Insight ::: 07.29.2024 by Insight News, Inc

PASSING THE PASSING THE TORCH…

Biden drops election campaign

Text of President Biden’s statement Saturday, June 20.

“Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation. Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today. I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.

By Al McFarlane Editor

President Joe Biden last week joined Vice President Kamala Harris via teleconference at a campaign event to rebrand the Biden-Harris Presidential Campaign, to the Kamala Harris Presidential Campaign, follow the President’s decision to drop his reelection eﬀort. He said. “if I didn’t have COVID, I’d be sitting there with you — standing there with you. I — I’m so proud of what you’ve all done…. but this COVID has been keeping me out of — out of people’s hair for the next three or four days.”

getting legislation passed, as well as in campaigning.”

“I’ve got six months left of my presidency, and I’m determined to get as much done as I possibly can, both foreign policy and domestic policy; keep lowering costs for families; continue to speak

hours of that announcement.

The campaign is expected to receive the almost quarterbillion-dollar campaign war chest accumulated by the Biden-Harris Campaign.

Introduced by her husband, Doug Emhoﬀ Harris thanked the campaign

proﬁt colleges and put it out of business. Donald Trump ran a for-proﬁt college, Trump University, that was forced to pay $25 million to the students it scammed.

As district attorney, to go after polluters, I created one of the ﬁrst environmental justice

I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision. For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.

I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do — when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.

Joe Biden Biden announced his decision via a press release on X, formerly known as Twitter. In a follow-up post, Biden announced his support of Vice President Kamala Harris to lead Democrats against former President Donald Trump.

Biden said though he was stepping down from the presidential campaign, he would “focus solely on fulﬁlling my duties” by serving out the rest of his current term as president and campaigning to elect Kamala Harris as President.

It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulﬁlling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.

“But I’m going to be on the road, and I’m not going anywhere., I want people to remember that what we have done has been incredible, and (there is) so much more we’re going to get done.”

Continuing his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party nominee for President in the upcoming November General Election, Biden said, “I want to say to the team: Embrace her. She’s the best.”

“I know yesterday’s news is surprising and it’s hard for you to hear, but it was the right thing to do. It’s — I know it’s hard because you’ve poured your heart and soul into me to help us win this thing, help me get this nomination, help me win the nomination and then go on to win the — win the — the presidency,” Biden said Biden said, “We built the best campaign organization in history. I don’t know of a better grassroots campaign. We have over 230 oﬃces opened, we have over 2,000 paid staﬀ and we have literally several thousand volunteers on a regular basis and they’ve been relentless and tireless in reaching out and contacting voters.”

Biden said “The name has changed at the top of the ticket, but the mission hasn’t changed at all. And I’m going to be out there on the campaign with Kamala.

I’m going to be working like hell both as a sitting president,

I am running to be President of the United States. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve alongside our Commander-in-Chief, my friend, President Joe Biden — one of the ﬁnest public servants we will ever know. And I am honored to have his support and endorsement. And I am eager to run on the record of what Joe and I have accomplished together. We built our country back after our predecessor left it in shambles — making historic progress in reducing prescription drug costs, upgrading our nation’s infrastructure, ﬁghting climate change, and more. We are stronger today because we took action -- together — to invest in America’s future.”

Kamala Harris, Vice-President, United States of America

out on guns and childcare, eldercare, prescription drugs, and climate.” he said.

“Climate still is the existential threat that we face, and if we don’t win it’s all in jeopardy. And we got to keep working for an end to the war in Gaza. I’ll be working very closely with the — with the Israelis and with the Palestinians to try to work out how we can get the Gaza war to end and the Middle East peace and get all those hostages home. I think we’re on a verge of being able to do that.” And we got to keep our alliances together. It’s critically important. It took a while for me to build these alliances. Most of these are — my colleagues have acknowledged that. But it’s critically, critically important for our safety and security, he said. The Harris campaign opened up announced it had raised $81 million in 24 hours.

Donation ﬂooded in at an unprecedented rate, crossing the $100 million mark within

staﬀ and volunteers and thanked Joe Biden and First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden.

“Over the next 160 days, we are going to take our case to the American people, and we are going to win.”, Harris said.

“Before I was elected as vice president, before I was elected as United States senator, I was the elected attorney general of California. And before that, I was a courtroom prosecutor.

In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kindspredators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped oﬀ consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So, hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump’s type,” she said.

“In the Alameda County District Attorney’s Oﬃce in California, I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Donald Trump was found liable by a jury for committing sexual abuse.

As attorney general of California, I took on one of our country’s largest for-

units in our nation. (Applause.) Donald Trump stood in Mar-aLago and told Big Oil lobbyists he would do their bidding for a $1 billion campaign contribution, Harris said.

“During the foreclosure crisis, I took on the big Wall Street banks and won $20 billion for California families, holding those banks accountable for fraud. Donald Trump was just found guilty of 34 counts of fraud,” she said.

“Donald Trump wants to take our country backward to a time before many of our fellow Americans had full freedoms and rights. But we believe in a brighter future that makes room for all Americans. We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by but to get ahead. We believe in a future where no child has to grow up in poverty; where every person can buy a home, start a family, and build wealth; and where every person has access to paid family leave and aﬀordable

Wikipedia

President Joe Biden

Minnesota leaders hold AANHPI communities for Harris event in St. Paul

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Twin Cities Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Paciﬁc Islander (AANHPI) leaders joined Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, Cincinnati’s ﬁrst Asian American mayor, last week in St. Paul to celebrate Minnesota AANHPI Communities for Harris, a national organizing and engagement program that is mobilizing AANHPI voters, communities, and leaders across the country.

The Biden-Harris administration has been ﬁghting for AANHPI communities – lowering costs, expanding opportunity, and protecting their fundamental freedoms. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda would

give massive handouts to his billionaire buddies and big corporations at AANHPI families’ expense.

In 2020, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Paciﬁc Islander voters were instrumental in electing Vice President Kamala Harris, and the AANHPI turnout rate increased the most out of any demographic compared to the previous presidential election. An estimated 15 million voters identify as AANHPI this cycle – and as the fastest-growing voting bloc, they are poised to play a pivotal role in protecting the progress made under the Biden-Harris administration and defeating Donald Trump’s racist and toxic agenda at the ballot box once again.

“As the ﬁrst Asian American mayor of Cincinnati, I understand the importance of representation and the power of our voices in shaping the future of our cities and our country,” said Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval. “As we look towards the future, it is crucial that we continue to support leaders who believe in unity, compassion, and progress. Vice President Harris is one of our own, and

has shown that she is committed to these values, standing in stark contrast to the divisive, hateful rhetoric of Donald Trump. We have the power to elect the ﬁrst Asian president, and we will make history together by electing Vice President Harris as the next president of the United States.”

“Under the BidenHarris administration, we have seen a renewed commitment to supporting the AANHPI community. Initiatives aimed at combating anti-Asian hate, increasing access to capital for minority-owned businesses, and promoting cultural understanding are all steps in a direction that is bringing us forward,” said St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. “This stands in stark contrast to the divisive, racist rhetoric and policies of the Trump administration, which has sowed fear and division among our communities. That is why it is critical that we elect Kamala Harris as president and continue this progress.”

“Minneapolis thrives thanks to the dedication and hard work of our AANHPI residents.

From vibrant businesses that drive our local economy to

community organizations that foster unity and support, their contributions to our city are invaluable,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “The Biden-Harris administration has shown steadfast support for the AANHPI community — addressing issues from economic inequality to combating the anti-Asian hate that Donald Trump’s rhetoric exacerbated. Vice President Harris is the kind of leader our country needs and I am thrilled to be supporting her candidacy for president.”

“The choice is clear: Kamala Harris is ﬁghting for us and Donald Trump is ﬁghting for himself,” said Shivanthi Sathanandan. “Her dedication to justice, equality, and progress is evident in every step of her career. From her time as a prosecutor to her role as California’s attorney general and now as vice president, she has always fought for the underrepresented and the underserved. Her work in criminal justice reform, health care, and economic equity aligns perfectly with the values that our AANHPI community holds dear.”

Left to right: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureva.

Left to right: Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureva, Shivanthi Sathanandan and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.

Vice-President Kamala is ready!

and

President Biden: Should he stay, or should he leave?

We must commend and appreciate President Joseph Biden for being a quintessential leader and, perhaps, one of the best presidents in modern political history. He is not finished yet. He will complete his agenda of appointing qualified federal judges, reducing the cost of prescription drugs, working for a cease-fire in the Middle East, and building a stronger economy for all Americans. President Biden has endorsed his Vice-President, the Honorable Kamala Harris, to head the Democratic ticket for the presidency.

As I noted in my OpEd three weeks ago, our vice president is ready to be the next president of the United States. End of discussion! The delegates to the Democratic National Convention next month should enthusiastically nominate her to lead the ticket. Vice-President Kamala Harris will energize the electorate; she will create great excitement and hope. President Biden’s decision has proven again that he loves this country; he is a

This query is perhaps one of the greatest questions of the last 248 years. In my humble opinion, the answer to this question will decide what kind of nation we will leave to future generations. As it relates to baby boomers, the answer to this question will determine the quality of ourselves as it relates to, hopefully, “the bonus years” that remain.

The Democratic Party is having a proverbial meltdown since the June 27, 2024, debate debacle by President Biden. Democrats can’t get out of their way. Some believe that President Biden should step aside for what appears to be his failing health. Others in the party are standing with the president, saying, in essence, he should remain in the race. What are you saying? Should he stay, or should he leave?

Full disclosure: I am an independent. I once was a Democrat and even a Republican. The Republican Party ran me out of the party. I really couldn’t stay in a party that is destroying and

dismantling programs and policies that I truly believed made this country great.

Let’s turn our attention back to the Biden challenge. I voted for President Biden and will gladly vote for him again if he remains in the race. President Joe Biden is a good man: He is a man of great character and integrity.

He brought us through the worst pandemic in our lifetime. He didn’t recommend injecting “bleach.” He provided resources to struggling Americans to keep food on their tables and most importantly, he trusted the vaccine and the medical community’s advice. This president didn’t weaponize this deadly virus for political points.

President Biden helped bring this economy out of an impending recession and has advocated for the expansion of Medicaid rather than its elimination.

President Biden is bringing down the high cost of prescription drugs, especially for the elderly and the poor.

President Biden is ﬁghting to save Obamacare, social security, the environment, and good-

paying jobs for all Americans.

President Biden is a strong advocate for the Civic Rights Bill of 1964, The Voting Rights Bill of 1965, and the Fair Housing Bill of 1966. President Biden is an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

President Biden is for aﬃrmative action programs.

President Biden is for women making their own health decisions.

President Biden will stand up for the rights of the Dreamers. He hasn’t demonized immigrants. Unlike the Republican Party’s likely nominee, I don’t recall President Biden ever saying he doesn’t want people coming to the United States from those “s____ hole” countries.

