More progress, please

2022 was a year of progress.

President Biden nominated the U.S. Supreme Court’s first Black female justice, who is now one of nine on the nation’s highest court.

Maryland elected its first Black governor.

And landmark legislation became law, including the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act that made lynching a federal hate crime and the Respect for Marriage Act that extended federal protections for interracial marriage.

Continued progress would be lovely this year.

Our community wants the government to do more to confront white supremacy.

A poll found 43 percent of Black voters want President Biden to declare attacks like the one in Buffalo, N.Y., last year in which a gunman targeted Black shoppers a natural security threat, while 33 percent want white supremacy labeled a national security threat.

The issue is significant because, according to the FBI, members of our community are more likely to be victims of hate crimes. The Pew Research Center reported last year that one-third of Black adults worry almost every day that they might be threatened or attacked because of their race.

An NAACP survey found 44 percent of respondents believed racism and discrimination to be the most important issues facing the Black community today, resulting in fewer job opportunities, more economic insecurity, less adequate health care and efforts to suppress voting.

Voting rights also remains a major concern for Black voters, though fortunately less in Virginia where the ability to cast ballots remains easier than in many other states.

Still, federal laws, like the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act that would restore protections and expand access to the ballot box, remain stalled due to Republican opposition.

More than two years after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn., led to nationwide calls for police reform, there’s been little progress on enacting federal police reform. In Richmond, the creation of a citizen oversight panel also seems to be moving at a snail’s pace.

Democrats in Congress have argued that GOP legislation did not go far enough, while Republicans say Democrats want to go too far.

It’s another significant issue within our community, with 72 percent of Black Americans supporting major changes to police forces, according to a Gallup poll.

President Biden has been on top of another major issue, providing debt relief on college loans.

On average, Black graduates, whose families generally have far less wealth, graduate with $52,726 in debt, compared to their white counterparts who on average with $28,000 in debt, according to the White House, graduate with the disparity in debt increasing when it comes to graduate degrees.

But the president’s plan to forgive $20,000 in student debt has been challenged and is now before the Supreme Court, with a decision expected by June.

These are just some of the issues that our community would like to see progress on in the coming weeks and months. Are you listening elected officials?

Full-time lawmakers?

Is it time for Virginia to drop the pretense that a part-time legislature can keep up with the pace of change?

For the sixth consecutive year, the 2023 session ended with budget work still unfinished.

The Old Dominion is the 12th most populous state and ranks in the top 15 for the size of its economy.

Yet, the legislature still presumes that it can fully conduct business in 46 to 60 days.

Some consider that ridiculous. Perhaps it is time for constituents to consider whether our interests would be better served by representatives who do not have other jobs and can spend all of their time focusing on the issues, and receive an appropriate salary.

Since 1972, when the current state constitution went into effect, the population has doubled and the number of people each delegate and senator must serve has increased dramatically.

Our representatives need sufficient time to consider issues and all of their implications.

Maybe it’s time to take a hard look at the legislature as it is now constituted and consider whether an overhaul is in order.

Florida is latest battleground for war on

It’s been a few weeks since a mess started boiling over in Florida with the rollout of the new AP African-American Studies course, and no one involved is looking good: not the state Department of Education, not the College Board, and definitely not Gov. Ron DeSantis, who blasted the course publicly and pressured the College Board to water it down.

Now Gov. DeSantis, pumped up by what he thinks is his victory over educators, is making noise about going after all AP courses in the state.

It’s sad and infuriating to see the adults behaving like bullies and cowards, pointing fingers and trading accusations, while the ones being hurt are kids. Not just Black kids, who have waited years for a college-level course like this, but all kids – who

War is inhumane! War is madness! In a world of rational thinkers, war should be unnecessary! Historically, war has been the exercise of national power, authority and autonomy in the circumstance of irreconcilable difference — or the reaction to it. As with many other past conflicts, the world’s current war is the result of an irreconcilable difference conceived in the mind of an ego-stricken madman — “Fighting to be Heard” Vladimir Putin.

Had events progressed according to the machinations of his malignant mind, on this day, one year after an unnecessary invasion, Ukraine would be under the singular control of Dictator Putin. I applaud the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people and their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in their destruction of his dystopian plans. Some might suggest that a published opinion on such a “world matter” takes me “out of my lane,” but, in my spirit and evolution of mind, I am a kindred spirit with anyone or any group opposing oppression.

