Cheslie Kryst, former Miss USA and TV correspondent, dies aged 30 | New York | The Guardian
Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst dead at 30 (nbcnews.com)
Former Miss USA and Black Lives Matter Advocate Cheslie Kryst Dies by Suicide | Democracy Now!
Monday, January 31, 2022
Learning Lessons from the Past.
Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most famous, complex Presidents in history. He had liberal and conservative policies on many issues. He lived from October 27, 1858 to January 6, 1919. He has been a politician, a conservationist, a naturalist, a historian, and a writer. He was the 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909. Theodore Roosevelt was the 25th Vice President under William McKinley from March to September 1901. Also, he was the 33rd Governor of New York from 1899 to 1900. He was born in Manhattan, NYC at 28th East 20th Street. As the 2nd of 4 children, Roosevelt lived an interesting life. His parents were Martha Stewart Bulloch and Theodore Roosevelt Sr. He had an older sister (Anna, nicknamed "Bamie"), a younger brother (Elliott) and a younger sister (Corinne). Elliott was later the father of First Lady Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of Theodore's distant cousin, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. His paternal grandfather was of Dutch descent; his other ancestry included primarily Scottish and Scots-Irish, English and smaller amounts of German, Welsh and French. Theodore Sr. was the fifth son of businessman Cornelius Van Schaack "C. V. S." Roosevelt and Margaret Barnhill as well as a brother of Robert Roosevelt and James A. Roosevelt. Theodore's fourth cousin, James Roosevelt I, who was also a businessman, was the father of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Mittie was the younger daughter of Major James Stephens Bulloch and Martha P. "Patsy" Stewart. Through the Van Schaacks, Roosevelt was a descendant of the Schuyler family. Theodore Roosevelt had issues of asthma as a child. He had so many asthma attacks at night, that he was almost near death. He was energetic too. Making museums of dead animals was part of his childhood activities. He learned taxidermy. He preserved seals, insects, and other species.
His father inspired him. His father (Theodore Roosevelt Sr.) was a leader of New York's cultural affairs, and Theodore Roosevelt Sr. helped to found the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His father worked to support the Union during the American Civil War, though his in-laws were Confederate leaders. Roosevelt said, "My father, Theodore Roosevelt, was the best man I ever knew. He combined strength and courage with gentleness, tenderness, and great unselfishness. He would not tolerate in us children selfishness or cruelty, idleness, cowardice, or untruthfulness." Family trips abroad, including tours of Europe in 1869 and 1870, and Egypt in 1872, shaped his cosmopolitan perspective. Teddy Roosevelt kept pace with his father by 1869 when his family were hiking in the Alps. Theodore Roosevelt used fitness exercise to reduce his asthma and bolster his spirit. That is why he had a large regime of exercise. After being beaten up by 2 older boys on a camping trip, he found a boxing coach to teach him how to fight to strengthen his body. When he was six years old, he witnessed the funeral procession of Abraham Lincoln from his grandfather's mansion in Union Square, New York City. He was photographed in the window along with his brother Elliot. This was confirmed by Edith, who was also present. Theodore Roosevelt was homeschooled. He knew about history, geography, French and German. He struggled with mathematics and the classical language. When he entered Harvard College on September 27, 1876, his father advised: "Take care of your morals first, your health next, and finally your studies." His father's sudden death on February 9, 1878, devastated Roosevelt, but he eventually recovered and doubled his activities.
In Harvard, Roosevelt did well in science, philosophy, and rhetoric courses but continued to struggle in Latin and Greek. He studied biology intently and was already an accomplished naturalist and a published ornithologist. Roosevelt read prodigiously with an almost photographic memory. While at Harvard, Roosevelt participated in rowing and boxing; he was once runner-up in a Harvard boxing tournament. Roosevelt was a member of the Alpha Delta Phi literary society (later the Fly Club), the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and the prestigious Porcellian Club; he was also an editor of The Harvard Advocate. In 1880, Roosevelt graduated Phi Beta Kappa (22nd of 177) from Harvard with an A.B. magna cum laude. After his father's death, Roosevelt had inherited $65,000 (equivalent to $1,743,121 in 2020), enough to live off comfortably for the rest of his life. Theodore Roosevelt studied at Columbia Law School. Soon, he joined into politics. He was a famous member of the Republican Party. His love of geography made him an expert of naval history and strategy. Alice Hathaway Lee was his first wife. Their daughter, Alice Lee Roosevelt was born on February 12, 1884. Roosevelt saw his mother and his wife pass away. He never wrote about Alice for the rest of his wife, even in his autobiography. Theodore Roosevelt was elected in the New York State Assembly in 1882, 1883, and in 1884. Roosevelt fought to eliminate corruption in government. His anti-corruption efforts won him great support. He supported Governor Cleveland's efforts to pass a civil reform bill. Theodore Roosevelt supported Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont for President.
Roosevelt attended the 1884 GOP National Convention in Chicago and gave a speech convincing delegates to nominate African American John R. Lynch, an Edmunds supporter, to be temporary chair. Roosevelt fought alongside the Mugwump reformers; however, Blaine, having gained support from Arthur's and Edmunds's delegates, won the nomination by 541 votes on the fourth ballot. In a crucial moment of his budding political career, Roosevelt resisted the demand of the Mugwumps that he bolt from Blaine. He bragged about his one small success: "We achieved a victory in getting up a combination to beat the Blaine nominee for temporary chairman... To do this needed a mixture of skill, boldness and energy... to get the different factions to come in... to defeat the common foe." After Blaine won the Republican nomination, he lost support of many reformers. He supported Blaine to maintain his presence in the GOP. Teddy Roosevelt moved into North Dakota as a cattle rancher. He hunted bison in 1883. He embraced the western lifestyle. He promoted the cattle business. He lived in New York and Dakota to advance his ranch. After the 1884 Presidential election, Theodore Roosevelt created his ranch named Elkhorn in the city of Medora, North Dakota. He learned to ride western style, rope, and hunt on the Little Missouri. The cowboys respected him but were not overally impressed. He addressed the issue of conservation to perserve resources. His 2nd wife was Edith Kermit Carrow. They married on December 2, 1886, and Edith was his childhood and family friend. The couple married at St. George's, Hanover Square in London, England. Their five children were: Theodore "Ted" III in 1887, Kermit in 1889, Ethel in 1891, Archibald in 1894, and Quentin in 1897. The couple also raised Roosevelt's daughter from his first marriage, Alice, who often clashed with her stepmother.
Theodore Roosevelt came back into political life in 1886 at New York City. Roosevelt lost his NYC mayoral election to Abram Hewitt (a Democrat. Henry George ran for mayor in NYC too). His book about the west called The Winning of the West was a great success for Teddy Roosevelt. Then, Roosevelt worked on promoting civil service reform. Reforming the police force in NYC was his role as NYC Police Commissioner. Roosevelt implemented regular inspections of firearms and annual physical exams, appointed recruits based on their physical and mental qualifications rather than political affiliation, established Meritorious Service Medals, and closed corrupt police hostelries. During his tenure, a Municipal Lodging House was established by the Board of Charities, and Roosevelt required officers to register with the Board; he also had telephones installed in station houses. The book of How the Other Half Lives exposed poverty among millions of poor immigrants in New York City. This inspired Theodore Roosevelt to be part of the progressive movement. The author of the book was Jacob Riis or the muckraking Evening Sun newspaper. Roosevelt was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy by the late 1800's. Roosevelt wanted to build up the Navy, create battleships, and wanted foreign policy to be studied. Desiring Spain to be ejected from Cuba was his aim. On February 15, 1898, USS Maine, an armored cruiser, exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, killing hundreds of crew members. While Roosevelt and many other Americans blamed Spain for the explosion, McKinley sought a diplomatic solution. War existed between America and Spain. Roosevelt supported this war. Colonel Roosevelt fought in Cuba. His "Rough Riders" trained in San Antonio, Texas for weeks. The Rough Riders won 2 major battles in Cuba.
After Cuba, Theodore Roosevelt was the Governor of New York state. As governor, Roosevelt learned much about ongoing economic issues and political techniques that later proved valuable in his presidency. He was exposed to the problems of trusts, monopolies, labor relations, and conservation. Chessman argues that Roosevelt's program "rested firmly upon the concept of the square deal by a neutral state." The rules for the Square Deal were "honesty in public affairs, an equitable sharing of privilege and responsibility, and subordination of party and local concerns to the interests of the state at large." Teddy Roosevelt taxed public franchises granted by the state and controlled by coproations via the Ford Franchise Tax law. His policies of regulation, mediation of conflicts of capital and labor, and conservation of natural resources helped his Presidential run. After McKinley was President, Teddy Roosevelt was Vice President. On September 2, 1901, Roosevelt first publicized an aphorism that thrilled his supporters: "Speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far." After William McKinley was assassinated by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at Buffalo, New York, Roosevelt was President. He was sworn in at Ansley Wilcox House. People were nervous about him, but Roosevelt assured people that he would follow McKinley's policies. Shortly after taking office, Roosevelt invited Booker T. Washington to dinner at the White House. This sparked a bitter, and at times vicious, reaction among whites across the heavily segregated South. Roosevelt reacted with astonishment and protest, saying that he looked forward to many future dinners with Washington. Upon further reflection, Roosevelt wanted to ensure that this had no effect on political support in the white South, and further dinner invitations to Washington were avoided; their next meeting was scheduled as typical business at 10:00 a.m. instead.
