Black Hair Advocacy: Meet The Two West African Women Championing The CROWN Act (msn.com)
Saturday, July 30, 2022
Friday, July 29, 2022
Late July 2022 Updates.
Right now, we have an economic crisis. The good news is that unemployment is not very high as in 2020 or in 2008 (among those massive recessions). The bad news is that high inflation is persistent causing struggles for millions of Americans. The highest inflation is in California. Many families are struggling to pay for their mortgages, food, shelter, and other necessary resources for basic human survival. That is certainly very sad and tragic. In some places of America, the price of eggs has risen to $7.99 a dozen. Gas prices nationally have declined. Many people have resorted to giving up some foods to eat in order to exist on this Earth to live. Rent has grown massively too. Recently, President Biden has given a press conference to try to calm down fears of a possible recession. The U.S. economy has contracted for a second quarter in a row. The American economy is changing. America's gross domestic product fell by 0.9% on an annualized basis from April through June of 2022. Brittney Griner testified in Russia that she has no intention to violate the law. The Biden administration via Blinken and others offered the exchange of the convicted Russian arms dealer in a bid to free Britney Griner and Paul Whelan. The Biden administration has received massive pressure to get Americans out of Russian jails. Blinken wants to talk to Lavrov to attempt to make a deal. Griner's trial continues. If the political will is there, then a deal can come about quickly. Frankly, we want Griner and Whelan to come home to America as soon as possible.
The bill to fight inflation, called The Inflation Reduction Act, has great progress today after Senator Joe Manchin has formed a deal with progressive Democrats. The bill invests $369 billion in energy and climate change programs (with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 40% by 2030). The bill can become law as early as August 2022. Many GOP members oppose the law because some GOP members are so extreme that some feel that a penny increase in a tax increase is immoral. Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York state agrees with the proposed bill. This comes after the Federal Reserve hike interest rates by 3/4 of a percent for the 2nd time. The FED said that these rate hikes will decrease inflation long term as when fewer people buy things, the prices of items can go down. Some GOP Senators voted against healthcare for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. As Jon Stewart has said, those Senators are cowards. This bill is not controversial at all. It shows how hypocritical those who voted against the bill are when they claim to support the troops but vote against a bill to help the troops. Many GOP members voting against the CHIPS Plus bill to help build up computer technology is silliness by the GOP.
In the year of 2020, the 1.8-acre Millie Woodson-Turner Home Site (in Southampton County, Virginia) has been named as part of the Virginia Landmarks Register. This land goes back to the Nottoway tribal reservation lands that were formed during the colonial age of American history. The land was occupied heavily from 1852 to 1953. The homestead land was owned by Millie and her sisters over 150 years ago. Historians and archaeologists have studied the subject for years. The homestead had cabins, farms, cows, mules, and other things. Millie Woodson-Turner (1830-1910) was my 4th great-grandmother, so this is why this story is very important in my life. She married a free man named Morefield Hurst (1827-1918). Their daughter was Susanna Field Hurst Turner (1862-1949), who was my 3rd great-grandmother. If you go back, Millie's grandmother was Winifred Woodson-Bozeman, who was born in 1791, and her mother was my 7th great-grandmother named Nancy Woodson. During the era of Reconstruction, there was a school named the Turner Hill school. The children of Millie Woodson and Morefield Hurst including Edwin Sr. and Betsy Turner were sent to this school. One teacher was Harriet A. Gregory, the daughter of the preacher and politician Joseph Gregory (of Southampton's Reconstruction-era Republican Party). Edwin Turner owned the building that housed the school. On my 3rd great grandmother Susanna's farm, there were apple trees and pear trees. That is why there were Johnnycakes or apple turnovers regularly cooked at Susanna's home.
This year is the 35th year anniversary of A Different World. It all began in 1987. A Different World was unlike any show in television history. It was a show that was ahead of its time. I always mentioned that this show certainly inspired me to be more socially and politically conscious about the world. The greatness of the show was it presented to the world a diverse amount of black people personality wise and social-wise. In real life, we know people who act like a Dwayne Wade, a Whitley Gilbert, a Ron Johnson, a Jalessa Vinson-Taylor, a Kimberly Reese, or a Freddie Brooks. By the end of the show in July of 1993 (near the start of my 5th-grade year), I was near the end of my time in elementary school. From tackling issues like racism, poverty, HIV/AIDS, apartheid, the 1992 Los Angeles rebellion, sexism, rape, domestic violence, colorism, and the issue of music, A Different World stands on its own as a classic television show. I like the Wedding episode, the episode exposing racism after the football game, and the new characters coming up during the show's last two seasons too. Debbie Allen helped to re-invent the show to make it more realistic and honest about the multifaceted black American experience. It gave an eye-opening look at HBCUs too. A Different World contributed to an increase of black people going into Historically Black Colleges and Universities. As part of my childhood, A Different World was one of the greatest television shows in human history.
Some sad news is that the legendary actress Mary Alice Smith recently passed away on July 27, 2022. I remembered her playing many roles from A Different World to the film The Matrix Revolutions. She was definitely one of the greatest, unsung actresses of all time. With passion, realism, and strength, she made her audience feel her talent flourish. Also, she was remarkably great in the theater. She earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her appearance in the 1987 production of August Wilson's Fences. Fences was a historic play that details the life of black people in the city of Pittsburgh. Her birthplace was in the Deep South at Indianola, Mississippi. By the time when she was 2 years old, she moved to Chicago. Chicago Teacher's College (now the Chicago State University where she graduated from) gave her a great education. Mary Alice Smith taught in an elementary school before returning to acting in the mid-1960's. Being part of famous theater productions was part of her longevity. Also, she was on shows and movies as diverse as the 1974 film The Education of Sonny Carson, Police Woman, and Sanford and Son. She was in the film Sparkle (which is based on the ups and downs of R&B women groups) in 1976. From being on All My Children, Malcolm X, Down in The Delta, The Inkwell, and the show I'll Fly Away (which details life during the early Civil Rights Movement. I saw that show when I was in elementary school at NBC before), she was part of some of the greatest films of our time. The gift of her was that Mary Alice Smith quintessentially used creativity, honesty, and a love of people to present her glorious work to the people. Her grace was preeminent.
Rest in Power Sister Mary Alice Smith.
By Timothy
Thursday, July 28, 2022
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
News in the World.
Greg Jacob testified to the January 6th committee that Eastman knew that the elector scheme was against the law. Marc Short or the former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence said that he testified last week in front of a grand jury investigating the insurrection. Another aide to Pence did the same thing too. The Department of Justice continues to investigate the insurrection. Only the DOJ can charge Trump or anyone responsible for the far-right attempt coup d'état against the American government. Attorney Garland told NBC News that he intends to hold everyone criminally responsible for the January 6th insurrection. More and more people in the country of America see that Trump had a huge role in the conspiracy to try to overthrow the 2020 election. The Justice Department has expanded its investigations to the rioters and to the fundraising and organizing for the political rally. Every day, we are learning new information about what took place on that infamous day. The DOJ is asking questions about Trump's actions on January 6, 2021. The Stop the Steal organizer Ali Alexander testified to the grand jury too. More people are testifying under oath. We know what happened. The question is whether those involved in the near coup d'état against America will be held responsible.
Right now, Ukrainian political leaders want grain exports to continue this week. Russian missiles have stuck the southern port of Odessa. This comes just one day after Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a deal to allow shipments. America with working with Ukraine in trying to get grain exports out of the country. Grain exports help to supply food globally in immense ways. Grains are valuable crops that helps to develop farming and other food sources. Disruption of grains will increase inflation and cause other forms of economic instability. Russia and Turkey want to use military naval forces to escort Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea into the Bosporus (according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergie Lavrov). Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants Russia and Ukraine to act responsibly and honor agreements they signed in Istanbul last week on the export of Ukrainian grains.
Nothing shocks me about Viktor Orban of Hungary. He has been a racist, a liar, and a xenophobe bashing migrants for years. Recently, he gave a racist speech saying that he doesn't want Hungary to be a nation of "mixed race" people Orban forgets that historically, Hungary has always been a nation with multiethnic people with Hunnish, Roma, Turkish, Magyar, and other diverse ethnic origins spanning thousands of years. Orban also omits that black people lived in Europe for thousands of years. There were black soldiers, scholars, and writers in Europe during the days of the Roman Empire and before that time. Zsuzsa Hegedus, one of Orban's longest-serving advisers has resigned. Some people want Orban to go into Dallas, Texas to open the hate-filled CPAC Texas rally. Orban is admired by Donald Trump and other far-right conservatives in America. Orban is the person who is notorious to lock up refugees in modern-day camps at the border. Orban uses policies to suppress press freedom, judicial independence, and undermine multiparty democracy. Viktor Orban is representative of international far-right forces who seek to ruin human rights as we know it.
Days ago was the Birthday of the late Walter Payton. He was a humanitarian and being one of the greatest football players in history. Payton loved to perform on the field with turns and other creative moves. He helped the Chicago Bears to win a Super Bowl during the 1980's. The Midwest is the location of his birth at Columbia, Missouri. He was so great that he was part of the 1970's and 1980's All-Decade Team of the NFL. He held records in career rushing yards, touchdowns, carriers, yards from scrimmage, all-purpose yards, and other categories. Payton helped to promote organ donation in American society. Chicago always loved Walter Payton, and Walter Payton loved his family too. Walter Payton gave both strength and a sensitivity to the game of football that can never be duplicated.
