Political and Social News in Late January of 2020.

The crimes of Donald Trump are numerous. Adam Schiff, Val Demings, Jerry Nadler, and others have done a great job in bringing up the case that Trump is wrong to use his political influence to try to conduct election espionage against the Bidens. Today, the House Managers are arguing that Trump enacted an abuse of power. Trump said that he just wanted to end Ukrainian corruption. That is a lie, because official governmental records show that Trump was focused on Biden. Trump didn't publicly raised corruption issues before with the Ukrainians. Trump can't do what he wants to. No President should act as a monarch. Trump wanted to use coercion against Ukraine to try to influence an election via cheating. There are many impeachment witnesses who said under oath that Trump's Ukraine conduct was wrong. Later, Trump's legal team will present their arguments, and then the total Senate will vote on whether Trump stays or leaves in office. I respect greatly many parts of the 1619 Project (I believe that it is a great first step in evaluating our identity as black people), but their omissions of Dr. King (except in one place with a photo caption), Malcolm, and the Harlem Renaissance is shocking. The 1619 didn't even show information about A. Philip Randolph or the Black Power Movement. You can't talk about black American history without talking about the people of Dr. King, Malcolm X, and folks found in the Harlem Renaissance.

Recently, my parents said that my family are related to the Upshur family on my father's side. They are right because of many reasons. Long ago, the Upshur family came from the Eastern Shore in Virginia. Esther Perkins was born in 1816. Her husband was George Perkins I (he was born in 1815). Later, the couple had a child named Carolina Perkins (1862-1927). Caroline Perkins was my 4th great aunt. She married Henry Upshur (1858-1940) on December 29, 1881 at Northampton County, Virginia. One of their daughters was Roxyana Upshur (she was born on 1895). She married a man named James Willard Morris (1885-?) on October 28, 1914 at Northampton County, Virginia. One of their children was Willard O. Morris (1916-2005). Willard O. Morris married Odessa Morris (1921-?), and their daughter was Madeline Morris. She married Clifton James Showell. One of their sons was Clifton James Showell Jr. (1956-present). He married a woman named Vivian Douglin (born in 1958). Vivian Douglin is the daughter of the late Frank St. Clair Douglin (1922-2001). Frank was from the Caribbean at Barbados in his ancestors. Clfiton James Showell Jr. and Vivian Douglin's daughter was Vivian Chantel Showell (1988-present). Vivian Chantel Showell is my 5th cousin. The Upshurs live in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and as far north as New York. Therefore, secrets are being revealed at the right time.

During this time of the year, we recognize what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other heroes stand for. After the two Great Migrations, we witnessed many African Americans stand up for equal rights nationwide. Dr. King was a Baptist theologian. He lived in a middle class, mostly black neighborhood. He was a victim of racism and assaults. Yet, he never forsaken his vision of using nonviolent resistance to enact social change. Dr. King was overt in criticizing racism, militarism, poverty and capitalism. His federal holiday was created back in the 1980's. Dr. King and others wanted a unified movement among all oppressed people to unite to fight for justice. Today, we know how many in the Republican leadership are advancing racist pro-prison policies, anti-social programs, etc. Before the early 20th century, the Democratic Party had similar reactionary views as the Republicans today. The Democratic Party ruled the Jim Crow South unchallenged. I live in Virginia. My parents and grandparents were victims of Jim Crow. This is not ancient history. Jim Crow grew after the Populist movement. Jim Crow wanted the South oligarchy to maintain control over black people and all oppressed people with unjust laws. It took protests, activism, and rebellions against injustice to end Jim Crow apartheid. Also, the two Great Migrations transformed America. It spread jazz and other culture from black folks into Chicago, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and other places.

Dr. King's politics have been distorted not only by the far right (under the guise of opposing affirmative action when Dr. King supported reparations and affirmative action), but by the liberal establishment. The liberal establishment (which is funded by large foundations) embraces the neoliberal notion that token change is necessary to make justice. They believe in giving people rights domestically at the expense of expanding war mongering, imperialistic policies overseas. They want a upper middle class to have privileges at the expense of the dignity and humanity of the poor and working class. The reality is that equal rights for all means it's for all people, and we reject wars with Iran or drone strikes killing people without due process of law. We want our civil liberties protected without torture.

Dr. King focused on a human struggle against tyranny from his time in the Montgomery Boycott in 1955 to the Memphis sanitation workers movement of 1968. Dr. King knew of Communism (which is an imperfect system). Dr. King knew that Communism was a response to the situation where Capitalism didn't do enough to help the oppressed. Dr. King didn't agree with Communism, but he expressed support for many socialistic principles. Dr. King's 1967 Poor Peoples Campaign was inspired by one woman named Edelman. He wanted many people to go to Washington to end poverty via the federal government using billions of dollars. Dr. King opposed the unjust Vietnam War. It took courage to do that, because the FBI illegally harassed him and his friends. Today, we have to continue to fight for the audacious proclamation of his Dream.



By Timothy