When Roosevelt was President, he promoted trust busting and regulation. He used the Sherman Antitrust Act to fight corruption from big business. Roosevelt viewed big business as part of the American economy, but he wanted to stop bad trusts with unrestrained actions. He broke up many monopolies like the Northern Security Company and regulating Standard Oil. 44 antitrust suits existed under him. Bolstered by his party's winning large majorities in the 1902 elections, Roosevelt proposed the creation of the United States Department of Commerce and Labor, which would include the Bureau of Corporations. While Congress was receptive to the Department of Commerce and Labor, it was more skeptical of the antitrust powers that Roosevelt sought to endow within the Bureau of Corporations. Roosevelt successfully appealed to the public to pressure Congress, and Congress overwhelmingly voted to pass Roosevelt's version of the bill. Some didn't like this like House Speaker Joseph Gurney Cannon accused Roosevelt of making the executive branch controll all domestic policy making. The 1902 coal strike was solved by negotiation, and that strike could cause a national energy shortage. J. P. Morgan gave miners more pay for fewer hours but no union recognition. Roosevelt was the first President to help settle a labor dispute. Teddy Roosevelt ended misconduct among people in his administration who cheated the Creek people and other tribes out of land parcel. This was land fraud.
In November 1902, Roosevelt and Secretary Ethan A. Hitchcock forced Binger Hermann, the General Land Office Commissioner, to resign from office. On November 6, 1903, Francis J. Heney was appointed special prosecutor and obtained 146 indictments involving an Oregon Land Office bribery ring. U.S. Senator John H. Mitchell was indicted for bribery to expedite illegal land patents, found guilty in July 1905, and sentenced to six months in prison. More corruption was found in the Postal Department, that brought on the indictments of 44 government employees on charges of bribery and fraud. President Roosevelt used the Hepburn Act to regulate railroad rates, regulate food and drugs (via the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 and the Pure Food and Drug Act). Food regulation was inspired by Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. The Meat law banned misleading labels and preservatives that had harmful chemicals. The Pure Food and Drug Act banned food and drugs that were impure or falsely labeled from being made, sold, and shipped. Roosevelt also served as honorary president of the American School Hygiene Association from 1907 to 1908, and in 1909 he convened the first White House Conference on the Care of Dependent Children. One of his greatest achievements was his work on conservation. He helped to use policies to protect natural resources and wildlife. Roosevelt worked closely with Interior Secretary James Rudolph Garfield and Chief of the United States Forest Service Gifford Pinchot to enact a series of conservation programs that often met with resistance from Western members of Congress, such as Charles William Fulton.
Nonetheless, Roosevelt established the United States Forest Service, signed into law the creation of five National Parks, and signed the 1906 Antiquities Act, under which he proclaimed 18 new U.S. National Monuments. He also established the first 51 bird reserves, four game preserves, and 150 National Forests. The area of the United States that he placed under public protection totals approximately 230 million acres (930,000 square kilometers). Roosevelt extensively used executive orders on a number of occasions to protect forest and wildlife lands during his tenure as president. By the end of his second term in office, Roosevelt used executive orders to establish 150 million acres (600,000 square kilometers) of reserved forestry land. Roosevelt was unapologetic about his extensive use of executive orders to protect the environment, despite the perception in Congress that he was encroaching on too many lands. Eventually, Senator Charles Fulton (R-OR) attached an amendment to an agricultural appropriations bill that effectively prevented the president from reserving any further land. Before signing that bill into law, Roosevelt used executive orders to establish an additional 21 forest reserves, waiting until the last minute to sign the bill into law. In total, Roosevelt used executive orders to establish 121 forest reserves in 31 states. Prior to Roosevelt, only one president had issued over 200 executive orders, Grover Cleveland (253). The first 25 presidents issued a total of 1,262 executive orders; Roosevelt issued 1,081.
One of the situations of Roosevelt was his dealing with foreign policy. Teddy Roosevelt was wrong to promote an overt imperialist policy. Hawaii was annexed in 1898. America controlled the Phillipines for a time. He wanted to conquer the Philippines in his 1900 campaign. He failed by 1902. He promoted friendly relations with Japan. Roosevelt mediated a peace conference to stop Russia and Japan from furthering going into war. In California, anti-Japanese racism increased. Tokyo protested. So, Roosevelt wanted explicit Japanese discrimination to end. He sent ships to promote American forces in Japan. He allowed America to control the Philippines, and Japan to control Korea. Roosevelt saw America to be a world power having the largest economy in the world. He worked with Britain. He also worked in promoting the Panama Canal. This allowed ships to come from Europe to Asia quickly. Teddy Roosevelt loved to write in magazines and communicate with the press. Roosevelt later won the 1904 Presidential election. During the campaign, he denied corruption after Parker plus Democrats accused him of it. During his 2nd term, Roosevelt promoted more reforms. He fought for an eight hour work day for federal employees, a postal savings system to help local banks, and campaign reform laws. On domestic issues, he moved to the left. Teddy Roosevelt loved being President. He ran again in 1908, but he failed. Roosevelt disliked one candidate and considered him to be too independent. Instead, Roosevelt settled on his Secretary of War, William Howard Taft, who had ably served under Presidents Harrison, McKinley, and Roosevelt in various positions. Roosevelt and Taft had been friends since 1890, and Taft had consistently supported President Roosevelt's policies. Taft said that he wanted a rule of law and judges to make decisions about fairness. Taft was less energetic than Roosevelt. Taft wanted to lower the tariff.
Theodore Roosevelt visited Africa to hunt and kill animals like elephants. He allowed some specimens to be maintained for the Smithsonian Institution and for the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. Roosevelt went over the line and killed or trapped about 11,400 animals. This has nothing to do with conservation but the overkill of animals. By 1910, the Republican Party was divided between Taft and Roosevelt. Taft was more conservative than Roosevelt on domestic policy issues. He wanted progressives to control the Republican Party to not split it in causing the Democrats to win it in 1912. In August 1910, Roosevelt gained national attention with a speech at Osawatomie, Kansas, which was the most radical of his career and marked his public break with Taft and the conservative Republicans. Advocating a program of "New Nationalism", Roosevelt emphasized the priority of labor over capital interests, a need to more effectively control corporate creation and combination, and proposed a ban on corporate political contributions. Roosevelt wanted to control the GOP. Senator Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin joined with Pinchot, William White, and California Governor Hiram Johnson to create the National Progressive Republican League; their objectives were to defeat the power of political bossism at the state level and to replace Taft at the national level. Taft ironically was right to promote trade abitration to end problems, but Roosevelt wanted more confrontation to end trade disputes. Though Taft was more wrong on economic issues than Roosevelt. Roosevelt couldn't win the Republican primary in 1912, so he ran on the Progressive Bull Moose Party. Taft won it in the RNC at Chicago.
Roosevelt's platform echoed his 1907–1908 proposals, calling for vigorous government intervention to protect the people from the selfish interests. Though many Progressive party supporters in the North were supporters of civil rights for black people, Roosevelt did not give strong support to civil rights and ran a "lily-white" campaign in the South. Rival all-white and all-black delegations from four southern states arrived at the Progressive national convention, and Roosevelt decided to seat the all-white delegations. Nevertheless, he won little support outside mountain Republican strongholds. Out of nearly 1100 counties in the South, Roosevelt won two counties in Alabama, one in Arkansas, seven in North Carolina, three in Georgia, 17 in Tennessee, two in Texas, one in Virginia, and none in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, or South Carolina. He survived being shot in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 14, 1912. Woodrow Wilson won the election in 1912. Wilson was a Democrat. Roosevelt respected Wilson, but the two differed on various issues; Wilson opposed any federal intervention regarding women's suffrage or child labor (he viewed these as state issues), and attacked Roosevelt's tolerance of large businesses. He traveled into South America for an expedition after his loss in the 1912 election. Roosevelt disagreed with Wilson on many issues, but agreed with some of Wilson's reforms. Later, Roosevelt wanted Progressives to support the Republican party. In 1916, Wilson won the Presidency with many Progressive joining the Republican Party by 1916. When WWI exited, Roosevelt supported the Allies and wanted a harsh military response against Germany. Roosevelt opposed the foreign policy of Wilson calling it a failure regarding the atrocities in Belgium and the violations of American rights. He was wrong to question the patriotism of Irish and German Americans. Wilson refused to allow him to send Rough Riders to volunteer to fight in WWI. Roosevelt never forgave Wilson for that. His book The Fores of Our Own Household criticized President Wilson by name. Roosevelt's youngest son, Quentin, a pilot with the American forces in France, was killed when shot down behind German lines on July 14, 1918, at the age of 20. It is said that Quentin's death distressed Roosevelt so much that he never recovered from his loss. Roosevelt supported the concept of a League of Nations but not Wilson's version of it. He viewed Wilson's 14 Points as too lenient to Germany. He wrote William Allen White, "I wish to do everything in my power to make the Republican Party the Party of sane, constructive radicalism, just as it was under Lincoln." Accordingly, he told the 1918 state convention of the Maine Republican Party that he stood for old-age pensions, insurance for sickness and unemployment, construction of public housing for low-income families, the reduction of working hours, aid to farmers, and more regulation of large corporations. By 1918, Republicans won the Congress in the midterm election because Wilson's political issues. Roosevelt had many diseases. The end was near.
By the night of January 5, 1919, Roosevelt had breathing problems. Treatment helped him for a time. He passed away the next morning at the age of 60. A blood clot traveled to his lungs. Many people gave him words of condolences, even Woodrow Wilson's vice President Thomas R. Marshall. Following a private farewell service in the North Room at Sagamore Hill, a simple funeral was held at Christ Episcopal Church in Oyster Bay. Vice President Thomas R. Marshall, Charles Evans Hughes, Warren G. Harding, Henry Cabot Lodge, and William Howard Taft were among the mourners. The snow-covered procession route to Youngs Memorial Cemetery was lined with spectators and a squad of mounted policemen who had ridden from New York City. Roosevelt was buried on a hillside overlooking Oyster Bay. President Roosevelt loved to write. He was a Freemason and lived a strenuous life. Many people don't know that he learned jiu-jitsu. Men and women back then studied jiu-jitsu in America plus Japan. Roosevelt followed the Reformed Church. President Theodore Roosevelt's legacy is complex. He had positions appealing to liberals and conservatives. He wanted the federal government to have a regulatory role in society. He promoted protection of natural resources, consumer protection, and control of corporations. Roosevelt was bad on foreign policy to believe in social darwinism and being an overt imperialist. His domestic reforms laid the ground work for the future New Deal and the growth of the social safety net of FDR's time. So, he was right to promote federal taxation, establish reforms, and protect the environment, but he was wrong on advancing interventionist imperialism. He is celebrated worldwide in statues, buildings, movies, and plays. His legacy is remembered by us in 2022 indeed.
