Democratic Transition in Sudan Further Delayed by Military Clashes | Black Agenda Report
Saturday, April 29, 2023
Friday, April 28, 2023
Late April 2023 News.
The breaking news is that former Vice President Mike Pence has testified to the January 6th probe from the Department of Justice. This is huge, because Mike Pence has knowledge about Trump's actions that 90 percent of the public doesn't know about. Trump has disrespected Mike Pence, because Pence refused to invalidate the 2020 election. Pence went out to confirm that Joseph Biden was rightfully elected as President of the United States after the seditious, treasonous January 6th insurrection. Pence was involved in meetings with Trump that will be useful in his testimony. Former Vice President Mike Pence fulfilled his subpoena because he had no choice. Pence will probably answer the questions honestly as Pence is not being charged with any wrongdoing. Also, Pence and Trump have broken their friendship relationship over the January 6th events. Pence was threatened by the insurrectionist terrorists who wanted to hang him. Pence was escorted out of the U.S. Capitol by Secret Service agents.
Some breaking news is that the College Board is to change its AP African American Studies course. This comes after DeSantis wants AP African American studies to sugarcoat black history. The College Board wants to reveal changes to AP African American studies over the next months. The truth is that conservatives are wrong to think that we must show certain history and omit other parts of the American story. To be truly, you have to show all facets of American history. African American history is part of American history from Malcolm X to Ella Baker. We want a functional democracy that gives voice to all voices and does not limit what type of history we must listen to. The College Board's revision again shows our pressure from the black community is potent. We want information on intersectionality, reparations, unsung black heroes, and other issues. On May 3, 2023, many protesters want progressive access to AP African American Studies.
Recently, Carolyn Bryant died at the age of 88 years old. She was the woman who falsely accused Emmitt Till of being a vicious sexual harasser. Her words contributed to the death of Emmitt Till. Till was murdered in such a graphic fashion that I can't mention all that the racist mob did to him. Till's mother wanted the public to show his face in public to allow human beings to see what racists did to Till. This tragedy inspired the development of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement. Bryant not only was a liar. She was a coward who tried to escape justice. To this day, Emmitt Till's family hasn't received justice. Ted Cruz has been caught on tape trying to set up a program to attempt to steal the 2020 election. Ted Cruz is a U.S. Senator from Texas who is one of the most extreme members of Congress. As late as January 2, 2021, he said that he wants a commission to try to find out who won the election (but Trump lost the election). In the past, Cruz criticized Trump for disrespecting his wife and claiming that his father had involvement in the JFK assassination. Today, Cruz is one of Trump's fiercest supporters. Some shocking news is that former rapper Pras was found guilty of a political conspiracy. Pras was accused of funneling money from a future Malaysian financier via straw donors to places. Pras recently admitted that he was an FBI informant. That's shocking, but it is no secret that government agents have infiltrated the sports and entertainment world. Books have proven how the CIA consults movie directors all of the time in developing films. So, Pras is a huge disappointment.
Some breaking news is that Jerry Springer passed away, and he was 79 years old. As one of the most provocative, controversial talk show hosts in history, Jerry Springer was very influential in the culture of the 1990's. He was the liberal version of the Morton Downey show (Downey was a 1980's talk show who pioneered controversial TV talk shows back in the day). Jerry Springer at first was not very controversial. It changed by the mid to late 1990's hosting every subject under the sun from adultery to other unique displays of human expression. Jerry Springer was a political man being the former mayor of Cincinnati. His relatives were victims of the Holocaust, so he knows firsthand about oppression. Jerry Springer admitted that his talk show shouldn't be taken seriously. In retrospect, Jerry Springer admitted some of the negative unintended consequences of some of his episodes too. He had a judge show too. As an older Millennial, I remember his show from the 1990's. Many people in our generation came home from middle school and high school to watch his show. A lot of people don't know that he has a law degree, he was an attorney, and he loved his child. Therefore, Jerry Springer's legacy is that he showed the world the complicated, diverse activities of the human race, and whether we agree or disagree on issues; we have to take care and take care of each other.
I send condolences to Jerry Springer's family and friends.
Today is the Birthday of Sister Mica Paris, and she is 54 years old. She is a famous Afro-British singer, presenter, and actress. She was born in Islington, London, England. Paris grew up singing in her grandparents' church. By her mid-teens, she was making regular appearances with the Spirit of Watts gospel choir (with whom she featured on the 1985 EP Gospel Joy). She was a backing vocalist with the UK band Hollywood Beyond when she was 17. Paris was on their album called If in 1985. Paris had her debut and platinum-selling album of So Good with the song 4th and Broadway when she was 19 years old. She did a collaboration with American soul singer Will Downing on a cover version of the classic "Where is the Love" made famous by Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack in the early 1970's. Her album of Constitution was made in 1990. She recorded with Anita Baker, Bonnie Raitt, and Natalie Cole on the album of Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa in 1990. Her third album was Whisper a Prayer in 1993 with songs like I Wanna Hold On To You, You Put a Move on My Heart (covered by Tamia). She worked with Guru, Maxwell, and James Ingram. Paris has hosted programs on BBC before. Mica Paris was part of documentaries describing Prince, gospel music, and Diana Ross. She was part of the theater and wrote literature before. She loves her two daughters. Her sister, Paula Wallen was a pop music singer, and her cousin is boxer Chris Eubank.
I wish Sister Mica Paris a Great Birthday.
By Timothy
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
New Developments in the News.
Today, President Joe Biden has announced his re-election campaign for the 2024 Presidential election. Biden released a video ad that showed his views. In essence, he wants to finish the job in fulfilling his political agenda. Biden made it a choice between people who want more rights and MAGA extremists who want people to have fewer rights. In our time, the far-right movement has come back with a vengeance in advocating book bans, dehumanizing immigrants (both documented and undocumented immigrants) sugarcoating history on racism, violating the rights of women, harming the rights of other minorities, and desiring cuts to the social safety net. We have a real choice between freedom and fascism. We have a choice between democracy and the end of democracy as we know it in America. We have record-low unemployment in the black American community, progressive legislation passed by Biden at a historic pace, and millions of jobs being created. Now, we have a long way to go, but President Biden is much better than Donald Trump by any metric.
I don't agree with Don Lemon's sexist and ageist statements on CNN. These things and others contributed to him being fired. Yet, Don Lemon recently had a debate with Vivek Ramaswamy (who is a GOP operative). Vivek showed many lies, and it is right to tell the truth. Vivek claimed that Democrats want to bring black people to slavery which is offensive and racist. Lemon rightfully said that black Americans never had equal rights after the Civil War. The National Rifle Association was originally created by former Union soldiers who wanted sportsmanship, hunting, and gun control measures for decades (in the New York National Guard and beyond). Vivek forgets that back in the day during the 19th century, Democrats were more conservative than Republicans. That changed by the 20th century since the New Deal. After the 1965 Voting Rights Act was passed, more progressives were part of the Democratic Party, and more conservatives were part of the Republican Party.
The NRA supported the 1968 Gun Control Act after the assassinations of Dr. King and Robert Kennedy. By the late 1970's, a far-right coup happened to cause the NRA to be a far-right front organization that opposes even commonsense gun regulations. There were draconian laws that were anti-gun against black Americans in the South during the 19th century. Yet, these laws targeted innocent black people who were victims of racism and other forms of oppression. These laws banned black people from owning a shotgun or any handgun. The laws that we desire don't include draconian gun bans, but reasonable gun regulations. That's the difference. The Deacons of Defense, SNCC, the Black Panthers, and other civil rights, black liberation groups used guns for self-defense. They were trained and disciplined with courage. They didn't support the notion that anyone (like criminals) can own a gun without restraint. The truth is that the black civil rights movement paved the way for the 1965 Immigration Act that many families owe black Americans a great deal of gratitude. Black Americans helped to build America as we know it. Vivek said the lie that black people secured our freedom after the Civil War. The truth is that we are still fighting for our freedom to this very day. The fact that the Voting Rights Act was gutted and voting suppression laws are abundant proofs that we black people are still not completely free in society.
Tucker Carlson is now fired from FOX News after the Dominion company won its lawsuit against FOX News. One former FOX producer is suing FOX News accusing the network of promoting sexism and anti-Semitism, especially on the Tucker Carlson show. I remember Tucker Carlon with Novak at Crossfire on CNN. When he came on FOX News, he crossed so many lines with his extreme, racist, and xenophobic rhetoric that he was gone from FOX News. Carlson promoted the lie that the 2021 fascist insurrection was just quaint and not a super big deal. He tried to make up lies about social issues, economic issues, and on other important political issues. Even FOX News (which supports Trump and his agenda) thanked Tucker Carlson for his work on FOX News. Carlon had the highest-rated single host at FOX News. He was told that he was fired on Monday night. In public, Tucker Carlson (who promoted the racist replacement theory view. Carlson has praised authoritarians like Orban, and he sugarcoated the actions of the dictator Putin) praised Donald Trump and his views, but he said that he loathed or hated Trump in private. His lies and his hypocrisies are clear to witness. Truth matters is the lesson of this story.
Some breaking news is that Fulton County DA Fani Willis said that she will possibly announce charges in the Trump-related 2020 election fraud case this summer. This was found via a letter. Willis told local law enforcement officials in a letter that she plans to make the announcement on possible charges between July 11 and September 1, 2023. There is no question that Trump tried to steal the election in Georgia involving the 2020 election. We have a legal process executed by District Attorney Fani Willis. Willis used cogent arguments, diligent research, and a lot of patience to gather facts constantly. Now, we see a new era of time involving the Trump scandals. Accountability matters. No one should go about trying to convince Georgia government officials to steal the 2020 election. The letter from Willis shows us that it may take time for Trump to be indicted, but he has already been indicted in the New York case. He may very well be indicted again in Georgia.
By Timothy
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Monday, April 24, 2023
Information about Lives.
