Today In Black History February 17
The Birthday Of These #1’s, Black Excellence On Display.
#theblackblogger

Join me tomorrow evening on my Facebook Page for The Blackman Read Aloud Hour Project “Joseph Shelton Hall” as I begin a new book. This is real black history read from cover to cover alive.

We need to create a national delegation of African Americans to go the both the Democratic and Republican Conventions to present a list of demands to their platform committees. The party that meets or agrees to the majority of our demands gets our political support. It’s way pass time when we have pledged allegiance to any party without getting some significant benefits from the parties of our choice. Our ancestors pledged allegiance once in significant numbers to the Republican Party because it was the party that was in power during our emancipation. When the Republicans refused to end the oppressive conditions of a Jim Crowed South and move forced mass migrations from the southern states. We as a people moved to the Democratic Party in the urban areas of the east, west and north. Now, we need to force that Democratic Party which passed the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Bills of the 60s’ to provide true actionable changes in terms of economic strength to our failing cities. We cannot simply get a sticker for voting while the steel cells continue to be filled with young black men. The hope of many of our young is either extinguished, delayed, or killed long before it should be. The real deal is that as William Monroe Trotter attempted to incite was the philosophy of true political independence. We must begin truly to vote race over party. We cannot be continued to be taken advantage of. I, nor the majority of my black community residents want the true benefits due us, 400 years of oppression is simply far too much time of waiting.

The more I read about Catherine Pugh’s current situation in the Sunpapers regarding her upcoming sentencing hearing, the more dismayed I become. How could she do this to herself . Wasn’t she surrounded in her life by Baltimore’s finest establishment of black leaders. She was an active member of one of the largest church congregations in the city. She was a confidant to many political and business leaders. She was a friend to the current President of the college she attended Morgan State University. She was considered a close friend to the late Elijah Cummings. She went to school with and has been friends with former NAACP President Mfume. She was business partners with City Comptroller Joan Pratt. So many black friends and no one couldn’t step in and save Catherine Pugh from herself? Now in 11 days she will face the gravel of justice.

Those friends who couldn’t save Ms. Pugh are writing testimonials to the sentencing judge asking for mercy. Where were these testimonials when Ms. Pugh really needed them? Before she threw her life away at all 60+ years of age making poor decisions that lead to her current misfortune. The federal government has requested 60 months of incarceration in a federal penitentiary while Catherine Pugh’s legal team has requested 366 days of incarceration. The fact that Ms. Pugh is 70 years old should account for limiting the amount of time she is given. I hope the result of Ms Pugh’s sentencing ends the downward spiral which has taken its toll on her emotional and psychological well-being. The sentence shouldn’t be deemed a life sentence it however cannot be a slap on the hand either. I just wonder where all these advocates for Catherine Pugh’s well-being where when she was making these terrible life changing decisions that destroyed her standing in a city she loved and supposedly loved her.