Union Matters

Apology for slavery long overdue

George Gresham

President of 1199SEIU

It is time America apologized for the crime of slavery, and President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is the man to do it.

It is hard to believe that a simple, national apology for the 400-yearold crime of kidnapping, trafficking, selling, and enslaving millions of free Black women, men, and children would even need to be debated.

We pride ourselves as a moral nation, and our parents taught us long ago that apologizing when you have wronged someone is the moral thing to do.

Plus, all those offenses are still crimes. Try any of that today, and you’re going to prison.

Those four-century-old crimes laid the groundwork for the America we all know. The cotton those Black bodies picked, the corn they planted and harvested, the turpentine they gathered from pine sap, and the very sale of their Black bodies raised the millions of dollars that founded and made rich many of the powerful banks and financial institutions of today.

According to a Brookings Institute report, in 1860, a year before the Civil War started, slaves represented some $3 billion in free labor and production to the country. That would be more than $99 billion in 2021 dollars. A year later cotton produced by slaves was valued at $250 million—$826 million today.

That’s a nation-building amount of money.

We cannot begin to put a price on the lynchings, beatings, rapes, and other abuses our ancestors suffered and painfully endured at the hands of their slaveowners.

Yet when our ancestors were freed in 1865, most left their plantation homes with only the rags on their backs. President Abraham Lincoln paid northern slaveowners $300 for each slave they freed, but the slaves got nothing. While many made a way out of no way, even with no money, we know many others had two choices: stay and work the land as sharecroppers or starve. We also know that from then to this day whole industries continue making money off free Black women and men.

Yet talk of apologizing for slavery, much less of paying reparations to the descendants of these abused workers, is a true point of contention for many people. Why apologize for something that happened so long ago, they say.

The thing is, America has apologized to a lot of people for its actions over the years, even to some Black people.

President Ronald Reagan apologized for putting Japanese Americans in internment camps across the country during World War II. Congress apologized to Hawaiians for the 1893 coup by American businessmen and sugar interests that threw out the Hawaiian royal family. And in 1997 President Bill Clinton apologized for the despicable Tuskegee Experiment, which saw hundreds of Black men who thought they were being treated for syphilis go untreated for over 40 years so doctors could see how the disease kills.

At least nine states have already made public apologies for profiting from slavery.

In its 2016 General Assemble resolution Delaware stated that it “...apologizes, on behalf of the people of Delaware, for the State’s role in slavery and the wrongs committed against African-Americans and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow.” National apologies are unusual, but not unheard of.

But the main reason President Biden needs to make a formal apology on our nation’s behalf for the horrible crime of slavery has as much to do with 2021 as it has for how the nation, since 1865, has failed in its obligations to its Black citizens.

Apologies are new beginnings. They let those who were offended and those who took offense get past their differences and form new relationships as they move forward.

President Biden’s trillion dollar “Build Back Better” legislation contains unprecedented programs that once they get past Congress—and conservative Democrats—will change the lives of working-class Americans like President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal did in the 1930s. Today we celebrate how Roosevelt’s programs like the Social Security Administration helped Americans recover from the Great Depression. But we forget how controversial they were at the time. Roosevelt’s bold action so fundamentally changed how Americans live that the country before the New Deal was something entirely different after it took effect.

That’s what we need now, and what I believe a Biden apology for slavery can give us: a new beginning. An admission that the horror that was slavery was wrong would go a long way in affirming that our nation believes those powerful words of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

A presidential apology for slavery puts our nation on a new path that lives up to its founding creeds, and it’s long overdue.

NYCDCC leaders praise new infrastructure bill

By STEPHON JOHNSON

Amsterdam News Staff

Countries, states and cities are in need of an infrastructure overhaul and the latest bill signed by U.S. President Joe Biden can help with the haul.

On Monday, outside of the White House, Biden officially signed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan bill that will use $550 billion in new federal spending over the next half-decade for new projects and give $650 billion to new and existing funding programs.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help in upgrading broadband to serve all Americans (particularly in rural

areas), upgrading the country’s railway system, removing lead pipes while upgrading the water system, and repairing and improving roads, bridges, etc.

Biden told reporters that real politics was about compromise and not running roughshod over the opposite party even though some leftists want him to.

“Folks too often in Washington, the reason we didn’t get things done is because we insisted on getting everything we want. Everything,” said Biden to reporters. “With this law we focused on getting things done. I ran for president because the only way to move our country forward, in my view, was through compromise and consensus.”