There is a lot of information coming out about my family that I have never learned about until late April 2023. This is the following information. My late 4th cousin Jimmie Lewis Bynum Sr. lived from October 5, 1941, to October 31, 2001, in Norfolk, Virginia. His parents were Jimmy Lewis Bynum Sr. (b. 1923) and Laura Elizabeth Claud (1923-1985). So, Jimmie Bynum is a descendant of my 5th grandmother Zilphy Claud via Frank T. Claud. Jimmie Lewis Bynum Jr.'s nickname was "June Bug." He lived on Spartan Street at its 1700 block in Norfolk, Virginia. He was a self-employed construction worker for 30 years. His five sisters are Louise Boyd, Gracie Glast, Diane Jones, Angelia Bynum, and Yvonne Bynum. His five brothers are James L. Bynum, Joe F. Bynum, Joseph A. Bynum, Steve L. Bynum, and Kenneth D. Bynum. Jimmie Lewis Bynum Jr. married Barbara Jean Jordan (1944-2022) on November 24, 1964, in Franklin, Virginia. Barbara Jordan's parents were Janis Mae Jordan and Early Lee Worrell. She served as a member of the First Baptist Church in Franklin, Virginia. Later, she was in the First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio. Jimme Lewis Bynum Jr. and Barbara Jean Jordan had a daughter named Cathy Denise Bynum (b. 1970). Cathy Denise Bynum or my 5th cousin married Nicholas B. Louketis (b. 1965) on August 5, 2005. Their children are Noria Louketis and Niya Louketis. The Louketis family lives in Ohio now. Recently, I found out that Jimmie Lewis Bynum Jr. and Cathey Patricia Sears (1952-2002) had a child named Kimberly M. Gale Long Garlick (b. 1982). Kimberly is my 5th cousin who was born in Norfolk, Virginia and lives in Georgia. Kimberly Garlick graduated from Norfolk State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology (2002-2006). She has a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General from Strayer University (2014-2015). Kimberly Long Garlick (Ancestry.com confirmed that we are blood cousins related to many Claud family members too) is now a Human Resources Manager in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.
Agriculture has a long history spanning thousands of years. Human beings changed from being hunter-gatherers to being part of Agricultural societies. This was a product of intensification and more sedentism. There was the Natufian culture in the Levent and the early Chinese Neolithic culture in China. Many scholars believe that after the last ice age (ca. 11,000 B.C.), much of the Earth became subject to long dry seasons. These conditions caused modern-day agriculture to be born. These conditions caused annual plants to die off in the long dry season leaving a dormant seed or tuber. Many storable wild grains and pulses caused hunter-gatherers in some areas to create the first settled villages at that time. In ancient history, human beings started to alter communities of flora and fauna for their own benefit. This was done by fire-stick farming and forest gardening. Wild grains have been collected and eaten from at least 105,000 years ago (maybe longer). We know about the existence of semi-tough rachis and larger seeds of cereals from just after the Younger Dryas (ca. 9,500 B.C.) in the early Holocene in the Levant region of the Fertile Crescent. Some believed that the domestication of the cereal rachis could have occurred naturally with its monophyletic characteristics without any human intervention. In the human family, agriculture began independently in many parts of the Earth including a diverse range of taxa. We know of domestic pigs having multiple centers of origin in Eurasia, Europe, East Asia, and Southwest Asia. Wild boars have first domesticated about 10,5000 years ago. Sheep were domesticated in Mesopotamia between 11000 B.C. and 9,000 B.C. Cattle were domesticated from the wild aurochs in the areas of Turkey and Pakistan in ca. 8500 B.C. Camels were domesticated later on in ca. 3,000 B.C. By 9,500 B.C., founder crops of agriculture developed which were emmer, einkorn wheat, hulled barley, peas, lentils, bitter betch, chick peas, and flax. They existed in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) sites in the Levant. Wheat was the first crop to be grown and harvested on a significant scale. At this time at 9,400 B.C, parthenocarpic fig trees were domesticated.
Domesticated rye occurs in small quantities at some Neolithic sites in (Asia Minor) Turkey, such as the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (c. 7600 – c. 6000 BC) Can Hasan III near Çatalhöyük, but is otherwise absent until the Bronze Age of central Europe, c. 1800–1500 BC. Claims of much earlier cultivation of rye, at the Epipalaeolithic site of Tell Abu Hureyra in the Euphrates valley of northern Syria, remain controversial. Critics point to inconsistencies in the radiocarbon dates and identifications based solely on grain, rather than on chaff. By 8000 BC, farming was entrenched on the banks of the Nile. About this time, agriculture was developed independently in the Far East, probably in China, with rice rather than wheat as the primary crop. Maize was domesticated from the wild grass teosinte in southern Mexico by 6700 BC. The potato (8000 BC), tomato, pepper (4000 BC), squash (8000 BC), and several varieties of bean (8000 BC onwards) were domesticated in the Americas.
Agriculture was independently developed on the island of New Guinea. Banana cultivation of Musa acuminata, including hybridization, dates back to 5000 BC, and possibly to 8000 BC, in Papua New Guinea. Bees were kept for honey in the Middle East around 7000 BC. Archaeological evidence from various sites on the Iberian Peninsula suggests the domestication of plants and animals between 6000 and 4500 BC. Céide Fields in Ireland, consisting of extensive tracts of land enclosed by stone walls, date to 3500 BC and are the oldest known field systems in the world. The horse was domesticated in the Pontic steppe around 4000 BC. In Siberia, Cannabis was in use in China in Neolithic times and may have been domesticated there; it was in use both as a fiber for ropemaking and as a medicine in Ancient Egypt by about 2350 BC.
In northern China, millet was domesticated by early Sino-Tibetan speakers at around 8000 to 6000 BC, becoming the main crop of the Yellow River basin by 5500 BC. They were followed by mung, soy and azuki beans. Chronological dispersal of Austronesian peoples across the Indo-Pacific. In southern China, rice was domesticated in the Yangtze River basin at around 11,500 to 6200 BC, along with the development of wetland agriculture, by early Austronesian and Hmong-Mien-speakers. Other food plants were also harvested, including acorns, water chestnuts, and foxnuts. Rice cultivation was later spread to Island Southeast Asia by the Austronesian expansion, starting at around 3,500 to 2,000 BC. This migration event also saw the introduction of cultivated and domesticated food plants from Taiwan, Island Southeast Asia, and New Guinea into the Pacific Islands as canoe plants. Contact with Sri Lanka and Southern India by Austronesian sailors also led to an exchange of food plants which later became the origin of the valuable spice trade.
In the 1st millennium AD, Austronesian sailors also settled Madagascar and the Comoros, bringing Southeast Asian and South Asian food plants with them to the East African coast, including bananas and rice. Rice was also spread southwards into Mainland Southeast Asia by around 2000 to 1500 BC by the migrations of the early Austroasiatic and Kra-Dai-speakers. In the Sahel region of Africa, sorghum was domesticated by 3000 BC in Sudan and pearl millet by 2500 BC in Mali. Kola nut and coffee were also domesticated in Africa. In New Guinea, ancient Papuan peoples began practicing agriculture around 7000 BC, domesticating sugarcane and taro. In the Indus Valley from the eighth millennium BC onwards at Mehrgarh, 2-row and 6-row barley were cultivated, along with einkorn, emmer, and durum wheats, and dates. In the earliest levels of Merhgarh, wild game such as gazelle, swamp deer, blackbuck, chital, wild ass, wild goat, wild sheep, boar, and nilgai were all hunted for food. These are successively replaced by domesticated sheep, goats, and humped zebu cattle by the fifth millennium BC, indicating the gradual transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture. Maize and squash were domesticated in Mesoamerica, potato in South America, and sunflower in the Eastern Woodlands of North America.
By the time of the early 1980's, the game has changed in early rock and roll and pop music. Ballad songs dominated early 1980's music in general. By January of 1980, Michael Jackson's song of Rock with You was topping the charts a lot. The song was Jackson's third number hit as a solo artist and the first of his many 1980's top hits. At the same time, the song of Brass in Pocket by The Pretenders (a group from the UK led by American singer/songwriter Chrissie Hynde) was a popular song. This era saw Canadian rock band Rush have their album Permanent Waves with their biggest album to date. Their song of Spirit of the Radio was a more radio-friendly sound. The New York City punk pioneers of The Ramones released their fifth studio album of End of The Century. Detroit, Michigan rocker Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band have their first and only #1 album with Against The Wind. Both the title track and second single "Fire Lake" hit the US Top Ten. The album would go on the sell over five million copies (5X Platinum). By March 1980, Queen was already a UK rock veteran group. Their 8th album was called The Game with a new synthesizer sound for the first time. They had songs like Crazy Little Thing Called Love and Another One Bites the Dust. The UK progressive rock group of Genesis (with Phil Collins) released their 10th album called Duke. It would be their first number-one album in the UK. By this time, rock artists like Dan Fogelberg, Iron Maiden (with its debut album of Iron Maiden), and Judas Priest made successes. New wave band Blondie had their hit of Call Me by April of 1980. American punk music grows with the group X having their album called Los Angeles. The Clash or punk pioneers had the song of Train in Van. Peter Gabriel from Genesis had his breakthrough album called Melt with songs like Games Without Frontiers. The Jams was a new wave band with music like Going Underground. Minneapolis, Minnesota disco band Lipps Inc. hit #1 US, #2 UK with the single "Funkytown" from their debut album. The song is written by band member and producer Steve Greenberg, with vocals by Cynthia Johnson.
Joy Division had the singer Ian Curtis who committed suicide. Bette Midler had the song of The Rose. Roxy Music, Bill Joel, and Ultravox had made music too. This time saw new wave and punk music expanding in its evolution. Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John had the song Magic from the film Xanadu. AC/DC/ The Rolling Stones, and other groups expressed their musical abilities to the world. The first Monsters of Rock festival is held at Castle Donington UK and attracts a crowd of 35,000 rock fans to see Rainbow, Judas Priest, Saxon, Scorpions, April Wine, Riot and Touch. The concert would become an annual event for the next fifteen years (by August of 1980). Sailing was the popular song made by Christopher Cross (who is from San Antonio, Texas) including Ride Like the Wind. Pete Townshend from the Who made many singles like Let My Love Open the Door, etc. By September 1980, Diana Ross made a super comeback with her 11th album of Diana. Her song of Upside Down was made with help from Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. Kurtis Blow (a hip hop icon) released the album of Kurtis Blow at the same time. The single The Breaks are from his debut album of Kurtis Blow. The Breaks is the first hip hop song to be certified Gold by the RIAA. Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath and had his debut album of Blizzard of Ozz in September 1980. The UK band of The Police had their album of Zenyatta Mondata. Their popular song Don't Stand So Close To Me was popular in America and the UK. Lep Zeppelin drummer John Donham died from pulmonary issues after heavy drinking. The band quits. The Dead Kennedys Debut album existed. Music from Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Rogers, ABBA, Motorhead, REO Speedwagon, Steve Winwood, The Clash, and Pat Benatar made music. In December 1980, John Lennon was shot to death outside his Manhattan apartment by a deranged person. The murderer signed an autograph earlier. Lennon just released his first album in five years called Double Fantasy in November of 1980.
