Real People
“I believe in the brotherhood of man, all men, but I don't believe in brotherhood with anybody who doesn't want brotherhood with me. I believe in treating people right, but I'm not going to waste my time trying to treat somebody right who doesn't know how to return the treatment.” You believe in treating everybody right whether they put a rope around your neck or whether they put you in the grave. Well, my belief isn't that strong. I believe in the brotherhood of man, but I think that anybody who wants to lynch a Negro is not qualified for that brotherhood and I don't put forth any effort to get them into that brotherhood. You want to save him and I don't.”
~Malcolm X, Speech to the Peace Corps, December 1964.
dec 4, 2019
A people who elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and
traitors are not victims, ...accomplicies - "George Orwell"
TOWARD A POLITICS OF UNGOVERNABILITY: SHUTTING DOWN AMERICAN-STYLE AUTHORITARIANISM
BY HENRY GIROUX | APRIL 17, 2017
"The established political parties and politicians are nothing more than crude lobbyists and shock troops for the financial elite who believe everything is for sale. The boundaries of humanity are now inscribed and defined exclusively through the metrics of the twin logic of commercial transactions and the politics of disposability. The horrors unfolding under the Trump administration are not only abetted by white supremacists, religious evangelicals, but also by liberals who still believe that capitalism and democracy are synonymous, and who appear to delight and rush to support any military intervention or act of aggression the United States wages against a foreign power. Liberals are affronted over alleged charges of Russian spying but say nothing about their own country which does far more than spy on other countries it disagrees with, it overthrows them through either illegal means or military force."
something to think about!!!
more american students have been killed in school shootings in 2018 than the total number of american troops killed in war zones around the world!!!
---------
reflections on today's events
*american values: greed, corruption, and racism
*an attorney general that protects a traitorous president is the ultimate cover-up
*how do white women rationalize voting for trump?
*trump administration steals children from refugee seekers, a policy designed and implemented by racists.
*trump's infrastructure plan is a roadmap to privatization of the commons while his budget plan is a roadmap to starvation of the people.
*why don't repubs emphasize collecting taxes instead of lowering taxes? perhaps if everyone paid what they should we could have a fairer system.
*trump's grandfather was an ignorant immigrant and he was admitted to america.
*Why does the demo. party not heavily recruit for black voters because it is run by fools who think republicans will vote for demos.
*if you are not embarrassed by america's history, then you are living a history based on lies.
*trump voters elected a liar and thief as president who is now under multiple investigations, it just shows that you cannot tell stupid people anything
*if you pay attention, you will realize that you don't have a government that gives a shit about working people.
*Ignorance, religion, and war are the greatest enemies of mankind.
*GOP plans to kill endangered species act, i guess they won't be happy until their are no animals/birds in the US.
*the great thing about having trump as president is that now there is no reason to watch main-stream-media for truth and "fair and balanced" journalism, you know that it is all bullshit.
*republicans pretend having taxpayers pay for stupid border wall is the same as Mexico paying for it. but what is sad, their dumbass supporters will believe it.
*everything you think is true about american institutions: media, banks, businesses, education, healthcare, etc. is a lie.
*the colonizers and their descendants claim to own this hemisphere like a burglar owns your tv set.
You could even stick some cartoons in with it
Tech Entrepreneur Arlan Hamilton Launches New Scholarship Fund for Black Undergrads at England’s Oxford University
By Tanasia Kenney - atlanta black star
December 4, 2019
Tech entrepreneur and investor Arlan Hamilton is no stranger to giving back. This time, she’s made it her mission to make education available to Black students at the prestigious Oxford University.
This week, Hamilton announced the creation of a new scholarship fund benefiting undergraduate students of African and Caribbean descent who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The grant is a first for the U.K. university and will cover a student’s fees and living expenses for up to three years, starting in 2020, USA Today reported.
Currently, Black students comprise 2.6 percent of Oxford’s undergraduate students, and Hamilton said she hopes her scholarship will help to change that. It’s also her hope that it might inspire others to create opportunities for Black students in higher ed, from historically Black institutions in the U.S. and beyond.
In fact, she has plans of launching a similar fund at Dillard University in New Orleans next spring.
“I plan on doing this for several schools over the next decade, and starting with Oxford because I’ve spent a great deal of time with their students and faculty, and Dillard [University] because it’s my mom’s alma mater and it shaped her,” she told the newspaper in a recent interview.
As the founder and managing partner of Backstage Capital, Hamilton backs women, minority and LGBTQ business owners who are routinely passed up by Silicon Valley investors, helping them overcome hurdles that often keep them from achieving the same success as their straight, white and majority male counterparts. Lack of access to venture capital funds has proved to be a monstrous issue for Black women founders in particular, with less than 0.2 percent of all venture deals going to Black women-led start ups.
Hamilton took it upon herself to help these underestimated groups by launching a $36 million fund specifically for Black female entrepreneurs last year.
“We are no longer accepting the scraps at the end of the dinner table in venture capital and beyond as Black women,” the former music tour manager told AfroTech in 2018. “We asked nicely, and now it’s our turn.”
Today, she’s extending that same effort to effect change at Oxford. As part of her scholarship, undergraduate students will receive financial assistance in addition to a $3,900 internship grant to prepare them for jobs in their desired career field, according to the university. Scholarship recipients will also have the chance to work closely with the Oxford Foundry, an Oxford entrepreneurship center where Hamilton is an adviser.
The new scholarship fund is valued at nearly $300,000 (or £220,000) and stands to help a number of students. The gift comes amid the university’s efforts to diversify its campus by recruiting more students from minority and underrepresented backgrounds. Their hope is that these students will comprise at least one-fourth of the student body by 2023.
“I am delighted that Arlan has chosen Oxford for this generous gift,” professor Martin Williams, pro-vice-chancellor for education, said in a statement. “Finance should not be a barrier to opportunity or education, and I hope that this announcement reminds black students across the country that there are opportunities for them at the University.”
Just last month, the Oxford Union, a prominent debate society independent of the university, faced controversy after a blind postgraduate student from Ghana was forcibly removed from a debate hall “by his feet.” The group has since apologized.
This week, Hamilton announced the creation of a new scholarship fund benefiting undergraduate students of African and Caribbean descent who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The grant is a first for the U.K. university and will cover a student’s fees and living expenses for up to three years, starting in 2020, USA Today reported.
Currently, Black students comprise 2.6 percent of Oxford’s undergraduate students, and Hamilton said she hopes her scholarship will help to change that. It’s also her hope that it might inspire others to create opportunities for Black students in higher ed, from historically Black institutions in the U.S. and beyond.
In fact, she has plans of launching a similar fund at Dillard University in New Orleans next spring.
“I plan on doing this for several schools over the next decade, and starting with Oxford because I’ve spent a great deal of time with their students and faculty, and Dillard [University] because it’s my mom’s alma mater and it shaped her,” she told the newspaper in a recent interview.
As the founder and managing partner of Backstage Capital, Hamilton backs women, minority and LGBTQ business owners who are routinely passed up by Silicon Valley investors, helping them overcome hurdles that often keep them from achieving the same success as their straight, white and majority male counterparts. Lack of access to venture capital funds has proved to be a monstrous issue for Black women founders in particular, with less than 0.2 percent of all venture deals going to Black women-led start ups.
Hamilton took it upon herself to help these underestimated groups by launching a $36 million fund specifically for Black female entrepreneurs last year.
“We are no longer accepting the scraps at the end of the dinner table in venture capital and beyond as Black women,” the former music tour manager told AfroTech in 2018. “We asked nicely, and now it’s our turn.”
Today, she’s extending that same effort to effect change at Oxford. As part of her scholarship, undergraduate students will receive financial assistance in addition to a $3,900 internship grant to prepare them for jobs in their desired career field, according to the university. Scholarship recipients will also have the chance to work closely with the Oxford Foundry, an Oxford entrepreneurship center where Hamilton is an adviser.
The new scholarship fund is valued at nearly $300,000 (or £220,000) and stands to help a number of students. The gift comes amid the university’s efforts to diversify its campus by recruiting more students from minority and underrepresented backgrounds. Their hope is that these students will comprise at least one-fourth of the student body by 2023.
“I am delighted that Arlan has chosen Oxford for this generous gift,” professor Martin Williams, pro-vice-chancellor for education, said in a statement. “Finance should not be a barrier to opportunity or education, and I hope that this announcement reminds black students across the country that there are opportunities for them at the University.”
Just last month, the Oxford Union, a prominent debate society independent of the university, faced controversy after a blind postgraduate student from Ghana was forcibly removed from a debate hall “by his feet.” The group has since apologized.
Actress Lashana Lynch Reacts to ‘Sad,’ Racist Response to James Bond Role
By Kiersten Willis - atlanta black star
November 8, 2019
Cast member Lashana Lynch attends the “Bond 25” film launch at Ian Fleming’s home “GoldenEye” on April 25, 2019, in Montego Bay, Jamaica. (Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures)
Lashana Lynch made waves earlier this year when news leaked that she was bound to assume the codename of “007” in the upcoming James Bond film, the 25th in the franchise. And after months of silence, the English actress is making a statement.
News prematurely broke in July about a rumored plot line for the next Daniel Craig-starring vehicle, “No Time to Die.” It was said that Lynch’s character is not Bond but takes over the MI6 agent’s code name after the British secret agent is effectively retired. Following that news, a barrage of negative responses ensued, with many declaring the franchise effectively over on Twitter. Some also skewed racist.
Having remained silent, Lynch is now speaking out about her feelings on the matter and sharing with The Hollywood Reporter about how she responded.
“It doesn’t dishearten me. It makes me feel quite sad for some people because their opinions, they’re not even from a mean place — they’re actually from a sad place,” said Lynch, who did not confirm the plot rumor to THR. “It’s not about me. People are reacting to an idea, which has nothing to do with my life.”
But while this is the first time Lynch has spoken out to the public, she has responded directly with her naysayers online, electing to kill them with kindness.
“Then they’ve been like, ‘Oh my gosh, thank you so much!’ But it’s an interesting test because it reminds them that they definitely wouldn’t say that to someone’s face,” she recalls of the response to her messages. Going forward, however, Lynch will pull back from feeding the trolls.
Trolls or not, though, there are some people who have expressed major excitement for Lynch’s character.
“I’m soooooooo excited!! Congratulations! ❤”
“When the rumors of Idris Elba being a James Bond first came out, I was very excited. However, with Lashana Lynch rumored to take the 007 roll… all I can say is ‘Shut up and take my money!'”
“Slay, grrrrrl! I’m so excited for this movie!!!! 💣💥”
The film, which bows in theaters on April 8, 2020, will not only see change by introducing a Black female 007, but the Bond girls as a whole will be portrayed in a new light.
“Bond, of course, is sexually attracted to the new female 007 and tries his usual seduction tricks, but is baffled when they don’t work on a brilliant, young black woman who basically rolls her eyes at him and has no interest in jumping into his bed. Well, certainly not at the beginning,” a source told The Daily Mail this summer about the alleged plot.
RELATED: You Just Get Disheartened’: Idris Elba Talks Racist Backlash He Received Over Potential James Bond Role
RELATED: Ice-T Blasts Journalist For Saying Idris Elba Can’t Play James Bond Because He’s Black
News prematurely broke in July about a rumored plot line for the next Daniel Craig-starring vehicle, “No Time to Die.” It was said that Lynch’s character is not Bond but takes over the MI6 agent’s code name after the British secret agent is effectively retired. Following that news, a barrage of negative responses ensued, with many declaring the franchise effectively over on Twitter. Some also skewed racist.
Having remained silent, Lynch is now speaking out about her feelings on the matter and sharing with The Hollywood Reporter about how she responded.
“It doesn’t dishearten me. It makes me feel quite sad for some people because their opinions, they’re not even from a mean place — they’re actually from a sad place,” said Lynch, who did not confirm the plot rumor to THR. “It’s not about me. People are reacting to an idea, which has nothing to do with my life.”
But while this is the first time Lynch has spoken out to the public, she has responded directly with her naysayers online, electing to kill them with kindness.
“Then they’ve been like, ‘Oh my gosh, thank you so much!’ But it’s an interesting test because it reminds them that they definitely wouldn’t say that to someone’s face,” she recalls of the response to her messages. Going forward, however, Lynch will pull back from feeding the trolls.
Trolls or not, though, there are some people who have expressed major excitement for Lynch’s character.
“I’m soooooooo excited!! Congratulations! ❤”
“When the rumors of Idris Elba being a James Bond first came out, I was very excited. However, with Lashana Lynch rumored to take the 007 roll… all I can say is ‘Shut up and take my money!'”
“Slay, grrrrrl! I’m so excited for this movie!!!! 💣💥”
The film, which bows in theaters on April 8, 2020, will not only see change by introducing a Black female 007, but the Bond girls as a whole will be portrayed in a new light.
“Bond, of course, is sexually attracted to the new female 007 and tries his usual seduction tricks, but is baffled when they don’t work on a brilliant, young black woman who basically rolls her eyes at him and has no interest in jumping into his bed. Well, certainly not at the beginning,” a source told The Daily Mail this summer about the alleged plot.
