America Doesn’t Need a Patriot Act 2.0

by with No Comment FeaturedPolitics

While sitting at home attempting to enjoy a relaxing, quarantined birthday, my peaceful mood was shifted to disbelief by reports of White Supremacists storming the Capitol in an effort to overturn the election results. The danger of White Supremacist violence obviously shouldn’t be taken lightly, so I was nervous about how things would unfold and especially worried if Black people in D.C. would be safe. The Capitol being stormed was wild to me, but certain things that took place that day were predictable (yet still disappointing). Police handling the rioters with kid gloves wasn’t surprising since I’ve spent years being painfully aware of the double standard that exists when it comes to the way that law enforcement treats Black people vs. White people. It’s not lost on me that if the rioters were Black, we would’ve witnessed a massacre. It’s also predictable that politicians are calling for unity and healing without any accountability, which is a type of forgiveness and understanding that would’ve never been extended if that mob was full of Black people. A lack of accountability in this situation is a green light for increased White Supremacist violence, and more coup attempts, which worries me. 

There’s another thing that I’m concerned about. A Wall Street Journal article I read on the 7th explained Joe Biden’s plans to pass a domestic terrorism law, which is concerning to me & other leftists, who know that this won’t stop White Supremacists like those who planned and executed the insurrection, but will be used against Black activists, socialists, etc. Plus, there are already existing laws that are meant to prevent these kinds of things from happening. Marginalized people will be disproportionately harmed by the creation of more laws, which is why more laws are not the answer.  

Increased government surveillance is not the answer either. My concern is that our government may implement a Patriot Act 2.0. This idea is disturbing since The Patriot Act already had devastating effects, giving the government more unchecked power and expanding its’ ability to spy on its citizens, which is why we don’t need a repeat, especially when you consider that rioters planned the insurrection openly on social media forums and law enforcement did nothing.

In fact, the role that law enforcement played in the events is probably one of the best examples of why increased police funding will never be the answer. Not only did police basically open the doors for those storming the Capitol, waving them through barricades, taking selfies with them and escorting one of them down the steps, but many of those who participated were off duty police officers from across the country. The connection between White Supremacy and the institution of policing can no longer be ignored, and we can’t depend on police to protect us from the hate groups they’ve aligned with. Any increase in government surveillance or police funding is going to impact Black activists negatively. We’re already surveilled and over-policed by the state as it is. White Supremacy and fascism are the problems, not those fighting against it, and it has gone unchecked in the U.S. for far too long. The events at the Capitol were unfortunate, but there is an opportunity here for accountability. Unfortunately, there have already been attempts to conflate BLM protesters with those attacking the Capitol, and we need to ensure that the wrong people don’t end up facing the consequences.

Similar Read: Until the Revolution of 1776 is Complete

Trump for MVP?

by with One Comment FeaturedNFLSports

We made it! We’re in our third week of 2021, and 2020 has not come back to life yet. 2020 was special and given I’m a sports fan, I could not wrap up 2020 without using a sports analogy. 2020 was a lot, and dozens upon dozens of events, people, and places made it special. And just like in professional sports, there are countless great players who turned in a great season, but there’s always one player who can stand out for a particular reason, that person being the most valuable person of the year. 

Before giving my MVP award for 2020, I wanted to give a backdrop to the thought process. 

We all know Peyton Manning, before Papa Johns and Nationwide Insurance commercials, was once a very good NFL Quarterback. Such a great Quarterback, that he was considered by some to be the 2011 MVP, which was not surprising for an eventual winner of five NFL Most Valuable Player awards. However, in 2011, Peyton Manning DID NOT play a single game. In the 2010 season, Peyton led his Indianapolis Colts to a 10-6 record clinching a then NFL record ninth consecutive postseason appearance. Coming into the 2011 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts were usual favorites to compete for a Super Bowl, mainly because of the reliant greatness of Manning. In the Spring of 2011, Peyton underwent a series of possible career-ending neck surgeries, given he was 35… the Colts released him. The Colts went 2 -14 without him. A record that gave the Colts the number one pick in which they drafted Andrew Luck. Peyton, he made out okay going to Denver and winning another Super Bowl. 

So it wasn’t Peyton Manning’s actual gameplay in 2011 that made him so valuable, it was what he DIDN’T DO (keep that in mind for later) that made him so great. If Peyton doesn’t get cut by the Colts, the Andrew Luck pick is now for my beloved Washington Football team to pick, and instead of Robert Griffen III, we get Andrew Luck. Denver doesn’t get Peyton and has to seek other QB options, meaning they don’t face the Panthers a few years later in the Super Bowl. And so on and so on. 