Rest in Power Brother Walter Payton.
Days ago was the Birthday of Sister Wendy Raquel Robinson, and she is now 55 years old. She is one of the most talented actresses of our generation. She was born in Los Angeles, California. Later, she graduated from Howard University with a cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama. Wendy Robinson worked on the show Martin in 1993, Thea, and The Sinbad Show. Later, she worked on the popular The Steve Harvey Show for 6 seasons. Her character was the principal of a Chicago high school. Later, she was on the sketch comedy series Cedric the Entertainer Presents with Cedric the Entertainer. Robinson made guest appearances on The Parkers, All of Us, and The New Adventures of Old Christine. She was in films like Two Can Play That Game in 2001 and Rebound (which was about a person coaching middle school children) in 2005. We also know her for playing the leading role of Tasha Mack in the show The Game (which is about the sports world). Robinson co-founded the Amazing Grace Conservatory which helps children from 5 to 18 to be involved in the arts and media production. Some members of the groups are Issa Rae, Ashton Sanders, Rhyon Nicole Brown, Elle Varner, Selena Thurmond, Isaac Ryan Brown, Dijon Sharif Thames, and other people. Wendy Robinson continues to work in acting to this day. I wish Sister Wendy Raquel Robinson more Blessings.
By Timothy
Monday, July 25, 2022
Late July 2022 News about History and Culture.
Watergate existed in stages. As early as July 1, 1971, David Young and Egil "Bud" Krough wrote a memo suggesting the creation of what would later be the "White House Plumbers" in response to the leak of the Pentagon Papers by Daniel Ellsberg. The Pentagon Papers exposed the desperation of American political elites in using exaggerations and deception in advancing the Vietnam War. By August 21, 1971, Nixon's Enemies List was started by White House aides (Nixon may not have been aware of it) to use the federal government to target progressive activists. On September 3, 1971, "White House Plumbers" E. Howard Hunt, G. Gordon Liddy, and others break into the offices of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist Lewis Fielding looking for material that might discredit Ellsberg, under the direction of John Ehrlichman or his staff within the White House. This was the Plumbers' first major operation.
By early 1972, the Plumbers, at this stage assigned to the Committee to Re-Elect the President (abbreviated CRP, but often mocked by the acronym CREEP), had become frustrated at the lack of additional assignments they were being asked to perform, and that any plans and proposals they suggested were being rejected by CRP. Liddy and Hunt took their complaints to the White House – most likely to Charles Colson – and requested that the White House start putting pressure on CRP to assign them new operations. It is likely that both Colson and White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman did so, starting the train of events that led to the Watergate break-ins a few months later. This narrative was confirmed in the famous "Cancer on the Presidency" conversation between Nixon and White House Counsel John Dean on March 21, 1973. By May 2, 1972, J. Edgar Hoover died, and L. Patrick Gray was appointed acting FBI director.
On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested in a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate hotel and office complex in Washington, D.C. Events evolve quickly. By June 20, 1972, President Richard Nixon and his aide H.R. Haldeman discussed Watergate. Later, prosecutors find an 18-minute gap in the tape of that conversation. By September 15, 1972, seven men, including two former White House aides, were indicted in the Watergate break-in. From January 11-20, 1973, five of the men plead guilty to conspiracy, burglary, and wiretapping. Two men stand trial and are convicted. By April 30, 1973, Haldeman and Nixon aide John D. Ehrlichman resigned. White House aide John Dean was fired in the same day too.
July 24, 1973 was when the Supreme Court ruled that Nixon must provide the tapes and documents subpoenaed by special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox. On October 20, 1973, Cox refused to compromise on the tapes, and Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Cox. Richardson refused and resigned in protest. Acting Attorney General Robert Bork fired Cox, and this was known as the Saturday Night Massacre. On July 24, 1974, the Supreme Court ruled that Richard Nixon must hand over the tapes. The tapes exposed everything. From July 27-30, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee approves three articles of impeachment: obstruction of justice, misuse of powers and violation of his oath of office, and failure to comply with House subpoenas. On August 5, 1974, the smoking gun tape is released to the public. In the recording of a June 23, 1972, conversation, Nixon is heard approving a proposal from his chief of staff to press the FBI to drop its investigation of the Watergate break-in six days earlier. Republicans who had intended to support Nixon in an impeachment trial abandon him. Even Republican Senator Barry Goldwater doesn't support Nixon anymore. By August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon resigned. On September 8, 1974, President Gerald Ford pardons Nixon.
By the 1950's, modern pop, rock, R&B, jazz, doo- wop, swing, country, and other genres of music were international and powerful. The 1950's saw the prelude to other musical movements spreading across the world. By the mid to late 1950's, rock and roll dominated popular music. It was music created by black people mixing rhythm and blues, the spirituals, and gospel music. Rock and roll had a blues origin too. In 1951, Cleveland, Ohio disc jockey Alan Freed began playing rhythm and blues music for a multi-racial audience and is credited with first using the phrase "rock and roll" to describe the music. The electric guitar was popularized by Chuck Berry, Link Wray, and Scotty Moore. Chuck Berry and Little Richard were pioneers of Rock and Roll music. Berry had showmanship that would be years ahead of its time. Les Paul did guitar music too. The mother of Rock and Roll would be the expert guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who performed gospel too. Bill Haley and His Comets, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Big Joe Burner, and Gene Vincent showed early rock sounds. Elvis Presley was a very popular rock and roll artist. He was born in the South in Tennessee. He learned rock and soul music from black people (like B.B. King), and he developed his style. The modern-day Rock and Roll Era grew after the film The Blackboard Jungle. The film's use of Bill Haley and His Comets' "(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" during the opening credits caused a national sensation when teenagers started dancing in the aisles. The conservative artist Pat Boone is known for his hits like Two Hearts, Two Kisses, etc. Many people complained about Boone covering black R&B hits for mainstream pop acceptance. Little Richard, Glenn Miller, Chuck Berry, and Frank Sinatra had a huge following. Elvis was a pop sensation among teenagers especially. Back in the day, America was a much more conservative nation. So, even Elvis dancing with his legs moving was considered back then as too vulgar. Dick Clark hosted American Bandstand to host pop and rock artists, starting in 1957. Many of the artists like teens loved by the late 1950's were Bobby Darin, Ricky Nelson, Frankie Avalon, Paul Anka, Neil Sedaka, Bobby Rydell, Connie Francis, and Fabian Forte. Ritchie Valens (who is a Hispanic American), The Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly passed away early in their lives. R&B-influenced acts like The Crows, The Penguins, The El Dorados and The Turbans all scored major hits, and groups like The Platters, with songs including "The Great Pretender" (1955), and The Coasters with humorous songs like "Yakety Yak" (1958), ranked among the most successful rock and roll acts of the period.
Crooners like Dorothy Kirsten and Bing Crosby continued to make music. Stax Records would develop in 1957 showing a new era of Southern soul and Memphis soul styles. By 1959, Sam Cooke's Sar label would exist, and Berry Gordy's Motown Records would exist. Sam Cooke was one of the best vocalists in history with songs about love/romance and politics. Motown, even in 1959, had huge popularity and power that inspired future black artists. Motown is beloved by people of every color as well. There is no music of today without the influence of Motown Records. Otis Redding had his start in the 1950's too. Big Mama Thornton had the like of Hound Dog too. Country music by the 1950's was in abundance, and black artists were in Country music too from its earliest days. Ray Charles, Nina Simone, and Dinah Washington during the 1950's expressed jazz music in a widespread fashion. Harry Belafonte popularizing the Calypso music of the Caribbean is represented in the song Banana Boat Song from his 1956 album of Calypso. The Weavers, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, The Kingston Trio, Odetta, and several other performers were instrumental in launching the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. In Europe, Africa, Oceania, Asia, and other places of the world, music was never bland. It was filled with life and vibrant influences.
The fight for reparations for black Americans has existed for over 100 years. From 1890-1896, we know about the National Ex Slave Mutual Relief Bounty and Pension Association. It was created to get pensions for former slaves from the Federal government as compensation and reparations for their unpaid labor and suffering. It was officially founded in 1896 and chartered in 1898 in Nashville, Tennessee. Former slaves Callie House and Isaiah H. Dickerson founded the group. By the early 20th century, we saw the movement of Marcus Garvey. Garvey created the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) to promote black racial pride, economic independence, and the creation of an independent Black nation in Africa. UNIA exists to this very day. Marcus Garvey passed away before the end of World War II. In 1948, many black scholars and activists unite to say that the American slave trade fits the Genocide Convention Treaty's UN definition of genocide. Regardless of if you agree with Elijah Muhammad or not, he in 1950 called for reparations. Robert Brock during the 1950's created the Reparations Movement in California. He spent over 40 years on this issue. By 1951, the Civil Rights Congress (CRC) wrote a paper entitled, "We Charge Genocide: The Crime of Government Against the Negro People.” It accused the United States government of genocide based on the UN Genocide Convention and it was presented to the United Nations at meetings in Paris in December 1951.
