Saturday, November 29, 2025
Friday, November 28, 2025
End of the Week News.
To be thankful for life is very important. We were not born based on random chance. We were born from fertilization, filled with DNA that contains tons of information and chemical and electrical powers that define our literal identity as human beings. Many of us have families, talents or gifts in the world, and a sense of purpose. That is why we should advocate helping the suffering, because the Golden Rule is a paramount ideology to follow. No one should poor shame people or body-shame people in a disrespectful way. The Golden Rule is not only found in many creeds. It's just the right thing to do. I'm optimistic about the future as a Millennial, but I'm not naive about reality. Many workers suffer tons of misery, and there is a record amount of wealth retrieved by the elite from the consumers. 1 in 7 Americans in 2023 were food insecure, and that rate is 1.5 times higher for children. Massive cuts to food stamps exist now, and Trump wants all beneficiaries of food stamps to re-enroll, which could throw millions into more burdens. Food services are increasing their efforts to feed people. Prices continue to rise involving groceries and other goods and services. The rising prices are caused by many issues like monopolization, the impact of tariffs, and other policies. Ten billionaires increased their wealth by 700 billion dollars this year. Almost one million people sleep unhoused on a single night. We have 1.1 million layoffs in this year alone with A.I. stripping white- and blue-collar jobs. The ruling class wants to rule markets, centralize wealth, and control supply chains plus raw materials. We have a crisis of democracy in America too, when a tyrant and fascist wants to demonize dissent. So, we have to defend our freedoms as freedom is always sacrosanct.
We live in a new time in the quarter-century mark of the 21st century. 2050 is a quarter century away, and I will be in my 60s in 2050, Lord Willing. When the year 2000 existed, I was a teenager in high school. Today, I have lived on this Earth for almost a half of century. It is surreal for me to experience life and have been on this Earth for this period of time, but my core convictions are still the same like yesteryear. In America now, we have a crisis in our democracy with Trump having his 2nd term. Democracy has gone so down in America now, that Trump posted criticisms of Democratic Party Senators (who just want the military to not follow illegal orders) saying that they are acting in sedition and the punishment for sedition is death. These words are not words from a real Christian, not the words from a real moral person in general, and not words from a righteous person. It is the words from tyrant and fascist who doesn't respect the First Amendment or the law. Trump and his allies failed in their attempted coup d'etat on January 6, 2021, but Trump has not stopped in his attacks on freedom. Trump has allowed ICE to illegally arrest American citizens, gone out of his way to bash birthright citizenship, desire the military to occupy American cities during peacetime, and wants paper ballots to be banned nationwide. These are all facts. Trump is a stone-cold capitalist who desires profit from Wall Street and seeks to support the genocidal assault on Gaza, use military ships off the coast of Venezuela, murder people in the Caribbean without due process of law, and violate the rights of immigrants. According to Oxfam, the wealthiest 0.1 percent in America own 12.6 percent of assets and 24 percent of the stock market. Over 40 percent of the American population, including 48.9 percent of children, are poor or low-income. This is a record amount of economic inequality (as the administration's cabinet members and top appointees have a collective net worth greater than $60 billion). This is an example of an oligarchy that we oppose. Big Tech, many in Big Media, and other corporate interests are allied with Trump. AI being part of a speculative market without much regulation is dangerous. There is no solution to these problems except with revolutionary class struggle, political activism, and unity to have real liberation among humanity.
Recently, on Wednesday, a coward shot 2 National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., near the White House. After the National Guardsmen were shot, heroic Guardsmen caught the suspect. The suspect has been arrested and is in custody. This act is evil, as no human being should be shot unjustly. We all want the 1 National Guardsmen (who are in critical condition) to fully recover. The other National Guardswoman has died making the suspect a murderer. This is a tragic, shocking event. It reminds us how life is precious and how evil in the world is a reality. Tons of federal agents have worked together from the FBI, the Metropolitan Police Department, the ATF, etc., to find out all of the facts from forensics to the motive of the suspect. It will take time for all of the facts to be revealed in figuring out what exactly happened on Thursday. The Police Chief, the FBI Director, and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke about the shooting. This was a targeted attack on federal officials, which is a felony. The Mayor of Washington, D.C. said that the attack is a targeted attack being an ambush. The suspect is detained at a hospital. The federal government is leading the investigation. There is no doubt that digital footprints are being researched, the suspects' family and neighbors are being interviewed, and other actions are being taken to figure out what truly occurred.
We have financial issues, not because of immigrants, DEI, etc. We have this reality because big corporations and billionaires have rigged markets and siphoned off much of the economic gains in America. Massive corporate power has increased inflation. We have a food industry that is dominated by a few corporate companies with the power to keep prices high. The reason they do this is that they face little competition, and they want more power among themselves. That is why if we desire economic growth, we don't need tax cuts for the rich. We need investments for our people and tax cuts for the poor, working class, and middle class. Also, we need to invest in our communities by growing health care, building infrastructure, and investing in our education to build a strong economic base. The more consumers buy products, and the more legitimate investments are made in our infrastructure, the stronger the economy will be. People want paid sick leave, childcare, elder care, living wages, and affordable housing.
Some populists want to break up corporate monopolies, build union power, and End Citizens United, and get big money out of politics. Recently, Kamala Harris went to Fisk University in the great state of Tennessee to encourage the young people to stand for a better future for the people. She wants people to fight for our nation, because this nation of America is our nation too. Our ancestors fought in wars, build infrastructure, and raised families in spite of some of the worst mistreatment in all of human history. We have another story of the war criminal Putin wanting his agenda to be part of the deal. He called Ukraine's leadership illegitimate and wanted Ukraine to give up some of its land which is ludicrous. Now, Trump wants U.S. land action in Venezuela, which is not only illegal but immoral. Trump is completely wrong. He wants to do this under the guise of fighting drug trafficking when alternatives can be enacted to combat drug trafficking. Trump wants Maduro to leave office, so Venezuela would be run by a pro-Western puppet leader and gain the nation's oil and mineral resources too.
By Timothy
Thursday, November 27, 2025
Thanksgiving 2025 Part 4.
Virginia's Gubernatorial Election
The 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election is one of the most important elections in Virginia's history. Virginia has made history in many cases, some for bad and some for good. A few decades ago in Virginia, far right reactionaries from the Byrd Organization tried to prevent black people from voting and maintain Jim Crow apartheid. Also, Virginia has been the most progressive state in the South by bringing historic policies to the state. In Virginia, we have an expansion of Medicaid, raising the minimum wage, Confederate monuments removed from public lands, Virginia had the Breonna Law to ban no knock warrants in Virginia, and being the first Southern state to ban racial hair discrimination. Still, we have a long way to go in Virginia. The Virginian gubernatorial race will make history as the winner will be the first woman Governor of the state of Virginia. The candidates are Republican Winsome Earle-Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger. Each candidate differs on many issues, from economic to social issues. Yet, the voters did decide who will be the new Governor of the state. Also, multiple elections existed like who will be the next Virginian Attorney General, many district seats, and other political positions. The question that Abigail Spanberger must answer is whether she will be a fighting progressive or just a moderate. The question that Winsome Earle-Sears must answer is whether she will have any form of independence from the MAGA agenda ideologically or be an unconditional Trump follower. Time will tell the answers to these questions. What is true is that this election has been filled with ups and downs, including we have a new era in our world, especially in the case of high level of political polarization. Therefore, Virginia is once again in the zeitgeist of history.
Sears
Winsome Earle-Sears is a historic human being, being the first black woman lieutenant governor in Virginia's history. She is the first black woman to hold statewide office in Virginia. She is a young Baby Boomer who was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Later, she immigrated to America in 1970 when she was six years old. She grew up in the Bronx, New York City. Earle-Sears earned an associate of arts degree from Tidewater Community College, a bachelor of arts in English with a minor in economics from Old Dominion University, and a master of arts in organizational leadership from Regent University. Earle-Sears served as an electrician in the United States Marines from 1983 to 1986. Before running for public office, she directed a Salvation Army homeless shelter. Her political career has lasted for over 20 years. Back in November 2001, Earle-Sears upset 20-year Democratic incumbent Billy Robinson in the general election for the 90th district seat in the Virginia House of Delegates, becoming the first black woman Republican, first woman veteran, and first naturalized citizen to serve in the body. In 2004, during the George W. Bush presidency, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi appointed her to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Advisory Committee on Women Veterans. Earle-Sears also received a presidential appointment to the United States Census Bureau.
