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You'll Never Look at White Rage the Same After Charlottesville

White supremacists murdered an anti-white supremacy protester in Charlottesville yesterday. The situation began over a community park. Not just any park, one that housed a statue of Confederate General and notorious racist Robert E. Lee. In a letter to his wife, Lee wrote in 1856 that slavery was good for Black people and a process that was necessary to civilize them. Removal of the Robert E. Lee statue is part of a growing movement to erase the names, statues, flags, and other symbols of hate from the American landscape. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); This past weekend, white supremacist groups from across the country swarmed the town of Charlottesville to protest the city’s removal of the statue. This event was named "Unite the Right". The weekend was filled with constant physical scuffles and verbal assaults between white supremacist groups and counter-protesters. Things ultimately boiled over when one neo-Nazi plowed through a crowd of counter-protestors, killing 1 person and injuring 19. The night before the murder, hate groups mobbed the streets of University of Virginia (UVA), carrying torches, and shouting war cries of "Blood and Soil" in a scene reminiscent of KKK terrorism that many of our ancestors were all too familiar with. The Klan would often ride through the night with torches, setting Christian crosses ablaze. During Reconstruction, whites across the country feared their way of life would come to an end. This was especially true in the South, where most still clung to the “glory years” of slavery when whites from all classes of society didn’t have to compete with Blacks in the labor market. Many white people feared that giving Blacks equal rights would infringe on their own rights. The result of this was the formation of organizations that violently intimidated Blacks. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Chained by the fear of violence, many families did not even leave a two mile radius for generations. Others detail that after Blacks were given the right to vote, members of the Klan and other white supremacist organizations would patrol Black neighborhoods on the back of trucks with firearms in hand. Often, they would not even shoot, but their menacing presence was a constant reminder that danger was always right around the corner if Black folks “got out of place.” Voting, education, and participation in the economic and political system were all rights legally granted to Black Americans. However, white supremacist organizations launched a crime wave to do everything in their power to keep Blacks from taking advantage of their rights. Often, local governments either looked the other way or were complicit in facilitating this behavior. In 1866, Memphis’ Black ex-soldiers stood up for their community against white extremists in a full-fledged riot. Police officers participated on the side of whites. At “Unite the Right”, hundreds of white people gathered under the common interest of white supremacy. As they chanted “You will not replace us!” and marched towards the Robert E. Lee statue one thing became more evident: as the American landscape shifts, and non-white ethnic groups steadily become the majority population, there is a renewed fear in many white folks that granting rights to non-white groups is an inherent threat to their way of life. On Saturday, the mobs violently clashed with counter-protesters who opposed their viewpoint. As they waved Confederate flags in the air, held their hands in Nazi salutes, and wore "Make America Great Again" hats, the mob antagonized counter-protesters. Many even wore riot gear that made them almost indistinguishable from police officers. There was a noticeable absence of law enforcement as tensions rose- an eerie reminder of the absence of local law enforcement when the KKK was at its peak. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Violence is not new at these events. During Donald Trump's presidential campaign, countless videos emerged of white nationalists physically harming peaceful protestors. This time, they took it one step further. They indiscriminately took a person's life and could have easily taken more. While all Trump supporters are not racist degenerates, every one of them is responsible for fueling the fire. Even the most docile of his supporters ultimately turned a blind eye to the warning signs the rest of us fought against. They actively enabled those among them who were addicted to hate. In his first press conference following the VA attack, Donald Trump refused to denounce, condemn, or even use the words "white supremacy" in his remarks. Instead, he mentioned the "violence on many sides", as if the people protesting white nationalism were equally responsible for the loss of life. Trump's calculated language ensured he would not lose a large part of his base. In fact, on the white supremacist website Daily Stormer, commenters applauded the U.S. president for not mentioning their movement by name - believing that he is signaling that he is on their side. After the public pressure criticizing Trumps vague statement, he released another statement: "Racism is evil. And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs - including the KKK, neo-Nazis and other hate groups." His backtracking in this situation is reminiscent of when he initially refused to disavow former Klan leader David Duke after Duke endorsed him during the election campaign. He later dismissively rejected Duke’s support, but the message sent to the public hints at where his true interests may lay. When the Klan and other white supremacist terrorist organizations were at the peak, they murdered thousands of Black Americans. Then, in the 1868 presidential election, Ulysses S. Grant won the election under the slogan “Let Us Have Peace.” The federal government began cracking down on these organizations. While this obviously did not create a racial utopia, and Grant may have been more interested in securing the Black vote for his political party and landing a final blow to those holding on to the Confederacy, the actions did show that the federal government is able to stand up some forms of white supremacy. Donald Trump’s actions (or lack thereof) have shown repeatedly that he is uninterested in taking a stand. Racism and hate never ended in America. This country was established on white supremacy that many hold close to their hearts. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Until recently, these people largely hid in the shadows of society. Donald Trump's rise to power merely made these people more comfortable expressing the bigotry that runs through their veins. Unfortunately, it has taken the most extreme manifestations of the white supremacist worldview and the recent years of police violence against Black folks to reveal that the idea of a post-racial America is a myth. Terrorism is used to strike fear in groups of people. It is used to intimidate. We cannot let them get to us. Those of us on the right side of history see the enemy before us. We must rise above the enemy’s barbaric actions and use more sophisticated methods to end this racist terrorism once and for all. There are many ways for Blacks to launch counter-terrorism actions today. The strongest is to become organized. Another is to continue the fight for removal of all physical symbols of white supremacy across the nation. By removing their symbols, we make them invisible. We hinder their tactics of masquerading behind "heritage" to promote hate to future generations. We must make them invisible, and show them that their backwards beliefs are invalid and have no place in this country. Will you share this story with your friends?

