Spring 2019 Part 5

Conclusion

So many occurrences have transpired in early part of the year of 2019. It is a valuable necessity for us to shine a light on the good news in the world. Not everything in the globe is bad, and it is important for anybody to describe the lives of unsung heroes who are making a difference in everyday society. For example, author Clair Hartfield, illustrator Ekua Holmes, and Tiffany D. Jackson won the 2019 Coretta Scott King Book Awards. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards. Berklee College professor Julius A. Williams became the first African American President of the Conductors Guild. The teenager Nahyle-Agomo has established peacekeeping efforts at Fort Bend, Indiana. The Gill Brothers promoted an eco-friendly candle brand (they are 13, 10, and 8 years old). We have countless black women and black men doing mentorships, fighting injustice, and building in their communities. Their efforts should be commended by everyone. While we honor the interests of African Americans, we honor all black people of the African Diaspora too. While I respect civil rights, I also honor immigrant rights (as tons of immigrants are black people as well) and economic rights too.

I do want to make it clear that I completely disagree with the ADOS movement (the reparations movement existed long before ADOS came about). The ADOS movement is a growing movement in our generation of 2019. ADOS stands for African descendants of slaves. They have been critical of the Kamala Harris and Cory Booker’s Presidential campaigns, because they feel that they aren't representing tangible proposals for black Americans. Some of them have criticized Joy Reid, Roland Martin, and Angela Rye for various reasons. Now, here is my official statement of this new movement. The ADOS movement is right on wanting to promote African American interests. Far too often, we, who are African Americans, have been disrespected by the political establishment (among both major parties) in the States. Our concerns and our interests have received token talk, but lax follow through. We want candidates to promote our interests or we won’t vote for them. We realize what we want. We want an end to police brutality. We desire quality education for our communities, we demand affordable and quality, housing, we promote a strong infrastructure, and we believe in more economic investments. An eradication of poverty, an end to imperialism, the expansion of health care, and a strong safety net are what we want too. The ADOS movement is right that African Americans deserve reparations as other ethnic groups (like Native Americans, Japanese Americans, and Jewish people) have received them. Our ancestors were in this land involuntarily as slaves without pay and we still haven’t received just compensation.

The problem with the ADOS movement isn't their advocacy of African American interests. It's their constant omission of the need of reparations for Afro-Caribbeans, Afro-Latinos, and all black people of African descent in Western Hemisphere. ADOS proponent Tariq Nasheed said that a Puerto Rican isn't entitled to reparations when Puerto Ricans experienced Western occupation for decades and centuries (plus many Afro-Latinos live in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is part of the USA. The famous black Puerto Rican Arthur Schomburg contributed heavily in the black freedom movement in America decades ago). The Maafa didn’t just send black people into America. Black slaves came to places worldwide. To keep it real, more black slaves came into Brazil than all of the British colonies combined. I agree with Yvette Carnell on many economic issues and her promotion of reparations for us black Americans, but she is wrong by minimizing the importance of Pan-African unity. I believe in Pan-Africanism and many ADOS advocates are hostile to Pan-Africanism. She or Yvette had a video called Pan Africanism is dead, so that tells everyone how she thinks. Yvette Carnell is totally incorrect on that point. Obviously, Pan-Africanism is not dead as Pan-African groups exist worldwide. History teaches us that non-African American black people were crucial in African American struggle for freedom. Marcus Garvey, Kwame Ture, Claudia Jones, and other Brothers and Sisters weren't born in America. Yet, they did help many black Americans. Haiti took African Americans in and granted them citizenship during the 1800's when slavery was still legal in the US. Cuba, Tanzania, and other countries have hosted revolutionary Black leaders who were escaping oppression in America. Africans collectively are never to be blamed for the Maafa (as many white racists and black sellouts believe in).

Malcolm X was right to say that black Americans must be concerned with what goes on in Africa. Malcolm X stated: "And they’re able to take these hired killers, put them in American planes, with American bombs, and drop them on African villages, blowing to bits Black men, Black women, Black children, Black babies, and you Black people sitting over here cool like it doesn’t even involve you. You’re a fool. They’ll do it to them today, and do it to you tomorrow. Because you and I and they are all the same."

Also, I don’t agree with some ADOS members’ blatant xenophobia against non-African American black people (as some of them minimize or disregard the legitimate interests of black people overseas. Slavery existed among black people throughout the Western Hemisphere. Many ADOS followers believe in some American exceptionalism which revolves around the lie that African Americans are somehow superior to others in the African Diaspora). Some ADOS believers have the callous mindset that non-African American black people collectively aren’t in favor of the interests of black Americans. That’s false, because tons of black people globally have worked with are inspired by black Americans. Malcolm X went overseas and worked with Africans to advance Pan-African unity and racial justice. W.E.B. Du Bois advanced Pan-African unity with Africans constantly. Maya Angelou worked with Africans. Africans have worked in America to fight for the human rights of black Americans for years. There are great groups right now that are fighting for unity among Africans and Africans of the Diaspora. I will always love Africa and African people as I am a black American. I don't believe that ADOS members are some Russian bots, but I'm beyond being some American. I'm a person of black African descent who was born in America. The enemy of racism must be ended. The weakness of the ADOS movement is that it promotes a withdrawal from the international struggles of African people. You have to be international in scope in liberating humanity. The movement seems to believe that African Americans are going to be able to achieve their liberation independently from other people of African descent, which is false. Some of the same ADOS proponents are silent on America's crimes overseas against black people.