President Biden has never been an advocate for white supremacy. Remember, he decided to run for president because of the pro-supremacy march in Charlottesville, Virginia. His slogan became “I am ﬁghting for the soul of the nation!” Friends, unfortunately, this nation’s soul is sick. We need someone in that White House who does not give

Omar protests Netanyau address to joint session of Congress

Minnesota 5th District

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar joined more than 30 legislators in a boycott of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address before a joint session of Congress Wednesday. She called the address shameful, and said “I will not be attending it.”

“It is immoral and cruel to the millions of lives impacted by his actions that he has been invited to the Capitol. Netanyahu is a war criminal who should be held accountable by the International Criminal Court, not addressing Congress,” Omar said in a press statement.

Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, one of the longest-serving members of the Texas delegation, has died at the age of 74. In June, Jackson Lee announced her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, yet she showed little indication of letting it interfere with her plans to run for a 16th term this November.

The ﬁery congresswoman disclosed her diagnosis in a written statement shortly after

renomination in a ﬁercely contested Democratic primary. Known for her unwavering commitment to social justice, she was a fervent advocate for reparations for African Americans and a vocal critic of the twice impeached and 34 times convicted felon and former President Donald Trump. Unlike some of her colleagues, she did

“Netanyahu and his apartheid government are committing genocide against the Palestinian people. They are responsible for the murder of over 38,000 Palestinians, and the injury, displacement, and unimaginable suﬀering of countless more,” she said.

“He has actively sabotaged hostage negotiations, and deliberately withheld food, water, and critical medical supplies from innocent civilians. He has created one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in the modern history of the world,” Omar said. She said she was “boycotting his speech in protest, and will keep ﬁghting until there is a permanent ceaseﬁre and we stop using our tax dollars to fund a genocide on our watch.”

In about a month when the Democratic National Convention convenes in Chicago, the eyes of America and the world will be anxiously watching how the party nominee for president unfolds. Conventions of both the Republicans and Democrats are lavish, exuberant celebrations of fourday events to showcase their leaders, deﬁne their ideology and conﬁrm their candidates for president and vice president. Somewhere amid all

Courtesy of Irrving’s family Etta Norwood Irving

Wikipedia Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar

dear patriot;

he is a great man!

HARRIS 4

@whitehouse on Instagram.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Guest commentary by Reverend Dr. RB Holmes, Jr.

Sharing Our Stories

By W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor

By Kenneth Miller, Publisher of the South Bay Black Journal

Wikipedia Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Consumers rely on e-commerce platforms to deliver groceries, electronics, apparel and more everyday. And while the number of deliveries is skyrocketing — by 2027, 23% of American retail purchases are expected to take place online — cost per delivery remains stubbornly high. In a move to slash the cost of e-commerce deliveries, Vayu Robotics has announced the release of the world’s ﬁrst on-road Delivery Robot that combines the power of modern AI foundation models with lidarless, low-cost passive sensors. Traditional mobile robotics rely on costly lidar sensors and software modules built to do one task at a time, leading to expensive hardware and fragile software unable to handle new scenarios. Vayu’s

robot does the opposite. The company has combined a transformer-based mobility foundation model with a powerful passive sensor that, together, eliminate the need for lidar. As a result, Vayu’s Delivery Robot operates autonomously without premapping the roads it intends to drive on and is capable of navigating inside stores, on city streets, and unloading packages on driveways or porches, carrying up to 100 lbs at under 20mph. This model is the firstof-its-kind, offering the most cost-effective, safe, reliable delivery system on the market.

Vayu was co-founded by three highly-seasoned veterans from the robotics and mobility industry, Anand Gopalan, former CEO who

I’d be on the same trajectory.”

took the world’s leading lidar supplier Velodyne public in 2020, Mahesh Krishnamurthi, formerly Apple SPG and Lyft, and Nitish Srivastava, also from Apple SPG and Geoﬀrey Hinton’s renowned AI lab in the University of Toronto. Geoﬀrey Hinton is also an advisor to the company. After working in major robotics and autonomy software for two decades, the trio realized large volume robotics applications, like robotics delivery, could only be unlocked by inventing a new technology stack that involved lower cost hardware and more robust software.

“The unique set of technologies we have developed at Vayu have allowed us to solve problems that have plagued delivery robots over the

past decade, and ﬁnally create a solution that can actually be deployed at scale and enable the cheap transport of goods everywhere” says Vayu Robotics CEO, Anand Gopalan. Vayu’s Delivery Robots are already being debuted in real-world applications. The company recently signed a substantial commercial agreement with a large e-commerce player to deploy 2500 robots to enable ultra-fast goods delivery, with similar commercial customers in the pipeline. The team is also working with a leading global robotics manufacturer to replace lidar sensors with Vayu’s sensing technology for other robotic applications.

“At Khosla Ventures, we believe in backing businesses

where critical and diﬀerentiated technologies can unlock a large market. Vayu is a great example of this where they have deployed novel sensing and their AI foundation models to a robotic challenge that can have immense economic and societal impact” said Kanu Gulati, Partner at Khosla Ventures.

Anand Gopalan added: “Our software is robot form factor agnostic and we have already deployed it across several wheeled form factors.In the near future, Vayu’s software technology will enable the movement of quadrupedal and bipedal robots, allowing us to expand into those markets as well.”

Vayu has previously raised $12.7 million to fuel its mission to remove the hardware

and software bottlenecks that have stunted the growth of e-commerce. Looking ahead, Vayu’s founders believe their revolutionary low-cost robotics nervous system can power a new wave of mobile robots in other use cases, too.

“Autonomous delivery robots are only the tip of the iceberg,” said Anand Gopalan. With its cutting-edge innovation and deployment, Vayu is poised to lead the adoption of real-world robotics across industries. For now, Vayu’s scalable robotics architecture is set to empower small businesses to deliver products to their customers’ doorstep seamlessly.

This week, three successful women share their stories and reflect on the role early education played in their lives. Their reflections remind us of the importance of the first years of learning.

As an advocate for equality in higher education, Dr. Dashield knows the diﬀerence access can make. “I credit my lifelong journey with Head Start. Without it, I don’t think

Dr. Dashield was a voracious young learner, and when she arrived at elementary school, teachers recommended that she skip right past kindergarten and into ﬁrst grade. However, her mother decided to let her remain with her age cohort. She says the early access to education she received from Head Start is part of why she was so well prepared for success in school. As an educational leader, Dr. Dashield sees her work as part of larger eﬀorts to advocate for educational systems that center human dignity and worth and deliver equitable access to learning.

Drinal Foster, Senior Vice President of Wealth and Investment Management

Technology, Wells Fargo Head Start

Hometown: Seattle, Washington As Wells Fargo’s Senior Vice President of Wealth and Investment Management Technology, Drinal Foster leads global, forward-leaning employee engagement and experience strategies to build a high-performing workforce. She serves on several boards of directors centered around youth and youth development, where she seeks to make a positive diﬀerence in her community. Drinal and her mother often

voice to white supremacy nor give support to the proud boys. President Biden is proud to be an American. The question is whether President Biden should stay or go. Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits.

(St. Matthew 7:16) After the debate between President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump, begin to examine the fruit. In essence, I became a fruit inspector. Yes, the president acknowledged he had a bad debate and conﬁrmed that he is no longer a smooth talker: his steps are slower, and he isn’t as articulate as he was in the past. The question is, who is? As a fruit inspector, I don’t think we

discuss Head Start’s role in her early adjustment to school and the diﬀerence it made for her. When thinking about Head Start’s impact, Drinal says, “Head Start helped me to socially connect and learn critical skills at such a young age. My parents were bluecollar workers; early in my mother’s life, she was a janitor for a local bank, and now I’m an executive of one of the top four banks in the country. That’s an amazing trajectory, but what’s even more amazing is that Head Start is full of these stories!”

ought to cut down the entire tree because of a bad branch. Let me continue to examine the Biden fruit. Yes, it is an old tree, but old trees are full of shade, wisdom, hope, experience and tenacity. Biden was appointed by the ﬁrst Black president to serve this country in 248 years, the honorable Barack Hussein Obama. Oh yes! He saw the good fruit. The powerful United States Congressman, the Honorable Jim Clyburn (DSC), saw this good fruit when he enthusiastically endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 for president. I met Congressman Clyburn a few Sundays ago when he spoke at the Mount Zion Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, where the pastor is Reverend Daniel Simmons. At that service, Congressman Clyburn told the story of an elderly woman at a funeral who asked him, “who was he voting for.”

Eileen Conoboy, Recruitment Advisor, Peace Corps. Head Start

Hometown: Fairfax, Virginia

Eileen credits Head Start with helping her find her superpower…reading. Head Start was part of the safety net her mother needed when she was 20 years old, widowed with two young children, and pregnant with her third child.” It’s hard to know how the sliding doors of life would have turned out if I hadn’t attended Head Start,” she says. “But I do know it instilled in me a love of books, and that’s opened so many figurative and literal doors throughout my life.” Eileen is a first-generation college graduate and works as a Peace Corps Recruitment Advisor, developing new strategies to diversify and increase international engagement through Peace Corps service. “While at Head Start, I looked forward to the meals and found comfort in the classroom routines, but it

He told her Joe Biden and the rest is history. Congressman Clyburn is still standing with Joe Biden. Why? He has seen a fruit tree producing good fruit. Congressman Clyburn has witnessed up front and close the good decisions that President Biden has made and will continue to make. The man has sound judgment, and he has wisdom. President Biden selected The Honorable Senator Kamala Harris to be his Vice President. Her selection was indeed an historic and transformative decision. Listen, I have personally met Vice President Kamala Harris. She is the real deal. She is brilliant, she is intelligent, and she is probably one of the best vice presidents to ever serve this nation. Also, as I examine the Biden tree, he is decisive and courageous in making the right decisions and appointments. He

appointed the ﬁrst black female to the United States Supreme Court. Yes, the Supreme Court: the honorable Associate Justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson. In reference to federal judges, President Biden has appointed more black federal judges than any president in these 248 years of this nation. Trust me, federal judges matter. The next president will most likely appoint two or more justices to the mighty Supreme Court, a court today that is radically and cynically erasing the signiﬁcant rulings of the 20th century. Melvin and the Blue Notes are prophetically telling us to “Wake up everybody!” While the country is in a debate about Biden, we are losing our hardearned rights of yesteryears. The question is

Pictured (left to right): Dr. Richeleen Dashield, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), New York University Silver School of Social Work; Drinal Foster, Senior Vice President of Wealth and Investment Management Technology, Wells Fargo; and Eileen Conoboy, Recruitment Advisor, Peace Corps.

Vayu Robotics founders (L to R) - Mahesh Krishnamurthi, Nitish Srivastava and Anand Gopalan

Sense

World’s ﬁrst automatic cargo unloading mechanism on Vayu’s delivery robots

Harris From 4

should Biden stay, or should he step down? My answer is he should stay in the race for a second term. This decision is between President Biden and his family. I believe this president will make the best decision for the good of this country. Moreover, he has an impressive record of achievements and accomplishments in his fiftyplus years as a faithful public servant. I hope we would not allow a 90-minute debate to be the defining moment of a stellar political career of fifty remarkable years. He has provided this nation with faithful, forthright, and fruitful leadership. I pray to God that he would be healthy enough to continue to “bring forth good fruits.”

service and her church sets a beautiful example.

