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
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