By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
The Essence Festival of Culture, a highly anticipated event that showcased individuals like Vice President Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey, and Megan Thee Stallion, received backlash over a lawsuit it filed against a Black-owned bookstore.
Essence Fest lodged legal action against Baldwin & Co. bookstore, accusing the owner and promoter, Tamika Newhouse, of unauthorized use of the Essence Fest brand name to promote a separate event that aimed to uplift prominent Black authors and celebrities.
The move by Essence Fest sparked outrage and quickly made its way to national headlines and social media discussions.
Following the backlash, Essence withdrew a cease-and-desist order against Baldwin & Co., with the hopes of ending a potentially ugly court battle.
However, according to Axios, the festival’s organizers are still pursuing the lawsuit against Tamika Newhouse and two additional defendants, Delphine Legacy Media Co. and Lit Diaries LLC, alleging that they tried to capitalize on the prestigious Essence brand name.
Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump and Louisiana Politician Gary Chambers were among those who criticized the festival for its lawsuit.
Chambers expressed his disappointment on Twitter, highlighting the negative impact on Black-owned businesses and events.
He emphasized the need to celebrate Black culture without causing harm to the very businesses that embody it.
The repercussions were immediate for Dernell “DJ” Johnson, the owner of Baldwin & Co. bookstore.
After receiving the cease-and-desist letter, Johnson was forced to cancel the events he had planned to showcase Black authors on June 30, 2023.
While relieved with the lawsuit’s dismissal, Johnson and Baldwin & Co. remain steadfast in pursuing changes to the city’s adoption of the controversial “clean zone” ordinance, as stated by Baldwin’s attorney in an interview with WWL-TV.
The bookstore owner is determined to clear his name of any insinuation that he exploited the Essence Fest brand for personal gain.
“We firmly believe that the decision of Essence to include Baldwin & Co. in this lawsuit should never have happened and we consider this dismissal a victory for the entire community of New Orleans,” Johnson stated.
“Our commitment to inspiring growth in individuals and communities through the power of reading remains steadfast. We will continue to host some of the best author events in the country, foster intellectual engagement and encourage a love for literature.”
Johnson added that, in addition to celebrating this victory, “we want to reaffirm our commitment to fighting against the unconstitutional ‘Clean Zone Ordinance’ that suppresses local businesses in favor of big corporations.”
“In an era where book banning has become a disturbing trend, Baldwin & Co. will continue to fight on behalf of all small businesses to protect our constitutional rights,” Johnson continued.
“We will always stand firm against efforts by city government and large corporations to infringe upon our fundamental rights of free speech, expression and association, and those which cause harm to hardworking local business owners of New Orleans.”
Johnson expressed gratitude to prominent figures who stood by his side during these challenging times, including District Attorney Jason Williams, who visited Baldwin & Co. to show their love, support, and encouragement, Crump, and Chambers.
“The festival’s initial intention to celebrate Black culture should align with supporting the Black businesses and events that contribute to its vibrancy,” Chambers stated.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
In what’s fast becoming a trend for the entertainment industry, three prominent studios and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have recently bid farewell to their top diversity executives.
The departures have sparked a growing perception that the industry may be placing the vital principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) on the back burner.
The push for diversity, which gained significant momentum following the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, now appears to have lost most of its steam after just three years.
The events has raised questions about the true intentions behind these diversity-focused roles.
Actress Yvette Nicole Brown, known for her role in “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” expressed her disappointment on Twitter, suggesting that the symbolic black squares posted on social media after the tragic murder of George Floyd in 2020 may have been empty gestures.
“I guess all those black boxes after George Floyd was murdered were for nothing,” she stated.
The exodus of diversity executives include the departure of Disney’s chief diversity officer and senior vice president, Latondra Newton.
A veteran of six years at the company, Newton left on June 20 to pursue “other endeavors.”
Her exit reportedly was celebrated by a faction of individuals who criticized her for her involvement in the casting of Black actress and singer Halle Bailey as the lead in “The Little Mermaid.”
Netflix’s head of inclusion strategy, Vernā Myers, was the next to announce her departure, set for September.
