We don't live in ordinary times. We live in an unique era of world history where our democracy in America plus in other places of the world is hugely fragile. In America, there is a large oil spill in California along with debates about the debt ceiling. Germany recently voted for a new Prime Minister in their own country. In Brazil, a far right wing President is doing nothing to address the massive police brutality against Afro-Brazilians in favellas and in other locations of Brazil. The Republican Party now is more extreme than it was during the 1/6 seditious insurrection against the United States Capitol building. Many GOP free market fundamentalists believe in the myth that we can't afford the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, but the United States has given $7 trillion to for profit defense contractors since 9/11. The truth is that Heathcare, education, and Social Security are never entitlements regardless of what West Virginian Senator Joe Manchin has said. They are fundamental human rights that allow fellow human beings to have a great, dignified life. These social safety net programs enhance our democracy thoroughly. It is blatantly wrong for America to have 40 years of wage stagnation (involving how CEO pay has skyrocketed since 1978, but the minimum wage is just $7.25 for over 10 years), and some folks refuse to allow people to have $15 an hour as a minimum wage. Police brutality must end, as Congress refuses to pass real policing legislation to end racist policing practices. This has been done by many far right Republicans who care more for the preservation of qualified immunity than the sanctity of black human lives. The massive hatred of immigration done by white racists and Hoteps (they are more alike ideologically than some would like to admit) is all part of nativism, bigotry, and corporate greed.
In this Fall of 2021, we still believe in the Dream unequivocally. The Bill Back Better Plan should not be watered down for the purpose of placating Republican extremists or Democratic moderates who care more for token "bipartsanship" than freedom plus justice for all. Manchin and Sinema are clear on where they stand. They stand for DLC, centrist talking points. They stand for compromise and believing in the lie that we must water down our message when the vast majority of the American people are in support of what we stand for (like universal pre-K, infrastructure investments, and addressing climate change issues). Physical and social infrastructure policies make America better, and we need powerful legislation that can make that reality turn into fruition. The cacophony of propaganda of price tags (as advanced by certain factions of Big Pharma and many billionaire elitists) are refuted on how the super wealthy in many cases pay little to no federal income taxes. This is a time of choice. We choose to help the elderly to have vision, dental, and hearing services. We desire paid family and medical leave. We desire a permanent child tax credit to fight poverty. We desire free community college for working class people of every color. That is what we mean when we advocate for a social infrastructure bill.
During the 21st century, STEM inventions and discoveries in general grew into new heights of magnificence. In the year of 2000, Sony developed the first prototypes for the Blu-ray optical disc format. The first prototype player was released in 2004. In 2001, there was the first draft of the Human Genome Project being published. The Human Genome Project is the international scientific project that identify the base pairs of human DNA (and map all of the gens of the human genome from a physical and functional standpoint. It was the world's largest collaborative project). It lasted from 1990 to April 14, 2003. Level "complete genome" was done by May of 2021. It was funded via the National Institute of Health plus many groups globally. Grid cells in the brain are discovered by Edvard Moser and May-Britt Moser.
By 2007, it was a year when history changed forever. I remember using cell phones before 2007, but the cell phones now are more advanced than computers from the 90s times 10. The year of 2007 is when Apple released the original iPhone. It was the brainchild of Steve Jobs, one of the innovator technology leaders of all time. The iPhone wasn't the first smartphone, but it was the first smartphone that popularized the touchscreen focused format. June 29, 2007 was when it was first released. It has a 3 axis acceleromter, proximity sensors, ambient light sensor, microphone, and headset controls. It change the game. Time magazine named the IPhone as the Invention of the Year in 2007. In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto developed the first blockchain that helps with economic development. In 2010, the first solar sail based spacecrat called IKAROS was launched by Japan. In 2010, there was the first synthetic organism (or Mycoplasma Laboratorium being created by the J. Craig Venter Institute. Also in 2010, ASML released its first prototype of an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine. In 2019, IBM launched IBM Q System One or the first integrated quantum computing system for commercial use. By 2019, there are the first ever image of a black hole being captured. It used eight different telescopes taking simultaneous pictures, time with extremely precise atomic clocks. In 2020, the first RNA vaccine was approved by the FDA. It was co-developed by Pfizer and BioNTeach for COVID-19. In 2020, NASA and SOFIA (the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) found about 12 oz. of surface water in one of the moon's largest visible craters. We see more discoveries and inventions along the way.