She owned a plumbing, electrical, and home appliance business in Virginia. She was on the Virginia Board of Education with Governor Bob McDonnell in 2011. She made great accomplishments, and one issue with her is that she is a supporter of Donald Trump. It's one thing to be a sincere conservative. It's quite another to defend Trump, whose views are authoritarian and anti-morality. Earle-Sears once didn't support Trump in 2022, and then she supported Trump in 2024 and in 2025. During her Governor's campaign, she was a victim of a racist sign in a crowd of protesting Democrats outside an Arlington County School Board meeting. Regardless of one's views on transgender issues, there is no excuse for racism against Earle-Sears period. Invoking Jim Crow segregation against a black woman is totally evil and racist. Both Republicans and Democrats, including Abigail Spanberger, condemned the racist sign. Earle-Sears is a conservative on most issues (yet, she said that she supported medical marijuana, not recreational use of marijuana). She is anti-DEI, she wants to end the car tax, and she supports the Trump's bad tariff and Trump's bad budget law. She opposes same sex marriage, and she is fine with civil unions. She supports DOGE, which fired thousands of black people and others of every color unjustly; she wants more virtual schools, and she falsely called CRT racist. She is a Christian with a husband, Terence Sears, three children, and two grandchildren.
Spanberger
Abigail Spanberger is a younger Generation X woman who was born in Red Bank, New Jersey. Spanberger was born Abigail Anne Davis in Red Bank, New Jersey, on August 7, 1979, where her father was a police officer and her mother was a nurse. She relocated with her parents, Martin and Eileen Davis, to Short Pump, in Henrico County, Virginia, outside Richmond, when she was 13, after her father moved from policing to federal law enforcement for the United States Postal Inspection Service. She attended John Randolph Tucker High School and was later a page for U.S. Senator Chuck Robb. Spanberger earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration from a joint program between the GISMA Business School in Germany and Purdue University's Krannert School of Management. In the early 2000s, she taught English literature as a substitute teacher at the Islamic Saudi Academy in Northern Virginia and worked as a postal inspector, focusing on money laundering and narcotics cases.
In 2006, Spanberger joined the Central Intelligence Agency as an operations officer. She said she gathered intelligence about nuclear proliferation and terrorism. In 2014, she left the CIA and entered the private sector. She was hired by Royall and Company (now EAB). In 2017, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe appointed her to the Virginia Fair Housing Board. She was in the U.S. House of Representatives for years. She defeated a Tea Party candidate and represented Henrico and Chesterfield. She had her career as a moderate along with her colleagues Elissa Slotkin and Mikie Sherrill. She criticized the Trump reaction to the George Floyd Protests back on June 1, 2020. Spanberger took issue with Trump after police used tear gas and rubber bullets on peaceful protestors and a priest during the George Floyd protests to clear a path so that he could have a photo op in front of St. John's Episcopal Church. Spanberger disagreed with some of Biden's Immigration policies, as even some Democrats are conservative on immigration. She is wrong in saying that nobody elected Biden to be FDR but to be normal and stop the chaos. The truth is that people elected Biden to be a fighting progressive like FDR on the issues FDR that right on, not to be a moderate token. She criticized Democrats for not viewing inflation as a problem. Inflation is a problem, and many Democrats talked about it, but many Democrats didn't want inflation to be an excuse to promote austerity against vulnerable communities. She supports clean energy in Virginia, and she has criticized DOGE for firing federal workers without just cause. Spanberger criticized the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act supported by President Donald Trump, arguing that its permanent tax cuts for corporations would increase the national debt. In May 2020, Spanberger voted against the HEROES Act, a proposed $3 trillion stimulus package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the bill went "far beyond" pandemic relief and had no chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate. I disagree with her. In November 2020, Spanberger led a bipartisan effort to secure the 340B Drug Pricing Program against changes that would lead to significant increases in prescription medication costs. She wants bans on Congressional members from trading stocks. She is wrong to support U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025. She wanted F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Spanberger also co-sponsored the Elijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which grants Medicare Part D the power to negotiate prescription prices directly with drug companies. She supports same sex marriage and voted for the Equality Act. Spanberger has called for a new version of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban that expired in 2004. She favors requiring background checks on private gun sales and supports a ban on bump stocks. She is married to engineer Adam Spanberger, and the couple has three daughters. She is a Protestant.
The Virginian Events of the Election Campaign
The 2025 gubernatorial election has been filled with events. Right now, the firing of federal workers is important for us Virginians because so many federal workers live in Northern Virginia. A July 2025 Virginia Commonwealth University poll found that the most important issues for voters in the campaign were the cost of living (29%), immigration (14%) and abortion (14%). There was one televised debate, on October 9 and hosted by Norfolk State University (being shown by WAVY-TV 10). The Governor's campaign and other Virginian campaigns haven't been too personal. The candidates mostly deal with the issues. Many campaigns accuse their rival campaigns of either lying or distorting the facts. The 2025 Virginia Attorney General election is much more personal between Republican candidate Jason Miyares and Democratic candidate Jay Jones. Each campaign accuses each other of being soft on crime. The truth is that we should be strong on stopping crime, but we should also be fair to make sure that justice is applied fairly to all people. In other words, we need law and justice, not law and disorder.
There was a historic debate days ago at Norfolk State University among Former Representative Abigail Spanberger and Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earl Sears. Spanberger is the Democratic candidate for the next Virginia governor, and Sears is the Republican candidate for the next Virginia governor. I'm from Hampton Roads, and Norfolk State University is a historic landmark in the black community and in Hampton Roads culture in general. Both candidates debating each other in that special location certainly was inspiring. Now, the debate lived up to the current political situation in America. America is in its most politically polarized state since the 1960s and the American Civil War. That is not hyperbole. That's just reality. The debate was shown on WAVY TV 10. We lived through many governors like Robb, Northam, and Douglas Wilder (the first black Governor in American history after Reconstruction). The debate was charged and emotional. Sears, at times, didn't allow Spanberger to finish her statements. Spanberger is a moderate trying to appeal to some progressives. Sears is a Reagan conservative who refuses to criticize Trump on any issue in that debate. Spanberger's argument is that Sears is too supportive of Donald Trump's policies, and Sears' argument is that Spanberger is too out of touch on social issues involving schools. The elephant in the room relates to the comments from Jay Jones, which was talked about in the debate. Jay Jones said sick, evil, and deplorable comments about a Republican and his family. As a man, I condemn those comments. Jones was completely wrong period. Jones has apologized, and the voters can forgive him or not. I can't make that decision for all voters. Regardless of whether someone is a Republican or a Democrat, he or she doesn't deserve death for their views. The debate was charged, and each represented parts of America that have diametrically opposed views. I believe in health care for all, I believe in investments, I oppose the DOGE firing, and I want the government shutdown to end without health care subsidies being cut in the process. Trump is clearly a hypocrite by talking about insurrection, but he pardoned insurrectionists on January 6th. On the issues, Spanberger in my view won the debate.
Who Wins and Why
The 2025 election was a huge victory for the Democratic Party. They had many victories in state and local elections. A high percentage of voters turned to the Democrats because they opposed Trumpism and sought solutions to economic issues, affordability, health care, and other important issues. American opposed the status quo of Trumpism. We continue to experience a government shutdown until November of 2025, and many suffering Americans decided to vote for change. There were 190 elections in more than 30 states. My state of Virginia had tons of important elections. Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger won the gubernatorial race in Virginia. She is the first woman to be elected governor of Virginia. She defeated the Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, whom Trump didn't campaign for. The reason for that was Sears had criticized Trump before and because for the obvious reason. I don't have to spell it out. We know that other reason is (that reason is that Sears is a black woman who once criticized him years ago). Sears used many tactics (in her commercials and speeches about cultural issues), but she failed in her election campaign. The Norfolk State University debate when Sears cut Spanberger off in discussion, turned many people off. Sears failed to show any independent views outside of the Trump echo chamber, which also contributed to her defeat. Sears gave a recorded message to Spanberger to wish her well. The victory for Spanberger was 56 to 44 percent. Many Virginians from the urban and suburban areas voted for Spanberger. Democratic State Senator Ghazala Hashmi defeated Republican John Reid to be the first Muslim lieutenant governor of Virginia. Jay Jones won the election to be the first elected black Attorney General of Virginia (in defeating Jason Miyares). Jay Jones overcame the text scandal that he apologized for. Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the gubernatorial race in New Jersey to defeat Republican Jack Ciattarelli. Sherill was a U.S. Navy veteran, and she won as Trump's popularity is at record lows.
