Nov. 15, 2019
Real Facts
The Blackman Who Reads Aloud Fun Fact
Nov. 15, 2019
Why Does An Act On A Football Generate Outrage But Acts Of Injustice Don’t Seem Too
Today my social media timeline has blown up because Myles Garret, defensive end for the Cleveland Browns apparently ripped the helmet off of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph. This incident on a football field tells us just how much misguided our black communities are. I mean I am seeing not only men expressing thoughts calling for some type of public punishment of Myles Garrett but also women calling for Miles Garrett to be punished severely as well. Really? There was no public outcry from these same people about the news that Baltimore City has had 300 or more murders for 5 consecutive years. My timeline didn’t blow up at that news. These mostly black victims will never have a chance to see another football game in their lives. They were murdered in cold blood. We except that as a common occurrence but Myles Garrett needs to be publicly admonished, severely punished, and socially ostracized for pulling a helmet off a football player and swinging it at him. Tuesday night an possibly innocent black man was murdered by the state of Georgia. Ray Cromartie was given a lethal injection although the actual murderer of Richard Slysz, Gary Clark is free and clear. Mr. Cromartie went to the death chamber expressing his innocence with the final words of his life. Yet, my timeline was silent from our black communities voices regarding the fate of Ray Cromartie. However, today it seems that Myles Garrett was a mass murderer guilty of killing in cold blood the dignity of professionalism in the violent game of NFL football. If they were given the opportunity I believe many would call for a public stoning like back in the Middle Ages. How dare Myles Garrett do that during a game, yes a game. Also, my timeline is blowing up because Carmelo Anthony has signed a non guaranteed contract to play for the Portland Trailblazers. Really? Not one post about the miscarriage of justice that saw Ray Cromartie getting the lethal injection. Isn’t Melo over the Hill? Hasn’t Melo earned damn near a quarter of a billion dollars to play a game for fun? What about Ray Cromartie? He took his final shot in his arm a clear miss for a crime he didn’t commit. Yes, our communities are misguided and our priorities are misaligned. When events that happen on the field of play override and over power real time events of humanity and injustice.
Nov. 15, 2019
John Mercer Langston, In His Words, My Voice, Equality Before Law
Two separate school systems, tolerating discriminations in favor of one class against another, inflating on the one part, degrading on the other; two separate school systems, I say, tolerating such state of feeling and sentiment on the part of the classes instructed respectively in accordance therewith, cannot educate these classes to live harmoniously together, meeting the responsibilities and discharging the duties imposed by a common government in the interest of a common country.
Although John Mercer Langston made this speech almost a century and a half ago about the inequities in educational systems between whites and black children. Even today, 2019, the disparity between educational systems between white and black children still exists. That’s why it is imperative that we know how history can reappear with the same vengeance of earlier times. Today, I honor the spirit of John Mercer Langston. Listen to his words repeated and learn how we can honor our ancestors by fighting for true and absolute equality.
Nov. 14, 2019
Murdered In Cold Blood? Did Or Do We Care?
Yesterday in Georgia a serious case of capital miscarriage of justice occurred. The state Of Georgia may have murdered an innocent man. This isn’t a case that occurred in the years of Jim Crow Justice when black men were routinely murdered by southern states for crimes that involved high levels of injustice. This is 2019 when every available resource is available to specify guilt or innocence in criminal cases involving capital murders. How can the Georgia Governor send the execution orders to the penitentiary officials when questions of innocence or guilt are apparent? If this was case that involved any other individual of another majority race would not all available resources been applied before that man was given a lethal injection? Or was it a case that Ray Cromartie simply didn’t warrant the full resources of Georgia’s legal and investigative because he was involved in the crime? Yes, Mr. Cromartie was in the store when Richard Slysz was murdered but did or didn’t he pull the trigger ending Mr. Slysz life? Mr. Cromartie has professed his innocence for 20 years. He has never wavered. Yesterday, before the injection process was about to begin he still maintained his innocence. Why didn’t our United States Supreme Court Justices put an end to this travesty of justice? Is this how the American system of justice should be applied? Is this what makes America great? Why didn’t the majority of America’s public demand that Ray Cromartie get justice to ensure that Georgia didn’t kill the wrong man? Is it because the alleged crime was so bungled that the robbery only netted 2 six packs of beer? Why are we more concerned about whether LeBron James gets a triple double, or whether Colin Kaepernick gets a contract, or whether this team or that team wins on Saturday or Sunday but allows Ray Cromartie to be murdered in invisibility. We allow miscarriages of justice to still occur on a daily basis in this nation. Whether the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Cleveland Browns wins tonight is truly inconsequential to the justice being applied correctly in our nation. Why are we more concerned about this game than the fact that Ray Cromartie was murdered last night. Won’t the Browns and Steelers play 2 times now until infinity or until the NFL still is operational? Yet, Ray Cromartie took his last breath last night. No more games for him. He played his final game last night. Yet, he died in almost absolute silence but in our communities we awoke to the news not of Ray Cromartie but the news that James Harden scored 47 points against the Clippers. Damn, how our priorities have been maladjusted but games rather than values. If a black man is murdered by the state does the community hear him fall? Or is injustice so rampant. Do we simply feel helpless in trying to stop these acts of injustice? We do know however Kevin Durant is not going to play in New Jersey this year. Nonsense news is our priority because relevant news requires critical thoughts and thinking and we’re not good at that. Another provoked thought for the day.
Nov. 14, 2019
November 14, 1915 Passing Of Booker T. Washington In His Words, My Voice
On August 18, 1915, in Boston, Mass. Booker T. Washington gave his final public speech to the National Negro Business League. Less than three months Mr. Washington would die at his beloved Tuskegee Institute at the age of 59. When you think of 2 men who carried the voice of the people in the late 19th and early 20th Century, the names WEB DuBois and Booker T. Washington come to mind.
Booker T. Washington, 12 years DuBois senior made some say his most famous speech in 1995 in Atlanta, Georgia, "the cast your bucket" speech. Many people say Booker T. Washington underestimated the level of vile hatred southern whites had for black people. By the time of his death, the great migration of southern black people to the north and west was in its infancy. Come with me today as I go back 104 years to Mr. Washington's last public speech, in his words, my voice.
The Wizard of Tuskegee still impacts the nation today. His greatest accomplishment in life was the development of Tuskegee University. Tuskegee graduates are still leading communities across this nation with the philosophy that was instilled by Booker T. Washington.