By January 1981, John Lennon's Double Fantasy album posthumously was number one in America and in the UK. One single of the album was Woman. Blondie had their single of The Tide is High as a reggae cover of the same song by The Paragons in 1965. Blondie's song of Rapture was the first U.S. hit to have rap vocals. UK band Adam & The Ants hit #1 UK, #44 US with their second album Kings Of The Wild Frontier. With a new band and a new sound featuring the Burundi Beat the album generates three UK Top Ten hits including "Antmusic" #2 and "Dog Eat Dog" #4 UK. Jersey City, New Jersey funk, R&B, and disco band Kool & The Gang, recording since the late 60's, have their first US #1 single with "Celebration." Working with Brazilian musician and producer Eumir Deodato, the album of the same name reaches #10 US. Eddie Rabbitt had the song of I Love a Rainy Night. Phil Collins had the hit of In The Air Tonight. It was part of his solo album. He was part of Genesis for years. Dolly Parton was a country singer and actress part of the movie 9 to 5 that wanted to expose sexual harassment and sexism in the workplace. The song 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton focused on the same subject matter. The Who released the album of Face Dances in March of 1981. Eddie Van Halen (a famous rock musician from Van Halen) married TV star Vallerie Bertinelli (they divorced in 2007). Smooth Jazz pioneer Grover Washington Jr. teams up with Bill Withers for the single "Just The Two Of Us." The single reaches #2 US and drives Washington's eleventh album Winelight to #5 on the US Top 200, #2 US R&B, and #1 US Jazz. Chicago, Illinois rock band Styx hit #3 US with their single "The Best Of Times". The song is from the band's eighth album Paradise Theatre which reaches #1 US, #8 UK. The album's second single "Too Much Time On My Hands" hits #9 US. Scottish singer Sheena Easton had the song of Morning Train (9 to 5) as a big hit. Bob Marley passed away in May 1981. He was a Jamaican reggae pioneer who had melanoma. He worked with The Wailer since 1965. He also had a solo career promoting justice, peace, Pan-African unity, and love. Kim Carnes, Billy Squier, the British ska revival band The Specials, Kim Wilde, and Smokey Robinson made music in 1981 too.
Beatles guitarist George Harrison has his first US Top Ten hit since 1973 with the single "All Those Years Ago" #2 US, #13 UK. Harrison wrote the lyrics as a tribute to John Lennon and all three remaining Beatles participated in this recording. This was in July 1981. The popular song of Jessie's Girl was made by Australian musician and actor Rick Springfield. The country band of Oak Ridge Boys made the crossover hit of Elvira. By July 1981, Diana Ross worked with Lionel Richie with the single Endless Love. It was Motown's best-selling single ever. Diana Ross signed with RCA Records later for $20 million. By August of 1981, MTV was launched on cable. It would be a 24-hour-a-day music cable network influencing culture immediately. Early on, MTV had to be forced to show a diversity of black music (not just rock) because some in MTV had the racist notion that non-rock black artists would scare Middle America. The fact is that people of every color love music among many genres. Black music always matters. 1980's anthems from Don't Stop Believing from Journey in September 1981, Stevie Nicks, and the Simon and Garfunkel Concert at Central Park were historic times. Rick James made the song Super Freak in September 1981. Rick James was from Buffalo, New York. He did funk, R&B, and rock music. He was loved, and he was controversial. He had the single of Give It To Me Baby. Juice Newton, Sof Cell, Laurie Anderson, The Go Go's, Bow Wow Wos, Fear, Altered Images, Motley Crue, and The Police made music. Queen and David Bowie had the hit of Under Pressure. Human League, AC/DC, Olivia Newton-John (with the song of Physical), Rod Stewart, and Tina Turner outlined rock and roll's power.
1982 had some of the funkiest music of the 1980's. Let's Groove was a classic from Earth, Wind, and Fire. This was the Chicago-based funk/disco band. This was from their 11th album Raise! which used synthesizers and keyboards in the album. Hall of Oates had the song of I Can't Go For That. Artists like Foreigner, Bucks Fizz, The Cars, Quarterflash, and J. Geils Band had songs released. Joan Jett made the anthem of I Love Rock n Roll. It grew massively by March of 1982. She was a former guitarist and vocalist for The Runaways. Later, she would be an actress. John Belushi passed away from a drug overdose in March 1982. He was a veteran of Saturday Night Live. Also, he was a famous comedian and worked with Dan Akroyd in The Blues Brothers film. Both of them had a number-one album called Briefcase Full of Blues. In March of 1982, Teddy Pendergrass had his injury. Teddy Pendergrass was the most popular R&B singer of that time. He was once part of Harold Melvin and the Blues Notes. Teddy Pendergrass was paralyzed from the chest down via a car accident. There are many questions about the accident, and Teddy Pendergrass would later be a born-again Christian and live a greater life until his passing. Run to The Hills was from Iron Maiden in March 1982. The new wave band from Los Angeles called The Go-Go's had the anthem of We Got the Beat (from their album Beauty and the Beat). Planet Rock was the popular song from Afrika Bambaataa (I don't agree with his actions, but this is a historic reference). Rock music journalist Lester Bangs died in NYC on April 1982 from an accidental drug overdose. Duran Duran had music and Tommy Tutone. Roxy Music and Asia had albums and singles. Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder had the song of Ebony and Ivory promoting the ideal of racial harmony. In July 1982, Toto had songs like Rosanna and Africa plus Survivor had the song of Eye of the Tiger. The Australian band INXS had the son of The One Thing as part of their third album Shabooh Shoobah. Judas Priest released the song of You Got Another Thing Comin' and Fleetwood Mach had the single of Hold Me. By August 1982, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five had the song of The Message. That song changed hip hop forever as it was a mixture of conscious hip hop and hip hop outlining the environment of the streets. These artists were from the Bronx. By this time, The Motels, John Mellencamp, and Dexy's Midnight expressed rock music. Woodstock veterans Crosby, Stills & Nash release their fourth album Daylight Again #8 US. The single "Wasted On The Way" gives them their second US Top Ten single at #9. The album's second single "Southern Cross" reaches #18 US. The first US Festival is held Labor Day weekend in San Bernadino, California in 110-degree heat. With daily crowds of 200,000 enjoying The Ramones, The Police, Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac. The festival was financed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. One of the great funk songs was You Dropped a Bomb on Me by the Tulsa, Oklhaom funk group of The Gap band. Musical Youth had the song of Pass the Dutchie. The group members used reggae as part of Birmingham, UK. A New generation of groups like Men at Work, Culture Club, Berlin, Flock of Seagulls, etc. responded with various forms of music. Adam Anti had his debut album in 1982. Lionel Richie had the song of Truly. UK singer Joe Cocker and American singer Jennifer Warnes team up for a #1 single "Up Where We Belong" #7 UK. The song is produced for the hit film An Officer and A Gentleman and won a Grammy and an Academy Award. Toni Basil, The Jam, the UK artist Joe Jackson, and The Stray Cats had tons of music. By November 1982, pop music changed forever. This was when Michael Jackson released Thriller. Thriller was the best-selling album of pop and R&B music in history. It caused Michael Jackson to reach new heights of popularity, and it caused African American contributions to music in general to grow. Quincy Jones and other people were involved in the album. It had ballads, romance songs, and funky music too. Its music videos helped to modernize how music videos exist in our time.
By Timothy
Friday, April 21, 2023
Late April 2023 News.
We have a gun violence epidemic in America. Recently, a black teenager was shot in Missouri for no reason, a cheerleader was shot for making a mistake by going into the wrong car (she apologized and still was shot unjustly), and a car driving around the road was also shot unjustly. This is unlike anything else in other industrialized societies. We have more guns than people in America, but extremists want to harm innocent people. The total lie from far-right extremists is that we want to ban all guns. No, we don't want to ban all guns. We find it cruel and ironic that it is easier to get a gun in many places in America, than to drink alcohol, than it is to vote, and it is to drive a car. The far-right has a gun cult filled with fear, paranoia, and a lack of nuisance on issues. They believe in the myth of them having superior intellectual power, but they refuse to advocate concrete, progressive solutions to address the epidemic of gun violence. These decievers gloat about crime, but they refuse to advocate solutions like gun safety measures, investments in poor communities, and other methods to address crimes. These extremists claim to love God (when they harbor hatred of black people, immigrants, women, and other minorities), but violate the principle of Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself.
Scientific evidence points to the pandemic being caused by occurring in nature. This is caused by zoonosis or the process that gave rise to every other human pandemic in history. There is a recent study by Dr. Florence Debarre, an evolutionary biologist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research. It found that samples containing Sars-CoV2 from the Wuhan wet market also contained the DNA of susceptible animals like raccoon dogs. In reality, we have a virus caused by natural processes beyond a lab leak. Also, we see increasing tensions between America and China over Taiwan and other issues. More U.S. troops are stationed in China, and China has used war games near Taiwan. You have extremists who want war with China, and other extremists who want to ignore China's imperfections (in dealing with civil liberty issues). We know of the leaked documents proving that over 150 NATO troops are deployed to Ukraine.
Protests continue in Akron, Ohio against the decision not to prosecute police for the murder of Jayland Walker. The Attorney General decided that charges will not be filed against the eight police officers who brutally murdered Jayland Walker. Many people have marched outside the courthouse. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside a local church on Tuesday to chant while walking at downtown. Walker was killed in a hail of bullets by at least 8 police officers who had surrounded him on June 27, 2022. Walker had more than 60 wounds on his body. This is beyond evil. This is outright terror. For a long time, we have mentioned the truth that police brutality has no place in the world. You have hypocrites who lecture us on crime but want to sugarcoat the vile nature of police terrorism against communities. At the end of day, we have the right to allow our voices to be heard on these issues. Human justice should never be some token trend. It ought to be a concrete way of life.
DeSantis is a disgrace and coward. He signed laws not only promoting overt bigotry but suppressing teaching certain history as far as the 12th grade. These policies not only hurt adults but children. When I was a child, I was taught a wide spectrum of history and culture in high school and in college (I was 17 starting college, so I was a kid in college now). Therefore, these discriminatory policies aren't just found in Florida but across the nation. In this generation, kids are taught less about real history and culture than when I was a kid. There is a great change as technological advancements have grown in the past 20+ years. Culture wars are contrived by far-right extremists to promote oligarchy, theology, and views in contradiction to the Golden Rule (which means treat your neighbor as yourself).
Yesterday was the Birthday of the late Brother Luther Vandross. His songs about love and joy have been priceless. He could sing many songs that reached across generations. He sold over 40 million records worldwide. He has been an American singer, songwriter, and record producer since 1969. He was born in New York City. He earned 8 Grammy Awards. Back in the 1970's, he was a backing vocalist and was in albums by artists like Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Diana Ross, Bette Midler, Chaka Khan, Ben E. King, Donna Summer, Stevie Wonder, etc. His debut album in 1980 was The Glow of Love. His songs Never Too Much, Here and Now, Power of Love/Love Power, For You to Love, etc. were classics. He worked with Mariah Carey too. Your Secret Love was one of his best songs of the 1990's too in 1996. He sang with Cassandra Wilson, Bob James, and Beyonce. Luther Vandross's tenor voice inspired D'Angelo, 112, Boyz II Men, and other singers. There is no modern-day R&B music without Luther Vandross.
