“Joe Biden has touted his record supporting the African American community. But young Black voters want to see more from Biden.” Totally understandable if you look at the cold hard facts and statistics. Since the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns across the country triggered a huge recession, fewer than half of all Black Americans had a job in April and May. Black Americans, are also severely underrepresented at the top of the corporate hierarchy. Only four 500 companies have a black CEO. These are harsh numbers without even mentioning the disproportionate prison and police brutality statistics. The question is, what is Biden’s plan besides talking about Obama?

Congressman and hero John Lewis one of the “Big Six” leaders of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s who continued to serve the public since being elected to the House of Representatives in 1986 passed away at age 80. By the time he was 23 he had been arrested more than 10 times for his human rights activism and fight for racial justice. This is a beautiful eulogy by Ibram X. Kendi Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research.

On the one hand something revolutionary has happened. In Jackson County Michigan, commissioners passed a historic vote to eliminate racism. But only because the vote to call racism a public health crisis was declined. “I don’t like the feeling that I get from this that all white people are bad,” was one of the main reasons. White fragility remains a decisive political factor when it comes to structural change.

Why is Trump going so hard on Portland? Part of the answer lays in the fact that Portland is a ‘whiter’ city so it’s easier for the administration to demonize ‘Antifa’ and push the agenda that ‘anarchist looters’ are wrecking havoc on the city without using the words like ‘race’ and Black’. That way the brutal pushback by the federal troops seems less racist.

For more analyses listen to this episode of the podcast ‘The Political Gabfest’ with one of my favorite NYT political columnists Jamelle Bouie.

Republican Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.’s of Maryland used the euphemism “a more traditional November election” to cover up his intention to practically make it impossible for senior citizens to vote. By denying voting by mail, not allowing people to vote for them by mandate and closing a number of polling centers, he’s making it clear what his intentions are. It’s hard for us as Europeans to phantom that this is happening and is perfectly legal….

Solidarity is key and it’s crucial that white people to join the BLM protests power by numbers dictates that. The Black population in the USA is about 13% sooooooo. But is ‘white centered performance art’ seriously the way to go to make a crucial point for human rights? Artistic naked yoga Becky believes it is…

Behold the the politics of the workplace. A joke here, an off the cuff remark there, the consequent mispronunciation of a ‘difficult’ name. These are well known and documented microaggressions. But what can you do if all these seemingly small instances together fill up a big bowl of steaming racism? Keeping track of who said what can be useful for legal action and for your own peace of mind. It is not you, it is racism.

There’s a lot going on with Kanye West right now. A lot of it is not good. It’s very sad to see such any person caught in the grips of mental illness. All the money and fame in the world does not buy health and happiness. I really hope that the people around him have his best interest at heart and that he gets the help he needs. Mental health is still a big stigma within the Black community. Racism should federally be declared a metal and a physical health crisis.

This is the song featuring the Kanye I prefer to remember… The picture is of Estelle and John Legend, co- author of this great American song.