There are new tensions in Minneapolis after one man was killed by federal agents. The DHS promoted the lie that the man banished a gun. The truth is that the man was protecting one woman, this man was jumped by federal agents, one federal agent yelled gun, and one agent killed the man. I saw television footage of federal agents using dangerous gas against innocent protesters, I have seen one agent arresting a black man on the ground, and I have seen other footage of a CNN reporter coughing because of the dangerous gas agents have done. Trump is a liar once again by saying that the Mayor of Minneapolis is provoking insurrection. The AFGE said that Alex J. Pretti was the man killed in the incident. AFGE is a powerful union. The situation in Minneapolis is microcosm of the Trump agenda. That agenda is filled with imperialism, xenophobia, authoritarian occupation of our cities and towns, and a hostility towards the First Amendment and all God given rights. What is worse than Trump's agenda are 2 types of people. One type of people are Trump supporters who still believe in Trumpism. They are deceived who don't care about democratic rights. The other group of people are those who embrace apathy because of their xenophobic bigotry, their radical lack of empathy for the suffering, and their hatred of truth. When one group of people are oppressed, then we are all oppressed. If ICE were never in Minneapolis terrorizing and harassing people, Alex and Renee would be alive today. We reject dehumanizing of our neighbors by masked, non-identified agents. We reject the views of that tyrant in the White House.
The myth is that this stuff in Minneapolis can't happen where we live. It has happened in Chicago, Los Angeles, and other places of America. Evil is evil. It's our responsibility as humans being to reject evil and promote goodness in our society. There is no just cause for ICE and the DHS to execute such an excessive occupation of Minneapolis. Many ICE agents have been ill trained and sprayed even innocent protesters in the vicinity. Kristi Noem has doubled down to promote the lie that the ICU nurse banished a weapon to the federal agents. We see this in television footage. There is no excuse for Trump to allow ICE to detain American citizens unjustly. There is no excuse for federal agents to utilize military level gas against journalists and innocent protestors. Morality is absent in the MAGA cult. Therefore, we must be clear to solve problems peacefully, never take the bait, and be honest about our opposition to this authoritarian fascism present in American society.
The truth is out in Minneapolis now. We have clear evidence that the nurse was murdered in cold blood. This murder took place just blocks from where Renee Nicole Good was killed more than two weeks ago. The video showed the federal agents firing their guns repeatedly into the victim as he was held on the ground. The agents were not under threat and the man was trying to protect the life of a woman. The Trump regime has lied and called Good and Alex Pretti domestic terorists. One Border Patrol commander even argued that the Second Amendment didn't apply to Pretti which is a lie as all American citizens have 2nd Amendment rights. Alex Pretti was an ICU nurse who helped family, friends, and veterans. The DHS account of the shooting contradicts the video evidence. The video appears to show an agent taking the gun before the Minneapolis shooting. Minnesota authorities are planning more legal action to try to stop the ICE and DHS occupation of Minneapolis. Many people want Democrats to promote the abolishment of ICE and cutting funding that deals with investing with ICE. The federal government has redistricted Minnesota's state and local governments from using independent investigation of the ICE killings.
There is one racist and offensive comment made by a moderate Democrat who is Congressman Seth Moulton (he is the same hypocrite criticizing the xenophobe Stephen Miller, but he is one of 75 Democrats who voted for more funding for ICE). He said that what is happening today in Minneapolis today is worse than the state-sponsored terrorism Black Americans faced during the civil rights movement. Not only is that comment a lie and racist. It's a slap in the face to the heroes who fought in the Civil Rights Movement in whitewashing history. The truth is that during the 20th century, black churches were regularly bombed nationwide (not just in the South), black people were lynched, police used dogs and water hoses on peaceful protesters, and many civil rights leaders were murdered by racists. Therefore, what is happening in Minneapolis is unjust, but it is not equivalent to what happened to the Civil Rights Movement era from 1900 to 1968. As African Americans, we have told the world that this is the fruit of moderates. Moderates compromise and promote deception to promote the status quo not freedom and justice (as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. accurately written in his A Letter from A Birmingham Jail letter). Seth Moulton is wrong and should be ashamed of himself. There is absolutely no excuse to minimize, whitewash, or ignore the history of the black freedom struggle. Keith Porter was a black man who was killed by an ICE agent too. We should acknowledge the unjust ICE occupation of Minneapolis without ignoring the sacrifice of black people during the Civil Rights Movement too.