Get it??? So now for the actual 2020 part of the 2020 wrap up. 

Like it or not, Donald Trump was a major part of your life in 2020. Yes, Trump literally trumped every person, place, or thing that took place in 2020. 

Like the fly that landed on Mike Pence’s head during the Vice Presidential debate, it took me a while to write a 2020 wrap-up. Just as never in history had a fly and a human-made contact and neither reacted to it, 2020 was simply that, a year in which events unfolded unlike never seen before. The lion share of those events centered around Covid-19 and only one person bears the most responsibility for the United States’ response to the virus… 

Trump. 

He’s the MVP of 2020, and here’s why.

Time magazine got it all wrong. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris should not have been selected as “person of the year.” This is not a slight against them, I voted for them. To be candid, it’s because the Biden/Harris ticket won primarily off the disastrous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by Trump.

No way, Joe Biden… if “the safe government job you got out of college as opposed to taking that internship at MTV” were a person… even wins the Democrat nomination. The Democratic nomination seemed to be going the way of Progressives like Sanders and Warren; however, once COVID-19 and the dangers of both the virus and lack of leadership from Trump hit, most saw the only goal in 2020 was to vote out Trump. Whoever was most “fit” to make that happen, all who didn’t storm the US Capitol Building… really didn’t care who that was. 

As early as Feb 2020, Trump was made aware of the dangers of Covid-19 and decided, for political purposes, to ignore it. Granted, Trump has ignored any and all relevant issues since becoming POTUS, but 2020 was his Jay-Z’s Blueprint album. He went all out in a classic way… Trump ignored to address the problems of the nation in the areas of health, science, race relations, police brutality, the environment, immigration, energy… the list is too exhausting to continue. All of these elements led to a historic turnout amongst voters, Georgia going blue… twice! Sports arenas and courts dotted with “VOTE” and “BLM” messaging, just to name a few. Trump’s actions of 2020 have seemed to spawn a sense of activism and political awareness not seen since the 1960s. 

Post-election, Trump has acted like a true disgruntled employee. First, by making constant outlandish attempts to overturn the election. Trump and his Four Seasons Total Landscaping Rewards Member friend, lawyer, and hair color expert, Rudy Giuliani, made every attempt to overturn the election claiming fraud. Fraud in which no one on the Trump team could ever produce any sort of evidence proving there was fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election. 

Back to the Peyton and the 2011 Indianapolis Colts… Trump’s 2020 magnum opus year was a year like Peyton’s in 2011. Similar to Peyton never taking a snap in 2011 and it having ripple effects throughout the entire league for seasons to follow, Trump’s inability to lead has effected the entire country… particularly his inability to immediately respond to COVID-19 has led to more than 300,000 Americans dying and counting, not to mention a host of failed policies and procedures in which the ramifications will be felt for years to come. Who knows how different 2020 and the years to follow would have been if the dangers of COVID-19 were immediately addressed by Trump when he was first told.

And then there’s January 6, 2021. An event in which the 2020 MVP became the most dangerous hype man for. An event, at the most, was an outright Coup d’etat, and at minimum, a terrorist mob. An event that shows the 2020 MVP, may not play many games in 2021, but please believe he’s still got some sacks to deliver to the American people.

Similar Read: My Reaction to the Storming of Capitol Hill

My Heart Bleeds for Breonna

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedRace Relations

My heart bleeds for Breonna, and every Black woman in this country. A country where Black women are betrayed at every turn. 

No justice (no peace)? 

How do you explain Breonna’s murder and a 6-month investigation that renders no charges or indictments directly related to her murder? 

A Black AG, who just spoke at the Republican Convention last month, who’s also on Trump’s shortlist to replace RBG on the Supreme Court, wants us to believe he’s sincere in his attempt to bring justice? He wants us to believe that it actually wasn’t a no-knock warrant, they just decided to do it at 12:30 am in the middle of the night? That every one of Breonna’s neighbors except 1 failed to hear them announce themselves prior to entering? Despite the officers being in plainclothes when they entered the apartment and Breonna’s boyfriend assuming it was a home invasion, he shouldn’t have acted in self-defense and opened fire with his legal firearm… and because he did, the officers were justified in returning fire? 

That’s that. “We sympathize with the family… so much that we’re going to give you $12 million dollars of your fellow neighbors hard-earned tax money.”

To make this horror story even worse, no drugs were found in the apartment, and the actual (no knock) warrant in question targeted another individual who was in police custody prior to the raid. 

Case closed. A young Black woman with dreams and aspirations… murdered by the state. No justice. 

