Harlem. She is a goodwill ambassador with the Dutch organization War Child, based in Amsterdam. She is a beautiful black woman on a great path to not only share her gift of dance to the world. She wants real change to earnestly save the lives of human beings. I wish Sister Michaela DePrince more blessings.
There is always a vindictiveness of Big Pharma gaining profits from the suffering of people. Big Pharma agents even admit that many of their drugs masks symptoms, but they don't develop cures. The corporate media lies all of the time. One example is how many in that media promotes lies to advance the Iraq War. We have an increase of suicide rates in America. We have an increase of lung cancer among those who use vapor devices. Cancer rates have certainly grown worldwide. This cancer scourge just doesn't happen among those who smoke constantly or eat poisonous foods. In recent years, the overall life expectancy rate has declined in the USA. That is why knowledge is power. Cutting down the prices of prescription drugs, universal health care, and health education make great sense. People have every right to study information about their organs, family history, and other aspects of health information. Nuclear plants are death traps not only because of radiation chemicals spreading into the water. It can harm the genetics of people for multiple generations. Alcohol deaths have increased from 1999 to 2017, especially among people from 55 to 64. Wisdom is Power, and we ought to use our minds that God gave to warn people plus send the message out.
Yesterday was the Birthday of a retired basketball player. He was one of the greatest players of his generation, and he is Brother Muggsy Bogues. He is now 55 years old. Baltimore, Maryland is the place of his birth. He is also the shortest NBA player in history being 5 ft. 3. He played at Dunbar High School in Baltimore. I have been to Baltimore in real life as many of my paternal relatives have links to Baltimore. He played at Wake Forest University at North Carolina. He won a gold medal for the USA national team in the 1986 FIBA World Championship. By 1987, he played in the NBA. He could dunk the ball. He could block shots in the NBA too. His vertical leap was 44 inches. He played with Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson in the Charlotte Hornets. He coached basketball teams and did amazing work after his NBA career. He has been on TV shows and movies as well. His life teaches us a lesson that someone's height doesn't determines one's character or heart. Muggsy Bogues has shown great heart and courageousness inside and outside the basketball court. He is married to a great woman named Kim Bogues, and the couple has great children as well. I wish Brother Muggsy Bogues more blessings.
What do I think about Lizzo? There is a difference between promoting health information and fighting diseases and using overt disrespect against a black woman because of her size. You can't dehumanize a person under the guise of "dieting" and expect someone to not feel a certain type of way. I find that much of the criticisms of Lizzo are beyond her performance. It is about the tired, disgusting pastime of shaming plus sized people as a means for some to hurt people's feelings. If someone wants to lose weight and be healthier, then that is fine. We don't have a problem with that. If someone wants to critique Lizzo's actions in a basketball stadium in LA, then I see nothing wrong with that. Yet, if someone wants to be slick and disrespect Lizzo's physical appearance and call her a "mammy" stereotype like others have done, then that is wrong, racist, and inappropriate. She a'int some "mammy" stereotype. She is an artist. Many of those criticizing her (like Jilian Michaels and Boyce Watkins) wouldn't dare criticize other artists' weight because of the obvious reason. The solution is to inspire change, show our information about fitness, and reject the tactic of dehumanizing a person at the same time. Body positivity is the way to go.
By Timothy