In a proclamation by the City of Crystal, we learn that Sis. Etta has been active in St. Peter’s as an usher, class leader, and a missionary. When it comes to her interests, the proclamation states that she “enjoys watching and listening to sports, reading, and living life as a wonderful, loving person with a generous heart.”

From 3

In honor of this milestone, the City of Crystal proclaimed June 28 as Etta Irving Day. Over cake and ice cream, it was a pleasure to see all the attendees present for this celebration, and Sis. Etta was so pleased at the tributes made by her family and people whose lives she has touched over the years. When asked about the secret to her long life, she smiled and said, “Have faith in God.” Her answer generated a hearty round of applause. In keeping with her community service, a book drive has been established in her honor to continue to promote literacy for children

President Biden’s re-election campaign. “Something that does not get talked about enough: we were able to bring down homicides in Houston with federal investment,” she wrote on X. “After President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan, we brought $50 million to the city to take on crime—and it worked! Local/ federal partnership saved lives.” She added, “This House Democrat believes Joe Biden has served us well and has the best plans for the future. I am laser-focused on beating Donald Trump and delivering for America because that’s what matters.” Jackson Lee also reminded her followers that America saw one of the most significant homicide spikes ever in Trump’s last year in office. “He threw his hands in the air and did not know what to do,” she asserted. “Since he left, I am proud that our American Rescue Plan has done the very important work to bring these numbers down! Federal/ local partnerships worked.” Jackson Lee’s legislative achievements are significant and wide-ranging. She played a crucial role in the passage of the Violence

of their own political party.

Maxine Waters, arguably the most powerful Black elected oﬃcial in America. In some way shape or form she will be impacting the most signiﬁcant decisions the Democrats make.

For more than 40 years (33 years in the United States House of Representatives), “Auntie” Maxine Waters, as she is so aﬀectionately hailed by her legions of constituents, has proven that without her, so much would be lost.

Whether she was advocating for $10 billion in funding for Section 8 when that program faced dire circumstances; or securing $50 million in funding for Youth Fair Chance; the $400 million for Minority Aids Funding or the $6 billion for Neighborhood Stabilization, she has always been at the forefront of what is best for the communities she serves.

As citizens, we are always hopeful and prayerful that our public servants will inﬂuence legislation on our behalf that will provide healthcare, aﬀordable food and housing, good paying jobs, funding for small business, safe communities and safe places for our children to be educated.

However, in today’s divided political universe, many of us are torn or swayed by propaganda to believe that our system of governance is failing us. As a result, we accuse our elected oﬃcials of being out of touch and not adhering to our concerns.

These persuasive but frightening perceptions play right into the hands of those that denied Blacks voting rights. This rhetoric, fueled by broadcast networks, social media, podcasts and streaming platforms, can lead us to be so discouraged that we just say “to hell with all of it” and not exercise the most powerful diﬀerence making tool at our disposal: THE RIGHT TO VOTE, and suﬀer our ultimate demise.

That is why leadership is paramount. Some perceive leadership as some fancy title that is only available to the chosen elite, but real leadership is demonstrated by the actions and deeds of the individuals elected to serve.

Trusted and reliable leaders advocate for what is right, even when contradicted by members

Let’s look into the future. If, for some reason, President Biden should step aside, there is a viable and venerable alternative. That person is the sitting vice

in the community through St. Peter’s AME. Truly, Sis. Etta has beauty in heart and in spirit. Yes, Sis. Etta, you are one of our queens. We thank you and we are so grateful for the precious gift of God that you are. And thank you to all who made this day special.

PROCLAMATION

RECOGNIZING

ETTA IRVING’S 1QQTH

BIRTHDAY AND JUNE 28, 2024, AS ETTA IRVING DAY WHEREAS, longevity of life is a blessing for an individual and for a community that beneﬁts from the knowledge, creativity, and

Against Women Act. She was a senior House Committee member on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget Committees. She was the ﬁrst female ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, serving as Chair during the 117th Congress.

“The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) extends to the family of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee our profound condolences. May the legacy and memory of Sheila Jackson Lee be enshrined in the pantheon of global freedom ﬁghters,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President and CEO of the National Newspaper

Jr., Senior Pastor, Grant AME

Church

Such was the case when Waters learned California Governor Gavin Newsom had released his budget for the state without any funding for the Martin Luther King Community Hospital (MLKCH), which was on the brink of closing yet again.

Fuming, Waters encountered Newsom at an event and cornered him about the MLKCH dilemma.

In a letter sent to Newsom, Waters appealed; “I call on you as the Governor of the Great State of California to reverse your decision of 2022 and immediately support legislation that will adjust MLKCH’s supplemental funding methodology to include outpatient services, including the approximately 125,000 ED services provided by the hospital every year. This will cost an estimated $25 million per year. More importantly, it will save countless lives.”

Newsomhad previously vetoed Assemblymember Mike Gipson (Carson)’s AB 2426 to expand MLKCH’s supplemental funding in order to cover hospital-based outpatient services provided in the emergency department. The bill provided MLKCH approximately $25-$30 million in additional funds annually.

Not long after Waters sent a letter to Newsom on June 14, Newsom reversed course and signed oﬀ the legislation to fund MLKCH.

It was a gangsta move as we say in the hood, and copied on the letter were a long list of community stakeholders including:

 Dr. Elaine Batchlor, CEO, MLK Community Healthcare Assemblyman Mike Gipson

 County Supervisor Hilda Solis, 1st District

 County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, 2nd District

 County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, 3rd District

 County Supervisor Janice Hahn, 4th District

 County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, 5th District

 Los Angeles City

Councilmember Tim McOskar, District 15 LAUSD Board

Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin, District 7 Compton Mayor Emma Sharif

 Mr. John Baackes, CEO, LA Care Health Plan

 Ms. Wajeha A. Bilal, Founder, Build Plus Community Marketplace

 Dr. David Carlisle, President and CEO, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine

and Science

 Rev. Timothy Coston,

president of this nation, the gifted Kamala Harris. This nation is blessed and highly favored to have such an incredible person ready to accept the baton and lead us to victory in November. Please do not let the negative talking heads convince you that she isn’t ready. She will be ready, and she is ready to serve, protect, and defend the values of this nation.

experiences this individual brings to all; and WHEREAS the City of Crystal recognizes with respect and admiration the contributions of our special senior citizens, such as Mrs. Etta Irving, who was born on June 28, 1924, in Eutaw, Alabama to Cora and Frank Norwood; and WHEREAS, Etta married Harold Irving, and together raised a family that includes 7 children, 18 grandchildren, and 27 greatgrandchildren; and WHEREAS, Mrs. Etta Irving has lived in the City of Crystal for more than 40plus years, and according to her

Publishers Association. Jackson Lee was a powerful advocate for a free and energetic press — and for the Black Press of America in particular. Among her notable legislative eﬀorts were the Sentencing Reform Act, the George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, the RAISE Act, the Fair Chance for Youth Act, the Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act, Kalief’s Law, and the American RISING Act. She also introduced the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act and the Federal Prison Bureau Nonviolent Oﬀender Relief Act. A staunch supporter

 Ms. Robin Daniels, CEO, Sisters of Watts

 Rev. Dr. Sonja R. Dawson, Senior Pastor. New Mount Calvary Missionary

Baptist

 Church

 Mr. Ryan Ferguson, Manager, Government and Community Relations-LA South, Kaiser

 Permanente Watts

Medical Oﬃces and Watts Counseling and Learning Center Mr. John Jones, III, President and Co-Founder, East Side Riders Bike Club

 Mr. Donny Joubert, President, Watts Gang Taskforce

 Ms. Yumi Kawasaki, Principal, Edwin Markham Middle School

 Ms. Olusheyi Lawoyin, COO, Watts Healthcare Corporation

 Ms. Elsa Madrid, Principal, Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center Dr. Cynthia Mendenhall, Founder and President, Chosen Angels Inc.

 Rev. Kenneth Miller, Senior Pastor, Hays Tabernacle CME Church

 Rev. Dr. Ivan Pitts, Macedonia Baptist Church

 Mr. Brandon “Stix” Salaam-Bailey, Founder and CEO, Think Watts

 Ms. Dolores Sheen, Founder, Sheenway School and Culture Center

 Mr. Aqeela Sherrills, Co-Founder, Community Based Public Safety Collective Rev. Robert Taylor, President, Watts Area Ministers

The People Mover (ITC), a $2-billion transportation line that would link SoFi Stadium to one of Los Angeles’ newest rail lines (K-Line).

“It will not provide convenient connectivity to employment or public services for local residents,” she said.

“The ITC is designed primarily to allow public transit users to connect the extra 1.6 miles from Metro’s K Line to sports and entertainment venues. Shuttle buses could most likely accomplish the same goal at a fraction of the cost, but have not been seriously considered as an alternative,” Waters told the Times.

In aﬃrming her commitment to prevent the project from going forward, Waters stated:

“To the degree that I can do anything to stop it, I will do it,” she said Wednesday.

“It’s a project that has turned out to be totally unnecessary and totally much too costly.”

“The ITC threatens

Again, President Biden made a masterful decision to select her as his running mate. If she gets the call, she will motivate the base to turn out in record-breaking numbers. She will defeat her opponent; she will unite this country, and she will bring hope and steadfast leadership as our next president. Listen, there should be no division at the Democratic Party’s National Convention if President Biden should decide to step aside.

family, is a beautiful example of how we should live our lives; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Irving has devoted many years of service as an active member of St. Peter’s A.M.E. Church, where she has served as a class leader, an usher, and a missionary; and WHEREAS, Mrs. Irving enjoys watching and listening to sports, reading, and living life as a wonderful, loving person with a generous heart. She willingly gives to her church, many charities, and anyone in need. She readily shares her knowledge, advice, and words of encouragement;

of women and children, Jackson Lee championed the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. She authored the TripleNegative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act. Jackson Lee was widely recognized for her effectiveness and influence. Congressional Quarterly named her one of the 50 most effective Members of Congress, and U.S. News and World Report listed her among the ten most influential legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was a founder, member, and chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus and the Congressional Children’s Caucus. She was chair of the

to exacerbate this crisis by displacing long-time Inglewood residents and small and minority-owned businesses and diverting resources away from some of the most urgent needs of the local communities in my district,” she wrote.

The four-term mayor has courted billionaires and inked deals to build SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome that have transformed his community.

As one might expect, Butts was not happy about Waters’ position.

“You can’t come in at the 11th hour with a little fairy tale story about how something is so terrible,” he said. The letter was “ill-conceived” and many of the points “fully invalid,” Butts told The Times that Waters did not reach out to him to discuss the matter.

