Spring 2021 Part 6.

  

  

 

  

2021 Part 2: The Fight Against Injustice (March 26, 2020-August 11, 2020)

  

The middle of the year of 2020 was filled with tons of changes in American society. By this time, schools, businesses, museums, restaurants, malls, and other places were closed because of the pandemic. As deaths climb up, there were 2 groups of people who responded to the crisis. There were groups of people who worked their best to live their lives safety, helped their neighbors, and socially distanced. Others had a hostility towards new rules, some even threatened the lives of public officials, and many of them used rallies that promoted reactionary lies. The 2020 Democratic Presidential primary ended, and Bernie Sanders conceded to Joe Biden. This time would be different than 2016 as the stakes were higher, and even more human beings witnessed the far right, dangerous policies of Trump first hand. Even through all of the human turmoil that persisted as product of the pandemic in the four corners of the Earth, Congress had to struggle just to pass pandemic relief that included a stimulus in 2020. The middle of 2020 saw the start of the largest anti-racism, anti-police brutality protests in world history after the unjust murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Brianna Taylor, and George Floyd. In America, people protested in cities, towns, rural areas, suburbs, and in the capital of Washington, D.C. day in and day out. The protesters were black people, white people, Asian people, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and human beings of every background. Statues of racist figures were taken down.  Most protests were peaceful. There was violence done by agent provocateurs, racists, far right extremists, and others as well. By the end of this era, a historical event happened. Kamala Harris was chosen as the Vice Presidential candidate by the Democratic political leader from Delaware Joseph Biden. Kamala Harris was inspired by so many women candidates before her like Shirley Chisholm. Kamala Harris will later be the first black woman and South Asian woman to be Vice President of the United States of America. Black women certainly have made monumental contributions in our society. This time of 2020 saw protest, anger, determination, and sense of realizing that this year would be the most important year of our lifetimes. There is no question about it. 

 

Changes due to the Pandemic

 

On March 26, 2020, the pandemic was widespread worldwide. In America, the infections exceeded 82,000 people surpassing infections in China and Italy. The U.S. back at that time had more cases reported than any other country to date. The Department of Labor reported that 3.28 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits in the last week. There was the largest increase in U.S. history. It superseded the all time high of 695,000 in October 1982. On March 26, the Trump administration indicted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro's government of drug trafficking and narcoterrorism. The Trump team offered a $15 million reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest. The Space Force launched its first satellite, a $1.4 billion Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-6) military communications satellite. On March 29, 2020, the U.S. led coalition troops withdraw from Iraq's K-1 Air Base. That was the third base transferred to the Iraqi military this month. On March 31, 2021, there were nationwide COVID-19 cases exceeding 163,000 people as the national death toll reached 3,000 human beings. Three-quarters of the U.S. population were under lockdown (by May 31) as Maryland, Virginia, Arizona, and Tennessee were the latest states to restrict movement. The Federal Communications Commission mandated that cell phone providers implement STIR/SHAKEN by June 30, 2021 for large carriers and June 20, 2022 for small carriers to prevent robocalls maliciously using caller ID spoofing to avoid being traced. There was a 6.5 M earthquake at Central Idaho. On April 1, 2020, the Trump administration deployed anti-drug Navy ships and AWACS planes near Venezuela in reportedly the largest military build up in the region since the 1989 invasion of Panama. This refutes the notion that Trump is anti-imperialist. He is an imperialist. Coal companies, owned by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, agreed to pay $5 million for thousands of mine safety violations. On April 3, 2020, the CDC recommended that all citizens consider wearing cloth or fabric face coverings in public. On April 6, American pandemic deaths surpass 10,000 with more than 19,800 recoveries. Trump signed an executive order encouraging future long term commercial exploitation of various celestial bodies and mining of lunar resources.