Architecture has a very long history in our world of Earth. By the 9000's B.C, there was the Goebekli Tepe in Turkey. This was believed to be the first place of worship. During the most ancient of times, there were earthen mounds, stone circles, megaliths, and other structures. Humans used earth and stone to form geometric forms. Building structures spread globally in the 7000 B.C. when we saw the earliest town sites in areas of Jarmo, Jericho, and Ain Ghazal on the Levant. India saw Lahuradewa architecture too on the Ganes plains of India. Catal Huyuk was built in Turkey too. Wood frames in Chinese architecture like the use of mortise and tenon joinery to built wood beamed houses existed by 6000-2000 B.C. In the 3000's B.C., the city of Harappa was created in the Indus Valley civilization. The Yangshao culture in China flourished by the time of 5000 - 3000 B.C. In the time of the 3000 B.C., ancient Egypt had tons of architecture wonders from cities to the late Great Pyramids of Giza by ca. 2500 B.C. During the 2000's B.C., we saw the development of the ancient city of Mohenjo-daro in India, the Pyramid of Djoser in Egypt, and the Longshan culture of China. In ancient Egypt, the pharaohs or rulers allowed the construction of temples, shrines, statues, and pyramids. The Great Pyramids of Giza had massive mathematical precision which proved that ancient human beings were very intelligent. Homes in ancient Egypt were built with blocks of sun baked sun. There were hieroglyphics, carvings, and frescoes around the temples and tombs of ancient Egypt. The large pyramids in Egypt were readily the tombs of pharaohs. One of best architects of the ancient world was the ancient Egyptian architect named Imhotep (he is said to have designed the Step Pyramid of Djoser). Their columns were placed together to support the heavy stone entablature. Art Deco architecture is influenced by ancient Egyptian architecture. One of the most famous architectural structures in world history was Stonehenge, which was created in ca. 2,400 B.C. at Neolithic Great Britain. The structure is 30 meters high and 160 meters wide. The gravel mount of layers of soil, mud, and grass, There are dug pits and tunnels of chalk and clay. Some believe that Stonehenge was build to signify concepts on the environment or astronomical reasons. The Ziggurat of Ur was constructed in the 2000's B.C. too. Chongha Zanbil was built in ancient Harappa in India. By the 1000's, we see architectures in the four corners of the Earth from Africa to the Americas. In fact, the ancient Mayan and Olmec civilizations had tons of great architectural structures. In the 900's B.C., there was the earliest Greek temple built at Samos with some timber framing based on the Mycenaean megaron. Rome was created by the 700's B.C. Ancient Greek architecture was found in the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus starting in 515B.C. We know about the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus completed in Rome in 509 B.C.
The Parthenon was finished in Athens, Greece by 432 B.C. We know about the construction of Pataliputra (or Patna) in the Magadha Empire starting in 490 B.C. in the Indian subcontinent. The University of ancient Tazila existed in India by the 300's B.C. We know about the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus being completed in ca. 350 BC. The city of Alexandria was crated in 221 B.C, and the city of Antioch was founded in 300 B.C. The tallest ancient world structure in that time was the Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt. The Erechteion in Athens was formed in ca. 206 B.C. The city of Djenne-Djenno was first occupied in 250 B.C. in Africa. 280 B.C. was when the Colossus of Rhodes was completed. The Roman bridge in Rome was created in 126 B.C. called the Pons Aemilius. There was another bridge across the Tiber in Italy called the Ponte Milvio created in 115 B.C. Herod the Great's temple started to be formed in 37 B.C. We know about of the Roman bridge in ROme called Pons Fabricius, and the Pont du Gard in Provence, France in ca. 50 B.C. By 15 B.C, Virtruvius wrote De Architecura.
For the first 1000 years after the birth of Jesus Christ on Earth, massive changes in architecture were formed. The Gungnae City of Goruryeo was finished at 3 A.D. The Lighthouse at Bouogne was built in 40 A.D, and the Romans formed the city of Londinium in Britain by 47-50 A.D. The Porta Maggiore was built in Rome too. The Pantheon and the Colosseum in Rome was built by the year of 100 A.D. People know about the Trajan's Column in Rome. The Alcantara Bridge or a Roman multiple arched bridge over the Tagus River in Spain was finished by 106 A.D. The Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan was constructed in 200 A.D. The Column of Marcus Aurelius was dedicated in Rome in 193 A.D. The Dura Europos synagogue was formed by 224 A.D. The Nalanda of ancient learning center was built in the Gupta Empire in India by the 300's A.D. The Arch of Constantine in Rome was dedicated to the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 315. By the end of the 1st millennnium A.D, cathedrals increase from the Akhtala monastery in the 900's to the Hagia Sophia being made in the 500's A.D. The Qutub Minar was formed in India by the 1190s. The Cologne Cathedral was formed during the 1240s in its start. Notre Dame was created from 1163 to 1345. It was located in France. Mosques spread with great architectural design in the Middle East. We saw the Timbuktu university as well in Africa. More architecture buildings were formed in the Americas and in Europe like St. Paul's Cathedral in London. The Taj Malal was formed in Agra, India by the 1630s. The end of the 1700's saw Baroque style, neo classical, and other architectural movements take shape in the world massively.
By Timothy
Saturday, January 29, 2022
Friday, January 28, 2022
Issues Shown on late January 2022.
The common lie shown by many far-right extremists is that progressive people collectively are blamed for many of the problems in American society from social issues to the economy. Let's look at history to refute that pernicious lie. When deindustrialization existed to benefit a limited number of multinational corporations without real alternatives, that was done by the far right. When tax policy made massive tax cuts for the super wealthy, that was a conservative policy. When cuts to welfare existed massively and the War on Drugs spread, these actions are far right actions not progressive ones (as it is nothing progressive about sending nonviolent drug offenders to prison for more time in some cases than rapists or assaulters of people). Even the Welfare Reform Act was supported by conservatives too. The Iraq War was supported by neo-conservatives, and the massive push to censor anti-racism books in schools is a far-right invention. The push to glorify police brutality, to whitewash real American history, and to whitewash the January 6th terrorist insurrection at the U.S. Capitol are far right deeds. The far right wants to blame the black community for all crime in America, but they ignore that crime is not a racial deal. Crime is wrong and evil, and crimes has harmed tons of people. Not to mention that black people have spoken out against crime for a long time. The movement to promote voter suppression laws in Texas, Florida, and across America is done by the far right, not progressives either. Redlining, gentrification, and the hatred of reparations for black Americans are far right conservatives' ideals not progressive views. Therefore, we have to look at history for real. To blame progressives for everything is not only ahistorical, but it's a lie. Extremists omit that the Constitution in Article I, Section 8 is clear that Congress has the right to make laws to spend money to build up the general welfare of American society. They omit that we certainly need the federal government to protect our environment, to protect our civil rights including our civil liberties, to regulate the economy justly, and to ensure equality plus justice for all.
Breaking news is that on TN school board banned the book of Maus which is about the Holocaust. This censorship is not only anti-Semitic but evil. Yesterday was the day of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Today, we always have the right to condemn bigotry and intolerance. We must know about the Holocaust as it harmed many people of every color, especially Jewish people. Six million Jewish people were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. We have seen the growth of anti-Semitism worldwide. It's one thing to have a political view. That is fine. Yet, it is wrong to blame a whole race of people for everything evil in the world. Anti-Semitism is not a legitimate political view. It's hatred. Banning legitimate books that teaches people about the evils of the Holocaust is unjustified and appalling. What's really profane is to prevent future generation of people from learning about the Holocaust. January 27, 1945 was the date when the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army. Many of my late ancestors were WWII veterans and one of my ancestors was a member of Normandy (who helped to liberate Jewish people and other victims of Nazi tyranny). The relative who was involved in Normandy was a man named Leslie Goffigon Jr. So, this day is personal to me and other human beings.
Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia have always shown his colors. He is a Trump acolyte. He acted slick with his rhetoric and behavior. He was sworn in as Governor on January 15, 2022. There was a lot of pomp, and he talked about his views on many issues. He wants to cut so many taxes, that his policies to get money away from K-12 education investments and the roads. The truth is that not all taxes are evil. Many taxes are needed to build up society, despite what far right people say. He wants to ban teaching on "inherently divisive concepts," which is code for Youngkin not waning teachers to teach about the real history of America (which included divisive topics, racism, slavery, etc.). He supports the Heritage Foundation policy adviser Angela Sailor as the new director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The Heritage Foundation is a far-right think thank that hates affirmative action, social justice, and resistance against police brutality. Critical Race Theory is not taught in schools, but this governor signed an executive order to ban it from being taught in public schools. Youngkin wants a police officer stationed at every school which is impossible to do. He talks about on environmental causes in some cases. He worked for the Carlyle Group for 3 decades.
The breaking news is that Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer plans to retire from the court. This is historic as President Joe Biden has the opportunity to choose a new Supreme Court Justice. President Biden made a campaign promise that he promised to choose a black woman to be on the Supreme Court if he has the chance to do so. As a black man, Biden must fulfill his promise for real. He must do the right thing, and that he must pick a qualified, progressive black woman to be on the Supreme Court. We expect this to exist. We want a black woman to be voted on by the Senate to gain official confirmation. Biden said that every justice has the right to decide what he or she is going to do and say on their own. We all want a black woman to be on the Supreme Court.