However, this is what leadership is all about, challenging the most powerful within your own party with conviction.

These individuals

and

WHEREAS, on behalf of the citizens of the City of Crystal, we express our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to Mrs. Etta Irving, as we honor your 100th birthday on June 28, 2024.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jim Adams, Mayor of the City of Crystal, do hereby recognize Etta Irving on her 100th birthday and proclaim that June 28, 2024, as Etta Irving Day in Crystal; We join with family and friends in honoring Etta and extend our heartfelt best wishes for a happy birthday and best wishes for many more to come.

wake up with a strategy to improve the lives of their constituents and everyday Americans and they go to sleep contemplating what more can be done.

Explore the entire political universe from the local, to the state upward to the federal level and few have been as reliable as Maxine Waters. The sacriﬁces that she makes have threatened her mere existence as assassination attempts have placed her life and the safety of her family in constant jeopardy. Whether it’s being at the forefront during civil unrest in Los Angeles or the brutal police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, we can always count on Maxine Waters being in the middle of the ﬁght. In a sense she’s like Mike Tyson in his heyday, always menacing and going towards the opponent with intentions of securing victory by any means necessary.

ﬃth, CEO, Top Dawg Entertainment

 Mr. Anthony “Top Dawg” Ti

 Mr. Tim Watkins, CEO, WLCAC

 Ms. Autumn Ybarra, Watts/Century Latino Organization

“This unique hospital serves some of the poorest and sickest people in the State of California and perhaps the entire country. Our community depends on MLKCH, and we cannot allow it to close,” Waters wrote. Waters was just warming up after the victory for MLKCH, she then turned her attention to the City of Inglewood in her Congressional District. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, and conﬁrmed by Waters in an interview with South Bay Black Journal, Waters is now objecting to one of Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts’ most prominent projects,

Harris is ready to step up! Reverend Dr. RB Holmes is CEO and Publisher of the Capital Outlook Newspaper and the Pastor of the Historic Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee,

Congressional Black Caucus Energy Braintrust and the Justice Reform Task Force co-chair.

A Yale University alumna, Jackson Lee earned her B.A. in Political Science with honors and later received a J.D.

Jackson Lee

áreas de South Street y South

Las cuatro obras que se describen a continuación, todas escritas aparecen en mi nueva antología, Escritos afroamericanos sobre la Ciudad del Amor Fraternal.”. Soy profesora de inglés en la Universidad de Long Island y he editado varias antologías de autores afroamericanos y afrocaribeños, así como una colección de escritos sobre Coney Island. Mi último libro poesía escritas por escritoras de ciudad hasta la actualidad. A pesar de los enormes desafíos que los habitantes negros largo de la historia, incluidos los prejuicios raciales y la desigualdad de género en la vivienda, el transporte público, la educación, la salud pública y la justicia penal,

The four works described below, all written by Black Philadelphia women, appear in my new anthology, “A Black American Writings about the City of Brotherly Love.” I’m a professor of English at Long Island University, and I’ve edited several anthologies of African American and Afro Caribbean authors as well as a collection of writings about Coney Island. Philadelphia-based writers from the city’s founding to the present day. Despite the daunting

estas cuatro escritoras transmiten una fe duradera en la familia y la comunidad, y una esperanza promesas de igualdad a sus ciudadanos negros. Si bien las historias aquí se centran en los habitantes negros de y lecciones son universales.

‘Dulce Verano: Creciendo Con y Sin Mi Papá.’ (1989) En estas memorias agridulces, Bebe Moore Campbell, una exitosa novelista que murió en 2006, cuenta una conmovedora historia de crecimiento en la década de 1960 en una familia separada por el

Durante el año escolar, la joven Bebe vive en el norte de las altas expectativas de su madre, abuela, tías y maestras. Aunque sabe que la aman profundamente, añora los veranos más relajantes que pasa en Carolina del Norte con su padre, quien no permite de ruedas limite sus sueños. En estos dos mundos, Bebe

challenges Black Philadelphians have faced throughout history – including racial prejudice and gender inequality in housing, public transportation, education, public health and criminal justice – these four writers convey an enduring faith in family and community, and a hope that promises of equality to its Black citizens. While the stories here are centered on Black Philadelphians, I believe their messages and lessons are universal.

‘Sweet Summer: Growing Up With and Without My Dad’ (1989) In this bittersweet memoir, Bebe Moore Campbell, a bestselling novelist who died in 2006, tells a poignant comingof-age story of growing up in the 1960s in a family separated by both divorce and geographic distance. During the school year, young Bebe lives in North Philadelphia, trying to meet the high expectations of her mother, grandmother, aunts and female

se da cuenta de que no hay una única forma de demostrar amor y que las familias pueden existir de muchas formas. Aunque anhela un hogar unido, la joven crece con un fuerte sentido de familia y de sí misma, y de aprender la lección de que ninguna distancia puede separar verdaderamente a las personas si se aman.

‘El precio de un niño’ (1995)

Lorene Cary es una reconocida novelista, dramaturga y autora de memorias. Esta novela histórica cuenta la conmovedora historia de una mujer esclavizada, Ginnie Pryor –más tarde llamada Mercer Gray– que, con la ayuda de los abolicionistas, obtiene la libertad para ella y sus dos hijos

gran ciudad más cercana por encima de la línea Mason-Dixon, que separa el Norte del Sur, a menudo era el lugar donde las personas esclavizadas saboreaban la libertad por primera vez. Sin embargo, Mercer se da cuenta de que su libertad es precaria, ya que después de la Ley de Esclavos

teachers. Although she knows she is deeply loved by them, she longs for the more relaxing summers spent in North Carolina with her father, who does not let his his dreams.

In these two worlds, Bebe realizes that there is no one way to show love, and that families can exist in many forms. Though she longs for a united home, the young girl grows up with a strong sense of family and self, and of learning the lesson that no distance can truly separate people if they love one another.

The Price of a Child’ (1995)

Lorene Cary is a renowned novelist, playwright and memoirist. This historical novel tells the moving story of an enslaved woman, Ginnie Pryor – later named Mercer Gray – who, with the assistance of abolitionists, gains freedom for herself and her two children in

Because Philadelphia was the closest big city above the Mason-Dixon Line, which separates the North from the

capturarla y devolverla al Sur.

También siente que su libertad la obliga a ayudar a otros que aún están encadenados a la esclavitud y a ayudar al abolicionista blanco encarcelado como resultado de su fuga. Pero, sobre todo, debe hacer frente al a su hijo menor en Virginia, donde todavía está esclavizado. Mercer nunca puede escapar del recuerdo inquietante de su hijo desaparecido hasta su libertad. Basada en gran medida en la historia real de Jane Johnson, que quedó registrada en “The Underground Railroad Records” de William Still, esta novela fue elegida como la primera selección para el programa de lectura de toda la ciudad, Un libro, una la pena leerla hoy.

‘Caída’ (1996)

Diane McKinneyWhetstone, oriunda del oeste novelas aclamadas. Su debut, “Caída”, está ambientado en las

South, it was often the place tasted freedom. However, Mercer realizes that her freedom is tenuous since after the Fugitive be captured and returned to the South.

She also feels that her freedom obligates her to help others still in the bonds of slavery and aid the white abolitionist imprisoned as a result of her escape. Most of all, she must cope with the terrible price of her child behind in Virginia, where he is still enslaved.

Mercer can never escape the haunting memory of her

to buy his freedom. Based largely on the true story of Jane Johnson, which was recorded in William Still’s “The Underground Railroad Records,” this novel was citywide reading program, One and it is still worth a read today.

‘Tumbling’ (1996)

As quatro obras descritas abaixo, todas escritas por mulheres na minha nova antologia, “Um Escritos Afro -Americanos sobre a Cidade do Amor Fraternal”. Sou professora de inglês na Long Island University e editei várias antologias de autores afroamericanos e afro-caribenhos, bem como uma coleção de escritos sobre Coney Island. Meu último e poesia escritas por escritores cidade até os dias atuais. assustadores que os negros longo da história — incluindo preconceito racial e desigualdade de gênero em moradia, transporte público, educação, saúde pública e justiça criminal — essas quatro escritoras transmitem

uma fé duradoura na família e na comunidade, e uma esperança promessas de igualdade para seus cidadãos negros. Embora as histórias aqui sejam centradas nos negros da mensagens e lições são universais.

‘Doce verão: crescendo com e sem meu pai’ (1989) Neste livro de memórias agridoce, Bebe Moore Campbell, uma romancista best-seller que morreu em 2006, conta uma história pungente de amadurecimento sobre crescer na década de 1960 em uma família separada pelo divórcio e pela

Durante o ano letivo, a jovem Bebe vive no norte da altas expectativas de sua mãe, avó, tias e professoras. Embora saiba que é profundamente amada por elas, ela anseia pelos verões mais relaxantes passados na Carolina do Norte com seu pai, em uma cadeira de rodas limitar seus sonhos.

Nesses dois mundos, Bebe percebe que não há uma maneira única de demonstrar amor e que as famílias podem existir de muitas formas. Embora anseie por um lar unido, a jovem cresce com um forte senso de família e de si mesma, e de aprender a lição de que nenhuma distância pode realmente separar as pessoas se elas se amam.

‘O preço de uma criança’ (1995) Lorene Cary é uma renomada romancista, dramaturga e memorialista. Este romance histórico conta a história comovente de uma mulher escravizada, Ginnie Pryor – mais tarde chamada Mercer Gray – que, com a ajuda de abolicionistas, ganha liberdade para si e seus dois

cidade grande mais próxima acima da Linha Mason-Dixon, que separa o Norte do Sul, era frequentemente o lugar onde os escravizados experimentavam a liberdade pela primeira vez. No entanto, Mercer percebe que sua liberdade é tênue, pois após o

poderia ser capturada e devolvida ao Sul. Ela também sente que sua liberdade a obriga a ajudar outros ainda nos laços da escravidão e ajudar o abolicionista branco preso como resultado de sua fuga. Acima de tudo, ela deve lidar com

trás na Virgínia, onde ele ainda é escravizado.

Mercer nunca consegue escapar da memória assustadora

sua liberdade. Baseado em grande parte na história real de Jane Johnson, que foi registrada em “ Os registros de ferrovias subterrâneas “ de William Still, este romance foi escolhido como a primeira seleção para o programa de leitura da cidade, Um livro, um pena ler hoje.

‘ Caindo ‘ (1996) Diane McKinneyWhetstone, nativa do oeste romances aclamados. Sua estreia,

Los personajes principales –Noon, una mujer temerosa de Dios, y Herbie, su marido amante de los clubes nocturnos– parecen ser una pareja desigual. Sin embargo, se aman a pesar de sus diferencias. Este amor se fortalece cuando, en dos ocasiones distintas, acogen, con el apoyo de su comunidad unida, a niñas abandonadas que quedaron en la puerta de su casa. Mientras las dos niñas van formando un verdadero vínculo fraternal a medida que van creciendo, la comunidad pronto una propuesta municipal de construir una autopista en medio del barrio. Noon debe organizar a sus vecinos para resistir esta pesadilla burocrática y mantener unida a la comunidad.

