Politics and Current
NABJ did something white
.
On April 23, 1899, white residents of Georgia gathered in Newnan to take part in one among the best traditions of white America:
They were going to lynch Just the pants.
Hose was a black man who was accused the brutal murder of his employer, the employer’s wife, and the couple’s newborn son. No one cared that Hose had killed his boss by throwing an axe when his employer was about to shoot him for requesting a break day. It didn’t matter that Hose wasn’t tried for the alleged crime. The flash mob didn’t care that the wife and child that Hose was accused of killing were actually alive and unaffected. Back then, black lives didn’t matter. White people didn’t care. To them, lynching black people was normal.
So many lynch mobs flocked to Newnan that the railroad corporations rerouted their trains to accommodate the white flash mob. When they arrived, a whole bunch of normal white adults took turns cutting off pieces of Hose’s limbs, ears, and genitals to maintain as souvenirs, while their normal white children gathered firewood. After a series of routine stabbings, the traditional lynchers doused Hose with regular gasoline, burned him, and sang their normal songs until Hose’s eyes exploded out of his head. Then they went back to their normal homes.
WEB Du Bois was not normal.
He laid the foundations for the study of human behavior that became often called sociology. His brain planted the seeds that might spawn the trendy civil rights movement, African American studies, critical race theory, and even nuclear disarmament. While I personally imagine he’s essentially the most good mind America has ever produced, I have to also admit that my appreciation for his genius pales compared to the most important Du Bois fanboy of all of them:
William Edward Burghardt DuBois.
As one of the eloquent, prolific wordsmiths who ever lived and breathed, Du Bois believed he was uniquely positioned to persuade white people of the error of their ways of lynching them. Since he was in Georgia, teaching at Atlanta University, he placed on his best suit, grabbed his cane, and headed to fulfill with the editor of the Atlanta Constitution. Du Bois was going to defeat the normalized racial violence that infected society. He truly believed that white supremacy was no match for facts, scientific data, logic, and, above all, the unique genius of the neatest man alive.
“I didn’t get there,” Du Bois wrote in Dusk of Dawn: An Autobiography of a Race Concept. “Sam Hose had been lynched, they usually said his knuckles were on display in a food market down Mitchell Street, where I used to be walking. I turned back toward the University. I started to show away from my work. I didn’t meet Joel Chandler Harris or the editor of the Constitution.
“Two things later intruded upon my work and ultimately disrupted it: first, it was impossible to be a calm, cool, and impartial scientist while Negroes were being lynched, murdered, and starved; and second, there was no such apparent demand for scientific work of the kind I was doing.”
If WEB Du Bois were alive, he would probably be in Chicago immediately on the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists. Some of essentially the most good reporters, sharpest thinkers, and eloquent writers in America have gathered in the neighborhood on the very hotel from which I write these words. During my time here, I even have not met a single NABJ member who disagreed with the choice to ask Donald Trump.
Sure, there have been just a few who argued that NABJ must have treated Donald Trump as if he were every other presidential candidate. They mistakenly believed that Wednesday’s fiasco might have been avoided with more aggressive questioning, more experienced journalists or a male reporter on stage. Others said NABJ needed a live fact-checker on stage with Trump. Or perhaps it was the sound.
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These persons are flawed.
The only difference between every other Trump interview and the dumpster fire that erupted on the NABJ convention is that black people organized it. Trump did what he at all times does. He attacked women. He spread racism. He lied. He spread chaos and division. We already know that black lives don’t matter to him. Everyone knows he doesn’t care in regards to the truth. Or the law. Or us. He’s a one-man lynch mob. A lover of lies. But greater than anything… Donald Trump is normal.
The most typical grievance from black journalists is how the white media hides behind a false construct of objectivity when covering Trump. Media outlets just like the New York Times usually are not objective; they are only white. All of their reporting normalizes his behavior. When they cover his criminal cases, they don’t cover him as a criminal. They are speculated to be truthful, but they routinely share his words without realizing that they arrive from the mouth of an incorrigible liar. They haven’t any problem calling people names. terrorists, robbers AND cheaters. But they clearly need more evidence before they will call Trump a racist. Yet, selecting to normalize Trump in the identical way NABJ has shown its knuckles.
They could have just said no.
Even if the NABJ invites every presidential candidate to its convention, you don’t need to be the neatest person on the planet to know you can’t treat Donald Trump like several other president. Treating a liar like a liar and a racist like a racist is a no brainer. No editor at a good outlet would ever use an authorized liar as a source. Even if their backs were against the wall, they might fact-check the lies. Most reputable outlets actually wouldn’t ask a racist for an exclusive interview (well, the New York Times would, but… you already know how do they do it.)
