Early March 2020 Information.

As human beings, we appreciate the diversity of hair. We love our hair, and we love bald people too. It is clear to mention that there is no such thing as "good hair." Hair is hair. As a black person born in America, people who look like me have dealt with hair for decades, centuries, and thousands of years. I have shown short hair, long hair, beards, clean shaven, mustaches, and other various hairstyles. It is also important to recognize the diverse textures and hairstyles of black women. Black women have always been an anchor in the black community, and it is no secret that bigots hate black expression of hair. You can look at the stories of black women fighting to wear long hair in the military or black students being forced to cut their dreadlocks or not graduate. Of course, these actions of restricting the freedom of expression among black people is deplorable, but we still have to fight for the dignity of black people in 2020. The Perception Institute's 2017 hair study said that a majority of people regardless of race and sex have some bias toward women of color based upon hair. That's said, but true. Women like Lupita Nyong'o and Solange Knowles have fought to rock their texture in order to shift many people's attitudes about hair. There are many hairstyles that women and girls wear all of the time. Many women and girls have ponytails, scrunchies, barrettes, various curl patterns, pigtales, bald, cornrows, dreads, box braids, weaves, whigs, the updo. Men and boys have worn their hair in fades, long hair, bald, clean shaven, whigs, boxes, jerry curls, dreadlocks, cornrows, and many other styles. Some men and women have worn hair in a similar fashion as well. Hairstyles, historically, have differed based on nationality, sex, culture, religion, and age. For example, the Toposa women of South Sudan have small pigtalls. In Hindu culture and the Wayana people of the Guiana highlands, young people shaved their hair to denote coming of age. Many African Americans wear our hair in many complex patterns of box braids, cornrows, shaved parts of the hair, and other designs with various patterns.

This time is the 55 year anniversary of the March from Selma to Montgomery including Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday was on March 7, 1965. It was a time when peaceful protesters were terrorized by white racists and crooked police officers. To begin with, you have to understand the time. Black people were deprived of the right to vote back then in Selma, Alabama (plus throughout other places in America). The movement to give voting rights to black people consisted of diverse people from SCLC, SNCC, the Dallas County Voter League, young people, people of different races, clergy folks, etc. John Lewis was one man who was victim of Bloody Sunday. He is a hero to this day. Also, many unsung people were involved in the Selma movement like Ulysses S. Blackmon, Amelia Boynton, Samuel Boynton, Burce Boynton, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Diane Nash, James Orange, Hosea Williams, Kwame Ture, James Forman, Prathia Hall, Fay Bellamy Powell, Bernard Lafayette, Annie Lee Cooper, Marie Foster, Rev. Fredrick Reese, James E. Gildersleeve, and so many other human beings. C.T. Vivian was a leader of the movement too. Jimmie Lee Jackson was murdered when Jimmie wanted to protect the life of his mother. The first Selma march was in response to the death of Jimmie Lee Jackson and the arrest of James Orange. The Selma movement in general was caused by black working class and poor people who wanted justice and an end to Jim Crow apartheid. The working class and freedom loving people in general desired an end to oppression. Jimmie Lee Jakson died in February of 1965. John Lewis would led the march. By March 7, 1865, it was Bloody Sunday when about 600 civil rights marchers came about. The leaders of the march was John Lewis of SNCC, Reverend Hosea Williams of SCLC, Bob Mants of SNCC, and Albert Turner of SCLC. They crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge. They saw an army of state troopers and county posse. County Sheriff Jim Clark made any white male over 21 to be deputized if they came to the courthouse. John Cloud was the commanding officer. Cloud told Rev. Hosea Williams that nothing could be done. Seconds later, troops shoved the demonstrators. The troops kicked women, men, and children. They used tear gas on people. Many people went into the hospital like Amelia Boynton. John Lewis was almost killed. Some of the troopers used horseback to charge at people. TV shown what happened to homes nationwide. Worldwide, folks saw the images. This caused the Voting Rights Act to be passed later in 1965. Amelia Boynton helped to organize the march. A police officer beat a 14 year old marcher named Lynda Blackmon Lowery. She was a victim of overt racist terrorism. 17 marchers were in the hospital and 50 were treated for injures. LBJ immediately condemned the police violence. SNCC organized sit ins in D.C. Dr. King led the 2nd march, and then the 3rd march finally reach Montgomery. People died for the right to vote. On March 1, 2020, there is the annual bridge crossing jubliee among the Selma community to commemorate voting rights demonstrations. Many Democratic Presidential candidates were there and other leaders like Stacey Abrams. In 2020, voter suppression laws are real nationwide, the Voting Rights Act was gutting of Section Five in 2013, and we must always protect the right to vote. Also, it is important to recognize that eliminating racial oppression means to end economic injustice too. You have to understand racial disparities and class oppression. The Selma movement inspires us to this very day.