‘Las doce tribus de Hattie’ (2012) Esta novela de Ayana Mathis, oriunda de Germantown, fue seleccionada para el Club de lectura de Oprah 2.0. Comienza

West Philadelphia native Diane McKinney-Whetstone has written several acclaimed novels. Her debut, “Tumbling,” is set in the South Street and South

The main characters –Noon, a God-fearing woman, and Herbie, her nightclubloving husband – seem to be a mismatched couple. However, they love each other despite strengthened when, on two separate occasions, they take in, with the support of their tight-knit community, abandoned baby girls left on their doorstep. While the two girls form a true sisterly bond as they grow up, the community is soon a municipal proposal to build a highway through the middle of the neighborhood. It is up to Noon to organize her neighbors to resist this bureaucratic nightmare and keep the community whole.

‘The Twelve Tribes of Hattie’ (2012) This novel by Germantown

“ Caindo “, se passa nas áreas de South Street e South Philadelphia Os personagens principais - Noon, uma mulher temente a Deus, e Herbie, seu marido amante de boates - parecem ser um casal incompatível. No entanto, eles se amam apesar de suas diferenças. Esse amor é fortalecido quando, em duas ocasiões distintas, eles acolhem, com o apoio de sua comunidade unida, meninas abandonadas deixadas em sua porta. Enquanto as duas meninas formam um verdadeiro vínculo a comunidade logo é ameaçada municipal de construir uma rodovia no meio do bairro. Cabe a Noon organizar seus vizinhos para resistir a esse pesadelo burocrático e manter a comunidade inteira.

‘As doze tribos de Hattie’ (2012) Este romance da nativa de Germantown, Ayana Mathis, foi uma seleção para o Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. Começa na década de 1920, contando a história da jovem Hattie Shepherd, uma

en la década de 1920 y cuenta la historia de la joven Hattie Shepherd, una de las muchas estadounidenses negras que abandonaron el sur durante la Gran Migración. Se reasentó en la con el sueño de muchos migrantes de construir una vida mejor para ella y su familia. Su optimismo

Jubilee. Sin embargo, Hattie se da cuenta dolorosamente de que el norte no es un paraíso. Sus hijos mueren de enfermedades y ella se desilusiona. Hattie tiene que hacer muchos ajustes a su nueva segregación racial y la pobreza extenuante. Extraña el sentido de comunidad que tenía en su hogar en Georgia. Aun así, su coraje y determinación le permiten sobrevivir a estos desafíos mientras cría a nueve hijos más y un nieto, creando, con los dos niños muertos, sus 12 tribus. Son sus hijos, así como Hattie, quienes cuentan las historias, llevando la

native Ayana Mathis was a selection for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. It begins in the 1920s, telling the story of young Hattie Shepherd, one of many Black Americans who left the South during the Great Migration. She resettled in the Germantown area of Philadelphia with the dream of

dos muitos negros americanos que deixaram o Sul durante a Grande Migração. Ela se mudou para a área de Germantown, na migrantes de construir uma vida melhor para si e sua família. Seu

Philadelphia e Jubilee. No entanto, Hattie percebe dolorosamente que o Norte desiludida. Hattie tem que fazer muitos ajustes em sua nova extenuante. Ela sente falta do senso de comunidade que tinha em casa, na Geórgia. Ainda assim, sua coragem e determinação permitem que ela sobreviva a 12 tribos. São seus descendentes, assim como Hattie, que contam as histórias, levando o romance até

4 books by Black Philadelphia women that depict

l’espoir que Philadelphie tiendra ses promesses d’égalité envers ses citoyens noirs. Bien que les histoires ici soient centrées sur les Philadelphiens noirs, je crois que leurs messages et leurs leçons sont universels.

‘Doux été: grandir avec et sans mon père’ (1989) Dans ces mémoires douxamers, Bebe Moore Campbell, en 2006, raconte une histoire adulte dans les années 1960 au fois par le divorce et la distance géographique.

Pendant l’année scolaire, la jeune Bebe vit dans le nord de Philadelphie, essayant de répondre aux attentes élevées de tantes et de ses enseignantes. Bien qu’elle sache qu’elles l’aiment profondément, elle aspire aux étés plus relaxants passés en Caroline

By Louis Parascandola

Afarta shaqo ee hoos lagu sharraxay, oo dhammaantood ay qoreen dumarka Philadelphia Madow, waxay ka muuqdaan suugaantayda cusub, “Akhriste Afrikaanka ah ee ku saabsan Magaalada Jacaylka Walaalaha.” ah oo dhiga Jaamacadda Long Island, waxaanan tafatiray dhowr sheeko-yaal Afrikaan Mareykan ah iyo qorayaasha Caribbean-ka Afro iyo sidoo kale ururinta qoraallada ku saabsan Jasiiradda Coney. Buugaygii ugu dambeeyay waxa ku jira khayaali, sheeko-xumo iyo gabayo ay qoreen qoraayaal fadhigoodu yahay Philadelphia laga soo bilaabo aasaaskii magaalada ilaa maantadan la joogo. In kasta oo caqabadaha adag ee Philadelphia Madow ay la kulmeen taariikhda oo dhan - oo ay ku jiraan nacaybka jinsiyadeed iyo sinnaan la’aanta jinsiga ee guryaha, gaadiidka dadweynaha, waxbarashada, caddaaladda dembiyada - afartan qoraa waxay gudbiyaan rumaysad

un fauteuil roulant limiter ses rêves. Dans ces deux mondes, Bebe se rend compte qu’il n’existe pas qu’une seule façon de montrer son amour et que les familles peuvent exister sous de nombreuses formes. Bien qu’elle grandit avec un fort sentiment de famille et d’elle-même, et apprend la leçon qu’aucune distance ne peut vraiment séparer les gens s’ils s’aiment.

‘Le prix d’un enfant’ (1995) Lorene Cary est une mémorialiste de renom. Ce roman historique raconte l’histoire émouvante d’une femme esclave, Ginnie Pryor – plus tard rebaptisée Mercer Gray – qui, avec l’aide des abolitionnistes, obtient la liberté pour elle et ses

waara oo qoyska iyo bulshada ah, iyo rajo ah in Philadelphia ay buuxin doonto Ballanqaadkeeda sinnaanta ee muwaadiniinteeda Madow.

Iyadoo sheekooyinka halkan ku yaal ay udub dhexaad u yihiin Philadelphia Madow, waxaan rumaysanahay in fariimahoodu iyo casharradoodu ay yihiin kuwo caalami ah.

‘Xagaaga Macaan: Ku Koritaanka Aabahay Iyo La’aanteed’ (1989) Xusuus-qorkan qadhaadhka ah, Bebe Moore Campbell, oo ah sheeko-yaqaan iibisa oo dhintay 2006-dii, waxa uu uga warramayaa sheeko da’da weyn oo soo socota oo ku soo koray 1960-kii qoys ay kala tageen

Inta lagu jiro sannaddugsiyeedka, Bebe da’da yar waxay ku nooshahay Waqooyiga Philadelphia, iyada oo isku dayaysa inay la kulanto rajooyinka sare ee hooyadeed, ayeeydeed, eedadeed iyo macallimiinta dumarka ah. In kasta oo ay og tahay in ay aad u jecel yihiin, haddana waxay xiisaysaa xagaaga nasashada badan ee ay North Carolina kula qaadato aabbaheed, kaas oo aan u oggolaan in uu kursiga curyaanka xaddido riyooyinkiisa. Labadan adduun, Bebe

Philadelphie étant la grande ville la plus proche auqui sépare le Nord du Sud, c’était

se rend compte que sa liberté pourrait être capturée et renvoyée dans le Sud.

Elle sent également que sa encore prisonniers de l’esclavage

évasion. Mais surtout, elle doit faire face au terrible prix de sa

Mercer ne peut jamais échapper au souvenir obsédant

pour acheter sa liberté. Basé en grande partie sur l’histoire

waxa ay garwaaqsatay in aanay jirin hab jacayl lagu muujiyo, qoysaskuna ay ku jiri karaan qaabab badan. In kasta oo ay u hanqal taagayso guri midaysan, haddana inanta yari waxa ay ku kortay dareen qoys iyo nafteeda, iyo in ay barato casharka ah in aan fogaansho dhab ahi dadka kala saari karin haddii ay is jeclaadaan.

‘Qiimaha Ilmaha’ (1995) Lorene Cary waa qoraa caan ah, riwaayad-yaqaan ah iyo xasuus-yaqaan. Buuggan taariikhiga ah wuxuu sheegayaa sheekada guurguura ee haweeney la addoonsaday, Ginnie Pryor - oo markii dambe loo magacaabay Mercer Gray - oo, iyada oo kaashanaysa kuwa baabi’iya, waxay xorriyad u heshay nafteeda iyo labadeeda carruur ah ee

Sababtoo ah Philadelphia waxay ahayd magaalada ugu dhow ee ugu dhow ee ka sarreysa khadka Mason-Dixon, oo ka sooca Waqooyiga iyo Koonfurta, inta badan waxay ahayd meeshii ugu horreysay ee dadka addoonsiga ah ay dhadhamiyaan xorriyadda. Si kastaba ha ahaatee, Mercer waxay ogaatay in xoriyadeeda ay tahay mid adag tan iyo wixii ka dambeeyay Sharciga addoonsiga qabsan karaa oo lagu soo celin karaa Koonfurta.

vraie de Jane Johnson, qui a été enregistrée dans « Les dossiers de chemin de fer souterrain » de William Still, ce roman a été pour le programme de lecture vaut toujours la peine d’être lu aujourd’hui.

‘Culbutage’ (1996) Diane McKinneyWhetstone, native de l’ouest de Philadelphie, a écrit plusieurs romans acclamés. Son premier roman, « Culbutage », se déroule dans les quartiers de South Street et de South Philadelphia dans les Les personnages principaux – Noon, une femme craignant Dieu, et Herbie, son mari amateur de boîtes de nuit – semblent former un couple mal assorti. Cependant, ils s’aiment malgré

elles recueillent, avec le soutien

Waxa kale oo ay dareensan tahay in xorriyadeeda ay ku waajibinayso in ay caawiso kuwa kale ee weli ku jira xidhidhka addoonsiga oo ay caawiso tirtirista cadaanka ah ee u xidhan baxsashadeeda awgeed. Inta badan, waa in ay la qabsato ka tagista ilmaheeda ugu yar ee Virginia, halkaas oo uu weli ku yahay addoonsiga. Mercer marnaba kama baxsan karto xusuusta naxdinta leh ee ilmaheeda maqan ilaa ay ugu dambeyntii hesho hadiyad iibsato xorriyadiisa. Iyada oo ku saleysan inta badan sheekada dhabta ah ee Jane Johnson, taas oo lagu duubay William Still’s “Diiwaanka Tareenada Dhulka hoostiisa mara,” sheekadan waxaa loo doortay doorashadii ugu horeysay ee barnaamijka akhriska magaalada oo dhan, Hal Buug, waa mudan in la akhriyo maanta. ‘ Tumbo wareeg ‘ (1996) Diane McKinneyWhetstone oo u dhalatay Galbeedka Philadelphia ayaa qortay dhowr sheeko oo la ammaano. Ciyaartoodii ugu horeysay, “ Tumbo wareeg,” waxa lagu dejiyay South Street iyo South Philadelphia

de leur communauté soudée, des pas de leur porte.

développent un véritable lien fraternel en grandissant, la communauté est bientôt menacée municipal de construction d’une autoroute au milieu du quartier.

cauchemar bureaucratique et préserver l’intégrité de la communauté.