After CRC Secretary William L. Patterson presented the petition to the UN at a Paris meeting, the U.S. State Department forced him to surrender his passport. W. E. B. Du Bois also presented it to the UN, over the objections of Eleanor Roosevelt. Actor/activist Paul Robeson during a separation occasion also handed the document to a UN official in New York City. By the 1950's more groups organized for black reparations. In 1962, Pan African leader Queen Mother Moore and Dara Abubakari formed a group called Reparations Committee. They went on to deliver a communique to UN. In 1963, a petition of 1 million signatures was organized to back the demand for reparations for black Americans. In 1968, the Republic of New Afrika (RNA) was founded by Imari Obadele. It demanded payment by the federal government of several billion dollars in reparations to African-American descendants of slaves for the suffering due to chattel enslavement as well as the Jim Crow laws, and modern-day racism. In 1969, James Forman presented the Black Manifesto of Reparations demands at the Riverside Church in New York City. The Black Manifesto demanded that “white churches and synagogues pay reparations for Black enslavement and continuing discrimination and oppression. It had been written and delivered by former SNCC executive director, James Forman, who commandeered the pulpit of Riverside Church in New York on May 4, 1969, disrupting the regular service,” SNCC Digital reported. The opening words of the manifesto are: “We the Black people assembled in Detroit, Michigan, for the National Black Economic Development Conference are fully aware that we have been forced to come together because racist white America has exploited our resources, our minds, our bodies, our labor…We have helped to build the most industrial country in the world.”
In 1972, at the National Black Political Convention in 1972, a Reparations resolution passed by 10,000 people and presented to all of the Presidential candidates. During the 1980's, groups fought for reparations like the African Peoples Socialist Party. In 1987, there was the creation of the N'COBRA (the National Coalition of Blacks in America) that fought for reparations. Also in 1987, Dorothy Lewis Benton, the founder of Black Reparations Commission, published two informative books on reparations. In 1989, Massachusetts State Senator Bill Owens introduces Senate Bill 1621, cosponsored by Representatives Shirley Owens-Hicks and Byron Rushing. This bill is an act to provide for reparations by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for "slavery, the slave trade, and invidious discrimination against people of African descent born or residing in the US,” ForReparations.org reported. In 1989, Congressman John Conyers’ HR40 Study Bill was initially introduced. In 1993, “The First Pan African Conference on Reparations was held in Abuja, Nigeria, April 27-29 and attended by African Americans,” The Atlanta World Daily reported. In 1994, Silas Muhammad wanted a hearing at the UN on reparations. In 1994 and in 1995, the Florida legislature passed a reparations settlement in Rosewood, Florida. It approved a “$2.1 million reparations bill to help make amends for the state turning its back on the racial violence that wiped out Rosewood, a black hamlet in Levy County." In 1999, the Tulsa Race Riot Commission launched to explore the lingering effects of the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 during which mobs of white residents attacked Black residents and businesses of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The commission was also formed to look into reparations for the survivors and the descendants of the victims.
By the 21st century, the African American reparations movement increased more. By the year of 2000, legal strategist and Attorney Deadria Farmer-Paellmann launched a campaign to expose corporate complicity in slavery; secures\d an apology from Aetna, Inc. for it benefiting from the slave trade. HR 40 is supported more during the Chicago Alderman Dorothy Hearing. African Americans call for Reparations at the Durban 400. Randall Robinson's 2001 book called, "The Debt" uses arguments for reparations for the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. In 2002, Attorney Deadria Farmer Paellmann continued her efforts and sues more than 20 U.S. corporations for their predecessor companies profiteering from the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. The National African American Reparations Commission (NARRC) is launched at York College in N.Y. in 2015. By 2019, the U.S. House held a reparations hearing on Juneteenth with testimony from Ta-Nehisi Coates and Danny Glover.
It is easy to prove racism in Hollywood back then and today. For over 100 years, many stereotypes and anti-black images have been part of Hollywood's atmosphere. Two great scholars who have written and spoke on this issue are author Donald Bogle and the late Melvin Van Peebles (whose documentary about racism in Hollywood called Classified X which came out in 1998 will open anyone's eyes). Donald Bogle is one of the best writers on the history of black Hollywood. I read his books, and his literature is thorough, exciting, eloquent, and gives a full picture of the diversity of black actors and black actresses. Donald Bogle's book entitled, "Hollywood Black: The stars, The Films, the Filmmakers" with the Foreword by John Singleton was one of the greatest books that I read in my life. I read the whole book, and it has given me even a greater understanding of racism in Hollywood. Back in the day, there was a film called Birth of Nation. It was directed by D. W. Griffith. It's basically a white reactionary false view of American history from the Civil War to the end of Reconstruction. It pictured black Americans as rapists, intellectually inferior, and immature. There is no ambiguity about the vicious aspects of the movie (which was released in 1915). That is why the NAACP rightfully boycotted it nationwide. The movie had white actors in blackface, it said that Lincoln was a friend of the South, and it was probably the most racist film in history. Griffith responded to the criticism by directing the film Intolerance in 1916 (in showing stories about anti-Semitism, etc.). To his death, Griffith never apologized for the evil film of Birth of a Nation. He hypocritically claimed that his critics were intolerant, but we have the freedom of speech to criticize racist media. Therefore, the film Intolerance was made out of disingenuous motivation. Cartoons from Disney, Warner Brothers, and to other formats had overtly racist imagery during the first half of the 20th century. It was so bad that many are trying to destroy such cartoons, but their images are found all over YouTube. In Lady and the Tramp, there are anti-Asian stereotypes shown in the characters of Si and Am. There are dogs with stereotypes of Mexico and Russia. In Dumbo from 1941, we know of the crows showing stereotypical anti-black voices. The lead crow is called Jim Crow. He is voiced by the white actor Cliff Edwards. In the Jungle Book of 1968, black accents are mocked by King Louie. Racism against Native Americans is shown in 1953's Peter Pan. The Song of the South in 1946 advanced the myth of black slaves being happy in the cotton fields. Back in the day, many African American actors and actresses had very limited roles, so many of them had no choice but to play certain roles. That is why Hattie McDaniels and Mr. Robinson weren't race traitors to me. They performed charities and worked hard in their craft of acting. We understand this and the complex lives of black people back then. Also, there were always black people who fought back to promote more non-stereotypical roles back then (during the early to mid 20th century) like Paul Robeson, Dorothy Dandridge, Sidney Poitier, Canada Lee, Elizabeth Welch, Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, Cicely Tyson, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, and other heroes who wanted excellence and dignity involving the art of acting. Now, with the advent of the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power, many actors and actresses fought for more militant roles on screen. We have Pam Grier being in Coffy and other films like Foxy Brown outlining a heroic, superhero image of black women in the 1970's (just like other actresses). You have Shaft, Sweetback, and other films. Some films of the 1970's had powerful, positive images of black people and other images were stereotypical with pimps, violence, drugs, and other themes. Likewise, even today in our time, racism is found in Hollywood. Not everyone in Hollywood is racist, but racism exists. One example in modern times revolve around the recent emails revealed about some Sony executives being disrespectful to Kevin Hart back in 2014. The emails involved Sony executives Michael Lynton, Clint Culpepper, and Amy Pascal. Culpepper said that Hart was the w word. Pascal issued her apology. Many films now in Hollywood are not overt, but they show covert racism. There are examples of this. In Crash, the movie showed black men as cowardly, unable to stand up against injustice, and ignorant.
Now, it's the 30th year anniversary of the film Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. This film is years ahead of it time in describing the lives of many black youth in urban areas. It is a movie about a black teenage girl surviving in the New York City projects. It deals with a wide spectrum of issues like poverty, HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancy, abortion, and family. It was directed by Leslie Harris. The teen is played by actress Ariyan A. Johnson. Other people starring in the film are Kevin Thigpen and Ebony Jerido. It was released on September 17, 1992, at the Toronto Film Festival and at March 19, 1993 in America. IRT refers to the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway system. The film received funding via grants from National Endowments for the Arts, American Film Institute, New York State Council on the Arts, Brooklyn Arts Council, and it was distributed by Miramax on 200 screens in America and in 20 other countries worldwide. Airyan plays Chantel Mitchell who is a 17 year old African American junior who lives in Brooklyn, NYC. Chantel is carefree, has wit, is very smart, and goes about her dream to go to college and desire to be a doctor. Chantel wants to be seen as more than just a teen in the subway. She wants to develop her legacy. She lives with working class parents and her two younger brother. Chantel looks out for her brothers. She has mostly As and Bs in high school. Hip hop is in the movie with Chantel dancing in a party. By the early 1990's, hip hop music dominated youth culture.
She wants to graduate early, but her teachers disagree with her. Her boyfriend Tyrone (played by Kevin Thigpen) becomes romantic with her. She becomes pregnant, and she has an abortion. She has it secretly to prevent her parents to know about it. Afterward, she wonders what her future holds. The film was shot in its entirety in New York City. The film was shot in just 17 days with a budget of only $100,000. Tons of people love the film. The film helped to show the life of black Americans in an honest, raw, and vivid form. It didn't sugarcoat issues, and it expressed the everyday life of urban life. One critic said that Just Another Girl on the IRT helped to set the stage for future projects like Crooklyn, Akeelah and the Bee, and The Hate U Give. The complex life of black teenage girls is fully outlined in this movie along with the pressures from society. Leslie Harris wanted black women to be in the camera and behind the scene behind the camera too. Director Leslie Harris is a black woman who would go on to film other projects, and she was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She wanted films to capture the life of young African American teens and women. By 2022, Leslie Harris said that she had completed a screenplay for a sequel to the film.