Virginia's Future
Virginian elections represent a new era of Virginia. As a Virginian, we will have our first woman Governor which is very historic. Two candidates represent two different visions for my state of Virginia. One candidate is Abigail Spanberger, who was a CIA agent and is a more moderate candidate. She talks about schools, investments, and other issues. She doesn't agree with the Trump agenda. The other Republican candidate is Winsome Earl-Sears, who was born in Kingston, Jamaica. She lived in New York City and later became prominent in politics. She served in the U.S. Marine Corps and is the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia since 2022. She is Virginia's first woman lieutenant governor and the first black woman elected statewide. Winsome Earle-Sears is a conservative who supports the Trump agenda. The campaign has been strident and personal at times. There are many political issues in the race like education, social issues, the comments of Jay Jones (Jay Jones has apologized for his repugnant comments), the economy, housing, crime, and other important issues. There are many commercials in the television that either lies or take things out of context. So, what we have here is a race between a moderate and a near theocrat in Virginia. At the end of the day, Virginia deserves to grow into the next level to be a shining example of how a progressive South ought to be.
Conclusion
My home state of Virginia has come a long way over the years, and Virginia still has a long way to go. Virginia is the home of our ancestors who were brought into America in chains centuries ago. From my 5th great-grandmother Zilphy Claud to my parents today, Virginia is home. Virginia is a place where many parts of American existence were born. From the bad times of the Confederacy being headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, to the Civil Rights Movement in Virginia fighting back against injustice, America has a complicated history. With the recent election wins, Virginia is being solidified as the most progressive state in the South. Many factors caused a large victory of Democrats including the government shutdown, many federal workers losing their jobs, the growth of the youth vote, and large opposition to the agenda of Trumpism. We saw Abigail Spanberger winning the Governor's race, we see Lieutenant Governor's race being won by Ghazala Hashmi, and Jay Jones being the new Attorney General. Michael Feggans, Bonita Anthony, Nadarius Clark, Kelly Convirs-Fowler, Phil Hernandez, Shelly Simonds, and Jeion Ward won elections or Democrats, too. Virginia Democrats have gained 13 new seats in the House of Delegates. That means that the House of Delegates has a supermajority of 64 seats. We have a long way to go. We have to deal with affordability, health care, our civil liberties, our civil rights, our environment, the rights of minorities and women in general, and other vital subjects that deal with millions of Americans. So, the struggle continues, but victory is ours in the end.
The New York City's Mayoral Race
The 2025 New York City Mayoral election is one of the most important elections in the history of New York City. This race is complex and represents what the future holds for politics in general for many reasons. One reason is that this election is existing during the time of the most extreme administration in decades which is the Trump administration's 2nd term. We have the paradox of crime decreasing and economic uncertainly because of an increase of inflation and the price of goods and services being a reality in part by Trump supporting excessive tariffs (which is basically a regressive tax on American citizens). This election is about who is the best candidate to maintain and strengthen our democracy in the midst of the President's attacks on democracy. The four mayor New York City mayoral candidates are Zohran Mandani of the Democratic Party (who is a democratic socialist), Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Silwa (who I heard of years ago from the Geraldo talk show), and the current Mayor Eric Adams (who has been compromised on many issues). Some of the most important issues in New York City deals with the housing crisis, education, democracy, health care, immigration, civil rights, other economic issues, and other political issues. It has been a race where Mamdani defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary, and Mamdani maintains a lead for the general election time period. Many New Yorkers are struggling to pay for housing and rent, and New York City has the highest level of homelessness since the Great Depression. The problem is that members of both Republicans and Democrats in New York City have been bipartisan in cutting funding for housing and other social programs that grows economic inequality. Much of the establishment has preferred Andrew Cuomo, and Mamdani is supported by many people like Bernie Sanders. Both Mamdani and Cuomo are right on many issues, but each of them have controversies in completely different ways. Cuomo has the sexual harassment scandal (and Andrew Cuomo is wrong to joining a legal team to defend the evil far right Netanyahu against the ICC accusing Netanyahu of war crimes against Gaza), and Mamdani has the globalize the intifada scandal, the census scandal, etc. Another problem is that the Trump administration wants to cut federal funding for housing via cutting Section 8 vouchers by 50 percent and creating draconian time limits on recipients. This is cruelty. Immigrants are being falsely blamed for the housing crisis, and homeless people are being swept by masked federal agents. The NYCHA or New York Housing Authority is struggling to aid families who need assistance via underfunding and decaying infrastructure. Mayor Adams has seen an increase of rent in the past few years. There are thousands of empty apartments. The super rich want the status quo, and $3,000 a month in NYC for a 2-bedroom apartment is unsustainable and unfair. Regardless of who wins the NYC mayoral election, that person is obligated to enact solutions to help the people of New York City.
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History Being Made
The 2025 New York City mayoral election made history during the race. It happened after the Democratic Primary ended. The primary elections for the Democratic Party took place on June 24, 2025. Early voting started on June 14, 2025. In early 2025, polls showed former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo leading all other mayoral candidates among Democratic voters. Leading up to the election, polls showed that Cuomo continued to be the narrow frontrunner in the Democratic primary, with Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani in second place; one June poll found that Mamdani had a narrow lead over Cuomo. Opinion polling for the Democratic primary; Mamdani outperformed all polls by wide margins. On June 24, Mamdani defeated Cuomo, City Comptroller Brad Lander, and eight other candidates to become the Democratic nominee for mayor. Mamdani's victory was considered a major upset. Mamdani has suggested imposing a flat 2% tax on New Yorkers who earn more than $1 million and a number of housing plans, such as a promise to freeze rents on rent-stabilized units, extensive public housing development and refurbishment, and stricter regulation of landlords, upsetting some in the luxury real estate market. Nevertheless, Cuomo, who also filed to run on the independent "Fight and Deliver Party" line, will remain on the general election ballot.
Mamdani is the first democratic socialist to win a Democratic primary in the NYC mayoral race. Mamdani represents a new era of politics, and Cuomo represents the previous generation. The issue of housing affordability is one of the major issues of the election. People in New York City deserve solutions, not the status quo. People want the growth of decent, affordable housing. From the 1930s to the 1970s, a commitment to public investments in housing existed in America. Reagan and Congress cut funds for affordable housing by nearly 80 percent. Eligibility for benefits was restricted. Homelessness then massively increased. Reagan isn't the only one at fault. By the late 1990's, there was a freeze on new public housing, and underfunding happened. Many wealthy corporations now benefit from billions of dollars yearly in mortgage interest and property tax deductions, plus capital gains exemptions for profits from home sales.
The New York City Mayoral candidates
In the largest city in America in terms of population, which is New York City, Mamdani had recently won the mayoral Democratic primary. This has been a watershed moment because too many Americans are influenced by McCarthyism to believe in the myth that only neo-liberal capitalism can solve every problem known to human beings. He defeated Cuomo and other candidates. This is a historic moment as progressives supported Mamdani, and Mamdani has democratic socialist views (which are taboo in American society, even in 2025). Many Democrats praise him, and centrist Democrats and Republicans have criticized him as being too left. What is the truth? The truth is that centrists have never brought revolutionary change to society, period. Malcolm X wasn't a centrist. Dr. King, Fannie Lou Hamer, FDR, and other human beings weren't centrists, too. Bold, visionary solutions have always been solutions to problems. For example, Social Security wasn't a centrist plan but a bold, progressive program to help tons of Americans, especially seniors. The 1964 Civil Rights Act was a bold, progressive law to help end legalized Jim Crow apartheid. Even Biden's infrastructure laws were not centrist, as they invested billions of dollars to rebuild America's structures from bridges to factories. Therefore, we need bold leadership to improve New York City, not centrist or reactionary propaganda. Mamdani desires affordable housing, affordable busing, and other plans for New York City since he won the general mayoral election. Likewise, we have to use policies based on facts and research, not falsehoods. Mamdani will have to answer questions on the intifada, anti-Semitism allegation (I don't believe that he is an anti-Semitic, as criticism of some of the policies of the Israeli government is not anti-Semitism as claimed by many centrists and many Trump supporters), and other issues. Grassroots campaign can work, and Mamdani's victory proves that 100 percent. Many people have brought up race, as many class reductionists are right to talk about kitchen table issues, but they are wrong to minimize the necessity to eliminate racial oppression and xenophobia. That is why I am not a class reductionist.