Days ago, was the Birthday of Sister Anita Baker, and she is 68 years old. She is one of the greatest singers of all time. Her music has been influenced by the quiet storm and jazz. She has been popular with her ballads and other songs. Baker won 8 Grammy Awards and has 5 platinum albums with one gold album. She is a mezzo soprano with a vocal range that extends her register to at least 3 octaves. Toledo, Ohio is the city of her birth. Later, she was raised in Detroit, Michigan. When was 16 years old, Baker performed at Detroit nightclubs. By the 1970's, Baker in the funk band called Chapter 8, and Chapter 8 released the album of Chapter 8 in 1979. Ready for Your Love was the song with Baker and bandmate Gerald Lyles. Baker's I Just Want to Be Your Girl was popular too. Her solo album started with The Songstress. It came out on May of 1983 being groundbreaking. It had songs like Will You Be Me Mine, Angel, and You're the Best Thing Yet. Rapture was her second album being released in March 1986. Its songs had Sweet Love and Watch Your Step. Caught Up in the Rapture was one of the most romantic songs of all time. She worked in gospel music too. By the 1990's, she released Compositions and Body and Soul. I Apologize won her a Grammy. In the 21st century, she has released more music. Only Forever was a song when she released in 2010. She loves her 2 sons. By 2013, Anita Baker was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. She earned her Lifetime Achievement Award from BET in 2018. I wish Sister Anita Baker more blessings.
By Timothy
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Domestic and Foreign Policy Crises.
A Florida school district canceled a Professor's Civil Rights lecture on civil rights history is not surprising. The Florida Governor is a person who wants to whitewash real American history under the guise of being against "critical race theory" (which is not taught in any public school). Far right extremists don't want racism to be exposed in public, because they benefit from the system of racism. Also, they want to promote a sugarcoated, lying version of American history. American history was filled with bloodshed, terrorism imperialism, and other evils not just about heroes who fought to make America better. Privilege is a sociological fact documented by tons of studies. Racial discrimination and systematic racism are realities that Governor DeSantis doesn't believe in, because he is a liar. The bashing of great black authors like Toni Morrison, the suppression of anti-racism voices, and the hatred of progressive values all relate to the views of the neo-fascist Republican Party.
The Supreme Court will decide another case on affirmative action. Ginni Thomas or Clarence Thomas' wife has many conflicts of interests by supporting groups who hate affirmative action and are pro-Trump extremists. Ginni (who works with groups directly involved in Supreme Court cases) has ties to the Council on National Policy as the CNP is a far-right organization. Affirmative action is in risk of being gone in America, because the Supreme Court is mostly conservative. Previously, the Supreme Court has ruled by race can be one factor out of many factors in determining college admissions. The case involved opposers of affirmative action from Harvard University and UNC. The common lie shown by some is that affirmative action promotes discrimination or it's just a quota system. The truth is taht affirmative action is a process where fairness is made, because then and now the super wealthy and others have privilege in getting resources in American society. We don't live in a meritocracy where people of every color are treated fairly. That is why federal government intervention was necessary to combat injustices. Affirmative action has been a positive force to allow many people, especially black people, to experience opportunities that grown their careers.
Now, one of the most important foreign policy issues in our time is the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Tensions haven't been this large among America and Russia since the Cold War. It's that bad, and many people like Alexander Vidman fear that war might happen in the country of Ukraine. There are about 100,000 Russian troops on the border of Ukraine now with tanks, missiles, etc. Also, Russia is allied with Belarus as Belarus is run by another authoritarian like Putin. So, Putin is encircling Ukraine. America has sent millions of dollars' worth of military equipment to Ukraine. Diplomacy among America and Russia (among U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov) continues with no progress. This is a bad situation where Europe could see the most massive war since WWII. This situation has existed for decades. In its modern manifestation, this crisis started in Ukraine in 2014. In this crisis, Russia is not clean, and the West is not clean either. 2014 was when the Ukrainian Revolution took place. The revolutionaries wanted the elected leader Victor Yanukoyvch gone from power. The problem was that many of the rebels were members of the far-right Right Sector group in Ukraine. Nevertheless, the US government, NATO, and the EU supported the overthrow of Yanukoyvch (who wanted closer ties to Russia). Many in Eastern Ukraine opposed the new government. The Minsk II agreement caused a ceasefire in the civil war where the Donbas Peoples' Republic would have autonomy.
Now, the Biden administration is pushed by the neo cons to have a more hawkish tone. We know who Putin is. Putin is an autocrat, an oligarch, a dictator, a far-right nationalist, and an enemy of democracy. We are clear on that. Yet, we should not take the bait from him and other to advance some war. War should be avoided, and we have the right to use diplomacy to call for a peaceful resolution. America wants no Russian control of Ukraine, and Russia doesn't want Ukraine to be part of NATO. The UK and the US are sending highly advanced anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. The leader of Ukraine is President Volodymyr Zelensky (who has executed anti-democratic policies according to the UN). British aircraft is having surveillance over the region too according to Sky News. Menendez has gone over the line to say that if Russia invades Ukraine, then expect casualties of many Russians in body bags. We are in the process of negotiation not war mongering rhetoric. Russia's is doing reckless acts like sending 1,000 pieces of military equipment, using its navy to have exercises, and other actions. Russia seeks to have war games off the coast of Ireland, risking damage to cable fires in the ocean. Therefore, all parties should follow the Minsk II Agreement, and independent international arbitrators should have involvement to prevent some unnecessary war among Ukraine and Russia.
One GOP lawmaker wants a demand of books from school libraries. This plan is part of overt censorship (under the guise of making people not feel "discomfort"). Far right extremists want to sugarcoat real American history and brainwash people to believe in the lie that everything in America must be shown comfortably. The truth is that not all truth is comfortable. Sometimes, you have to be uncomfortable with evil in order to end it. This agenda is about the far right trying to eliminate conversations about race, sex, and other issues in order to suppress the rights of minorities plus maintain privilege.
By Timothy
Monday, January 24, 2022
Culture and History.
Afro-Cubans include dynamic black people filled with culture, strength, and massive contributions in the world. Many of them are heavily of Yoruba and other human beings of West African descent. They are over 1 million Afro-Cuban people in terms of population. They speak Spanish, Lucumi, Hable Congo, English, Portuguese, and other languages. We know of their contributions in music, language, literature, religion, and other forms of human culture. Many Afro-Cubans are related to other African ethnic groups like the Akan, Arara, Kongo, Igbo, Carabali, Mandingo, Kissi, Fula, Makua, etc. Many Afro-Cubans are recent immigrants from Angola, Haiti, and Jamaica. Most Afro-Cubans live in Eastern Cuba, Havana, etc. Many Afro-Cubans came into America, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. There has been a growth of the Afro-Cuban population since the 1959 Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro. Many ex-slaves from Cuba came into Nigeria and Spanish Guinea centuries ago. Ironically, Angola has communities of Afro-Cubans, Amparos, and others who helped to cause Angola to gain its rightful independence. Fidel Castro deployed thousands of troops to Angola during the Angolan Civil War. Obviously, Fidel Castro passed away many years ago. Haitian Cubans came into Cuba from Haiti since the start of the 19th century. Many of them spread a Creole language. Many Afro-Cubans follow Santeria, Palo Monte, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, etc. Music is diverse in Cuba. Afro-Cubans have utilized son, songa, mambo, chachacha, and hip hop. The music of Afro-Cubans has European, Cuban Spanish, and sub-Saharan African elements.
Genres like Nueva Trova are seen as live representations of the revolution and have been affected by Afro-Cuban musicians like Pablo Milanes who included African spirituals in his early repertory. Music in Cuba is encouraged both as a scholarly exercise and a popular enjoyment. To Cubans, music and study of it are integral parts of the revolution. Audiences are proud of mixed ethnicity that makes up the music from the Afro-Cuban community, despite there being a boundary of distrust and uncertainty between Cubans and Afro-Cuban culture. Before the Revolution, Afro-Cuban music was suppressed. Afterwards, Afro-Cuban music was shown more openly. Racism exists in Cuba to this day. Afro-Cubans are excluded from positions in tourism related jobs. Many Afro-Cubans lack managerial positions in jobs. Fidel Castro spoke out against racism on March 23, 1959, but racial discrimination is still a serious problem in Cuba to this day.
During the 1920s and 1930s Cuba experienced a movement geared towards Afro-Cuban culture called Afrocubanismo. The movement had a large impact on Cuban literature, poetry, painting, music, and sculpture. It was the first artistic campaign in Cuba that focused on one particular theme: African culture. Specifically, it highlighted the struggle for independence from Spain, African slavery, and building a purely Cuban national identity. Its goal was to incorporate African folklore and rhythm into traditional modes of art. Many Afro-Cubans worked with African Americans too. Afro-Cuban heritage artists such as Nicolás Guillén, Alberto Arredondo and Emilio Ballagas brought light to the once-marginalized African race and culture. It became a symbol of empowerment and individuality for Afro-Cubans within the established Western culture of the Americas.
Black slaves came into Cuban society in 1513. The Cedula Real, passed in 1526, granted legal importation of slaves to Cuba. By 1532, black people formed 62.5% of the Cuban population. Many black slaves would form cabildos based on ethnic groups in 1568. Some of them included groups of human beings like the Yoruba, Araar, Minas, Kongo, etc. A freed black population in Cuba existed. Some freed people couldn't move freely, some couldn't earn an independent living, and other rights were limited. Later, freed black people gained some rights. Cuba experienced numerous slave revolts. The first recorded slave revolts occurred in 1533 in Bayamo. Four slaves fought Spanish soldiers to the death. To alleviate, colonist fear, their decapitated heads were put on public display. The period of 1790-1796, during the Haitian Revolution, the black population agitated for freedom. Slave importation ceased during that period. The Haitian Revolution made the Cuban planters paranoid. They were in constant fear of black people taking over Cuba and began to ran their plantation like prison camps with watchtowers stationed everywhere. Spanish planters wanted the status quo. In 1868, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes declared Cuban independence and slavery abolish in Cuba, known as Grito de Yara. Cuba didn't completely end slavery until 1886. Cuba was occupied by America too during the 20th century. Many racist Cuban elitists tried to decrease the black population in Cuba via blanquaemiento. Afro-Disaporic linkages between Afro-Cubans and African Americans are further documented by Caribbean Historian Frank Andrew Guirdy, Associate Professor of History and African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of the book entitled, "Forging Diaspora: Afro-Cubans and Americans in a World of Empire and Jim Crow" (Chapell Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2010). Both communities of African Americans worked together and experienced raicsm plus discrimination (then and now).
