There are tons of facts shown about history all of the time. Nettie B. Claud lived from October 7, 1926 to March 1, 2021. She was born to the late Curnel Owens Turner and Rosa Lee Ralph of Drewryville, Virginia. Nettie was one of eleven siblings whose names are: Curnel Turner Jr. (1930-2003), James Owens Turner (b. 1928), Henry Wilbert Turner (1934-2020), Roosevelt Turner, Mae Belle Turner (1919-2004), Anna Rose Claude (1921-2011), Mamie (Katherine) Joyner, Lula Bishop, Essie Mae Turner (b. 1931), and Vivian Claud (1936-2013). Nettie B. Claud joined the Apostolic Fath and was a missionary. She was the Virginia State Supervisor of the Women's Department for over 30 years. She graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Virginia after doing night school in 1996 at the age of 70 years old.
Nettie B. Turner married my cousin Willie Claud (who is a descendant of my 5th great grandmother Zilphy Claud) in Norfolk, Virginia on April 9, 1948. They had 2 children whose names are Jean Melvone Claud Ward (1949-2017) and Leon Claude (b. 1951). My fourth cousin Jean Melvone Claud married Bobby Perkins Ward (b. 1951) in Norfolk, Virginia on November 21, 1976. Their children are Cornelius Jude Ward (b. 1979) and Apollos Lamont Ward (b. 1981). My 5th cousin Cornelius Jude Ward is with Nadina Lynn. Jean Ward spent her career working for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and retired after 33 years in 2006. Getting bored, and needing something to do, a few months later she began working as a substitute teacher with the children at James Ryder Randall Elementary School. Jean Melvone Ward's grandchildren are Tionne Shundien, Magnolia Jude, and Nautica Mathias. My 5th cousin Apollos Lamont Ward married Tekeia Monique Epps (b. 1982). My 4th cousin Leon Claude married Linda Juanita Ford (b. 1953) on June 19, 1973, in Chesapeake, Virginia. Their children are: Prinston Guyon Claud (b. 1974. He is married to Sharon Ann Lumas), Lovell Leon Claud (b. 1976. He is married to Ebony R. Claud), and Hosea Gerar Claud (b. 1979. He is married to Cheree Annette Armstrong). Nettie B. Claud has 11 great-grandchildren too. Recently on 23 and Me, there was a new person named Veronica Denise Claud shown there being related to me based on DNA evidence. Many people of the Claud family are related to me as found on Ancestry.com and 23 and Me. She is my 4th cousin born on July 14, 1959 in Northampton, North Carolina. She married Jerman Toro (b. 1959) on July 30, 1986, in Newport News, Virginia. Veronica Denise Claud is a descendant of Frank Thomas Claud (1856-1948) and Zilphy Claud (1820-1893). I am also related to the late Cynthia Marie Battle (July 14, 1946 - August 7, 2021) as we both are descendants of Zilphy Claud too.
The Jackson, Mississippi water crisis is one of the worst environmental disasters in American history. It shows the callousness of racism and economic exploitation. When the GOP leaders of the Mississippi government disrespected the residents of Jackson by acting with kid gloves on this issue for years, then we see that laissez-faire capitalism is not only evil and wrong. Laissez-faire capitalism is an overt enemy of the human race and of democratic rights. First, it is important to give support and solidarity to the people of Jackson, Mississippi. They are suffering unspeakable horrors that we can't fathom in lacking clean drinking water. This new water crisis started by later in August 2022. This came after the Pearl River flooded as a result of severe storms in the state. The flooding caused the O. B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant, the city's largest water treatment facility, which was already running on backup pumps due to failures the month prior, to stop the treatment of drinking water indefinitely. This resulted in approximately 150,000 residents of the city being left without access to safe drinking water. United States President Joe Biden declared a federal disaster to trigger federal aid. The crisis triggered a political debate regarding racial discrimination, infrastructure neglect, and shifting local demographics. Fundamentally, this is why President Biden passed that infrastructure bill in order to help people. The mayor of Jackson, Mississippi is doing all that he can to help the situation.