Joseph Geiger, executive secretary-treasurer of the New York City District Council of Carpenters, stated that America took a “major” step on its Build Back goals with union labor leading the way.

“The passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides millions of good-paying union jobs throughout New York State and our country for decades to come, while lowering costs of things families depend on, delivering a historic tax cut for middle class families, and making urgently needed, once-in-a-generation investments in our nation’s future,” said Geiger. “Now that the bi-partisan measure has been signed by the president, it will be the largest investment in our nation’s infrastructure in a century that will have our union brothers and sisters building back our communities stronger than ever as we improve our infrastructure and invest in our local workforces.”

There might be one problem with the legislation. With the money given directly to state governments, the state will have the power to decide where the money goes and whose infrastructure will be improved. In Black and Brown neighborhoods, there’s a history of being left out in the cold when it comes to government assistance of any kind. One can look towards the Bronx and how the Cross Bronx Expressway broke up the borough and provided a smooth ride to New York transplants who didn’t want to live near Black and Brown people.

This led to the creation of the term “environmental racism,” which, according to a report from the University of New Mexico “refers to how minority group neighborhoods—populated primarily by people of color and members of lowsocioeconomic backgrounds—are burdened with disproportionate numbers of hazards including toxic waste facilitates, garbage dumps, and other sources of environmental pollutions and foul odors that lower the quality of life. This can lead to different diseases and cancers.

“Because of this, as the fight with climate change worsens, minority communities will be disproportionately affected.”

States get to decide which bridges are repaired, which roads are fixed, whose lead pipes are torn out and replaced with better ones for water.

This is why the bill includes $1 billion to connect local communities like the Bronx that were broken up via racist transportation projects by the late Robert Moses.

After months of struggle, the bill was viewed more positively by the likes of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who, according to Bowling Green Daily News in Bowling Green, Kentucky, sang the bill’s praises to a room full of local business leaders because it “passed without a tax increase.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that all state governments should have their money in six months.

(Photo courtesy of: mj0007 and deberarr via iStock)

New Biden bill looks to fix infrastructure issues, but whose?

Listen to your heart: Raising awareness of a serious heart condition in Black/African American and Afro-Caribbean communities

By DR. OLA AKINBOBOYE, M.D., MPH, MBA

Black Health Trust

More than a year and a half into a global pandemic that has disproportionately impacted communities of color, we continue to live through a public health tragedy. If there is any hope to be drawn from so much hardship and loss, it’s that COVID-19 has reignited new conversations about disease awareness and the inequality that still exists in our healthcare system. As a cardiologist practicing in New York City, who has been treating heart disease for nearly 30 years, I’ve witnessed how delayed patient office visits and a lack of education can impact care within our community. It is always upsetting when patients come to my office with advanced heart disease that potentially could have been diagnosed and treated earlier. That’s why there is one condition I want every heart failure patient to be aware of. It’s called transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy, or ATTR-CM. ATTR-CM is a serious and often underdiagnosed cause of heart failure. ATTR-CM is a progressive disease, in which over time the heart muscle begins to thicken and stiffen. There are two types of ATTR-CM; the wild-type, which is associated with aging, and the hereditary type, which is associated with a gene change (mutation) and can be passed down from a relative. The most common mutation in the United States, known as V122I, is found almost exclusively in African Americans. Approximately 3% to 4% of African Americans are thought to have the V122I mutation, although not all individuals with the V122I mutation develop symptoms of hereditary ATTR-CM. While heart failure is common among Black/African American, and associated with Afro-Caribbean communities, hereditary ATTRCM in these populations is often overlooked by doctors for several reasons. In fact, some patients with ATTR-CM say they visited up to five doctors before receiving an accurate diagnosis. This is why I am excited to be partnering with Pfizer on Voices for the Heart in New York—a community-based initiative bringing together physicians and trusted local organizations within Black/ African American and Afro-Caribbean communities around the country to increase awareness of hereditary ATTR-CM as an often-underdiagnosed cause of heart failure. I want to be able to provide clear and understandable information to patients, family members and caregivers, addressing their questions and concerns as they arise.

Early signs of ATTR-CM can include an irregular heartbeat, fatigue, shortness of breath, carpal tunnel syndrome, swelling in the hands and feet, and numbness and tingling in the hands. Some of these symptoms are not traditionally associated with heart disease, which may contribute to multiple doctor’s appointments and a delayed or incorrect diagnosis.

