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Why This Racist Bigot Must Not Get Elected To The Senate

This is What Happens When We Trash Alternative Facts

“Alternative facts” are not just Trump soundbites; they’re actual elements of American history that are produced (and reproduced) via textbooks, the erection of monuments, and the focus of television news. Revisionist history, which reinterprets the historical record, has been used to “rewrite” the history of the American confederacy, seeking to condition the American public to a prolonged narrative of white supremacy and Black subjugation. But New Orleans had had enough. Statues which sought to promote white supremacy without recognizing its terroristic realities were deemed a “public nuisance” and to date, four of them have been removed. On May 19th, 2017, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu orated one of the most infamous speeches condemning white supremacy, supporting truth-telling and promoting racial justice. The speech signaled the removal of the last of four monuments to the Lost Cause of the Confederacy: Gen. Robert E. Lee, President Jefferson Davis, Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, and the memorial of the Battle of Liberty Place, a white-supremacist attempt to overthrow New Orleans’ post-civil war government. In Landrieu’s words: “To literally put the Confederacy on a pedestal in our most prominent places of honor is an inaccurate recitation of our full past. It is an affront to our present, and it is a bad prescription for our future. History cannot be changed, it cannot be moved like a statue.” “why [are there] no slave ship monuments, no prominent markers on public land to remember the lynchings or the slave blocks; nothing to remember this long chapter of our lives; the pain, the sacrifice, the shame … all of it happening on the soil of New Orleans. So for those self-appointed defenders of history and the monuments, they are eerily silent on what amounts to this historical malfeasance, a lie by omission. There is a difference between remembrance of history and reverence of it.” (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); While Mayor Landrieu’s actions and speech signaled notable progress after a tide of public hearings and judicial review, the work of grassroots activist groups have been largely side-stepped by mainstream media. But thanks to Clint Smith’s recent article in the New Republic, we know more about their story. Before Landrieu was even in office, New Orleans-based activists mobilized to scrub the city of its honorable mentions of the Confederacy. In the 1980s and 1990s, activists mobilized to change the name of 23 schools. And, in the aftermath of the Charleston Massacre, Take ‘Em Down NOLA helped propel an already forward-moving movement to remove enduring symbols of white supremacy. Take ‘Em Down NOLA, a prominent activist group in the area, is a “Black-led multiracial intergenerational coalition” that seeks to “remove the name of every Confederate, white supremacist, and slave-owning individual from New Orleans.” And while the removal of these four monuments constitutes more progress, the group has identified 100 other statues, 24 street names, seven schools, and two hospitals with troubling references. As Smith notes, even Tulane University was named after Paul Tulane – the largest donor to the Confederacy in New Orleans. New Orleans, LA, and Charleston, SC have taken steps to address the physical representations of revisionist history – and other cities may soon follow suit. Baltimore’s mayor is considering removing the city’s Confederate monuments, including a statue of Roger Taney, the Supreme Court chief justice who wrote the Dred Scott decision, as well as monuments of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. And, institutions like Georgetown University will rename two buildings previously bearing titles that reflected the school’s past dealings in slavery. While some will say we need these reminders so that “history won’t repeat itself,’ remembering only part of a history through a statue which dictates a single narrative is a history we should remember no more. Let’s #PushBlack and tell the whole story. All of the time. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The post This is What Happens When We Trash Alternative Facts appeared first on PushBlack.

Sundown Towns Banned Blacks For Over 70 Years

As Black children, many of us knew to be home by the time the streetlights came on, but if you lived in a “sundown town,” making that curfew literally may have been the difference between life and death. From 1900 to 1970, over 10,000 sundown towns emerged throughout the United States. Appropriately named, these towns strongly suggested that Blacks be inside their homes by the time the sun went down. Sundown towns were defined by their racial composition as calculated by the census. If a town had no African-Americans on their census roll or no Black-owned homes, then it fit the criteria. However, if Blacks did live in the town, it could still be considered a sundown town if “credible sources confirmed that whites expelled African Americans, or took steps to keep them from moving in.” (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Some of these towns had a reputation for harassing Blacks after dark while others hung signs along the highways, throughout the town, and on the county line explicitly warning Blacks that they were not welcome. Being Black once the sun went down could lead to an arrest, assault, or even death. White residents often used other scare tactics like bumping into the back of Black people’s cars, painting their barns and mules black to signify “no ass was allowed to spend the night,” and brandishing knives and guns as they passed by Black people in town. In Martinsville, Indiana, two white men used screwdrivers to stab and kill Carole Marie Jenkins while she sold encyclopedias door-to-door after dark. For Black travelers, deciding where to stop for gas, food, and lodging required careful consideration, prompting publication of The Negro Motorist Green-Book. The Green-Book outlined safe places for African-Americans to stop along their routes as well as information on upcoming conventions, beauty parlors, gas stations, and nightclubs in each state. In 2014, the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri after Mike Brown’s death was eerily reminiscent of the climate of sundown towns. The local authors insisted that the town’s residents be in their homes by midnight to avoid confrontation and this type of language reeked of early 20th century racist community policing. Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism is the definitive guide on these controversial communities and if you are interested in diving deeper into the history of these areas purchase a copy here.