In the realm of STEM films, you have to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Katherine Johnson. She was not only a history maker. She was one of the greatest mathematicians in human history. She lived from August 26, 1918 to February 24, 2020. Her parents were Joylette Roberta (Lowe) and Joshua McKinley Coleman. She was also the youngest of four children. Ever since she was young, she always had the gift to excel at mathematical abilities.
She helped NASA to find the calculations of orbital mechanics. Her story is found in the movie Hidden Figures starring Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, Octavia Spencer, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Parsons, Jim Parsons, and other actors and actresses. Dr. Johnson's worked help to make U.S. crewed spaceflights very successful. She worked for NASA for 33 years, and she could master complex manual calculations. As one of the first African American women to work as a NASA scientist, she was an icon. She was born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and she lived in Newport News, Virginia before her transition. Newport News is in the 757 at Hampton Roads, Virginia. I'm from the 757 too. Johnson's work included calculating trajectories, launch windows, and emergency return paths for Project Mercury spaceflights, including those for astronauts Alan Shepard, the first American in space, and John Glenn, the first American in orbit, and rendezvous paths for the Apollo Lunar Module and command module on flights to the Moon. Her calculations were also essential to the beginning of the Space Shuttle program, and she worked on plans for a mission to Mars. In 2015, President Barack Obama awarded Johnson the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2016, she was presented with the Silver Snoopy Award by NASA astronaut Leland D. Melvin and a NASA Group Achievement Award. In 2019, Johnson was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by the United States Congress. In 2021, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame posthumously.
One of the biggest mysteries is about Mandy Claud Stephenson. She is my 3rd cousin who was born on October 20, 1939. On October 10, 2021, I found out tons of information about Mandy Stephenson and her descendants. This is the first time in my life when I learned so much about Mandy Stephenson. I found out more about Mandy's descendants too, because on my Ancestry.com web page, it said that I'm related to a woman named Brittney Yvonne Stephenson Jackson (b. March 1989). She is my 5th cousin. Since Brittney Jackson is related to the African American Claud family, then she is related to me. First, Mandy P. Claud recently celebrated her 80th birthday on October 20, 2019. I found out that Brittney is Mandys granddaughter. Mandy's parents were Persie Booker T. Washington Claud (b. 1900) and Mandy Turner (1903-1982). Persie Claud's parents are Frank Thomas Claud (1861-1948) and Elizabeth Whitehead (b. 1868). Frank T. Claud is the direct descendant of my 5th grandmother Zilphy Claud (1820-1893). Mandy P. Claud moved from Southampton into New York City as a product of the Great Migration. Many black Americans moved into the North and other places of America in order to gain more economic opportunities and a better standard of living in general. Mandy married a man named Joseph McCoy Stephenson Sr. (1929-1973) at New York City o 1951. Later, they had many children like Martin L. Stephenson, Debbie Stephenson Harris (b. 1959), and Joseph M. Stephenson Jr. (b. 1960). Joseph M. Stephenson Jr. was born and raised at Brooklyn, NYC. Later, my 4th cousin Joseph M. Stephenson Jr. married Chanda Chalaine Cook-Stephenson (b. 1961) at Pierce, Washington state on May 25, 1985. The couple had 5 daughters who are my 5th cousins. Their names are Brittney Yvonne Stephenson Jackson (b. 1989. She married Toron Malik Jackson), Jordan Chalaine Stephenson (b. 1991. She married Roderick Spruel), Cayla Nicole Stephenson (b. 1992), Amanda M. Stephenson (b. 1997), and Alyssa Joi Stephenson (b. 2000). Joseph McCoy Stephenson Sr. was a brave man who passed away on June 13, 1973 at only 44 years old from Lupus. Joseph Stephenson Sr.'s daughter Debbie Stephenson Harris studied at SUNY Empire State College, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and she was born in Brooklyn, NYC. That is why she is an advocate for the freedom of black people.
