The early era of Presidents was born out of controversies and contradictions. These Presidents lived many centuries ago. Yet, living in an time centuries ago is never an excuse for oppression and injustice to transpire. Back then, these Presidents knew right from wrong, and they knew that slavery and genocide against indigenous peoples are evil. Yet, many of those Presidents committed overt injustices like passing Fugitive Slave Laws and refusing to support the Haitian Revolution. The early American nation had to do deal with political polarization, debates on many issues, economic issues, and expansion of its territories. George Washington was the first President, and he didn't want a political war between the Anti-Federalists and the Federalists. Yet, that battle would continue for many decades. By the time of Andrew Jackson being President, the Anti-Federalist movement didn't exist. The origin of the modern day Democrats were formed with the Republican-Democratic Party that Jackson and Jefferson supported. Even during the time of massive atrocities, heroic Americans have stood up back then to resist imperialism, to oppose slavery (that ruined millions of black lives), to reject harm done to Native Americans, and to fight against other evils. As America changed, the increasing tensions of slavery would go into the American Civil War. Even back then, many Presidents and other people knew that it (or a possible civil war in America) was coming. The Southern aristocracy refused to end slavery, and abolitionists were uncompromising in their goal of abolishing slavery forevermore. Also, early America was diverse. Back in the 1700's and 1800's, there were women, black people, Latino people, immigrants, and other diverse folks who made monumental contributions in American society. So, the next era of Presidents from Martin Van Buren to Franklin Pierce described the fight for the abolition of slavery growing.
For thousands of years, human beings have always been in awe of STEM fields. From turning on lights to building complex machines that travel all over the Universe, STEM fields are a permanent reflection of the power of inquiry. For the course of time, humans have used formulas, inventions, and other items of research to define theories, to build institutions, and to help humanity reach their highest potentials in existence. I want to recognize 2 legendary human beings involving STEM named Benjamin Banneker and Mae Jemison. Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806) was not only a free African American almanac author. He was a surveyor, a landowner, and a farmer. He had extensive understanding of mathematics and engineering. Largely self-taught, he was a genius. He worked with Major Andrew Ellicot in a survey that contributed to the creation of Washington, D.C. His father was a free African American woman Robert (who was a freed slave from Guinea who died in 1759). His mother was named Mary Banneky. By the time he was 21, Benjamin Banneker created a wooden clock that stuck on the hour. He lived in Baltimore for years. Banneker was an expert in astronomy too. He used almanacs to predict eclipses and plantery conjunctions. He also had journals that dealt with his dreams and astronomical observations. Banneker wrote a letter to condemn Thomas Jefferson's owning slaves, and Banneker promoted equality in opposition to the notorious evil of slavery. A statue of Benjamin Banneker exists in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture found at Washington, D.C.
Sister Mae Jemison is 64 years old, and she is an icon of the STEM fields and of our culture in general. For years and decades, she has encouraged black people, women,and other people of color to pursue STEM and space exploration. She is the first African American woman to travel in space in world history. As an engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut, her legacy is set in stone. Decatur, Alabama is the place of her birth. Later, she was raised in Chicago. She was a fan of Star Trek and the actress Nichelle Nichols' portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura. Her parents and teachers encourage her to pursue a career revolving around science. Mae Jemison studied ballet, jazz, and modern dance. She graduated from Chicago's Morgan Park High School in 1979. She was at Stanford University when she was 16. She graduated from Stanford in 1977 with a B.S. in chemical engineering and a B.A. degree in African American studies. She attended Cornell Medical School and helped people overseas form Africa, Cuba, to Thailand.She studied dance, was on the Peace Corps, and did many great things to save lives. She was in space in 1992. Today, Mae Jemison has her own Foundation called the Dorothy Jemison Foundation. For years, she was a professor environmental studies at Dartmouth College. She is a member of many groups. To this very day, Mae Jemison is an advocate for black people, women, and other minorities to join STEM field related careers. From the ground on Earth to the area of space, Mae Jemison (who want people to recognize the grassroots people on the ground who made space exploration possible) has constructively outlined her gifts and contributions to world society. I have mentioned summaries of 2 amazing heroes of the past and the present in order to make the point that everyone of every color have that right to dream and fulfill their own aspirations legitimately. We are in this together, and we are part of the community desiring the dream of justice for all.