It has been 10 years since the shocking passing away of the iconic musician Prince. He was born in the Midwest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents were jazz singer Mattie Della and pianist and songwriter John Lewis Nelson. His family included many people who were gifted in music. His sister is Tyla Evene Nelson (who lived from 1960 to 2024). Prince had many half-brothers and half-sisters. Prince was a groundbreaking artist who could play multiple instruments (like the guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, and various percussion instruments) and sang across a variety of genres, from rock and R&B to funk. Numerous human beings desire to compare Michael Jackson and Prince. They had a competitive musical rivalry with each other, but both artists were equals. You don't have to acknowledge the greatness of one by downgrading the greatness of another. Prince so loved the art of music that he fully understood about the concepts of chords, other musical notes, instruments, and various aspects of musical beats, including melodies. As a prominent musical genius, Prince loved to show out by playing the guitar and a sort of instruments in real life. He came out into the mainstream musical industry by the 1970s. He grew to be an illustrious musician by the 1980s. By the 1990s, Prince stood up for any artist to have ownership of their own masters, know their worth, and oppose corporate exploitation of human beings in the industry. From the albums of Purple Rain to Sign o' the Times, he has shown us excellent without compromising. Prince was married twice and dated the singer and actress Nonya Gaye (who has gorgeous cheekbones and skin. Nonya Gaye is a great singer in her own right, too. She is the daughter of the late Marvin Gaye). By the 21st century, Prince sang and spoke about conscious issues (with songs like Black Sweat) like the Iraq War, chemtrails, and about the greatness of Blackness. He passed away on April 21, 2016, when I was in my early 30s. I remember that day just like yesterday being a total shock in my eyes. The city of Minneapolis (which gave a new funky sound to the world) and people globally mourned his passing and celebrated his contributions to the human race. Prince gave creativity and power to men and women to express themselves beyond a conformist fashion, to be strong to stand up for your rights, and to be confidence in your own God given ability to shine your light to the world.
For decades, one man personified strength, courage, and a gift of oratory in the forms of speeches and spoken word poetry (as a prelude to modern-day hip-hop music). He was Muhammad Ali. From being born in the South at Louisville, Kentucky, to the West Coast of America, he made a name for himself. Muhammad Ali had confidence, a love of his Blackness, athleticism, charisma, a social consciousness, and a willingness to overcome many issues. A child took his bike when he was a child, and another adult police officer taught him how to use boxing. Muhammad Ali was a natural boxer as he won many amateur matches, and he won gold in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. Coming back home, Muhammad Ali still experienced racial discrimination and exploitation. So, he wanted that reality to change. Muhammad Ali worked hard with his coach D'Angelo Dundee and his friend Drew Bundini Brown (who worked with Sugar Ray Robinson, who was the greatest boxer in human history) to grow his career to change history forever. Ali won many matches and defeated Sonny Liston on February 25, 1964, at Miami Beach, Florida. This conclusion shocked Ali's skeptics (during that time, Liston was seen as unbeatable), but Ali used footwork, speed, power, and skill to defeat Sonny Liston. Afterward, Muhammad Ali was the heavyweight champion of the world, saying that "I Am the Greatest." That proclamation gave confidence to especially younger black people to view greatness as a virtue psychologically. Then, he publicly announced that he was a member of the Nation of Islam, an organization with similarities and differences to Orthodox Islam. Muhammad Ali opposed the Vietnam War and refused to be drafted by the United States to be in the draft in 1967. Ali felt that the Vietnam War was an unjust war (like his friend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had criticized the Vietnam War too) and a war of convenience, not liberation. Muhammad Ali said that the Vietnamese people never arrested us, lynched us, black people, never raped or tortured black Americans. Ali said famously that the Vietnamese never called him the n word. The Vietnam War took resources that would be better used to build up America domestically. Ali was arrested and charged with federal charges of refusing to submit to the draft. It would take the Supreme Court to drop the charges. He fought in the 1970s to defeat Joe Frazier, George Forman (in Africa), Leon Spinks, and Ringo Bonavena in their primes. He was not a perfect man as he has done adultery (I don't agree with adultery at all), but he stayed with his final wife. He loved all of his children unconditionally. Muhammad Ali also supported social causes like being against poverty, fighting racism, solving foreign policy crisis, and standing up for justice.