RELATED: You Just Get Disheartened’: Idris Elba Talks Racist Backlash He Received Over Potential James Bond Role
RELATED: Ice-T Blasts Journalist For Saying Idris Elba Can’t Play James Bond Because He’s Black
LeBron James Partners With Graduate Hotels to Provide Housing for Students of His I Promise School
By Daryl Nelson - atlanta black star
November 5, 2019
LeBron James teamed up with Graduate Hotels to provide housing for students of his I Promise School. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images Sport via Getty Images)
When LeBron James opened up his I Promise School last year in Akron, Ohio, to help at-risk students, there was still a housing need for many of the children and their families. And it’s something that’s since been addressed in a major way.
Because the school is now working with Graduate Hotels’ CEO Ben Weprin to provide temporary housing for some of those families. Weprin, who visited I Promise in May, partnered with the school to purchase a historical building in Akron where more than 20 units will be renovated.
The residence, which is called the I Promise Village, is within walking distance of the school, and the executive director of I Promise explained why proper housing goes hand in hand with education when it comes to the student’s success.
“Some are homeless, some live in shelters, and we have a student who was the victim of a gun invasion in their home and watched his brother get shot and a cousin get shot and die and he had to go back in that home,” Michele Campbell told USA Today.
The building will be fully opened in July 2020, but Campbell said she’ll move in at least one family who’s in desperate need as early as January. And she’ll do it while construction in other parts of the property are still going on. The school will work with families to secure permanent housing as well.
“Initially, our work was focused on helping these kids earn an education. But we’ve found that it is impossible to help them learn if they are struggling to survive, if they are hungry, if they have no heat in the freezing winter, if they live in fear for their safety,” said James in a statement.
“We want this place to be their home where they feel safe, supported, and loved, knowing we are right there with them every step of the way as they get back on their feet,” he added.
The I Promise School currently has 343 students in the third, fourth and fifth grades, and it’ll open up to eighth graders by 2022.
News of the Akron residence comes shortly after it was reported that James donated 800 pairs of his LeBron 16 sneakers to I Promise Students. Before that, he announced a $1 million donation for a new gymnasium that comes from a partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods.
And earlier this year, it was reported that 90 percent of the I Promise students who were at least one grade level behind, either met or surpassed goals in reading and math on the Measures of Academic Progress Test.
Because the school is now working with Graduate Hotels’ CEO Ben Weprin to provide temporary housing for some of those families. Weprin, who visited I Promise in May, partnered with the school to purchase a historical building in Akron where more than 20 units will be renovated.
The residence, which is called the I Promise Village, is within walking distance of the school, and the executive director of I Promise explained why proper housing goes hand in hand with education when it comes to the student’s success.
“Some are homeless, some live in shelters, and we have a student who was the victim of a gun invasion in their home and watched his brother get shot and a cousin get shot and die and he had to go back in that home,” Michele Campbell told USA Today.
The building will be fully opened in July 2020, but Campbell said she’ll move in at least one family who’s in desperate need as early as January. And she’ll do it while construction in other parts of the property are still going on. The school will work with families to secure permanent housing as well.
“Initially, our work was focused on helping these kids earn an education. But we’ve found that it is impossible to help them learn if they are struggling to survive, if they are hungry, if they have no heat in the freezing winter, if they live in fear for their safety,” said James in a statement.
“We want this place to be their home where they feel safe, supported, and loved, knowing we are right there with them every step of the way as they get back on their feet,” he added.
The I Promise School currently has 343 students in the third, fourth and fifth grades, and it’ll open up to eighth graders by 2022.
News of the Akron residence comes shortly after it was reported that James donated 800 pairs of his LeBron 16 sneakers to I Promise Students. Before that, he announced a $1 million donation for a new gymnasium that comes from a partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods.
And earlier this year, it was reported that 90 percent of the I Promise students who were at least one grade level behind, either met or surpassed goals in reading and math on the Measures of Academic Progress Test.
Rich robbers: why do wealthy people shoplift?
Evidence suggests the rich actually do steal more than the poor – and shoplifting is only ‘the first layer of the onion’
Rene Chun
the guardian
Mon 4 Nov 2019 02.02 EST
On 6 April 2019, a man was arrested at the Kmart in Key West, Florida, after returning purchases for refunds. There was just one problem: the packaging he returned didn’t contain the original products.
According to the police report, his bait-and-switch scam included two coffee makers – a Keurig ($153.99) and a Hamilton Beach ($54.99). But inside the returned Keurig box was a deflated basketball, and a heavily used coffee machine was stuffed into the other box.
Reached by phone, the man denied the charge he was booked on – first-degree petit larceny, a misdemeanor that covers a theft of property valued between $100 and $300. In a rambling, vague explanation, he stated: “There’s an attorney, and I believe that he’s found some other people, relating to the store, who are involved. That’s all I can say right now.” The case is pending.
There’s nothing unusual about this type of shoplifting. A 2018 National Retail Federation study pegged the cost of “return fraud” at a staggering $18.4bn. What is unusual is that this shoplifting suspect, Andrew Francis Lippi III, is rich. A week before his Kmart arrest, he paid $8m for an island in the Florida Keys.
Kabinet Bangoura, the Kmart loss prevention manager who scanned hours of surveillance video to build the case, is blunt about Lippi’s motivation: “Millionaires think they’re above the law and can get away with anything.”
While it’s impossible to profile shoplifters – the crime transcends gender, age and all socio-demographic strata, and about one in 11 people commit it – evidence suggests the rich actually do steal more than the poor. The paper cited most often to support this theory, Prevalence and Correlates of Shoplifting in the United States (American Journal of Psychology, 2008), states that people with incomes of $70,000 shoplift 30% more than those earning $20,000 a year.
A federal lawyer proved that point last year when she was caught swiping $257.99 worth of cosmetics from a military base store in Quantico, Virginia. This unnamed FBI employee later confessed to that theft and several previous shoplifting sprees in the area. More recently, in September, Sgt Eva Pena of the New York police department was suspended from her job after she was allegedly caught stealing clothing valued at $359 from a Macy’s store. This wasn’t a crime of poverty. Pena, whose 2018 salary was $107,809, drove to court in a white Mercedes to enter her not guilty plea.
So why do otherwise law-abiding (and well-off) citizens ignore their better angels and go full Winona Ryder? The answer depends on which expert you consult. Every psychiatrist, substance abuse counselor and social scientist has a theory to explain this counterintuitive behavior.
“Stealing is just the first layer of the onion,” explains Terrence Shulman, the founder of the Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft, Spending and Hoarding. “Beneath that are all the unresolved losses, traumas, abuses and repressed memories.” He emphasizes that these psychic scars aren’t always rooted in the past. Tragic events like a recent divorce, a bankruptcy or death in the family could trigger a shoplifting episode. “These people are self-medicating. Theft becomes their drug of choice,” he says.
Psychologists have a label for this maladaptive behavior: nonsensical shoplifting, or shoplifting not apparently motivated by need or desire. Depression and trauma, stressors and triggers are often brought up when a celebrity shoplifting bust hits the newsfeeds. Not everyone, however, believes that nonsensical shoplifting is a layer of an onion or a coping mechanism.
Psychologist Stanton E Samenow, the author of The Myth of the Out of Character Crime, is convinced wealthy people shoplift because, as he puts it: “Why buy it if you can steal it?” He disparages all the exculpatory data: “There’s always an attempt to ascribe criminality to circumstances outside the individual or some psychological disability. It’s the unconscious ‘cry for help’ or the person is seeking psychological punishment. These theories are old and shopworn.”
Samenow recounts a case study, a patient that he treated several years ago: “He had more than enough money to buy the item. He took it for the thrill of it, to outsmart the establishment. He enjoyed every aspect of shoplifting: scanning the aisles for the objects, looking for the exits, trying to outsmart the surveillance and store personnel, the theft and the getaway. This was all about excitement and building up one’s self-worth.”
Psychiatrist Jon Grant, a University of Chicago professor, agrees that shoplifting may often elicit a sense of euphoria. But he’s quick to add that once the adrenaline rush subsides, a darker side of this compulsion manifests itself. “I see shoplifting as an addiction,” he says. “The people I treat really hate the fact that they steal. They enjoy the thrill but then almost instantly beat themselves up for the behavior. They have lots of guilt and frequently think about and attempt suicide because of their behavior.”
Social hierarchies is an established field of psychology that focuses on the effects of wealth, power and privilege. The study results in this area are remarkably consistent: the rich tend to be unethical, and are more likely to cheat and steal than the poor are. In one experiment, the drivers of luxury cars were less likely to obey the right-of-way laws at a busy four-way intersection than the drivers of cheaper or older model cars. Then there’s the grim and troubling “candy experiment”, where researchers observed wealthy people remove twice as much candy from a jar that had been earmarked for children than people of more modest means did. Experiments have also shown that wealthy people are more likely to cheat on their taxes and their romantic partners.
One theory to explain this contrast in behavior is that low-income people are less likely to cheat and steal because they are more invested in their communities and fear being publicly humiliated. Conversely, the rich harbor feelings of entitlement and self-interest, which destabilizes their moral compass. Here’s another factor that may apply: the poor have a heightened fear of authority figures, and the rich do not. There’s a Kmart security guy in Florida who could have told you that.
According to the police report, his bait-and-switch scam included two coffee makers – a Keurig ($153.99) and a Hamilton Beach ($54.99). But inside the returned Keurig box was a deflated basketball, and a heavily used coffee machine was stuffed into the other box.
Reached by phone, the man denied the charge he was booked on – first-degree petit larceny, a misdemeanor that covers a theft of property valued between $100 and $300. In a rambling, vague explanation, he stated: “There’s an attorney, and I believe that he’s found some other people, relating to the store, who are involved. That’s all I can say right now.” The case is pending.
There’s nothing unusual about this type of shoplifting. A 2018 National Retail Federation study pegged the cost of “return fraud” at a staggering $18.4bn. What is unusual is that this shoplifting suspect, Andrew Francis Lippi III, is rich. A week before his Kmart arrest, he paid $8m for an island in the Florida Keys.
Kabinet Bangoura, the Kmart loss prevention manager who scanned hours of surveillance video to build the case, is blunt about Lippi’s motivation: “Millionaires think they’re above the law and can get away with anything.”
While it’s impossible to profile shoplifters – the crime transcends gender, age and all socio-demographic strata, and about one in 11 people commit it – evidence suggests the rich actually do steal more than the poor. The paper cited most often to support this theory, Prevalence and Correlates of Shoplifting in the United States (American Journal of Psychology, 2008), states that people with incomes of $70,000 shoplift 30% more than those earning $20,000 a year.
A federal lawyer proved that point last year when she was caught swiping $257.99 worth of cosmetics from a military base store in Quantico, Virginia. This unnamed FBI employee later confessed to that theft and several previous shoplifting sprees in the area. More recently, in September, Sgt Eva Pena of the New York police department was suspended from her job after she was allegedly caught stealing clothing valued at $359 from a Macy’s store. This wasn’t a crime of poverty. Pena, whose 2018 salary was $107,809, drove to court in a white Mercedes to enter her not guilty plea.
So why do otherwise law-abiding (and well-off) citizens ignore their better angels and go full Winona Ryder? The answer depends on which expert you consult. Every psychiatrist, substance abuse counselor and social scientist has a theory to explain this counterintuitive behavior.
“Stealing is just the first layer of the onion,” explains Terrence Shulman, the founder of the Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft, Spending and Hoarding. “Beneath that are all the unresolved losses, traumas, abuses and repressed memories.” He emphasizes that these psychic scars aren’t always rooted in the past. Tragic events like a recent divorce, a bankruptcy or death in the family could trigger a shoplifting episode. “These people are self-medicating. Theft becomes their drug of choice,” he says.
Psychologists have a label for this maladaptive behavior: nonsensical shoplifting, or shoplifting not apparently motivated by need or desire. Depression and trauma, stressors and triggers are often brought up when a celebrity shoplifting bust hits the newsfeeds. Not everyone, however, believes that nonsensical shoplifting is a layer of an onion or a coping mechanism.
Psychologist Stanton E Samenow, the author of The Myth of the Out of Character Crime, is convinced wealthy people shoplift because, as he puts it: “Why buy it if you can steal it?” He disparages all the exculpatory data: “There’s always an attempt to ascribe criminality to circumstances outside the individual or some psychological disability. It’s the unconscious ‘cry for help’ or the person is seeking psychological punishment. These theories are old and shopworn.”
Samenow recounts a case study, a patient that he treated several years ago: “He had more than enough money to buy the item. He took it for the thrill of it, to outsmart the establishment. He enjoyed every aspect of shoplifting: scanning the aisles for the objects, looking for the exits, trying to outsmart the surveillance and store personnel, the theft and the getaway. This was all about excitement and building up one’s self-worth.”