First, we have to look at things chronologically. Jackson, Mississippi is the largest city in the state of Mississippi, and Mississippi is probably the poorest state in the United States of America. Its water system has more than 71,000 water connections. For years, Jackson's drinking water treatment systems have had real problems. Back in 2010, a winter storm caused several water main breaks and a widespread outage. City hospitals increased privately owned well capacity as a response to that emergency, and as a result, in the August 2022 crisis core medical services were able to continue operating with running water. In 2012, Jackson failed a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspection enforcing Safe Drinking Water Act standards, resulting in a November 2012 settlement requiring that the city improve maintenance. In February 2021, a winter storm shut down the O. B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant, leaving residents without water for a month. The freezing water lines caused water mains to burst knocking out water service to the entire city and surrounding suburbs. City leaders asked the state for $47 million for sewer repairs but received only $3 million. The city and the EPA agreed on a repair plan in July 2021, but the city's water infrastructure continued to deteriorate. Residents complained of low water pressure and sewage floating in the streets. The city issued many boil water orders after the February storm, including one in July 2022 when plant damage forced a move to backup pumps; that order was still in effect when the August 2022 flooding arrived. A private contractor failed to send water bills to thousands of residents, and the governor vetoed an amnesty plan in 2020, but not in 2021. This action allowed the city to recover partial payments from some customers.
By the late summer of 2022, heavy rain fell over parts of Mississippi during the week prior to the new crisis. Walnut Grove had 12 inches (300 millimeters) of precipitation. These storms made flash flooding in the areas, including Jackson. That is why Jackson mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba declared a local emergency on August 24, 2022. The immediate flash flooding receded that week, but water moving through streams and rivers caused the Pearl River to flood cresting at 35.37 feet (10.78 meters) on August 29 and not falling below the flood stage of 28 feet (8.5 m) until September 1. One home in Jackson was flooded and a few neighborhoods were evacuated as a precaution. Mississippi governor Tate Reeves deployed 600 members of the Mississippi National Guard on August 31 to help distribute bottled water and hand sanitizer. At Reeves' request President Joe Biden declared Jackson to be a disaster area, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to send resources to the city and to help pay for the response. Local schools and universities moved to virtual learning due to the lack of water. Other Mississippi communities organized drives to donate water and other supplies to the city's residents and offered accommodations for some people displaced by the crisis.
A well dug at the Mississippi Fairgrounds after the 2021 crisis was used to source emergency water locally. Rented pumps were used to increase water pressure, and the city considered using a contractor or retired operators to deal with a chronic staffing shortage. In December 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency announced an allocation of $74.9 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to Mississippi for water infrastructure improvements. Mayor Lumumba estimated the cost of fully repairing the water system at $2 billion. On September 5, Governor Reeves said that conditions at the water treatment plant had improved with the pumped-out water being much cleaner. For long-term solutions, Reeves stated that the state was considering a range of solutions, including privatization of the system and forming a commission to oversee failed water system. We don't need some privatization but real solutions. Republican Congressman Michael Guest blames political gridlock on city leadership for the crisis, not racism. Reeves has tried to blame city officials for the latest chapter of the yearslong crisis, though the state has historically refused to help pay for repairs that have been impossible for the city to afford as decades of white flight have left it with less tax revenue. Obviously, there is more to the whole story. For decades, Jackson and other places in America have been victims of environmental racism with the state for a long time refusing to adequately support infrastructure in its own capital city of Jackson, Mississippi. The crisis has also spurred discussion about how climate change is expected to strain existing infrastructure in the United States. Writing for the American socialist publication Jacobin, Ryan Zickgraf states that the water crisis in Jackson can be attributed to decades of austerity and capital disinvestment. Arielle King, a lawyer, and environmental justice advocate said that Jackson has been a victim of redlining and racism by many black communities being concentrated in polluting industries like landfills, oil refineries, and wastewater treatment plants.