It has been a century since Black History Month celebrations have commenced. Over the course of a century, massive developments have existed in the world. We sent from the Roaring Twenties to the 21st century icons like Allyson Flex, Yolandia Renee King, Gabby Douglas, Ruth Simmons, Carla Hayden, Edward Enniful, Simone Biles, and Usain Bolt. We went from highways not being modernized to roads formed to drone aircraft delivering packages worldwide. Black history is not monolithic or static. It encompasses science and music. It deals with education and dance. It can also focus on human resiliency and engineering as well. Black history can be close to home with our scrapbooks, our stories involving our families, our humor, and living our lives daily in the world. We are Black History. Black History Month is one part of the year when we honor our heritage, our creativity, and our authentic identity as black human beings. For example, Gordon Parks showed art and groundbreaking film culture as a photographer and film director. Harriet Tubman not only freed slaves, but she was a person who led a battle during the American Civil War during in the Combahee raid. Rosa Parks, Claudette Clovin, Dr. King, Malcolm X, and other heroic black people didn't just talk about black freedom. They took active steps in public to advocate and defend the right of black people (from protesting, writing literature, using civil disobedience, creating black institutions, and forming other strategies to stand up for our liberation) to be free and independent in the Universe. The creator of Black History Month was Carter G. Woodson. He and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) helped to handle Black History Month. The celebration lasted for one week from the 1920s until 1970. The celebration was a full month in 1970. This goal was planned since 1969. For over one century, two truths abide forever. One is that Black History Month is to be celebrated yearly, not just in one month. Another truth is that Black History Month is about celebrating black history, black culture, and globally beyond just one country like America.
Bravery represents her legacy and cultural ethos. No one can question her commitment to human justice. Anna Julia Cooper was from the South and wrote literature that both racial equality and gender equality. Her life has been filled with adventure and overcoming challenges. That is self-evident by the characteristics of her life story. She was born a slave, but she never remained a slave. She didn't just earn a Bachelor's degree of Arts in 1884. She earned a master's degree in mathematics in 1879, and her doctorate degree came about at the University of Paris. She was the 4th African American woman to earn a Ph.D. She loved her children, Lula Love Lawson and John Love. Cooper had an expansive view of the world. For example, she promoted black feminism (that means equality and justice for black women is paramount to improve her education in general), she supported Pan-Africanism, she fought anti-black lynching (along with other pro-black freedom activists like Ida B. Wells, Frederick Douglass, and lucy Ellen Moten). Cooper later lived in Washington, D.C, where she lived to be 105 years old. In that span of time, she had written glorious literature, fought for legitimate social change, and followed the august precept that a potent education is a key method in improving the intellectual, cultural, and other aspects of societal growth.
Scientology is one of the most mysterious and controversial organizations in human history. It was created by L. Ron Hubbard. To be honest, Hubbard was a fraud. Not only was he accused by the United States government of financial allegations. He was convicted by the French government of fraud. L. Ron Hubbard was a notorious racist who later claimed to promote equality. Yet, he had secret writings that expressed hatred against black people, Asian people, etc. He promoted apartheid in South Africa during the 1960s. Hubbard was a habitual liar who made exaggerated and false claims about himself for decades. He was a science fiction writer who created a recent religion. Hubbard was also a fan of the sexist, racist, libertarian, and blatant occultist Aleister Crowley. For the past few years, many researchers have found out of the terminology of Scientology from OT level to the thetans. Celebrities like Tom Cruise and Tom Travolta defend Scientology, but ex-members like famous actress Leah Remini (who was on the shows of Head of the Class in 1988, Who's the Boss in 1989, and The King of Queens from 1998 to 2007) have used research to refute Scientology as well. Scientology remains controversial to this day in 2026. I consider Scientology to be a cult in my opinion, because it prevents members from telling their families and loved ones about their most cherished secrets, they have doctrines that are blatantly false, and they incorporate infallible loyalty to their leaders. Also, some members of Scientology have harassed whistleblowers. We must be clear to not violate religious liberty rights. So, Scientology has the right to exist, but we must call out things are fundamentally false in our First Amendment free speech rights too.