Myers, who had held the position for five years, pioneered the role at Netflix.
While stepping down, she said she would continue to advise the streaming giant while directing her attention to her consulting company, The Vernā Myers Company.
Additionally, Discovery removed Karen Horne from her position as SVP of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The departure of Horne, who joined the company in March 2020, coincided with the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Affirmative Action in education.
Simultaneously, the Academy bid farewell to Jeanell English, its EVP of Impact and Inclusion.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer created English’s role in July 2022.
With those departures, concern has grown regarding the long-term commitment of major studios and industry organizations to prioritize DEI initiatives.
“While the real reasons behind these departures may vary, the entertainment industry must reaffirm its dedication to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion to ensure lasting progress and representation on and off the screen,” said Jan Krukow, a District of Columbia-based advertising executive.
The California Assembly ushered in new leadership last week with the swearing in of Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) at the State Capitol in Sacramento on June 30.
Rivas replaces Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), the outgoing Speaker who presided over the Assembly for the last seven years.
Before he took the oath of office, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) listens to his colleagues provide words of encouragement and support. June 30, 2023. CBM photo by Robert Maryland.
Rivas is the 71st Speaker of the state legislature’s lower house. Known for being a pragmatic coalition builder, Rivas’ rise to power has been steady, colleagues say, since he was first elected to the State Assembly in 2018.
After being sworn in, Rivas informed the 79 other members of the Assembly that his leadership, which he says will benefit everyone, will be characterized by “urgency and unity” as his top priorities.
“California is still the greatest state in the union. But if we in this room do not act and do not act with greater urgency, it will get more and more difficult to build a good life here,” Rivas said. “I feel, and I know that you all do, too, a great sense of responsibility because we are the ones who can keep the door open for the next generation.”
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-11), U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18), Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass were among politicians, state officials, family members, members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and others were present to witness 43-year-old Rivas take his oath of office.
Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City) said the day celebrates “the new season of leadership under the Honorable Robert Rivas” and all members of the Assembly hearts’ “should be filled with joy” about a man who came from humble beginnings.
“On behalf of the Black caucus, congratulations on your success,” Wilson, the chairperson of the CLBC said to Rivas. “We look forward to working with you on monumental legislation to ensure equity for all and continue dismantling systematic discrimination and racism.”
Civil rights icon and labor rights advocate Dolores Huerta, Rivas’ mother Mayra Flores, his grandmother and about 30 farmworkers from his district were “scattered throughout the chamber” to see the swearing in ceremony along with his wife Christen and their daughter Melina, Rivas said.
The three African American state Constitutional officers Controller Malia Cohen, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and Secretary of State Shirley Weber also attended the proceedings on the Assembly floor.
“California is still the greatest state in the union. But if we in this room do not act and do
Assemblymember Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa) thanks Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’ wife, Christen, for being patient with him while he represents his community in the Assembly. June 30, 2023. CBM photo by Robert Maryland.
not act with greater urgency, it will get more and more difficult to build a good life here,” Rivas told the audience. “I feel, and I know that you all do, too, have a great sense of responsibility because we are the ones who can keep the door open for the next generation.”
Raised in Paicines, a small town in San Benito County with a population of under 700 people, Rivas says he watched his grandfather as a child stand side by side with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers (UFW) as a leader in the movement that won equal rights and fair contracts for farmworkers.
Rivas attended local public schools in San Juan Bautista and Hollister. During his inaugural speech, he mentioned that along with his mother and brother, he once shared a house of “three beds” with five other family members, including his cousins.
In 1988, Rivas’s grandparents, aunts and uncles pooled together money to purchase a small house for $140,000 in the city of Hollister, a community established by ranchers and farmers in 1872.
“It was a massive investment, but it was doable,” Rivas remembered his family’s ambition to own a home of their own. “It gave us a sense that our future was not so precarious and that there was a place for us in in the greatest state in country in California.”
Rivas graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government from California State University Sacramento and later earned a master’s degree in public administration from San Jose State University.
A lifelong resident of the 29th Assembly district, Rivas served two terms on the San Benito County Board of Supervisors prior to becoming an Assemblymember in 2018.