You can't have economic justice without racial justice. Mamdani has issues gaining black Americans and Hispanic American votes, and his campaign has tried to go into the black and brown communities in trying to gain more support. Mamdani stood up against the corporate Democratic establishment (which is backed by corporate billionaire Wall Street interests, real estate lobbyists, and other people. This same establishment once forced Cuomo out of office for his scandal, but they are actively funding him now) to defeat them at the primary, which is a positive development in political history. Bernie Sanders celebrated Mamdani, but he made a snide, in my opinion, sexist remark saying that Kamala Harris needs to learn from Mamdani on how to win an election, when Kamala Harris won multiple political elections in her career. Kamala Harris did the best that she could amid an increase of the MAGA movement and almost beat Donald Trump during the 2024 Presidential election. There is no moral equivalency between Harris and Trump. Kamala Harris is not perfect, but her views are a lot better than Trump's views. You don't have to disparage Harris to praise Mamdani, and Sanders needs to learn that. Also, Sanders is wrong to bring up Harris when she has nothing to do with the New York City mayoral campaign.
I find it interesting that many people who claim to be progressive (not all progressives) have a hostility towards anyone who doesn't meet their ideal of "perfection," as only God is perfect. Many people who claim to be progressive are jealous of successful black political leaders. Sexism isn't just found in the MAGA movement. Folks need to be reminded that we black folks are the backbone of the Democratic party. Without us, no human on Earth would be born. So, we should be respected, and we are not the world's mules. Mamdani is a Muslim immigrant whose populist plans of free public transit, a rent freeze, free childcare, climate justice, and increasing the minimum wage to $30 an hour is popular among young people and progressives of every age. At the end of the day, people desire progressive solutions, not neoliberalism as the order of the day.
Events of the Campaign
There are tons of events of the New York mayoral election. Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary. Then, many business executives met with Eric Adams to back him. Jim Walden wanted all non-Mamdani candidates to coalesce to support one person to oppose Mamdani. This tells me that the Wall Street interests oppose Mamdani's political views. Curtis Silwa, on July 7, 2025, refused to drop out of the race. Walden dropped out of the race. On July 1, President Donald Trump voiced support for the incumbent Eric Adams, describing him as a "very good person" and that "I helped him out a little bit"—in reference to his corruption case being dropped by Trump's Department of Justice—while also threatening to arrest and deport Mamdani. During an unrelated press conference, Adams commented that "anyone that is elected or not should never interfere with federal authorities carrying out their functions." Trump has also suggested the possibility of placing New York under federal control if Mamdani wins. Silwa said that he is an anti-Trump Republican who is pro-union and pro-worker. Andrew Cuomo continues to be in the race, promoting a center-left platform and opposing socialism. Cuomo claims that socialism has never worked anywhere. Cuomo needs to be reminded that Social Security itself is near socialist, along with many social safety net programs.
Cuomo has offered milder alternatives to some of Mamdani's policy platforms, such as opposing free buses, arguing they would cost $900 million, instead proposing a $180 million bus subsidy paid for by an increased property tax. On August 6, it was reported by The New York Times that Cuomo had a phone call with Donald Trump shortly after Trump met with New York Republicans about who they thought was the most likely candidate to potentially beat Mamdani, with a general consensus of a coalescing around a single candidate, instead of a four-way split "non-Mamdani" vote. Cuomo's campaign initially issued a statement that the two did not talk about politics on the call but later backtracked and claimed that the call never happened. Mamdani's victory in the Democratic primary has galvanized the Democratic Socialists of America to make more of a push to influence the Democratic Party, with the DSA convention in Chicago on August 7 primarily centered around standing and supporting more Mamdani-like candidates. Mamdani also sought to capitalize on Cuomo's call with Trump, calling it a "betrayal" of Democratic voters, and alleging that Cuomo and Trump are conspiring to "rig" the mayoral election against him, especially as Trump routinely questions Mamdani's status as a U.S. citizen.
In July 2025 The New York Times wrote that on Mamdani's unsuccessful 2009 application to Columbia University, he checked the race boxes "Asian" and "Black or African American." Mamdani confirmed that but said his intent was to represent his Indian-Ugandan background given the limited options available, and not to improve his chances of admission. Some of Mamdani's opponents described his action as potentially fraudulent. I think that Mamdani was wrong for what he did on the application.
Shortly after Mamdani became the presumptive nominee, several Republicans attacked him using Islamophobic, racist, or xenophobic content. U.S. Representative Nancy Mace wrote on Twitter, "After 9/11 we said 'Never Forget.' I think we sadly have forgotten." Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted an image of the Statue of Liberty wearing a burqa. Others associated with the MAGA movement, including Laura Loomer, Charlie Kirk, and Donald Trump Jr., also spoke of Mamdani in the context of 9/11. On The Brian Lehrer Show, Democratic U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's assertions of "past positions, particularly references to global jihad" could not be substantiated; her office later said she "misspoke", and she apologized to Mamdani. The Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) noted a significant increase in Islamophobic content on Twitter the day after Mamdani became the presumptive nominee. On July 1, Trump suggested without evidence that Mamdani might be in the U.S. illegally, adding that his administration would look into that question. Trump also threatened to arrest Mamdani and withhold funding from New York City if he refused to comply with Trump's mass deportations. Many moderates support Cuomo, and many progressives like Adrienne Adams and Brad Lander support Mamdani. Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Robert Reich have supported Mamdani too. Yvette Clarke, Jamaal Bowman, Adriano Espaillat, Praila Jayapal, Summer Lee, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, etc. have supported Mamdani.
In September 2025, The New York Times began reporting that Adams had allegedly met in Florida with Steve Witkoff, an advisor to Trump, about receiving a position in the president's administration, specifically as an ambassador, in return for his dropping out and increasing the chances of Mamdani being defeated. Later reports suggested that Adams was giving serious consideration to the proposition despite public statements denying it; part of this consideration was whether or not he would have to resign from his position as mayor. Adams initially responded with a statement on September 5 that he would not be withdrawing from the race. Adams later withdrew his candidacy on September 28, 2025. The truth is that Mamdani and Cuomo represent the past and the future of the Democratic Party. Cuomo is right on many issues, but his sexual scandals and his corporate Wall Street backing concern people. Mamdani is also right on many issues, and his advocacy of democratic socialism is historic. Mamdani faces opposition from the New York state legislature to get his agenda passed, but revolutionary change shouldn't be denied or delayed. It must happen ASAP regardless of opposition.
The Victor of the New York City mayoral race
Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral race in New York City because of widespread support from New York City residents, the housing affordability crisis, and other important factors. Mamdani used a grassroots campaign to achieve his victory. He defeated Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Silwa. He had a 50.4 percent victory, to Cuomo's 41.6 percent and Silwa's 7.1 percent. Over 2 million votes were cast, the most since 1969, and 17 percent of those who voted were first-time voters. Younger people from 18-44 came out to vote in high numbers. Mamdani represents the public's rebuke of Trumpism and the Democratic Party establishment, which publicly opposed his candidacy. Trump lied and called Mamdani a communist when Mamdani is a democratic socialist. Mamdani ran an explicitly progressive campaign. He wanted to address high housing prices by promoting a rent freeze. He desired to raise taxes to fund his proposals by taxing the super wealthy, he wants improved public services (like an experimental public supermarket and free buses), and he supports the rights of the Palestinian people. He opposes the ICE occupation of American cities. Mamdani has to deal with the city council and the state government in Albany to try to get his proposals done. Yet, Mamdani is up for the challenge as he celebrated the diversity of New York City in his victory speech.
New York City's contributions to the world
The race of the mayorship in New York City in 2025 makes us aware of the contributions that New York City gave to us Americans and people of the world in general. NYC gave us many cultural places like Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, and the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. NYC certainly gives us a lot of cultural diversity in our multiracial democracy. It has the most people than any city in the United States with 8,804,190 people from the 2020 census. Between 2010 and 2020, New York City's population grew by 629,000 residents, more than the total growth of the next four largest American cities (Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix) combined. New York City is the birthplace of hip hop, being in the Bronx, New York City. Also, jazz, salsa, freestyle, rock, R&B, music, fashion, and other cultural items are found in New York City. Broadway is home to NYC, too. There are 41 theaters in Midtown Manhattan's Theater District alone, each with at least 500 seats. New York City has more than 2,000 arts and cultural organizations with more than 500 art galleries.