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Being On The Grill Is A Sacred Role At The Barbecue

Barbecues are one of the most exciting events in the Black community filled with laughs, delicious food, and a 90s R&B playlist - preferably beginning with Mary J. Blige’s “Real Love” - to set the mood just right. But beyond the fun, BBQs have a special historical place as an African-American tradition that started as a way to sustain entire families with limited resources and dozens of hungry mouths to feed. Look, we’ve always been a resourceful people. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); When the Spaniards stepped foot in the Caribbean, they observed a cooking technique completely foreign to them. The natives were slow-cooking meat over burning wooden planks and the result was the juiciest, most flavorful food the Spaniards had ever eaten. Word of this cooking method spread like wildfire and especially caught on in the American South, where pigs were abundant. Whole hog cooking was a sustainable way to cook for the entire community. Being the person to tend to the hog was a rite of passage for young Black men in the South. Often, they had to watch and observe the process several times - maybe years - before being trusted to perform the duties themselves. Because roasting a pig is an all-day activity, the “pitmaster” and his crew often sat around sharing stories, drinking whiskey or beer, and taking turns basting the hog with a mixture of spices and juice that kept the pig from drying. In the South, tobacco reigned as a major cash crop, so Black people would use the same fire they dried the tobacco leaves with to cook meat for a communal meal. Because harvesting and drying tobacco was a lengthy process, everybody worked together to make sure they didn’t lose any of their product. Whether you prefer vinegar-based sauce from Eastern North Carolina or ketchup-based sauce from Kansas or Texas, we all recognize that a BBQ is much more than throwing a couple of hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill. The BBQ is a safe haven where we preserve a precious piece of Black culture, share a meal, and make memories that last a lifetime. If you want to learn more about the rich history of barbecuing in the Black community, pick up a copy of The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African-American Culinary History in the Old South here.

Why Did Black Voters Flee The Republican Party In The 1960s?

It is not uncommon to hear pundits talk about Black voters’ unfaltering loyalty to the Democratic party, regarding the Black vote for Democrats as an inevitability. Indeed, for the past few presidential races, 90% of Black voters have chosen the Democratic candidate. However, 100 years ago Black voters had this same loyalty for the the Republican Party. Even as recent as the 1960’s, only two-thirds of Black voters identified as Democrats. So why did this party shift occur? According to some political scientists, Barry Goldwater happened. Goldwater, the Republican nominee in the 1964 presidential race, is considered the forefather of the Tea Party movement. Goldwater opposed the passage of the Civil Rights Act, which appealed to Southern White segregationists, and ushered in a conservative movement that overtook the Republican party. Black voters, in turn, realizing the Party of Lincoln had become hostile to them, did not take long to switch parties.E Even today, Black Americans have switched towards the Republican party for various reasons. Just last year, two students relaunched Howard University’s student Republican Chapter. And, the infamous Ben Carson was once a Democrat, back in the day. While jobs, the economy, education reform and criminal justice policy remain hot topics on the political debate floor, upcoming state elections over the next two years could have an impact on the temperature of our Congress. Let’s know the facts and vote in favor of policies most beneficial to our community, taken at more than just face value. PushBlack fam, it is important that we keep this in mind in our fight to hold our politicians accountable and ensure that our votes are not taken for granted. Party lines do not necessarily determine community support. And while tradition may call for support, present records should be the ultimate, defining factor. Via NPR.org Will you share this story with your friends? The post Why Did Black Voters Flee The Republican Party In The 1960s? appeared first on PushBlack.