Rest in Power Brother Luther Vandross.
By Timothy
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
FOX News settles defamation suit, etc.
The breaking news is that there has been a settlement reached in the Dominion defamation lawsuit against FOX News. FOX News will pay more than $787 million to Dominion Voting Systems after the sides hammered out a last-minute settlement Tuesday in the explosive defamation case launched against the right-wing network. FOX acknowledged that their certain claims about Dominion to be false. FOX will not have to acknowledge that on air that it told election lies as part of the settlement (according to a representative for Dominion). That means that FOX News executives and air personalities will not testify about their 2020 election coverage which was filled with leis about voter fraud. The reason is that the settlement has been reached. Dominion still have pending lawsuits against extremist networks like Newsmax and OAN (and against Trump allied Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Mike Lindell). In the final analysis, the truth matters. The reality is that Trump was involved in a plot to steal the 2020 election, and he failed. Also, FOX News refused to apologize for its lies.
Some good news is that the House Republicans failed to override a Biden veto. Joe Biden vetoed a resolution to overturn an Enivronmental Protection Agency water rule. That means that Biden's veto is successful. The rule is important to protect the nation's waterways and safeguarding clean water. You need a two thirds majority vote in both chambers of Congress to override the veto. Many moderate Democrats were wrong to support overridden the veto like Senators Catherine Bortez Maso, Jacky Rosen, Jon Tester, and of course Joe Manchin. Now, Arizona independent Senator Krysten Sinema joined Republicans to support the resolution to overturn the rule. Republicans and moderate Democrats need to realize that protecting the environment isn't some trend or clout. We must have legitimate regulations to reduce kids from having asthma, to protect animal species, and to build up communities where cancer rates are fundamentally reduced. That is why we care for the environment as we can't live full lives without using progressive means to build up the environment wholeheartedly.
The Washington Post reported that Justice Thomas has for years claimed income from a defunct real estate firm. The Washington Post said that records show that Justice Thomas has made errors and omissions on financial disclosure form over decades. Refusal to file for certain disclosures is a violation of federal law. Justice Thomas won't be impeached because of Republican power. The only way Thomas will be held accountable (if he is guilty of federal law) is from the DOJ. At the bare minimum, there should be an independent, thorough investigation to find it what is going on. Attorney General Merrick Garland was a former federal judge, and he does have the power to execute an investigation of Justice Clarence Thomas. There has been growing pressure on Thomas after new Thomas revelations. The Senate Judiciary Committee can investigate Justice Clarence Thomas too.
The accused shooter in Kansas City is a person who caused a young black teenage to be in critical condition at first. He has survived and was released out of the hospital. At Kansas City, Missouri, the black teenager, named Ralph Yari was accidently knocked on the wrong house. Ralph was shot twice and stuck in the head and the arm according to Ralph's family's attorneys (via a statement). The family of the teenage has spoken out about the tragedy. Neighbors disgracefully refused to help Ralph at first after Ralp desperately knocked on their doors for help. Ralph's mother is a nurse, so he is being taken care of at his home. There was a weekend rally with community and family members marching and demonstrated in front of the man's house. They want charges to be filed, and charges were filed. No child should be shot for ringing the doorbell. That is just commonsense. Many people rang my doorbell, and I politely declined buying something from them. There is no excuse for a black human being to be shot unjustly. A GoFundMe account from Ralph's aunt has raised more than 1.5 million dollars by Monday afternoon for Ralph's medical expenses. We wish for Ralph to have a complete recovery. Justice should be enacted too.
By Timothy
Monday, April 17, 2023
Events of History.
More and more human beings are knowing about the outstanding legacy of Gloria Richardson. She gave courage to human beings in Cambridge, Maryland, and all over the world. Her pushing the bayonet away from one officer while walking down the street was very historic during the 1960's outlining the influential power of black women. She wanted her legacy to uplift black people, and she fulfilled her legacy in enumerable ways. Always heroic, Gloria Richardson used her wisdom and knowledge to defend the human rights of people. She lived to be 99 years, and I heard of her story over three years ago. Her granddaughter is Tya Young, and Tya Young said that she or Gloria never wanted praise or recognition. She was born to express leadership and be a beacon of light for the oppressed. Gloria Richardson led the civil rights movement in Cambridge (on the Eastern Shore of the state of Maryland). "I say that the Cambridge Movement was the soil in which Richardson planted a seed of Black power and nurtured its growth," said Joseph R. Fitzgerald, who wrote a 2018 biography on Richardson titled "The Struggle is Eternal: Gloria Richardson and Black Liberation." Fighting for housing rights, health care, jobs, and education were actions that Richardson advanced as well. Gloria Richardson always proclaimed the truth that black human beings have every God-given right to use nonviolence and self-defense when it is necessary to do so. She loved her daughters, Donna Orange and Tamara Richardson including her granddaughters Tya Young and Michelle Price. She was our warrior for justice in more ways than one.
Rest in Power Sister Gloria Richardson.
Agriculture has a long history spanning thousands of years. Human beings changed from being hunter gatherers to being part of Agricultual societies. This was a product of intensification and more sedentism. There was the Natufian culture in the Levent and the early Chinese Neolithic culture in China. Many scholars believe that after the last ice age (ca. 11,000 B.C.), much of the Earth became subject to long dry seasons. These conditions caused modern-day agriculture to be born. These conditions caused annual plants to die off in the long dry season leaving a dormant seed or tuber. Many storable wild grains and pulses caused hunter gatherers in some areas to create the first settled villages at that time.
W.E.B. DuBois's legacy is very extensive. He was born in the North in the state of Massachusetts. From an early age, he has grown in his intellectual analysis of black people. He contributed a great deal to sociology with his understanding of Philadelphia, the era of Reconstruction, and other situations. DuBois wanted to refute the pernicious myth that black people were inferior or didn't make magnificent, complex contributions in history. He also lived in a nadir of race relations when black men, black women, and black children were lynched, raped, oppressed, murdered, and suffered pogroms at the hands of white racist terrorists. He studied at the HBCU of Fisk University, Harvard, and overseas in Europe to gather how the world really worked. Opposing nuclear disarmament was part of his life too (Coretta Scott King, Dr. King, the Black Panther Party, Zora Neale Hurston, Marian Anderson, Bayard Rustin, Langston Hughes, Lorraine Hansberry, etc. wanted nuclear disarmament too). W.E.B. DuBois (and Ida B. Wells) gave life and vigor to the NAACP. He became more revolutionary than the leadership of the NAACP by the 1950's. He fundamentally criticized capitalism, because he believed that it was a system of exploitation, unfairness, and inequality. DuBois was a leader of the Pan-African movement that wanted a political, economic, and social linkage among all people of black African descent worldwide. That is why he lived in Accra, Ghana before he passed away at the age of 93 years old. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was inspired by W.E.B. DuBois' words in a speech that he gave at Carnegie Hall before 1968. DuBois knew about Dr. King too and wrote about him (both exchanged letters of support in 1956 in favor of the Montgomery Bus Boycott). Therefore, we are inspired by the life of W.E.B. DuBois to discover truth plus up for justice and believe in real principles to liberate human beings from oppression.
Rest in Power Brother W.E.B. DuBois.
As early as March 18, 1947, the racist "Dynamite" Bob Chamblis set off his first bomb in Birmingham in trying to intimidate the black community. Other bombs exploded in the city in trying to stop desegregated housing in the community. The College Hills area of Birmingham was known as "Dynamite Hill." One major organization that fought for liberation in Birmingham was Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. Back then, the group's leader was Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth. The Bethel Baptist Church (the headquarters of the ACMHR) was bombed on December 25, 1956. From 1957 to 1962, there were at least 17 unsolved bombings of African American churches and homes of civil rights leader in Birmingham. That is why the nickname of the city was "Bombingham" Reverend Shuttlesworth and other civil rights activists continue to fight to end oppression in the Deep South. Students in Birmingham organize the 1960 sit ins. Bull Connor resisted it. There was a temporary bus boycott in Birmingham too. The sit in movement existed in Birmingham by April of 1960. Connor and the Klan resisted the movement, and Shuttlesworth was briefly jailed. On April 12, the New York Times carries a page-one withering critique of conditions in Birmingham, entitled “Fear and Hatred Cripple Birmingham.” Racists are angry and caused a libel lawsuit against NY Times for showing the truth. The organization of SNCC was created at a conference at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. The conference was attended by Rev. Shuttlesworth and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (who spoke at the conference too). The Mother of SNCC was Ella Baker who wanted grassroots community organizing to be the nucleus of social movements in favor of justice. It is no secret that the Birmingham police worked with the Klan. They worked together with approval by Safety Commissioner Eugene "Bull" Connor to allow the Klan terrorists to severely beat up Freedom Riders in Birmingham (Charles Person and Jim Peck were almost killed by the terrorist mob). Other Freedom Riders like John Lewis were beaten in Montgomery.
By November 7, 1961, segregationist Art Hines narrowly defeats moderate Tom King in the election for mayor. The white community in the city has become polarized: reformers vs. segregationists, business community vs. city hall. On November 12, 1961, after city commissioners (including Bull Connor) vote to close city parks rather than desegregate them (effective January 1, 1962), moderates in the business community publish “Some Facts to Face” in the Birmingham News. The statement opposes resistance to desegregation. Terrorism continued. In January 1962, dynamite bombs severely damaged three black Birmingham churches, one of them associated with Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. Reverend Shuttlesworth has filed a lawsuit to desegregate public parks, golf courses, the zoo, and public swimming pools; on January 15, a judge rules that those facilities must open to all citizens. By March 2, 1962, Reverend Shuttlesworth was released after 36 days in jail–and accepts a new pastorate in Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Lucius Pitts, president of Miles College, takes on additional leadership in the black community: he initiates a boycott of white businesses downtown to achieve desegregation of drinking fountains, elevators, and lunch counters, and demands the hiring of black clerks. The SCLC wants to fight in Birmingham to liberate people from injustice by May of 1962. They would ally with Shuttlesworth's Alabama Christain Movement for Human Rights.