During his first term in the Fall of 2020, Rivas was appointed as the Chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and elected as Vice-Chair of the influential Latino Legislative Caucus.
Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson CLBC, chair (D-Suisun City) told the Assembly that Robert Rivas’ swearing in ceremony was a day of joy. June 30, 2023, CBM photo by Robert Maryland.
Rivas’ priorities are directed at tackling California’s housing and homelessness crisis, battling climate change, and enhancing public services and infrastructure.
“I am excited for the future of this body and even more excited for the future of this great state with Robert as our speaker,” said Assemblymember Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa), who is also a member of the CLBC. “So, congratulations to our speaker designate and my good friend Robert Rivas.”
W. E. B. Du Bois (February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was a scholar, public intellectual, author, orator, and activist who used his powerful voice and influence to illuminate issues of race, racism, and Black consciousness. He is also one of Harvard’s best-known graduates. Co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and editor of its magazine, the Crisis, Du Bois authored dozens of books examining the Black experience in the United States, including his seminal collection of sociological essays, Souls of Black Folk.
Du Bois taught at Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University), was active in the Pan-Africanism movement, and used various platforms to challenge Jim Crow segregation and racial oppression. He also engaged in fierce debates with prominent contemporaries like Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington on the best way to achieve racial equity and empowerment.
Du Bois (seated left) earned an undergraduate degree in 1888 at the historically black Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Harvard, unwilling to accept his Fisk credential, required Du Bois to complete a second bachelor’s degree. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers, Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center, UMass Amherst Libraries
An Extraordinary Experience
W. E. B. Du Bois, a towering American intellectual and a tireless advocate for Black equality, was the first African American to earn a PhD at Harvard University. He went on to cofound the Niagara Movement—forerunner of the NAACP—and teach at Atlanta University (the HBCU today known as Clark Atlanta University). HUD 290.04PF, olvwork408054, Harvard University Archives
Born three years after the end of the Civil War, Du Bois grew up in predominately white Great Barrington, Massachusetts, a small, rural town with an even smaller Black population. His childhood in Great Barrington was a central influence in his life, as was his mother, Mary, who cultivated a young Du Bois’s understanding of what it meant to be Black in America.
After completing his PhD, Du Bois went on to cofound the NAACP, where he would edit the magazine ‘The Crisis’ for over 20 years. He also taught at the historically black Atlanta University (today, Clark Atlanta University) for almost 25 years. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers, Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center, UMass Amherst Libraries
In 1885, Du Bois left home for Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. In Nashville, for the first time in his life, Du Bois felt the embrace of a large Black community. He also witnessed firsthand a level of overt racism he had not encountered before.
After completing his PhD, Du Bois went on to cofound the NAACP, where he would edit the magazine The Crisis for over 20 years. He also taught at the historically black Atlanta University (today, Clark Atlanta University) for almost 25 years. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers, Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center, UMass Amherst Libraries
“It was to me an extraordinary experience. I was thrilled to be for the first time among so many people of my own color or rather of such various and such extraordinary colors, which I had not seen before, but who seemed close bound to me by new and exciting ties,” he recalled decades later in a convocation address at Atlanta University. “The three years here were years of growth, strength and expanding ambition. I learned new things about the world. I came in contact for the first time with a sort of violence that I had never realized in New England.”
Upon graduation from Fisk and with financial assistance from his family and supporters as well as Harvard, Du Bois headed to Cambridge in 1888 with the goal of earning a PhD in philosophy.
In a graduate school paper titled “Harvard and the South,” Du Bois noted that the “Northern student of Southern affairs . . . wavers between calling the whites rascals, or the Negroes idiots.” Challenging his classmates’ stereotypes, he argued: “With as little personal bias as could be expected under the circumstances, I respectfully submit that he need do neither.” W. E. B. Du Bois Papers, Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center, UMass Amherst Libraries
In But Not Of
At Harvard, Du Bois was thrilled to have access to professors renowned in their fields, and to the University’s impressive facilities. But Du Bois, forced to enter Harvard as a College junior and complete a second bachelor’s degree before continuing on to graduate studies, had no illusions about how he would be received on campus. In “A Negro Student at Harvard at the End of the 19th Century,” he wrote:
“To make my own attitude toward the Harvard of that day clear, it must be remembered that I went to Harvard as a Negro, not simply by birth, but recognizing myself as a member of a segregated caste whose situation I accepted. But I was determined to work from within that caste to find my way out.” He famously reflected that he was “in Harvard but not of it.”
