September 13, 2020
HOUSTON EDITION
Vol. 25, Issue 33
EARLY VOTING MATTERS
JACOB BLAKE JR. SPEAKS
BLACK POWER & BLACK ATHLETES
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything; we’ve heard that a million times before. And when you decide to take a stand – true warriors realize that you have to lay it all out on the line—the guts, the glory, the fame and yes, the FORTUNE! Black athletes, for decades, have been using their star power to fight for our rights, some heavily scrutinized. During a medal ceremony in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City on October 16, 1968, two
African American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, each raised a black-gloved fist during the playing of the US national anthem, “The StarSpangled Banner.” While on the podium, Smith and Carlos, who had won gold and bronze medals respectively in the 200-meter running event of the 1968 Summer Olympics, turned to face the United States flag and then kept their hands raised until the anthem had finished. The demonstration is
regarded as one of the most overtly political statements in the history of the modern Olympics. Fast forward to former San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick, who refused to salute the America he feels has brutalized African Americans for far too long, and it cost him his NFL career and many endorsements, but NOT his dignity or self-respect. As noted on Wikipedia, In the 49ers third preseason game of the 2016 season, Kaepernick
was noticed sitting down during the playing of “The StarSpangled Banner” as opposed to the tradition of standing. During a post-game interview, he explained his position stating, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.” His protests all but ended his career as Black Athletes cont’d page 3
From his hospital bed, a now paralyzed Jacob Blake Jr., who was shot seven times in the back by a Kenosha, Wisconsin police officer in front of his three small children, delivered a powerful message about the shooting. Wearing a hospital gown, he spoke candidly about what he was going through. “I just want to say man, to all the young cats out there and even the older ones, older than me that it’s a lot more life to live out here, man. Your life, and not only just your life, your legs, something that you need to move around and to move forward in life can be taken from you like this [snaps finger] man. And I promise you, the type of s*** that
you will go through staples, I got staples in my back, staples in my damn stomach - you do not want to have to deal with this s***, man. Twenty-four hours, every 24 hours it’s pain, it is nothing but pain. It hurts to breathe, it hurts to sleep, it hurts to move from side to side, it hurts to eat. Please, I’m telling you, change your lives out here. We can stick together, make some money, make everything easier for our people out there because there’s so much time that has been wasted.” There is a TARGET ON OUR BACKS, BLACK AMERICA! Stay vigilant, stay safe and STAY WOKE! - AANI