The January 6th House Committee has been very historic in American history. With its hearings and research, we know for certain that Donald Trump and his allies worked in a far-right conspiracy to try to overthrow the 2020 Presidential election. They didn't work in this attempted coup d'état alone. They worked with members of the Oath Keepers, The Proud Boys, and other far-right groups in trying to ruin American democracy forever. Some folks have tried to ignore or minimize what took place. There can be no sugarcoating. When you witness in this year alone, rights being harmed, voting rights being suppressed, and legitimate anti-racism books being banned in numerous schools, then we realize that our nation's democracy is under threat. There is no question that the leaders of the Republican Party are dominated by Trumpism. We have a mountain of evidence to prove Trump's corruption, and the Department of Justice has that responsibility to charge Trump (plus others) for numerous crimes. With the Secret Service texts being deleted and Trump trying to still lie about the election, we have continued issues. Recent news of Secret Serice agents making final calls to their wives and families outline how serious the near coup d'état was. Also, some Secret Service deleted their message after being instructed by Congress to preserve all records from January 6th, and the Secret Service wanted Mike Pence to leave the Capitol which would possibly prevent the official counting of Electoral votes (which opened the way for Trump to declare an emergency and hijack the election). Donald Trump did nothing for hours while terrorists harmed property and people at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump actually called these terrorists his "special people" and "patriots." These terrorists are not patriots but traitors. The Capitol Hill police officers were victims of assaults, slurs, and massive violence by the insurrectionists. Threats of violence at the Capitol existed long before January 6th, and investigations should happen to figure out what occurred.
Like any region of the world, the culture of Texas is very diverse. It has influenced overall American culture for centuries. In recent years, many people traveled to live in Texas from the North, the West, and parts of the South. Its culture is filled with influences from African Americans, Tejanos, Cajuns, Irish, German, English, Asian, Native American, and other human cultures. East Texas, Central Texas, North Texas, South Texas, and West Texas have their own styles and communities. The American cowboy tradition, farming, and ranching are found in Texas. Rodeo competitions are commonplace. It's the official sport of Texas. The annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the world's largest known rodeo. It is held over 20 days from late February through early March. The event begins with trail rides that originate from several points throughout the state, all of which convene at Reliant Park for a barbecue cook-off. The rodeo includes typical rodeo events, as well as concert performances from major artists and carnival rides. The Fort Worth Livestock Show and Rodeo last three weeks in late January and early February. It has many traditional rodeos, but also a cowboy rodeo, and a Mexican rodeo in recent years that both have large fan bases. State Fairs occur in Dallas and all over the state. Also, Juneteenth celebrations have originated in Texas.
In the world, music represents a large part of our culture. A lot of people underestimate the benefits of music. Music can calm people down, it can grow intellectual creativity, and it can build up one's soul. The foundation of music today in 2022 has always been old-school music. Back in the day in the United States of America, blues and jazz were prominently expressed by a wide spectrum of human beings. These genres have roots in the polyrhythmic sounds from Africa. Also, many early American music came from influences from the Americas, Europe, and Asia. With the spirituals in America from groups like the Jubilee Singers, they set up the foundation of modern-day gospel music. The spirituals also influenced the development of jazz and blues. From the blues, we see R&B music and rock and roll. Jazz is American music from the Delta at New Orleans with legends like Louis Armstrong, John Coltraine, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker (or "Bird"), Sarah Vaughan, and other artists who took musical expression seriously. Popular artists like Nat King Cole, Bring Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Doris Day, Connie Francis, and other icons shaped modern-day music in multifaceted ways. From the 19th century to 1960, the old school was abundant and diverse. With country music, a lot of folks don't know that black folks were in country music since its invention. The soul singers of Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke took the country by storm. By 1960, the development of Motown was in its infancy, but its legacy has a worldwide quality and nature. The diverse genres of music gave voice to the oppression, inspiration to unsung human beings, and further strength towards human beings seeking purpose.
By Timothy
Friday, July 22, 2022
Late July 2022 Updates.
The January 6th House committee hearing dealt with the issue of Trump not doing his job to immediately stop the terrorist insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building. This event was not spontaneous. This situation was Trump and his allies attempted coup d'état against the United States government which would be planned for months. Many of these terrorists wanted to hang Mike Pence. This was the final public hearing until the fall. New evidence has detailed the massive failure of Donald Trump's 3-hour refusal to condemn the insurrection by the violent mob. The hearing was led by Rep. Elaine Luria of Virginia, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. The former White House aides giving their testimonies under oath are Matthew Pottinger and Sarah Matthews. The audio was released of Secret Service agents scrambling to lead Mike Pence and his family to safety as the mob came near them. Trump didn't make a phone call to law enforcement or the national security officials as the attack took place. Matthews said that White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany looked at him and told him that the President didn't want to mention peace as they were crafting a statement. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley told the committee that he was shocked that Trump never spoke to him when the chaos existed. People want to know why the Secret Service destroyed texts when they were told not to do so. Pence wanted Secretary Miller to get the National Guard and military to the Capitol to stop the insurrection immediately. Two more witnesses collaborated Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony about how Trump argued with Secret Service agents about returning to the Capitol. These agents sent Trump back to the White House. The hearings in public will continue in September as the committee gets new information every day.
It seems like poor shaming and scapegoating of women aren't just part of incels and fake conscious people. It's found in some who claim to be spiritual too. T.D. Jakes recently made a sermon saying that single women who are successful are trying to be men, aggressive, and all of the negative words that he can muster. Of course, I don't agree with that nonsense. We are mature thinking people who believe that single women, married women, and other types of women working hard, being successful, and being great are positive aspects of society. T.D. Jakes sounds more like Kevin Samuels than Pastor Howard Thurman. Raising up strong families has nothing to do with dehumanizing women who voluntarily choose to live their own lives positively. Obviously, I don't agree with the megachurch, prosperity gospel of T.D. Jakes either. Also, Kim Burrell said that churchgoers should avoid poor people and people who she calls "unattractive." Basically, in that speech, she endorsed poor shaming and lookism. These old prejudices are not only illogical but violate the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule says to treat your neighbor as yourself. That means you treat the poor, the rich, and the middle class just the same. You don't become rude or disrespectful to your neighbor if he or she is different from you in any way. In fact, Yeshua ben Yoseph said that he brought the good news to the poor to inspire a change of lives, not to dismiss them as not "worthy" of friendship. Suffering people don't need shaming. They need inspiration, investments, progressive economic policies, spiritual strength, and respect plus dignity. Kim Burrell apologized twice. You can believe her apology or not.
There is the recent disrespect of comedian Leslie by Shemeka Michelle and Jason Whitlock is uncalled for. Shemeka called Leslie Jones a slur (out of her name) and Whitlock just laughed without standing up for Jones and disagreeing with Michelle's comments. I'm not shocked at Whitlock, because, for years, he has been a spokesman for the views of far-right racists. He has said self-hating comments for years about black people standing up for social justice. No one is shocked at Whitlock's antics. What is shocking was that Shemeka would disrespect Leslie Jones. Jones wanted to make the point that it is difficult for black Americans to glorify July 4th when black people have been victims of American racism for centuries. You can disagree with Leslie Jones' views but calling a black woman out of her name is wrong period. In a racist society, Shemeka should know better that people who look like us were slandered for our intellects and physical appearances. Shemeka is disappointing. Jason Whitlock is typical of a person who loves political correctness and far-right propaganda than black liberation.
President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 as many people know. He has mild symptoms. He still works at the White House in isolation with strong medical care. That is why he is working in Zoom to have meetings with people from across the world. Biden told Americans that he is doing well. The pandemic is nothing to play with. The good news is that we have new medicines and technologies better than last year in dealing with the virus. The bad news deals with mutations in viruses and how the virus can cause hearing damage, organ damage, lung harm, and even death if not treated properly. Biden has been vaccinated and double boosted. President Biden is a 79-year-old man. His symptoms include runny nose (or rhinorrhea) and fatigue. He has an occasional dry cough. He used the antiviral medicine called Paxlovid. Vice President Kamala Harris and First Lady Jill Biden tested negative on Thursday. The Biden administration continues to desire new funding from Congress to advance treatments and vaccines.
The Secret Service only turning in only one text message to the January 6th committee is certainly bizarre. The debate is whether the Secret Service agents deleted the text messages by accident, by a migration program, or were they intentionally deleted. The National Archives wants the Secret Service to investigate unauthorize deletion of text messages. Liz Cheney and other members of the Committee want more messages from the Secret Service to gain insights into what happened. January 5th and 6th were days about both warnings about violence at the U.S. Capitol existed and when the violence took place at the U.S. Capitol too. Former Vice President Mike Pence was afraid to go with the Secret Service to leave the U.S. Capitol for some reason. Some people are talking about the word cover-up. The Migration process happened on January 27, 2021, and this comes after Secret Services employers were instructed again to preserve records on January 25, 2021. The January 6th Committee said that deleted Secret Service texts may have violated the Federal Records Act.
By Timothy
Thursday, July 21, 2022
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Time Going Forward.