 

On April 7, there was the U.S. record (for that time) of most COVID-19 deaths in one day in America with more than 1,800 fatalities reported. Deaths were about almost 13,000 people. On April 8, 2020, Senator Bernie Sanders suspended his Presidential campaign. This caused Joe Biden to be the presumptive Democratic nominee. Bernie Sanders was part of a legitimate progressive movement that changed America forever. His strength was that he spoke in public about wanting universal health care, economic justice, racial justice, environmental justice, and true justice in general for all. Sanders spoke out against corrupt corporations who desired the status quo. He didn't want the 1% (with ties to Wall Street banking interests) to have an inordinate economic centralization that harmed the lives of working people and poor people. He was red baited unfairly by some (like Chris Matthews) in the mainstream corporate media too. Bernie Sanders' weakness was that, on many occasions, he failed to see the interconnected nature of oppression (and Bernie readily de-emphasized the importance of reparations for black people in America. In fact, Bernie Sanders opposed reparations. Of course, I believe in reparations for black Americans. Sanders made the error for not going into Selma, Alabama to remember the sacrifice of black people involving voting rights during the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday). Oppression is not just class related. It also involves race, sex, class, and other forms. I reject class reductionism, but you have to oppose class oppression (in recognizing the importance of opposing economic injustice involving class) and oppose racism (while recognizing the need to talk about race and stand up for solidarity in defeating racism) in order to make justice for all a reality. That's real talk. On April 8, over 100 inmates at Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Washington riot after 6 inmates test positive for the pandemic virus. Prison is one of the most dehumanizing places on Earth where men and women are readily abused, raped, disrespected, and disregarded. The prison industrial complex has ruined so many lives during the past and present. On the same day, the Broadway League extended the Broadway theater shutdown through June 7. This was the longest shutdown in Broadway history. By April 11, 2020, America became the country with the highest number of reported COVID-19 deaths, over 20,000 that overtook Italy. For the first time in U.S. history, all 50 states have simultaneous federal major disaster declarations after Wyoming receives the final declaration. Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico also have major disaster declarations by this time. On April 12, at least 30 people were killed and 1.3 million are left without electricity after an Eastern tornado outbreak across the South. Trump, on April 14th, said that he ended funding of the World Health Organization (WHO) pending an investigation on its early response to the outbreak.

 

By April 15, 2020, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer faced 2 federal lawsuits accusing her of violating constitutional rights during the state's containment efforts. Thousands of people attended a protest in Lansing, Michigan as anti-lockdown sentiment spreads. This backlash spreads nationwide. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order requiring everyone in NY state to wear a mask or a mouth/nose covering in public when not social distancing. By April 16, 2020, nearly 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment within a single month due to COVID-19 lockdowns. This was the worst unemployment crisis since the Great Depression. The Trump administration revealed federal guidelines outlining a three-phased, gradual reopening of schools, commerce, and services for parts of the country. By April 17, Texas was the first state to start to ease coronavirus related restrictions. Florida's Duval County is the first in the state to ease restrictions, with Jacksonville, Atlantic, and Neptune being the first beaches in the state to reopen on a limited basis. By April 20, 2020, oil prices were at a record low. They have negative values because of the pandemic and the Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war. By April 21, the state of Missouri challenged China's sovereign immunity in the U.S. district court by suing three Chinese government ministries,  two local governments, two laboratories and the Chinese Communist Party over its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak. A bipartisan Senate report reaffirmed intelligence findings that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election. On April 22, then President Trump signed an immigration executive order halting the issuance of certain green cards for 60 days. By April 24, New Jersey reported 100,000 cases and 5,617 deaths. President Trump on the same day signed a $483 billion bill to rescue small businesses. On April 27, 2020, pandemic cases in America surpassed 1 million human beings. The Pentagon officially released three short videos showing "unidentified aerial phenomena" that had previously been revealed by The New York Times in 2019. By April 29, 2020, the  Department of Commerce reports that the U.S. economy shrank by 4.8% in the first quarter of 2020, its most severe contraction since 2008.

 