Chanda Chalaine Cook-Stephenson's parents are Sigmund L. Cook (1930-1993) and Norma Mae Yvonne Mills (1932-2011). Sigmund L. Cook was born in Lecomte, Louisiana, and he passed on April 17, 1993. He lived in Tacoma, Washington for 33 years. He attended schools in Louisiana. Also, he was a U.S. Army veteran who served in Korea and Vietnam. His 3 daughters are Adrienne M. Cook from Seattle, Chanda C. Stephenson from Maryland, and their son Sigmund kyle Cook. His sister is Evelyn C. Strickland of Bastrop, Louisiana. His brothers are Lonnie Cook of Stockton, California and Robert F. Cook of Edgard, Louisiana. Now, I know the truth about more of my genealogy. Also, on my father's side, there was another Ancestry.com recent relative who showed up whose name is my 3rd name of Cecily Danielle Gary. We share the same ancestor of Adam D. Her parents are Alama Loretta D. Corbin (b. 1959) and Dennis Floyd Gary (b. 1962). Alma Loretta D. Corbin's parents are Arthur D. Jr. (1919-1993) and Alma Virginia Douglas (1926-2013). The parents of Arthur D. Jr. was Arthur Lawrence D. (1889-1944) and Alvania Staton (1895-1996). Arthur Lawrence D.'s parents are Adam D. (b. 1862) and Georganna Tillery D. (1868-1954). Cecily Danielle Gary graduated from Tallwood High School in 2007, studied at culinary arts schools, and worked at Walt Disney World at Orlando, Florida for years. She is from Virginia Beach, Virginia.
For thousands of years, we have seen the power of music. Out of every genre of music, gospel music remains extremely potent in inspiring change in the live of human beings. Involving black culture, it has been anchor for so many generations to organize plans for justice, to express our love for God, and to praise the beauty of life in general. The common myth of gospel is that it's outdated or has no relevant in today's society. You can refute that lie by showing many rebuttals. The first is that human beings of every background and creed love gospel music. Second, gospel music have shown songs about many topics including issues of social justice. Third, gospel music still thrives today being expressed by human beings of every color who sincerely want souls to be transformed in service in Almighty God. They are disagreements on the composition of gospel and how gospel ought to be presented to the masses of the people. Yet, we are in unison in making the point the extremely talented gospel music is to stay permanently. Songs done by the Caravans, the Staple Singers, Kirk Franklin, Donald Malloy, Aretha Franklin, CeCe Winans, Shirley Caesar, Sinach, Albertine Walker, Fred Hammon, and Kierra Sheard make up realize that life has a purpose. We are more than just atoms and molecules moving around. We have a mind, body, and spirit that make us a thinking human being with the power to glorify God. One of the best ways to glorify God is to help our neighbors, show compassion, and standing up for justice. When we see black Haitian migrants being oppressed by xenophobes, then we express our solidarity with our Haitian Brothers and Sisters (as human rights including the right of asylum must be defended worldwide, not just in one nation). As a black American, it is the right thing to do. I can't close my comments without mentioning Mahalia Jackson. Mahalia Jackson was not only the greatest gospel singer of all time. She was the greatest singer of all time in my opinion. She represents the long history of gospel music in its ups and downs. She worked with civil rights leaders like Dr. King, and she stood up for her own human dignity constantly. She remains the icon of music.
Yesterday is the first time that I heard of Louise Patterson. She lived to be 97 as she passed way in 1999. For decades, she has been one of the most unsung black revolutionaries in history. She worked side by side with Paul Robeson, Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, her husband William L. Patterson, and other great leaders of our time. She lived her life to fight for equality and justice. She passed away in New York City on August 27, 1999. At a gala birthday party for her in New York in 1980, Frank Chapman, then the Executive Director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression said, "She has seen the trials and tribulations of our century not as an observer but as a participant." Louise Patterson was born in 1902 in Chicago, and she was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. University of California is the location where she graduated from at Berkeley in 1923 with a degree in economics. She was one of the first African American women to have graduated there. Her husband, William L. Patterson, was the person who wrote his autobiography called "The Man Who Cried Genocide." He said that they first met Louise at an NAACP meeting in the Oakland Auditorium in 1919. They were students back then. She taught school in Arkansas and taught at the Hampton Institute in the 757 area at Virginia. She was a delegate to the World Conference Against Racism and Anti-Semitism in Paris in 1930, as was her husband.