Breonna deserved better. Black women deserve better. And until this country, specifically law enforcement and our criminal justice system, start treating Black women with basic humanity, respect, and dignity, these systems and institutions deserve hell, their budgets need to be re-examined, and distrust will only grow as more people witness the bold and corrupt state that literally gets away with cold-blooded murder. 

BLACK LIVES MATTER.

Similar Read: Breonna

Why NBA Players Shouldn’t Boycott

by with One Comment FeaturedSports

Dear NBA Teams,

Please Don’t Boycott Games. Public Awareness is not the issue right now. One would have to be living in a monastery somewhere away from all civilization to be ignorant of the current disparities in criminal justice between different races in the United States.

Also, it’s unlikely anyone will see that the Celtics and Raptors aren’t playing and suddenly change their mind about such a deep-seated issue as racial injustice.

So what does a boycott accomplish?

  • There will be no money generated for truly good people (the players particularly, but also the coaches, managers, staff, owners, and other employees who seem to be 100% all on the same page about this).
  • The world will receive none of the messaging that NBA players have so successfully brought to each game via text, video, and spoken word.
  • A gaping hole will emerge in media content that will be filled with more of the wrong voices, particularly the current RNC convention.

What does playing accomplish?

  • Playing will generate more money to help fight the system via political power, programs, education, protecting polling locations, etc.
  • More of the right messaging from the right people will be front and center on prime time television.
  • Playing games with a heavy emphasis on racial justice will prove that an industry can not only exist, but thrive taking a very firm political stand (whereas conventional wisdom is to never alienate one’s audience in pursuit of the almighty dollar).

Although boycotting might seem like an effective gesture, it will be rendered meaningless almost immediately after the moment has passed.

Political power and cultural consensus is the goal right now for anyone fighting on behalf of Black Lives Matters.

Finally, as Trump proved in the 2016 election, the loudest and most media-dominant voice will take all the oxygen. These NBA Playoff games are keeping the focus on some of the most talented, wealthy, and brilliant minds one could ask for in service of the greater good. Let’s keep it there as long as possible.

Similar Read: Is a Bubble the Answer?

Until the Revolution of 1776 is Complete

by with 2 Comments CultureFeaturedPolitics

U.S. Congressman and Civil Rights activist John Lewis passed away last weekend at the age of 80. He famously spoke at the Great March on Washington on August 28, 1963, the youngest of all the speakers that day, before a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people. Despite the agony of walking and standing under the scorching August Washington D.C. Sun, history would be made thanks to the speeches given by greats such as John Lewis, Roy Wilkins, and of course, the famous “I have a dream” speech by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

In the present tense, we claim to honor those greats by “continuing their legacy,” but that simply isn’t true. 

We are not doing enough. Period. We, meaning we as Americans as a collective, haven’t done enough to ensure the hard work of Congressman Lewis doesn’t have to be done all over again. 2020 has fully exposed our complacency for pushing for needed change in this country. From the handling of the Coronavirus pandemic to the murder of George Floyd, both expose America’s glaring need to no longer ignore systematic ills. Though the systematic ills of America are nothing new to Black people, the “ills” are sometimes not as clear as we may want to think. 

When Congressman Lewis was figurately and literally (he had his skull mashed into by a Police Officer) fighting systematic racism in the 1960s, the obstacles were more direct. Under the protection of “states rights,” states could enact systematic white supremacist measures like Jim Crow laws. The works of the 1960’s Civil Rights movement led to hallmark acts like the Civil Rights Voting Act, Voting Rights Act, and the Housing Rights Act, VISIBLY desegregated America. However, as we most certainly know, the true work resided in the post segregated America. Measures not so direct and noticeable. You do not “see” a doctor neglecting the prenatal needs of a Black woman in favor of a White woman. You do not “see” qualified Black candidates get passed over by their lesser qualified White peers in the same manner you “saw” a young John Lewis get physically assaulted by a Police Officer. 

2020 has shown the long neglect to address failures in the healthcare system, criminal justice system, and education simply cannot continue. The need to apply true pressure to elected officials to make drastic and impacting change is the legacy Congressman John Lewis wanted to create. He said it best…

“I appeal to all of you to get into this great revolution that is sweeping this nation. Get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village and hamlet of this nation until true freedom comes, until the revolution of 1776 is complete.”

We cannot allow the call for Black Lives Matter, Equality, and Justice to morph into nothing more than a bumper sticker or hashtag. The consequences are too much to allow that to happen. Let’s vote, let’s stay on the elected officials we elect to do their job of progressing the cause of all people and let’s keep doing it… until the revolution of 1776 is complete!

Similar Read: You Are NOT Your Ancestors!

