The Lives of People.

 

One of the most influential music figures has been written about, praised, and maligned. Yet, his presence remains firm after his unjust assassination on September 7, 1996. He was the late, well-known Tupac Shakur. Many people are writing books about his life, but the following prose will describe an authentic, accurate account of his life story. Tupac Shakur is the personification of hip hop, filled with strengths, imperfections, resiliency, hope, and changes found in our world. Tupac moved all across America from New York City, to Baltimore, to Marin City, California, and to Southern California. At each place, he gained valuable insights into the conditions of poverty, racism, and oppression in general. His Black Panther roots are prominent as he was the son of Black Panther Revolutionary Afeni Shakur. His father, Billy Garland, was also a Black Panther Party member too, and Garland has spoken on Tupac's life on plenty of occasions. Like Tupac, Afeni Shakur was brilliant intellectually with imperfections like all humans have. Afeni defended herself in the Panther 21 trial, and she won the case. Also, Afeni Shakur overcame addiction to become a better human being before her passing. Tupac saw the world, loved many women, had many friends, and loved the joy of life. Also, Tupac Shakur was not perfect, and he publicly said that he made mistakes in his life. Tupac Shakur lived a short life, but he had some of the most interesting adventures by marrying the black Northern woman Keisha Morris, being friends with MC Hammer (plus Jasmine Guy, etc.), loving his mother, and being a very intellectual human being. Therefore, the life of Tupac Shakur was a black American story filled with heartbreak, triumphs, and the culture of hip hop expanding further throughout the globe. 

 

Halle Berry is more than one of the great actresses of the 20th and 21st centuries. She is more than just her physical appearance. She lived from the Midwest to live across the world to give black women and women of every color in general the profound, gallant inspiration, the strength, and the presence to make long-lasting, magnificent contributions to this world. Halle Barry loves to portray transformative roles. For example, she shone in portraying Dorothy Dandridge in the HBO film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. She never advocated for one-dimensional characters in her film roles. She played a drug addict in Jungle Fever, a performer in The Last Boy Scout, a single mother in A Different World, a struggling mother in Losing Isaiah, a superhero in the X-Men movie trilogy, including Catwoman, and an assassin in John Wick 3. For sixty years of her living on this Earth, Halle Berry has been a cheerleader, a model, an actress, a mother, a participant in mixed martial arts, and a lover. Being a lover means romance, friendship, and companionship with great connections, too. She has found a lover who respects her, and his name is Van Hunt. Halle Berry is a well-rounded human being who can fight, act, model, stand up against journalists illegally taking pictures of celebrities' kids, and be honest to have progressive, honest conversations about menopause. 20-50 years ago, it was very taboo for anyone to talk about menopause in public. That day is finally over in 2025 and 2026. 

 

Museums not only represent history in a monumental fashion. They give people hope, a sense of purpose, a recognition of the humble, glorious contributions of our ancestors, and a love of truth. Today, we celebrate the 10th year anniversary of the existence of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. It was decades in the making, filled with previous setbacks and a final victory. As an African American, it is an honor to write about this special occasion. Some of our greatest works of art, literature, athletics, technology, and other forms of our glorious black culture as African Americans are found in the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, D.C., too. For example, in the museum, you can witness a Bible owned by Nat Turner, who led a slave rebellion in my state of Virginia in 1831. You can see items owned by Harriet Tubman, Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves, and a chef's jacket worn by Leah Chase, New Orleans' late great chef (or the Queen of Creole Cuisine). The NMAAHC has the gymnastic equipment used by our own 757 icon Gabby Douglas (she was the first African American to win the women's artistic individual all-around gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London). Today, we have to be clear to defend all legitimate museums, especially those that honor black history and culture. The reason is that Trump and his allies are seeking to whitewash the history of racism and slavery in various museums. That goal from Trump is what I am fundamentally opposed to. So, our real black history and culture is glorious and truly sacrosanct. 