Epilogue
The New York City mayoral election has made history in many ways. You have Zohran Mamdani competing against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Both candidates are right on many issues, and both have scandals. Cuomo has a sexual harassment scandal, as many women have accused him of sexual harassment. Mamdani has a social scandal of falsely calling himself black on an application form, his controversial tweets, and his father saying that suicide bombing shouldn't be stigmatized as a mark of barbarism. For the record, suicide bombing is evil and disgusting. Cuomo is wrong to try to whitewash Christopher Columbus. Columbus has nothing to do with Italian heritage. Italian American John Basilone was a United State Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II. We know of the Viola Liuzzo Italian American family who fought for civil rights. Viola Liuzzo was unjustly murdered by racists while participating in the Selma to Montgomery marches back 60 years ago in 1965. In contrast, Christopher Columbus was an imperialist, murderer, and was even jailed by the Spanish government for his war crimes against Native American people. A genocidal, wicked male like Christopher Columbus should not be glorified. The New York City mayoral race dealt with the issues of housing affordability, policing, opposing racism, dealing with crime, health care, foreign policy, dealing with economic issues in general, infrastructure, and environmental issues. Both Cuomo and Mamdani have different plans for New York City. Andrew Cuomo said that he is the best candidate. Mamdani has won the New York City mayoral election in 2025. We shall see what the future of New York City will be.
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Conclusion (for Thanksgiving 2025 series)
The nationwide 2nd No Kings protests have been historic. This rally is made up of urban, rural, and suburban people. It is made up of people of every race and background who protested peacefully in Chicago, Washington D.C., Nashville, Miami, Boston, Dover, Seattle, all over Virginia, New York City, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Concord (in Massachusetts), San Jose, and in other places. There are at least 300,000 protesters in New York City. Almost 7 million protesters have attended No Kings rallies in America. These protesters are unified in opposing the views of a tyrant, who is Donald Trump. There should be no sugarcoating. Trump is a fascist because he has been involved in the murder of people in international waters without due process of law, seeking to suppress the free speech rights of press agencies and universities, desiring to ban birthright citizenship, and desiring the National Guard and other agencies like ICE to occupy American cities for xenophobic motivations. We know that ICE has detained over 100 American citizens, too, and some ICE members have unjustly assaulted people, too. The oligarchy desires monopoly, control over our resources, and authoritarianism. Yet, we desire healthcare, environmental protections, equality, justice, true education (that doesn't sugarcoat American history), etc. This rally is not about hating America. Those who hate America want constitutional laws violated in America. We love America, because we want America to improve and promote liberty, freedom, and justice for all in America. We want to preserve our democracy in the midst of a government shutdown.
After 43 days, the U.S. government shutdown has ended. Still, things are not back to normal. Trump signed a funding bill to reopen the government. The House approved the bill on Wednesday night in a 222-209 vote with nearly every Republican and a handful of Democrats voting for it. Travelers may have to experience the shutdown's effects on airports with over 900 flights in and out of the U.S. canceled today. People will get their food stamp recipients will receive their full benefits vary by state. The health care subsidies still are not given to people. Some federal workers will get back pay, and some will not. The bill will set up a new funding cliff in Congress on January 30, 2026. It will provide funding for a few key agencies through the fiscal year 2026. Many Republicans were slick to allow Congressional people to sue the government for $500,000 if their phone records were investigated. The bill also eliminates, or delays food safety rules aimed at preventing foodborne illnesses and contamination. Not only did 8 Senate Democrats and other Republicans fail to protect millions of Americans' healthcare, but they are making our food less safe.
There are new revelations of the links between Trump and Epstein. Trump and Epstein had a friendship from 1992 to 2007. We know that Trump is a degenerate. Trump said that he would date his daughter if she weren't related to him, Trump has been creepy in beauty pageants; he joked about grabbing women by their private areas, and he said other perverted comments about his own daughter. This is what has been released to the public now. Imagine what Trump does behind closed doors. Epstein mentioned Trump multiple times in private emails. The emails had said that one victim spent hours with Trump. Trump has not been charged with criminal wrongdoing, and Trump has denied any criminal sexual actions against girls. Yet, Trump has acted strangely to either downplay the Epstein issue or show hostility in preventing more files from being released unless pressure is made. This comes after Maxwell desires to have an easier time in prison. In one email, Epstein said that Trump never asked him to resign. According to the New York Times, Trump personally called Rep. Lauren Boebert, urging her to withdraw should support for the bill releasing Epstein files. So, people from across the political spectrum want full transparency involving the Epstein files. If anyone of any political party is guilty of sexual assault or tried to cover it up, he or she needs a trial and go to prison. We shall see what the total truth is.
There is a new report from Tom Latchem from the Daily Beast mentioning the allegation that ICE is stockpiling warheads and chemical weapons. The question is why ICE is doing this and if they plan on using them on peaceful protesters. ICE or the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has increased their buying of weapons. Federal purchasing logs show ICE spent $71,515,762 on small arms, ordnance, and ordnance accessories between January 20 and October 18, 2025. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denies that ICE is buying guided missile components. Wisconsin state Senator Chris Larson said that at least 170 U.S. citizens have been detained by immigration agents, including children. Most people detained by ICE are not violent criminals, so this proves that ICE is about intimidation, following Trump's xenophobic agenda, and cruelty not compassion. ICE has drawn guns on people, used pepper spray, and Rev. David Black (who is 52 years old) was struck in the head with a pepper spray ball fired by ICE agents while he prayed outside the Broadview ICE facility in Illinois on September 19, 2025. By September 28, 2025, CBS Chicago reporter Asai Rezaei said an ICE agent shot a pepper spray ball into her tuck outside a facility causing a criminal probe. Since June 16, 2015, or when Trump promoted his racist Presidential campaign, the MAGA movement has promoted fear, division, hatred, and carnage against the American people. We have every right to disagree with Trump and advocate for liberty and justice for all human beings. Witkoff from America seems to want to compromise with the Putin regime, according to the New York Times. Putin is a tyrant and a war criminal who executed a preemptive, illegal invasion of Ukraine. According to the journalist Julia Davis, Trump urged Zelensky to accept Russia's terms for ending the war during a tense White House meeting. Trump said that Putin had threatened to destroy Ukraine if it didn't comply. Sources said that the meeting was a shouting match with Trump reportedly "cursing all of the time." Trump's behavior is very anti-Christ by cursing all the time if those sources are true. Trump is anti-Christ for calling Minnesota Governor Tim Walz the slur of the "r" word. A President who uses that word in public or in private is a disgrace. No one should disrespect any human being with intellectual disabilities or use offensive slurs. Trump is a covert Russian usual tool in my opinion by his actions. While this is going on, Hegseth continues to justify U.S. war crimes and extrajudicial murder of people in the Caribbean. Killing people without due process is evil and immoral.
Yesterday, we had a coward who shot 2 innocent U.S. National Guard members from West Virginia. Other heroic U.S. National Guard members subdued the suspect very quickly. This is a difficult and controversial time in our history. The suspect is named Rahmanullah Lakawal, an Afghan national (with ties to the CIA) who came to America in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome. Lakawal was granted asylum back in April 2025. One of the victims was a young woman who was a National Guard member who volunteered to work over the holiday, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi. The National Guard victims were just doing their jobs, and they never deserved to be shot at all, period. The National Guard members are Sarah and Andrew. Trump wants higher immigration crackdown in desiring no people from Afghanistan to come to America, and 500 more National Guard troops to go to Washington, D.C. The gunman ambushed the soldiers. There is the FBI, DHS, and the ATF figuring out what exactly what has happened and his motive. The 2 National Guardsmen are in critical condition now in the hospital. Recently, one National Guardswoman died from her wounds. One of the disgraceful events is how Jeanine Pirro, Trump, and others are exploiting this tragedy to promote xenophobia and authoritarianism. A cowardly shooter shouldn't never be blamed for all people in Afghanistan or all people from another country. He wants to pause migration from all Third World countries and pause all asylum decisions for Afghans. Trump disrespected a reporter for just asking him a question about a vetting question. Trump is just obsessed with blaming Biden for everything when he is the President now. Trump is unhinged and insane because of his behavior, his use of slurs, and his maniac behavior (even attacking the Somali community in general). Fascists like Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes (who was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6th attacks) said on the sellout Alex Jones's show that he wants Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. Rhodes and Jones bash leftists when progressives gave America civil rights, environmental protections, Social Security, voting rights, consumer protections, national parks, labor protections, and other blessings that many people take for granted. People should be vetted if they come to America, but our democratic rights should never be compromised under the guise of vetting. Authorities have searched locations across the nation, including the suspect's home. The suspect deserves total justice, so he is made accountable for his wicked crimes against 2 innocent human beings.