On April 30, 2020, the far right backlash against pandemic responses reached a boiling point. This was the date when armed far right extremists (many of them had weapons) entered and stormed the Michigan State Capitol building to demand an end to lockdown measures. Many of these extremists screamed at the police with words like: "Let Us In!" and "Tyranny!" Some cursed at the police. One far right extremist praised Hitler on tape. So much for these hypocrites claiming to love the police or the blue. This was a prelude to the future 2021 terrorist mob insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. NASA selected three U.S. companies—Blue Origin, Dynetics, and SpaceX—to design and develop human landing systems for the agency's Artemis program, one of which is planned to deliver the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024. By May 1, 2020, the FDA authorized emergency remdesivir use to treat the sickest COVID-19 patients. Joe Biden won in a mail in primary with ranked choice voting during the May 2, 2020 Kansas Democratic primary. Giant hornets invade America on May 3 threatening domestic bees. By May 7, 2020, the  Department of Justice dropped charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn in the Mueller investigation.  On May 11, nearly 2,000 former Justice Department officials signed a letter calling for Attorney General William Barr to resign over what they describe as his improper intervention in the Flynn case. The national unemployment level reached 14.7 percent with more than 33 million jobless claims having been filed since mid-March on May 8. The Broadway League on May 12 stops Broadway theaters until September 6 (On May 12). Paul Manafort comes to home confinement because of the virus on May 13. He was Trump's former election campaign chairman. On May 15, 2020, the  Trump administration formally announces Operation Warp Speed, a public–private partnership for accelerating the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. The Senate Intelligence Committee submits the fifth and final volume of its report on Russian election meddling to the ODNI for classification review. The report totals "nearly 1,000 pages." It is released on August 18, reportedly providing new information about President Trump's relationship with Russian officials. The Earthquake came to Nevada at a 6.4 M. The Tropical Storm Arthur is the first storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season by May 16. On May 18, the  FBI confirmed that the 2019 Naval Air Station Pensacola shooting was the first terrorist attack on U.S. territory that had been directed by a foreign actor since 9/11.

 

America had more than 1.5 million cases of the virus and 90,000 death on May 19. Two dams in Midland County, Michigan, fail, resulting in extensive evacuations and the declaration of a state of emergency. The Congressional Budget Office reports a 38% fall in GDP on an annualized basis in the second quarter of 2020, with 26 million more unemployed Americans than in Q4 2019. On May 20, James Jamal Curry, 31, who spat and coughed on a police officer in Miami, Florida after claiming to have COVID-19, is indicted for committing a biological weapon hoax (terrorism).

 

 

Breonna Taylor and George Floyd

 

May 25, 2020 is the date that changed the United States of America and the world in general. That was the date when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was videotaped kneeling on the neck of George Floyd (who was a 46 year old man) for about 9 minutes until he died. Floyd was accused of paying cigarettes with a counterfeit 20 dollar bill. Floyd was handcuffed. Floyd was struggling to breathe, and he said that he couldn't breathe to officer Chauvin, Thao, and Lane multiple times. Three other officers watched, and they did nothing to stop Chauvin from abusing Floyd. Floyd said that he couldn't breathe and mama many times while Chauvin's knee was one Floyd's neck. Floyd was bleeding out of his mouth according to a witness. Thao lied and said George Floyd was fine. The crowd saw Floyd being unconscious, and the police threatened to use mace on the crowd. Ambulance came. Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for almost a minute after the ambulance arrived, despite Floyd being silent and motionless. George Floyd was pronounced dead at 9:25 at the Hennepin County Medical Center emergency room. Video of the incident went viral, and the four officers were later fired. By May 26, 2020, George Floyd protests existed in Minneapolis-Saint Paul (Twin Cities) area. They spread worldwide in a multiracial, working class, and united movement for social change. Black people led the fight to support the human dignity of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Brothers and Sisters who were unjustly killed by the police. On May 27, the official nationwide death toll in America surpassed 100,000—more Americans than were killed in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined, and approaching that of the First World War, when more than 116,000 Americans died in combat. Protests continued in Minneapolis. Most are peaceful. Violence occurred too by the usual agent provocateurs, racists, and nihilists. Activists desired murder charges against the police officers who were involved in George Floyd's death. President Trump threatened to shut down Twitter and other social media platforms accusing them of bias against conservatives. The truth is that many of the conservatives in social media spewed racist, sexist hate speech. On May 28, 2020 involving the George Floyd protests, a state of emergency is declared in the Twin Cities, with hundreds of National Guard soldiers deployed on the streets as protests spread nationwide. On the same date, President Trump signed an executive order rolling back liability protections for social media companies over user generated content. 