A just response to the Prosperity Gospel is to mention that we against Mammon. Mammon is the idol made out of money. We realize that money can be good to help people, but we are against the lust for money for the sake of getting money. Blind faith in money have led to bankruptcies, broken lives, and even prison for those who exploited people's money illegally. That is why we always ought to be embrace discernment to clear that human rights are more important than financial lust. It is reality that many in Wall Street have received record bailouts and profits while not paying much federal income taxes. This comes while Main Street, the poor, and middle class including small businesses never have the corporate socialism that large multinational corporations regularly receive. Real wealth is about compassion, helping people, saving lives, and being blessed to build a just society. Real wealth comes from the living waters of the Holy Spirit which maintains understanding and grows spiritual strength. Some of the greatest promoters of selfishness, greed, and largess are those who hate the state helping the poor or eliminating discriminatory policies. The government is instituted to not just be some stop light to only end fraud. The government was created to establish justice, promote the general welfare, insure domestic tranquility and secure the blessings of liberty as cited by the Preamble of the Constitution. Justice and Liberty go hand in hand. Likewise, we reject nihilism. You can't do what you want whenever you want without violating moral principles. Therefore, the government also exists to restrain and fight evil in our world. Therefore, a response to the Prosperity Gospel is that spiritual strength is not determined by money, a rich person and a poor person who follows the Lord are equal in the eyes of God, helping the poor via social justice means is better than funding Lear jets, and we will tell the truth honestly about this situation. This is why in America and in the world, we advocate political, spiritual, and material freedom. Political freedom is about allowing people to have a free speech reality, free press, and the right to assemble. Spiritual freedom is allowing any person to believe in God or not out of their own volition without government interference. Material freedom is about allowing the government to provide the general welfare from Social Security to other investments in helping communities nationwide plus worldwide. We believe in truth.



Old debates and new challenges are on the horizon. One of the biggest lies promoted by not only by the far right, but by neo-liberal moderates is that we don't need a revolutionary change in society. These people are ignorant of history and modern realities. There are tons of people who are homeless in America plus the world right now. Over 500,000 experience homelessness in America alone. Internationally, many people oversees live on less than 5 dollars a day. We have police brutality and racial discrimination. Sexism and xenophobia are very real as proven by increased hate crimes in America since 2017. Therefore, we should never be naive to bash real revolution. The Civil Rights Movement was a revolution. Many people in that movement risked their lives in order to get the right to vote, have educational resources, or to end the oppressive system of Jim Crow apartheid. Many people had shed blood and even died for our freedom like Medgar Evers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, James Reeb, the 4 little girls in the Birmingham church, and other unsung heroes. We don't forget their names and their legacies. That including the heroes of the Civil War who defeated the evil Confederacy document the reality that structural, revolutionary change is a total prerequisite for freedom and justice.  The late Marine U.S. General Smedley Butler admitted that admitted that the workings of the military industrial complex harmed the lives of people overseas, and he called war a racket. Butler have shown the lesson that national affairs and international affairs matter. You can't advocate for freedom if you're silent on Brothers or Sisters overseas experiencing economic oppression, colonialism, imperialism, etc. In this time, we see Trump as an existential threat to democracy. It is not enough to condemn Trump as we already know that he's a racist, sexist, xenophobe, and extremist. It is also our responsibility to educate people, fight for the right to vote, build in our communities, and be active in the solution making process. Article I, Section 8, Clause 5 is clear that the government via Congress has the constitutional responsibility to manage the economy. That is what we are born to be. Having specific policies to address structural racism and other evils is always key. That is why it is right to promote fighting redlining to invest in black home ownership, to address maternal issues that black mothers face, securing tenant rights, creating jobs, send more Pell Grants, creating multi billion dollar funds for HBCUs, ending cash bail, end the 1994 Crime Bill, and defeat police brutality. We have the will to do these things. We have the economic resources to do these actions. We won't give up. We believe in the equality of all peoples of the world. Victory is ours.