Psychiatrist Jon Grant, a University of Chicago professor, agrees that shoplifting may often elicit a sense of euphoria. But he’s quick to add that once the adrenaline rush subsides, a darker side of this compulsion manifests itself. “I see shoplifting as an addiction,” he says. “The people I treat really hate the fact that they steal. They enjoy the thrill but then almost instantly beat themselves up for the behavior. They have lots of guilt and frequently think about and attempt suicide because of their behavior.”
Social hierarchies is an established field of psychology that focuses on the effects of wealth, power and privilege. The study results in this area are remarkably consistent: the rich tend to be unethical, and are more likely to cheat and steal than the poor are. In one experiment, the drivers of luxury cars were less likely to obey the right-of-way laws at a busy four-way intersection than the drivers of cheaper or older model cars. Then there’s the grim and troubling “candy experiment”, where researchers observed wealthy people remove twice as much candy from a jar that had been earmarked for children than people of more modest means did. Experiments have also shown that wealthy people are more likely to cheat on their taxes and their romantic partners.
One theory to explain this contrast in behavior is that low-income people are less likely to cheat and steal because they are more invested in their communities and fear being publicly humiliated. Conversely, the rich harbor feelings of entitlement and self-interest, which destabilizes their moral compass. Here’s another factor that may apply: the poor have a heightened fear of authority figures, and the rich do not. There’s a Kmart security guy in Florida who could have told you that.
Allyson Felix Gets the Last Laugh After Nike Split by Breaking Usain Bolt’s Gold Medal Record
By Kiersten Willis - atlanta black star
October 1, 2019
Allyson Felix of the United States reacts after setting a new world record in the 4×400 Mixed Relay during day three of 17th IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 at Khalifa International Stadium on Sept. 29, 2019, in Doha, Qatar. (Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
U.S. track star Allyson Felix just beat a record set by Usain Bolt after competing in the mixed-gender 4×400 meters relay at the World Athletics Championships Sunday.
The former Nike-sponsored sprinter earned her 12th gold medal in the race, beating the record of 11 that retired Jamaican sprinter Bolt held since 2013, Business Insider reported.
The 33-year-old was one of four sprinters on the U.S. sprinting team at the first mixed-gender 4x400m relay at the championships this weekend. The team set the world record at 3:09.34 to win gold while Felix split 50.4 seconds, NBC Sports reported.
The new win adds to Felix’s already impressive record-making statistic of having the most world championships medals. She just added No. 17 to her collection. But now she has the additional title of beating out Bolt, who is arguably the fastest man in the world.
Yet when asked about Bolt, Felix told reporters, “This is a different event, so I don’t really look at it in that way.”
Also notable is that it was the first race Felix won since welcoming her daughter, Camryn, who was born prematurely in November 2018.
“So special, to have my daughter here watching means the world to me,” Felix told reporters Sept. 29. “It’s been a crazy year for me.”
Part of that crazy year involves welcoming her nearly 1-year-old daughter eight weeks early last year after preeclampsia resulted in Felix undergoing an emergency C-section.
“This was my entire world. staying in the NICU all day & night watching my baby girl fight,” read an Instagram post that Felix made in July as she reflected on how far she and her baby had come. “I can still hear the beeping and alarms of the machines. the uncertainty. The fear. There were a lot of days i wasn’t sure this was going to be possible. I worked harder than i even knew i could. there were tears, frustration and doubt. At times it felt like everything was against me. so today i’m far from my best, but i’m grateful for this opportunity and to experience the joy of competing again.”
But as the new mom spent her days and nights next to her baby in the NICU, she was also battling with her sponsor, Nike, which she accused of being unsupportive of mothers. Felix detailed her split with the footwear manufacturer in a May 2019 op-ed for The New York Times. In it, she alleged the brand asked her to take a 70 percent pay cut on a new contract after she got pregnant. She also wrote that Nike refused to sign a contract mandating that she wouldn’t be punished if her performances slid because of her pregnancy.
A year and a half after Felix and Nike failed to come to terms on a new contract following the expiration of her previous one in December 2017, however, Felix landed a new sponsor. She became Athleta’s first sponsored athelete in history when they struck a deal this past July, Quartz reported. Nike has since changed its policy for expectant mom atheletes, which Felix celebrated on Instagram.
The former Nike-sponsored sprinter earned her 12th gold medal in the race, beating the record of 11 that retired Jamaican sprinter Bolt held since 2013, Business Insider reported.
The 33-year-old was one of four sprinters on the U.S. sprinting team at the first mixed-gender 4x400m relay at the championships this weekend. The team set the world record at 3:09.34 to win gold while Felix split 50.4 seconds, NBC Sports reported.
The new win adds to Felix’s already impressive record-making statistic of having the most world championships medals. She just added No. 17 to her collection. But now she has the additional title of beating out Bolt, who is arguably the fastest man in the world.
Yet when asked about Bolt, Felix told reporters, “This is a different event, so I don’t really look at it in that way.”
Also notable is that it was the first race Felix won since welcoming her daughter, Camryn, who was born prematurely in November 2018.
“So special, to have my daughter here watching means the world to me,” Felix told reporters Sept. 29. “It’s been a crazy year for me.”
Part of that crazy year involves welcoming her nearly 1-year-old daughter eight weeks early last year after preeclampsia resulted in Felix undergoing an emergency C-section.
“This was my entire world. staying in the NICU all day & night watching my baby girl fight,” read an Instagram post that Felix made in July as she reflected on how far she and her baby had come. “I can still hear the beeping and alarms of the machines. the uncertainty. The fear. There were a lot of days i wasn’t sure this was going to be possible. I worked harder than i even knew i could. there were tears, frustration and doubt. At times it felt like everything was against me. so today i’m far from my best, but i’m grateful for this opportunity and to experience the joy of competing again.”
But as the new mom spent her days and nights next to her baby in the NICU, she was also battling with her sponsor, Nike, which she accused of being unsupportive of mothers. Felix detailed her split with the footwear manufacturer in a May 2019 op-ed for The New York Times. In it, she alleged the brand asked her to take a 70 percent pay cut on a new contract after she got pregnant. She also wrote that Nike refused to sign a contract mandating that she wouldn’t be punished if her performances slid because of her pregnancy.
A year and a half after Felix and Nike failed to come to terms on a new contract following the expiration of her previous one in December 2017, however, Felix landed a new sponsor. She became Athleta’s first sponsored athelete in history when they struck a deal this past July, Quartz reported. Nike has since changed its policy for expectant mom atheletes, which Felix celebrated on Instagram.
White supremacists 'swatted' my home to silence me. I will not be silent
Author Ijeoma Oluo’s son was endangered when someone called police, pretending to be him, and said he murdered two people – and the harassment didn’t stop there
Ijeoma Oluo
The Guardian
Fri 30 Aug 2019 06.00 EDT
Ijeoma Oluo. ‘I was so very tired of being silent through it all. Silence was not helping me. It was killing me.’ Photograph: Jim Spellman/Getty Images
A few weeks ago, in the culmination of weeks of escalating abuse from white supremacist trolls, our home was swatted, endangering my 17-year-old son, who was home alone at the time. Six rifle-carrying police officers pulled him out of bed at 6am because someone pretending to be him called and said that he had murdered two people in my home.
In the weeks since, the harassment of me and my family has continued fairly relentlessly, online and in person.
I’ve been told by advisers and law enforcement that it is in my best interest to stay quiet until this dies down. That it is best to pretend like none of this is happening so that I don’t give these terrorists “what they want” – which is to see a black woman in pain and fear.
Here’s the thing about that.
I started writing as a black woman in pain and fear. That is why I am where I am. If white supremacists want to get off on black pain and fear, they need not do anything more than sit back and let our system work the way it has worked for hundreds of years.
I started writing because every single day I was living a half-life. I started writing because I was tired of taking in every racist joke, every insult, every assumption. I was tired of hearing the locks on people’s cars click down as I walked past theirs in a grocery store parking lot. I was tired of worrying about my brother’s safety when he went on tour. I was tired of worrying that I might die at each traffic stop. I was tired of seeing black body after black body lying in the street like so much garbage after an encounter with police.
And I was so very tired of being silent through it all. Silence was not helping me. It was killing me.
Before the events of these last few weeks happened, people still regularly asked me if I ever considered to give up my work in order to protect my safety and sanity as a black woman.
My answer has always been the same: I would still be a black woman in America – I just wouldn’t be able to speak openly about what I was enduring.
These last years, since I started writing, I have been as free as I can imagine a black woman to be in this country. I have been able to speak openly, without reservation, about my lived experience and the experiences of my community. I have been able to look at white supremacy and call it what it is. I have not had to worry about losing my job; it is my job. I have not had to worry about losing friends (they left many essays ago). I have not had to bite my tongue in order to provide food for my family. I have not had to bend over backwards to prove that I am a “nice” Negro in order to not end up in HR for my “attitude problem”. I know that if I encounter violence because of my race, while I will not be avenged the way that white people would be, I will be heard and believed in a way in which few people of color are.
And the price I have had to pay for that is that I get fairly regular death threats, occasionally my personal address and the addresses of my family members are posted online, occasionally my financial information is posted. And then, of course, the swatting.
If I let this work go in order to avoid paying that price, every other price of existing as a black person in America still waits for me and my family. It does not go away. It does not make my sons more safe. It does not make me more safe.
There are different ways to kill a person. Not all of them make headlines.
In the midst of all of this, I have been surrounded by love. Deep love from my family, my black community, my people of color community, my queer community, my activist community. I have been held and renewed in the knowing black love of my partner. I have been refocused in the light and hope of my two children.
I am not going anywhere. I’m not going to disappear. No matter what comes my way.
There are also different ways to live.
There is more to me than the terror that I’ve experienced these last weeks. There is more to me than the lifetime of trauma I’ve experienced. While I do not ever want to be reduced to that, I know that I cannot be a whole person in any space if I cannot bring that experience in with me. I know that I cannot heal if it cannot be known.
I do not believe that white supremacy will allow me to “take a break” and then get back to the fight for liberation when things calm down. I do not believe that white supremacy will settle for anything less than my silence. And while I do not know what the future will bring I do know that I will not go quietly.
Whether I am afraid or not is beyond the point. Yes I’m afraid. I have cried more these last few weeks than I have in years. I’m sure there is more to come in the future. But we are all afraid. And there are people who are facing the brutality of white supremacy to a degree that I have never known – and there are no news stories talking about them. And they fight still, with everything they have.
There is no beauty in this. There is no glory in this. This is shitty and disgusting and absurd and embarrassing that in 2019 this is what our society is. People of color should not have to live in fear and pain. Highly-functioning-with-PTSD is not a cultural attribute of communities of color, it’s a fucking crime of an entire nation.
My fellow people of color who are hurting and afraid: I hear you, I see you. You shouldn’t have to go through this, and you shouldn’t be the one tasked with fighting it. Thank you. Thank you for being here in a world that has tried so hard to tell you that you don’t belong. I love you.
To those who really, really want me to shut up:
Nah.
Ijeoma Oluo is the author of So You Want to Talk About Race
In the weeks since, the harassment of me and my family has continued fairly relentlessly, online and in person.
I’ve been told by advisers and law enforcement that it is in my best interest to stay quiet until this dies down. That it is best to pretend like none of this is happening so that I don’t give these terrorists “what they want” – which is to see a black woman in pain and fear.
Here’s the thing about that.
I started writing as a black woman in pain and fear. That is why I am where I am. If white supremacists want to get off on black pain and fear, they need not do anything more than sit back and let our system work the way it has worked for hundreds of years.
I started writing because every single day I was living a half-life. I started writing because I was tired of taking in every racist joke, every insult, every assumption. I was tired of hearing the locks on people’s cars click down as I walked past theirs in a grocery store parking lot. I was tired of worrying about my brother’s safety when he went on tour. I was tired of worrying that I might die at each traffic stop. I was tired of seeing black body after black body lying in the street like so much garbage after an encounter with police.
And I was so very tired of being silent through it all. Silence was not helping me. It was killing me.
Before the events of these last few weeks happened, people still regularly asked me if I ever considered to give up my work in order to protect my safety and sanity as a black woman.
My answer has always been the same: I would still be a black woman in America – I just wouldn’t be able to speak openly about what I was enduring.
These last years, since I started writing, I have been as free as I can imagine a black woman to be in this country. I have been able to speak openly, without reservation, about my lived experience and the experiences of my community. I have been able to look at white supremacy and call it what it is. I have not had to worry about losing my job; it is my job. I have not had to worry about losing friends (they left many essays ago). I have not had to bite my tongue in order to provide food for my family. I have not had to bend over backwards to prove that I am a “nice” Negro in order to not end up in HR for my “attitude problem”. I know that if I encounter violence because of my race, while I will not be avenged the way that white people would be, I will be heard and believed in a way in which few people of color are.
And the price I have had to pay for that is that I get fairly regular death threats, occasionally my personal address and the addresses of my family members are posted online, occasionally my financial information is posted. And then, of course, the swatting.
If I let this work go in order to avoid paying that price, every other price of existing as a black person in America still waits for me and my family. It does not go away. It does not make my sons more safe. It does not make me more safe.
There are different ways to kill a person. Not all of them make headlines.