In September 1962, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth invited Dr. King to help him desegregate Birmingham. Dr. King accepts the challenge after a three-day retreat near Savannah, Georgia. From September 25-28, 1962, even as a crisis emerges at the nearby University of Mississippi, the SCLC holds its annual convention in Birmingham, including 300 delegates and Dr. King. (At the final session of the SCLC meeting, on September 28, King addressed the group from Hall Auditorium–where he is attacked physically by a young Nazi). To discourage demonstrations, city leaders temporarily desegregate downtown department stores. (The Whites Only signs reappear after the SCLCers leave town). The showdown continues. George Wallace was elected governor of Alabama by November 6, 1962. He vowed to continue segregation forever, but he failed. There is a new council plus mayor system being approved in Birmingham as a means of trying to neutralize Bull Connor's segregationist control. Bethel Baptist Church was bombed on December 14, 1962.
The year of 1963 would change Birmingham, Alabama forever. By January 10, 1963, at a meeting in Dorchester, South Carolina (near Savannah), SCLC leaders commit to a campaign to desegregate Birmingham. By January 16, 1963, George Wallace was inaugurated as governor of Alabama pledging “segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!” Concurrent with the inaugural observances is a National Conference on Religion and Race (January 14-17), chaired by Benjamin Mays, that brings together 647 Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish leaders. (Dr. King was one of the presenters). This conference was about diverse religious leaders coming together to fight racism. January 17, 1963, was when eleven Birmingham clergy publish a statement in the main Birmingham newspaper that implores the community to desegregate. March 1963 was when Wyatt Tee Walker and James Bevel tutored people on nonviolent resistance. March 5th was when the mayoral election in Birmingham pits Bull Connor against Albert Boutwell and his associate Tom King. No one gets 50% of the vote, so Boutwell and Connor will face one another in an April 2 runoff election. The SCLC again decides to delay activities until the election is decided, preferring to deal with Boutwell rather than Connor. The segregationist rally at Municipal Auditorium in support of Bull Connor existed on March 8.
By April 2, 1963, the less extreme Albert Boutwell, widely considered to be willing to consider changes to Birmingham’s segregation policies, narrowly defeats Eugene “Bull” Connor in a large-turnout run-off mayoral election, thanks in part to African American voters. However, Connor and his supporters, instead of stepping down, decide to contest the election (contending, in part, that Connor’s elected terms as Commissioner only when his term was up in 1965) so that two functioning rival city governments operate simultaneously in Birmingham for months until the matter is adjudicated; meanwhile, Connor continues to control the local police. Bull Connor acted like Trump in denying democracy. April 4, 1963, was the important "B Day" when the SCLC started to have sit-ins and released the Birmingham Manifesto. The manifesto was mostly ignored. That day, the campaign is launched with a series of mass meetings and sit-ins at Birmingham lunch counters and bus stations, marches on City Hall, direct actions, and the beginnings of a boycott of all downtown merchants. Citizens are encouraged to avoid shopping at downtown stores during one of the busiest shopping periods, the Easter season, until reforms are instituted.
Dr. King spoke to black inhabitants of Birmingham about methods and philosophies of nonviolence, and actions expand over the next week to include sit-ins at the library, “kneel-ins” at churches, and a march on the county building to forcibly register voters. Hundreds are arrested during this week; many whites (and more than a few African Americans) wish that what whom they called “outside agitators” from Atlanta would leave town. Yet, SCLC staff members James Lawson, James Bevel, Diane Nash Bevel, Dorothy Cotton, Andrew Young, and Bernard Lee also provide workshops on nonviolence. On April 6, 1963, the police arrest 45 protesters who are marching on City Hall. The next day, Palm Sunday, police dogs are set loose on a young protester. Meanwhile, daily demonstrations and the economic boycott continue. On Palm Sunday, April 7, 1963, more people are arrested. A 19-year-old protester (who was a teenage kid) Leroy Allen is set upon by police dogs. By April 10, 1963, the city gets an injunction against the demonstration from a judge. Demonstrators are now subject to arrest.
In response to the protests, Judge W.A. Jenkins, Jr. issued an order preventing Reverends King, Ralph Abernathy, Shuttlesworth, and other civil rights leaders from organizing demonstrations. Dr. King and Abernathy debate whether protesters should continue to submit to arrest; as money available for posting bail runs thin, leaders cannot guarantee that those arrested will be released. Dr. King’s services at a fundraiser to replenish funds are desperately needed, but he feels his credibility might be undermined if he refuses to submit to arrest so he decides to violate the injunction and accept arrest. Divisions are apparent in the African American community. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had no choice but to continue in the movement after the failure of the Albany movement. By April 12, on Good Friday, local clergy (eight of the eleven who wrote on January 17) compose a public letter, published in Birmingham newspapers on April 13, condemning the protests and King’s role in them, and asking Dr. King to call off the demonstrations.
On the same symbolic day, Good Friday the 12th, Dr. King joins the demonstrations and is arrested along with Ralph Abernathy after violating the injunction against protesting, in accordance with the agenda of “Project C,” which had intended that King be arrested on that date all along. While in custody, he begins composing his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” which, among other subjects, justifies his ignoring the injunction. Dr. King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail is one of the greatest notes in history refuting the clergy people who opposed demonstrations. The note mentioned that unjust law is no law at all, and that freedom shouldn't be constrained by time. In other words, oppressed people shouldn't wait for liberty to come. Liberty should come ASAP without compromise. Dr. King wrote his note from April 12-20, 1963. It originally circulates only in mimeographed copies throughout Birmingham before becoming public on April 18 and being distributed more widely (but often in excerpts) later that year through pamphlets from the American Friends Service Committee and periodicals like Christian Century, New Republic, Christianity and Crisis, the New York Post, and Ebony magazine. Part of the letter is even introduced into testimony by Representative William Fitts Ryan (D-NY) and published in the Congressional Record, before King revises and prints it as a chapter of his 1964 memoir Why We Can’t Wait. (Consequently, there are differences in the various versions of Dr. King’s famous Letter). Dr. King wants to call his wife, Coretta Scott King, but his request is denied. Coretta Scott King just given birth to a new child days earlier. She contacted the Kennedy administration, which intervened to get Birmingham officials to let Dr. King to call home. Bail money becomes available, and Dr. King is released from jail on April 20.
The controversial Children's Crusade from the SCLC existed from May 2-5, 1965. SCLC organizer James Bevel had proposed using young children in demonstrations, and he recruited youngsters during the last week of April. So, on May 2, the Children’s Crusade begins. (The decision to use children in the demonstrations is debated at length, Dr. King finally agrees after expressing misgivings). More than 1,000 African American students march into downtown Birmingham, and hundreds of them are arrested. Many of the children arrested are freed on May 3, only to be sent out again to protest and be re-arrested.
When hundreds more gather on May 3 and jails are becoming filled to capacity, Bull Connor directs local officials to use force to halt their demonstrations, causing images of children being blasted by fire hoses and attacked by police officers and dogs to appear on television and in newspapers around the world. Those tactics continue on May 4 and on May 5 (“Miracle Sunday”). The images, published in newspapers and magazines and carried on television, swing public opinion within Birmingham and across the nation. The crooked police and Connor using water hoses and dogs on black children is one of the evilest acts in world history. During the evening of May 5, Dr. King encouraged the parents of children protesters that they will be fine, and they did this for American and for all in the human race. On May 6, 1963, Attorney General Robert Kennedy has sent Burke Marshall, his chief civil rights assistant, to Birmingham to facilitate negotiations between the Senior Citizens Council (SCC, the city’s business leadership) and the black leaders. Fred Shuttlesworth is hospitalized after sustaining injuries from being hit with the full force of a fire hose: demonstrations and marches are continuing. Civil rights activist Dick Gregory, having come in from Chicago to help, is among those jailed. Joan Baez has also arrived in order to encourage demonstrators, along with Guy Carawan; she offers a concert at Miles College on May 5. There is an early May 1963 image of the Parker High School student named Walter Gadsden being attacked by dogs.
Despite decades of disagreements, when the photos were released, "the black community was instantaneously consolidated behind King", according to David Vann, who would later serve as mayor of Birmingham. Horrified at what the Birmingham police were doing to protect segregation, New York Senator Jacob K. Javits declared, "the country won't tolerate it", and pressed Congress to pass a civil rights bill. Similar reactions were reported by Kentucky Senator Sherman Cooper, and Oregon Senator Wayne Morse, who compared Birmingham to South Africa under apartheid. A New York Times editorial called the behavior of the Birmingham police "a national disgrace." The Washington Post editorialized, "The spectacle in Birmingham ... must excite the sympathy of the rest of the country for the decent, just, and reasonable citizens of the community, who have so recently demonstrated at the polls their lack of support for the very policies that have produced the Birmingham riots. The authorities who tried, by these brutal means, to stop the freedom marchers do not speak or act in the name of the enlightened people of the city." President Kennedy sent Assistant Attorney General Burke Marshall to Birmingham to help negotiate a truce. Marshall faced a stalemate when merchants and protest organizers refused to budge.
By May 8, 1963, Dr. King told negotiators that he would accept an interim compromise that grant some of the black leaders' demands while ending demonstrations and trying to make other demands later. Fred Shuttlesworth was angry, because he wasn't present at the negotiations, and he felt that Dr. King should not speak for the black population of Birmingham on his own. Dr. King announced the proposed compromise to the city anyway, but wants demonstrations if negotiations failed. President Kennedy on the same say speak about the developments in Birmingham. On May 10, 1963, Reverends Shuttlesworth, Abernathy, and King join together to read the prepared statement outlining the settlement. Its details include removing “Whites Only” and “Negroes Only” signs in certain venues, a plan to desegregate lunch counters and all downtown stores, the release of jailed protestors, an ongoing program to upgrade black American employment, and the formation of a biracial committee to monitor the implementation of the agreement. Protests were suspended. This victory was not perfect, but it was a significant victory in the Civil Rights Movement. Racists and segregationists wanted revenge. On May 11, 1963, the home of Dr. King's brother, A. D. King, is bombed, and another bomb damages the Gaston Motel, a headquarters for the SCLC leadership. So, President Kennedy ordered 3,000 federal troops into position and prepares to nationalize the Alabama National Guard. KKK Imperial Wizard Robert “Bobby” Shelton addressed a Klan rally to resist integration. Black people in Birmingham later used outright self-defense against white racists. When police went to inspect the motel, they were met with rocks and bottles from neighborhood black citizens. The arrival of state troopers only further angered the crowd; in the early hours of the morning, thousands of black people rebelled, numerous buildings and vehicles were burned, and several people, including a police officer, were stabbed. By May 13, three thousand federal troops were deployed to Birmingham to restore order, even though Alabama Governor George Wallace told President Kennedy that state and local forces were sufficient. Martin Luther King Jr. returned to Birmingham to stress nonviolence.