Observing acts of marginalisation, Afro-Cubans reacted by forming their own political party, the Partido Independiente de Color, in 1910, comprising of prominent members of the Cuban Liberation Army. The repression of the party began quickly by the Cuban government, first passing laws banning parties based on race. The Cuban elite began a mass campaign against the party accusing it of trying to bring about a Haitian style Cuba. Repression of black people became widespread, like the purging of black people from the security apparatus and the harassment of black organization not affiliated with the Partido Independiente de Color. All the political persecution culminated in the mass slaughtering of members of the Partido Independiente de Color, in 1912, "The Little Black War." Vigilante groups were formed, headed by José Francisco MartÃ, son of Jose Marti, executing leaders of the Partido Independiente de Color. A total of 12,000 member died in the pogrom. The US military aided by garrisoning about 26 town, while the vigilante groups engaged in its killing spree. Afro Cuban Sister Nancy Morejon was born in Havana in 1944. She is an eassyist, a critic, and a famous poet. Her literature mentions the black people of Cuba, the advocacy of gender equality, and the fight for human rights. She has won many awards too. Some hypocritically criticized Castro alone (Castro was right to improve health care, literacy, and other services in Cuba. Castro was wrong to have human rights issues and the suppression of human liberties in Cuba), while praising Batista (who was a dictator in Cuba funded by Western capitalists, and Mafia leaders). Sister Gloria Rolando is an activist and filmmaker. Afro-Cuban human rights activist Sister Gisela Arandia is well known in Cuba.
In our generation (and in previous generations), tons of Afro-Cubans are known like Laz Alonzo, Lola Falana, Sara Gomez, Nicolas Gullen, Juan Gualberto Gomez, Gina Torres, Jose Contreeras, Yoel Romero, Soledad O'Brien, Regla Torres, Yarisely Silva (who is a famous Afro-Cuban professional pole vaulter), Celia Cruz, Sammy Davis Jr., Matt Cedeno, and other human beings.
Benjmain Harrison (who lived from August 20, 1833 to March 13, 1901) was the 23rd President of the University of America from 1889 tro 1893. He was the grandson of the ninths President, William Henry Harrison, and a great grandson of Benjamin Harrison V, a Founder who signed the United States Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Harrison V succeeded Thomas Nelson Jr. as Governor of Virginia. Benjamin Harrison was born on August 20, 1833 in North Bend, Ohio. He was the second child of Elizabeth Ramsey (Irwin) and John Scott Harrison's ten children. His paternal ancestors were Harrison family of Virginia, whose immigrant ancestor, Benjamin Harrison, arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in ca. 1630 from England. Harrison was of English ancestry. All of his ancestors have emigrated to America during the early colonial period. Harrison's family was not wealthy but distinguished. John Scott Harrison would spent much of his farm income on his children's education. Benjamin Harrison loved the outdoors doing fishing and hunting. He was educated in a log cabin near his name. A tutor educated him to prepare for college studies. Fourteen-year-old Benjamin and his older brother, Irwin, enrolled in Farmer's College near Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1847. He attended the college for two years and while there met his future wife, Caroline "Carrie" Lavinia Scott, a daughter of John Witherspoon Scott, the school's science professor, who was also a Presbyterian minister.
Harrison transferred to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1850, and graduated in 1852. He joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, which he used as a network for much of his life. He was also a member of Delta Chi, a law fraternity that permitted dual membership. Classmates included John Alexander Anderson, who became a six-term U.S. congressman, and Whitelaw Reid, Harrison's vice-presidential running mate in 1892. At Miami, Harrison was strongly influenced by history and political economy professor Robert Hamilton Bishop. He also joined a Presbyterian church at college and, like his mother, became a lifelong Presbyterian. After Harrison graduated from college, he studied law with Bellamy Storer of Cincinnati. He came to Oxford, Ohio to marry Carolina Scotton October 20, 1853. Caroline's father was a Presbyterian minister, who performed the ceremony. Their 2 children are Russell Benjamin Harrison and Mary Scott Harrison. Harrison and his wife returned to live at The Point, his father's farm in southwestern Ohio, while he finished his law studies. Harrison was admitted to the Ohio bar in early 1854, the same year he sold property that he had inherited after the death of an aunt for $800 (equivalent to $23,043 in 2020) and used the funds to move with Caroline to Indianapolis, Indiana. Harrison worked in the law office of John H. Ray in 1854. He worked as a Commissioner for the U.S. Court of Claims. He was a Whig and later joined the Republican Party. He campaigned for Republican Presidential candidate John C. Fremont. In 1857, Harrison was elected Indianapolis city attorney, a positiion that paid an annual salary of $400. In 1860, he was elected reporter of the Indiana Supreme Court. Harrison was an active supporter of the Republican Party's platform and served as Republican State Committee's secretary. After Wallace, his law partner, was elected county clerk in 1860, Harrison established a new firm with William Fishback, Fishback and Harrison. The new partners worked together until Harrison entered the Union Army after the start of the American Civil War.
By 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued more calls for more recruits in the Union Army. Harrison wanted to enlist, but he worried about how to support his young family. Harrison recruited many in northern Indiana to raise a regiment. He was a colonel in the 70th Indiana and moved to join the Union Army at Louisville, Kentucky. They built railroads and did reconnaissance duty in Kentucky and Tennessee. By 1864, he joined William T. Sherman's Atlanta Campaign and moved to the front lines. On January 2, 1864, Harrison was promoted to command the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division of the XX Corps. He commanded the brigade at the battles of Resaca, Cassville, New Hope Church, Lost Mountain, Kennesaw Mountain, Marietta, Peachtree Creek, and Atlanta. When Sherman's main force began its March to the Sea, Harrison's brigade was transferred to the District of Etowah and participated in the Battle of Nashville. On January 23, 1865, Lincoln nominated Harrison to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from that date, and the Senate confirmed the nomination on February 14, 1865. He rode in the Grand Review in Washington, D.C. before mustering out on June 8, 1865. After the war, Harrison was the reporter of the Indiana Supreme Court. He supported Republicans in speeches constantly. Later, he campaigned on economic policy and wanted to deflate the national currency. He lived udring the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. He supported management to end the crisis among strikers. Benjamin Harrison fought hard to be Senator of Indiana. He served in the Senate from March 4 1881 to March 3, 1887. He chaired the U.S. Senate Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seabord (47th Congress), and the U.S. Senate Committee on Territories (48th and 49th Congresses).
In 1881, the major issue confronting Senator Harrison was the budget surplus. Democrats wanted to reduce the tariff and limit the amount of money the government took in; Republicans instead wanted to spend the money on internal improvements and pensions for Civil War veterans. Harrison took his party's side and advocated for generous pensions for veterans and their widows. He also unsuccessfully supported aid for the education of Southerners, especially children of the freedmen; he believed that education was necessary to help the black population rise to political and economic equality with whites. Harrison opposed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which his party supported, because he thought it violated existing treaties with China. He failed to get new western states admitted to the Union, as some feared that the new states would elect Republicans to Congress. Harrison returned to Indianapolis after he left the Senate. Democrats had a majority of the state legislature by this time via gerrymandering districts. Benjamin Harrison ran for President in 1888. Blaine supporters shifted their support for Harrison. Benjamin Harrison ran the race against incumbent President Grover Cleveland. Harrison supported protective tariff to gain votes. He focused on Indiana, New Jersey, Connecticut, and other industrial states. Harrison won by winning the Electoral College, but he had 90,000 fewer popular votes than Cleveland. Harrison was known as the Centennial President because his inauguration celebrated the centenary of the first inauguration of George Washington in 1789. In the congressional elections, Republicans increased their membership in the House of Representatives by 19 seats.
Benjamin Harrison was sworn into office on Monday, March 4, 1889 by Chief Justice Melville Fuller. He gave a short speech. Harrison wanted further growth of America and believed in the imperialistic Monroe Doctrine. He wanted the modernization of the Navy and a merchant marine force. He wanted international peace via noninterference in the affairs of foreign governments. Harrison acted quite independently in selecting his cabinet, much to the Republican bosses' dismay. He began by delaying the presumed nomination of James G. Blaine as Secretary of State so as to preclude Blaine's involvement in the formation of the administration, as had occurred in President Garfield's term. Harrison rejected patronage. In June 1890, Harrison's Postmaster General John Wanamaker and several Philadelphia friends purchased a large new cottage at Cape May Point for Harrison's wife, Caroline. Many believed the cottage gift appeared improper and amounted to a bribe for a cabinet position. Harrison made no comment on the matter for two weeks, then said he had always intended to purchase the cottage once Caroline approved. On July 2, perhaps a little tardily to avoid suspicion, Harrison gave Wanamaker a check for $10,000 (equivalent to $288,037 in 2020) for the cottage. The Dependent and Disability Pension Act was passed in 1890. He supported the law.
Harrison attempted to make the tariff more acceptable by urging Congress to add reciprocity provisions, which would allow the president to reduce rates when other countries reduced their rates on American exports. The tariff was removed from imported raw sugar, and sugar growers in the United States were given a two cent per pound subsidy on their production. Even with the reductions and reciprocity, the McKinley Tariff enacted the highest average rate in American history, and the spending associated with it contributed to the reputation of the Billion-Dollar Congress. Harrison signed the Sherman Antitrust Act ot deal with trusts and monopolies via federal governmental power. He didn't enforced it a lot though. Western Republicans and southern Democrats wanted the free coinage of silver, and northeast people wanted the gold standard. Because silver was worth less than its legal equivalent in gold, taxpayers paid their government bills in silver, while international creditors demanded payment in gold, resulting in a depletion of the nation's gold supply. Owing to worldwide deflation in the late 19th century, however, a strict gold standard had resulted in reduction of incomes without the equivalent reduction in debts, pushing debtors and the poor to call for silver coinage as an inflationary measure. Harrison wanted a free coinage of silver but at its own value not at a fixed ratio to gold. He failed to make a compromise. The Sherman Silver Purchase Act depleted the nation's gold supply that would continue until the Cleveland administration resolved it.