Enslaved Jamaicans Wanted One Thing For Christmas: Freedom

Revolts by enslaved people were happening around the Caribbean in the 1800s, but none were as big as the one that happened in Jamaica. Known as the Baptist War – or the Christmas Rebellion – this revolt was the largest revolt by enslaved people in the British Caribbean. Thousands of people came together and waged a “war” against British colonizers. Of the 300,000 enslaved people on the island, 60,000 took part in the rebellion. British colonizers didn’t have much a chance as the rebels outnumbered them 12 to 1. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1512094833018-0"); }); Economic depression affected many of the enslaved people on plantations. They demanded a working wage and more free time. The owners wouldn’t allow it. At the same time, talks of abolishing slavery were happening at the British Parliament. The owners’ reluctance to emancipation further upset enslaved peoples who were not pleased with their current work conditions. Inspired by other revolts that happened in Guyana and other Caribbean islands, Samuel “Daddy” Sharpe, an enslaved African, planned the revolt. He had more freedom than most to travel around the island. He used that freedom to visit plantations, gather a group of leaders and secretly create plans for the revolt. On Christmas Day, leaders of the revolt went on strike and wouldn’t return to work until their demands were met. Of course, the owners refused. Two days, later the rebellion started. At Kensington Estate, fields were burned and plantations were destroyed. Confrontations between Black regiments and local militia happened all over the island for 11 days. At the end of the rebellion, 14 colonizers were killed and over 200 rebels were killed. Three hundred more were executed in the aftermath. Although the rebellion was suppressed, it pushed Britain to grant full emancipation in Jamaica. Just like other uprisings over time, the fight for freedom was not an easily fought battle. As protests happen all over the country for the government to recognize that Black lives matter, it is these moments in history that remind us battles for justice are not easily won, but they are well fought.

How Marcus Garvey Became The “Negro Moses”

“The white man has succeeded in subduing the world by forcing everybody to think his way...The white man's propaganda has made him the master of the world, and all those who have come in contact with it and accepted it have become his slaves.” - Marcus Garvey Born in Jamaica in 1887, Marcus Garvey has been called the “Negro Moses” for his triumphant efforts to fight for Black liberation and economic independence. Drawing heavily on the work of Booker T. Washington, Garvey encouraged complete social and political separation from whites and resettlement in Africa. When Garvey moved to England at age 25, he became steeped in Pan-African philosophy and began formulating a plan for how to empower Black people. After three years of writing for the African Times and Orient Review, he founded the first chapter of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (U.N.I.A.). (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The U.N.I.A. birthed several organizations aimed at helping Black people get to Liberia and start a new life as part of the “Back to Africa” movement. Garvey believed that a people dislocated from their homeland are like a tree without roots. He supported Black nationalism and sought to separate socially, politically, and economically from whites. As a powerful dynamic speaker, Garvey attracted massive attention from Black people across the world who bought into his ideas of racial uplift. Later, his followers, called “Garveyites,” named his compelling beliefs “Garveyism.” In addition to public speeches, Garvey propagated his ideas through his newspaper Negro World, which reached a global audience spanning four continents and over 200,000 readers. This publication was the most widely-read Black publication of its time and held that record for many years. Garvey realized that to see the change he wanted to see, he would have to take his efforts a step further. So he created the Black Star Steamship Line and Negro Factories Company. He designed Black Star to provide affordable transportation to Black people worldwide and the Negro Factories Company encouraged economic independence by building factories, grocery stores, restaurants, and other businesses. The American government took an anti-Garvey stance and the F.B.I. went on a mission to ruin his life and career. According to historian Winston James, “They placed spies in the U.N.I.A., they sabotaged the Black Star Line. The engines of the ships were actually damaged by foreign matter being thrown into the fuel.” (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Eventually, the government charged Garvey with mail fraud, sentenced him to five years in prison, and deported him to Jamaica after his release. Despite legal woes, he remained politically active and continued his U.N.I.A. work abroad. Hands down, Marcus Garvey holds a special place in our people’s history as one of the most influential Black activists of all-time. Even Rastafarianism, The Nation of Islam, and Black Power movements have drawn from Garveyism to ground themselves in Black nationalist principles. Reading Garvey’s own words brings us enlightenment and empowerment as his revolutionary message still rings true today. Discover more about his powerful message here.