 

 

Protests Worldwide for Justice

 

On May 29, 2020, Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd.  An independent autopsy concluded on June 1 that Floyd's cause of death was "homicide caused by asphyxia." Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison later increased the charge against Derek Chauvin to second degree on June 3; charges against the three other officers who were present are also filed.  Twitter hide a tweet by President Trump after he reacts to the Minneapolis unrest by warning that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." Twitter says the post violates its rules on glorifying violence. On May 30, 2020, the  first crewed flight of the SpaceX Dragon 2 (initially scheduled for May 27 but delayed due to weather) was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first crewed spacecraft to launch from U.S. soil since 2011. By May 30, 2020, George Floyd protests continued. Curfews were declared in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Atlanta as rebellions and protests continue nationwide. The weeks' rioting is termed the worst instance of civil unrest in the United States since the 1968 King assassination riots. I haven't seen anything like it in my lifetime. During the events, many protesters and journalists were hit with tear gas as proven on tape. 

 

By May 31, Trump wants to declare the activist group Antifa a terrorist organization. By June 1, 2020, peaceful protesters were pushed back violently by Trump's authorities and policing agencies unjustly at Washington, D.C. The events were shown on live TV on CNN, MSNBC, etc. It was so unjust, that huge outcry existed from people from across the political spectrum including people in the military. This was when Trump had the photo-op with the Bible at St. John's Episcopal Church. At night, helicopters were down near residential areas harassing protesters which is illegal. Many protesters came into Good Samaritans' homes to seek refuge and protection from harassment by policing authorities. 

 

 

 

On June 2, 2020, there was Blackout Tuesday which was a collective protest against racism and police brutality inspired by the George Floyd protests. There was an earthquake on June 3 that is said to be an aftershock of the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes near Searles Valley, California. No injuries or damages are reported in the 5.5 M Earthquake. Also on June 3, lat least 200 cities in America had imposed curfews, while more than 30 states and Washington,D.C. activated over 62,000 National Guard personnel due to the mass unrest. By June 5, 2020, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser designated a two block long section of the 16th Street NW as "Black Lives Matter Plaza." On June 8, during unrest in Seattle, protesters declared an autonomous zone in the city's Capitol Hill. By this day, there was a renewed national debate over Confederate monuments. As we all know, the Confederacy was evil, the Confederate flag is racist, we don't respect Confederate monuments period. Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy said that he will consider renaming the service's 10 bases and facilities that are named after Confederate leaders, a reversal of the Army's previous position on the issue. A provision to rename the bases is later included in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. On June 6, 2020, murals of George Floyd Floyd were created in cities like Manchester, Dallas, Miami, Idlib, Los Angeles, Nairobi, Oakland, Strombeek-Bever, Berlin, Pensacola, and La Mesa. On June 9,  Air Force General Charles Brown becomes the first African American to lead a branch of U.S. Armed Forces and the first African American Air Force Chief of Staff. By June 10, the pandemic cases surpass 2 million people in America. On June 11, the Trump administration authorized sanctions and additional visa restrictions against the International Criminal Court in retaliation for their investigation into potential war crimes by U.S. officials (in their treatment of protesters in D.C., etc.). 

  

On June 12, 2020, the  Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to disband the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a "community" safety department, however it is prevented from doing so by the city charter. Protests breakout in Atlanta following the killing of Rayshard Brooks, 27, by a police officer in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant.  The next day, June 13, Atlanta Chief of Police Erika Shields resigned, and protesters burned down the fast food restaurant where the incident took place. On June 14, new infections increased by 25,000, the highest since May 2, in part due to increased testing. On June 15, the Supreme Court rules that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person's sex, also covers sexual orientation. On the same day, the FDA withdraws emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients, citing unnecessary risk. On June 18, the  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdraws the introduction of federal limits for perchlorate, which has been linked to brain damage in infants. Juneteenth was celebrated across the nation under special circumstances by June 19, 2020. June 20 was when   President Trump held his first 2020 campaign rally in months at the Bank of Oklahoma Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On June 25, the U.S. reaches a record daily high of 40,000 new COVID-19 cases, following a reversal in the downward trend of infections in early June. Southern and western states are the worst affected. President Trump signed an executive order against the destruction or vandalism of public monuments, memorials, or statues on June 26. Trump cares more for racist monuments than human justice. The New York Times reports that a Russian military intelligence unit offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for the killing of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan and that President Trump was briefed on the findings in late March 2020, but did not authorize any response. Trump denied he was ever briefed on the matter.