In North America, the African Diaspora is powerful. The most well known members of the African Diaspora include African Americans. I am black African American. We (who are black Americans) have lived in the Americas since the 1500's. We have been scientists, political leaders, artists, teachers, musicians, athletes, judges, lawyers, librarians, and other contributors to society. Most of my African American people live in the South, the North, the Midwest, and the West Coast of the United States of America. We set trends, we have swagger, and we have been courageous in setting up a foundation where our sacrifice has helped other human beings in their legitimate fights for human liberation. Most of us are of West African/Central African descent. Most of my DNA is from West and Central Africa (i.e. Nigeria and Congo). My ancestors were sold as slaves and sent into North America. My black ancestors fought in Africa, on the ships, and in the Americas. Black Americans lives on all of the 13 colonies. Black people fought on the Tories and on the Patriot side during the American Revolution War. Black people were still enslaved in America after 1783. Slavery was banned after the American Civil War by 1865. The abolitionist movement and many religious circles were headed by black people. Religious black people and others have always been on the front-lines for justice. By Reconstruction, the good news was that many black people were in positions in power like Congress, forming homesteads, and being free from slavery. The bad news was the white racist backlash harmed black people in the form of the Klan and other white racist terrorists groups. Black people during and after Reconstruction were lynched, raped, homes burned, black churches were burned, and black people were disenfranchised of human rights nationwide, not just in the South. Black people used the 2 Great Migrations to escape tyranny basically that was found in the South. From WWI to WWII, the Harlem Renaissance, the Chicago Renaissance, jazz, blues, and other cultural powerhouses flourished with scholars as diverse as Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Mary McLeod Bethune, Zora Neale Hurston, etc. The Civil Rights movement and the Black Power Movement of the 1950's and 1960's inspired confidence in tons of black Americans. After 1968, we saw both the growth of black excellence and new forms of racist tactics from evil people (like gentrification, the War on Drugs, the prison industrial complex, and cutting of the social safety net or austerity). Economic inequality grew. Yet, black people have fought back then and now in 2021. With events like BLM, the Presidency of Barack Obama, the continued fight for voting rights in 2021, we have a long way to go as black Americans. Yet, right is on our side.
Afro-Canadians lived in Canada for centuries. Some have came from America to escape slavery. Others have came from the Caribbean. Yet, they are people who desire justice and love of the truth. Afro-Canadians live from Nova Scotia to Toronto. There are almost 1.2 million black Canadians. Thomas Peters is a famous black Canadian who came into Canada. About 10-30 thousand fugitive black Americans came into Canada from the South. They were assisted by members of the Underground Railroad. Black/African Canadians have contributed to many areas of Canadian culture. Many of the first visible minorities to hold high public offices have been Black, including Michaëlle Jean, Donald Oliver, Stanley G. Grizzle, Rosemary Brown, and Lincoln Alexander, in turn opening the door for other minorities. Large populations of Afro-Canadians are in Hamilton, Waterloo, Windsor, Ontario, Montreal, Halifax, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Brooks, Ottowa, etc. Mathieu da Costa was the first recorded free black person to come into Canada, and he passed away in 1606. The first known Black person to live in what would become Canada was an enslaved man from Madagascar named Olivier Le Jeune, who may have been of partial Malay ancestry. He was first given to one of the Kirke brothers, likely David Kirke, before being sold as a young child to a French clerk and then later given to Guillaume Couillard, a friend of Champlain's. Le Jeune apparently was set free before his death in 1654, because his death certificate lists him as a domestique rather than a slave. The Black Canadian Anderson Ruffin Abott was a licensed physician who fought in the American Civil War. He attended the deathbed of Abraham Lincoln. Rev. Samuel Ringgold Ward escaped into Canada to have freedom. Viola Desmond was a Civil Rights leader in 1946 who fought unjust laws in Nova Scotia.Jean Augustine is a Grenadian-Canadian, the first Black Canadian woman elected to the House of Commons. Canadian lawyer, Lincoln Alexander, was the first black Member of Parliament in the House of Commons. Black Canadians continue to fight police brutality in Toronto and all over Canada. On June 5, 2020, approximately 9,000 demonstrators gathered at the Alberta Legislature Building for the "Fight for Equity" rally which took place in response to the May 25, 2020 murder of George Floyd—an African-American who was killed during a police arrest. There were George Floyd protests in Canada in all the provinces and territories. ME Lazerte teacher, Andrew Parker's spoke at the Alberta Legislature rally.