‘Les douze tribus de Hattie’ (2012) Ce roman d’Ayana Mathis, native de Germantown, a été sélectionné pour le Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. Il commence dans les années 1920 et raconte l’histoire de la jeune Hattie Shepherd, l’une des nombreuses AfroAméricaines qui ont quitté le Sud pendant la Grande Migration. Elle s’est réinstallée dans le quartier

avec le rêve de nombreux migrants de construire une vie meilleure pour elle et sa famille. les noms de ses deux premiers enfants, Philadelphia et Jubilee. Cependant, Hattie se rend compte avec douleur que le Nord n’est pas un paradis. Ses enfants meurent de maladie et elle est désillusionnée. Hattie doit faire de nombreux ajustements

sens de la communauté qu’elle avait chez elle en Géorgie lui manque. Pourtant, son courage et sa détermination lui permettent de petit-enfant – créant, avec les deux enfants morts, ses 12 tribus. Ce sont ses descendants, ainsi que Hattie, qui racontent les histoires,

Kazi nne zilizofafanuliwa hapa chini, zote zilizoandikwa na wanawake wa Philadelphia Nyeusi, zinaonekana katika anthology yangu mpya, “Msomaji ya Mwafrika kuhusu Jiji la Upendo wa kindugu.” Mimi ni profesa wa Kiingereza katika Chuo Kikuu cha Long Island, na nimehariri anthologi kadhaa za waandishi wa Kiafrika na Waafrika wa Karibea pamoja na mkusanyiko wa maandishi kuhusu Coney Island. Kitabu changu cha hivi punde zaidi kinaangazia tamthiliya, tamthiliya na mashairi yaliyoandikwa na waandishi wa Philadelphia tangu kuanzishwa kwa jiji hadi leo. Licha ya changamoto za Weusi wamekabiliana nazo katika historia yote - ikiwa ni pamoja na ubaguzi wa rangi na ukosefu wa usawa wa kijinsia katika makazi,

umma na haki ya jinai - waandishi hawa wanne wanaonyesha imani ya kudumu katika familia na jamii, na matumaini ambayo Philadelphia itatimiza. ahadi zake za usawa kwa raia wake Weusi. Ingawa hadithi hapa ninaamini kuwa ujumbe na masomo yao ni ya watu wote.

‘Msimu Mtamu: Kukua na bila Baba yangu’ (1989) Katika riwaya hii ya uchungu, Bebe Moore Campbell, mwandishi wa riwaya aliyeuzwa sana ambaye alikufa mnamo 2006, anasimulia hadithi ya kuhuzunisha ya kukua katika miaka ya 1960 katika familia iliyotenganishwa na talaka na Wakati wa mwaka wa shule, Bebe mchanga anaishi Philadelphia Kaskazini, akijaribu kukidhi matarajio makubwa ya mama yake, nyanyake, shangazi na walimu wa kike. Ingawa anajua anapendwa sana nao, anatamani majira ya joto ya kustarehe zaidi anayokaa Carolina Kaskazini akiwa na baba yake, ambaye haruhusu kufungwa kwake kwenye kiti cha magurudumu kuzuie ndoto zake.

dunia hizi mbili, Bebe anatambua kwamba hakuna njia moja ya kuonyesha upendo, na kwamba familia zinaweza kuwepo kwa aina nyingi. Ingawa anatamani kuwa na nyumba yenye umoja, msichana huyo anakua na hisia kali ya familia na ubinafsi, na kujifunza somo kwamba hakuna umbali unaoweza kutenganisha watu kikweli ikiwa wanapendana.

‘Bei ya Mtoto’ (1995) Lorene Cary ni mwandishi mashuhuri wa riwaya, mwandishi wa kucheza na mwandishi wa kumbukumbu. Riwaya hii ya kihistoria inasimulia kisa cha kusisimua cha mwanamke mtumwa, Ginnie Pryor - ambaye baadaye aliitwa Mercer Gray - ambaye, kwa usaidizi wa wakomeshaji, alipata uhuru wake na watoto wake wawili huko

Kwa sababu Philadelphia lilikuwa jiji kubwa la karibu zaidi juu ya Mstari wa MasonDixon, unaotenganisha Kaskazini na Kusini, mara nyingi ilikuwa mahali ambapo watu watumwa walionja uhuru kwanza. Hata hivyo, Mercer anatambua kuwa uhuru wake ni mgumu kwani baada ya Sheria ya Mtumwa Mtoro

uhuru

kusaidia wengine ambao bado wako katika vifungo vya utumwa na kusaidia mkomeshaji wa kizungu aliyefungwa gerezani kwa sababu ya kutoroka kwake. Zaidi ya yote, lazima akabiliane na bei mtoto wake mdogo nyuma huko Virginia, ambako bado ni mtumwa. Mercer hawezi kamwe kuepuka kumbukumbu ya kutoweka kwa mtoto wake hadi atakapopokea zawadi ya pesa ya kutosha kununua uhuru wake. Kulingana na hadithi ya kweli ya Jane Johnson, ambayo ilirekodiwa katika “Rekodi za Reli za Chini ya Ardhi” ya William Still, riwaya hii ilichaguliwa kama uteuzi wa kwanza wa programu ya usomaji wa jiji lote, Kitabu kimoja, na bado thamani ya kusoma leo. ‘Kupinduka’ (1996) Mzaliwa wa West Philadelphia Diane McKinneyWhetstone ameandika riwaya yake ya kwanza, “ kupinduka,”

Jilayaasha ugu muhiimsanDuhur, haweeney Ilaah ka cabsata, iyo Herbie, ninkeeda caweyska jecel - waxay u muuqdaan inay yihiin lamaane aan is-qabin. Si kastaba ha ahaatee, way is jecel yihiin inkastoo ay kala duwan yihiin. Jaceylkaasi waxa uu xoojiyaa marka, laba jeer oo kala duwan, ay ku qaataan, iyagoo taageero ka helaya bulshadooda isku xidhan, ee gabdho yaryar oo laga tegay albaabkooda. Halka labada hablood ay samaystaan xidhiidh walaalnimo oo dhab ah markay korayaan, bulshada waxa si degdeg ah jeedinta dawladda hoose ee ah in la dhiso waddo weyn oo dhexmarta xaafadda dhexdeeda. Waa ilaa duhurnimadii inay deriskeeda abaabuli lahayd si ay isaga caabiyaan riyooyinkan shaqo-doonka ah, bulshadana u ilaaliso.

‘Laba iyo Tobanka Qabiil ee Hattie’ (2012) Buuggan cusub ee ay qortay Germantown Ayana Mathis wuxuu ahaa xulashada Naadiga Buugaagta ee Oprah 2.0. Waxay bilaabataa 1920-meeyadii, iyada oo ka sheekaynaysa sheekada da’yarta Hattie Shepherd, mid ka mid ah madow badan oo Maraykan ah oo ka tagay koonfurta intii lagu

imewekwa katika maeneo ya South Street na South Philadelphia Wahusika wakuuMchana, mwanamke anayemcha Mungu, na Herbie, mume wake anayependa klabu ya usiku - wanaonekana kuwa wanandoa wasiofaa. Hata hivyo, wanapendana licha ya tofauti zao. Upendo huu huimarishwa wakati, katika pindi mbili tofauti, wao hukubali, kwa usaidizi wa jumuiya yao iliyoshikamana, wasichana wachanga waliotelekezwa walioachwa kwenye mlango wao. Wakati wasichana hao wawili wanaunda uhusiano wa kindugu wa kweli wanapokua, jamii hivi karibuni inatishiwa na la manispaa la kujenga barabara kuu katikati ya mtaa. Ni hadi Adhuhuri kupanga majirani zake kupinga jinamizi hili la urasimu na kuweka jumuiya nzima.

‘Makabila Kumi na Mbili ya Hattie’ (2012) Riwaya hii ya mzaliwa wa Germantown Ayana Mathis ilikuwa uteuzi wa Klabu ya Vitabu ya Oprah 2.0. Inaanza katika miaka ya 1920, ikisimulia hadithi ya kijana Hattie Shepherd,

walioondoka Kusini wakati wa Uhamiaji Mkuu. Aliishi upya katika eneo la Germantown la Philadelphia akiwa na ndoto ya wahamiaji wengi kujijengea maisha bora yeye na familia yake. Matumaini yake yanaonyeshwa katika majina ya watoto wake wawili wa kwanza, Philadelphia na Jubilee. Walakini, Hattie anatambua kwa uchungu kwamba Kaskazini sio paradiso. Watoto wake wanakufa kwa ugonjwa, naye anakata tamaa. Hattie anapaswa kufanya marekebisho mengi kwa ya baridi kali, ubaguzi wa rangi na umaskini wa kutisha. Anakosa hisia ya jumuiya aliyokuwa nayo nyumbani huko Georgia. Bado, ujasiri wake na azimio lake vinamwezesha kustahimili changamoto hizi anapolea watoto wengine tisa na mjukuu - na kuunda, pamoja na watoto wawili waliokufa, makabila yake 12. Ni watoto wake, na vile vile Hattie, ambao wanasimulia hadithi,

jiray socdaalka weyn. Waxay dib

samaysay

Katika

kurudishwa Kusini. Pia anahisi kwamba

wake unamlazimisha

mmoja wa Waamerika wengi Weusi

nipa Coney Island. Iwe tuntun o

Na Louis Parascandola Translation by Macdonald Anyanwu, Managing Editor,

Thank you, President Biden!

“Whatever must happen ultimately should happen immediately.” Quote from the late Henry Kissinger, U.S. Ambassador

It took an extraordinary level of valor, patriotism, deference, altruism, and humility for Joseph R. Biden, the 46th President of the United States, to announce yesterday that he will not accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for a second term next month in Chicago. With the announcement coming less than 48 hours after the Republican Convention concluded with a strong media bump for Donald Trump, the mainstream media airwaves were dominated yesterday by Biden’s historic decision—the ﬁrst time a sitting president has chosen not to run for reelection since Lyndon Johnson in ‘68—and the pending decision that Democrats must soon make to pick his successor on the 2024 ticket.