  

 

June 29 was when Arizona Governor Doug Ducey ordered all bars, nightclubs, gyms, movie theaters, and water parks to close or 30 days due to a spike in pandemic cases. On June 30, 2020, after a vote by the  state legislature, Mississippi governor Tate Reeves signed a bill retiring the official Mississippi state flag, the last state flag incorporating the Confederate Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia into its design. A commission is established to design a new state flag. July 1 was when the  House Armed Services Committee voted for a National Defense Authorization Act amendment to restrict President Trump's ongoing troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and prospective withdrawal from Germany. By July 2, 2020, the  FBI arrested British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, an associate of late disgraced U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein, in New Hampshire. Maxwell would later reveals secrets about the sick acts done by some of the super wealthy as time goes on. Florida reported 10,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day. That was the biggest one day increase in the state since the pandemic started, and more than any European country had at the height of their outbreaks. Kanye West ran for President on July 4. Trump's Salute to America Independence day event was held in D.C. On July 7, the primary elections are held in New Jersey. By July 8, the Supreme Court rules that President Trump must release his financial records for examination by prosecutors in New York. At the same date,  Florida emerges as the world's new epicenter of the pandemic, with 220,500 confirmed cases statewide. Naya Rivera from Glee passed away at the age of 33 from drowning. Trump commuted the 40 month sentence of political consultant Roger Stone on July 10. By July 11, President Trump wore a face mask for the first time while visiting wounded soldiers and health care workers at Walter Reed military hospital. July 12 was when 18 sailors were injured by an explosion and fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego, California.  Florida reported 15,299 cases, a new single-day record since the start of the pandemic. July 14 was when white supremacist and murderer Daniel Lewis Lee was executed by lethal injection in Terre Haute, Indiana, becoming the first federal execution since 2003. 

  

 

The Presidential Race

 

The Trump administration ordered hospitals to bypass the CDC and send all COVID-19 patient data to a central database in Washington, D.C. Pharmaceutical company Moderna announced that its vaccine will begin the final phase of testing, with approximately 30,000 human volunteers. July 15 was when the  Twitter accounts of prominent political figures, CEOs, and celebrities are hacked to promote a bitcoin scam. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp voided all of the state's local face masks mandates. On July 17,  Secretary of Defense Mark Esper issued a memorandum to the military on the appropriate display of flags, which excludes the Confederate flag, thereby effectively banning it. Georgia Floyd protests continue on July 18 when Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum files a lawsuit against the federal government, accusing it of unlawfully detaining protesters in Portland. On July 21, Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was arrested by federal agents in connection with a $60 million bribery case. Former Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges was also arrested, along with a GOP advisor and two lobbyists. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake took place off the coast of Alaska on July 22.   President Trump announces a "surge" in deployments of federal officers to Democratic-run cities, following an earlier crackdown on protests in Oregon. On July 23, the racist Trump announces that it is revoking the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing provision of the 1968 Fair Housing Act. Hurricane Hanna made 2 landfalls in South Texas killing 5 people in July 25. On July 29, Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Vice President Mike Pence agree to a phased withdrawal of deployed federal law enforcement from Portland. 

 

By July 30, 2020, federal economic figures show a 32.9% annualized rate of GDP contraction between April and June, the sharpest decline since records began in 1945. Knowing that he will lose the election, Donald Trump wanted a delay of the 2020 Presidential election, because he sees increased voting by mail. He lied and said that vote by mail will cause widespread fraud and inaccurate results. On August 2,  Crew Dragon Demo-2, the first U.S.-crewed splashdown since 1975, lands in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Isaias made landfall in North Carolina on August 3. 7,500 east Los Angeles residents were evacuated in the Apple Fire. The Great American Outdoors Act was passed on August 4. On August 5,  Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar traveled to Taiwan, the highest U.S. official visit to the country in 40 years. On August 6, 2020, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a lawsuit aimed at dissolving the National Rifle Association over alleged financial mismanagement. The irony was that the NRA was originally created as a gun sportsmanship group by Union soldiers during the 19th century. They endorsed gun control until the late 1970's when the leadership of the NRA went far right. President Trump signed an executive order banning any U.S. companies or citizens from making transactions with ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, in 45 days. He takes similar action against Tencent. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg reaches a net worth exceeding $100 billion, becoming the third centibillionaire, alongside Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. From August 7-17, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally took place despite concerns by health officials. They put their own lives at risk. On August 9, 2020, President Trump is escorted from a news briefing by the Secret Service following a shooting near the White House. A derecho with winds recorded at up to 140 mph struck the Midwest, resulting in four deaths, hundreds of injuries, widespread utility outages, and severe property damage on August 10-11.  