In the midst of all of this, I have been surrounded by love. Deep love from my family, my black community, my people of color community, my queer community, my activist community. I have been held and renewed in the knowing black love of my partner. I have been refocused in the light and hope of my two children.
I am not going anywhere. I’m not going to disappear. No matter what comes my way.
There are also different ways to live.
There is more to me than the terror that I’ve experienced these last weeks. There is more to me than the lifetime of trauma I’ve experienced. While I do not ever want to be reduced to that, I know that I cannot be a whole person in any space if I cannot bring that experience in with me. I know that I cannot heal if it cannot be known.
I do not believe that white supremacy will allow me to “take a break” and then get back to the fight for liberation when things calm down. I do not believe that white supremacy will settle for anything less than my silence. And while I do not know what the future will bring I do know that I will not go quietly.
Whether I am afraid or not is beyond the point. Yes I’m afraid. I have cried more these last few weeks than I have in years. I’m sure there is more to come in the future. But we are all afraid. And there are people who are facing the brutality of white supremacy to a degree that I have never known – and there are no news stories talking about them. And they fight still, with everything they have.
There is no beauty in this. There is no glory in this. This is shitty and disgusting and absurd and embarrassing that in 2019 this is what our society is. People of color should not have to live in fear and pain. Highly-functioning-with-PTSD is not a cultural attribute of communities of color, it’s a fucking crime of an entire nation.
My fellow people of color who are hurting and afraid: I hear you, I see you. You shouldn’t have to go through this, and you shouldn’t be the one tasked with fighting it. Thank you. Thank you for being here in a world that has tried so hard to tell you that you don’t belong. I love you.
To those who really, really want me to shut up:
Nah.
Ijeoma Oluo is the author of So You Want to Talk About Race
US Open unveils statue for tennis barrier-breaker Althea Gibson
August 26, 2019
By Agence France-Presse - Raw Story
Althea Gibson, the first black tennis player to win a Grand Slam title, was honored Monday with a statue unveiled on the grounds of the US Open.
Gibson, who died in 2003 at age 76, won five Grand Slam singles titles and six Grand Slam doubles crowns, her historic breakthrough coming at the 1956 French Championships.
At a time when racism was widespread, Gibson persevered on and off the court, winning the 1957 and 1958 Wimbledon and US Open singles titles.
“I think it’s really important for people to know about Althea Gibson, not only who she is but what she represented to all of us,” King said Monday.
“What people have to understand is how she persevered and what she means not just to our sport, to all society, to everyone.”
England’s Angela Buxton, 85, was Gibson’s women’s doubles partner in 1956 French and Wimbledon title runs and gave a sobering assessment of the artwork.
“You want an honest opinion? Well, it doesn’t resemble her at all,” Buxton said. “Sorry to say that. I would have passed her any day and not know who it was.
“But the main thing is not the statue. It’s what I learned from her and what I enjoyed with her. That’s the main thing.”
Gibson’s courage also helped inspire Billie Jean King, a 12-time Grand Slam singles champion who is now 75, to become a historic champion for women’s rights.
“She totally inspired me,” King said. “I knew if Althea had gone through what she had gone through and changed the world, that I had a chance to follow in her footsteps and help change the next generations.
“Althea is a very strong reminder that it’s important to the living people right now that we carry on her legacy and the legacy of equality.”
The tribute comes as incidents involving white supremacists are growing in the United States.
“Every generation has to continue the process and the fight to keep freedom available, to get rid of sexism and racism,” King said. “Right now I think we have a lot of racism.”
King also called the tribute overdue and said women still have great strides to make in society to achieve equality with men.
“A lot of us have waited for a long time for today to happen,” King said. “It takes effort to get things organized. It takes a huge effort.
“Being a woman? We’re still second-class citizens, and she’s African American, so just go down the totem pole some more.
“As women, we do not get the same respect. We do not. We still do not. We’re always second. I can go through every day of my life and people don’t notice it, but it’s just there. And if you’re a person of color, I can’t imagine what you go through each day.
“I know just a woman it’s frustrating. It’s exhausting. We can talk about what didn’t happen, but what has happened is what’s important and we finally have gotten over the finish line.”
Gibson, who died in 2003 at age 76, won five Grand Slam singles titles and six Grand Slam doubles crowns, her historic breakthrough coming at the 1956 French Championships.
At a time when racism was widespread, Gibson persevered on and off the court, winning the 1957 and 1958 Wimbledon and US Open singles titles.
“I think it’s really important for people to know about Althea Gibson, not only who she is but what she represented to all of us,” King said Monday.
“What people have to understand is how she persevered and what she means not just to our sport, to all society, to everyone.”
England’s Angela Buxton, 85, was Gibson’s women’s doubles partner in 1956 French and Wimbledon title runs and gave a sobering assessment of the artwork.
“You want an honest opinion? Well, it doesn’t resemble her at all,” Buxton said. “Sorry to say that. I would have passed her any day and not know who it was.
“But the main thing is not the statue. It’s what I learned from her and what I enjoyed with her. That’s the main thing.”
Gibson’s courage also helped inspire Billie Jean King, a 12-time Grand Slam singles champion who is now 75, to become a historic champion for women’s rights.
“She totally inspired me,” King said. “I knew if Althea had gone through what she had gone through and changed the world, that I had a chance to follow in her footsteps and help change the next generations.
“Althea is a very strong reminder that it’s important to the living people right now that we carry on her legacy and the legacy of equality.”
The tribute comes as incidents involving white supremacists are growing in the United States.
“Every generation has to continue the process and the fight to keep freedom available, to get rid of sexism and racism,” King said. “Right now I think we have a lot of racism.”
King also called the tribute overdue and said women still have great strides to make in society to achieve equality with men.
“A lot of us have waited for a long time for today to happen,” King said. “It takes effort to get things organized. It takes a huge effort.
“Being a woman? We’re still second-class citizens, and she’s African American, so just go down the totem pole some more.
“As women, we do not get the same respect. We do not. We still do not. We’re always second. I can go through every day of my life and people don’t notice it, but it’s just there. And if you’re a person of color, I can’t imagine what you go through each day.
“I know just a woman it’s frustrating. It’s exhausting. We can talk about what didn’t happen, but what has happened is what’s important and we finally have gotten over the finish line.”
Kawhi Leonard is Handing Out Backpacks to Students in Southern California in Area’s Biggest Back-to-School Giveaway Ever
By Daryl Nelson - Atlanta Black Star
August 21, 2019
Kawhi Leonard hasn’t even played his first NBA game as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers and he’s already broken a record in the city.
But he did it off the court by spearheading the biggest backpack giveaway in Los Angeles Unified School District’s history. And he was helped by the nonprofit Baby2Baby, as well as the L.A. Clippers Foundation.
The goal is to give a free backpack to every student in LAUSD, as well as students in Inglewood Unified and Moreno Valley Unified School Districts, which is in Leonard’s hometown.
Because statistics show that 80 percent of K-12 students in LAUSD alone either came from a low-income family, were in a foster program or were homeless last year, according to a Clippers press release.
On Tuesday Leonard talked about the giveaway at Cloverdale Elementary School, where he attended as a child. He then made his way to 107th Street Elementary School in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts to hand out backpacks, since it was LAUSD’s first day.
“My goal this year is to make a meaningful contribution both on and off the court,” Leonard explained. “This felt like the right way to get started. It was important to me to make this announcement in my hometown of Moreno Valley at my former Elementary School, but the benefits this program will have across all of Los Angeles makes today even more special.”
The idea behind the giveaway is that families could use the money they would normally spend on a backpack for other necessities like food, rent or utilities.
“We are overwhelmed with gratitude to the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard for this record-breaking donation to every student in Los Angeles Unified School District and beyond,” said Baby2Baby Co-Presidents Kelly Sawyer Patricof and Norah Weinstein in a statement.
“For many of these children who are homeless or in foster care, backpacks not only hold their school books and homework, but also all of their personal belongings.”
“If they have a backpack at all, it is often falling apart, and when a child does not have one, they resort to using a grocery or trash bag. The Clippers’ donation will make these children feel the pride they deserve and give them the confidence they need to start the school year off on the right foot,” they added.
But he did it off the court by spearheading the biggest backpack giveaway in Los Angeles Unified School District’s history. And he was helped by the nonprofit Baby2Baby, as well as the L.A. Clippers Foundation.
The goal is to give a free backpack to every student in LAUSD, as well as students in Inglewood Unified and Moreno Valley Unified School Districts, which is in Leonard’s hometown.
Because statistics show that 80 percent of K-12 students in LAUSD alone either came from a low-income family, were in a foster program or were homeless last year, according to a Clippers press release.
On Tuesday Leonard talked about the giveaway at Cloverdale Elementary School, where he attended as a child. He then made his way to 107th Street Elementary School in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts to hand out backpacks, since it was LAUSD’s first day.
“My goal this year is to make a meaningful contribution both on and off the court,” Leonard explained. “This felt like the right way to get started. It was important to me to make this announcement in my hometown of Moreno Valley at my former Elementary School, but the benefits this program will have across all of Los Angeles makes today even more special.”
The idea behind the giveaway is that families could use the money they would normally spend on a backpack for other necessities like food, rent or utilities.
“We are overwhelmed with gratitude to the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard for this record-breaking donation to every student in Los Angeles Unified School District and beyond,” said Baby2Baby Co-Presidents Kelly Sawyer Patricof and Norah Weinstein in a statement.
“For many of these children who are homeless or in foster care, backpacks not only hold their school books and homework, but also all of their personal belongings.”
“If they have a backpack at all, it is often falling apart, and when a child does not have one, they resort to using a grocery or trash bag. The Clippers’ donation will make these children feel the pride they deserve and give them the confidence they need to start the school year off on the right foot,” they added.
NBA star Stephen Curry finances college golf team for six years
August 19, 2019
By Agence France-Presse - Raw Story
Three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors said Monday he will support the creation of Howard University’s first top-level golf program for the next six years.
Curry, a six-time NBA All-Star guard and avid golfer, was inspired to make the contribution by Otis Ferguson IV, a senior at the Washington DC university who Curry met during a campus visit earlier this year.
Ferguson had been campaigning to establish a golf team at Howard. He found a backer in Curry, who decided establish men’s and women’s golf at the historically black college.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Curry also persuaded golf equipment manufacturer Callaway to promise equipment and sport apparel giant Under Armour, who are one of his sponsors, to provide uniforms.
Curry, who often plays in celebrity golf events, played on his high school golf team. He hosts and produces the golf-themed reality game show “Holey Moley” and has twice played in PGA developmental tour events.
“Golf is a sport that has changed my life in ways that are less tangible, but just as impactful,” Curry said.
“It’s a discipline that challenges your mental wherewithal from patience to focus, and is impossible to truly master, so when you hear about these passionate student athletes who have the talent but don’t have a fair shot at the game, it’s tough.
“I feel really honored to play a small role in the rich history of Howard University and look forward to building their first men’s and women’s golf teams with them.”
The Bison plan to a debut for the men’s and women’s golf teams in the 2020-21 academic year.
Golf will join 19 other top-level Division 1 sports programs at the university after having previously been at a secondary, club level, sport.
“Howard University is honored to partner with NBA champion Stephen Curry to launch what is sure to become one of the best golf programs in the country,” Howard University president Wayne A. I. Frederick said.
“Expanding the competitive opportunities for student athletes, especially in arenas where they are underrepresented, is consistent with the university’s strategic plan.”
Curry, a six-time NBA All-Star guard and avid golfer, was inspired to make the contribution by Otis Ferguson IV, a senior at the Washington DC university who Curry met during a campus visit earlier this year.
Ferguson had been campaigning to establish a golf team at Howard. He found a backer in Curry, who decided establish men’s and women’s golf at the historically black college.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Curry also persuaded golf equipment manufacturer Callaway to promise equipment and sport apparel giant Under Armour, who are one of his sponsors, to provide uniforms.
Curry, who often plays in celebrity golf events, played on his high school golf team. He hosts and produces the golf-themed reality game show “Holey Moley” and has twice played in PGA developmental tour events.
“Golf is a sport that has changed my life in ways that are less tangible, but just as impactful,” Curry said.
“It’s a discipline that challenges your mental wherewithal from patience to focus, and is impossible to truly master, so when you hear about these passionate student athletes who have the talent but don’t have a fair shot at the game, it’s tough.
“I feel really honored to play a small role in the rich history of Howard University and look forward to building their first men’s and women’s golf teams with them.”
The Bison plan to a debut for the men’s and women’s golf teams in the 2020-21 academic year.
Golf will join 19 other top-level Division 1 sports programs at the university after having previously been at a secondary, club level, sport.
“Howard University is honored to partner with NBA champion Stephen Curry to launch what is sure to become one of the best golf programs in the country,” Howard University president Wayne A. I. Frederick said.
“Expanding the competitive opportunities for student athletes, especially in arenas where they are underrepresented, is consistent with the university’s strategic plan.”