As Mr. Biden is a career politician who has been

either a United States Senator, Vice President, or President for my entire 52 years of living, I can only imagine that as the phone calls, personal visits, emails, text messages, and editorials calling for him to step aside to allow a younger Democrat to take on Donald Trump this Fall poured in, that he slowly—but ultimately—realized that he did not want the historical record to ever reﬂect that he placed his own desires and ambitions above the serious threats facing our system of democracy.

And those threats are real; Project 2025 is a lengthy manifesto from the conservative Heritage Foundation that would invest greater power in the Executive Branch; eliminate programs for racial, gender, and sexual orientation equality; launch a renewed nuclear arms race; shift federal oversight of education and elections more towards the states; create deeper corporate tax cuts without addressing corporate greed or inﬂation; severely restrict immigration for non-whites, and raze the wall between church in state in favor of establishing eurocentric Christian Nationalism as America’s de facto religion. This manifesto has been written by veterans of Donald Trump’s ﬁrst term—and would comprise the blueprint for his second term should he prevail this November.

Thus, the stakes are high and in the ﬁnal analysis, I imagine that perhaps Mr. Biden fully embraced the deeper meaning of “isn’t it rich, isn’t it queer, losing my timing this late in my career,” arguably the saddest and most iconic line in the Frank Sinatra classic Send in the Clowns. And to that point, there’s nothing for Biden to be ashamed of, because like him, each of us, if blessed with length of years, will deal with the inevitable decline in our physical bodies, our mental faculties, and our abilities to simply get things done at some point in time. And make no mistake, the Biden

administration got alot done over the past three and a half years, from moving to protect women’s reproductive rights in federal jurisdictions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade; improving America’s aging RooseveltEisenhower era railways, roads, and bridges; student loan debt relief for millions of college and professional school graduates; record breaking billions of dollars in grants to HBCU’s; nominating Ketanji Brown-Jackson to become the ﬁrst Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court; allocating funds to combat climate control and advocating measures to protect marriage

equality, just to name a few! Biden, cognizant that many Americans are struggling with inflation and the high costs of food and goods in this post-pandemic era, also pushed hard for the Inflation Reduction Act, a measure that EACH and EVERY single Republican in Congress voted against in 2022 per the orders of their wealthy corporate cronies who fill their campaign coffers—and the sidelines encouragement from their leader, Citizen Donald Trump!

And while there is so much more to be done, especially with regards to inﬂation, Mr. Biden signaled that the next person to get things done should be Kamala Harris, his loyal Vice President who he fully endorsed yesterday afternoon. In the 12 hours after Biden’s endorsement of Harris, he was followed by venerable South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, both former President and Secretary of State Bill and Hillary Clinton, as well as former Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry—all ﬁrmly on board the Team Harris train! More astonishingly (and pertinently), in the hours after Biden’s endorsement, grassroot supporters raised over $100 million for the Harris campaign—while over 45,000 Black women met via Zoom to

foment “one voice, one fight” while strategizing a pathway to victory over the next 106 days! While there will be ample time to discuss the Harris campaign in the days ahead, I would be remiss if I didn’t note on this day my great admiration for President Biden’s selfless act; I sincerely hope that as he finishes his term, be that in January of 2025 or even earlier if his health concerns make it necessary to resign, that he will go into his retirement recognizing that his career was filled with highlights that proved his mettle and pugnaciousness time and again, while taking solace in the old saying that “Father Time is undefeated”—even against political heavyweights like he has been for over five decades! And I offer the soon to be retired President Biden my sincerest thanks because I know that many millions of Americans and people around the world are better off today due to his career in public service over thousands of yesterdays! Lest we forget... Subscribe to Hobbservation Point Chuck

Unity to decide whether United States will be more divided in roughly 100 days

Demonstrating the leadership and statesmanship America desperately needs right now to preserve the modicum of citizenship African Americans

have experienced for only the last two of sixteen generations since we were absconded from Africa, President Joe Biden’s personal magnanimity

prompted him to offer Donald Trump an olive branch when Trump was nearly assassinated last weekend. Trump’s response was to not discourage his surrogates from blaming Biden for encouraging the assassination attempt. Unfortunately, the botched attempt on Trump’s life has offered a volatile new talking point and powerful fundraising impetus for his campaign. With less than 15 weeks to Election Day, with polls suggesting a dead heat in the presidential race, MAGA continues to gain momentum towards a possible victory in November bolstered by a unified party, unified message, and unified campaign apparatus, including surreptitious judicial rulings by SCOTUS, Federal judges overseeing Trump’s criminal proceedings, and the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. America is witnessing in real time what Heritage Foundation President, Kevin Roberts, describes as a “second American Revolution” that will be bloodless “if the left allows it to be;” a not-sosubtle threat consistent with MAGA’s pledge to “take our country back,” which Democratic voters don’t seem to be taking seriously enough. There seems to be a failure of the most vulnerable in our contemporary political climate to recognize the current liberties enjoyed by the country’s nonwhite population as an outlier within the context of America’s racial history. The decreasing population of people who identify as white in tandem with nonwhite Americans’ increasing population and political clout is seen as an unacceptable peril not only by extremist white elements, but many who publicly identify as progressive but fear losing their privileged cultural status. When the Civil Rights Act was passed 60 years ago this month, the United States population was essentially Black and white. In 1964, whites were 85% of the population and African Americans were 11%. Less than 4% of the population were Latino and Asian. Foreign-born were less than 6% of the total. By comparison, the 2020 U.S. Census reveals that among white Americans only 61.6% self-identify as ‘white alone.’ African Americans total 12.8%, the Hispanic

population is 19.5%, and Asians number 6.1%. According to the American Immigration Council, “13.8 percent of the nation’s [current] residents are foreign-born, more than half of whom are naturalized citizens.”

These drastic changes in the country’s demographics and the corresponding liberalization in public policy intended to accommodate America’s growing multiculturalism, appearing to many whites to be at their expense, has caused an increasingly violent, extremist backlash, vocalized as the desire to Make America Great Again; when white supremacy was the oﬃcial –and legal – social construct.

The final straw for fed up, aggrieved whites, was the realization in January 2009 that “n****rs” would be sleeping in the White House. During Barrack Obama’s inauguration celebration on January 20, 2009, fifteen members of the top Republican leadership cried in their beers at the Caucus Room steakhouse in downtown D.C., pledging to defeat Obama and make him a failed one-term president. Their vindictiveness mirrored the mood of the electorate. In each subsequent presidential election year since 2008, the polarization of the electorate has become clearer. According to a 2011 Gallup Poll “Americans identifying as Democrats or leaning Democratic has fallen from 50% to 43%.” A 2012 Pew Research survey reported that: “Democrats now have a fivepoint lead in party affiliation… (48% to 43%) …down from a 12-point advantage in 2008 (51% to 39%). A 2021 Yale University report “concludes that people switching their

votes from Democrat to Republican better explains the GOP’s success in 2016 than did increased turnout.” In 2020, Pew Research found “49% of all registered voters either identify as Democrats or lean to the party, while 44% identify as Republicans or lean to the GOP. However, despite the current Republican nominee being twice impeached, an adjudicated rapist, convicted 34 times as a felon, being an insurrectionist, and a serial liar, polls have him in a dead heat for president against Joe Biden. The momentum to succeed is in Trump’s favor because the grass roots, the Republican establishment, and very wealthy right wing extremist benefactors are solidly unified, while Democrats are in total disarray and ununified, flirting with the idea of abandoning a very successful, highly experienced standard bearer with only weeks left before the election. The ensuing chaos would guarantee a MAGA win. President Biden has appealed for us to “stand together.” I am making a personal appeal to multicultural “Americans of goodwill,” an ideal I adopted from Barack Obama, to unconditionally unify against the forces who oppose our best interests. Please sign the M.A.G.A. Pledge to encourage an overwhelming outpouring on Unity Day, October 16, 2024 – three weeks before Election Day – to rally the vote for Democracy. The office of my retiring Maryland U.S. Senator, Ben Cardin, has been gracious enough to transmit the M.A.G.A. Pledge on my behalf to President Joe Biden, requesting his support.

President Joe Biden

“We must stand together.” Joe Biden July 14, 2024

iStockphoto / NNPA

Hobb servation Point

Chuck Hobbs

By Regi Taylor

a revolutionary

By W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor

A BALLAD FOR THE DAWN

Reﬂections of a Revolutionary

By Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Nins

What constitutes a revolutionary? I can picture such embodied by Martin Luther King, Jr., Huey Newton, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Marsha P. Johnson, Marcus Garvey. This also includes authors and poets such as James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni, Gil-Scott Heron, Phillis Wheatley, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Joseph Beam, Audre Lorde, and Gwendolyn Brooks. The author of this body of work encompasses and connects revolution with transformation in the community, hence I bring to you Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Nins’ A Ballad for the Dawn: Reﬂections of a Revolutionary.

In a collection that spans over 20 years, Nins shares multi-faceted dimensions of his poetic voice, from growing up in St. Paul’s Rondo community and North Minneapolis to where he is today as a pastor and champion for social justice. According to Nins, when he met with his publisher, “she said that while she respected me as a pastor, she was not at all interested in publishing a book with ‘Fifty Poems About Jesus.’ Then she read the manuscript.” Lesson: never make assumptions. His poems cover

the issues of pain and loss, especially the loss of children; his discovery of his unique voice; his struggle with writing love poems; our enemies from within our community; his growth at Virginia Union University, where the themes “good news and a room” play out in his life; relationships; transformation; and his signature poem of social commentary on the community, “A Ballad for the Dawn.”

In his poem “The Get Down,” Nins stated that “poets have always stood in the forefront of a revolution.”

Indeed, there are poems in his collection that can make a reader uncomfortable, as they should; that makes their message no less true. Others can serve as a call to action. Others serve to remind us of where we were and where we are as a community. Others

remind us that we are rooted in faith. And still others inspire us by a transformative power that happens one day at a time, one person at a time, “hope paired with the human spirit.”

I acknowledge Rev. Nins for a collection that invites readers to let his words marinate in the spirit, which he ends with a blessing. I give a hat tip for the cover design to his daughter Aisha and Ms. Varnette Heywood, and I send many blessings to his family. I heartily agree with the way he supports other artists!

A Ballad for the Dawn is available through Amazon and the Minnesota Black Authors Expo website (www.mnblackauthorsexpo. com).

Thank you, Rev. Dr. Nins, for redeﬁning what it means to be revolutionary!

Insight 2 Health

MDH-National Kidney Foundation summit addresses chronic kidney disease

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) joined the National Kidney Foundation at a summit focused on reducing chronic kidney disease disparities in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Ending Disparities in Chronic Kidney Disease Leadership Summit was a virtual meeting on Wednesday, July 24. As part of the summit, the National Kidney Foundation will released a roadmap for addressing kidney disease that included recommendations to improve the early testing, diagnosis, and management of chronic kidney disease in primary care settings across the state.