Kobe Bryant debuted at the professional level in the Summer Pro League in Long Beach, California. He scored 25 points in front of standing room only crowd. Defenders struggled to stop him. His performance made then Lakers coach Del Harris become happy. Kobe scored 36 points in the finale. He finished with averages of 24.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in 4 games. As a rookie in the NBA, Kobe Bryant (in the 1996-1997 season) mostly came of the bench. He was behind the guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Excel. During the time, he was the youngest player ever to play in an NBA games (being 18 years and 72 days. This record was broken by Jermaine O'Neal and former teammate Andrew Bynum). He was the youngest NBA starter being only 18 years old and 158 days. At first, Kobe played in limited minutes. He saw more playing time as the season went on. By the end of his rookie season, he averaged 15.5 minutes a game. During the All-Star weekend, Kobe Bryant was in the Rookie Challenge and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. He was the youngest dunk champion at the age of 18. Kobe was on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight. The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals in the playoffs against the Utah Jazz when Bryant was pressed into a lead role at the end of Game 5. Byron Scott missed the game. He had a sprained wrist. Robert Horry was ejected for fighting with Utah's Jeff Hornacek. Shaquille O'Neal fouled out with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. Kobe Bryant shot four air balls at the end of the game. The Jazz won 98-93 in overtime to eliminate the Lakers 4-1. He first missed a game winning two point jump shot in the fourth quarter, and then misfired 3 three point field goals in overtime. He missed two tying shots in the last minute. O'Neal said that Kobe Bryant had guts at the tame to take shots like that. Kobe Bryant's 2nd season would be much better. Kobe had more playing time. He showed more of his basketball skills as a player. His point averages came from 7.6 to 16.4 points per game. He had more minutes. Bryant was the runner-up for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award, and through fan voting, he also became the youngest NBA All-Star starter in NBA history. He was joined by teammates O'Neal, Van Exel, and Jones, making it the first time since 1983 that four players on the same team were selected to play in the same All-Star Game. Bryant's 15.4 points per game was the highest of any non-starter in the season. His second 1997-1998 season was when Michael Jordan had his final year as a Chicago Bull to put it in perspective. The 1998–99 season marked Bryant's emergence as a premier guard in the league. With starting guards Van Exel and Jones traded, Bryant started every game for the lockout-shortened 50-game season. During the season, Bryant signed a six-year contract extension worth $70 million.This kept him with the Lakers until the end of the 2003–04 season. Even at an early stage of his career, sportswriters were comparing his skills to those of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. The playoff results, however, were no better, as the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals.


Kobe Bryant's 1999-2000 would start the first of his three 3-peat Championships as a Los Angeles Laker. Phil Jackson took over as coach of the LA Lakers in 1999. This changed everything. Kobe had the talent while Phil Jackson had the coaching experience to allow Kobe to reach into the next level. Shaq and Kobe were a duo who made the championships possible. They are the greatest basketball duo of the 21st century in the NBA. By this time, Kobe Bryant was the premier shooting guards of the NBA. He was a great defensive player too. The Lakers were championship contenders. Jackson used the triangle offense that he used to allow the Chicago Bulls to win 6 Championships. This offensive allowed Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal to rise to the elite class of the NBA. They won in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Bryant was sidelined for six weeks prior to the start of the 1999–2000 season due to a hand injury that he had incurred during a preseason game against the Washington Wizards. When Bryant was back and playing over 38 minutes a game, he had an increase in all statistical categories during the 1999–2000 season. This included leading the team in assists per game and steals per game. The duo of O'Neal and Bryant backed with a strong bench led to the Lakers winning 67 games, tied for fifth-most in NBA history. This followed with O'Neal winning the MVP and Bryant being named to the All-NBA Team Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Team for the first time in his career (the youngest player to receive defensive honors) . Shaq during this time was in the peak of his career. While playing second fiddle to O'Neal in the playoffs, Bryant had some clutch performances including a 25-point, 11 rebound, 7 assist, 4 block game in game 7 of the Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers.He also threw an alley-oop pass to O'Neal to clinch the game and the series. In the 2000 Finals, against the Indiana Pacers, Bryant injured his ankle in the second quarter of Game 2 after landing on the Pacers' Jalen Rose's foot. Rose later admitted he placed his foot under Bryant intentionally. Bryant did not return to the game, and he also missed Game 3 due to the injury. In Game 4, Bryant scored 22 points in the second half and led the team to an OT victory as O'Neal fouled out of the game. Bryant scored the winning shot to put the Lakers ahead 120–118. With a 116–111 Game 6 victory, the Lakers won their first championship since 1988.