There is a record heat wave in Texas, Europe, and across the world. Europe is suffering badly as places like the United Kingdom have tons of places without air conditioning. UK yesterday had a temperature of 104 degrees. More than 100 million people are under excessive warning or heat advisories in America. In Southern and Western Europe, more than 1,100 people have died from heat in the region. Wildfires are raging in France and Spain. The hot records are outpacing cool records by more than 10 to 1 during this year. This comes about because of climate change. For long decades now, human-induced climate change has caused many record temperatures, fires, and other environmental complications worldwide. One climate scientist from Princeton University told CNN that almost every heat wave has some influence from global warming. In London, firefighters are fighting fires all over the city and in surrounding locations. The London Fire Brigade are fighting massively. The increase of greenhouse gases has fueled this too. Scotland has a record temperature of 94.6 degrees on Tuesday. Heat warmings are in Toronto too. London has relief now with lower temperatures and rain.
There are many people, even some in the media, who try to minimize the fascist threat in American society. Fascism is made up of many things. It's made up of hatred of democratic laws, it has a cultic mentality to make a single person immune from legitimate critique, fascism promotes authoritarianism instead of an egalitarian society, it endorses policies that promote bigotry and discrimination against minorities, it advances an anti-intellectual mentality (that seeks misinformation instead of truth being cultivated), and it has a social Darwinist economic platform (that benefits the super-wealthy at the expense of the working class, the poor, and the middle class). The agenda of Trumpism is fascism. Fascism in America is not new. There were fascist movements during WWII in America which were overtly anti-Semitic. Also, slavery and Jim Crow apartheid in America represent fascism to the fullest. During the Summer of 2020 when the George Floyd protests were worldwide, Trump considered using the U.S. military to go into the streets and shoot protesters in sight. That was a fascist plan. Fascism was when far-right terrorists invaded the U.S. Capitol with some using Confederate and neo-Nazi flags. So, we know who the greatest threat is domestically in American society. It is far-right extremists who are fascists. Some in the media tried to downplay this, but Peyton Gendron was a racist fascist (who murdered black people in Buffalo, NY), and Robert Grimo (who murdered Jewish people in Highland Park, Illinois) was a racist, sexist, and anti-Semitic fascist. Therefore, we have to know of these things and act righteously to defend our rights.
President Joe Biden ends his Mideast trip. Now, there is an international conflict in Ukraine. Also, America, Russia, and China have tensions with each other. Biden wanted to repair relations between Saudi Arabia and America because Saudi Arabia supplies a great deal of the world's oil supplies. Many critics of Biden disagreed with the fist bump that he enacted with MBS of Saudi Arabia. MBS heads up a reactionary regime that violates human rights constantly. Afterwards, Saudi Arabia has not yet signed on to an oil deal with America. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are not on board with US/NATO sanctions on Russia either. Biden wants an anti-Iranian alliance in order to try to prevent Iran from creating nuclear weapons. America has CENTCOM in the Middle Eastern region. America and China are in fierce competition over the world's resources from the Middle East to the Americas. Chinese investments have increased in countries like Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE. Saudi Arabia has trade and investment deals with both Russia and China. This comes after the death of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and the journalist Khashoggi. Gulf States are increasingly trading with Israel. So, the Middle East looks very complex.
Joe Manchin is not only disappointing, but he is not being fair. The truth is that economic problems didn't originate from inflation alone. Inflation is the end result of these problems. Decades ago, the policies of economic inequality, Reaganomics, and other reactionary actions contributed to the economic complications that we see today. Large, multinational corporations used their influences in policies to promote tax breaks for wealthy corporations, allowances for the super wealthy, and massive tax cuts for the rich. Joe Manchin has never earnestly supported universal pre-K, free community college, child subsidies, paid family leave, and environmental justice unless he claims that inflation is dealt with. He is more concerned with the interests of Big Oil than the interests of the people of West Virginia. Yet, Manchin is the chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. We have the monopolization of America beyond inflation concerns. That means that a few corporations have the power to raise prices and record corporate profits at the expense of the American people. Even repealing Trump's tax cuts will raise $500 billion over a decade. Most people want poverty to end, universal health care, growth of infrastructure, reverse climate change, and investments made to communities.
This is very important, breaking news. Yesterday was the Birthday of Sister Rachel Robinson. Now, she has reached 100 years old. That is outstanding news. She is the widow of the icon baseball player Jackie Robinson. Rachel Robinson was born in New York City. When she was in college, she attended the University of California, Los Angeles. For decades, she has supported civil rights and equal rights earnestly. She was Jackie Robinson's equal who stood by his side during his own walk for freedom. Also, Rachel Robinson formed her own legacy as a nurse and social activist. She graduated from UCLA on June 1, 1945, with a bachelor's degree in nursing. She earned her master's degree in psychiatric nursing from New York University. She worked hard in medical research and nursing in the Northeast. She was the Assistant Professor at Yale School of Nursing and later the Director of Nursing at the Connecticut Mental health Center. Rachel Robinson helped to promote housing for low to moderate-income people. By 1973, Rachel Robinson formed the Jackie Robinson Foundation to give educational and leadership opportunities to minority students. It has helped over 1,000 minority students. It has a 97 percent graduation rate among its scholars. Rachel Robinson was awarded the Candace Award for Distinguished Service from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Equitable Life Black Achiever's Award, and the Associated Black Charities Black History Makers Award. Rachel Robinson loved the film 42, and she was portrayed by Nicole Beharie (in the 2013 film). Ruby Dee played her in the 1950 film The Jackie Robinson. So, Rachel Robinson is a living icon who has kept the faith for the right of us to live on this Earth without oppression. I wish Sister Rachel Robinson a Great Birthday.
By Timothy
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Monday, July 18, 2022
Political and Culture News in Late July of 2022.
The January 6th Committee was made up of the House select committee to find information about the attempted January 6th coup d'etat against American democracy. It wanted to find the truth and make sure that people know who is responsible for the terrorist attack. Their final report will be sent to the DOJ or the Department of Justice. The DOJ must decide to investigate or charge Trump and his allies who are responsible for the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol and the near coup d'etat against the American government. The Justice Department has its own separate investigation too. The testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson made the DOJ to increase its investigation. If it wasn't for the testimony of Hutchinson, my personal opinion is that the DOJ would never have charged anyone in the future. The Chair is Bennie Thompson, and the Vice Chair is Liz Cheney. Other members of the committee are Zoe Lofgren of California, Adam Schiff of California, Pete Aguilar of California, Stephanie Murphy of Florida, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, and Elaine Luria of Virginia. There are many senior staff for the committee. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi first said that she would appoint a select committee to investigate the events after the plan for a commission failed by a filibuster of the Senate (or it wasn't bicameral). The vote for it was 222 to 190. By July 1, 2021, Pelosi appointed eight members to be part of the committee. The investigation by the House Committee is ongoing. Public hearings started on July 27, 2021. By the end of 2021, the committee interviewed more than 300 witnesses and had more than 35,000 documents. By 2022, there were over 1,000 witnesses and 125,000 records. Some interviews were recorded. Donald Trump could be charged with obstruction of the electoral certification proceedings and could carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Other possible charges are dereliction of duty in not stopping the riot and seditious conspiracy. By May 2, 2022, Fulton County's District Attorney Fani Willis opened a special grand jury to consider criminal charges in the state of Georgia.
The committee's first public testimonies came on July 27, 2021. Many people testified like the four police officers on the front line as terrorists attacked the U.S. Capitol. Both Thompson and Cheney gave opening statements. The officers who testified are Daniel Hodges, Michael Fanone, Harry Dunn, and Aquilino. By August 27, 2021, the committee demanded records from 15 social media companies going back to the spring of 2020. By September 22, 2021, the Guardian reported that the committee has considered issuing subpoenas for call records or testimony of senior Trump administration officials like Meadows, Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, and former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale. On September 23, 2021, the House Committee sent subpoenas to Meadows, Scavino, chief strategist Steve Bannon, Pentagon official, and former Devin Nunes aide Kash Patel. Documents are demanded by October 7. Bannon and Patel are instructed to testify before the committee on October 14, and Meadows and Scavino on October 15. Meadows is granted a postponement and rescheduled for November 12.
On October 21, 2021, all 220 House Democrats and 9 House Republicans vote in favor of the resolution to hold Bannon in contempt of Congress, a majority that refers Bannon's case to the Justice Department. The Justice Department is deciding whether to prosecute Bannon. A conviction could take years, according to Stanley Brand, former general counsel to the House of Representatives. CNN reports that Cheney and Kinzinger have interviewed former Trump director of strategic communications Alyssa Farah. She had resigned in December 2020 and told CNN after the January 6 attack that Trump had lied to the American people about the election results on October 22, 2021. On November 8, 2021, the committee issued subpoenas for six people: Trump 2020 campaign manager Bill Stepien; campaign senior advisor Jason Miller; former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn; conservative lawyer and former professor John Eastman; Angela McCallum, executive assistant to the campaign; and Bernard Kerik, a Trump ally who participated in meetings at the Willard Hotel regarding efforts to overturn the election. Ten other Trump officials and aides are subpoenaed the next day: former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany; senior advisor for policy Stephen Miller; Trump bodyman Nicholas Luna; White House personnel director John McEntee; Ken Klukowski, senior counsel to assistant attorney general Jeffrey Clark; deputy chief of staff Chris Liddell; Oval Office operations coordinator Molly Michael; special assistant for legislative affairs Cassidy Hutchinson; Benjamin Williamson, senior advisor to chief of staff Mark Meadows; and Mike Pence's national security advisor, Keith Kellogg. All 16 people were required to provide documents by November 23 and scheduled to testify under oath through December. Alex Jones was subponeaed in November 22, 2021 along with Roger Stone, and other people. On that day, Robert Patrick Lewis, chairman of 1st Amendment Praetorian, a group alleged to have provided security at several rallies before January 6, is also subpoenaed that day.