‘You May Not See a Lot of Us, But We’re There’: FSU’s First Black Woman to Graduate With Doctorate in Nuclear Physics Opens Up About Historical Moment
By Lauren Floyd - Atlanta Black Star
August 19, 2019
A Black physicist made history Friday when she became Florida State University’s first Black woman to earn a doctoral degree in nuclear physics.
Kalisa Villafana is also only the 96th Black woman in the country with a Ph.D. in physics, according to the university.
She said her graduation felt “overwhelming,” in an interview with Florida State University News.
“You have to pursue something you’re passionate about because it’s a long journey,” she told the news source. “I felt like I wanted to quit very often in the beginning but with each challenge, I succeeded.”
Villafana said she’s wanted to be a physicist since she was 12 years old and began conducting science experiments at Holy Faith Convent in her native country of Trinidad and Tobago.
“It was a strict Catholic girls’ school,” she said. “We had a lot of courses, and we were exposed to tons of physics experiments. The teacher would explain that this is how we understand how the universe works. I thought it was interesting. From then on, I said I want to be physicist. That never changed.”
Villafana, a former mentor to minority students at her school, told Florida State University News she hopes to continue helping young people in her home country accomplish their goals.
“I want to show them how to get to the next point,” Villafana said. “In Trinidad, many people don’t know how to get to the United States and get a Ph.D. that’s paid for by the school. They don’t know how to go from being an international student from the islands to a doctor in the U.S.”
Villafana told Florida State University News she ultimately wants to be a medical physicist working in cancer research but she plans to work as a process engineer with the Intel Corporation in Arizona.
She said “even though the field is predominantly white and male,” she hopes young girls are inspired when they see her graduating alongside other minority women earning their doctorates in nuclear physics.
“Hopefully, they see that they too can be a physicist,” Villafana said. “You may not see a lot of us, but we’re there. We’re out there.”
Kalisa Villafana is also only the 96th Black woman in the country with a Ph.D. in physics, according to the university.
She said her graduation felt “overwhelming,” in an interview with Florida State University News.
“You have to pursue something you’re passionate about because it’s a long journey,” she told the news source. “I felt like I wanted to quit very often in the beginning but with each challenge, I succeeded.”
Villafana said she’s wanted to be a physicist since she was 12 years old and began conducting science experiments at Holy Faith Convent in her native country of Trinidad and Tobago.
“It was a strict Catholic girls’ school,” she said. “We had a lot of courses, and we were exposed to tons of physics experiments. The teacher would explain that this is how we understand how the universe works. I thought it was interesting. From then on, I said I want to be physicist. That never changed.”
Villafana, a former mentor to minority students at her school, told Florida State University News she hopes to continue helping young people in her home country accomplish their goals.
“I want to show them how to get to the next point,” Villafana said. “In Trinidad, many people don’t know how to get to the United States and get a Ph.D. that’s paid for by the school. They don’t know how to go from being an international student from the islands to a doctor in the U.S.”
Villafana told Florida State University News she ultimately wants to be a medical physicist working in cancer research but she plans to work as a process engineer with the Intel Corporation in Arizona.
She said “even though the field is predominantly white and male,” she hopes young girls are inspired when they see her graduating alongside other minority women earning their doctorates in nuclear physics.
“Hopefully, they see that they too can be a physicist,” Villafana said. “You may not see a lot of us, but we’re there. We’re out there.”
Racial discrimination masqueraded as policy!!!
LeBron James and Others Slam NCAA After ‘Rich Paul Rule’ That Requires Agents to Have College Degree
By Daryl Nelson - Atlanta Black Star
August 7, 2019
LeBron James and many others are blasting a recent memo sent by the NCAA that pertains to agents wanting to represent college students eligible for the NBA draft.
According to ESPN, agents will now have to hold a bachelor’s degree, be certified with the NBA Players’ Association for a minimum of three straight years.
They’ll also need to pass a background check, and once they do that agents will have to take an in-person exam at the NCAA’s office in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 6. They’ll have to have liability insurance as well.
James is just one of the players who spoke out against the new guidelines, which has since been called the “Rich Paul Rule” by a lot of people.
The Los Angeles Laker is represented by agent Rich Paul, who never went to college, and he also represents Draymond Green, Anthony Davis, Tristan Thompson, as well as Ben Simmons. But based on the new rules, he wouldn’t be able to pursue new talent coming out of college unless he obtains a degree.
Paul, who’s a long time friend of James, also owns Klutch Sports Group, an agency based in Cleveland, Ohio that made the Forbes list of the world’s most valuable sports agencies last year.
“Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop! They BIG MAD and scared,” tweeted James on Tuesday. “Nothing will stop this movement and culture over here. Sorry! Not sorry.”
Chris Paul, who was newly acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder, also slammed the NCAA’s new rules.
“I COMPLETELY disagree with the NCAA’s decision,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “Some life experiences are as valuable, if not more, than diplomas. … Y’all need to rethink this process. This is crazy!”
Evan Turner of the Atlanta Hawks also weighed in and tweeted “The Rich Paul rule tho.”
Plus, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Darius Bazley, who bypassed college for the 2019 NBA draft, sent a message too.
“My agent better than yours #RichPaul,” he wrote.
Even actor and comedian Kevin Hart gave his opinion on the NCAA’s decision, and he sent Rich Paul some positive words.
“The world is so afraid of ground breakers….This is beyond sad & major B.S,” tweeted Hart on Tuesday.
“Keep shining @RichPaul4 ….This only makes you stronger….what you have built is unbelievable champ…. #TheRichPaulRule ….Shame on you NCAA.”
Rich Paul hasn’t responded to the new guidelines yet or the support he’s received. Klutch Sports Group hasn’t issued a message or statement either.
According to ESPN, agents will now have to hold a bachelor’s degree, be certified with the NBA Players’ Association for a minimum of three straight years.
They’ll also need to pass a background check, and once they do that agents will have to take an in-person exam at the NCAA’s office in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 6. They’ll have to have liability insurance as well.
James is just one of the players who spoke out against the new guidelines, which has since been called the “Rich Paul Rule” by a lot of people.
The Los Angeles Laker is represented by agent Rich Paul, who never went to college, and he also represents Draymond Green, Anthony Davis, Tristan Thompson, as well as Ben Simmons. But based on the new rules, he wouldn’t be able to pursue new talent coming out of college unless he obtains a degree.
Paul, who’s a long time friend of James, also owns Klutch Sports Group, an agency based in Cleveland, Ohio that made the Forbes list of the world’s most valuable sports agencies last year.
“Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop! They BIG MAD and scared,” tweeted James on Tuesday. “Nothing will stop this movement and culture over here. Sorry! Not sorry.”
Chris Paul, who was newly acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder, also slammed the NCAA’s new rules.
“I COMPLETELY disagree with the NCAA’s decision,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “Some life experiences are as valuable, if not more, than diplomas. … Y’all need to rethink this process. This is crazy!”
Evan Turner of the Atlanta Hawks also weighed in and tweeted “The Rich Paul rule tho.”
Plus, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Darius Bazley, who bypassed college for the 2019 NBA draft, sent a message too.
“My agent better than yours #RichPaul,” he wrote.
Even actor and comedian Kevin Hart gave his opinion on the NCAA’s decision, and he sent Rich Paul some positive words.
“The world is so afraid of ground breakers….This is beyond sad & major B.S,” tweeted Hart on Tuesday.
“Keep shining @RichPaul4 ….This only makes you stronger….what you have built is unbelievable champ…. #TheRichPaulRule ….Shame on you NCAA.”
Rich Paul hasn’t responded to the new guidelines yet or the support he’s received. Klutch Sports Group hasn’t issued a message or statement either.
The history professor who was ostracized for saying the Civil War was about slavery
Written by Stephen Leccese / History News Network - Alternet
August 5, 2019
...My main research involves Progressive-Era economic thought, and John Bates Clark was one of America’s foremost economists. Sifting through his papers, I came across the usual letters of economic theories and perspectives, but then something unexpected: A long letter from Enoch Marvin Banks dated April 2, 1911 (the quotes below come from this letter). Banks was a professor of history and political economy at the University of Florida, and he seemed distressed. He was “being violently assailed”, evidently over an article he’d written. I didn’t have the article at the time, but I could understand its context from the hints Banks gave. Basically, Banks had committed the crime of blaming the Civil War on slavery. Southern leaders, he stated, had made “a grievous mistake in failing to formulate plans for the gradual elimination of slavery from our States.” In his view, wise leadership would have ended slavery slowly, kept the union intact, and avoided the catastrophe of civil war.
With a google search, I later found the article in question, “A Semi-Centennial View of the Civil War” in The Independent (Feb. 1911). Upon reading it, I discovered that Banks was even more explicit in print: “The fundamental cause of secession and the Civil War, acting as it did through a long series of years, was the institution of Negro slavery” (p. 300). Banks didn’t stop there. He attacked the South’s leadership as well, praising Abraham Lincoln and criticizing Jefferson Davis as a statesman of “distinctly inferior order” (303). Such views were incendiary in the Jim Crow South, and the cause of Banks’ distress.
Banks’ views touched off a firestorm in his native South (he was born in Georgia and spent most of his life in the South). Confederate veterans’ groups responded with widespread criticism. Banks included a clipping from the United Confederate Veterans Robert E. Lee Camp No. 58 in his letter to Clark. The clipping addressed the University of Florida for having a staff member who sought to “discredit the South’s intelligence and to elevate the North and to falsify history.” “Shall such a man continue in a position as teacher where he will sow the seeds of untruth and make true history a falsifier?,” they asked. The veterans demanded Banks be removed from the university and replaced with “a man who will teach history as it is and not mislead and poison the minds of the rising generation.”
As Banks told Clark, he simply couldn’t stand the controversy and pressure. He obliged these demands by resigning from the university and retreating back Georgia. He died only a few months later. Some suspected that the strain of the ordeal diminished his already weak health and led to his eventual death.
This moment reflected the ongoing battle over the legacy of the Civil War and the ideology of the Jim Crow South. As Banks wrote his article, the South was building and codifying its system of racial segregation. Part of this project involved capturing the war’s historical memory. Confederate leaders had to be presented as noble warriors fighting for a lost cause. Jefferson Davis, who was attacked then and now for incompetence, was “one of the noblest men the South ever produced,” according to the Confederate veterans’ group. That’s why they blamed Banks for distorting history, as he challenged the history that was being constructed. As Fred Arthur Bailey wrote in one of the few articles dedicated to this affair: “This tragic incident was but a small part of a large, successful campaign for mind control. Self-serving, pro-Confederate historical interpretations accomplished their purposes” (17). I can’t help agreeing with Bailey’s conclusion.
This ordeal seems to me a perfect example of how history becomes a battlefield. It’s no secret that the historical memory of the Civil War became contentious almost as soon as the war ended. In a world where debates about Confederate statues and flags frequently make headlines, I can only conclude that the battle is very far from over.
With a google search, I later found the article in question, “A Semi-Centennial View of the Civil War” in The Independent (Feb. 1911). Upon reading it, I discovered that Banks was even more explicit in print: “The fundamental cause of secession and the Civil War, acting as it did through a long series of years, was the institution of Negro slavery” (p. 300). Banks didn’t stop there. He attacked the South’s leadership as well, praising Abraham Lincoln and criticizing Jefferson Davis as a statesman of “distinctly inferior order” (303). Such views were incendiary in the Jim Crow South, and the cause of Banks’ distress.
Banks’ views touched off a firestorm in his native South (he was born in Georgia and spent most of his life in the South). Confederate veterans’ groups responded with widespread criticism. Banks included a clipping from the United Confederate Veterans Robert E. Lee Camp No. 58 in his letter to Clark. The clipping addressed the University of Florida for having a staff member who sought to “discredit the South’s intelligence and to elevate the North and to falsify history.” “Shall such a man continue in a position as teacher where he will sow the seeds of untruth and make true history a falsifier?,” they asked. The veterans demanded Banks be removed from the university and replaced with “a man who will teach history as it is and not mislead and poison the minds of the rising generation.”
As Banks told Clark, he simply couldn’t stand the controversy and pressure. He obliged these demands by resigning from the university and retreating back Georgia. He died only a few months later. Some suspected that the strain of the ordeal diminished his already weak health and led to his eventual death.
This moment reflected the ongoing battle over the legacy of the Civil War and the ideology of the Jim Crow South. As Banks wrote his article, the South was building and codifying its system of racial segregation. Part of this project involved capturing the war’s historical memory. Confederate leaders had to be presented as noble warriors fighting for a lost cause. Jefferson Davis, who was attacked then and now for incompetence, was “one of the noblest men the South ever produced,” according to the Confederate veterans’ group. That’s why they blamed Banks for distorting history, as he challenged the history that was being constructed. As Fred Arthur Bailey wrote in one of the few articles dedicated to this affair: “This tragic incident was but a small part of a large, successful campaign for mind control. Self-serving, pro-Confederate historical interpretations accomplished their purposes” (17). I can’t help agreeing with Bailey’s conclusion.
This ordeal seems to me a perfect example of how history becomes a battlefield. It’s no secret that the historical memory of the Civil War became contentious almost as soon as the war ended. In a world where debates about Confederate statues and flags frequently make headlines, I can only conclude that the battle is very far from over.