An Icon on the Hill & Beyond

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedPolitics

Georgia Representative John Lewis was labeled as the humble giant on the Hill. However, his colleagues referred to him as the Conciseness of Congress. He’ll be remembered for his continuous fight for Voter’s Right, his lifetime fight for all people. 

At the 1963 March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” address, Civil Rights leaders asked John Lewis to tone his speech down afraid that it would be too much and would cause controversy. Lewis was the last living speaker at the march on Washington.

On October 8, 2013, Lewis was arrested outside on Capitol Hill for civil disobedience while he was standing up with protestors for Immigration reform. Nothing new for Lewis… he had been arrested 40+ times for peacefully protesting when the stakes were just as high. On October June 12, 2016, the nation was shocked by another shooting. This time it was the Pulse Night Club, a gay night club that was personally targeted in Orlando, Florida. On June 22, Rep. Lewis held a floor sit-in on the floor of The US House of Representatives just ten days after the Shooting. The sit-in protest, which was to fight specifically for gun control, lasted for more than 12 hours with roughly 40 Democratic House Representatives by his side. 

Lewis was not just an icon on the Hill, but beyond. In fact, he was mainly known for his work and legacy off the Hill. He was born the son of sharecroppers on February 21, 1940, outside of Troy, Alabama. He was inspired by the activism surrounding the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the words of the late Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which he heard on radio broadcasts. He made a decision at a very young age to become a part of the Civil Rights Movement. While a student at Fisk University, John Lewis organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1961, he volunteered to participate in the Freedom Rides, which challenged segregation at interstate bus terminals in the Deep South.

From 1963 to 1966, Lewis was named Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he helped form. John Lewis led over 600 peaceful, orderly protestors across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965. The marchers were attacked on that bridge by Alabama state troopers in a brutal confrontation that became known as “Bloody Sunday.” He suffered a skull fracture and was one of 58 people treated for injuries at the local hospital. Despite more than 40 arrests, physical attacks and serious injuries, Lewis remained a devoted advocate of the nonviolence philosophy.

In 1981, he was elected to the Atlanta City Council. And in November 1986, he was elected to Congress and served as U.S. Representative of Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District since then. Earlier this year, Lewis attended the 55th-anniversary of the march in Selma, which was a surprise appearance considering his illness. One of his last public appearances was in DC on Black Lives Matter Plaza (16th Street) with Mayor Muriel Bowser. He not only was there to see the name change of 16th Street, but also to witness in person the large display of Black Lives Matter painted in yellow. Such an iconic moment for one of the original fathers of the Black Lives Matter movement to witness. 

In December 2019, Lewis presided over the House vote to restore voter’s rights. The House voted and passed this bill. The Senate never even brought the bill to the floor for a vote. That bill still remains on Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell‘s desk still today. Lewis made his transition from this earth on Friday, July 17, 2020, after his battle with pancreatic cancer. Whenever I now hear the sound of the thunder it will remind me of his thunderous voice of advocacy. His legacy will live on.

Similar Read: You Are NOT Your Ancestors!

We Are All Talked Out

by with No Comment FeaturedPoliticsRace Relations

The other week South Carolina’s Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was asked what was his opinion on chokeholds, police brutality as well as the rise of racial unrest. Sen Graham responded, “Well I think we need to learn how to start talking to each other.”  He added, “First we should start talking then look at data.” I am personally sick of people, mainly White people, telling Blacks they need to start talking about it. Black Americans have been talking and talking for years, decades and centuries. The truth is some White Americans in power have never been interested in doing anything to address the issue of race.

On Monday, June 22, 2020, the US House discussed voting on their police reform bills. The Republican bill does not address issues with police brutality but actually give them incentives if they do not do chokeholds. It explicitly states, “Give Incentives to Police Departments that Do Not Do Chokeholds, Let States Maintain the Tracking of Police Misconduct, Would Not Amend Federal Civil Rights Law, No Change in Qualified Immunity, and just Collect State Data on No-Knock Warrants.“ On the other hand, the Democrat bill says, “Ban on Chokeholds, National registry to Track Police Misconduct, Would amend Federal Civil Rights Law, Change in Qualified Immunity and Ban No-Knock Warrants in Drug Cases.“

As to expected… night and day.

Clearly, Republicans believe that just because they proposed a police reform bill that would appeal to African-Americans voters. However, African-Americans will not allow the GOP to use their community as a prop. The evidence is in their bill, that Republicans in the House of Representatives do not believe that Black Lives Matter. The Black Community has been clear that they are ALL TALKED OUT, they are ready for ACTION.

Similar Read: My Letter to John Lewis