“This roadmap is vital to improving the health

By Jessica D. Ayers Assistant Professor of Psychological Science, Boise State University

As a species, humans like to think that we are fully in control of our decisions and behavior. But just below the surface, forces beyond our conscious control inﬂuence how we think and behave: our genes.

Since the 1950s, scientists have been studying the inﬂuences genes have on human health. This has led medical professionals, researchers and policymakers to advocate for the use of precision medicine to personalize diagnosis and treatment of diseases, leading to quicker improvements to patient well-being.

But the inﬂuence of genes on psychology has been overlooked.

My research addresses how genes influence human psychology and behavior. Here are some specific ways psychologists can use genetic conflict theory to better understand human behavior – and potentially advance the treatment of psychological issues.

What do genes have to do with it?

Genetic conflict theory proposes that though our genes blend together to make us who we are, they retain markers indicating whether they came from mom or dad. These markers cause the genes to either cooperate or fight with one another as we grow and develop. Research in genetic conflict primarily focuses on pregnancy, since this is one of the few times in human development when the influence of different

of Minnesotans,” said Ann Zukoski, director of the Center for Health Promotion at MDH and co-chair of the summit.

“We know chronic kidney disease aﬀects some Minnesota communities more than others due to structural and social inequities. This summit is a great opportunity to bring together partners to discuss improving care as well as creating community-led solutions that will help to reduce longstanding health disparities.”

Chronic kidney disease is a gradual loss of kidney function. In the early stages, there may be very few or no symptoms, which is why so few people are diagnosed before the condition becomes more

sets of genes can be clearly observed in one individual.

Typically, maternal and paternal genes have different ideal strategies for growth and development. While genes from mom and dad ultimately find ways to cooperate with one another that result in normal growth and development, these genes benefit by nudging fetal development to be slightly more in line with what’s optimal for the parent they come from. Genes from mom try to keep mom healthy and with enough resources left for another pregnancy, while genes from dad benefit from the fetus taking all of mom’s resources for itself.

When genes are not able to compromise, however, this can result in undesirable outcomes such as physical and mental deﬁcits for the baby or even miscarriage.

While genetic conﬂict is a normal occurrence, its inﬂuence has largely been overlooked in psychology. One reason is because researchers assume that genetic cooperation is necessary for the health and well-being of the individual. Another reason is because most human traits are controlled by many genes. For example, height is determined by a combination of 10,000 genetic variants, and skin color is determined by more than 150 genes.

The complex nature of psychology and behavior makes it hard to pinpoint the unique influence of a single gene, let alone which parent it came from. Take, for example, depression. Not only is the likelihood of developing depression influenced by 200 different genes, it is also affected by environmental inputs such as childhood maltreatment and stressful life events.

Researchers have also studied similar complex interactions for stress- and anxiety-related disorders.

Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes

When researchers study genetic conflict, they have typically focused on its link to disease, unintentionally documenting the influence of genetic conflict on psychology.

Specifically, researchers have studied how extreme instances of genetic conﬂict – such as when the inﬂuence of one set of parental genes is fully expressed while the other set is completely silenced –are associated with changes in behavior by studying people who have Prader-Willi syndrome and Angelman syndrome.

Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes are rare genetic disorders aﬀecting about 1 in 10,000 to 30,000 and 1 in 12,000 to 20,000 people around the world, respectfully. There is currently no long-term treatment available for either condition.

These syndromes develop in patients missing one copy of a gene on chromosome 15 that is needed for balanced growth and development. Someone who inherits only the version of the gene from their dad will develop Angelman syndrome, while someone who has only the version of the gene from their mom will develop Prader-Willi syndrome.

Physical hallmarks of Angelman syndrome include major developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, trouble moving, trouble eating and excessive smiling. Physical hallmarks of Prader-Willi syndrome include diminished muscle tone, feeding diﬃculties, hormone deﬁciencies,

short stature and extreme overeating in childhood. These syndromes represent one of the few instances where the inﬂuence of a single missing gene can be clearly observed. While both Angelman and Prader-Willi syndromes are associated with language, cognitive, eating and sleeping issues, they are also associated with clear diﬀerences in psychology and behavior.

For example, children with Angelman syndrome smile, laugh and generally want to engage in social interactions. These behaviors are associated with an increased ability to gain resources and investment from those around them. Children with PraderWilli syndrome, on the other hand, experience tantrums, anxiety and have diﬃculties in social situations. These behaviors are associated with increased hardships on mothers early in the individual’s life, potentially delaying when their mother will have another child. This would therefore increase the child’s access to resources such as food and parental attention.

Genetic conﬂict in psychology and behavior

Angelman syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome highlight the importance of investigating genetic conflict’s influence on psychology and behavior. Researchers have documented differences in temperament, sociability, mental health and attachment in these disorders. The differences in the psychological processes between these syndromes are similar to the proposed effects of genetic conflict.

Genetic conﬂict inﬂuences

do not know they have it.

Associated with Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic conditions, chronic kidney disease also puts people at higher risk for heart disease, stroke, and death. While anyone with diabetes or hypertension is at risk for developing kidney disease, Black, Latino, and American Indian communities are disproportionately impacted.

“The suffering from those with chronic kidney disease is often emphasized by the profound disparities existing in those at risk or impacted,” said Penny Wheeler, University of Minnesota regent and past CEO of Allina Health and summit co-chair. “I am proud to be part of this effort to close the gap for many who have previously been left behind.” Recommendations for change outlined in the roadmap were made by health care providers, public health leaders, quality improvement and community members from across Minnesota. During the summit, participants will discuss how they can work together to implement these recommendations. This effort is one piece of MDH’s implementation of Minnesota’s Action Plan to Address Cardiovascular Disease, Stroke and Diabetes 2035 (MN 2035 Plan) that was released in September 2023.

attachment by determining the responsiveness and sensitivity of the parent-child relationship through differences in behavior and resource needs. This relationship begins forming while the child is still in utero and helps calibrate how reactive they will be to different social situations. While this calibration of responses starts at a purely biological level in the womb, it results in unique patterns of social beahaviors that influence everything from how we handle stress to our personalities.

Since most scientists don’t consider the influence of genetic conflict on human behavior, much of this research is still theoretical. Researchers have had to find similarities across disciplines to see how the biological process of genetic conflict influences psychological processes. Research on Angelman and Prader-Willi syndromes is only one example of how integrating a genetic conflict framework into psychological research can provide researchers an avenue to study how our biology makes us uniquely human.

Jessica D. Ayers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would beneﬁt from this article, and has disclosed no relevant aﬃliations beyond their academic appointment. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

adults have chronic kidney disease and nearly all (90%)

Sports

Paris Olympics promote sustainability for good reason: Climate change is putting athletes and their sports at risk

By Brian P. McCullough Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Michigan

Europe is in the midst of a heat wave, and while Olympic athletes in Paris for the 2024 Summer Games might be spared the worst of it, the weather will still be hot.

As global temperatures have risen, major sporting events like the Olympics and FIFA World Cup have had to adapt to high heat and extreme storms to keep athletes and fans safe and allow the games to go on.

Olympic organizers have moved events such as marathons to early mornings and even to cooler cities. FIFA, the governing body for world soccer, pushed the 2022 Men’s World Cup back from its usual time in June to late November so it could be held in Qatar.

The heat risks and the environmental impact of major sporting events have led some people to question whether these events should be held at all. But as someone who studies sport management and sustainability in an area I coined “sport ecology,” I believe that radical approach misses the beneﬁts, including the Olympics’ ability to promote sustainable actions to the public worldwide.

How rising global heat aﬀects the Olympics

Sports have good reason for caring about sustainability: Climate change can put athletes’ and fans’ health at risk and even put the

future of some sports in doubt.

Winter sports face the greatest threats from climate change as temperatures rise and precipitation changes, dramatically shortening winter sports seasons in many areas.

In 2022, the Beijing Winter Games had to artiﬁcially create snow so it could have ski runs at all. The International Olympic Committee has delayed its decision to select Winter Games host cities for 2030 and beyond because of the uncertainty of winter sports.

In the summer, global warming fuels extreme heat and storms that can aﬀect the quality of the competition and the health of the athletes and spectators.

Major sport federations and leagues, as well as the Olympics, have responded to the risks by delaying competitions to cooler times of day or year, implementing water breaks and oﬀering more player substitutions.

Organizers of the Tokyo Summer Games, held amid a ﬁerce heat wave in 2021, had preemptively moved the marathon to Sapporo, more than 500 miles north of Tokyo, so athletes could run in cooler weather. They also delayed competitions during the Games to avoid extreme heat and excessive rain.

Olympic progress toward sustainability

Any large event like the Olympics can produce vast carbon emissions through its construction, transportation needs and energy use.

That impact, and the risks it creates for sports and their athletes, are why sustainability

has been a pillar of the Olympic charter since 1996 and is a focus of its planning for the future. In 2012, the London Olympics pioneered a new international certiﬁcation standard, ISO2012, which provides guidelines for any large event to make more sustainable choices, from construction to catering.

The 2024 Paris Games, from July 26 to Aug. 11, and Paralympic Games, Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, are certiﬁed to the latest standard, and organizers are taking many steps to reduce their climate impact.

The organizers plan to power the events’ operations with 100% renewable energy from wind and solar. They are using existing venues when possible, had new ones built with low-carbon concrete and recycled materials, and brought in thousands of seats made of recycled plastic.

All furniture and temporary buildings approved for the Games also must have a contractually guaranteed second life, rather than going into a landﬁll. All of the competition venues are on public transportation, allowing for fewer vehicles in the streets. Even the food is targeted for a 50% emissions cut compared with the average meal by increasing the use of plantbased foods. The Paralympics will use the same venues and housing in the weeks that follow. That doesn’t mean the 2024 Olympics won’t have a large carbon footprint, however, particularly as many spectators and athletes arrive by plane. But the organizers are aiming for the construction and operations

emissions to be half those of the London and Rio Games in 2012 and 2016.

World’s fair of sustainability

The Paris Olympic Games is an example of what large sporting events can do to reduce their impact on the environment and promote sustainability solutions to a global audience. Spectators will experience sustainability firsthand, and organizers will promote the Games’ sustainability efforts. Such campaigns can influence people’s everyday behaviors and even increase their advocacy for sustainability in their home communities.

Suggestions to reduce the scale and size of sports events or even eliminate commercialized sports, ending spectator sports as we know them, overlook the ability of sports to inﬂuence and change human behavior.

Sustainability is a constantly evolving process of learning from the past to improve for the future. The 2024 Olympics’ strategies, building on those used in previous events, and what Paris learns in carrying them out, will also help in planning for future events, including the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

In essence, the Olympic Games, the largest sporting event in the world, is a sport sustainability world’s fair. It highlights what is possible for a sporting event through collaborations with international corporations to reduce its environmental impact. And it inﬂuences others to follow suit, whether that is other sporting events, leagues and federations or spectators from around the world.

Brian P. McCullough received funding from the Olympic Studies Center in 2018. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.