Black Woman Told ‘Black People Are Just Not Good at Science’ Earns Physics Ph.D.
By Lauren Floyd - Atlanta Black Star
July 10, 2019
When Monifa Phillips graduated from the University of Glasgow in Scotland June 24, she became the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in physics from the university.
It’s no small feat. In fact, she attracted the attention of both Teen Vogue and the Scottish Parliament, which congratulated her in a motion last week.
The hard-earned milestone however, did not come without its fair share of racial stereotypes attached.
“I’ve been told ‘black people are just not good at science’ for instance, ‘they are just better at music,'” Phillips said on Twitter earlier this year.
Monifa Phillips, PhD
@monifa_monifa
· May 20, 2019
".. interview a biochemist called Gerhard Meisenberg working in Dominica, I was told matter-of-factly that there are racial differences in intelligence. “Jews tend to do very well, Chinese and Japanese pretty well, and Blacks and Hispanics not so well." https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/18/race-science-on-the-rise-angela-saini?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet …
Monifa Phillips, PhD
@monifa_monifa
I've been told the same myself, I've been told "black people are just not good at science" for instance, "they are just better at music"
10:06 AM - May 20, 2019
She said she has to review the websites of prospective companies to see if they hire black people or people of color.
“Otherwise I have to ask, ‘DO YOU HIRE BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE? FOR THERE IS NO EVIDENCE.’ and see how they respond,” Phillips said.
A study the journal Educational Researcher released earlier this year found that although Black and Latino students are interested in science, technology, engineering and math fields, they are either switching majors or dropping out of college at higher rates than their white classmates.
The report’s lead author Catherine Riegle-Crumb spoke to Inside Higher Education in February.
“We definitely need more investigation into these things, what’s actually happening within classrooms, to be able to measure the experiences of youth of different backgrounds,” she said.
Phillips said she’s more than noticed the lack of diversity in her field.
“I’m a proud Black British woman from (London). I made space for myself in a predominantly white, male field,” she said on Twitter. “It was hard, but with the support of my family & my community, I did it.”
Phillips, a materials scientist, presented her thesis on materials that could be used to store memory.
“Our demand for more memory keeps growing,” Phillips explained on Twitter. “We always want more storage space in smaller and smaller devices.”
She focused specifically “on an emerging technology called ReRAM or RRAM, which has shown great potential for improving on Flash memory, which is widely used today.”
The university’s School of Physics and Astronomy congratulated Phillips on being the first and also addressed the need for more diversity.
“We recognise that Physics suffers from a lack of racial diversity,” the school said. “Although Monifa is the first, we are determined she will not be the last PhD awarded!”
It’s no small feat. In fact, she attracted the attention of both Teen Vogue and the Scottish Parliament, which congratulated her in a motion last week.
The hard-earned milestone however, did not come without its fair share of racial stereotypes attached.
“I’ve been told ‘black people are just not good at science’ for instance, ‘they are just better at music,'” Phillips said on Twitter earlier this year.
Monifa Phillips, PhD
@monifa_monifa
· May 20, 2019
".. interview a biochemist called Gerhard Meisenberg working in Dominica, I was told matter-of-factly that there are racial differences in intelligence. “Jews tend to do very well, Chinese and Japanese pretty well, and Blacks and Hispanics not so well." https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/18/race-science-on-the-rise-angela-saini?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet …
Monifa Phillips, PhD
@monifa_monifa
I've been told the same myself, I've been told "black people are just not good at science" for instance, "they are just better at music"
10:06 AM - May 20, 2019
She said she has to review the websites of prospective companies to see if they hire black people or people of color.
“Otherwise I have to ask, ‘DO YOU HIRE BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE? FOR THERE IS NO EVIDENCE.’ and see how they respond,” Phillips said.
A study the journal Educational Researcher released earlier this year found that although Black and Latino students are interested in science, technology, engineering and math fields, they are either switching majors or dropping out of college at higher rates than their white classmates.
The report’s lead author Catherine Riegle-Crumb spoke to Inside Higher Education in February.
“We definitely need more investigation into these things, what’s actually happening within classrooms, to be able to measure the experiences of youth of different backgrounds,” she said.
Phillips said she’s more than noticed the lack of diversity in her field.
“I’m a proud Black British woman from (London). I made space for myself in a predominantly white, male field,” she said on Twitter. “It was hard, but with the support of my family & my community, I did it.”
Phillips, a materials scientist, presented her thesis on materials that could be used to store memory.
“Our demand for more memory keeps growing,” Phillips explained on Twitter. “We always want more storage space in smaller and smaller devices.”
She focused specifically “on an emerging technology called ReRAM or RRAM, which has shown great potential for improving on Flash memory, which is widely used today.”
The university’s School of Physics and Astronomy congratulated Phillips on being the first and also addressed the need for more diversity.
“We recognise that Physics suffers from a lack of racial diversity,” the school said. “Although Monifa is the first, we are determined she will not be the last PhD awarded!”
Pharrell Williams Offering 114 High School Graduates in Harlem Internships: ‘The World is Watching’
By Daryl Nelson - Atlanta Black Star
July 5, 2019
Pharrell Williams is doing something extraordinary for a group of high school graduates at Harlem’s Children’s Zone Promise Academy.
On June 26, during the Manhattan, New York, school’s commencement ceremony, the veteran producer said he’ll give each of the 114 graduating seniors internships. It has also been reported that all of the seniors have already been accepted into college.
During his speech, Williams made a distinction between being “woke” and awake, then encouraged the students to be involved in making positive change.
“So let me be clear, every member of the 2019 graduating class is guaranteed an internship waiting for them, you,” Williams told them at the commencement ceremony. He was also the keynote speaker.
“It’s one thing to be ‘woke,’ another to be awake, leaned in and engaged,” he added.
The Neptunes member — who was a surprise speaker at the graduation — then brought up the Harlem Renaissance, a movement in the 1920s that surrounded intellectualism and art in the uptown section of Manhattan.
According to Williams, there’s a new renaissance going on these days, and it involves young people being educated, as well as socially aware.
“The world is watching Harlem, but this renaissance will be different,” he explained. “Believe it or not, with respect, it’s going to actually be better and the reason why is because the new Harlem Renaissance has education at its core.”
Some thanked Williams for the internships on social media afterward. and said he was doing a tremendous thing for young people.
“Congratulations to the graduates & you’re a wonderful person to help with education,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“We celebrate your faith and love,” another person tweeted.
“This is awesome. What can we do to help?” a third person asked.
On June 26, during the Manhattan, New York, school’s commencement ceremony, the veteran producer said he’ll give each of the 114 graduating seniors internships. It has also been reported that all of the seniors have already been accepted into college.
During his speech, Williams made a distinction between being “woke” and awake, then encouraged the students to be involved in making positive change.
“So let me be clear, every member of the 2019 graduating class is guaranteed an internship waiting for them, you,” Williams told them at the commencement ceremony. He was also the keynote speaker.
“It’s one thing to be ‘woke,’ another to be awake, leaned in and engaged,” he added.
The Neptunes member — who was a surprise speaker at the graduation — then brought up the Harlem Renaissance, a movement in the 1920s that surrounded intellectualism and art in the uptown section of Manhattan.
According to Williams, there’s a new renaissance going on these days, and it involves young people being educated, as well as socially aware.
“The world is watching Harlem, but this renaissance will be different,” he explained. “Believe it or not, with respect, it’s going to actually be better and the reason why is because the new Harlem Renaissance has education at its core.”
Some thanked Williams for the internships on social media afterward. and said he was doing a tremendous thing for young people.
“Congratulations to the graduates & you’re a wonderful person to help with education,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“We celebrate your faith and love,” another person tweeted.
“This is awesome. What can we do to help?” a third person asked.
Texas Neurosurgeon Makes History as the First Black Woman to Complete Residency in Specialty at Baylor College of Medicine
By Kiersten Willis - Atlantic Black Star
June 27, 2019
Dr. Venita Simpson is going to practice neurosurgery in the Navy. (Photo: Venita Simpson LinkedIn)
The Baylor College of Medicine’s neurosurgeon residency has been established as an accredited program since 1958, but it wasn’t until 61 years later that a Black woman completed the program.
Dr. Venita Simpson became the first to do so at the Texas institution recently, according to Because of Them We Can.
The neurosurgery department, which is housed at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, is one of Baylor’s highest-ranked departments in overall scores and in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Simpson, however, faced a bit of an obstacle in getting into the school once she figured out she wanted to go to medical school.
“When I knew I wanted to go to medical school, my high school guidance counselor told me to be realistic,” the MD told BOTWC. “Even though I had a 4.0 GPA, she recommended another student of privilege for the scholarship I was applying. When I originally applied to Neurosurgery I did not match, but I dug my heels in, got back on the grind and matched the second time around. Never let anyone tell you what you can’t do. God is always in control and has a plan far greater than you imagined if you keep faith.”
Going to medical school has been practically a life-long dream for Simpson, who said her own experience led her down that career path.
“I was inspired to go into medicine since I was 7-years-old after I had surgery,” she recalled. “I was just amazed at all the gadgets in the hospital. I fell in love with Neurosurgery after witnessing Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Disease and movement disorders and how life-changing a seamless placement of electrodes in the brain could alter and enhance someone’s life.”
And although Simpson made history at Baylor, it was two other Black surgeons who made history before her who helped pave the way for the Texas transplant to follow in their footsteps.
Dr. Alexa Canady’s residency at the University of Minnesota in 1976 led her to become the first female Black neurosurgery resident in the country. When she wrapped up her residency in 1981, she made history again as America’s first female Black neurosurgeon. And with Simpson becoming a neurosurgeon too, there is still progress to be made as Black women only comprise less than 1 percent of the of neurosurgeons across the nation, BOTWC reported.
But Simpson, who is a lieutenant commander in the Navy, where she’s served since 2006, remains inspired by Canady, as well as current HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson. While he currently heads the Department of Housing and Urban Development, he made history in 1987 when he performed the firstsuccessful surgery to separate conjoined twins who were connected at the back of the head.
“I met Dr. Ben Carson several times while I was a medical student at Georgetown, and he was still staff at John Hopkins,” Simpson said. “He gave me a great deal of inspiration, but moreover Dr. Alexa Canady resonated with me more so because not only was she Black, she was a woman. In a field dominated by white men it can be intimidating, but she persevered and I definitely have pulled strength from her.”
Since Simpson completed her seven-year residency at Baylor, she’s also wrapped her Enfolded Complex Spine Fellowship this year, BOTWC reported. Next, she’ll go east to Portsmouth, Virginia, and remain in the Navy to practice neurosurgery.
Dr. Venita Simpson became the first to do so at the Texas institution recently, according to Because of Them We Can.
The neurosurgery department, which is housed at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, is one of Baylor’s highest-ranked departments in overall scores and in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Simpson, however, faced a bit of an obstacle in getting into the school once she figured out she wanted to go to medical school.
“When I knew I wanted to go to medical school, my high school guidance counselor told me to be realistic,” the MD told BOTWC. “Even though I had a 4.0 GPA, she recommended another student of privilege for the scholarship I was applying. When I originally applied to Neurosurgery I did not match, but I dug my heels in, got back on the grind and matched the second time around. Never let anyone tell you what you can’t do. God is always in control and has a plan far greater than you imagined if you keep faith.”
Going to medical school has been practically a life-long dream for Simpson, who said her own experience led her down that career path.
“I was inspired to go into medicine since I was 7-years-old after I had surgery,” she recalled. “I was just amazed at all the gadgets in the hospital. I fell in love with Neurosurgery after witnessing Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Disease and movement disorders and how life-changing a seamless placement of electrodes in the brain could alter and enhance someone’s life.”
And although Simpson made history at Baylor, it was two other Black surgeons who made history before her who helped pave the way for the Texas transplant to follow in their footsteps.
Dr. Alexa Canady’s residency at the University of Minnesota in 1976 led her to become the first female Black neurosurgery resident in the country. When she wrapped up her residency in 1981, she made history again as America’s first female Black neurosurgeon. And with Simpson becoming a neurosurgeon too, there is still progress to be made as Black women only comprise less than 1 percent of the of neurosurgeons across the nation, BOTWC reported.
But Simpson, who is a lieutenant commander in the Navy, where she’s served since 2006, remains inspired by Canady, as well as current HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson. While he currently heads the Department of Housing and Urban Development, he made history in 1987 when he performed the firstsuccessful surgery to separate conjoined twins who were connected at the back of the head.
“I met Dr. Ben Carson several times while I was a medical student at Georgetown, and he was still staff at John Hopkins,” Simpson said. “He gave me a great deal of inspiration, but moreover Dr. Alexa Canady resonated with me more so because not only was she Black, she was a woman. In a field dominated by white men it can be intimidating, but she persevered and I definitely have pulled strength from her.”
Since Simpson completed her seven-year residency at Baylor, she’s also wrapped her Enfolded Complex Spine Fellowship this year, BOTWC reported. Next, she’ll go east to Portsmouth, Virginia, and remain in the Navy to practice neurosurgery.