In every conflict, we are presented the opportunity to witness individual acts of courage. In what some would consider a surprise, President Zelenskyy, a former comedian and actor, has risen to the challenge of serving as an effective wartime will be deprived of a chance to learn foundational concepts in modern Black history if these adults have their way.

The new course omits many contemporary Black thinkers and writers. The core program doesn’t cover essential issues like structural marginalization, intersectionality, mass incar- ceration, reparations or the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s impossible to say students are well-versed in African-American studies if these topics are considered optional. It’s even more absurd to say these students have attained college-level mastery of the subject, which is what AP credit is all about.

And what gets erased next? Do we teach kids about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and not Malcolm X? Do we sideline Jesse Jackson? How about erasing Ruby Bridges, the little girl who was the first to integrate president. Initially presumed to be weak and feckless, President Zelenskyy has demonstrated a measure of tenacity, moral and physical courage unequaled in many years. Others like members of the press, Richard Engel and MSNBC’S Ali Velshi have to be named heroes for their bravery in bringing us the news from Ukraine. In our list of heroes, we must give praise to Chef Jose Andres and his organization that works in/near battle zones to nourish hungry Ukrainians. We must also thank Poland and other regional nations for providing material support and a haven for displaced Ukrainians. Our thanks extend to NATO for standing in the breach against further illegal incursions.

In contrast, following the lead of Donald Trump, many Republicans are calling for a desertion of efforts to support Ukraine’s righteous effort for sovereignty. Whether this betrayal of morality is motivated by the opportunity for personal enrichment or a full-blown acceptance of autocracy, it suggests nothing good. I am reminded that when we rose to fight racism and corruption, we were labeled communists! Is it not now appropriate to, likewise, label the MAGA crowd as communists who support the enemy of a democratic Ukraine?

Despite Vladimir Putin’s monumental miscalculation, the estimated loss of 8,000 to 10,000 Russian soldiers per day, a disrupted economy, and the loss of stature on the world stage, Russia continues to exercise “state terrorism.”

New Orleans schools?

Ridiculous? Not at all: The far-right group Moms for Liberty really did try to ban a book about Ruby from classrooms, claiming it was too upsetting for kids to read about the white mob that harassed 6-year-old Ruby on her way to school.

College Board officials insist that Ron DeSantis’ pressure did not force them to make the changes in the AP AfricanAmerican Studies course, and I will give them credit for publicly pointing out the ignorance and political motivations on display at the Florida Department of Education. Regardless, the Board played right into DeSantis’s hands.

And its decision to remove important material from the core portion of the course had the same effect in the end: kids don’t get exposed to it and their freedom to learn is shortchanged. All of us should demand that the College Board revise the curriculum to more accurately reflect the contemporary Black experience.

But babies continue to be born. The spirit of resistance and resilience still flourishes. President Zelenskyy still serves as a beacon of courage and perseverance. Unlike truly feckless leaders, President Zelenskyy has stayed with his people. Under the threat of personal harm, he did not flee his country, as other leaders have done when believing their lives to be in danger. He has given his people reason to believe their often-quoted optimism of a victorious and free Ukraine.

Lastly, I take great personal pride in the courage demonstrated by President Biden. In the face of controversy and criticism, he has been steadfast in his support of Ukraine and his efforts in holding together the international coalition of support for Ukraine. I am even more impressed with his courage and fortitude in making the dangerous 20-hour round-trip by train to Kyiv to demonstrate his resolve to the Ukrainian people and supporters of their war effort.

Let us pray for peace in the world. Let us pray for reason to prevail. In the face of mass devastation, let us pray for healing. And we must pray for the Russian people who must endure this maniac who calls himself their president.

The writer is president of The Dick Gregory Society.

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And at the same time, we should set our sights on removing politicians like Gov. DeSantis. Because he is hell-bent on building his right-wing political brand, today’s battlefield in the Far Right’s war on education is Florida; but it won’t stop there. It will be fought in Virginia, and Texas, and states across the country. Ambitious politicians like Gov. DeSantis in Florida and Gov. Glenn Youngkin in Virginia smell opportunity in this environment. It’s up to us to use the power vested in us by our representative democracy to stop them.

Svante Myrick is president of People For the American Way.

Sellars

Regina H. Boone reginaboone@richmondfreepress.com James Haskins, Rudolph Powell and Clinton A. Strane Vice President – Administration Tracey L. Oliver traceyoliver@richmondfreepress.com