The Birmingham Board of Education announced plans to suspend or expel all students who took place in the recent protests and demonstrations. Meanwhile, Dick Gregory delivers a speech at St. John’s Baptist Church. Medgar Evers offers a televised address on civil rights in Jackson, Mississippi (on May 20). By May 22, the SCLC and NAACP take the Board of Education’s decision to the local federal district court. The judge initially upholds the Board of Education’s decision, only to have the decision reversed by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that same day.
On May 23, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that Albert Boutwell’s election as mayor of Birmingham should stand, ousting Bull Connor. A few days later, Dr. King attends a celebratory rally in Los Angeles: his speech concludes with a recitation from “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”–“Mine eyes have seen the glory!” By July, Duke begins to perform his “King Fit the Battle of Alabam,” immortalizing the events of Birmingham between Connor and King. August 5th was when Johnny Mathis, James Baldwin, Ray Charles, and Nina Simone are among those who entertain at a free, peaceful, and integrated concert at Miles College in Birmingham. Resistance to progress continued by September 1963. Four months after the Birmingham campaign settlement, someone bombed the house of NAACP attorney Arthur Shores, injuring his wife in the attack. Most Birmingham institutions were desegregated. A Labor Day rally of Klansmen attracts George Wallace and Bull Connor as speakers; and several bombings are pulled off by Klansmen, especially because schools are opening around Labor Day under a judge’s desegregation order. One of the saddest days in American history was on September 15, 1963, when four children were killed when a bomb is set off in Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Bombings continued. The four little black American girls just wanted to worship God, but racists ended their lives.
Scholars believe that Klans members including FBI informant Gary Thomas Rowe were involved in the murder of four little girls. By September 16, 1963, Charles (Chuck) Morgan (who was a white man) criticized many members of the white community its complicity in the segregation policies that resulted in the deaths of the four little girls. “We did it” is his lament. He later publishes A Time to Speak about the incident and spends his career furthering social justice. Dr. King delivered the eulogy of the four little girls at the joint funeral of three of the girls by September 18, 1963. Dr. King (on October 14, 193) returned to Birmingham to demand that the city hire black police officers, and at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church he encourages citizens to demand change, no matter the cost. Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Dr. King, James Bevel, Wyatt Tee Walker, Dorothy Cotton, and other human beings were key leaders in the Birmingham Campaign. There is no Civil Rights Act of 1964 without the 1963 Birmingham campaign being a victory.
By Timothy
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Saturday, April 15, 2023
Friday, April 14, 2023
End of the Week Updates in April of 2023.
The Indiana fire disaster in Richmond, Indiana shows how important environmental justice is. Richmond has over 35,000 people, and it's an industrial city. There was a large, massive plume of toxic smoke after a plastics recycling facility exploded in the middle of the city. This caused an overt endangerment of the region. There was a voluntary evacuation order was issued for anyone living within a half-mile radius of the inferno. About 2,000 people fled from their homes. The smoke is toxic according to Indiana State Fire Marshal Steve Jones. This incident comes after industrial pollution events in Love Canal, the Flint water poisoning, and the groundwater contamination of Hinkley, California. Winds are pushing the toxic cloud being emitted from the recycling plant eastward toward the heavily populated area around Dayton, Ohio. This comes after the train derailment disaster in the Midwest at East Palestine, Ohio too. There are the byproducts of vinyl chloride in people's bodies in East Palestine. Residents say that they have exposure to dangerous chemicals. Carcinogens can go into the groundwater and into the air too. We have a problem with how some businesses pollute working-class neighborhoods and have dangerous conditions leading to the deaths of hundreds of workers each year. The BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is another example of a corporation being fined for negligence involving that horrendous situation. Many corporations exploit the lives of workers for the pursuit of profit and control.
The FBI arrested the accused leaker of the classified Pentagon documents in Dighton, Massachusetts. He is charged with serious charges, potentially facing multiple years in prison if he is convicted. This person is only 21 years old. He was part of the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman. His name is Jack Teixeria who shown the documents all over the Internet. He had a social media account in a gamer forum. That forum has teenagers and young adults as members showing a love of guns, comic books, and many displayed racist memes. According to the U.S. Attorney's office, his first court appearance will take place tomorrow in Boston. The FBI's Washington field office and a team of counterintelligence investigators experienced in hunting leaks are involved in the investigation. The documents had intelligence assessments of allies and adversaries, including the state of the war in Ukraine.
Some breaking news is that Rep. Justin Pearson was voted to be reinstituted back to the Tennesse House. This story shows that when people say that the Civil Rights Movement is gone in our time, they are mistaken. The same battles of yesteryear in dealing with racism, discrimination, and economic dislocation continue in our time in 2023. Rep. Pearson gave a passionate speech in Memphis, Tennessee after his reinstatement to the Tennessee House. Even the Governor of Tennessee signed an executive order to strengthen gun background checks and promoted red flag rules. This battle for justice is continuing. We are not at the finish line yet, but we are on the right side of history to advance the principle that every human being born on this Earth is created equal and is entitled to unalienable rights of liberty, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Evil people will never ban every book, they will fail in trying to eliminate real history from being taught in schools, and they will fail period in their neo-fascist agenda.
Yesterday was the Birthday of Brother Peabo Bryson, and he is 72 years old. He is a famous singer of our generation, known for romantic ballads. He was born in Greenville, South Carolina. His contributions to R&B music and soul music are extensive indeed. When he was a child, he lived on his grandfather's farm in Mauldin, South Carolina. His mother inspired him to express a love for music. His mother took the family to concerts of well-known African Americans artists at the time. He sang backup for Al Freeman and the Upsetters, a local Greenville group when he was 14 years old. He worked in the band Moses Billard and the Tex-Town Display along the Chitlin' Circuit. Bryson was gifted as a songwriter too. He had his own song called Underground Music on the Bang label in 1976. His first album was Peabo. His early hits were Feel the Fire in 1977 and Reaching for the Sky in the same year. In 1978, he has songs like I'm So Into You and Crosswinds. One of his great songs were also Can You Stop the Rain, If Ever You're In My Arms Again, etc.
He made romantic love duets with Roberta Flack in 1983 in the album Born to Love. He was also famous for the duet with Regina Belle in the songs Without You and A Whole New World in 1992, which was part of the soundtrack of the Disney animated film Aladdin. By 2018, he released his new album Stand For Love, which was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The project was released on Jam and Lewis' newly reactivated label Perspective Records. He loves his wife Tanya Boniface (from the English R&B group 411). They have son named Robert, who was born on January 1, 2018. He loves his daughter and his 3 grandchildren. Peabo Bryson reminds a legend of R&B music. I wish Brother Peabo Bryson more Blessings.
By Timothy
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Extra National and International News.
Right now, there is a unanimous vote to reinstate State Representative Justin Jones back to the State of Tennessee legislature. It is certainly good news and represents the power of the people in elected government. The GOP in Tennessee used racism and arrogance in trying to strip away political power from the people, but many fair-minded human beings fought back to ensure that we are a nation of laws not of fascism. Black people have every right to stand on principles not being tokens to the oligarchy. Many people in Nashville have cheered the reinstatement. Many people are marching to the state Capitol in Nashville. Vice President Kamala Harris is right to say that these 2 black human beings should not have their mics turned off. The person Sexton in Tennessee should be ashamed of himself for comparing peaceful protesters in Tennessee to the terrorists at the U.S. Capitol that destroyed property, harmed police officers with weapons and fists, and committed treason against American democracy.
There is another killing of a cowardly gunman who killed 5 people and injured others at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky. The murderer was employed at the bank. Louisville authorities have set up an assistance center for those affected by the bank shooting. First responders have quickly ended more bloodshed from occurring. The solution is not arming teachers, going around banning legitimate regulations or going about worshiping guns. The murderer was notified that he would be fired from the bank and left a note before the shooting. A solution is a comprehensive approach that bans weapons of war from being used by almost all Americans, stronger federal background checks, and other common sense gun regulations that will save human lives. It is a lie to assume that reasonable gun regulation is the same as banning people's constitutional rights. This is not about banning all guns. It is about making sure that owning a gun is harder than voting or owning a car. Right now, in America, it is easier to own a gun than it is to vote, drink alcohol, and buy a car. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg spoke at a press conference about the horrendous tragedy. Kentucky Governor Andy Behear ordered all flags to be half-staff to honor the victims of the Louisville shooting.
We have more information about the Kentucky shooter. We know that he was a 25-year-old male bank employee who streamed the attack online. At least five human beings have died with multiple people have been injured. The shooter used AR-15 style weapons that were purchased locally and legally according to Louisville Police Chief Gwinn-Villaroel. Louisville officials released bodycam footage of the shooting. The shooting incident lasted for about 9 minutes. The shooting started just after 8:30 am. This was about 30 minutes before the bank opened to the public according to the police. Dr. Jason Smith, the chief medical officer, said that his hospital used 170 units of blood on Monday to treat the victims of the bank shooting. He said that the Red Cross and blood donations saved human lives. This year, about 40 people have been killed by guns during this year. There must be a change in our society where laws must exist to deal with this epidemic of gun violence. A local vigil will be held on Wednesday at 5 pm. at the Muhammad Ali Center to honor the victims of the shooting and unite as a community in Louisville, Kentucky.
People want to find out who leaked the documents that detailed the massive American involvement in the Ukraine war. Dozens of secret documents from the Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence agencies were released on social media platforms. U.S. officials have confirmed the reality of these documents. There is no question that the leaked documents showed that the U.S. and NATO had a major involvement in the war. The documents say that NATO deployed over 150 military personnel to Ukraine. NATO funds, arms, trains, and directly commends the Ukrainian military according to the documents. The war existed of a Russian invasion, and NATO has a vested interest in trying to make Ukraine a pro-NATO client state. The truth is that Russia is wrong to invade Ukraine, but Ukraine has the right to be independent of Western imperialism and Russian imperialism. Two wrongs don't make a right. The documents refute the neoliberal lie that NATO has no involvement in the Ukrainian war. The truth is that Ukraine has every right to use self-defense to defeat Russian military forces in Ukraine (it is clear that we condemn Putin's war crimes in Ukraine that many far-right and fake leftists deny, minimize, or omit), and we have to make sure that Ukraine has its independence too.