USA women's football team: The fearless Megan Rapinoe embodies the best of America
The funny, eloquent, insightful midfielder is the latest in a long line of USA women’s players who have been unafraid to challenge the establishment
Gemma Clarke
The Guardian
Thu 27 Jun 2019 08.07 EDT
Megan Rapinoe celebrates her the second goal against Spain in Tuesday’s last-16 match at the World Cup. Photograph: Zhizhao Wu/Getty Images
As the Star-Spangled Banner rang out on Tuesday in Reims before the USA’s quarter-final tie with Spain, the TV cameras panned over the starting eleven, hands on hearts, singing in unison. And then there was Megan Rapinoe, silent and steely, standing because she’s been told she has no other choice, a proud American with a point to prove.
In the gritty grind of a game that followed she was not at her best, yet she scored both USA’s goals from the penalty spot, testament to both her talent and her composure. When things go wrong, you want Rapinoe on your team. And when things go right, she’s often the driving force, the source of some of the sweetest crosses and most accurate corners ever witnessed in the sport.
It was a Rapinoe cross in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final with Brazil that Abby Wambach headed home, a goal that saved the USA women’s team from the brink of elimination that’s been called the greatest in the tournament’s history. Her love for the game is evident in her every movement, and the unbridled joy of her celebrations.
It was through soccer that Rapinoe was first able to express herself and overcome the awkwardness she felt growing up gay in Redding, California. In 2012, she came out publicly in an interview with Out Magazine because she wanted to be an example, and to speak out against the prevailing homophobia in sports. In 2018, Rapinoe and her partner, WNBA star Sue Bird, became the first same sex couple to appear on the cover of ESPN the Magazine’s Body Issue.
Rapinoe is an irrepressible force, a fierce advocate for equality, funny, eloquent, insightful, as comfortable joking about her mother’s predilection for pajamas as she is speaking at length on the subject of intersectionality.
Before the USA’s friendly game with Thailand in September 2016, Rapinoe was the first white athlete to take a knee in support of Colin Kaepernick. In response to the backlash that followed, she told The Players’ Tribune, “I’m the same Megan Rapinoe you’ve known for years now … one of the women you have called an American hero, and not just once. … I haven’t experienced over-policing, racial profiling, police brutality or the sight of a family member’s body lying dead in the street. But I cannot stand idly by while there are people in this country who have had to deal with that kind of heartache.”
Her actions were met with strong consternation from US Soccer, whose board voted unanimously to insist its players stand or face serious, though undisclosed, consequences. But for Rapinoe, protest and patriotism are deeply entwined.
“It’s really obvious that we have very serious inequality in this country across many different spectrums,” she told the Guardian. “Yes, we can talk about the form of protest, or the way it’s done, or this or that. But it’s still not really the conversation that I think we desperately need to have more of in this country.”
This week a video of Rapinoe saying, “I’m not going to the fucking White House,” did the viral rounds, prompting a customary dose of public condemnation from the US president’s Twitter account, and an invitation for her to refuse. It is, after all, still a free country and other high-profile athletes have refused to visit the Trump White House. When Steph Curry said he would refuse, the president issued a public revocation, curtailing the traditional championship-winning trip for the Golden State Warriors.
Rapinoe has that kind of clout, too. Already teammates Ali Krieger, Alex Morgan and Becky Sauerbrunn have spoken out in support of her, and been clear about their refusal to visit with an administration that Krieger described as engaged in a “fight against LGBTQ+ citizens, immigrants & our most vulnerable”, as has Wambach.
But the USA team was built by women who were unafraid to challenge the establishment. Since their first games in the mid-1980s, USA women’s players have fought for every single amenity, from not playing in hand-me-down men’s kits to being paid an actual wage. The 1999 World Cup-winning team not only helped found the world’s first professional women’s soccer league, WUSA, but took a pay cut in order to keep it alive. The team is continuing its battle now with a legal challenge to insist on being paid as much as the men’s team, given that they are more popular, more well-known and bring in more viewers and more revenue than their male counterparts.
As Rapinoe put it: “I think our existence in professional sports is almost a protest in and of itself in the very sexist society that we live in.”
If there is a player who embodies the spirit of this team and this generation, it is Rapinoe. She believes in those antiquated American ideals of truth, justice and equality. And she’s not afraid of a “total shitshow” either.
In the gritty grind of a game that followed she was not at her best, yet she scored both USA’s goals from the penalty spot, testament to both her talent and her composure. When things go wrong, you want Rapinoe on your team. And when things go right, she’s often the driving force, the source of some of the sweetest crosses and most accurate corners ever witnessed in the sport.
It was a Rapinoe cross in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final with Brazil that Abby Wambach headed home, a goal that saved the USA women’s team from the brink of elimination that’s been called the greatest in the tournament’s history. Her love for the game is evident in her every movement, and the unbridled joy of her celebrations.
It was through soccer that Rapinoe was first able to express herself and overcome the awkwardness she felt growing up gay in Redding, California. In 2012, she came out publicly in an interview with Out Magazine because she wanted to be an example, and to speak out against the prevailing homophobia in sports. In 2018, Rapinoe and her partner, WNBA star Sue Bird, became the first same sex couple to appear on the cover of ESPN the Magazine’s Body Issue.
Rapinoe is an irrepressible force, a fierce advocate for equality, funny, eloquent, insightful, as comfortable joking about her mother’s predilection for pajamas as she is speaking at length on the subject of intersectionality.
Before the USA’s friendly game with Thailand in September 2016, Rapinoe was the first white athlete to take a knee in support of Colin Kaepernick. In response to the backlash that followed, she told The Players’ Tribune, “I’m the same Megan Rapinoe you’ve known for years now … one of the women you have called an American hero, and not just once. … I haven’t experienced over-policing, racial profiling, police brutality or the sight of a family member’s body lying dead in the street. But I cannot stand idly by while there are people in this country who have had to deal with that kind of heartache.”
Her actions were met with strong consternation from US Soccer, whose board voted unanimously to insist its players stand or face serious, though undisclosed, consequences. But for Rapinoe, protest and patriotism are deeply entwined.
“It’s really obvious that we have very serious inequality in this country across many different spectrums,” she told the Guardian. “Yes, we can talk about the form of protest, or the way it’s done, or this or that. But it’s still not really the conversation that I think we desperately need to have more of in this country.”
This week a video of Rapinoe saying, “I’m not going to the fucking White House,” did the viral rounds, prompting a customary dose of public condemnation from the US president’s Twitter account, and an invitation for her to refuse. It is, after all, still a free country and other high-profile athletes have refused to visit the Trump White House. When Steph Curry said he would refuse, the president issued a public revocation, curtailing the traditional championship-winning trip for the Golden State Warriors.
Rapinoe has that kind of clout, too. Already teammates Ali Krieger, Alex Morgan and Becky Sauerbrunn have spoken out in support of her, and been clear about their refusal to visit with an administration that Krieger described as engaged in a “fight against LGBTQ+ citizens, immigrants & our most vulnerable”, as has Wambach.
But the USA team was built by women who were unafraid to challenge the establishment. Since their first games in the mid-1980s, USA women’s players have fought for every single amenity, from not playing in hand-me-down men’s kits to being paid an actual wage. The 1999 World Cup-winning team not only helped found the world’s first professional women’s soccer league, WUSA, but took a pay cut in order to keep it alive. The team is continuing its battle now with a legal challenge to insist on being paid as much as the men’s team, given that they are more popular, more well-known and bring in more viewers and more revenue than their male counterparts.
As Rapinoe put it: “I think our existence in professional sports is almost a protest in and of itself in the very sexist society that we live in.”
If there is a player who embodies the spirit of this team and this generation, it is Rapinoe. She believes in those antiquated American ideals of truth, justice and equality. And she’s not afraid of a “total shitshow” either.
Rihanna named world's richest female musician
Forbes magazine estimates the musician’s fortune at $600m, a figure bolstered by her lucrative fashion and beauty ventures
Laura Snapes
The Guardian
Wed 5 Jun 2019 08.07 EDT
Rihanna launching her Fenty brand in Paris in May 2019. Photograph: Julien Hekimian/Getty Images/Fenty
Rihanna has been named the world’s richest female musician by Forbes magazine. The singer’s worth is estimated at $600m (£472m), including revenues made from her fashion and beauty lines in addition to those from her music career.
In May 2019, French luxury brand LVMH confirmed it would launch Rihanna’s fashion company, Fenty, making her the first woman of colour to lead an LVMH fashion house. “I want to be as disruptive as possible,” she told the New York Times of the venture. “The brand is not traditional.”
LVMH also backs Rihanna’s lucrative cosmetics company, Fenty Beauty, which launched in 2017 and is worth more than £3bn, from which Rihanna has earned $570m, Forbes reports. Boots recently acquired UK distribution rights for the brand. She also designs an inclusive lingerie line, Savage x Fenty, in partnership with TechStyle Fashion Group.
In May, Rihanna told the New York Times that she wasn’t driven by money but by her work. “The money means that I can take care of my family. The money means that I can facilitate the businesses that I want to. I can create jobs for other people. My money is not for me; it’s always the thought that I can help someone else or, in the future, for if I have kids.”
In 2012, Rihanna founded the Clara Lionel Foundation, which supports health and education efforts in impoverished communities around the world. In February 2017, she was named humanitarian of the year by Harvard University.
Forbes’s list of the top five richest female musicians finds Madonna in second place ($570m), Céline Dion in third ($450m), Beyoncé and Barbra Streisand tying in fourth ($400m) and Taylor Swift in sixth ($360m).
The publication defines “self-made” as “someone who built a company or established a fortune on her own, rather than inheriting some or all of it” – hence the Kardashian scion Kylie Jenner being named America’s youngest “self-made” billionaire earlier this year thanks to her cosmetics brand, Kylie Cosmetics.
The latest issue of Forbes magazine also names Jay-Z as the world’s first billionaire rapper, claiming that the 49-year-old’s empire “conservatively” totals $1bn after valuing his various ventures as well as any real estate and his art collection.
In May 2019, French luxury brand LVMH confirmed it would launch Rihanna’s fashion company, Fenty, making her the first woman of colour to lead an LVMH fashion house. “I want to be as disruptive as possible,” she told the New York Times of the venture. “The brand is not traditional.”
LVMH also backs Rihanna’s lucrative cosmetics company, Fenty Beauty, which launched in 2017 and is worth more than £3bn, from which Rihanna has earned $570m, Forbes reports. Boots recently acquired UK distribution rights for the brand. She also designs an inclusive lingerie line, Savage x Fenty, in partnership with TechStyle Fashion Group.
In May, Rihanna told the New York Times that she wasn’t driven by money but by her work. “The money means that I can take care of my family. The money means that I can facilitate the businesses that I want to. I can create jobs for other people. My money is not for me; it’s always the thought that I can help someone else or, in the future, for if I have kids.”
In 2012, Rihanna founded the Clara Lionel Foundation, which supports health and education efforts in impoverished communities around the world. In February 2017, she was named humanitarian of the year by Harvard University.
Forbes’s list of the top five richest female musicians finds Madonna in second place ($570m), Céline Dion in third ($450m), Beyoncé and Barbra Streisand tying in fourth ($400m) and Taylor Swift in sixth ($360m).
The publication defines “self-made” as “someone who built a company or established a fortune on her own, rather than inheriting some or all of it” – hence the Kardashian scion Kylie Jenner being named America’s youngest “self-made” billionaire earlier this year thanks to her cosmetics brand, Kylie Cosmetics.
The latest issue of Forbes magazine also names Jay-Z as the world’s first billionaire rapper, claiming that the 49-year-old’s empire “conservatively” totals $1bn after valuing his various ventures as well as any real estate and his art collection.
Internet meme by Kissing Fish Book
‘The Sky Is the Limit’: LeBron James Partners with Retail Giant to Gift $1 Million To His I Promise School For New Gym
By Daryl Nelson - atlanta black star
May 16, 2019
LeBron James recently announced a $1 million donation to his I Promise School for a new gymnasium, which he said will be more than just a place to shoot baskets.
The school, which he opened in July of 2018, is located in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, and he made the announcement on Thursday (May 9) at his alma mater St. Vincent St. Mary High School.
James partnered with the retail juggernauts Dick’s Sporting Goods for the $1 million grant and stated the new gym will be a safe space for children where they can participate in after-school activities.
“To my kids, this is more than a gym,” said the Los Angeles Laker.
“The Dick’s Sports Matter program is helping us provide even more opportunities. An opportunity to play and learn in a safe place that many don’t have access to.”
“I can’t imagine where my friends and I would be if it weren’t for the coaches and teachers who cared about us and the opportunities we had,” he added.
James launched I Promise in partnership with his LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron Public Schools, and each year the district identifies third-graders who’ve fallen behind academically. From there, eligible students are placed in a lottery to determine who will ultimately attend.
The school says it has a 20-to-one student-teacher ratio, and kids attend classes from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. They’re also given free breakfast and lunch, as well as snacks and programming is year-around.