After regaining the majority in both Houses of Congress, some Republicans, led by Harrison, attempted to pass legislation to protect black Americans' civil rights. Harrison's Attorney General, William H. H. Miller, through the Justice Department, ordered the prosecutions for violation of voting rights in the South; however, white juries often failed to convict or indict violators. This prompted Harrison to urge Congress to pass legislation that would "secure all our people a free exercise of the right of suffrage and every other civil right under the Constitution and laws." Harrison supported the Federal Elections Bill (written by Representative Henry Cabot Lodge and Senator George Frisbie Hoar) in 1890, but the bill was defeated in the Senate. Harrison spoke in favor of civil rights for African Americans. He gave an address to Congress on December 1889 and said that, "The colored people did not intrude themselves upon us; they were brought here in chains and held in communities where they are now chiefly bound by a cruel slave code...when and under what conditions is the black man to have a free ballot? When is he in fact to have those full civil rights which have so long been his in law? When is that quality of influence which our form of government was intended to secure to the electors to be restored? … in many parts of our country where the colored population is large the people of that race are by various devices deprived of any effective exercise of their political rights and of many of their civil rights. The wrong does not expend itself upon those whose votes are suppressed. Every constituency in the Union is wronged." Harrison supported a bill proposed by Senator Henry W. Blair, which would have granted federal funding to schools regardless of the students' races. He also endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court ruling in the Civil Rights Cases (1883) that declared much of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional. None of these measures gained congressional approval.
Harrison signed the Land Revision Act of 1891 that promoted national forests. He lived during the Ghost Dance movement of the Lakota Sioux. On December 29, 1890, troops from the Seventh Cavalry clashed with the Sioux at Wounded Knee. The result was a massacre of at least 146 Sioux, including many women and children; the dead Sioux were buried in a mass grave. The Ghost Dance was a spiritual movement. Harrison wanted an investigation and ordered 3,500 troops to South Dakota. The uprising ended. Harrison believed in the false premise that Native Americans must assimilate into white society. This policy was part of the allotment system and the Dawes Act. This plan failed as white speculators gotten more Native Americans' land at low prices. Harrison wanted to modernize the navy and military technology. Electricity light switches were in the White House during Harrison's time. On another front, Harrison sent Frederick Douglass as ambassador to Haiti, but failed in his attempts to establish a naval base there. Harrison made trade deals with many nations. Europeans nations had an embargo of U.S. pork, and it would take time for it to end. He prevented war against Chile. In the last days of his administration, Harrison dealt with the issue of Hawaiian annexation. Following a coup d'état against Queen Liliuokalani, the new government of Hawaii led by Sanford Dole petitioned for annexation by the United States. Harrison wanted to annex Hawaii to advance American imperialism. He appointed many people on the Supreme Court and other cabinet positions. He saw North Daoka, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming admitted to the Union. Love of travel was part of his life. His reelection campaign came in 1892.
The Panic of 1893 crippled the nation. Harison saw many Republicans refusing to support him. Cleveland would defeat him. Harrison also lost by many western Republican voters joining the Populist Party candidate James Weaver who wanted free silver, veterans' pensions, and a 8 hour work day. Harrison's wife passed way from tuberculosis. After he left office, Harrison visited the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in June 1893. After the Expo, Harrison returned to his home in Indianapolis. Harrison had been elected a companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States in 1882 and was elected as commander (president) of the Ohio Commandery on May 3, 1893. For a few months in 1894, Harrison lived in San Francisco, California, where he gave law lectures at Stanford University. Some wanted him to run for President again, but he came about to support William McKinley for President. He was in Purdue University as a Board of Trustees from July 1895 to March 1901. He remarried to 37 year old Mary Scott Lord Dimmick and had one child together named Elizabeth. His 2 adult children disapproved of the marriage. He was an active member of the Presbyterian Church. He passed away from pneumonia at his home on March 13, 1901 at the age of 67. His last words were reported to be, "Are the doctors here? Doctor, my lungs...". Harrison's remains are interred in Indianapolis's Crown Hill Cemetery, next to the remains of his first wife, Caroline. After her death in 1948, Mary Dimmick Harrison, his second wife, was buried beside him. President Benjamin Harrison was an innovative President dealing with antitrust, monetary policy, and tariffs. He developed the Navy, but he promoted the illogical view of the Monroe Doctrine. He had his progressive moments of supporting African American voting rights, supporting generous Civil War pensions, and being for other policies. He was the last of an era, and he existed in the start of the new era in preparation of the 20th century.
By Timothy
Saturday, January 22, 2022
Friday, January 21, 2022
Late January Updates.
Mitch McConnell's recent comments about voting rights show the mentality of Republicans on this issue. He said that "African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans." He implied that African Americans aren't real Americans, and that voter suppression is a myth. The truth is that African Americans are American citizens, and people are being suppressed the right to vote constantly. Many people have legitimately criticized Mitch McConnell's statements as inaccurate and offensive. This view isn't just embraced by him. It's embraced by many Republicans who refuse to allow the federal government to protect voting rights for real. The spokesman for McConnell's office said that McConnell meant to say other Americans. In 2019, he refused to desire reparations for African Americans when Japanese Americans, Jewish Americans, and some Native Americans received reparations. Us black Americans aren't less American than anyone else. Our ancestors helped to build America by our blood, sweat, and tears. We have every God-given right to condemn unjust laws that even ban giving food or water to people in voting lines. That is cruel beyond just evil (which it is evil). My response to Mitch McConnell is: Mitch Please. Our rights must be protected, defended, and expanded 100 percent.
Today, the Biden administration is one year old. Time is going fast. This comes after the seditionist Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. What makes Trump worse than Nixon involving the transition of power was that Nixon resigned from office after he was caught in criminal behavior. Trump was caught doing evil, and he tried to overthrow a legal election in 2020. No President ever did that in American history. Now, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have the power of the executive branch of government. There is the situation of the White House, the corporate media, and the U.S political establishment. Unemployment is down in America as compared to last year, but the pandemic is still sweeping across the world. More than 2,000 Americans are dying from COVID-19 every day. The American capitalist class and the billionaires on many cases seek profit over revolutionary change. There have been teachings strikes about the response to the pandemic too. The fundamental point is that the world must embrace liberation or not. While the Biden administration has done some good in passing infrastructure legislation and using coronavirus stimulus relief to millions of Americans (causing a cut in childhood poverty in half), there is still a long way to go. Like previous administration, Biden embraces a hawkish foreign policy that is archaic and wrong. I'm glad Trump lost the 2020, and we must embrace an independent progressive thinking in evaluating any President.
People have the right to advocate for legitimate change to transform the world. This movement for justice will have setbacks along the way, but in the end; we shall be completely victorious. The reason is that our cause is just and right. The moderates and the neoliberals are refuted once again, because there is no such thing as a little free. Either you are free or you aren't free. That is the question and the premise on how we live our lives. It is blatantly hypocritical for moderate Senators like Manchin and Sinema (including far right Republicans) to vote for not changing the filibuster, but they voted to change the filibuster to raise the debt ceiling. Economic justice is our aim too. Also, we advocate for voting and the investments to build up the lives of poor, low income, working class, and middle class in America. The battle for democracy continues, and the neo-fascists are the enemies of democracy.
Andre Leon Talley passed away at the age of 73 too. He was a fashion icon who was the first black male creative director of Vogue magazine. His maternal grandmother raised him. Living in Jim Crow South was brutal for him, but it never crushed his spirit. He was out to not only study fashion. He wanted to inspire creativity. Talley worked by going up the ranks from being a fashion designer to being an editor. He gave critiques on clothing, gave political statements, and was courageous. He wrote tons of book, worshipped at a church in Harlem, and remains one of the greatest scholars of fashion.
Rest in Power Brother Andre Leon Talley.
Recently, Lusia Harris passed away. She was one of the greatest basketball players in history who was the Queen of Basketball. She helped to set up a foundation where the WNBA would exist. Louia Harris was the only woman basketball player drafted by an NBA team. That team would be the New Orleans Jazz. She lived to be 66 years old, and she passed away in Greenwood, Mississippi. She was a mother, a grandmother, an Olympic medalist, and a matriarch. Lusia Harris could shoot, pass the ball, and was a champion. She was the first black woman inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. By 1999, she was enshrined into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame as one of 26 inaugural inductees. She won three straight national titles during the 1970's. Always a philanthropist, she helped clarities globally.
Rest in Power Sister Lusia Harris.
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Late January 2022 News.
Now, Governor Ron Desantis wants to propose a new Congressional map that will harm the voting power of black people in the state. Florida Governor has doubled down on the election proposal. Desantis is a terrible governor by any metric. His proposal is not only extreme and racist. It's terrible and against morality. Experts have said that this policy would reduce black American and Hispanic voting strength in congressional districts. We know what he is doing. He is trying to run for President in the near future. He is exactly the same reactionary governor who made a terrible response to deal with the coronavirus, passed a law that harm the freedom to protest, and doesn't care about certain people of Florida who looks like me. The GOP has proposed more voting restrictions in new bills. It doesn't stop. The proposed map would lower the number of black majority districts in Florida from 4 to 2 (ending black districts in North Florida including Orlando. The Republicans believe in the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen. These extremists don't believe that the federal government has a large role in making sure our environment is clean, to provide people with basic resources, and stand up against all injustices. Our democracy is sacred, and it must be defended.