 

After the industrial revolution and the Internet revolution (filled with email, Amazon, Google, smartphone technology, Snapchat, X, IG, Cashapp, etc.), many have wondered about what the future developments would be in the 21st century. That invention will inevitably be artificial intelligence. A.I. has been mentioned in movies like The Matrix back in 1999, cartoons, TV shows, etc. Artificial intelligence has been one of the most controversial realities in human history. Now, we have SOPA making A.I. skits of famous people, both living and those who have passed away. Some consider A.I. to be a blessing in growing efficiency, curing diseases, and developing human lives in positive, multifaceted ways. Other people dispute this notion. These critics of A.I. consider it a threat to human jobs, human creativity, and to humanity itself. With people using A.I.'s ChatGPT to write essays, and A.I. organizing billions and trillions of items of data in a short period of time, we live in a new world that science fiction stories can only dream of. Only God knows the complete future until the end of time. What we do know is that our actions now will affect future human generations. So, we have the august responsibility to love our neighbors, defend truth, help people, use technology in the right fashion, and give all glory to the Most High God with sincere devotion. 

 

I recently found out that my 5th paternal cousin is Tameca Tequila Johnston who was born in May 1979. Her father was Robert Custis Brown (1957-2012). The parents of Robert Custis Brown were James Burgess Jr. (1940-2004) and Lugenia Carolyn Brown. The parents of James Burgess Jr. were James Burgess (1911-1979) and Flossie Trower (1916-1946). The parents of Flossie Trower were Custus Trower (b. 1882) and Ethel Kelly (b. 1885). The parents of Ethel Kelly were George Kelly (b. 1830) and Easter Perkins (1840-1910). The parents of Easter Perkins were my 4th great grandparents, George Perkins (b. 1815) and Esther Perkins (b. 1816)

 

The 2025 election was a huge victory for the Democratic Party. They had many victories in state and local elections. A high percentage of voters turned to the Democrats because they opposed Trumpism and sought solutions to economic issues, affordability, health care, and other important issues. We continue to experience a government shutdown, and many suffering Americans decided to vote for change. There were 190 elections in more than 30 states. My state of Virginia had tons of important elections. Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger won the gubernatorial race in Virginia. She is the first woman to be elected governor of Virginia. She defeated the Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, whom Trump didn't campaign for. The reason for that was Sears had criticized Trump before and because for the obvious reason. I don't have to spell it out. We know that other reason is. Sears used many tactics (in her commercials and speeches about cultural issues), but she failed in her election campaign. The Norfolk State University debate when Sears cut Spanberger off in discussion, turned many people off. Sears failed to show any independent views outside of the Trump echo chamber, which also contributed to her defeat. Sears gave a recorded message to Spanberger to wish her well. The victory for Spanberger was 56 to 44 percent. Many Virginians from the urban and suburban areas voted for Spanberger. Democratic State Senator Ghazala Hashmi defeated Republican John Reid to be the first Muslim lieutenant governor of Virginia. Jay Jones won the election to be the first elected black Attorney General of Virginia (in defeating Jason Miyares). Jay Jones overcame the text scandal that he apologized for. Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the gubernatorial race in New Jersey to defeat Republican Jack Ciattarelli. Sherill was a U.S. Navy veteran, and she won as Trump's popularity is at record lows.

 

My home state of Virginia has come a long way over the years, and Virginia still has a long way to go. Virginia is the home of our ancestors who were brought into America in chains centuries ago. From my 5th great-grandmother Zilphy Claud to my parents today, Virginia is home. Virginia is a place where many parts of American existence were born. From the bad times of the Confederacy being headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, to the Civil Rights Movement in Virginia fighting back against injustice, America has a complicated history. With the recent election wins, Virginia is being solidified as the most progressive state in the South. Many factors caused a large victory of Democrats including the government shutdown, many federal workers losing their jobs, the growth of the youth vote, and large opposition to the agenda of Trumpism. We saw Abigail Spanberger winning the Governor's race, we see Lieutenant Governor's race being won by Ghazala Hashmi, and Jay Jones being the new Attorney General.  Michael Feggans, Bonita Anthony, Nadarius Clark, Kelly Convirs-Fowler, Phil Hernandez, Shelly Simonds, and Jeion Ward won elections or Democrats, too. Virginia Democrats have gained 13 new seats in the House of Delegates. That means that the House of Delegates has a supermajority of 64 seats. We have a long way to go. We have to deal with affordability, health care, our civil liberties, our civil rights, our environment, the rights of minorities and women in general, and other vital subjects that deal with millions of Americans. So, the struggle continues, but victory is ours in the end.