The Texas Republican Governor Abbott just ruin his political legacy further. He is light years even worse than Governor George W. Bush when Bush was governor. Governor Abbott wants to pardon a fascist killer named Daniel Perry. Perry was convicted of murdering 28-year-old Garrett Foster during the 2020 protests against racism and police terrorism. Abbott lied and said that the murderer used self-defense under the Stand Your Ground law. This is fascism. Abbott has been an enemy of the interests of the people of Texas for many years now. Justice Clarence Thomas defends his actions of receiving money from a controversial GOP donor. We know that he went to the Bohemian Grove, and we know what goes on in the Bohemian Grove. Justice Thomas went on vacations paid for by the GOP donor. This represents a conflict of interests. The debate is about whether Thomas violated the law or not. Obviously, Thomas doesn't believe that he violated the law. We know that these trips were undisclosed by Clarence Thomas. Democrats want Thomas's actions to be investigated. The irony is that Clarence Thomas went from a supporter of Malcolm X in his youth to being one of the most conservative Supreme Court Justices of all time. One of his most disgraceful actions was his vote to gut Section Five from the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
By Timothy
Monday, April 10, 2023
Cultural Information in April of 2023.
One of the most important fields of human endeavor is agriculture. Tons of our ancestors were some of the greatest cultivators of agriculture in human history. Agriculture is diverse as well. It deals with crop development, livestock production, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry for food and non-food products. To know about agriculture, you have to know about economics, business arrangements, the essence of the weather (including climate change), the population control of animals, and other important subject matter. During the early times of human history, human beings used agriculture to build up civilizations in the four corners of the Earth. The domestication of many animals contributed to the growth of agriculture. About 105,000 years ago, human beings started to gather grains. Modern-day farming as we know it today existed ca. 11,500 years ago. About 10,000 years ago, sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle were domesticated. Plants have been cultivated independently in many areas of the world. Small farms produce a third of the world's food, but large farms are commonplace in Earth. The largest one percent of farms in the world are greater than 50 hectares and operate more than 70 percent of the world's farmland. Almost 40 percent of agricultural land is found on farms larger than 1,000 hectares. Five of every six farms on Earth are less than 2 hectares and take up only about 12 percent of all the agricultural world. Foods, fibers, fuels, and raw materials are dealt with in the concept of agriculture. In our time in the 21st century, we have to deal with climate change, agronomy, pesticides, fertilizers, deforestation, antibiotic resistance, and pollution involving agriculture. Activists are working all of the time in making agriculture improve while confronting the major issues of the environment today. The Earth constantly changes. That is why it is crucial for us to know about soil development, animal species, and other topics in order to comprehend fully about agriculture. Our survival is based on agriculture literally to be perfectly honest.
One of the most unsung civil rights activists in the world was the pioneer, Gloria Richardson. She lived to be 99 years old, and her legacy is set on a firm foundation of the ancestors who risked their lives for our liberation. Gloria Richardson was a human being that I knew for years. For years, she lived in the Eastern Shore of Maryland area before, where many of my distant cousins live at. I have been to the region before as well. Gloria Richardson was the leader of the Cambridge movement, which was about civil rights human being seeking to liberate Cambridge, Maryland from oppression during the early 1960's. It was a major era of civil rights when black people used legitimate self-defense against white racist terrorists in Cambridge, Maryland. Later, Gloria Richardson was one of the signatories to "The Treaty of Cambridge", signed in July 1963 with Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and state and local officials. It was an effort at reconciliation and commitment to change after a riot the month before. She was restricted to speak at the August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. That was egregiously wrong. Later, she moved to New York City to help civil rights and economic development in Harlem locally. Gloria Richardson (who was praised by Malcolm X, who was her friend), like Ella Baker and Fannie Lou Hamer, promoted the image of black women as being active warriors for racial justice. They spoke their minds, didn't back down from evil, and inspired future generations to dream plus act in a positive direction. She lived in New York City by the time of her transition on July 15, 2021. Her sacrifice, courage, and intellect will always be remembered by us.
Jimi Hendrix was probably the greatest guitar player in history. He was a major innovator of rock music. Hendrix has been celebrated by people from across the world. Seattle is the place of his birth. As a child, he loved to play the guitar during the 1950's. He learned notes and music by ear. Hendrix was a veteran of the U.S. Army too. His early girlfriend named Lithofayne Pridgon inspired him in the music scene. Hendrix was a great blues player in his own right. He won first prize at the Apollo Theater amateur contest in February 1964. He worked with the Isley Brothers as a guitarist too. He joined Little Richard too. By 1966 and 1967, he got into a more psychedelic rock sound. His music was 20+ years ahead of its time. For the record, hip hop, R&B, rock, and funk came from the blues and jazz from the Delta. So, music is universal, and Jimi Hendrix had that universal quality as an artist. Jimi Hendrix had songs like Hey Joe, Purple Haze, and the Wind Cries Mary. Much of his unreleased music has been released to the public a few years ago. Many people don't know that Jimi Hendrix was a political activist. He spoke out against racism, inequality, and against the Vietnam War. Jimi Hendrix praised the Black Panther Party. His rock band the Band of Gypsys influenced the development of P-funk by the 1970's. Therefore, Jimi Hendrix was a black genius whose legacy is just now being appreciated on a higher level in the 21st century.
Rest in Power Jimi Hendrix.
Tammi Terrell is not here physically, but her legacy lives on as a heroic singer. Her journey in life's road has been rough. We know of the stories. Books, an episode from Unsung that I watched, and other sources documented her valleys. Yet, she was a kind soul who wanted love and respect as an equal human being. Her sound magnificently flourished despite the pain that she had experienced in her life. Tammi Terrell was an icon of Motown music, and her wit plus strength were admirable. Every song from her was like a pure exercise of talent. One of her best friends was Marvin Gaye. Their chemistry as friends was undeniable. He was her support and vice versa. When Marvin Gaye was very shy back in the 1960's, Tammi Terrell inspired him to be more expressive with his personality. Tammi Terrell was from the streets of Philadelphia. Philadelphia is home to many soul-singing legends then and now (from Jill Scott, Black Thought, The Three Degrees, Patti Labelle, and to Musiq Soulchild). She went to Germantown High School in Philadelphia. Tammi Terrell sang duets with Marvin Gaye and made solo records. Your Precious Love is one of her great records from her. If This World Were Mine was another one of her classics too. "I Can't Believe You Love Me" became Terrell's first R&B top forty single, followed almost immediately by "Come On and See Me." After recovering from her first surgery, Terrell returned to Hitsville studios in Detroit and recorded "You're All I Need to Get By". Both that song and "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. Tammi Terrell was engaged to a real man named Dr. Ernest Garrett, who was a doctor. She passed away in 1970 of brain cancer at the age of 24 years old. Marvin Gaye, or his close friend, never got over her passing. Marvin Gaye was a real friend to her. Tammi's life signified the beauty of music, and how we have to do our part in treating our neighbors as ourselves. Tammi Terrell was a nice, gentle soul who only wanted peace and love.
Rest in Power Sister Tammi Terrell.
The events of the 1963 March on Washington, D.C. were diverse. Representatives from the Big Ten groups addressed the crowd. The big mistake in the march was that none of the official speeches was made by a woman. Dancer, activist, and actress Josephine Baker gave a speech during the preliminary offerings, but women were limited in the official program to a "tribute" led by Bayard Rustin, at which Daisy Bates also spoke briefly. Floyd McKissick read James Farmer's speech because Farmer had been arrested during a protest in Louisiana; Farmer wrote that the protests would not stop "until the dogs stop biting us in the South and the rats stop biting us in the North." There were more than 10 major speakers in the rally who were including A Philip Randolph (the March director), Walter Reuther (UAW leader and leader of AFL-CIO), Roy Wilkins (from the NAACP), John Lewis (Chair of SNCC), Daisy Bates (a leader from Little Rock, Arkansas), Dr. Eugene Carson Blake (part of the United Presbyterian Church and the National Council of Church), CORE's Floyd McKissick, National Urban League leader Whitney Young, Rabbi Joachim Prinz (of the American Jewish Congress), Mathew Ahmann (of the National Catholic Conference), Josephine Baker, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The closing remarks were made by A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, who were march organizers. The march led with the Pledge and a list of progressive demands.
Iconic singer Marian Anderson was scheduled to lead the National Anthem. She was unable to arrive on time. So, Camilla Williams performed in her place. The invocation was made by Washington's Roman Catholic Archbishop Patrick O'Boyle. Opening remarks were given by march director A. Philip Randolph, followed by Eugene Carson Blake. There was an ironic celebration of black women fighters for freedom, but black women weren't allowed to speak massively in the march (which was wrong and a product of sexism). Daisy Bates spoke briefly in place of Myrlie Evers, who had missed her flight. The tribute introduced Daisy Bates, Diane Nash, Prince E. Lee, Rosa Parks, and Gloria Richardson.
Following that, speakers were SNCC chairman John Lewis, labor leader Walter Reuther, and CORE chairman Floyd McKissick (substituting for arrested CORE director James Farmer). The Eva Jessye Choir sang, and Rabbi Uri Miller (president of the Synagogue Council of America) offered a prayer. He was followed by National Urban League director Whitney Young, NCCIJ director Mathew Ahmann, and NAACP leader Roy Wilkins. After a performance by singer Mahalia Jackson, American Jewish Congress president Joachim Prinz spoke, followed by SCLC president Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Rustin read the March's official demands for the crowd's approval, and Randolph led the crowd in a pledge to continue working for the March's goals. The program was closed with a benediction by Morehouse College president Benjamin Mays.
Although one of the officially stated purposes of the march was to support the civil rights bill introduced by the Kennedy Administration, several of the speakers criticized the proposed law as insufficient. Two government agents stood by in a position to cut power to the microphone if necessary. Roy Wilkins announced that legendary sociologist and activist W.E.B. DuBois had died in Ghana the previous night. DuBois was in exile, and the crowd observed a moment of silence in his memory. Wilkins (who was a more moderate civil rights leader. He called Black Power racist which isn't true. Also, he disagreed with Dr. King's opposition to the Vietnam War. Wilkins only opposed the Vietnam War when Nixon was President) and didn't want to announce the news, because he didn't agree with DuBois becoming a Communist. He did because Randolph would have done it. Wilkins said: "Regardless of the fact that in his later years, Dr. Du Bois chose another path, it is incontrovertible that at the dawn of the twentieth century, his was the voice that was calling you to gather here today in this cause. If you want to read something that applies to 1963 go back and get a volume of The Souls of Black Folk by Du Bois, published in 1903." John Lewis of SNCC was the youngest speaker at the event. He wanted to give a stronger speech to criticize the Kennedy administration for the inadequacies of the Civil Rights Act of 1963 and not going far enough to fight for racial justice. James Forman and other SNCC leaders contributed to the revision. They felt that Kennedy didn't do enough to protect southern black human beings and civil rights workers from physical violence by white racists in the Deep South. Many leaders in the march wanted his original speech to be changed. John Lewis at first refused, but he did it out of respect for Randolph (who spent his whole life making the march a reality). The following words of John Lewis's speech are parts that were deleted:
"...In good conscience, we cannot support wholeheartedly the administration's civil rights bill, for it is too little and too late. ...I want to know, which side is the federal government on? ...The revolution is a serious one. Mr. Kennedy is trying to take the revolution out of the streets and put it into the courts. Listen, Mr. Kennedy. Listen, Mr. Congressman. Listen, fellow citizens. The black masses are on the march for jobs and freedom, and we must say to the politicians that there won't be a "cooling-off" period... We will march through the South, through the heart of Dixie, the way Sherman did. We shall pursue our own scorched earth policy and burn Jim Crow to the ground—nonviolently ..."