One this historic day, we recognize the heroism of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Dr. King family today in 2022 lead a march in D.C. for voting rights and D.C. statehood too. Martin Luther King III wants federal voting rights legislation to be passed. Congress must do the right thing. Vice President Kamala Harris have echoed the same thing in wanting the Joe Lewis Voting Rights Act and other legislation to be passed. One way to honor Dr. King, his family, and his legacy is to stand up for voting rights, justice, being against imperialism, and for human equality. President Joe Biden wants people to pick on the side of voting rights. The Senate will debate on the legislation on Tuesday. Our democracy is on thin ice. There is no other way to put it. Now, we have many states with voter suppression laws. In Texas, hundreds of people are prevented from voting because of new applications in Texas' unjust voter suppression law.
The problem isn't just with far-right Republicans who are opposed to progressive policies. Dr. King said that the worst threat are the moderates who want the status quo instead of liberation. Now, we have the moderate Democrats (in the form of 2 Senators) refusing to end the filibuster completely. Also, it is important to note that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a revolutionary. Dr. King opposed LBJ's Vietnam War. Dr. King supported Ghanaian independence and Third World liberation movements. He called the United States government the greatest purveyor of violence in the world. That doesn't sound like a moderate person. Dr. King advocated a world revolutionary change in anti-colonial action. He said that he believed in Black Power meaning getting political and economic power in order to achieve legitimate goals. Dr. King praised fellow revolutionaries W.E.B. DuBois and Paul Robeson. Even Dr. King's nonviolence involved civil disobedience, direct action, and boycotts. Dr. King called out the political establishment of both major parties and the black bourgeoisie (just like Malcolm X. In fact, Malcolm X and Dr. King shook hands in the U.S. Capitol on March 26, 1964). Dr. King criticized capitalism and honored democratic socialism. Dr. King also advocated reparations for black Americans. Also, Dr. King believed in people using self-defense to protect one's home or family. So, Dr. King believed in love, but he was also a black revolutionary too.
The 11 hour hostage standoff at the Colleyville, Texas synagogue is over. We are glad that the hostages are all alive. They will never forget this moment for the rest of their lives. The kidnapper was a coward who wanted to promote an extremist in prison. As others have mentioned, religious and racial hatred have no place in the world. The terrorist wanted harm done to Jewish people and their faith explicitly as documented by the FBI. Anti-Semitism is evil, wrong, and has no justification. Also, it is important that many people in the Christian and Muslim community shown compassion to the victims of the kidnappers. We certainly can't be silent on these issues. In our time, we have seen an increase of hate crimes against black people, Jewish people, Muslims, Asian people, and other groups of human beings. The terrorist and kidnapper was Malik Faisal Akram (who wanted the convicted terrorist Aafia Siddiqui to be freedom from federal prison). He came from England. Akram lived in a homeless shelter in America.
Yesterday was the Birthday of Sister Estelle, and she is 42 years old. London, England is the place of her birth. For years, she has worked in R&B, soul, hip hop, and other genres of music. She is an old school soul who can also present new school types of music too. Her mother's family came from Dakar, Senegal, and her father is from Grenada. Growing up, she was raised in a religious family. They listened to American gospel and traditional African music. Estelle would listen to some hip hop too. She knew about Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane growing up. She worked on many UK hip hop songs during the early 2000's. She worked with Kanye West on the song American Boy. The 18th Day was her debut album that was released in the UK on October 2004. Her 2nd album was Shine working with John Legend and other people. The album had Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Wyclef Jean, Will.I.am, and other people. She won many awards like a Grammy. All of Me was her third album. One of her most powerful songs was Conqueror. Estelle continues to act and make music. She loves to listen to Adele, Nas, Lauryn Hill, Jay Z, Jill Scott, etc. Her main musical influences are Mary J. Blige and Ella Fitzgerald. Lovers Rock was her 2018 album. She has been on movies, TV shows, and on video games. Great vocals and charisma are part of her style as an artist. Estelle is a great musical artist of our generation. I wish Sister Estelle more blessings.
By Timothy
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Monday, January 17, 2022
Honoring the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (in the Year of 2022)
Today is the federal American holiday that celebrates the life and legacy of the legendary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was the icon who helped changed the world, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the many leaders of the black freedom movement. His father and grandfather were Baptist preachers, so the church atmosphere influenced his life greatly. Atlanta, Georgia is the city of his birth, and his father and his mother taught him to stand up for himself. The date of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth was on January 15, 1929. He would be 93 years old today in 2022. His family included his parents Martin Luther King Jr. and Alberta Williams King. Back during the time of September 20, 1944, Dr. King started his freshman year at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. As a child, he played pranks, he played basketball, and he was an outgoing child. Back on August 6, 1946, The Atlanta Constitution published Dr. King's letter to editor stating that black people, "are entitled to the basic rights and opportunities of American citizens." As early as February 25, 1948, Dr. King was ordained and appointed assistant pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Morehouse College on June 8, 1948. He went up north to Chester, Pennsylvania to study at Crozer Theological Seminar. He graduated from Crozer with a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1951, with him delivering the valedictory address at commencement. Dr. King started his graduate studies in systematic theology at Boston University on September 13, 1951. This is the place where he met Coretta Scott King. Coretta Scott King was a progressive like Dr. King. She even supported peace rallies and publicly opposed the Vietnam War. Coretta Scott King was a trained singer who toured the nation with her songs too. She was his equal. They married at the Scott home near Marion, Alabama on June 18, 1953. By September 1, 1954, Dr. King started his pastorate at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Albama. He earned his doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University on June 5, 1955.
As a child, he had a gifted oratory ability. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. could convey complex concepts about social issues or economic issues in everyday language with an eloquent Southern accent. He earned his Ph.D.., and he worked with many leaders to promote his cause for the end of Jim Crow apartheid. He preached in Montgomery, Alabama when people organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to vacate her seat and over to the back of a bus. Claudette Colvin also protested this unjust discrimination too. Later, the boycott existed with more leaders like Jo Ann Robinson and the Women's Political Council members. There were leaflets printed in the thousands to let people know what they were going to do. Many people formed the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) with Dr. King elected as its President. Dr. King was threatened by racists, and his house was bombed on January 30, 1956. Yet, he never gave up. Bayard Rustin convinced Dr. King to give up his gun in his house to promote nonviolence as a personal philosophy. By November 13, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the lower court opinion in Browder v. Gayle declared the Montgomery and Alabama bus segregation laws were unconstitutional. It would be one of many victories of the black freedom movement. Montgomery City Lines had their services without segregation, and Dr. King was among the first passengers to ride the new, integrated buses.
Later, Dr. King worked with the SCLC, the NAACP, SNCC, and CORE to work to make sure that strong legislation would be passed to advance true equality plus justice. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference or the SCLC wanted to continue to fight for justice. He was on the cover of Time magazine by February 18, 1957. In that same year, he gave the Give Us the Ballot speech at the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. By 1958, Dr. King and their wife had 2 children of Yolanda and Dr. Martin Luther King III. In 1958, he met with Nixon and Eisenhower, and his first book was published called "Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story." In 1959, he visited India for a month to meet Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and many of Gandhi's followers. This time was before many of us knew about Gandhi's controversies. By 1960, Dr. King increased his work in the freedom struggle. He met privately with then Democratic Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. He was arrested during a sit in demonstration in Atlanta at Rich's department on October 19, 1960. He supported the Freedom Riders in 1961. The Freedom Riders wanted to enforce the legal integrated interstate bus drivers. Many of them were assaulted and buses were bombed. They persisted, even when they went into prison for their beliefs.
By 1961, he wanted President John F. Kennedy to issue a 2nd Emancipation Proclamation to eliminate racial segregation. The Albany movement in 1961-1962 wasn't as successful because of the slick action by Laurie Pritchett. In Albany, Georgia, Dr. King worked with Albany Movement President William G. Anderson, SNCC, and other groups. Bernice Albertine King was born on March 28, 1963. 1963 was one of the most important years of the Civil Rights Movement. This time was when Dr. King was in jail, and he wrote the Letter from The Birmingham Jail. This letter refuted moderate Jewish and Christian clergymen who wanted black Americans to just patiently wait for justice without massive demonstrations. Dr. King rightfully wrote that freedom is not based on the hands of a clock, but freedom must be given as soon as possible without delay. The letter made a distinction between just and unjust laws (and Dr. King made a point that once upon a time Hitler did legal things, but what Hitler did were part of unjust laws. Therefore, we have a moral right to reject unjust laws). In 1963, kids were hit with water hoses by racists, supported by Police Commissioner Eugene "Bull" Conner. Many cops used dogs, clubs, and cattle prods to harm black men, women, and even children in downtown Birmingham. It was so bad in Birmingham that black people in 1963 had no choice but to use self-defense to defend themselves from their homes being bombed and black people being killed. In that year, Dr. King's sermons called Strength to Love are published. On August 28, 1963, the March on Washington existed. It was planned by the 1940's by A. Philip Randolph, but now he got his wish. Dr. King, CORE, Bayard Rustin, and other human beings organized the whole march. It was a long time coming. The March on Washington wanted legislation to deal with civil rights, voting rights, economic justice, and other policies. Over 200,000 people were there at the Lincoln Memorial where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his historic "I Have a Dream" speech. The misconception about the speech is that it was solely about love. It was also an indictment of racism in America, a criticism of the status quo, and a condemnation of police brutality. The speech wanted justice, living wages, human justice, and real progressive change in the world. Labor and religious groups were involved in the March on Washington movement too. Dr. King met with President John F. Kennedy and Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson in the White House after Dr. King's speech was finished. Each would support federal civil rights legislation.