The Guardian reported that on the night before the January 6 attack, Trump made several calls to his associates at the Willard Hotel, where a command center or "war room" had been established in a set of rooms and suites. Present at the Willard was a team led by Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, Bannon, Eastman, and Boris Epshteyn. Michael Flynn, Roger Stone and Bernard Kerik were also present. Trump called to convey that Pence would not agree to employ the Pence Card to overturn the electoral vote, as proposed by Eastman and discussed in an Oval Office meeting on January 5. He discussed ways to delay the certification in order to get alternate slates of electors for Trump sent to Congress, as he, Giuliani and Eastman had discussed by conference call with 300 state legislators on January 2. The Guardian reported that Trump discussed some topics only with lawyers at the Willard so as to preserve the confidentiality afforded by attorney-client privilege. By December 1, 2021, the committee voted unanimously to hold Jeffrey Clark in contempt of Congress. However, he is also given a new deposition date of December 4. This is because Clark has said that he plans to invoke the Fifth Amendment, which protects people from being forced to self-incriminate.
Mike Pence was asked to talked to the House committee by early January of 2022. On March 31, 2022 Jared Kushner voluntarily spoke to the committee for six hours. He was the highest-ranking Trump administration official interviewed to date, as well as the first Trump family member to be interviewed. By June 2, 2022, Bill Barr gave an in person testimony behind closed doors for 2 hours. The FBI arrested Peter Navarro on June 3, 2022 because of the grand jury's indictment for contempt of Congress. By June 12, 2022, the night before the second public hearing, committee members Adam Schiff and Jamie Raskin told news outlets there is enough evidence to recommend that the Justice Department indict President Donald Trump.
This day of the late June 2022 testimony to the January 6th hearing is the most emotional part of the whole hearing. There is no moderation here. With this evidence, Trump and his allies involved in the conspiracy to overthrow the election of 2020 should be arrested and tried in court ASAP. When you have Trump trying to convince a Georgia Attorney General to commit election fraud and the Georgia Attorney General refused to do so, then Trump is complicit in a federal violation of the law. When you have Trump falsely calling a black woman election worker a criminal and a "hustler," you can tell immediately that Donald Trump is a racist and sexist liar. Also, Trump allies harassed and threatened a black woman election worker and her mother in vulgar ways. This is no time for centrist nonsense. This is a time for accountability and justice.
All of the testimony confirms what we knew about Trump and his supporters. Trump is a neo-fascist. Every Trump supporter is wrong period. All Trump supporters, involved in the conspiracy to overthrow the election of 2020, are criminals and traitors to American democracy period. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, deputy Gabe Sterling, Arizona House of Representatives Speaker Rusty Bowers (who gave emotional words on his duty to follow the Constitution despite the false narratives made by Trump, Guiliani, and others), and election worker Wandrea "Shaye" Moss gave hard-hitting testimony about their experiences. Raffensperger found no evidence of election fraud. Brad faced threats and harassment to himself and his family. Sterling said that Qanon supporters threatened people. Wandrea Moss was accused by Trump and others of using a fake ballot scheme in Fulton County, Georgia. That was a lie. Wandrea Moss also said that she and her family received threats. Many people illegally came into Moss's grandmother's home. Wandrea faced racist and hateful threats via Facebook. Her mother is Ruby Freeman. To this day, Wandrea and her mother fear for their lives from far-right extremists. Far-right extremists are terrorists, plain and simple. If anyone watched the testimonies from all of these witnesses, you should know that Trump should be arrested and convicted of treason against the United States of America after a trial. It is the human testimonies describing the seriousness of the time that we live that should inspire us to defeat fascism once and for all. This is the most serious threat to our nation since the American Civil War. These GOP extremists aren't playing any games. The DOJ must do the right thing. Therefore, we should not only vote them out of office, but we should cultivate a society where democratic freedoms are strengthened plus preserved.
On June 23, 2022, live witnesses during this fifth public hearing were former officials of the Department of Justice during the Trump administration. They described how Trump tried to enlist the Justice Department in his fight to overturn the 2020 presidential election. In videotaped testimony at the committee's fifth public hearing, it is revealed that Representatives Matt Gaetz, Mo Brooks, Andy Biggs, and Louie Gohmert asked for pardons at the end of the Trump administration. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene may also have asked for a pardon, according to a former aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
By late June of 2022, former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson gave a bombshell, shocking testimony to Congress. Even now, it's a lot to digest. This information increases the chance of Donald Trump and others to be finally charged for many crimes. In the meantime, it's time to review Hutchinson's testimony. Hutchinson has sworn under oath these words. This is all of her eyewitness accounts of the nature of the Trump White House. She gave words to expose the abusive, nefarious, lying, and barbaric actions of former President Donald Trump. This is why I didn't vote for Trump in 2020. She said that Trump and his inner circle were warned about the potential for violence on January 6, 2021, and how Trump wanted to join the terrorists at the U.S. Capitol who caused the insurrection. She said that Trump knew that the terrorists had weapons and didn't care. Hutchinson cooperated with the House select committee in a very transparent fashion. She said that when the crowd of terrorists wanted to hang Mike Pence, Trump supported the chant and said that Pence deserved it. Hutchinson said that Trump was in a Presidential vehicle wanting to go to the Capitol riot. Secret Service refused, so Trump tried to grab the wheel and assault a Secret Service agent. They got Trump and placed him in the White House. He blamed Meadows for not going to the terrorist event. Recently, some Secret Service agents denied that Trump wanted to fight agents or grabbed the steering wheel.
Hutchinson, under oath, said that Trump was personally aware of the threat of violence in the U.S. Capitol. Trump was told that weapons were confiscated from many of his supporters who came for the rally. She said that Trump wanted to take the metal detectors away. It is incredible evidence of Trump doing nothing and desiring to allow terrorists to carry weapons to the U.S. Capitol. The insurrectionists had body armor and weapons when they terrorized the U.S. Capitol. Trump is obviously an active collaborator in the insurrection overtly. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone said that people are going to die as a product of the riot, and Meadows refused to confront Trump about Mike Pence's life being in danger. Meadows supports the election lie. Hutchinson said that Trump was cursing in the White House, throwing food on the walls, stripping away tables, etc. Liz Cheney said that there might be evidence of witness tampering too. Democratic Chair of the committee Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi wants more cooperation to come. The habitual liar Trump has denied all allegations, but he is guilty of the coup attempt against American democracy. Cipollone warned that if the White House would go to the Capitol, they will be charged with every crime possible. Hutchinson could have the John Dean moment in relation to the House January 6th committee investigation event. Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony changes everything because she is a first-hand witness to these occurrences. Donald Trump must be held accountable for his treasonous actions.
On July 12, 2022, at the eventh public hearing, Representative Liz Cheney revealed that Donald Trump had called one of the committee's witnesses. That person did not answer Trump's call. The witness was said to be someone who had not yet testified publicly. The person was later further identified (but not named) as a White House support staffer who did not routinely speak to Trump and who had been speaking to the committee. The phone call had happened sometime within the previous two weeks, following Cassidy Hutchinson's public testimony.
There are many icons of Texas who made great contributions to the movement for freedom. The late Lulu Belle Madison White lived from August 31, 1907, to July 6, 1957 as a teacher and civil rights activist. She was President of the Houston chapter of the NAACP (or the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). She helped to double the amount of Houston members in the NAACP from 1943 to 1948. She was born in Elmo, Texas. Her father inspired her to get an education. Elmo was so racist back then that, that White was inspired to fight for civil rights. She graduated from Prairie View A&M University. She worked hard to fight for the right of African Americans to have the right to vote. White believed that black Americans should have equal civil liberties and equal economic opportunities. She wanted economic justice for black people. She passed away by a heart disease situation, but she is a hero. The NAACP created the Lulu White Freedom Fund in her honor.
There are 2 major groups trying to infiltrate the legitimate reparations movement for black Americans. These groups exploited the legitimate grievances of our people to promote division among the black African Diaspora (as I believe in Pan-African unity as we are all Brothers and Sisters in the human family). First, I will expose the ADOS movement and then the FBA Movement. First, The ADOS Movement stands for the American Descendants of Slaves. That name is a contradiction because Black American history didn't start with slavery. Black American history started with Africa, which is the Mother of all in the human race. Our ancestors were scholars, spiritual leaders, and intellectuals spanning thousands of years. Now, our ancestors were victims of slavery, but our history didn't end or start with slavery. It is true that we black Americans should have reparations 100 percent and without exception. The ADOS movement was started by 2 people who are lawyer Antonio Moore of Los Angeles and former political consultant Yvette Carnell. Yvette Carnell is from the Midwest. The problems with the ADOS movement are plenty. One major problem is that its founders have said problematic statements for years. Moore said that he has more of a connection with white Americans than Africans culturally. Carnell said the lie that Pan-Africanism is dead, which it is not true. Pan-Africanism organizations flourish today and worldwide. African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, Afro-Latinos, Africans, and all black people of the global African Diaspora are deserving of dignity, respect, justice, and liberation period. The ADOS movement was created in 2016 which is the same year that Donald Trump won the 2016 Presidential election. Also, some ADOS members have links to far-right movements. Yvette Carnell was caught being part of an anti-immigrant group called Progressives for Immigration Reform that had links to a late racist person (who is John Tanton) who advocated eugenics. Other supporters of this movement are economist Dr. William "Sandy" Darity and even Dr. Cornel West supported ADOS (that betrays his claims to be for human liberation. Cornel West said the canard saying that Dr. King and Malcolm X would support ADOS when both men were pro-Pan African unity). The ADOS is slicker than the FBA Movement in the sense that the ADOS combines legitimate information about economic inequality in the black community and abhorrent anti-black, far-right, and anti-immigrant talking points to gain recruits in their movement.