Black people live all over Mexico and Central America including the Caribbean. About 3.2% of Mexico's population has significantly large African ancestry, with 1.38 million self-recognized during the 2015 Inter-census Estimate. Numerous Afro-Mexicans in the 21st century are naturalized Black immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean. A man man named Gaspar Yanga formed a freetown of escaped slaves in Yanga, Veracruz. Mexico became a destination for some Black slaves and mixed-race Black Seminoles fleeing enslavement in the U.S. They were free once they crossed into Mexican territory. Today, more Afro-Mexicans are speaking their minds and affirming their identities as black people. Black people in the Caribbean gave the world Marcus Garvey, reggae, Claudia Jones, and more contributions. Black people in Central America are commonly vast too.
Brazil has the largest number of black people in South America. There are more than 14 million Afro-Brazilians. They have been part of a large influence from the Congo, as tons of Congolese black people were kidnapped and forced to go into Cuba. Brazil's language is mostly Portuguese. They live in Bahia, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeior, Minas Gerais, etc. Many African Americans go into Brazil and many Afro-Brazilians go into America. Benedita da Silva is the Ella Baker of Brazil in her civil rights activism. Capoeira is popular in Brazilian culture. Also, Afro-Brazilians continue to fight for justice and human liberation. There is a large black population in Colombia, Paraguay, and Argentina. There are black people in Chile, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Uruguay, Bolivia, and other locations.
The demographics of Africa is very diverse. Africa's population has increased rapidly in the past 40 years. Its population is very young in many African nations. Some African nations have more than half of the population being under 25 years of age. Africa has a population of 1.3 billion people in 2018. Back in 1950, it was 229 million, 630 million in 1990. Africa's population is larger than Europe. The babies being born in Africa may reach 37% by 2050 The Bantu language speakers are found mostly in southern, central, and southeast Africa. There are many Swahili speakers in East Africa. There are Bantu, Capoid, Berber, the Copts, and other groups of African people. Arabic people came into North Africa heavily by the 7th century. During ancient times, North Africa was populated by the Phoenicians (who founded Carthage), the Hyksos, the Indo-Iranian Alans, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Vandals.Africans profess many religious views. About 45% of Africans are Christians, and 40% of Africans are Muslims. There are 10 percent who follow traditional African religions. The rest are Hindu, Buddhist, Confucianist, Bahai, followers of Judaism, and irreligious. Over one thousand languages are spoekn in Africa. The major languages spoken in Africa are Afroasiatic, Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo (including Bantu languages), Khoisan, Indo-European, and Austronesian. To this day, many Africans have dealt with health issues, and many activists are using public policies around the clock in helping African lives to reach their highest potentials as human beings.
After more than 20 years as a U.S. Senator in California, Senator Barbara Boxer said in January 2015 that she would not run for re-election in 2016. Kamala Harris then announced her candidacy for the Senate seat the following week. Harris was a top contender from the start of her Senate campaign. It was Kamala's time. By this time, the 2016 California Senate election used California's new top two primary format where the top candidates in the primary would advance to the general election regardless of party. In February 2016, Kamala Harris won 78% of the California Democratic Party vote at the party convention, allowing Harris's campaign to receive financial support from the party. Three months later, Governor Jerry Brown endorsed her. During the June 7 primary, Kamala Harris cam in first with 40% of the vote. She won with pluralities in most counties. During the general election, she faced Congresswoman and fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez. It was the first time a Republican didn't appear in a general election for the Senate since California began directly electing senators in 1914. On July 19, 2016, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden endorsed Harris.In the November 2016 election, Harris defeated Sanchez, capturing over 60% of the vote, carrying all but four counties. Following her victory, she promised to protect immigrants from the policies of President-elect Donald Trump and announced her intention to remain Attorney General through the end of 2016. Kamala Harris was always an outspoken Senator from 2017 onward. She was sworn into office by Vice President Joe Biden on January 3, 2017.
By 2017, Senate Kamala Harris criticized the Executive Order 13679 (from Trump) that barred citizens from several Muslim-majority countries form entering America for 90 days. She said that the order was a Muslim ban. It existed on January 28, 2017 being supremely xenophobic and horrendous. She told White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly that she opposed the unjust executive order. She disagreed with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on many issues. In early March, she called on Sessions to resign, after it was reported that Sessions spoke twice with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. She voted against the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court. Kamala Harris visited California troops in Iraq and the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, the largest camp for Syrian refugees. In June, Harris garnered media attention for her questioning of Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, over the role he played in the May 2017 firing of James Comey, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecutorial nature of her questioning caused Senator John McCain, an ex official member of the Intelligence Committee, and Senator Richard Burr, the committee chairman, to interrupt her and request that she be more respectful of the witness. A week later, she questioned Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, on the same topic. In December, Harris called for the resignation of Senator Al Franken, asserting on Twitter, "Sexual harassment and misconduct should not be allowed by anyone and should not occur anywhere."