 

Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral race in New York City because of widespread support from New York City residents, the housing affordability crisis, and other important factors. Mamdani used a grassroots campaign to achieve his victory. He defeated Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Silwa. He had a 50,4 percent victory, to Cuomo's 41,6 percent and Silwa's 7.1 percent. Over 2 million votes were cast, the most since 1969, and 17 percent of those who voted were first-time voters. Younger people from 18-44 came out to vote in high numbers. Mamdani represents the public's rebuke of Trumpism and the Democratic Party establishment, which publicly opposed his candidacy. Trump lied and called Mamdani a communist when Mamdani is a democratic socialist. Mamdani ran an explicitly progressive campaign. He wanted to address high housing prices by promoting a rent freeze. He desired to raise taxes to fund his proposals by taxing the super wealthy, he wants improved public services (like an experimental public supermarket and free buses), and he supports the rights of the Palestinian people. He opposes the ICE occupation of American cities. Mamdani has to deal with the city council and the state government in Albany to try to get his proposals done. Yet, Mamdani is up for the challenge as he celebrated the diversity of New York City in his victory speech.

 

The events of November 5, 2025, called a blue political tsunami in America. These victories prove that most of the American people reject the agenda from the Trump administration domestically and foreign policy-wise. We don't want 42 million Americans stripped of their rightful SNAP benefits, we don't want Trump murdering people in the Caribbean without due process of law, we don't want new wars in Venezuela and Nigeria, and we don't desire 100-year housing mortgages. The momentum is clearly on the side of truth and progressive justice. We need not only economic populism, but racial and gender, including environmental justice. Without a clean environment, without rights protected for minorities, and without women having equality, you can never have true economic populism to flourish. In other words, we need living wages and environmental protections to exist in America. Trump is so cruel that he wants to ban food discounts for people who need SNAP benefits. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of the Trump regime. Mary Sheffield is Detroit's new first black woman mayor of the city. Proposition 50 won in the state of California (in dealing with redistricting issues that will increase the Democratic representation in Congress in response to measures in Republican states), with Governor Gavin Newsom giving a speech calling it a signature moment and warning people that Trump will continue to promote illegal policies. Pennsylvania Democrats won their seats on their state Supreme Court. Maine voter restriction measures have lost in the ballot box. Krasner and Bragg won. Georgia Democrats flipped 2 statewide offices. Democrats, who are progressives and moderates, won clear victories on Tuesday. Democrats have controlled the majority in the Minnesota Senate and the Virginia legislature. The first black mayor of Albany, New York, is Sister Dorcey Applyrs. Election Day 2025 showed the world that tons of Americans are willing to oppose the views of a tyrant by voting peacefully. Voting matters, and most Americans oppose arresting people without due process of law, oppose economic injustice, oppose unfair tariffs, and oppose injustice in general. Still, Republicans refuse to sworn in Grijalva. We see a growing number of Hispanic Americans rejecting Trump because of the overtly corrupt, illegal policies from ICE. We have to deal with economic issues. 2025 had the worst October in layoffs since 2003, with 153,000 jobs cut. We have consumer sentiment down, and food prices are up. If nothing is done, there is an increased risk of recession in 2026. Fascist movements are spreading in Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Romania, the UK, Hungary, and France, but many Americans and others in the world are rejecting fascism. We want health care for all, economic justice, affordable housing, equal rights, racial justice, the rights of women respected, the humanity of immigrants honored, black history supported, voting rights, and human liberty for all.

By Timothy