Salt-N-Pepa Were All About Women’s Liberation

Beyonce’s 2014 VMA performance in front of a giant “Feminist” sign caught everybody’s attention, but Salt-N-Pepa were Black leaders of the feminist movement decades before. Salt-N-Pepa broke up the monotony of a male-dominated rap scene that frequently objectified women. They completely flipped the script. The provocative, dynamic trio’s in-your-face lyrics and role reversing videos challenged norms and loudly boasted a spirit of women’s liberation and independence. Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, and Latoya Hanson exploded on the scene in 1985 with a fiery single called “The Showstopper” in response to Doug E. Fresh’s “The Show.” The following year, Hanson was replaced by Deidra “ DJ Spinderella” Roper. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Beyond the catchy hooks, songs like “Let’s Talk About Sex,” “Shoop,” and “Push It” reclaimed women’s sexuality and stated to listeners that women do not need to play coy about their sexual desires. By subverting the idea that women’s sexuality is reduced to being the object of the male gaze, Salt-N-Pepa empowered other women to embrace themselves and feel comfortable in their own skin. The group’s videos often confronted stereotypical narratives about sexuality in a direct way. For example, “The music video for "Shoop" features men in sexy, slightly objectified roles, and camera shots which do not pan to the face before or after a sexy body shot.” These video depictions showed Black women free of inhibitions as well as fully in control of their bodies. This representation turned the notion of a submissive woman falling victim to a fawning hypersexual male on its head. As the first Black women group to win a grammy, Salt-N-Pepa transcended boundaries and built a catalog of timeless records along the way that are still worthy of playing on any given day. Their knack for crafting hip hop records that got people up out of their seats and dancing while simultaneously giving the crowd lyrics with a purpose. When we think of Black feminist pioneers, it is easy to point to scholars like bell hooks and Audre Lorde, however, some entertainers have played a key role in advancing feminist thought --- Salt-N-Pepa is an exemplar. With feminist movements ongoing today pushing for equal rights, equal pay, reproductive justice, and more for women, it is just as important as it was in the 80s and 90s to continue fighting for these important issues and using whatever platforms we have to bring about meaningful changes in our communities.

How Many Of The Best Black History Movies Have You Seen?

How the World’s Richest Black Man Lost It All

It would take 138 Oprahs to amass Mansa Musa’s wealth. Yes, you read that right! Musa is considered the richest person in all of history with an estimated net worth of $400 Billion, and the crazy thing is few folks have ever heard of him. So, who was Mansa Musa? During the early 14th century, Musa served as emperor of the powerful Mali Empire located in West Africa. The source of Musa’s wealth stemmed from the vast natural resources of the Mali land. At this time, the Mali Empire was the largest producer of salt and gold, both of which were highly sought after by traders. Musa was inconceivably rich and not afraid to flaunt it. In 1324, he set out on his infamous 4,000 mile pilgrimage to Mecca where he actually made it rain gold. Musa did not make the trek alone and his entourage consisted of 60,000 ornately dressed men carrying 4 lbs of gold a piece as well as 80 camels each bearing 300 lbs of gold. Along the route, Musa and his men passed out so much gold to the poor that it decreased its value, causing a Great Depression. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Musa’s extravagant trip put him on the map — literally. Neighboring nations were so impressed by his wealth and generosity that cartographers drew Musa on the Catalan Atlas, which became one of the most important world maps of Medieval Europe. Musa was also well-respected for his devout religious practices and insisted his architects build a new mosque every Friday at each stop along their journey. It is a shame that Mansa Musa’s inspiring story is not more widespread. This is the cloth we are cut from – we are kings and queens. This sentiment is echoed by the words of Kendrick Lamar, “I got royalty…inside my D.N.A.” Whether we talk about Mansa Musa, The Moors, Black Wall Street, or countless other examples, Black wealth is no anomaly. We have a rich history of Black folks becoming millionaires and even billionaires. Most importantly, being aware of these incredible stories can help inspire us to continue striving for greatness in our own lives and remind us of the collective achievements of our community. If you are interested in learning about other lesser-known Black billionaires, check out these articles on Reginald Lewis and Robert Smith. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The post How the World’s Richest Black Man Lost It All appeared first on PushBlack.

Thurgood Marshall Was the Right Man at the Right Time

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Thurgood Marshall’s historic appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. As the nation’s first African-American Justice, Marshall exemplified an unyielding commitment to the fight for equality for marginalized groups. Throughout his twenty-four year tenure on the Supreme Court, Marshall championed Civil Rights issues and made tremendous strides, combining legislation and political activism. Upon being denied entry to University of Maryland Law School due to his race, Marshall’s first-hand experience with racial discrimination prepared him for a life of dismantling injustice and intolerance. Of the 32 cases he argued before the Supreme Court, he prevailed in 29, which made him the most winningest Justice of all-time up to that point. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Marshall appeared to always be on the right side of history as seen through his involvement as legal counsel for the NAACP and his impressive voting record in major cases. Marshall proudly sided with the victors in the famous Roe v. Wade case protecting women’s rights to abortion. Most notably, he spearheaded one of the most important cases of the 20th century, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Marshall’s ingenious use of the U.S. Constitution to refute the “separate but equal” doctrine and undermine years of racial segregation cemented him as one of the nation’s greatest legal figures. It is truly unbelievable that 50 years have passed since Thurgood Marshall began his remarkable career as a Supreme Court Justice. Though his compassion for disenfranchised communities was unmatched by his peers, he fearlessly pressed forward without their support. The fact that none of his Supreme Court decisions have ever been overturned clearly reveals the permanent impression Marshall left on the legal field. The undeniable impact of his work on race relations in America solidifies his place among the most influential Civil Rights pioneers of our generation with the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. The post Thurgood Marshall Was the Right Man at the Right Time appeared first on PushBlack.