Information about Life.

50 years later is a long time. On that day (on October 16, 1968), 2 courageous black men stood up for justice during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. They rose their fists up in the air to protest racial oppression and advocate for social justice. They suffered threats, discrimination, and the hardships of their livelihoods. Still, they never wavered in their commitment to human freedom. Their actions inspired us who are black people. We black Americans love our noble heritage and our resiliency. They also encouraged freedom loving people of every color. They inspired us in the strength of their outstanding convictions. They showed the power of Blackness in the full array. No one could stop them. They knew that they would be victors of the race in the top three finishers. Tommie Smith and Juan Carlos were the men who stood up in protest. Before Kaepernick, before Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, and before other NFL players kneeling, there were Tommie Smith and John Carlos. Smith was part of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR). The OPHR was a human rights organization. These men were the victims of poverty, and they wanted actions that would eliminate racism, poverty, and all of the evils found in this society. At first, Smith wanted a boycott of the Olympics unless different measures existed. Dr. King, before he died, wanted this 1968 Olympic boycott. Later, Carlos and Smith decided to go into the Olympics as a way for them to oppose inequality and injustice. Peter Norman (from Australia) was in support of Smith and Carlos. He won the silver medal during the games, and he wore an OPHR badge. When Peter passed away, Smith and Carlos came to the funeral as his pallbearers. Tommie Smith and John Carlos are legends (of the Black Power movement and the human rights movement). Their salutes with their fists changed history, and we salute their courageous sacrifice for our Brothers and our Sisters.

When I was in my 20's, I heard of Keyshia Cole's music all of the time. She was born in Oakland, California and she personified the power of exceptional talent. Inescapable power defines her voice. It's was her Birthday recently, and she is 36 years old. She was one of the few people who met both MC Hammer when she was 12 and later Tupac Shakur. When she was 16, she was involved in the local youth organization called the East Oakland Youth Development Center or EOYDC. The Way It Is was her debut album from 2005. Famous songs from her include I Changed My Mind, Love, and Never. The album Just Like You came about in 2007. Her singing gift is also about the flexibility of her majestic voice, and her music relates to the experiences of working-class human beings (especially in describing the real-life situations of women) who have been through the rain and the storm. Her songs readily have stories about heartbreak involving romance and finding the power to move forward in desiring a resolution in life. Yes, the way that she wore her cornrow braids is very fly. She admitted that she is inspired by Tupac Shakur, Mary J. Blige, Antia Baker, Brandy, Monica, and other artists. She has also praised other hip-hop artists like Queen Latifah, Big Daddy Kane, Kid 'n Play, Ll Cool J, and other musicians. Touring and performing more music are actions that relate to her life. I wish Sister Keyshia Cole more blessings.

The world economy is still very fragile. There is economic growth, but tons of workers work 2 or 3 jobs to survive. Income inequality has not radically declined, and the super wealthy control the vast majority of the wealth in America. A Just Capital study of the largest 1,000 U.S. firms found that 57 percent of the overall tax cut windfall went to shareholders, compared to only 7 percent that went to workers in bonuses or benefits. There is a trade war between America and China causing increased costs for many goods and services. When American economic growth is so reliant on other nations, an extended trade war will cause long-term damage to the U.S. economy. There is an increase in interest rates by the Fed. Also, the stock market has declined in over 1,000 points in 2 days. While Trump is opposed to Medicare for all, most industrialized nations have universal health care saving millions of lives every single day. Trump, Graham, and other reactionaries slander protesters as the "mob" when what these protesters are doing is exercising their First Amendment rights. They desire to expose an oligarch like Kavanaugh, and they do not want corruption to ruin democratic values.

Fannie Lou Hamer was a champion for humanity and wanted black people to experience freedom. She was born in Montgomery County, Mississippi in 1917. To know about black history in America and the Civil Rights Movement in general, you have to know about Mississippi. Mississippi is the land of black sharecroppers. Mississippi is the land of blood. That blood was of the blood shed by our Brothers and Sisters who just wanted liberty in the world. Medgar Evers also is from Mississippi at Decatur. Fannie Lou Hamer grew up as a sharecropper. She was religious. By the 1950's, she worked heavily in the Civil Rights Movement. She was threatened, she was beaten, and she was cursed at. Yet, her courageousness was inspirational. She was a black woman on a mission to promote the creed of justice for the human race. She confronted those in power from racist sheriffs to the President of America. Back in 1964 (which was before my time, but my parents were alive then), she spoke at the Democratic National Convention to promote seats for the MFDP delegation (who wanted to reject the seats from the Democratic white supremacists from Mississippi). In her speech, she condemned racism and exhorted America to live up to the ideals of human liberty and justice. During this time in 2018, our rights are threatened daily by people who care more for privilege, financial gain, and bigotry instead of human rights and tolerance. Fannie Lou Hamer was a leader and an organizer. She was part of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). Hamer worked with SNCC. She was a leader of Freedom Summer back in 1964 in Mississippi to organize the registration of voters. She was vital in getting laws passed and she opposed the Vietnam War as unjust (which it was). Also, she promoted anti-poverty measures like cooperatives to assist the lives of the suffering. She lived until 1977, and her legacy is golden and forthrightly powerful.
Rest in Power Sister Fannie Lou Hamer.

Many lawsuits are existing now that are fighting for health care (since the Trump regime wants to eliminate protections given to people with pre-existing conditions), fighting against pollution, and fighting against the xenophobic Muslim ban. In essence, Montesquieu was right to set the standard of the separation of powers, so one branch of government would not reign supreme over the other branches. We have an executive branch authoritatively dominating our society with little regulation. We see an insecure, racist, xenophobic, and sexist male who praises Robert E. Lee and uses vulgar language to describe black people who disagree with him including protesters. Therefore, this male (i.e., Donald Trump) is an enemy of democracy and an enemy of freedom loving people of the world. Graham is another snake. He once claimed to be against Trump, and we knew he was a liar. Today, he is one of the President's greatest supporters. McConnell is a hypocrite who wants his way and desires only GOP dominance over Congress. A party that is overt in claiming that a woman's testimony about Kavanaugh doesn't matter, that claims that immigrants should be placed in internment camps based upon their lack of documentation, and believes that cops can use stop and frisk against black people is a disgraceful party.

By Timothy