The NABJ decision ultimately negated the rationale for NABJ to exist. It ignored black voices and reinforced racism. It treated the arbitrary unwritten rules of white journalism as in the event that they were something black journalists should strive to follow. It was rude to black women. It helped spread racism, disinformation, and hate. It treated the nice and cozy glow of the white gaze as if it were the middle of the universe. It shifted the burden of white supremacy onto the shoulders of black journalists.
Black people usually are not magical.
I even have not seen anyone writing with a wand that would erase all barriers of equality during my time here. Even essentially the most magical of blacks cannot persuade Trump’s Mountain Dew-drinking army that their orange crush shouldn’t be a bigoted, aspiring authoritarian. There is nothing these excellent black journalists (and Harris Faulkner) could expose that the world has not already seen. Why should the mostly anti-MAGA black convention attendees need to walk within the feces that anti-black MAGAmuffins have spewed? Saying “no” can also be an option.
We can’t abracadabra force white America to care about black people, democracy, or justice when white people truly imagine that the systems and culture they’ve built are completely normal. How much work do we’ve to do before we realize that there is no such thing as a amount of logic or reason that may cure white people of the virus they willingly spread. Nor is it our duty to try. Even if I could…
I refuse.
Politics and Current
Unboxing Sexy Red voting for Kamala Harris after praising Trump
In a serious endorsement of Kamala Harris on social media, the “Sexy Red” hip-hop star announced Friday that she voted for the Democratic presidential nominee.
During early voting in Missouri, the St. rapper Louis posted photos with the words “I Voted!” stickers as she posed in front of a black SUV, presumably after casting her vote.
“I just voted!!! Don’t tell us what to do with our pussies!! #Kamala4President,” wrote the musician, whose real name is Janae Nierah Wherry.
The statement may come as a surprise to many, as sexy Red has previously expressed support for Republican Party candidate Donald Trump.
In an October 2023 interview, the 26-year-old star said, “I like Trump… they support him in the hood.”
I just voted!!! Don’t tell us what to do with our pussies!! #Kamala4President pic.twitter.com/5rvpa6HzJ8
— Sexy red (@SexyyRed314_) November 1, 2024
“At first I don’t think people gave a shit about him… they thought he was racist and saying little shit, you know, against women” – Sexyy Red on the This Past Weekend podcast. “But when did he start bailing black people out of jail and giving people free money? Oh baby, we love Trump. We must reinstate him.”
The rapper also expressed her admiration for Trump, changing his slogan “Make America Great Again” to her own – “Make America sexyy again.” The MC also showed off a MAGA-like hat during his performance on the 2024 Roots Picnic.
Seemingly following the backlash, Sexy Red later clarified that she had not officially endorsed Trump or any political candidate.
Batchelor continued: “The Vice President’s closing message clearly resonated with the broad coalition we need to engage before the clock runs out on November 5.” He added: “Kamala Harris ran one of the shortest presidential campaigns in the history of American politics, and she has remarkably managed to build a broad coalition of Americans ready to make a difference – even those who may have been skeptical at first. This bodes well for Tuesday’s results.”
Sexy Red’s change of heart about Trump could mean a breakthrough for Vice President Harris, who has been crisscrossing the country in recent weeks and days to succeed in out to undecided and non-voters. A specific concern for the Harris campaign is young voters of color and young black men, although recent polls show the Democratic candidate has managed to shut some gaps.
Kamala Harris has particularly relied on her economic proposals to sway key voters. They include tax breaks for middle-class families, grants for first-time home buyers, foreclosure loans for small business owners and a federal ban on price gouging by firms to lower grocery prices.
During an interview on former NFL star Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, the vp debunked misconceptions concerning the so-called “stimulus” checks – previously mentioned by “Sexy Red” – that Americans have received while Trump is in office throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
“Really, Congress wrote these checks. But then Donald Trump, unlike any president before or since, decided he was going to put his name on these checks,” said Harris, who noted that Trump initially opposed the stimulus checks.
Harris’ other major point was the specter of a national abortion ban if Donald Trump returns to the White House. On Tuesday, during a serious campaign rally in Washington, D.C., attended by greater than 75,000 people, the vp focused most of his political messages on the economy and reproductive rights.
“(Trump) would ban abortion nationwide, restrict access to contraceptives and put at risk in vitro fertilization treatments, and force states to monitor women’s pregnancies,” Harris warned. “I have lived the promise of America, and I see it in all of you… I see it in the women who refuse to accept a future without reproductive freedom, and in the men who support them.”
As evidenced by Sexy Red’s enthusiastic endorsement of Harris amongst her thousands and thousands of fans, Harris’ message could resonate with voters.