About 150,000 residents of Jackson, Mississippi lacking clean drinking water is totally wrong. Now, people have to rely on bottled water or use buckets to collect water from wells in the wealthiest country in the world. That is very contradictory. We have blackouts in California, power outages in Metro Detroit, and the water poisoning of Flint, Michigan. We have the money to rebuild Jackson's water infrastructure too. If the Biden administration can send billions of dollars to help Ukraine fight Russian invaders and trillions of dollars have been spent to fund the military in over 20 years, then billions of dollars can be spent to rebuild American infrastructure. Back in 2012, there was a $90 million deal by the outgoing mayor with the global conglomerate Siemens. The plan was to upgrade the city's water and sewage system to have an automated billing system. The new billing and water meter system failed to send bills to residents, resulting in more than $43 million in unpaid water bills and throwing the city’s water fund into crisis. A legal settlement in 2020 saw the city recover the $90 million from the company, but by this point, the antiquated water system had degraded further. In 2016 it was announced that elevated levels of lead had been discovered in the water. The state continues to advise that children under five and pregnant women not drink unfiltered tap water. Lead in water is especially harmful to children as it can cause serious developmental problems.
An Environmental Protection Agency assessment in 2015 found that the state required $4.8 billion over 20 years to guarantee safe drinking water, with much of the infrastructure reaching or well beyond its designed life span. Underfunding and racism contributed to this crisis. Governor Reeves wants the whole public water system to be privatized allowing select corporations to loot resources that have been done years ago. We don't omit the deindustrialization and impoverishment of mostly African American city of Jackson over four decades that contributed to this crisis too along with climate change. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves also mocked the citizens of Jackson, Mississippi recently. “I’ve got to tell you it is a great day to be in Hattiesburg. It's also, as always, a great day to not be in Jackson,” Reeves said, as he spoke at a groundbreaking event in the southern Mississippi city on Friday. “I feel like I should take off my emergency management director hat and leave it in the car and take off my public works director hat and leave it in the car.” His words show how GOP far-right extremists feel about people who look like us. His words are callous and disrespectful. “In the most disgraceful Governor sweepstakes, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves is a winner,” Sherrilyn Ifill, a civil rights attorney and former president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, tweeted. The Republican government of Mississippi has refused to adequately finance a response to handle this crisis in the billions of dollars. There are many groups in Jackson like Cooperation Jackson who are fighting for Jackson to have clean drinking water to this very day.
For decades, he lived a life of breaking down barriers, being excellent in acting, and standing up for dignity among black actors and black actresses. Also, he became a director and diplomat. He was the late Sidney Poitier. There were predecessors before him. Paul Robeson and Canada Lee participated in dignified, pro-black roles and fought for more fair, progressive representation among black people. Historically, black men and black women have been fighting for our liberation for eons of our time. Sidney Poitier was born in Miami, Florida and he lived to be 94 years old. He is one of the longest-living old-school Hollywood legends of all time. His story is a Bahamian story (as he is of Afro-Caribbean descent. Caribbeans have great cultures) and an American story (as he worked in America constantly to combat racism and negative stereotypes against black people). The greatness of Sidney Poitier is that he has been part of some of the ahead of their times great films of all time like In the Heat of the Night, To Sir with Love, A Raisin in the Sun, Blackboard Jungle, etc. Poitier won many awards, and he always possessed a humble spirit. From giving advice to Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx to helping the Bahamas for decades, Sidney Poitier was an icon of the human race. His story should be shown without compromise and with a great sense of inspiration for present and future generations to achieve their goals.
There is one human being who changed the face of acting in a great level over many decades. She worked so hard, and she earned her awards by her merit. She never compromised her dignity, and she always worked for the cause of our freedom. She is the late Sister Cicely Tyson. For more than seven decades, Cicely Tyson has worked to show an accurate, non-stereotypical image of black women in film and theater. No one can deny what she has done. From Sounder to the film of Moses, Cicely Tyson always was an icon of acting. She was born in New York City of Afro-Caribbean descent. Having faith in God and in our people, she was always on the move to display some of the best work involving the field of acting of human history. She wore cornrows back in the early 1960's which was revolutionary during that time. She constantly refuted the evil of colorism to make sure that all shades of black people ought to be represented in TV, movie, and theater roles. At the end of the day. black people of every hue should be treated with dignity and respect. Cicely Tyson gave great hope and motivation for us all to live out our dreams. Her memoir of Just as I Am was published on January 26, 2021. She promoted the book during the late weeks of her life. She certainly did her best to outline excellence, to fulfill her own dreams, and to give great support to black people (especially black women) who sought her counsel and advice.