She moved to NYC to join the Harlem Renaissance movement. She discussed politics in a group called "The Vanguard." They talked about Marxism and theater plus dance concerts. Many participants included the progressive Langston Hughes and the libertarian Zora Neale Hurston. She was a literary secretary for both legendary writers. Louise knew the legendary black author Dorothy West, and West was part of the Harlem Renaissance too. She was a friend to Congressional leader Adam Clayton Powell and Benjamin Davis. Louise Patterson was a great organizer and orator. She fought to save the Scottsboro Nine (who were black youth who were false accused of rape in Alabama). Louise married William L. Patterson, and Paul Robeson was a guest at the wedding. She was part of defending workers' rights as the Illinois State President of the International Workers Order (IWO). She spoke out against Hitler's fascism in NYC and Chicago along with leading large street rallies. She visited the Soviet Union and Spain to defend the Spanish Republic (against the fascism of Franco). She was a leader of the Council of African Affairs with Robeson and Du Bois. Louise worked with Lena Horne too to fund-raise money for the Abraham Lincoln School (that helped black workers). Louise and her husband signed the We Charge Genocide document accusing the U.S. government of crimes against genocide against African American human beings. Robeson delivered the petition to the United Nations in New York and William L. Patterson delivered it to the U.N. then meeting in Paris in 1951. he helped organize the 1949 Peekskill concerts for Paul Robeson attacked by fascist-like goons. She also organized Robeson's nationwide concert tour of Black communities after he was blacklisted.
In 1970, she served as chair of the New York Committee to Free Angela Davis. After Angela Davis was freed from prison, Louise continued to work with the National Alliance until her retirement. She had a daughter named Dr. Mary Louise Patterson, 2 grandchildren, and a great grandson. Louise Patterson was ahead of her time in helping human beings to stand up for liberation. Her legacy is still strong and will continue forever. Rest in Power Sister Louise Patterson.
During this Fall 2021 season, we are not naive. We have many challenges in the world from racial injustice, economic injustice, and the harm done by the coronavirus. The coronavirus caused 19,630 children in America to lose a primary caregiver, another 22,007 children lost a secondary caregiver like a grandparent who was living in the home. This is about over 150,000 children being left behind because of a dangerous virus. Also, Los Angeles has required proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to enter indoor restaurants, shopping centers, movie theaters, hair and nail salons, and other indoor venues. There has been a huge debate on vaccine mandates. There should be a balance. We want our civil liberties maintained without authoritarianism. Yet, we have a medical emergency still going on in America. So, I believe that it is reasonable to have safety measures that are meant to save human lives, especially where tons of people congregate. In that sense, you can help people move on with their own lives, as we don't want to witness the chaos found in 2020. No one wants massive closures of buildings, and the best way to stop that from happening is to have various mandates to defeat the coronavirus once and for all. You have extremists now who are threatening parents, school teachers, and business owners who are masked or promote mandates. That is wrong. Many of the same ones who call medical mandates tyrannical are the same ones silent on police brutality (as one sheriff of California's Riverside County defended his brief membership in the extremist, terrorist group of the Oath Keepers militia in 2014), silent on environmental issues, silent on imperialistic wars of aggression, silent on racism, silent on economic oppression, and silent on gender oppression or any other form of oppression too. Therefore, I believe in civil liberties and freedom, but I don't believe in a virus harming human lives either. Also, we have to address the pernicious housing crisis in America too. Many people are homeless, can't pay rent, or struggle to find housing. That is why new investments in developing housing via infrastructure legislation is very important to advocate.
By Timothy
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