Statistically, the 2000–01 season saw Bryant perform similarly to the previous year, but he averaged six more points per game (28.5). It was also the year when disagreements between Bryant and O'Neal began to surface. Once again, Bryant led the team in assists, with five per game. The Lakers, however, only won 56 games, an 11-game dropoff from the previous year. The Lakers would respond by going 15–1 in the playoffs. They easily swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. In the semifinals round, the Lakers swept the Sacramento Kings. In Game 4 against the Kings, Bryant recorded 48 points, 16 rebounds and 3 assists in a 119–113 series-clinching win. They swept the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals to advance to the Finals, before losing their first game against the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime. They would go on to win the next four games and bring their second championship to Los Angeles in as many seasons. During the playoffs, Bryant played heavy minutes which brought his stats up to 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. In the playoffs, teammate O'Neal declared Bryant the best player in the league. Bryant ended up making the All NBA Second team and All NBA Defensive Team for the second year in a row. In addition, he was also voted to start in the NBA All-Star Game for the third year in a row (no game in 1999).


During the 2001-2002 season, Kobe Bryant played 80 games for the first time of his career. He made 56 points on January 14, 2002. He defeated the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 25.2 points, 5.5. rebounds, and 5.5. assists per game. He had a career high 46.95 shooting. He led his team in assists. He won his first All Star MVP trophy after making 31 points in Philadelphia. He made the All-NBA Defensive team again. The Lakers won 58 games. He was suspended one game after he and Reggie Miller fought after the March 1, 2002 victory over the Pacers. The road to the Finals would prove a lot tougher than the record run the Lakers had enjoyed the previous year. While the Lakers swept the Blazers and defeated the Spurs 4–1 in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Lakers did not have home-court advantage against the Sacramento Kings. The series would stretch to seven games, the first time this had happened to the Lakers since the 2000 Western Conference Finals. However, the Lakers were able to beat their division rivals and make their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance. In the 2002 Finals, against the New Jersey Nets, Bryant averaged 26.8 points, 51.4% shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists per game, which included scoring a quarter of the team's points. At age 23, Bryant became the youngest player to win three championships. Bryant's play was notable and praised for his performance in the fourth quarter of games, specifically the last two rounds of the playoffs. This cemented Bryant's reputation as a "clutch player."


After the 3-peat, Kobe Bryant would face ups and downs. During the first games of the 2002-2003 season, Kobe Bryant  recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in an 87–82 loss to the visiting Spurs. On November 1, Bryant recorded a triple-double of 33 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in a 108–93 win over the LA Clippers. He also set an NBA record for three-pointers in a game on January 7, 2003, when he made 12 against the Seattle SuperSonics. Bryant averaged 30 points per game and embarked on a historic run, posting 40 or more points in nine consecutive games while averaging 40.6 in the entire month of February. In addition, he averaged 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, all career-highs to that point. Bryant was once again voted to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive first teams, and came in third place in voting for the MVP award. After finishing 50–32 in the regular season, the Lakers floundered in the playoffs and lost in the Western Conference semi-finals in six games to the eventual NBA champions San Antonio Spurs. By the 2003-2004 season, the Lakers gained NBA All-Stars Karl Malone and Gary Payton. They wanted an championship. Before the season started, Kobe Bryant had the sexual assault scandal.  In the final game of the regular season, the Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers. Bryant made two buzzer-beaters to win the game and the Pacific Division title. At the end of the fourth quarter, Bryant made a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to send it into overtime. The game eventually went to a second overtime, in which Bryant made another three-pointer as time expired to lift the Lakers past the Blazers, 105–104. With a starting lineup of O'Neal, Malone, Payton, and Bryant, the Lakers were able to reach the NBA Finals. However, they were upset in five games by the Detroit Pistons, who won their first championship since 1990. In that series, Bryant averaged 22.6 points per game and 4.4 assists. He shot 35.1% from the field. Jackson's contract as coach was not renewed, and Rudy Tomjanovich took over. O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant. The following day, Bryant declined an offer to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and re-signed with the Lakers, on a seven-year contract.