More history
Politics and Current
Black Women in Politics: Angela Alsobrooks Leads in Polls and Wants to Make History in Maryland Senate Race – Essence
Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Angela Alsobrooks is running a breakthrough campaign in Maryland’s U.S. Senate race and is poised to make history because the state’s first Black senator if elected. With a distinguished background in public service – she served as Prince George’s County State’s Attorney for eight years before being elected twice as county executive – Alsobrooks now intends to bring her experience to Congress, where she could be one among the few Black women to ever serve in that role.
The latest poll from the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (CDCE) shows her a robust double-digit lead over her Republican opponent, former Gov. Larry Hogan. In October, Alsobrooks polled with 52% of likely voters, compared to Hogan’s 40%, and Libertarian candidate Mike Scott was polling at lower than 4%. Despite Hogan’s intense promoting campaigns, Alsobrooks’ advantage has continued since September. “The overall margin is about the same,” CDCE Director Michael Hanmer said, as each side give attention to influencing undecided voters in this high-stakes race.
This race could determine party control of the U.S. Senate, making issues like abortion and economic policy more essential than ever. While more Maryland voters now view Hogan because the stronger candidate on economic issues, Alsobrooks has significant benefits on health care and reproductive rights, topics that widely share her views. CDCE data suggests her comments in regards to the Senate’s role in protecting reproductive rights resonated with many citizens in Maryland, something analysts say Hogan struggled to rise up to.
Alsobrooks’ campaign is historically significant: If elected, she would turn out to be Maryland’s first Black female senator and one among the few Black women to serve in the Senate in its 235-yr history. “People like me don’t get to the Senate, and we should,” Alsobrooks emphasized in her speech on the Democratic National Convention in August, calling attention to the systemic barriers Black women face in reaching high political office. “We only chose two [Black women] for the Senate and has only won three seats so far, so it was a joy to get on that stage and represent so many people whose voices I felt were underrepresented in the Senate. And it was a great moment,” she told ESSENCE about her speech.
The historical context is important: Carol Moseley Braun was the primary Black woman elected to the Senate in 1992, followed by Kamala Harris in 2016. In 2023, California’s Laphonza Butler became the third Black woman in the Senate, appointed to finish Dianne Feinstein’s term. he doesn’t intend to run for the complete term. If Alsobrooks is successful, she could join Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, who can also be running for Senate, and together they might potentially transform the Senate with historic levels of black women’s representation.
Alsobooks told ESSENCE that her journey into public service was inspired in part by Kamala Harris, then the district attorney of San Francisco, whom she first examine in a 2009 article. “I read a magazine article about a district attorney using new ideas to keep his community safe,” Alsobrooks recalled. Inspired, she began to incorporate restorative justice principles into her own work, in search of ways to rethink the criminal justice system and expand access to opportunity.
Alsobrooks says he sees his candidacy as a way to effect meaningful change, from economic opportunity to access to health care. Her platform focuses on expanding reproductive rights, access to health care and educational resources for Marylanders. Alsobrooks also supports comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship, and has been openly critical of the Trump-era tax cuts, calling for higher corporate tax rates to fund programs for working families fairly than corporate interests.
The stakes remain high for Alsobrooks as she campaigns to represent Maryland and amplify the voices of diverse communities in the Senate. Marylanders will soon make a choice on November 5, setting the course for the state’s future in Washington.
Politics and Current
Vice President Harris finds Trump’s ‘Like it or not’ comment ‘offensive’
As Americans approach Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris is refining her message that her opponent, former President Donald Trump, is the worst option for ladies and girls’s rights. At a campaign rally within the battleground state of Nevada, she told those that Trump’s recent remark that he’ll protect women whether “they want it or not” shows that he doesn’t understand women’s right to make decisions about their very own lives and body.
“By the way, I think it’s offensive to everyone” – AP reports Harris made the announcement on October 31 before campaign days in Nevada and Arizona
During the rally in Phoenix, she expanded on her message, stating, “He simply does not respect women’s freedom or the intelligence of women to know what is in their best interest and make decisions based on that. But we trust women.”
Harris has consistently delivered messages as she criss-crosses the country on the campaign trail. She hopes women’s rights could have an impact on women voting on the polls as Trump continues to grapple with demographic issues.
Meanwhile, during an October 30 rally on the battlefield in Wisconsin, Trump apparently he admitted to his supporters that advisers had urged him to refrain from using the term “defender” when discussing women’s rights because it was “inappropriate.” Immediately afterwards, he signals that he isn’t removing this word from his dictionary. He went a step further and told the group that he had told his advisors, “Well, I’m going to do it whether women like it or not. I’m going to guard them.”
Political pundits have it highlighted that his statements are sometimes contradictory, especially since he appointed three U.S. Supreme Court justices to ultimately create a conservative majority ruling overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. Earlier this 12 months, Trump bragged about his role in overturning a constitutional law, calling it a “miracle ” – based on CBS reports.
While his message is inconsistent, Trump occasionally states that he believes abortion rights ought to be left to the states.
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