The Obama Presidential library will be completed by the Spring of 2026. It will be found in Chicago's South Side, being a historical location for our black community. Tons of recent Presidents have made their Presidential libraries in many places, mostly at their place of birth or at their place or residency for an extended period of time. President Barack Obama represented a new chapter of American history being the first African American President, and First Lady Michelle Obama being the first African American First Lady in American history too. The construction of the Presidential library has been in existence for over 10 years. President Barack Obama was the 44th President of the United States of America. The center will have a branch of a public library, a museum, a garden (with fresh fruits and vegetables named after Eleanor Roosevelt), and an auditorium. I was in my mid 20s when his Presidency started on January 20, 2009, and I was in my early 30s when his Presidency ended on January 20, 2017. So, I lived through both of his terms. I agreed with President Barack Obama on many issues like The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the legitimate parts of the Affordable Care Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall street and Reform and Consumer Protection Act, investments in renewable energy, the Iran nuclear deal, diplomatic ties to Cuba, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, the Fair Sentencing Act, his promotions of civil rights and equality, and DACA plans. Obama did help to lower the unemployment rate and gave investments in HBCUs. I didn't agree with him on his some of his foreign policy actions being too hawkish in my view, especially in the Libyan war and drone strikes in various places. Despite Barack Obama's faults, he is a million times better than Donald Trump. Let's keep it real. Kamala Harris (who has been a victim of sexism and racism) would make a much better President than Trump too. On this day, we should never give up. We all count. We have every right to maintain our independent thinking. That means that the Republicans and the Democrats don't own us. Yet, political independence doesn't mean voting for Trump. Some folks are slick to use "free thinker" as a coded phrase to endorse the policies of Donald Trump. Anyone comparing the Democratic Party to a plantation is not only wrong but offensive. Plantations had rape, torture, other forms of abuse, and other actions against slaves that I can't describe here. We believe in democracy and progressive principles without apology and without compromise. Also, people in my generation are 40+ years old (being older Millennials including Generation X, Baby Boomers, etc.), and it is our responsibility to use our God given power to inspire the babies (the younger generation) to grow and express their talents to the world. People among all generations have gifts and dignity, and we will continue to fight for goodness, honor, dignity, equality, justice, and righteousness.
By Timothy
Thanksgiving 2025 Part 3.
Wilma Rudolph's 75th Anniversary after her Birth
Icons will always be remembered eternally. Wilma Rudolph was an icon of not only track and field. She was an icon of civil rights and human rights in general. She overcame a strong illness to be one of the greatest athletes of all time. When we think about the 20th century, there was much bad events from wars to genocide from the Vietnam War to the Red Summer pogroms against innocent black human lives. Yet, it is important recognize the positive news of the 20th century too like the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 2 three peats of the Chicago Bulls by the 1990s. Wilma Rudolph lived in the 20th century from the early parts of it to the end of the century filled with light and an inspiration to educate people on the truth. When she was on the track and field locations, she wanted to win. At a young age, she won many gold medals and was blessed to compete in two Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia in 1956 and in Rome, Italy in 1960. She was steadfast to witness freedom, and she helped to inspire her community in Tennessee to end Jim Crow apartheid. Jim Crow apartheid is evil, because it restricts human rights, it causes disparities based upon color, and it is against the Golden Rule to treat your neighbor as you would like to be treated among other reasons. United States Postal stamps, documentaries, films, books, magazines, and other items celebrate her achievements. Having great achievements is excellent. Also, one lesson in life is to do good in an unsung fashion (not because you have to do it, but you do it because it's the right thing to do without seeking fame or fanfare). Wilma Rudolph loved her life, loved athletics, and fulfilled her destiny as a human being. That is why the story of Sister Wilma Rudolph is important to see the best in ourselves, so we can be inspired to bless others.
Overcoming Illness
Wilma Rudolph was born prematurely to Blanche Rudolph at 4.5 pounds on June 23, 1940, in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee (now part of Clarksville). She was the 20th of 22 children from her father Ed Rudolph's two marriages. Shortly after Wilma's birth, her family moved to Clarksville, Tennesse, where she grew up and attended elementary and high school. Her father, Ed, worked as a railway porter and did odd jobs in Clarksville. Ed died in 1961. His brother, Blanche, worked as a maid in Clarksville homes and died in 1994. Wilma Rudolph had many early childhood illnesses, including pneumonia and scarlet fever, and she contracted infantile paralysis (caused by the poliovirus) at the age of five. Rudolph recovered from polio but lost strength in her left leg and foot. Physically disabled for much of her early life, Rudolph wore a leg brace until she was 12 years old. Because there was little medical care available to African American residents of Clarksville in the 1940s, Rudolph's parents sought treatment for her at the historically black Meharry Medical College (now Nashville General Hospital at Meharry) in Nashville, Tennessee, about 50 miles (80 km) from Clarksville.
For two years, Rudolph and her mother made weekly bus trips to Nashville for treatments to regain the use of her weakened leg. Rudolph also received subsequent at-home massage treatments four times a day from members of her family and wore an orthopedic shoe for support of her foot for another two years. Because of the treatments she received at Meharry and the daily massages from her family members, Rudolph was able to overcome the debilitating effects of polio and learned to walk without a leg brace or orthopedic shoe for support by the time she was 12 years old. Rudolph was initially homeschooled due to the frequent illnesses that caused her to miss kindergarten and first grade. Rudolph began attending second grade at Cobb Elementary School in Clarksville in 1947 at age seven. She attended Clarksville's all-black Burt High School, where Rudolph excelled in basketball and track. During her senior year of high school, Rudolph became pregnant with her first child, Yolanda, who was born in 1958, a few weeks before her enrollment at Tennessee State University in Nashville. In college, Rudolph continued to compete in track. She also became a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. In 1963, Rudolph graduated from Tennessee State with a bachelor's degree in education. Her college education was paid by her participation in a work-study scholarship program that required Rudolph to work on the TSU campus for two hours a day.
Rudolph loved to be in organized sports at Burt High School. That high school was the center of Clarksville's African American community. She had many years of medical treatments to regain the use of her left leg. Rudolph followed in her sister Yvonne's footsteps and played basketball when she was in the 8th grade. She continued to play basketball in high school, where she became a starter on the team and began competing in track. In her sophomore year, Rudolph scored 803 points and set a new record for high school girls' basketball. Rudolph's high school coach, C. C. Gray, gave her the nickname of "Skeeter" (for mosquito) because she moved so fast. While playing for her high school basketball team, Rudolph was spotted by Ed Temple, Tennessee State's track and field coach, a major break for the active young athlete. The day that Temple saw the tenth grader for the first time, he knew Rudolph was a natural athlete. She had already gained some track experience on Burt High School's track team two years earlier, mostly as a way to keep busy between basketball seasons. As a high school sophomore, Rudolph competed at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute in her first major track event. Although she lost the race, Rudolph was determined to continue competing and win. Temple invited 14-year-old Rudolph to join his summer training program at Tennessee State. After attending the track camp, Rudolph won all nine events she entered at an Amateur Athletic Union track meet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Under Temple's guidance, she continued to train regularly at TSU while still a high school student. Rudolph raced at amateur athletic events with TSU's women's track team, known as the Tigerbelles, for two more years before enrolling at TSU as a student in 1958.
The Olympics
Wilma Rudolph was 16 years old when she was a junior in high school. She attended the 1956 U.S. Olympic track and field team trials in Seattle, Washington, and qualified to compete in the 200m individual event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Rudolph was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic team, being one of the five TSU Tigerbelles to qualify for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The Tigerbelles track and field women team included legends like Wilma Rudolph, Madeline Manning Mims, Edith McGuire, Wyomia Tyus, Willye White, Margaret Matthews Wilburn, and Chandra Cheesborough-Guice. These athletes earned 16 gold medals and more than 30 national titles and 23 Olympic medals from 1950 to 1994. Rudolph was defeated in a preliminary heat of the 200-meter race at the Melbourne Olympic Games but ran the third leg of the 4 × 100 m relay. The American team of Rudolph, Isabelle Daniels, Mae Faggs, and Margaret Matthews, all of whom were TSU Tigerbelles, won the bronze medal, matching the world-record time of 44.9 seconds. The British team won the silver medal. The Australian team, with the 100- and 200-meter gold medalist Betty Cuthbert as their anchor leg, won the gold medal in a time of 44.5 seconds. After Rudolph returned to her Tennessee home from the Melbourne Olympic Games, Rudolph showed her high school classmates the bronze medal that she had won and decided to try to win a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. In 1958, Rudolph enrolled at Tennessee State, where Temple continued as her track coach. At the Pan American Games in Chicago, Illinois, the following year, Rudolph won a silver medal in the 100-meter individual event, as well as a gold medal in the 4 × 100-meter relay with teammates Isabelle Dan, Barbara Joe, and Lucinda Williams. She also won the AAU 200-meter title in 1959 and defended it for four consecutive years. During her career, Rudolph also won three AAU indoor titles.
