By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher, San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper
It appears that the leadership of MSNBC has taken the Trump Kool Aide resulting in its move to either purge and or realign people of color as it separates from NBC. The firing of Joy Reid and Katie Phang while consolidating three of the remaining Black hosts into a panel presentation in the time slot of Joy Reid and the addition of an hour, apparently are supposed to soften the blow as to what is really taking place. So if one stops watching the time slot that Joy Reid was in, then you help MSNBC move toward eliminating the three Blacks on the panel filling Joy’s time slot.
Perhaps, the most important thing we can do for Joy Reid is to help her get a Podcast going just as Don Lemon did and encourage sponsorship support so that those we spend money with will want to spend money with such a program for Joy. We can not afford to waste time arguing with these racist elements of a racist system. We must instead use our money, time, and talents to finance alternatives that serve both our collective and those who share our views and circumstances.
But notice how the new independent MSNBC is handling people of color: Katie Phang and Alex Wagner demoted to network contributors, Jose Diaz is fired while a Latina woman is moved to prime time. Sounds familiar. Sounds like what just happened to the Joy Reid program and its replacement with the three-person panel of color. It’s interesting that Joy was making three million a year compared to Rachel’s reduced salary of $25 million for the next five years. Clearly, Rachel could afford to speak out and her doing so in support of her friend and colleague, Joy Reid, is appreciated.
Perhaps someone should suggest that Joy Reid bring her business and followers to the Black Press which already airs a daily radio program with tremendous potential if the right people talk with each other. Let us not forget that the Black press is still one of the most “Trusted Messengers” in this country, and one of the oldest, lest we forget we are celebrating 198 years of service. With this Administration in the White House and its Agents of Destruction on the loose, this is truly the time to circle our wagons of information and options starting with the “SBC” (selective buying campaign) aimed at withholding our dollars from those corporations that are canceling DEI and other elements of fairness and equality based on ability and not color.
We have seen nations engage in efforts to remove whole groups of people based on religion or ethnicity. We have called such efforts by others “Ethnic Cleansing”. Now we see the beginning of targeting people in this great nation for removing not only from this country with deportations but also from positions of visibility and authority such as the firing of the Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, apparently just because of his color. Yes, the firing at MSNBC clearly comes from the same cup the Administration is serving in its campaign against DEI and Affirmative Action. Just like the Trump Administration’s agenda, it looks like “Ethnic Cleansing”.