From 2004 to 2007, the career of Kobe Bryant reached a new era. Even Phil Jackson criticized him in his book The Last Season: A Team in Search of its Soul. Tomjanovich resigned as Lakers coach because of health issues and exhaustion. Frank Hamblen was the coach for a time. Kobe Bryant was having a season in the 2004-2005 season of 27.6 points her game. He missed the playoffs. Kobe had verbal disputes with Karl Malone and Ray Allen during this time. During the 2005-2006 season, Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson reunited as coach and player. The Lakers came into the playoffs. On December 20, 2005, Bryant scored 62 points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks. Entering the fourth quarter, Bryant outscored the entire Mavericks team 62–61, the only time a player has done this through three quarters since the introduction of the shot clock. When the Lakers faced the Miami Heat on January 16, 2006, Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal made headlines by engaging in handshakes and hugs before the game, signifying a change in the feud that had festered between them. A month later, at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, the two were seen laughing together. On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points in a 122–104 victory against the Toronto Raptors. In addition to breaking the previous franchise record of 71 set by Elgin Baylor, Bryant's 81-point game was the second-highest point total in NBA history, surpassed only by Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. Whereas Chamberlain was fed repeatedly by teammates for inside shots in a blowout win, Bryant created his own shot—mostly from the outside—in a game which the Lakers trailed at halftime by 14 and did not pull away until the fourth quarter.


In that same month, Bryant also became the first player since 1964 to score 45 points or more in four consecutive games, joining Chamberlain and Baylor as the only players to do so. For the month of January, Bryant averaged 43.4 points per game, the eighth highest single month scoring average in NBA history and highest for any player other than Chamberlain. By the end of the 2005–06 season, Bryant set Lakers single-season franchise records for most 40-point games (27) and most points scored (2,832).  He won the league's scoring title for the first time by averaging 35.4 points per game, becoming just the fifth player in league history to average at least 35 in a season. Kobe Bryant changed his jersey number form 8 to 24 in the 2006-2007 season. He won the NBA All Star Game in 2007. Throughout the 2006–07 season, his jersey became the top selling NBA jersey in the United States and China. A number of journalists have attributed the improved sales to Bryant's new number, as well as his continuing All-Star performance on the court. The 2007-2008 season would change everything. On December 23, 2007, Bryant became the youngest player (29 years, 122 days) to reach 20,000 points, in a game against the New York Knicks, in Madison Square Garden, after scoring 39 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 8 assists. His record has since been broken by LeBron James. Paul Gasol joined the Lakers and the Lakers made a 57-28 record. In 2008, he was the NBA MVP at the age of 30 years old. In 2008, he lost to the Celtics in six games. In the 2008-2009 season, he would get his ring again. He scored 61 points in Madison Square Garden to be the players with the most points scored at MSG on February 2, 2009. The Lakers had a 65-17 record. He was the runner up to the MVP to Lebron James. Kobe and the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in five games by 2009. He was the NBA Finals MVP. He was the first player since Jordan to average 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists for a title winning team in the finals. He won another championship in 2010 against the Boston Celtics. By this time, he helped the USA Basketball Team to win gold at Beijing in 2008. He was the youngest player to reach 25,000 points at 31 years and 151 days during the seasons surprising Chamberlain. He became the most all time scorer in Lakers history.  In a rematch against the 2008 Champion Boston Celtics, Bryant, despite shooting 6 for 24 from the field, led the Lakers back from a 13-point third-quarter deficit in Game 7 to win the championship; he scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 15 rebounds. Bryant won his fifth championship and earned his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award. This marked the first time the Lakers won a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Bryant said that this was the most satisfying of all of his five championships.

From 2010 to 2016, it would be the final era of Kobe Bryant's NBA career. Kobe wanted 6 championships to match Michael Jordan, but no man is like Michael Jordan. The Lakers won its first 8 games in the 2010-2011 season. He was the youngest player to reach 26,000 points. He was also the youngest player to reach 27,000 points at January of 2010. He won his 4th All Star Game with 37 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 steals. The Dallas Mavericks swept them in the 2nd round of the playoffs. In 2011-2012 season, the Lakers lost to the Thunder with Durant in the playoffs. By December 5, 2012, Kobe was the youngest player to reach 30,000 points at 34 years old and 104 days. Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Karl Malone reached that milestone. His last years had him experiencing injuries like the torn Achilles tendon. He soon was the third leading scorer by 2014. His final season was in the 2015-2016 season. He played 20 years in the NBA. He had the most seasons in the same team surpassing John Stockton's league record of 19 years. Bryant was the fourth NBA player over 37 years old to have at least 35 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a game. His last game was on April 13. Bryant scored 60 points against Utah in his last game. He won it in 101 to 96. He was the oldest player to score 60 points or more in a game at 37 years and 234 days. The NBA legacy of Kobe Bryant is extensive. He was one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was the best player of his generation. He was the 2nd greatest shooting guard of all time after Michael Jordan. He also won the 2012 Summer Olympics gold medal in London. The NBA All-Star MVP award is now the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player award in honor of Kobe Bryant.


By Timothy