Alice Coachman was born on November 9, 1923, in Albany, Georgia. She was the fifth child of Fred and Evelyn Coachman's ten children. Coachman was unable to access athletic training facilities or participate in organized sports because of her skin color. Back then, there was massive widespread opposition to girls and women being involved in sports activities. Still, she rose. Coachman trained to use what was available to her. She ran shoeless along the dirt roads near her home. She used homemade equipment to practice her jumping. Her 5th-grade teacher, Cora Bailey (when Coachman was at Monroe Street Elementary School), and her aunt, Carrie Spry, encouraged Coachman to pursue her dreams. There were reservations from her parents. Upon enrolling at Madison High School in 1938, she joined the track team, working with Harry E. Lash to develop her skill as an athlete. Within a year she drew the attention of the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. In 1939 she joined the Tuskegee Preparatory School at the age of 16 after being offered a scholarship. The scholarship required her to work while studying and training, which included cleaning and maintaining sports facilities as well as mending uniforms.
Coachman went on to graduate with a degree in dressmaking from the Tuskegee Institute in 1946. The following year, she continued her studies at Albany State College, receiving a B.S. in Home Economics with a minor in science in 1949. She became a teacher and track-and-field instructor. Her athletic career grew rapidly. Prior to arriving at the Tuskegee Preparatory School, Coachman competed in the Amateur Athletic Union's (AAU) Women's National Championships breaking the college and National high jump records while competing barefoot. Her unusual jumping style was a combination of straight jumping and western roll techniques.
Coachman dominated the AAU outdoor high jump championship from 1939 through 1948, winning ten national championships in a row. Her success earned her the nickname the "Tuskegee Flash." In addition to her high jump accomplishments, she won national championships in the 50-meter dash, the 100-meter dash and with the 400-meter relay team as a student at the Tuskegee Institute. She won 26 national championships during her nine years of competition, more than any other woman with the exception of her Polish-American rival Stella Walsh. During the same period, Coachman won three conference championships playing as a guard on the Tuskegee women's basketball team. Despite being in her prime, Coachman was unable to compete in the 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games as they were canceled because of World War II. In the opinion of sportswriter Eric Williams, "Had she competed in those canceled Olympics, we would probably be talking about her as the No. 1 female athlete of all time."
Coachman's first opportunity to compete on a global stage was during the 1948 Olympic Games in London. She qualified for the US Olympic team with a high jump of 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m) breaking the previous 16-year-old record by 3⁄4 in (19 mm). In the high jump finals of the 1948 Summer Olympics, Coachman leaped 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) on her first try. Her nearest rival, Great Britain's Dorothy Tyler, matched Coachman's jump, but only on her second try. Coachman was the only American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics in 1948. Her medal was presented by King George VI.
Upon her return to the United States after the Olympics, Coachman had become a celebrity. Soon after meeting President Harry Truman and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, she was honored with parades from Atlanta to Albany and was thrown a party by Count Basie. In 1952, she became the first African-American woman to endorse an international product when she was signed as a spokesperson by the Coca-Cola Company, which featured her prominently on billboards alongside 1936 Olympic winner Jesse Owens. In her hometown, Alice Avenue, and Coachman Elementary School were named in her honor. Even with her success, there was sexism. So, new coverage about Coachman as an athlete varied. The coverage of women compared to men was already stark in contrast, with men typically receiving full spreads with photos, while female athletes got short articles with no pictures. In 1942, she was mentioned in the Chicago Tribune in an article titled "Tuskegee Wins 6th Women's AAU Title in Track" and was reported on by the Boston Globe in an article titled "Tuskegee Girl Eclipses Stella in Title Meet". However, when the New York Times wrapped up reporting for the Olympics where she was the only American woman to win gold in track and field, the first African American to win a gold medal, and became a new Olympic record holder, they only wrote one sentence. When Coachman became a triple winner at the AAU Women's Nationals in 1945, beating Walsh, the Times only reported on Walsh's single win, ignoring Coachman's three victories. Despite this, she was praised in an interview with African-American reporter Sam Lacy by Walsh, who said Coachman was "the toughest opponent [she] had ever met" and the "finest runner [she] ever raced against."
Coachman's athletic career ended when she was 24. She dedicated the rest of her life to education and to the Job Corps. Coachman died in Albany, Georgia on July 14, 2014, of cardiac arrest after suffering through respiratory problems. She had a stroke a few months prior for which she received treatment from a nursing home. She had two children during her first marriage to N. F. Davis, which ended in divorce. Her second husband, Frank Davis, preceded her in death.
By Timothy
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