Dr. King gave the eulogy at the funerals of Addie Mae Collins, Carol Denise McNair, and Cynthia Dianne Wesley. These were 3 of the 4 children who were murdered by the September 15, 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. These 4 children just wanted to worship God and have joy. Yet, racists murdered them. Carole Robertson, the fourth victim, was buried in a separate ceremony. The U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy authorized the FBI to wiretap King's home by October 10, 1963. On January 3, 1964, Dr. King was named "Man of the Year" by Time Magazine. Dr. King moved on in 1964 to promote LBJ's War on Poverty program, work in the St. Augustine, Florida Civil Rights movement, and he received the Nobel Peace Prize too. On March 26, 1964, he met with Malcolm X in D.C. to watch debates on the civil rights bill. This is their first and only time that they met. By this time, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam to form the OAAU group. Malcolm X said that he opposed segregation, but he wanted independence for black people. Also, Malcolm X explicitly criticized capitalism and opposed the Vietnam War. Why We Can't Wait was published in June of 1964. Dr. King supported the SNCC and CORE Freedom Summer campaign by July of 1964. J. Edgar Hoover criticized Dr. King in public as a liar after Dr. King rightfully said that the FBI failed to protect civil rights workers. Hoover used COINTELPRO to illegally harass progressive movements for social change. Dr. King met with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover at the Justice Department on December 1, 1964. J. Edgar Hoover was a hypocrite to claim to be for democratic values, but he used illegal tactics in monitoring fellow American citizens unjustly. In 1965, Dr. King and tons of people worked in the Selma movement. After Malcolm X's assassination, Dr. King gave comments respecting his passion for black freedom in a respectful tone. Malcolm X was also in Selma in 1965 to send positive words to Dr. King when Malcolm X talked with Coretta Scott King. Bloody Sunday took place on March 7, 1965, when innocent civil rights protesters were beaten by cops (many of them on horseback). They were at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Amelia Boynton was one leader of the Selma voting rights movement who was severely beaten by racist cowards. They wanted to go to Montgomery. They finally go into Montgomery to stand up for voting rights. By August 12, 1965, Dr. King opposed the Vietnam War in a mass rally at the ninth Annual Convention of SCLC in Birmingham. The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, and it was a huge victory. Yet, more challenges came. Immediately, the rebellion in Watts happened in Los Angeles, California during the Summer of 1965. It wasn't a shock to us, but it was a shock to other Americans. Dr. King came to Los Angeles to witness the temperature of the situation. He was booed by some black people which was rare back then. Later, Dr. King was right to say that this system of oppression is more than what's going on in the South (but it dealt with also economic and social issues that existed from an oppressive oligarchy). Dr. King realized that it is important to evaluate the socio-economic conditions of the North, the Midwest, and the West coast in order to make freedom real for all people. That is why he traveled across America. In other words, it's fine to vote and to have civil rights. Yet, we also need to end poverty, to create great, affordable housing, to build up our health care system, and to create a society where living wages are real. The whole structure of society must change in order for inequalities to be abolished.
In January 26, 1966, Dr. King and his wife moved into Chicago to promote solutions to the poor conditions of housing in Chicago (at 1550 South Hamlin Avenue). He even met with Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad in Chicago on February 23, 1966. The Black Power grew by June of 1966 after James Meredith was shot. Meredith desired to marched from Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi, but he was shot by a racist near Memphis. Kwame Ture was in Mississippi to promote Black Love, and he wanted his friend, Dr. King to support his advocacy of Black Power. Dr. King agreed with Kwame Ture on black self-determination and the growth of economic plus political power in the black community. Yet, Dr. King rejected separatism. Black Power was an evolution of the black freedom struggle that wanted the growth of black independence. Back then, the concept of Black Power was misinterpreted as violent and racist (which wasn't the case). Even leaders of the NAACP like Roy Wilkins back then condemned Black Power as racist and extremist. Black Power meant different things to different people. The Chicago Movement in 1966 had mixed results. There was an agreement to do something about housing discrimination, but it was not very powerful. Dr. King said that he saw more racism in the Chicago area than in Mississippi. The reason is that there were thousands and thousands of white racists cursing, using signs of hate, and assaulting protesters when these protesters just wanted fair housing laws in Chicago. By January 1967, Dr. King was in Jamaica and realized that the Vietnam War must be more strongly opposed. So, he decided to be more overt in his criticisms of the war. On April 4, 1967, Dr. King gave his great Beyond Vietnam speech to the group of Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam. This took place at the Riverside Church in New York City. It was one of his greatest speeches exposing how it's hypocritical for some to promote nonviolence in America for freedom, but they want violence in Vietnam to claim to promote freedom. The Vietnam War eliminated resources that could be better spent to build up American society and end poverty. By June 1967, he published his last book called "Where Do We Do From Here: Chaos or Community?" From 1967 to 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled to London, Lexington (in Kentucky), Norfolk, NYC, Newark, and everywhere around the world, even in Geneva, Switzerland. He showed his message of love, nonviolence, anti-imperialism, and justice.
He suffered a lot too. He was stabbed by a deranged person (Izola Ware Curry in Harlem, NYC) and assaulted by a member of the American Nazi Party in Birmingham, Alabama on September 28, 1962. He was harassed illegally by the FBI and the NSA. He was hit in the head by a rock by a racist in the Chicago area in 1966. Yet, he never wavered in his committed to the philosophy of nonviolent resistance. He courageous opposed the Vietnam War in literature, speeches, and social activism. His words motivated all of us to continue forth in promoting the Dream for human justice fully. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others set an example of excellence that has inspired the whole Universe. His last causes were the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers protests and the Poor People's Campaign (as he wanted a radical redistribution of economic and political power to make sure that economic justice would be made real for all, not just the 1%). By April 3, 1968, he gave his last public speech. There was storm, and Dr. King was taking a nap. Yet, Ralph Abernathy called him to speak at Mason Temple. Dr. King did and gave his powerful "I've Been to the Mountaintop." The speech was prophetic in predicting that he may not see the Promised Land, but black people will see the Promised Land in the future. Dr. King talked about history, black economic empowerment, living wages, opposition to racism, and defying an unjust injunction all in one speech. Later, he talked with some of his best friends Ralph Abernathy and Dorothy Cotton. Afterwards, he planned on marching again in Memphis. He had a pillow fight, talked with people, and was in a joyful mood. Later, he was murdered while standing in the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Rebellions existed. Later, a memorial service was given to commemorate Dr. King's life. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was buried in Atlanta, Georgia on April 9, 1968. Ironically, we still face many of the same racism and voter suppression evils today in 2022 (Dr. King III, his wife, and their child came into Arizona to inspire Senator Sinema to reject the filibuster, so powerful voting rights legislation can be passed by the United States Congress) just like back then. Dr. King was much more revolutionary than some people assumed. He praised democratic socialism, he wanted reparations for black Americans, and he was focused on even advocating a boycott of the 1968 Olympics.
Rest in Power Brother Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In 2022, all of us have seen massive changes in the atmosphere of the Earth. We have witnessed righteous people like Speech (from Arrested Development), Cicely Tyson, Kirsten West Savali, Tarana Burke, Bree Newsome-Bass, and Fannie Lou Hamer. Also, we have exposed modern day misogynists and evil extremists (who bash black women in an evil fashion. Anyone who bashes black women has no respect from me. I don't care who it is. You can't be pro-black and anti-women) like Tommy Sotomayor, Kevin Samuels, white racists, and Fresh and Fit spewing their lies plus distractions. We want solutions, not gender war agitation. We want women and men to reach their highest potentials in living their own lives. That is why in this Appendix, it is important to list real solutions. We know about the many problems in the black community (like poverty, colorism, mass incarceration, violence, abuse, miseducation, health issues, family issues, pollution, etc.), and now it's time to further describe solutions to our issues comprehensively. First, it is important to cultivate our knowledge of self to see our value as black people and be mentally pro-Blackness in our thinking plus actions. I side eye any person (who is black) who can't see the beauty and the intellectual power of black people. Community development is a must as there is no progress without building our black communities in America plus worldwide. Joining independent organizations is a great way to build bonds among our people justly. Exercise and eating nutritious foods are prerequisites in having an enriched mind, body, and spirt. The benefits of exercise and other health developing activities (like eating healthy foods like: organic bacopa tea, B vitamins, Omega 3s from chia or ground flax seeds, etc.) are key ways to build our immune systems, develop our intellects, grow confidence, and extend our life expectancies. Promoting pan-African unity means to appreciate our diverse cultures as black people (as we are not monolithic human beings. We have different creeds, customs, and traditions) and realize that we are all part of the same human family simultaneously.
I have no issues with nonviolence, but it is not evil to know legitimate self-defense as a way for us to experience self-preservation as black people. Gun clubs, martial arts training, and other courses of action are increasingly more common among black men and black women to protect our lives in this society. There is no freedom without building real infrastructure and institutions beneficial to our people. It is fine to learn financial literacy among young people and everyone else, but you have to apply that wisdom to build institutions too. So, there should be the growth of institutions that help our community like stores, banks, businesses, hospitals, therapy centers, etc. We must support real revolutionaries and revolutionary politics like being anti-imperialist, supporting the rights of the oppressed, and helping the poor. I find that many fake people lust after wealth without a concern of ending economic inequality or mocking the poor (like Charleton White who says that he is selfish, doesn't care about other people, and mocks God in profane terms. He said that he doesn't care about making a change. Him cursing out an elderly black woman in a church and calling his wife out of his name show that he is a coward. He is a known Trump supporter too). We should be the opposite of new age deceivers like Charleston White. You can show empathy towards the poor and call for a radical redistribution of the wealth being a real revolutionary. Health care for all, economic justice, living wages, and total voting rights make perfect sense. Growing our families is always necessary. Marriage should be strengthened to be fair among all parties involved. Using counseling, resources, financial training, and other methods will help nuclear, extended, single, and other types of families to thrive voluntarily. That grows black liberation. Community maters. Black Love and Black Unity (based on respect, reciprocity, sincerity, the love of Blackness, supporting black artists including writers, and integrity) are always critical ways in seeing true freedom and justice. We want black people to be free and experience true happiness. Teaching and helping others in mentorships, traveling, and cultivating wisdom will make a difference too. Opposing all injustices including misogynoir will help black lives constantly. These are some of the many solutions necessary to develop our black lives indeed.
By Timothy