I Promise has already seen great success too, because last month it was reported that 90 percent of students who fell at least one grade level behind, met or exceeded their scores in reading and math.
The results came after the children took the Measures of Academic Progress testing, and it’s something that former president Barack Obama acknowledged.
“I believe the sky is the limit for these kids and the results we’re seeing are just the beginning,” said James when he spoke of the new gym. “Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation believes in the opportunities and values sports provide, and I’ve experienced that at every level. I saw it growing up with my teammates and I see it with my kids now.”
“The benefits of playing sports can extend to every aspect of your life, and I’m excited we’re able to provide a space for that growth at the I Promise School,” he added.
The school, which he opened in July of 2018, is located in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, and he made the announcement on Thursday (May 9) at his alma mater St. Vincent St. Mary High School.
James partnered with the retail juggernauts Dick’s Sporting Goods for the $1 million grant and stated the new gym will be a safe space for children where they can participate in after-school activities.
“To my kids, this is more than a gym,” said the Los Angeles Laker.
“The Dick’s Sports Matter program is helping us provide even more opportunities. An opportunity to play and learn in a safe place that many don’t have access to.”
“I can’t imagine where my friends and I would be if it weren’t for the coaches and teachers who cared about us and the opportunities we had,” he added.
James launched I Promise in partnership with his LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron Public Schools, and each year the district identifies third-graders who’ve fallen behind academically. From there, eligible students are placed in a lottery to determine who will ultimately attend.
The school says it has a 20-to-one student-teacher ratio, and kids attend classes from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. They’re also given free breakfast and lunch, as well as snacks and programming is year-around.
I Promise has already seen great success too, because last month it was reported that 90 percent of students who fell at least one grade level behind, met or exceeded their scores in reading and math.
The results came after the children took the Measures of Academic Progress testing, and it’s something that former president Barack Obama acknowledged.
“I believe the sky is the limit for these kids and the results we’re seeing are just the beginning,” said James when he spoke of the new gym. “Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation believes in the opportunities and values sports provide, and I’ve experienced that at every level. I saw it growing up with my teammates and I see it with my kids now.”
“The benefits of playing sports can extend to every aspect of your life, and I’m excited we’re able to provide a space for that growth at the I Promise School,” he added.
Reasons why I will NEVER, EVER forgive Trump voters
Coventina
From Demo. Underground: All these things were done BEFORE the election, so don't try to tell me that Trump voters didn't know EXACTLY what they were voting for:
Calling Mexicans rapists
Shaming women for having menstrual cycles
Saying John McCain is not a hero for surviving torture
Signing up a white nationalist as a delegate
Saying he is against the First Amendment
Refusing to condemn the KKK
Mocking a disabled reporter
Praising Saddam Hussein
Praising Vladimir Putin
Re-tweeting white nationalists
Tweeting that most murders of white people are done by African Americans
Mocking women's personal appearance
Sexualizing his daughter
Lying about American Muslims celebrating on 9/11
"Two Corinthians"
Talking about his penis during a national debate
Saying a judge was partial due to his ethnic heritage
Supporting the Obama "birther" lies
Threatening to end the free press
Defrauding students of "Trump University"
Not releasing his taxes
Saying pumping breast milk is "disgusting"
Asking Russia to hack the United States
Of course there is so much more, but this hits the high (low) lights for me.
Calling Mexicans rapists
Shaming women for having menstrual cycles
Saying John McCain is not a hero for surviving torture
Signing up a white nationalist as a delegate
Saying he is against the First Amendment
Refusing to condemn the KKK
Mocking a disabled reporter
Praising Saddam Hussein
Praising Vladimir Putin
Re-tweeting white nationalists
Tweeting that most murders of white people are done by African Americans
Mocking women's personal appearance
Sexualizing his daughter
Lying about American Muslims celebrating on 9/11
"Two Corinthians"
Talking about his penis during a national debate
Saying a judge was partial due to his ethnic heritage
Supporting the Obama "birther" lies
Threatening to end the free press
Defrauding students of "Trump University"
Not releasing his taxes
Saying pumping breast milk is "disgusting"
Asking Russia to hack the United States
Of course there is so much more, but this hits the high (low) lights for me.
When idiots say "both parties are the same"
SHRED
From Demo Underground: Here's a partial list.
Things that Democrats would not be doing:
Escalating towards nuclear war with NK.
Pulling out of Paris Climate Agreement.
Reducing National Monuments.
Defunding renewable energy.
Defunding CHIP.
Not helping Puerto Rico sufficiently.
Threatening and deporting DACA.
Building a wall on the southern border.
Attacking our allies and praising Russia.
Trying to revive the war on cannabis.
Backing expansion of private prisons.
Sabotaging the ACA.
Pushing an obscene tax bill which trigger cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
Preparing to decimate the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau.
A State Department in shambles.
Privatization schemes against public education.
Expanding the private prison system.
Attacking the BLM movement.
Praising White Supremacists.
Renewing attacks on our LGBT brothers and sisters.
Destroying Net Neutrality.
To name a few for those idiots who think "both parties are the same".
I've shutdown fools online with this list.
Things that Democrats would not be doing:
Escalating towards nuclear war with NK.
Pulling out of Paris Climate Agreement.
Reducing National Monuments.
Defunding renewable energy.
Defunding CHIP.
Not helping Puerto Rico sufficiently.
Threatening and deporting DACA.
Building a wall on the southern border.
Attacking our allies and praising Russia.
Trying to revive the war on cannabis.
Backing expansion of private prisons.
Sabotaging the ACA.
Pushing an obscene tax bill which trigger cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
Preparing to decimate the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau.
A State Department in shambles.
Privatization schemes against public education.
Expanding the private prison system.
Attacking the BLM movement.
Praising White Supremacists.
Renewing attacks on our LGBT brothers and sisters.
Destroying Net Neutrality.
To name a few for those idiots who think "both parties are the same".
I've shutdown fools online with this list.
MAGA: a serial rapist on the Supreme Court
Pastor Explains: When White Folks Say Obama Was an “Embarrassment”, Here is Your Response
By
cpowell
From Bluedot Daily: One of the common responses to criticism of Donald Trump by his mostly white voters is something along the lines “we were embarrassed by Obama for 8 years.” One pastor is calling out that nonsense.
Progressive pastor John Pavlovitz, a favorite of ours here, has penned an open letter to those white Trump voters, informing them that no, in fact, they weren’t embarrassed by the former President.
Were you embarrassed by his lone and enduring twenty-five year marriage to a strong woman he’s never ceased to publicly praise, respect, or cherish?
Were you embarrassed by the way he lovingly and sweetly parented and protected his daughters?
I remember the day after the Election, a friend of mine who happens to be white, remarked on social media that he “finally wasn’t embarrassed of America and our President.”
I sprained my eyes rolling them and they have never fully recovered.
Since then I’ve heard this sentiment echoed by more white folks than I can count, especially in recent months; supposed relief at once again having a leader who instills pride.
Since I don’t have the time to ask each of the individually, I’ll ask here:
So, you were embarrassed for the past 8 years, huh?
Really?
What exactly were you embarrassed by?
Were you embarrassed by his lone and enduring twenty-five year marriage to a strong woman he’s never ceased to publicly praise, respect, or cherish?
Were you embarrassed by the way he lovingly and sweetly parented and protected his daughters?
Were you embarrassed by his Columbia University degree in Political Science or his graduating magna cum laude from Harvard Law School?
Maybe you were embarrassed by his white American and Black Kenyan parents, or the diversity he was raised in as normal?
Were you embarrassed by his eloquence, his quick wit, his easy humor, his seeming comfort meeting with both world leaders and street cleaners; by his bright smile or his sense of empathy or his steadiness—perhaps by his lack of personal scandals or verbal gaffes or impulsive tirades?
No. Of course you weren’t.
Honestly, I don’t believe you were ever embarrassed. That word implies an association that brings ridicule, one that makes you ashamed by association, and if that’s something you claim to have experienced over the past eight years by having Barack Obama representing you in the world—I’m going to suggest you rethink your word choice.
You weren’t “embarrassed” by Barack Obama.
You were threatened by him.
You were offended by him.
You were challenged by him.
You were enraged by him.
But I don’t believe it had anything to do with his resume or his experience or his character or his conduct in office—because you seem fully proud right now to be associated with a three-time married, serial adulterer and confessed predator; a man whose election and business dealings and relationships are riddled with controversy and malfeasance. You’re perfectly fine being represented by a bullying, obnoxious, genitalia-grabbing, Tweet-ranting, Prime Minister-shoving charlatan who’s managed to offended all our allies in a few short months. And you’re okay with him putting on religious faith like a rented, dusty, ill-fitting tuxedo and immediately tossing it in the garbage when he’s finished with it.
None of that you’re embarrassed of? I wonder how that works.
Actually, I’m afraid I have an idea. I hope I’m wrong.
Listen, you’re perfectly within your rights to have disagreed with Barack Obama’s policies or to have taken issue with his tactics. No one’s claiming he was a flawless politician or a perfect human being. But somehow I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here. I think the thing President Obama did that really upset you, white friend—was having a complexion that was far darker than you were ever comfortable with. I think the President we have now feels much better.
Because objectively speaking, if what’s happening in our country right now doesn’t cause you great shame and doesn’t induce the continual meeting of your palm to your face—I don’t believe embarrassment is ever something you struggle with.
No, if you claimed to be “embarrassed” by Barack Obama but you’re not embarrassed by Donald Trump—I’m going to strongly suggest it was largely a pigmentation issue.
And as an American and a Christian committed to diversity and equality and to the liberty at the heart of this nation--that, embarrasses me.
Well said, Pastor. Well said indeed.
Progressive pastor John Pavlovitz, a favorite of ours here, has penned an open letter to those white Trump voters, informing them that no, in fact, they weren’t embarrassed by the former President.
Were you embarrassed by his lone and enduring twenty-five year marriage to a strong woman he’s never ceased to publicly praise, respect, or cherish?
Were you embarrassed by the way he lovingly and sweetly parented and protected his daughters?
I remember the day after the Election, a friend of mine who happens to be white, remarked on social media that he “finally wasn’t embarrassed of America and our President.”
I sprained my eyes rolling them and they have never fully recovered.
Since then I’ve heard this sentiment echoed by more white folks than I can count, especially in recent months; supposed relief at once again having a leader who instills pride.
Since I don’t have the time to ask each of the individually, I’ll ask here:
So, you were embarrassed for the past 8 years, huh?
Really?
What exactly were you embarrassed by?
Were you embarrassed by his lone and enduring twenty-five year marriage to a strong woman he’s never ceased to publicly praise, respect, or cherish?
Were you embarrassed by the way he lovingly and sweetly parented and protected his daughters?
Were you embarrassed by his Columbia University degree in Political Science or his graduating magna cum laude from Harvard Law School?
Maybe you were embarrassed by his white American and Black Kenyan parents, or the diversity he was raised in as normal?
Were you embarrassed by his eloquence, his quick wit, his easy humor, his seeming comfort meeting with both world leaders and street cleaners; by his bright smile or his sense of empathy or his steadiness—perhaps by his lack of personal scandals or verbal gaffes or impulsive tirades?
No. Of course you weren’t.
Honestly, I don’t believe you were ever embarrassed. That word implies an association that brings ridicule, one that makes you ashamed by association, and if that’s something you claim to have experienced over the past eight years by having Barack Obama representing you in the world—I’m going to suggest you rethink your word choice.
You weren’t “embarrassed” by Barack Obama.
You were threatened by him.
You were offended by him.
You were challenged by him.
You were enraged by him.
But I don’t believe it had anything to do with his resume or his experience or his character or his conduct in office—because you seem fully proud right now to be associated with a three-time married, serial adulterer and confessed predator; a man whose election and business dealings and relationships are riddled with controversy and malfeasance. You’re perfectly fine being represented by a bullying, obnoxious, genitalia-grabbing, Tweet-ranting, Prime Minister-shoving charlatan who’s managed to offended all our allies in a few short months. And you’re okay with him putting on religious faith like a rented, dusty, ill-fitting tuxedo and immediately tossing it in the garbage when he’s finished with it.
None of that you’re embarrassed of? I wonder how that works.
Actually, I’m afraid I have an idea. I hope I’m wrong.
Listen, you’re perfectly within your rights to have disagreed with Barack Obama’s policies or to have taken issue with his tactics. No one’s claiming he was a flawless politician or a perfect human being. But somehow I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here. I think the thing President Obama did that really upset you, white friend—was having a complexion that was far darker than you were ever comfortable with. I think the President we have now feels much better.
Because objectively speaking, if what’s happening in our country right now doesn’t cause you great shame and doesn’t induce the continual meeting of your palm to your face—I don’t believe embarrassment is ever something you struggle with.
No, if you claimed to be “embarrassed” by Barack Obama but you’re not embarrassed by Donald Trump—I’m going to strongly suggest it was largely a pigmentation issue.
And as an American and a Christian committed to diversity and equality and to the liberty at the heart of this nation--that, embarrasses me.
Well said, Pastor. Well said indeed.
real people funnies & comments
“Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.” - Gore Vidal