I’m committed to spreading awareness of hereditary ATTR-CM because I have seen firsthand how a delayed diagnosis can adversely impact a patient (and their loved ones), making it essential to inform our community about this condition—including everyone from patients to caregivers to local healthcare providers.

If you’re experiencing seemingly unrelated signs and symptoms (e.g., irregular heartbeat, fatigue, shortness of breath, or carpal tunnel syndrome), have a family history of cardiac issues, and have been diagnosed with heart failure, talk to your primary care doctor or an experienced cardiologist. Whether they seem related or not, it’s important to share your symptoms and a detailed personal and family health history. This will allow your doctor to provide the care you need and to make an appropriate diagnosis.

Family members and caregivers also have an important role to play because they sometimes notice or remember health symptoms that the patient may forget or neglect to mention, and help people with hereditary ATTR-CM manage their disease.

As part of the Voices for the Heart effort, myself and former NBA basketball player and coach Don Chaney, a hereditary ATTRCM patient himself, will be featured speakers at a virtual event led by Black Health Trust on Nov. 21, 2021. Don will share his personal story of being diagnosed and living with hereditary ATTR-CM. I will share more information about hereditary ATTR-CM symptoms and diagnosis, and there will be additional educational resources on hereditary ATTR-CM available to the community.

Working together, we can overcome the challenge of low awareness and raise our collective voices to help educate family members, friends, and neighbors at risk of developing hereditary ATTR-CM.

White men with guns

There is nothing new about the provocation of armed white men in America. Nor is it new as we witness the claims of self-defense by the defendants in two high profile trials.

Kyle Rittenhouse, the would be soldier-cum-vigilante in Kenosha, and the McMichaels, father and son in Brunswick, Georgia, only current examples of endless encounters, and too often, as in the case of Trayvon Martin, Black men have been the victims. But as the tragedy in EDITORIAL Wisconsin indicates, white men are not exempt. It’s mind-boggling, but not surprising, that someone toting an AR-15 and aiming it at unarmed citizens can claim self-defense. But this is what the jury in Kenosha is in the process of deliberating. And one of the key elements in the six charges brought against Rittenhouse—his possession of a dangerous weapon was dismissed by the judge since it was not a short-barreled rifle.

Whether the dismissal removes the likelihood of conviction is in the hands of the jury, which we hope are not as flummoxed and confused as they were listening to Judge Bruce Schroeder’s instruction to the jurors. One of the questions they raised was about the issue of self-defense and that is certainly to be of paramount importance in the decision.

Whatever the outcome, it is not easy to set aside the notion of white men with guns, especially those who become judge, jury and executioner. Our history is replete with such horrific incidents and we need no constant reminder of them.

Our condolences are extended to the families of Mr. Huber and Mr. Rosenbaum, and to the loved ones of Ahmaud Arbery.

Also, we hope that the injuries to Mr. Grosskreutz will not incapacitate him and hinder him from resuming his promising life.

We say no as loudly as possible to white men who believe they can pick up a gun and administer justice. It’s a sad commentary that we still have to endure the ravages of actions we thought were safely in the dustbin of our terrifying and terrible history.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the New York Amsterdam News. We continue to publish a variety of viewpoints so that we may know the opinions of others that may differ from our own.

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS

It is not often that I read news that leaves even me so dumbfounded that I need to fact check it. Even after my thorough fact check, I had to send the article to my production team to make sure I was not going crazy. Yes, the story in question was, in fact, true. What was the story? A Wall Street Journal report titled “U.S. in Talks to Pay Hundreds of Millions to Families Separated at Border.” The article details a plan put forth by the Biden administration to pay illegal immigrants who were separated from their families up to $450,000 per person. Yes, you are reading this correctly, per person, not per family.

As I dug further, this story became even more troubling especially when compared to other forms of government compensation. How much does the family of a fallen soldier get paid? $100,000. To put this in perspective, if you die serving our country, arguably the highest honor an individual can do for their country, your family will be paid $100,000. In general, that seems reasonable. However, if you openly defy our country’s laws and cross the border illegally and are, as a result of breaking the law, separated from your family, you will be paid $450,000. To reiterate, the Biden administration is contemplating a payout of $450,000 per person, not per family. That means a family of 5 will be paid $2,250,000 for breaking the law. A fallen soldier’s entire family does not even make 1/10th of that, so much for giving your life for your country.