In 2018, Kamala Harris was appointed to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Later that month, Harris questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen for favoring Norwegian immigrants over others and claiming to be unaware that Norway is a predominantly white country. Even when I was a teen, I know that Norway has mostly white people residing in it. In May, Harris questioned Secretary Nielsen about the Trump administration family separation policy, under which children were separated from their families when the parents were taken into custody for illegally entering the U.S. In June, after visiting one of the detention facilities near the border in San Diego, Harris became the first senator to demand Nielsen's resignation. By September and October of 2018, Kamala Harris questioned Brett Kavauangh during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings. One question was about a meeting he may have had regarding the Mueller Investigation with a member of Kasowitz Benson Torres, the law firm founded by the President's personal attorney Marc Kasowitz. Kavanaugh was unable to answer and repeatedly deflected. Harris also participated in questioning the FBI director's limited scope of the investigation on Kavanaugh regarding allegations of sexual assault. She voted against his confirmation. Kamala Harris was a target of the October 2018 United States mail bombing attempts. In December, the Senate passed the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act (S. 3178), sponsored by Harris. The bill, which died in the House, would have made lynching a federal hate crime. In March of 2019, (after Special Counsel Robert Mueller submitted his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election), Kamala Harris called for U.S. Attorney General William Barr to testify before Congress in the interests of transparency. Kamala Harris also team up with Kristen Gillibrand to urge the Trump administration to investigate the allegations of Uyghur genocide by the Chinese Communist Party. In November 2019, Harris called for an investigation into the death of Roxsana Hernández, a transgender human being and immigrant who died in ICE custody. In December, Harris led a group of Democratic senators and civil rights organizations in demanding the removal of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller after emails published by the Southern Poverty Law Center revealed frequent promotion of white nationalist literature to Breitbart website editors. In 2020, Kamala Harried opened the impeachment trial of Donald Trump on January 16, 2020. She said that she wanted the American justice system to have integrity. She voted to convict the President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. She worked on bipartisan bills with Republican co-sponsors, including a bail reform bill with Senator Rand Paul, an election security bill with Senator James Lankford, and a workplace harassment bill with Senator Lisa Murkowski.Following her election as Vice President of the United States, Harris resigned from her seat on January 18, 2021, prior to taking office (as the Vice President of the United States of America) on January 20, 2021, and was replaced by California Secretary of State Alex Padilla. Kamala Harris is part of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues.
As early as 2018, there has been words about Harris being considered a top contender for the 2020 Democratic nomination for President. Kamala Harris said that she wasn't ruling it out in June of 2018. In July 2018, it was announced that she would publish a memoir, a sign of a possible run. On January 21, 2019, Harris officially announced her candidacy for president of the United States in the 2020 United States presidential election. In the first 24 hours after her candidacy announcement, she tied a record set by Bernie Sanders in 2016 for the most donations raised in the day following an announcement. More than 20,000 people attended her formal campaign launch event in her hometown of Oakland, California, on January 27, 2019, according to a police estimate. Kamala Harris' 2020 campaign was huge and a big deal. She was in the first Democratic debate in June 2019. She criticized Joe Biden for the remarks he made speaking fondly of senators who opposed integration efforts in the 1970s and working with them to oppose mandatory school busing. Kamala Harris, as a child, was involved in the busing program to go into an integrated school. Harris's support rose by between six and nine points in polls following that debate. In the second debate in August, Harris was confronted by Biden and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard over her record as Attorney General. It is no secret that Tulsi Gabbard and Kamala Harris don't like each other even before that debate. Harris accused Tulsi of being an Assad puppet, and Gabbard accused Harris of not doing enough to fight the prison industrial complex. The San Jose Mercury News assessed that some of Gabbard's and Biden's accusations were on point, such as blocking the DNA testing of a death row inmate, while others did not stand up to scrutiny. In the immediate aftermath, Harris fell in the polls following that debate. Over the next few months her poll numbers fell to the low single digits. Many progressives during that time had concerns about Kamala's views on the criminal justice system. For example, in 2014, she decided to defend California's death penalty in court. Kamala's supporters said that her record has been distorted and taken out of context. Since Kamala Harris was a victim of racist and sexist attacks by extremists, the KHive group existed on Twitter to defend her record. On December 3, 2019, Harris withdrew from seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination, citing a shortage of funds. In March 2020, Harris endorsed Joe Biden for president.
By Timothy
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