 

 

A Historic Event (involving a Woman breaking down Barriers) 

August 11, 2020 is one of the most historic dates of the history of the United States of America. Many have dreamed of this event to come to pass. Now, we are blessed enough to witness this historic occurrence in our lifetimes. This was the date when Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden named Kamala Harris as his vice Presidential nominee. Kamala Harris is the first African American woman and South Asian American woman to be Vice President of the United States of America. That date was the start of the beginning of her future role. Kamala Harris thanked the black political pioneers before her like Presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm who paved the way for black women, black people in general, and all people to achieve their dreams politically and socially. Kamala Harris has wide ranging political experience. She was the 27th District Attorney of San Francisco, the 32nd Attorney General of California, and the United States Senator from California. Her story is an American story. Her mother was Shyamala Gopalan, who was biologist, civil rights activist, and researcher. Her mother was of Tamil descent in India. Her father is the Jamaican Stanford University professor emeritus of economics Donald J. Harris. Kamala Harris has a younger sister named Maya. Kamala Harris sang both at an African American church in Oakland and at a Hindu temple. Her maternal grandfather P. V. Gopalan inspired her to promote progressive views on democracy and women's rights. Kamala Harris graduated from the historically black university of Howard University based at Washington, D.C. She worked at  the San Francisco  City Hall too. Kamala Harris has a membership at the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. Kamala Harris' selection was heavily celebrated by people the world over. 

  

 

Conclusion (for Spring 2021)

 

Black History is certainly about honoring legends, unsung people, and us. One of the greatest writers, playwrights, and music teachers was Thelma Myrtle Duncan. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She studied at Howard University and Columbia University (at NYC). From Howard University, Thelma Myrtle Duncan graduated from the university cum laude with a degree in music. Dr. Carl J. Murphy was a journalist, publisher, educator, and civil rights leader. His father was a former slave in Montgomery County. Also, his father served in the Union Army, won his freedom, and founded the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper. He earned his B.A. from Howard University in 1911 and a M.A. from Harvard University in 1913. We know about the legendary Ruby Dee. A life long civil rights activist, a progressive black woman, and being against the Vietnam War, she loved truth. She loved Ossie Davis with a great love which outlines the beauty of Black Love. Without Black Love, no human would exist on this Earth as black people are the first humans of human history. Joseph Winters was a black man who invented the wagon mounted fire escape ladder. Benjamin A. Quarles was a great African American historian, administrator, scholar, educator, and writer. He wrote works entitled, The Negro in the Civil War, Black Abolitionists, The Negro in the American Revolution, etc. 

Enolia P. McMillian was the first woman President of the Baltimore, Maryland NAACP. Her father was born a slave. For the rest of her life, she fought for equal pay for black teachers and better schools for black students. May Miller was a playwright and poet of the Harlem Renaissance. Black history and black culture are global. It is found in the United States of America, in Africa, in Europe, in the Caribbean, in Latin America, in Asia, and in other places of the world. Black people exist in the four corners of the globe, and we are always appreciative of our Blackness. Recently, Bianca Belair was the first black woman to win the WWE Women's Royal Rumble. She is from Knoxville, Tennessee. She was a track athlete filled with charisma and power. To see the emotions on her and her parents' faces certainly represents a new era of our time. We should cherish these events, because not too long ago, we couldn't eat where we want in America. It was only about 66 years ago when Jim Crow existed. I was born only about 15 years after Dr. King's assassination. The great point that Bianca Belair made recently is that any human being is made up of history, we have the right to establish our own history in a forthright fashion. 