Many of their slogans are cut the check, Tangibles, etc. They seek to hijack Black American social movements for change in order to promote division among the Diaspora. The ADOS is so extreme that they wanted the 2020 Census to make ADOS its own category that will harm resources to the black community overall in America. Unity, not division, creates strength for black people. ADOS co-founders claim to support H.R. 40 (or the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African American Act), but they want the ADOS term used not African American. This is a sign that they have hostility to Africa as without Africa no human would be born on this Earth. The H.R. 40 bill was sponsored by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. Some ADOS leaders want Black Americans by force to provide slavery documentation before having access to affirmative action and reparations (that is similar to the old school grandfather clauses that racists used to harm black people's voting rights). Tons of black Americans will not be able to provide this documentation. I have my own documents proving that my 2nd great-grandparents were black slaves in America (and beyond back during the 1700's), but millions of black Americans don't have that documentation. Many ADOS leaders refuse to work with or bash independent pro-reparations (for black Americans) like the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations (N'COBRA).
Many ADOS leaders and social media commentators do attack any black scholars, historians, and regular people if they disagree with them in some cases online harassment. Some ADOS people are so xenophobic that they want to limit black immigrants going into America which is similar to white far-right racists wanting to decrease immigration to America (who are black people, brown people, and other people of color). Yvette Carnell is clear on minimizing the African heritage of black Americans. She even was offended at African music played at Howard University which proves her xenophobia. ADOS lied on Queen Mother Audley Moore and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to promote their cause. The truth is that Queen Mother Moore was an overt Pan-Africanist, and Dr. King was in favor of being against imperialism, joining African liberation movements, and he visited Africa to celebrate the independence of Ghana. If black immigrants are restricted to come into America, that lowers the black population (that agenda is advocated by far-right white racists). The PFIR supports the ADOS agenda. Queen Mother Moore also founded the Committee for Reparations for Descendants of U.S. Slaves. One of the great scholars refuting ADOS is Jessica Alwuyor. Queen Mother said she was African First. Slavery is not a lineage. Black identity in America is diverse too. Some black people were in the Caribbean centuries ago and came into America centuries ago from the Caribbean. Some black Americans came into Canada and came back to America. The ADOS movement is anti-black because it implies that black immigrants (not the system of economic and racial oppression) are taking resources from the Black American community. The truth is that black immigrants are not responsible for employment, housing, health, and education issues in our community. These are caused by centuries-long oppressive systems targeting us all. ADOS founders don't blame white immigrants with the same intensity as they do black immigrants. How ironic. The reality is that immigrants of any color are not responsible collectively for the oppression of black American people. Racists demonize black and brown immigrants because, by 2045, America will be a majority people of color country. White racists want black immigrants to not come into America for racist reasons.
That is why Ann Coulter supports the ADOS movement. Another weakness of ADOS is that some of them refuse to vote if no reparations are immediately sent to black Americans. The problem is that we have issues of poverty, imperialism, economic inequality, and other issues. Not voting will give the far-right leverage in harming our rights and resources to live our lives. Also, voting is not just a federal deal. Not voting will harm local school boards, local governments, and how money is allocated in our communities. Therefore, we have every right to vote and fight for reparations at the same time. Not all ADOS people are Russian bots, but some ADOS people are clear on their xenophobia. What is disappointing is Dr. Cornel West supported the ADOS propaganda at the 2019 ADOS conference. Black people are diverse and ADOS seeks to separate black people based on nationality. That is why one tweet has Dr. Sandy Darity saying that people must stop and apologize if ADOS members made denigrating comments about others in the black African Diasporic community. The problem is that the xenophobic rhetoric from many members of the ADOS movement continues in public and on the Internet. Yvette Carnell on December 18, 2019, did a live stream where she bashed the Ghanaian tourism industry for lying to say that Ghana was scamming African Americans. Many ADOS people harass people with whom they disagree. ADOS Twitter liars have attacked journalist Nikole Hannah Jones, Bree Newsome, Yvette Nicole Brown, Mark Thompson, etc. One of them named Bill Dixon even mocked the death of Rep. Elijah Cummings and disrespected his wife. There are many ADOS members who are sincere, but they omit that ADOS leaders are filled with xenophobia, historical revisionism, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and extremism.
The FBA movement was invented by Tariq Nasheed. In a way, the FBA movement is more evil and bigoted than even the ADOS movement. The reason is that Tariq Nasheed is overt in his even more extreme stereotyping and hatred of Afro-Caribbean people. He has blamed Afro-Caribbean people for crime, exploitation, and other evils in the black community. He also uses a slur to describe Afro-Caribbean people in America. I won't mention the name of the slur here, but it's the t word. Tariq Nasheed is the person who said that black single women don't deserve reparations, he said that he lusted after Brooke Hogan, also he called BW in IR slurs (yet, his wife is a product of an interracial relationship. He is a hypocrite). So, Tariq Nasheed is filled with contradictions. He is now promoting the myth that black Americans are the real Native Americans, and he copied that myth from Dave Calloway (who promotes that myth too). Tariq Nasheed made a documentary about the Haitian Revolution years ago praising it, but now he tries to disrespect people who have Haitian heritage. He is a totally nefarious person. We know now that African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans have had cultural exchanges for centuries improving the culture and vitality of black people for generations. One example is how Afro-Caribbean Kwame Ture worked with black American leaders to fight for black liberation. Another example is the Caribbean and African Americans unifying to fight for freedom in New York City, Louisiana, Florida, and across the USA. Some of my personal heroes are Afro-Caribbean people. Our ancestors came from Africa originally. Also, Tariq Nasheed omits that many people that Nasheed claims to hold in high regard have Caribbean heritage from Floyd Mayweather to Malcolm X. Some FBA extremists oppose black Africans supporting the black people being mistreated in Ukraine by racists. Tariq has more criticism against Democrats than Republicans. Both parties have imperfections. Yet, Trump and the Republicans have voter suppression policies, some seek to end Social Security, some endorse ending environmental regulations, and the GOP actually wants bans on anti-racist books in many states. So, it is obvious that the Republicans are much worse. Tariq Nasheed even bashed the Voting Rights Act, John Lewis, and claims to say Happy Dr. King's day. Voting rights are important that Dr. King supported. Therefore, Tariq is a hypocritical self hater who has more hatred of black leaders than Maga followers. A sexist like Tariq Nasheed (who made books disrespecting women and was once a rapper called T-Flex who glorify violence) is never a role model for our people. In Brazil years ago, he did hedonism against white Brazilians, not uplifting the black Brazilian population. Tariq Nasheed's FBA Museum is not here yet. I rather support the Charleston, South Carolina International Black American Museum that will come for real in the future.
Swing music is a type of jazz. It came about during the late 1920s and the early 1930's. It uses an off beat sound. Some have soloists who would improvise on the melody over the arrangement. Also, many big bands were part of swing music too. Some of the famous people who used swing were Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Harry James, Lionel Hampton, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, and Django Reinhardt. Dance music existed back then. There were pioneers of this sound like Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, etc. Swing declined by the end of World War II. The Earl Hines Orchestra and the Duke Ellington Orchestra showed tons of swing music. Swing was very short-lived. By the end of this era, vocalists were the leaders of large bands with vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald, Vaughn Monroe, and Frank Sinatra. Swing would exist later with Bobby Darin, Judy Garland, and Nat King Cole. The Big band musical genre made a huge comeback during the 1990's and 2000s with Royal Crown Revue, and other artists.
Amber Rose has bashed Christians, and this is not surprising. In this century, there has been a rise of people who not only hate Christians but want to lie about Christianity. Amber Rose once again shows lies, half-truths, and hypocrisy on religion. She was raised in a strict Christian household. Later, she said that she doesn't believe in God but in science. I believe in science too, and I believe in God. Science is a useful method to explain tons of things in the Universe. Science can't solve all questions about the afterlife, the soul, and the spirit, because these concepts aren't related to science. Also, we can use history, the legal method, and other actions to discover things along with science. Matter, energy, space, and time have a beginning, and it's not illogic to assume that God (being the Creator) caused these things to exist. Even DNA had tons of information like a database that determines the composition of life. DNA forms proteins by a scientific process, not by invisible chance. DNA uses a mathematical language to develop life. The mathematical orbits of the planets and the stars logically show the massive evidence of it having a specific origin (from Eternity from God, which is much more powerful than what came after the Big Bang), not being some irrational mistake. Nothingness never creates or forms anything (biogenesis is a scientific reality), therefore it is logical to assume that a massively powerful event caused the Universe to exist beyond our power. Amber Rose hypocritically says that she thinks Christianity is anti-scientific, but she believes in Buddhism which teaches reincarnation. Reincarnation is a spiritual concept. It has nothing to do with science. We know some of the greatest scientists in history professing faith in the Most High God like Linneaus, Cuvier, Kepler, etc. In her IG, she lied and mentioned that the white European's God is Jesus (forgetting that many Europeans don't even believe in God and some are polytheists back then thousands of years ago and today), and that basically black people were beat in the head to worship Jesus over centuries. She denied the Virgin Birth, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the resurrection. Amber has the right to believe or not believe in God or Christianity, but she is wrong about the history of Christianity. First, black people were Christians before the Maafa existed. There were Christians in Nubia and Ethiopia in the 2nd and 3rd century A.D. Simeon was a black man part of Pentecost as found in the book of Acts (in the first century A.D.). White racists and imperialists from Europe used a perversion of Christianity to justify the evil Maafa against black African people. It's like Osama bin Laden used a perversion of Islam to justify terrorism against the West when terrorism is immoral (as innocent human life should never be abused, terrorized, or murdered). Christianity was invented in the Middle East, not in Europe.