The 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy, changed Wilma Rudolph's whole life forever. She was a sophomore at Tennessee State during that time. Rudolph competed in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, where she set a world record in the 200-meter dash that stood for eight years. Rudolph also qualified for the 1960 Summer Olympics in the 100-meter dash. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, Rudolph competed in three events on a cinder track in Rome's Stadio Olimpico: the 100- and 200-meter sprints, as well as the 4 × 100-meter relay. Rudolph, who won a gold medal in each of these events, became the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympiad. Rudolph ran the finals in the 100-meter dash in a wind-aided time of 11.0 seconds. (The record-setting time was not credited as a world record, because the wind, at 2.75 meters (3.01 yd) per second, exceeded the maximum of 2 meters (2.2 yd). Rudolph became the first American woman to win a gold medal in the 100-meter race since Helen Stephens did so in the 1936 Summer Olympics. Rudolph won another gold medal in the finals of the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.0 seconds, after setting a new Olympic record of 23.2 seconds in the opening heat. After these wins, she was hailed throughout the world as "the fastest woman in history" during that time. On September 7, 1960, the temperature climbed toward 40 °C (104 °F) as thousands of spectators jammed the stadium. Rudolph combined efforts with her Olympic teammates from Tennessee State—Martha Hudson, Lucinda Williams, and Barbara Jones—to win the 4 × 100-meter relays with a time of 44.5 seconds, after setting a world record of 44.4 seconds in the semifinals. Rudolph ran the anchor leg for the American team in the finals and nearly dropped the baton after a pass from Williams, but she overtook Germany's anchor leg to win the relay in a close finish. Wilma Rudolph wanted to pay tribute to Jesse Owens, the celebrated American athlete and star of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, who had been her inspiration.
Rudolph was one of the most popular athletes of the 1960 Rome Olympics and emerged from the Olympic Games as "The Tornado, the fastest woman on earth." The Italians nicknamed her "La Gazzella Nera" ("The Black Gazelle"). The French called her "La Perle Noire" ("The Black Pearl"), as well as "La Chattanooga Choo-Choo." Along with other 1960 Olympic athletes such as Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali), Oscar Robertson, and Rafer Johnson, Rudolph became an international star due to the first worldwide television coverage of the Olympics that year. The 1960 Rome Olympics launched her into the public spotlight, and the media cast her as America's athletic "leading lady" and a "queen," with praises of Rudolph's athletic accomplishments as well as her feminine beauty and poise.
Returning Home and Activism
Wilma Rudolph returned home to Clarksville, Tennessee, as a legend. She toured Europe too in many track and field meets (with her Olympic teammates) in London, West Germany, the Netherlands, and other venues in Europe. Rudolph's hometown of Clarksville celebrated "Welcome Wilma Day" on October 4, 1960, with a full day of festivities. Governor Buford Ellington had created these plans to welcome Rudolph home with a parade. Ellington was elected because he had old-fashioned segregationist beliefs. This was the complete opposite of what Rudolph stood for. Rudolph heard this and refused to attend her own celebration of it being segregated. Due to the concert of Rudolph not attending her own event, the parade was changed to be integrated. She makes everlasting history by standing up for what she believes in, as this marks the first-ever integrated event in her hometown of Clarksville, Tennessee. An estimated 1,100 attended the banquet in Rudolph's honor, and thousands lined the city streets to watch the parade. Wilma Rudolph and Muhammad Ali helped to usher in the modern day black superstar in track and boxing to the next level. Rudolph's gold-medal victories in Rome also "propelled her to become one of the most highly visible black women across the United States and around the world." Her Olympic star status also "gave an enormous boost to the indoor track circuit in the months following the Olympic Games in Rome." In 1961, Rudolph competed in the prestigious Los Angeles Invitational indoor track meet, where thousands turned out to watch her run. Besides, Rudolph was invited to compete in New York Athletic Club track events and became the first woman invited to compete at the Millrose Games. She was also invited to compete at the Penn Relays and the Drake Relays, among others.
Following Rudolph's Olympic victories, the United States Information Agency made a 10-minute documentary film, Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Champion (1961), to highlight her accomplishments on the track. Rudolph's appearance in 1960 on To Tell the Truth, an American television game show, and later as a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show also helped promote her status as an iconic sports star.
In 1961, Rudolph married William Ward, a North Carolina College at Durham track team member; they divorced in 1963. In the interim, Rudolph retired from track competition at age 22, following victories in the 100-meter and 4 × 100-meter-relay races at the U.S.–Soviet meet at Stanford University in 1962. At the time of her retirement, Rudolph was still the world record-holder in the 100-meter (11.2 seconds set on July 19, 1961), 200-meter (22.9 seconds set on July 9, 1960), and 4 × 100-meter-relay events. She had also won seven national AAU sprint titles and set the women's indoor track record of 6.9 seconds in the 60-yard dash. As Rudolph explained it, she retired at the peak of her athletic career because Rudolph wanted to leave the sport while still at her best. As such, Rudolph did not compete at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, saying, "If I won two gold medals, there would be something lacking. I'll stick with the glory I've already won like Jesse Owens did in 1936."
Her Later Life
Wilma Rudolph didn't earn significant money as an amateur athlete. Back then especially, women definitely weren't paid their fair share of income involving sports. Women continue to fight for pay equity in 2025, which is a shame. She went into teaching and coaching after her retirement from track competition. She was a 2nd-grade teacher at Cobb Elementary School, which Rudolph had attended as a child, and coached at Burt High School, where she had once been a student-athlete herself. Rudolph moved to many places over the years and lived in many places like Chicago, Illinois, Indianapolis, Indiana, St. Louis, Missouri, Detroit, Michigan, Tennessee, California, and Maine. Her autobiography is Wilma: The Story of Wilma Rodolph. The book was published in 1977. The literature was the basis for other publications and films. By 2014, at least 21 books on Rudolph's life had been published for children, from pre-school kids to high school students. Wilma Rudolph was a well-known philanthropist and humanitarian, too. She worked for numerous nonprofit organizations and government-sponsored projects that promoted athletic development among American children. In Boston, Massachusetts, she became involved in the federal Job Corps program, and Rudolph served as a track specialist for Operation Champion in 1967. In 1981, Rudolph established and led the Wilma Rudolph Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Indianapolis, Indiana, that trains youth athletes. Six years later, she joined DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, as director of its women's track program and served as a consultant on minority affairs to the university's president.
Wilma Rudolph went on to host a local television show in Indianapolis. She was a publicist for Universal Studios as well as a television sports commentator for ABC Sports during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. She lit the cauldron to open the Pan American Games in Indianapolis in 1987 in front of 80,000 spectators at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. By 1992, two years before her ultimate passing, she was a vice president at Nashville's Baptist Hospital. She has many relationships with people. Wilma Rudolph dated boxing legend Muhammad Ali during the early 1960s. She was married twice, with both marriages ending in divorce. On October 14, 1961, Rudolph married William "Willie" Ward, a member of the North Carolina College at Durham track team. They divorced in May 1963. After she graduated from Tennessee State in 1963, Rudolph married Robert Eldridge, her high school sweetheart, with whom she already had a daughter, Yolanda, born in 1958. Rudolph and Eldridge had four children: two daughters (Yolanda, born in 1958, and Djuanna, born in 1964) and two sons (Robert Jr., born in 1965, and Xurry, born in 1971 and died in 2025). They divorced in 1980.
Her Passing
By July 1994, which was shortly after he mother's passing, Wilma Rudolph was diagnosed with brain cancer. She also had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and Rudolph died on November 12, 1994, at her home in Brentwood, a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee; she was only 54 years old. Her life has been celebrated by the 1977 Bud Greenspan-produced Wilma (or The Story of Wilma Rudolph). Wilma was a made-for-television docudrama adaptation of her autobiography that starred Shirley Jo Finney as Rudolph. It costarred Cicely Tyson, Jason Bernard, and Denzel Washington (in one of Denzel's first roles). In 2015, Positive Edge Education Ltd. Commissioned Pixel Revolution Films, a United Kingdom-based film company, to produce three short inspirational dramas to be screened in schools, including one about Rudolph's life. Unlimited (2015) was written and directed by Ian and Dominic Higgins. Rudolph was named United Press International Athlete of the Year (1960) and Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year (1960 and 1961). She was also the recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award (1960) for the top amateur athlete in the United States and the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Award (1962). In addition, Rudolph had a private meeting with President John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office. Rudolph was also honored with the National Sports Award (1993). She was inducted into the Black Sports Hall of Fame in 1973, the U.S. National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983, and the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1994. She was placed into the National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2001.