  

No one should be surprised at Bill Maher and Megyn Kelly allying with each other. Maher is known for his Islamophobia, caught saying the n word and for his faux talking points. When Maher disrespected Wayne Brady using racist stereotypes, then that shows how Maher is the fake liberal. Many black women have accused Maher of verbally abusing them. Megyn Kelly was part of FOX News, was fired from NBC for justifying the racist blackface image, and hates the ideology of promoting anti-racist activism. Maher had coddled the racist Ann Coulter too. Kelly lied and said that "cancel culture" caused her firing. No, she was fired for justifying anti-black racism. Kelly is silent on her previous network of FOX calling Michelle Obama "Obama's babymama," and she demonized a black teenage girl (who was assaulted in Texas by a cop) as "no saint." She said that black communities have a "thug mentality." So, we know racists like this. They make millions of dollars demonizing our people, then lecture us on "victimhood" when they have tons of privilege. Kelly lied and said that any person exposing white racism and black bodies dying is racist. Right now, black people are hospitalized from the virus 2.9x the rate of white Americans are 1.5x more likely to die from the disease. People like Maher and Kelly embrace a historical revisionism not the real truth about what's going on in America.

 

One lesson learned in 2021 is that going to the "center" isn't worth it while lives are being lost and massive suffering is still in existence. Healthcare, equality, and other just concepts are what we desire. We know that 93% of all House Republicans voted against impeaching Trump for inciting insurrection. This existed even after Trump promoted an attempted coup that risked the lives of every Congressmen and Congresswomen. The Republican Party has evolved into a pro-Trump cult. There is no other way to put it. Polls show that 45 percent of Republicans support the evil storming of the Capitol and more than half of all Republicans believe in the lie that Trump won the 2020 election. These polls outline what we have been saying for years (that far right extremism is a threat to the world). There is no middle ground in dealing with Qanon cultists, sexists, racists, and xenophobes. We have to speak truth to power. That is precisely why justice is our aim. Biden is pushing for the pandemic relief bill to be passed quickly. The bill has money for programs to help with public health and economic recovery. The majority of the American people desire a solution and such bold policies to be enacted. We have Lou Dobbs' show canceled from FOX News. I knew of Lou Dobbs for years as a xenophobe and a person who lied about Obama's citizenship. Many voting companies are suing far right media figures over the far right folks' denials of the legitimacy of the 2020 election. 

There are more rallies in Russia in favor of Navalny (Putin is wrong for his authoritarianism, but Navalny is wrong for his anti-immigrant, far right politics too). The BBC further proves the oppression of Uighur Muslims in China. Biden's plan is worth $1.9 trillion. There are calls for the Department of Education to eliminate $50,000 per debtor of student loan debt. Trump's attorney are using the lie that the BLM movement incites violence as an excuse for Trump inciting violence. Trump during the rally said that he wanted people to fight at Congress to end the peaceful democratic transition of power. Trump was explicitly involved in a failed coup attempt against the 2020 election. Studies have shown that 93 percent of all BLM protests are peaceful, the BLM movement in general doesn't advocate violent insurrection against the U.S. government, and Trump is clear that he wanted to use strength and fighting to eliminate the results of the election. The insurrection involved treason, violence, threats, and death. The violence at the Capitol represents the mindset and philosophies of tons of Trump supporters. That is why polls show that most Republicans believe that Trump won the 2020 election, which is a lie. Trump wanted to stop the certification of the 2020 election which is an attempted coup d'etat. That is wrong, illegal, and treason by Trump.

The GOP at the CPAC rally including Trump are still promoting the lie that the 2020 election was stolen and is illegitimate. We know of the crowd found at CPAC. They include racists, sexists, xenophobes, extreme free market advocates, and others who care more for one man than for the American people collectively. Some Trump supporters made even a golden idol of Trump. Every effort by the far right extremists used to try to make Trump steal the 2020 election failed. The attacks on our democracy failed during the most important election of our lifetimes in 2020. Georgia is one state that ground zero in trying to promote more voter suppression. That is why Democrats are trying to end the aim of some to cut early voting. Arizona and Pennsylvania also have extremists trying to overhaul U.S. election laws. That is why legal scholars, lawyers, and activists should do their part to get the legal system involved to stop voter suppression proposals (like trying to harm vote by mail). Not to mention that we should always be clear to believe in independent. It is not a secret that many social movements with sincere motivations have been infiltrated and co-opted by large foundations like the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Open Society, etc. Showing the truth in an uncompromising fashion is always important in our lives. 

    

By Timothy