In fact, the earliest Christians were persecuted by crucifixion, harassment, assaults, and murder in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Many black Christians voluntarily believed in God back then. Also, she implied that Christians believe that Mary was only good enough to be a virgin to allow Christ to be born in Earth. The Bible, regardless of what she says, never dictated that grown men should have 10 wives to be secure. She says just be a good person, but people have the right to believe in spirituality or not. Being a good person doesn't mean you lie about another person's faith either. She lied that everyone who brings up the Bible to fit their needs is usually the most hypocritical, judgmental people. Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot were murderers who murdered almost 200 million people in the 20th century. They didn't believe in God. That means that a person lacking in character shouldn't be blamed on religion or atheism collectively. It should be blamed on that person alone. The Bible teaches love, patience, and treating your neighbor as yourself (which is in opposition to white racists using religion as an excuse to harm black people and any people). Therefore, there is a long history of believers in God being some of the most compassionate people in history like Harriet Tubman, Rev. Richard Allen, Josiah Henson, Mahalia Jackson, and other human beings who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Standing on your faith doesn't mean that you're a bigot. Amber Rose made the old lie that black girls were jealous of her in Philadelphia because of her light skin. Amber Rose is the type that uses black platforms to spread her views, but she refuses to accept critiques from others who have legitimate questions. This is just the beginning. There will be more anti-Christian bigots in the world (as they hypocritically claim to be about tolerance, but they negatively generalize Christians to suit their own viewpoints), and we have to use apologetics and logic to refute their deceptive arguments. No one has looked at all of the evidence in the Universe to say that there is no God definitively. One thing about Rose is that she won't call Islam or Judaism illogical faiths because of obvious reasons. People have the right to believe in religion or not, but anyone denying righteous people using spiritual views to help society is a liar. Today, Christian persecution takes place in China, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, and other places of the world constantly. There are moral absolutes in the Universe. These absolutes don't evolve over time based on the whims of people. It's based on concrete realities that must be cherished.
The BET Awards in 2022 took place on June 26, 2002. Like many awards, many people in music, sports, television, and movies were awarded and celebrated. The host was Taraji P. Henson. It took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Henson would promote Black Unity among black men and black women. Also, Henson publicly spoke out against the Supreme Court striking down Roe V. Wade that effectively divided America into states with abortion bans and other states without it. There were tons of artists who performed like Brandy, Kirk Franklin, Maverick City Music, etc. Muni Long, Ella Mai, Babyface, Latto, Mary J. Blige, Shyne, Bryson Tiller, Faith Evans, Giveon, Chloe, and other artists have displayed their talents on the BET stage too. Many winners have shown political views on the issue of abortion. Kirk Franklin wanted the older generation to pass the torch to the younger generation of gospel artists. The winners were diverse. The Video of the Year was Family Ties with Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar. The album of the year was An Evening with Silk Sonic done by Silk Sonic. Latto won the Best New Artist award. Best Women R&B/Pop Artist was Jazmine Sullivan, and the Best Men R&B/Pop Artist was The Weeknd. The best Men and Women Hip Hop artists Awards were sent to Kendrick Lamar and Megan Thee Stallion respectively. Silk Snoic won Best Group. Best Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award came for Kirk Franklin and Lil Baby's "We Win." Mary J. Blige won the BET Her Award for her song of Good Morning Gorgeous. That song celebrates the glory and beauty of women. King Richard won Best Movie, and Zendaya won Best Actress. Marsai Martin won YoungStars Awards, and Will Smith won Best Actor The Lifetime Achievement Award was won by Sean Combs.
By Timothy
Saturday, July 16, 2022
Marva Scott.
Friday, July 15, 2022
Mid July 2022 News.
One important event now is that a statue that honors Mary McLeod Bethune has been unveiled in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. Mary McLeod Bethune was a teacher of many black children. Bethune desired our community to reach high heights of glory and power. She worked in Florida and nationwide to advance courage and excellence. She continued to defend the truth of human equality and black freedom every day of her life. As a civil rights icon, Bethune never relinquished her calling. The statue unveiling was attended by many people like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, and other lawmakers plus activists. Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida praised her contributions to civil rights and equal rights. Bethune was the daughter of former slaves to become one of the greatest Americans in history. She originated Bethune-Cookman University. She led voter registration drives after women had the right to vote in 1920. It is fitting this comes after all Confederate statues are expelled from the U.S. Capitol. She also worked with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to grow economic opportunities for especially young black Americans.
The January 6th coup d'état attempt against the American government was headed by former President Donald Trump, the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and other extremists. With the televised hearings, we have more facts about what took place. The plot included Trump using his lawyers and Justice Department members in trying to steal the legal 2020 election. Trump's White House Counsel Pat Cipollone corroborated the testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson on Trump calling on armed supporters to overrun the U.S. Capitol and stop the certification of the Electoral College vote. Cipollone told that Trump that Trump's plan to seize voting machines is illegal. Jason Van Tatenhove left the Oath Keepers (filled with racists and anti-Semites) after members said that the Holocaust was not real. We know that the Holocaust was real. Taatenhove said that Rhodes wanted violence against elected leaders. Trump pardoned Flynn and Stone. We know that former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was an FBI informant. This terrorism against the American people on January 6th isn't just done by Donald Trump. It's done by many people from the far right. The Pentagon waited for 199 minutes to approve the deployment of D.C. National Guard troops to stop the mob.
President Joe Biden is meeting in the Middle East for many reasons. He wants Israel to work with other nations to deal with Russia, oil prices, and other matters. Biden is going to Saudi Arabia, which has been condemned over Saudi Arabia's horrendous human rights record. The news of Iran sending Russia drones to attack Ukraine has allowed been known by the Biden administration. The Biden administration wants the nations of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, etc. to unite to form a coalition to repel Iran's nuclear development aims. Also, Saudi Arabia is in an alliance with Israel surprisingly. One reason is that both nations' governments are in opposition to Iran's nuclear program. Saudi Arabia is mostly Sunni, and Iran is mostly Shia, so you can't ignore the religious element in this complex situation. Biden also wants more oil resources from Saudi Arabia to deal with oil prices in America, though oil prices in America now are going down. President Joe Biden said that he wants Palestine to be an independent nation, but Biden hasn't massively spoken about the oppression that Palestinians have gone through in the West Bank.
Some of the most important issues in our time is the black farmers fighting against systemic land theft. John Boyd Jr. is one of many people fighting back against the harm done to black farmers. He is the President of the National Black Farmers Association, and his wife is Kara Brewer Boyd (who is the President of the Association of American Indian Farmers). John Boyd Jr. has talked about the constant racism black farmers have experienced in America. Boyd is a 4th generation farmer. Back in January 1865, President Lincoln gave 40 acres and a mule to freed slaves. In June 400,000 acres were sent to 40,000 free black farmers. After Lincoln was assassinated, that land was stolen and sent to other people. Even with the Southern Homestead Act that tried to give black farmers the right to own farmlands in Southern states, there was Jim Crow. Many black farmers had Klan terrorism, corrupt lawyers, corrupt banking policies, lynchings, and other evil actions. It's a known fact that the Department of Agriculture had a practice of withholding loans and grant funds from black and other minority farmers. Native American lands have been stolen too. Black farmers want fairness, access to credit gain and real resources, respect, and human dignity. Leveling the playing field is just the right thing to do.
Right now, we have witnessed the worst spreading variant of the coronavirus. It's called BA.5. The tricky thing about this variant is that it evolves to try to escape immunity. It has also increased the hospitalizations and spread of COVID-19 in the past days. Worldwide, the virus has killed millions of human beings, including over 1 million Americans. This is the newest offshoot of Omicron. There is a global surge in cases of 30% over the past fortnight according to the WHO (the World Health Organization). It's spreading in Europe and China too. China may re-establish strict lockdown measures in their locations. According to the CDC or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the variant accounted for 65% of new infections last week. Many of the victims of the virus are regularly undercounted. The coronavirus is not some cold. It can cause organ damage, brain harm, lung disease, increased risk of heart disease, and other things that no one wants. That is why the U.S. government wants Americans 50 or older to get second booster shots. Only one in four adults over 50 have gotten their 2nd boosters. Some believe that U.S. health officials may allow 2nd boosters for all adults in the future. BA.5 can escape immunity forces. It's more transmissible than previous variants too.
By Timothy
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