Wilma Rudolph, in 1985, said the following words in an interview in the Black Champions series:
"... The most important aspect about anything that one wants to be is that they have to believe it first. And as long as they believe it and start working toward it then they can walk away with whatever happens and feel good about whatever the accomplishment is. I also let them know that the m-, most important aspect of being in the world of athletics is being able to trade it for a sound, solid education. The key is education, and when you build that foundation together, you have it made, because you take that discipline and that determination that comes from the world of sport and you apply it to the world of education..."
Wilma Rudolph's Legacy
Wilma Rudolph was an icon of not only track and field culture. She was an iconic humanitarian who followed the Golden Rule all throughout her life. She lived to be a middle-aged woman, but her legacy has been long and extensive, spanning the ages. She overcame polio to be a winner of multiple gold medals in the Olympics. She loved her children and the rest of her family. Wilma Rudolph also opposed racism and discrimination, so she used her role to end Jim Crow apartheid in Tennessee, which is where she was raised. She is celebrated everywhere in the world. In 1984, the Women's Sports Foundation selected Rudolph as one of the five greatest women athletes in the United States. In 1996, the foundation presented its first Wilma Rudolph Courage Award to Jackie Joyner-Kersee. On November 21, 1995, the Wilma Rudolph Memorial Commission placed a black marble marker at her grave site in Edgefield Missionary Baptist Church. In April 1996, a life-size bronze statue of Rudolph was erected "at the southern end of the Cumberland River Walk at the base of the Pedestrian Overpass" at College Street and Riverside Drive in Clarksville. In 2012, the city of Clarksville, Tennessee, built the Wilma Rudolph Event Center, located at Liberty Park on Cumberland Drive. The life-size bronze statue was moved there from its previous location at Riverside Drive and stands near the entrance of the building. The Tennessee State University named its indoor track in Rudolph's honor. On August 11, 1995 (nine months after Rudolph's death), Tennessee State University dedicated a new, six-story dormitory as the Wilma G. Rudolph Residence Center. The building, which includes a computer lab, beauty salon, and cafeteria, houses upper-class and graduate women. In 1997, Governor Don Sundquist proclaimed June 23 as "Wilma Rudolph Day" in Tennessee. The December 29, 1999, issue of Sports Illustrated ranked Rudolph first on its list of the top 50 greatest sports figures of the twentieth century from Tennessee. ESPN ranked Rudolph forty-first in its listing of the twentieth century's greatest athletes. Wilma Rudolph has been celebrated in a stamp since July 14, 2004. A school in Berlin, Germany, is named after her since the summer of 2000. Wilma Rudolph represents our excellence, our compassion, and our human gratitude for the legends that came before us.
Rest in Power Sister Wilma Rudolph.
Updates on the Trump Regime
There can be no debate. The Trump regime is the worst Presidency since Harding and James Buchanan. The lie that MAGA people and deluded MAGA Christians claim is that Trump is not a racist. Trump supported a racist AI-generated video of Schumer and Jeffries that depicts House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a sombrero and mustache and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaking in a fake voice. There is mariachi music playing in the background. This is plain racism and bigotry. Trump called the wife of Senate leader Mitch McConnell, who is Elaine Chao, the former United States Secretary of Labor (from 2001 to 2009 with the Bush Jr. administration). Trump called COVID-19 a racist, anti-Chinese slur. Trump said that the Central Park Five are guilty, even after DNA evidence exonerated them of wrongdoing. Trump said that a Mexican American can't judge a case fairly, because he is of Mexican heritage. Trump called black progressives, especially black women progressives (who are journalists and other political leaders) "low IQ" because they disagree with his political views. Trump called Jewish people not voting for him "disloyal." Trump wants to whitewash black history in our museums and parks. He called nations like El Salvador, Haiti, and African Americans a profane word. Trump said in October 2023, that undocumented immigrants were "poisoning the blood of our country." That language is why white racists and Nazis used it to promote the racist notion of "blood purity." He said on February 23, 2024, that his mug shot in Atlanta would be embraced by the black population. He said that some immigrants are not people, not human, and animals. Trump called Kamala Harris a "DEI hire." Trump promoted the lie that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating dogs and cats. On July 3, 2025, Trump used an anti-Semitic slur about certain bankers. Some of the major supporters of Trump are racists like Richard Spencer, James Mason, etc. Therefore, we know that Trump is a racist, and anyone denying that is either a liar or deluded.
Trump and the MAGA movement have made it clear that they want to destroy the progressive progress that we have made in the 20th century and the early 21st century. Trump said that he knew nothing of Project 2025, but his ally Russell Vought is part of the Project 2025 agenda. Russell Voight wants to cut programs from low-income people, end affirmative action, and repudiate liberalism completely. Vought also believes in the heresy of Christian Nationalism, when Jesus Christ condemned a man-made theocratic state (as the Gospel is meant to be expressed voluntarily, not by force against a person's will). Vought is one major architect of Trump's 2nd term agenda. Vought describes a post-Constitution era where the executive branch has supreme power when all three branches of government should have equal powers. Vought is so evil that he said that WIC could be gone, except if Democrats submit to the Republicans' demands. Also, Trump is following through in the Project 2025 agenda to a T. The Trump administration has fired federal workers without just cause and cut funding from many federal projects without just cause too. This regime of Trump is fascism and authoritarianism. Trump is beyond the bad policies of Reagan. I lived through Reagan, and I knew what he did. Trump is doing evil and tyrannical policies light-years ahead of the nefarious political policies that Reagan has enacted. ICE has been involved in terrorism in American society by assaulting innocent journalists and other innocent people, illegally detaining U.S. citizens without reasonable cause, and using racial profiling against people. There is no other way to put it.
We know have ICE acting out in inappropriate ways again. ICE has been complicit in violence against immigrants, journalists, and other innocent human beings. Many ICE members are acting like terrorists instead of law enforcement agencies. The ICE agents who violently shove journalists outside the New York City immigration court. One journalist was sent to the hospital. There is no justification for this act of fascism by some ICE agents. These violent tactics by ICE have no place anywhere in America and anywhere on Earth. This is part of the Trump agenda, as the deceiver Trump said that he wants the police to rough people up. Asylum seekers who desire to defend their immigration status should never be beaten by terroristic ICE agents. This comes after ICE has conducted lawless kidnappings of people. The ICE organization has declared war on dissent in America by attacking journalists and other innocent people. These evil acts by ICE occur every day with the cosign from Trump and JD Vance, and other acolytes. The media has every right to report on the news without being attacked violently.
We are in the aftermath of this new 2025 government shutdown. Trump and his allies desire to have federal layoffs be permanent. Also, many Republicans have promoted the lie that Democrats desire to give federal health care benefits to undocumented immigrants. The truth is that it is against U.S. federal law to give undocumented immigrants federally subsidized health care coverage via Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, the Children's Health Insurance Program, etc. Some Democrats want to return benefits for people with a lawful presence, like DACA recipients and asylum seekers. This comes after Trump said that he wants to use military force against American cities. It is no secret that Trump has an overt antagonism against political dissent against his tyrannical policies. Trump talking about confronting the "enemy within" is an open declaration of war on the American people who disagree with his agenda. Trump and Hegseth have exploited generals at their fascist meeting to try to justify massive austerity, the military occupation of American cities, the usage of ICE to use racial profiling against Hispanic Americans, the bashing of black cultural history via attacks on museums and websites, and Hegseth's extremist self talking about a ban on beards in the military.
Many black people in Chicago have been terrorized by ICE criminals recently in early October 2025. Many black American citizens were detained illegally and only released hours later. This happened in the South Shore neighborhood. The lie is that these MAGA people only want criminals to be detained, but law-abiding black citizens have been detained recently in Chicago. One witness said that one ICE agent said F those kids when the kids were crying because of the loud sounds and bangs. The ICE agents who were involved in this illegal action are barbarians and sadists. There is no justification for this nonsense and fascist behavior. This is fascism, and there can be no denying it. These fascists put guns in the faces of American citizens for no reason. They have zip-tied little kids who cried in fear. This is an outrage. Even now, many Trump followers, FBA xenophobes (I consider myself black American or African American, not some FBA cult member) try to justify ICE terrorism against black people which is treason against the black community. Trump and his administration are not only complicit in this. Trump voters are complicit in this, because they know full well what Trump stands for. This is immoral, and these actions are satanic acts done by ICE. We have the right to be outraged at this injustice.
By Timothy