PFIR is a right wing group regardless of what Yvette Carnell says. Even in my 20's, I knew that PFIR is funded by the white supremacist John Tanton. Tanton has links to eugenicists in real life. The anti-immigrant movement has always had links to white supremacists and eugenicists for decades. PFIR is a front group for Tanton's FAIR. White racists like Steve Bannon and Steve King are members of FAIR. Carnell admitted that she is on the board of the PFIR. FAIR is known for its xenophobic rhetoric. That is why some (not all ADOS) people in the ADOS are anti-African, xenophobic, and divisive. I told you for months about the ADOS. I always show the tea. That's my job. We need real reparations for African Americans without xenophobic bigotry. That is why we need grassroots, community organization, legislation, etc. We need to address the issues like our ancestors did like health care, education, police brutality, the War on Drugs, etc. Black people deserve freedom worldwide.

Black unity means unity with black people globally not just in the States. Therefore, I can never agree with the ADOS movement as it readily promotes divisiveness and division in our global African community. Members of that movement forget that freedom isn’t just meant for Americans alone. It’s meant for all members of the human race internationally. Separating from Africans based on some ADOS ideology is silliness and wrong period. The ADOS movement is trying to stifle unity among the global black African family. The ADOS omits the work of Africans fighting for change like Biram Dah Abeid fighting to end slavery in Mauritania. That is why I honor my Brothers and my Sisters who live in America and who live outside of America. We are one black African people regardless of our nationalities. African Americans, Africans, Afro-Europeans, Afro-Latinos, Afro-Caribbeans, etc. are my Brothers and my Sisters. We must defeat white racism worldwide not just in America. Advancing a working class consciousness means to develop strength among black people in America and overseas. Loving Africa is about loving our Blackness period.

Recently, Trump said the inappropriate comment that he has the police, bikers, and military on his side (therefore, he said that they can be peaceful and if they want to be violent, they can). He is provoking chaos. Trump also promoted violence in his political rallies and called on cops to be rough on suspects. Trump has advanced violence rhetoric, and he is a disgrace. His words are wrong period. Trump's words are dangerous, and he is a domestic threat to America. He doesn't deserve the office of the Presidency, and he ought to be impeached in my view.

Howard Schultz is considering running for President. His views aren't new. Gary Hart said the exact same words decades ago. He or Howard Schultz believes that centrism will improve America. We know that isn't the case. Every revolutionary movement in history that improved the lives of Americans arose by radical solutions and revolutionary policies not by centrism. For example, slavery ended by revolutionary abolitionists and other black people who wanted slavery abolished. Centrists never ended slavery completely in the United States of America. The 40 hour work week and abolishing child labor never existed by centrism. It existed by many revolutionary workers and labor rights activists (including some socialists) who sometimes went into jail for their promotion of economic justice. The Civil Rights Act and other civil rights laws were created by the progressive Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other heroes who sacrificed every day for our freedom. In fact, Dr. King criticized the white moderates as wanting the status quo. Dr. King and Malcolm X were not moderates. Dr. King wanted reparations, he praised democratic socialism, he opposed the development of nuclear weapons, he believe in the separation of church and state, and he opposed the Vietnam War in public. We know Malcolm X was never a centrist. Schultz said that he's socially liberal and fiscally conservative. That is an oxymoron since you need massive governmental investments to fight poverty and economic injustices.

The irony is that Schultz criticized socialism, but he is the beneficiary of many public government-owned programs or policies like public education, public housing, etc. He never was a self-made man. No one on this Earth is self-made since all people had neighbors, investments, and other forms of help in our lives. We can afford to pay for many programs as America has very low taxes now and spends more on its military than Israel, China, Japan, France, India, and Russia combined. Entitlement cuts harm the most vulnerable in our society and private sector pensions are down (along with wages not keeping up with rising housing, education, and health care costs). There is nothing wrong with universal pre-K or expansion of health care at all. A 2 percent wealth tax on net worth above $50 million and a 3 percent wealth tax on net worth above $1 billion (as advocated by Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren) are not extreme measures at all. We have an income inequality crisis and something has to be done to advance a fairer society. A strong social safety net is key in any society.

The centrist Howard Schultz said that he doesn't see color. He is truly something else. When you walk outside and see the sky, trees, and water, you will see color. Therefore, the way to end racism isn't about promoting colorblind nonsense. It is about ending the structures of racism in general and using policies to combat discrimination plus other forms of injustice. Ending racism requires collective structural change beyond just talk. Schultz made the wrong statement on race since we need to combat racism in order to defeat it. I cam not colorblind to reality. I am color respectful as I will treat my neighbor as myself.

You need powerful financial power to end injustices in general. FDR used the New Deal not with fiscal conservativism, but with billions of dollars that grew Social Security and other laws (which were won by the labor movement). Schultz refuses to support a wealth tax, refuses to support reparations, he wants to cut Social Security (that people have worked for), rejects universal health care, and refuses to do anything to invest in rebuilding our infrastructure in the billions of dollars. He issues token reforms like promoting health care fixes and other things, but we live in a different time. Tokenism and piecemeal acts won't work. Schultz doesn't have concrete policy positions, but he wants to attack the views of progressives which is an example of his hypocrisy. We need firm change. Progressives are right to advocate an end to the detention of babies. They are right to fight for a living wage and seeking investments to help the environment. In the final analysis, Howard Schultz is not a revolutionary. He is part of the billionaire class seeking the centrist status quo. In closing, we always believe in the praise of black women. We should support our black Brothers and our black Sisters fighting for what is right. Forever, I do believe in Black Unity, Black Love, and Black Liberation. Ultimately, we want human beings worldwide to be free and have justice.

By Timothy