The 2022 Woman King movie has tons of talented people. Before delving into the elephant in the room and the controversies, it is fair to describe what this film is all about first. The Woman King is a film based on the historic Agojie, the all-women group that protected the West African Kingdom of Dahomey from the 17th to 19th centuries. The film is set in the 1820's. The film stars Viola Davis as a general who trains the next generation of warriors to fight their enemies. The film was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and it was written by Dana Stevens. Dana Stevens wrote the story with Maria Bello. The film also stars Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and John Boyega. The producers of the movie are Cathy Schulman, Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, and Maria Bello. Polly Morgan did the movie's cinematography. It was released in America on September 16, 2022, being the number one film in the nation for the week of its being released. Bello went to Benin and started to work on the movie of The Woman King in 2015. The film took years to be shown. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2022. It was released by Sony Pictures Releasing in America and Canada 7 days later. The film (regardless of what you think of its historical accuracy) has been praised by many people for its action and acting.
The film is set in the West African Kingdom of Dahomey during the 1820's. The all-women group of warriors called the Agojie protect the kingdom (in real life, the Agojie were wives to the kings of the Dahomey). The movie has the group's general Nanisca training people to fight slavery and the European imperialists who seek to destroy their lives. Lashana Lynch plays Izogie, John Boyega plays King Ghezo, Angelique Kidjo plays the Meunon, Sheila Atim plays Amenza, and there are other talented actors and actresses in the film too. Director Prince-Bythewood wanted the film to be like Gladiator, The Last of the Mohicans, and Braveheart which shows athleticism and courage as motifs. She inspired the film to show realistic fight scenes. She worked with Princeton professor Leonard Wantchekon to study the Agojie along with production designer Akin McKenzie. The cast worked 90 minutes a day of weight lifting with trainer Gabriela Mclain followed by three and a half hours of fight training with stunt coordinator Danny Hernandez (with running, martial arts, swords, and spears). Davis was inspired by pro boxer Claressa Sheilds (who is the greatest woman boxer in our generation). Prince-Blythewood wanted the department heads to be women and people of color. The cast and crew flew to South Africa for a five-month shoot. The movie has been praised for its acting, realism, and courage. It has an intensity that showed how times were back then. I do agree with Viola Davis that there should be more dark-skinned black people in movies to outline fair representations. Ironically, many Hoteps and even some divestors agree with each other that this film shouldn't show black women in athleticism, fierce courage, and strength (in fighting military battles in movies). Of course, that is sexist nonsense. Black women and any human being have the right to show courage, strength, leadership, athleticism, and power without apology period. That is not a detriment to femininity as femininity is diverse. In other words, a woman has the right to stay at home or to work to be an engineer or teacher.
Now, let's get into the controversies. The Woman King film is set in the kingdom of Dahomey in the year of 1823. The Kingdom existed from 1600 to 1904. The Agojie existed for most of that time. Viola Davis plays the Agojie general Nanisca who is a fictional character. It is said that her name was inspired by the Aghojie teenage recruit of the same name who was written by a French naval officer in 1889. John Boyega played King Ghezo, who existed in real life. He ruled Dahomey from 1818 to 1858. He was evil to engage in the Atlantic slave trade through the end of his reign. Hero Fiennes Tiffin played the white Portuguese-speaking slave trader Santo Ferreira, who is fictional and portrayed as an enemy to Ghezo. This may be inspired by Francisco Felix de Sousa, a Brazilian slave trader who actually helped Ghezo to gain power. There is no question that Dahomey was a kingdom that conquered other African states, enslaved their citizens to sell in the Atlantic slave trade, and most of the kingdom's wealth was derived from slavery. If I knew this in minutes of research, the producers knew this. I think that the producers of this film underestimated the backlash against the film, but we are humans. We are curious by nature, and we will research the facts. I feel that Prince-Blythewood and Viola Davis are sincere in showing the beauty and strength of black women warriors in Africa (as both black women love black people), but we can't whitewash history here. Slave trading is evil. The Agojie had a history of participating in slave raiding. Slavery in Dahomey existed even after the British Empire stopped Dahomey from continuing the Atlantic slave trade. The Agoije at its peak had about 6,000 members in the 1840's. The film rightfully exposes the evil of European colonialism and the evil of slavery, but it omits how invested