John Lewis's original speech was sent to organizers and the media. Reuther, O'Boyle, and others falsely thought it was too divisive and militant, but these men didn't experienced what black people experienced for centuries in America. O'Boyle from the Catholic delegation was about to leave the march at one point before the Lewis original speech. Rustin informed Lewis at 2 A.M. on the day of the march that his speech was unacceptable to key coalition members (Rustin also reportedly contacted Tom Kahn, mistakenly believing that Kahn had edited the speech and inserted the line about Sherman's March to the Sea. Rustin asked, "How could you do this? Do you know what Sherman did?" The Confederate terrorists weren't playing checkers. They were traitors). Yet, Lewis did not want to change the speech. Other members of SNCC, including Kwame Ture, were also adamant that the speech is not censored. The dispute continued until minutes before the speeches were scheduled to begin. Under threat of public denouncement by the religious leaders, and under pressure from the rest of his coalition, Lewis agreed to omit some of the passages. Many activists from SNCC, CORE, and SCLC were angry at what they considered censorship of Lewis's speech. In the end, Lewis added a qualified endorsement of Kennedy's civil rights legislation, saying: "It is true that we support the administration's Civil Rights Bill. We support it with great reservation, however." Even after toning down his speech, Lewis called for activists to "get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village and hamlet of this nation until true freedom comes."
James Baldwin was prevented to give his speech, because everybody knows that James Baldwin was too militant and progressive. Baldwin said that the March was co-opted by interests from the establishment. Despite the protests of organizer Anna Arnold Hedgeman, no women gave a speech at the March. Male organizers attributed this omission to the "difficulty of finding a single woman to speak without causing serious problems vis-Ã -vis other women and women's groups." We know that to be a total lie as tons of women were leaders and activists in the movement. Although Gloria Richardson was on the program and had been asked to give a two-minute speech, when she arrived at the stage her chair with her name on it had been removed, and the event marshal took her microphone away after she said "hello." Richardson, along with Rosa Parks and Lena Horne, was escorted away from the podium before Martin Luther King Jr. spoke. Early plans for the march would have included an "Unemployed Worker" as one of the speakers. This position was eliminated, furthering criticism of the March's middle-class bias. Singers like Mahalia Jackson, Joan Baez, Boy Dylan, Peter, Paul, and Mary, and Odetta performed. Some participants like Dick Gregory wanted more groups to participate in the singing and more black people to be singing. Walter Reuther wanted politicians to address injustices.
Dr. Martin Luther Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech during the march. He gave his dream previously in Detroit months before during the Walk for Freedom movement. The I Have a Dream was both a condemnation of injustices in America and a call for a better future. Dr. Martin Luther King was an American civil rights leader and a Baptist minister. In front of over 250,000 human beings, he gave his speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. It was one of the greatest speeches in human history. In the speech, Dr. King invoked the Emancipation Proclamation, the United States Constitution, and religious themes to make the point that racism and oppression have no place in our world. There are two major parts of the I Have a Dream speech. The first part was the condemnation of American racism, poverty, of injustice in general, and the structural forms of evil harming black Americans. Dr. King wanted to use real language to make a distinction between the American reality (filled with police brutality and economic oppression) and the American dream. Dr. King said that "our federal government has also scarred the dream through its apathy and hypocrisy, its betrayal of the cause of justice." King suggested that "It may well be that the Negro is God's instrument to save the soul of America." Dr. King gave a similar I Have a Dream speech on November 27, 1962, King gave a speech at Booker T. Washington High School in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The 1963 March on Washington I Have a Dream speech was drafted with the assistance of Stanley Levison and Clarence Benjamin Jones in Riverdale, New York City. Jones has said that "the logistical preparations for the march were so burdensome that the speech was not a priority for us" and that, "on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 27, [12 hours before the march] Martin still didn't know what he was going to say." Dr. King, a student of American history, invoked the Abraham Lincoln Gettysburg Address too. He wanted to have urgency in his words by saying "Now is the time."
Among the most quoted lines of the speech are "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!" According to US Representative John Lewis, who also spoke that day as the president of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, "Dr. King had the power, the ability, and the capacity to transform those steps on the Lincoln Memorial into a monumental area that will forever be recognized. By speaking the way he did, he educated, he inspired, he informed not just the people there, but people throughout America and unborn generations." King describes the promises made by America as a "promissory note" on which America has defaulted. He says that "America has given the Negro people a bad check", but that "we've come to cash this check" by marching in Washington, D.C. The style of old-school black Christian speeches were found in the cadence of his words. Biblical phrases were found in his words too.
Toward the end of the speech, King departed from his prepared text for a partly improvised peroration on the theme "I have a dream", prompted by Mahalia Jackson's cry: "Tell them about the dream, Martin!" In this part of the speech, which most excited the listeners and has now become it is most famous, King described his dreams of freedom and equality arising from a land of slavery and hatred. In the final parts of the speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said these words:
"...And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that, let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last..."
Immediately, the crowd in Washington, D.C. experienced a sense of euphoria, joy, and happiness over the speech. Hoover hated Dr. King because of jealousy. COINTELPRO head and FBI agent William C. Sullivan considered Dr. King the "most dangerous" black man in the future of the nation after his I Have a Dream speech. At the end of the speech, the crowd soared in joy and inspiration to find solutions. In the wake of the speech and march, King was named Man of the Year by TIME magazine for 1963, and in 1964 he was the youngest man ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The event featured many prominent celebrities in addition to singers on the program. Josephine Baker, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, James Baldwin, Jackie Robinson, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dick Gregory, Eartha Kitt, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Diahann Carroll, and Lena Horne were among the black celebrities attending. There were also quite a few white and Latino celebrities who attended or helped fund the March in support of the cause: Tony Curtis, James Garner, Robert Ryan, Charlton Heston, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Rita Moreno, Marlon Brando, Bobby Darin, and Burt Lancaster, among others. Judy Garland was part of the planning committee and was also scheduled to perform but had to drop out at the last minute due to commitments to her TV variety series.
The 1963 March on Washington ended with a great sense of enthusiasm. President John F. Kennedy watched the march on television and was pleased. The march wasn't perfect as it excluded many women speakers, some speeches were watered down, and there was co-option by some establishment interests (as said by Malcolm X and other critics. Malcolm X's Message to the Grass Roots speech criticized the march as a picnic and a circus), but the crowd of the people was inspired to fight for social change. The chances for the civil rights bill increased. Kennedy met with the march leaders in the White House on August 28, 1963. The news media covered the march massively. Randolph and Rustin abandoned their belief in the effectiveness of marching on Washington. King maintained faith that action in Washington could work but determined that future marchers would need to call greater attention to economic injustice. In 1967–1968, he organized a Poor People's Campaign to occupy the National Mall with a shantytown. Segregationists including William Jennings Bryan Dorn criticized the government for cooperating with civil rights activists. Senator Olin D. Johnston rejected an invitation to attend the march, because he was a white segregationist. The march was not perfect, but it inspired grassroots activism that caused the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to exist. Anniversary marches existed in 1983, 1988, and in 2013. Today, we have a long way to go. Kathleen Cleaver said that only revolution would cause American society to have the real redistribution of wealth and power to end exclusion and inequalities. There was the 2020 Virtual March on Washington, D.C. because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It opposed racial injustice and police brutality. On August 28, 2021, people marched for voting rights and for the statehood of Washington, D.C. Among the speakers were Martin Luther King III, his wife and Drum Major Institute president Arndrea Waters King, daughter Yolanda, National Action Network leader Rev. Al Sharpton and Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Other speakers at the event included Democratic U.S. Representatives Joyce Beatty, of Ohio, Terri Sewell, of Alabama, Sheila Jackson Lee and Al Green, both of Texas, and Mondaire Jones, of New York; NAACP president Derrick Johnson; and Philonise Floyd, activist and brother of George Floyd.
Since 1963, we have seen the growth of social activism, but racial injustice and economic inequality haven't been gone. We see homeownership being a struggle for many in our communities, and we witness corporate exploitation. By 2013, the Economic Policy Institute created many reports about the topic of "The Unfinished March." These reports studied the goals of the original march and tried to find out how much progress was made. They promoted the views of Randolph and Rustin that civil rights alone can't transform the people's quality of life without economic justice. I agree with them on that issue. The reports said that the March's main goals (of housing, integrated education, and widespread employment at living wages) wasn't accomplished. They mentioned that legal advances were made. Yet, black people in many cases live in concentrated areas of poverty where many black people have miseducation and unemployment. Dedrick Muhammad of the NAACP wrote that racial inequality of income and homeownership has increased since 1963 and worsened during the recent Great Recession.
It has been over one year since the war in Ukraine. Conservative and liberal Putin apologists have been exposed as being hypocrites. The war started with the Russian illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine. Russian government leaders doing this invasion have done a crime against international law. Putin's goal, as said in his own words, is to colonize Ukraine as Putin doesn't respect Ukraine as its own independent nation. Putin is not a progressive, but a far-right nationalist who has an authoritarian government. In Russia now, Russian dissidents are readily arrested, religious liberty is restricted, the freedom of the press is restricted, and innocent people are arrested all of the time. Many Russian Tsars and Stalin once colonized Ukraine. Therefore, the Ukrainian people deserve our solidarity and support to fight for democracy and freedom. Russia's invasion is part of imperialism (or the domination and exploitation of other locations by capitalist states). Putin made it clear that he wanted to conquer Ukraine before the war started. Russian forces have raped civilians, used bombs on civilian targets (including churches and schools), and made many lies about Ukraine. We know that many Western/NATO forces are supporting Ukraine's resistance, not out of revolutionary reasons, but because they want to have imperialist influence in that region. NATO is complicit in the interventions of Libya, etc. We must be clear to oppose Western imperialism and Russian imperialism. We support the right of the Ukrainian people to defeat Russian aggression so Ukraine can be its own independent nation. We support Russian dissidents in fighting for freedom in Russia. The war should end with Russian military forces ending their invasion of Ukraine.
By Timothy
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