The Coronavirus Emergency.

The coronavirus is certainly real. People are right to mention that to solve this crisis, we have to act like our grandparents and great-grandparents during WWII and sacrifice a lot. This certainly isn't about us alone. It's about people worldwide suffering. There should differently be stimulus resources given to small businesses, people out of work, and those who suffer from the coronavirus. Also, as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has mentioned, the federal government must assist state and local governments in investing in hospitals, ventilation systems, hospital beds, and other infrastructure. That action will blatantly save human lives. We are not in the down curve of this curve yet. We see cases in America alone being above 5,000 people (being infected) and over 100 people dead from the virus in America. Sending Americans checks has been promoted by Andrew Yang ironically enough. I have no issue with that proposal. Also, testing should expand nationwide and worldwide. Trump once called the expansion of the coronavirus a hoax until pressure came upon him to gradually send more serious statements of the illness. I agree with the economist Robert Reich that there should be guaranteed paid sick leave for all employees, extended Medicaid, immediate payments to adults and children, and the end of Trump's public charge rule. We don't need payroll tax cuts.

Many places are in lockdown like in San Francisco. New York City may issue stricter plans. There are over 1,000 cases of the virus in NYC alone. Italy is much worse with more than 31,000 confirmed cases and on one day hundreds of people who passed away from the pandemic. In places nationwide, people can't stay in restaurants, gyms, schools, and other public locations. Millions of people are in home now. We haven't seen this reality since the influenza outbreak of 1918 being over 100 years ago. A lot of these things once again refute laissez faire capitalism. The free market isn't going to save us. If someone hates the social safety net and supports spending billions of dollars to address the coronavirus, then that person is a hypocrite. Stocks have rebound after experiencing record losses for a few days. As of Thursday on March 18, 2020, the stock market has gone down. Right now, a vaccine trial for the coronavirus is here in record time. Volunteers have received the coronavirus trial vaccine. The vaccine use messenger RNA. It doesn't use components from the virus. This will take time. We will have victory, but we have to use science, use our faith in prayers, and use common sense to be wise about these times.



Yesterday was the Birthday of one of the greatest heroes of world history. She is the wife of a martyr, and she is a great mother. She is a lifelong civil rights activist, and her name is Sister Myrlie Evers-Williams. It's her Birthday today, and she is 87 years old. Vicksburg, Mississippi was the place of her birth. She graduated from high school in 1950. She sang in a girls' vocal group. She married the WWII veteran Medgar Evers. They married on Christmas Eve of 1951. They had 3 children together. She was the secretary to the Mississippi NAACP. Medgar Evers was the field secretary of the group. The couple organized voter registration drives and civil rights demonstrations. The couple fought to end Jim Crow apartheid. They were threatened by racists, and their home was firebombed after they boycotted Jackson, MS stores.

Yet, they stood firm in their conviction that justice ought to be given to black human beings. They wanted the University of Mississippi to be desegregated and equal rights for all people. Medgar Evers was murdered by one evil person. Later, Myrlie Evers-Williams earned her Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Pomona College. She spoke in favor of the NAACP. She worked to help the community, and the youth. By 1995, she was the leader of the NAACP. She helped to improve the NAACP with its financial situation and eliminated its debt. She helped to make the NAACP more progressive. In 1998, she received the NAACP's Springarn Medal for her human rights activism. She married Walter Williams, who was a civil rights activist, as her 2nd husband. Williams passed away in 1995. She gave the invocation at the 2nd inauguration of Barack Obama. She was the first woman and the first layperson to deliver the invocation at a Presidential inauguration. For long decades, Myrlie Evers-Williams has always presented a compassionate spirit in her life. Her wisdom and her strength came from within her. We honor her accomplishments and her sacrifice for our people. She is our hero and a hero for humankind. I wish Sister Myrlie Evers-Williams more blessings.

Yesterday was the Birthday of the late, great Brother Nat King Cole. He had his own TV show from the 1950's. He sang, played the piano, and was in movies. His late daughter followed in his footsteps to be a great singer in her own right. Nat King Cole loved jazz. Jazz is an American musical artform that defined a large part of American culture. In fact, if you want to understand hip hop, R&B, rock, and other genres of music to the fullest, you should study jazz. He was the first African American man to host an American television series. He was born at Montgomery, Alabama. He learned about music from the church as both of his parents were involved in religious music. He later moved into the Bronzeville area of Chicago. He made Christmas songs, music about Route 66, etc. His last wife was Maria Hawkins Ellington who stood with him until his passing. Nat King Cole experienced much pain. He was assaulted on stage by racists, many people even disrespected him, etc. Yet, he supported civil rights and gave his time to fight for the rights of black Americans. It is not a secret on why he died. It is more important to celebrate the good things that he has done while he lived.

Rest in Power Brother Nat King Cole.


By Timothy