How about the average salary of an American worker which is approximately $52,000? The median salary is far less, at under $35,000. American workers work every day, tooth and nail, often 10 or more hours a day, 7 days a week, to earn that money. Cross the border illegally though? You can earn more than 8 times more. Where is the disconnect here? Am I missing something?

It is no question that Biden has been openly endorsing illegal immigration with both his words and actions. Just ask those crossing the border illegally, they will tell you that Joe told them to come. What exactly is the plan here? Biden took an oath to “defend America from threats foreign and domestic,” yet as we are faced with a threat never faced before, he is taking a back seat and eating ice cream on his weekend trips to Delaware. In July of this year, nearly 200,000 people were reported by the Customs and Border Protection Agency as crossing into the country illegally. Keep in mind, this is only people that they “encountered” and does not include those that crossed undetected. In short, more than 1,200,000 have entered our country illegally since Biden took office. Despite this, has Biden even visited the border? Of course he hasn’t!

As a student of history, I recognize the fact that “history repeats itself.” There are countless examples of how lack of awareness of history led to grave consequences for nations before ours. If we do not study history and learn from history than we are bound to fall victim to the mistakes of the past. That is why the crisis at the border is so troubling to me. Reading the history of the ancient Roman Empire, we see clear parallels to the state of our country today. Famously, Germanic tribes and people from neighboring states entered Rome illegally seeking refuge in what was at the time, the greatest empire in the world. The result was that the Roman government began to prioritize the needs of the vast amounts of new non-citizens at the expense of the Roman citizens. What happened next? Inner turmoil, despair and finally, civil war. The final outcome was that Rome fell. Are we heading down the same path?

I pray for this country, dearly, and I pray for our president, sincerely. It pains me to watch my beloved America fall victim to a tragic past, especially given the fact that it is entirely avoidable. Why is this happening? The truth is we have disillusioned and incompetent leadership across the board. Our leaders consistently fail to recognize the true wants and desires of the citizens of this country, all the while prioritizing those entering illegally or those overseas. I am not suggesting that we be cruel to foreigners or those that immigrate to this country, all I am saying is that one should not be at the entire expense of the other. Our government, any government, has one simple task: to look after the safety and security of its citizens, always with an eye towards the future. If we continue to fail at that simple task, our government has betrayed its people and we are doomed as a nation.

Buy Black this season

CHRISTINA GREER PH.D.

Over the past two years, I have been trying to stay off of Amazon and buy more local products. I have been inspired by my dear friend Niambi Carter who goes out of her way to support local Black businesses in her home town and online. It sometimes takes a bit more research and internet sleuthing, however, whenever I see a unique sweatshirt or earrings or piece of art or even wine, I know that if we don’t support Black businesses, who will?

I just bought tickets to the “She Did That. Holiday Bazaar” for Saturday December 4th from noon-6 p.m. This event will showcase Black women’s businesses and provide a space for celebration and solidarity. According to the founder, Renae Bluitt, the purpose of this event is to showcase, “Black womenowned brands that have been featured in Renae’s coveted Holiday Shopping Guide… The event will give guests an opportunity to support and reconnect with businesses they know and love while getting ahead of the holiday rush.”

Since so many families and communities are feeling financially strapped this season, it is imperative we try to keep money in our communities and help promote and support entrepreneurs who are providing a myriad of products, goods, and services that enrich our lives. A small purchase could go a long way for a Black entrepreneur, both financially and emotionally. Knowing your community is interested and eager to support and uplift your endeavor is what so many of our ancestors fought for.

During the pandemic I downloaded apps for my phone like EatOkra, an app that helps you find local Black-owned eateries in your area. I bought makeup by Pat McGrath, a legendary Black makeup artist. I went to Etsy.com and bought from Blackowned shops for a host of items. Black entrepreneurs exist online and in many of our neighborhoods and this holiday season we can and should make it a priority to support their businesses. We have had a long year and a half, and many people are tired and emotionally drained. We also have much to be thankful for this holiday season and can find the time and resources to make sure others are supported.

For those who really want to be festive, Bluitt also states, “While we shop, we’ll be raising our glasses to celebrate Black women entrepreneurs with B. Stuyvesant Champagne––a brand that was created right here in Brooklyn with LOVE! It’s going to be an incredible day of shopping, fellowship, and community with over 30 dope businesses you won’t want to miss.”

If you can make it, head to “She Did That. Holiday Bazaar” at Shell’s Loft Brooklyn, 120 Hamilton Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11231 on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021 from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (EST). The holiday season is here and we can build community while celebrating.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.