in slavery the Kindgom of Dahomey was involved in. Dahomey ultimately was ended by French imperialism after various wars. Ghezo used palm oil production in trading in replacing slavery. Then, he continued to be involved in slave trading still. The movie accurately showed Dahomey being free from its status under the Oyo Empire. There are tons of black women warriors in African history who not only opposed slavery but fought colonialism overtly. Do I feel that some critics of the film are motivated by misogynoir and xenophobia against Africans (as Africans collectively are never complicit in the Maafa)? Yes. There are racists, Hoteps, and xenophobes who exploit the complex nature of the film in order to slander African people collectively. There are sexists who can't stand the fact of a movie showing beautiful, strong, and dark black women beating men up in films with courage and power. Yet, the issue of the Dahomey Kingdom's role in slavery can't be omitted (Ghezo reigned from 1818 to 1859. His son Glele reigned from 1858 to 1889). We have to show all of the truth. The Oyo Empire is a powerful Yoruba state in southwestern Nigeria. In the film Nanisca opposes the slave trade. From an artistic standpoint, the film has glorious scenes, but its omissions and imperfections in showing real history can't be omitted either. The Woman King will start a new conversation in making sure that black men and black women are increasingly shown in non-stereotypical ways in film. Regardless of what you think of the film, African history is complex. There were black women leaders in Africa spanning thousands of years, and there is nothing wrong with that. Leadership and true dignity are never limited based on background. Also, I believe in Pan African Unity in that people of black African unity should unite and fight for black liberation without compromise. I don't agree with the ADOS and FBA movements. I consider myself a lover of Africa and a lover of Blackness. To be free is to be real. To be real is to show the truth and acknowledge the power of the Most High to lead us in a positive direction. Therefore, my view of the film Woman King is that it showed the beauty, courage, and strength of black women. That should be praised. I do feel that the film's producers underestimated the criticism. There are plenty of stories that have all black women warriors fighting slavery in real life. For the film's rejection of the slave trade and the support of black determination, I support people's right to boycott the film or not. The film is not Birth of a Nation which overtly slanders black people using blackface, falsely accuses black men collectively of raping white women, etc. I do condemn the Dahomey role in the slave trade, I understand the film's complexities, and I understand the sincerity of Viola Davis and the director. Yet, I won't demonize those who boycott the Woman King for the slave trade issues out of sincere motivations. Lupita refused to be in the film, because of the Dahomey role in the slave trade. I respect Lupita. At the end of the day, we need more black films created by black people to tell our own black stories. Part of that story is about all black women heroic warriors. We can agree to agree or disagree with the movie as rational adults. The Woman King film has been number one in the country of America. Black stories didn't start with slavery, and it didn't end with slavery.
With the recent news, the student loan crisis has been one of the most important issues of our time. Decades ago, college tuition was either free or it only cost a small amount of money per year. Now, times are different. The majority of recent borrowers and defaulters attend for-profit and non-selective schools. Many people have difficulty in financial stability because of high student loan debt. There are many stories of people and organizations paying off student loan debt of people from across America, but the crisis remains because of many factors. The federal student loan debt is about $1.7 trillion, which is a huge amount of money. Student tuition has radically grown up over the course of four decades. Back when the GI Bill, the National Defense Education Act, and the Higher Education Act of 1965 were passed, many people had greater access to college. Enrollment grew and the costs were very low decades ago. What happened? Deep cuts in state funding for higher education inspired higher tuition rates. These costs of the colleges were pushed onto students. That is why now, tuition is about half of all public college revenue. State and local governments provide the other half. Back then, tuition was only a quarter of revenue, and state and local government took over the rest. Household income is stagnant while average tuition prices are up. That is why more students have to rely on jobs, scholarships, grants, and other programs to help pay for higher tuition rates. Graduate courses have high tuition too. Some use the repayment plan with the lowest monthly payment, but it takes a long time to pay it back. According to the U.S. Department of Education, it takes a person 17 years on average to pay off their educational debt. Without revolutionary solutions, student loan debt could reach $3 trillion.
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