Unable to afford to live on campus, Du Bois sought private lodging and found a room that suited both his taste and his budget; a house owned by a “colored woman from Nova Scotia” located a mile from campus at 20 Flagg Street. “My room is, for a college man’s abode very ordinary, indeed,” he wrote at the time, but it was “pleasantly situated” on the second floor with a bay window and enough room to start building a library. “In this commonplace den I am quite content,” Du Bois said of what would be his home for four years.
He was deliberate in his choice not to pursue close relationships with many of his white fellow students, whom Du Bois believed had little desire to befriend him. Had he matriculated at Harvard immediately after graduating from his integrated high school in Great Barrington, and not ventured to Tennessee, he wrote, he would have sought those friendships “and been disappointed and embittered by a discovery of social limitations to which I had not been used.” Instead, he largely made friends with Black students at Harvard and other local institutions and with the “colored folk of Boston and surrounding towns.”
“With them I led a happy and inspiring life. There were among them many educated and well-to-do folk, many young people studying or planning to study, many charming young women. We met and ate, danced and argued, and planned a new world,” he wrote.
This approach was “self-protective coloration, with perhaps an inferiority complex, but with belief in the ability and future of black folk.” And while Du Bois’s fellow Black students tended to be firmly on the side of integration, Du Bois was steadfast in his “dream of a self-sufficient Negro culture, even in America.”
Du Bois did not isolate himself completely, however. He joined the Philosophical Club and the Foxcroft dining club, the latter providing a place where students who lived off campus could study during the day and eat inexpensive meals. A singer, he tried out for the glee club but was denied his place. The club members reasoned that it would be too difficult to tour nationally with a Black member.
Sparkling Orator
To support himself during his studies, Du Bois participated in oratory competitions. In his first year at Harvard, Du Bois won second place in the competition for the Boylston Prize in Elocution. First prize went to Clement G. Morgan, another Black student who, because of this victory—and despite, what Du Bois described as the outrage of whites across the nation—was selected to be class orator.
According to Du Bois, Morgan’s success inspired several other colleges to confer similar honors on their Black students. The following year, it was Du Bois who took first place in the Boylston competition. He was also one of five seniors chosen to speak at Commencement, where he delivered a bold address on Jefferson Davis “with the deliberate intent of facing Harvard and the nation with a discussion of slavery as illustrated in the person of the president of the Confederate States of America.”
Bishop Henry C. Potter wrote in the Boston Herald that after hearing Du Bois’ address, “Here is what an historic race can do if they have a clear field, a high purpose, and a resolute will.” Potter was not alone. The audience’s reaction was so positive that Du Bois later wrote that he “walked home on pink clouds of glory.”
Du Bois excelled academically and got along well with his professors, some of whom befriended him invited him into their homes. While always aware of the power dynamic between white professor and Black student, Du Bois observed, “they were on the whole glad to receive a serious student, to whom extracurricular activities were not of paramount importance, and one who in a general way knew what he wanted.”
What DuBois wanted above all was to become a philosopher. And he believed that studying at a German university was a prerequisite for achieving that lofty goal and gaining recognition in the rarefied field.
When Du Bois (seated, far right) and his fellow Black student Clement G. Morgan were selected as Commencement speakers, a faculty member moved to consult the Harvard Corporation as to whether it was appropriate to select two Black students for this honor. Their answer was no: Du Bois spoke, but Morgan did not. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers, Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center, UMass Amherst Libraries
It was in Berlin, Du Bois wrote, “where I first met white folk
who treated me as a human being.”
No Was Not an Option
Without viable prospects for Harvard scholarships or fellowships to study in Europe, Du Bois learned that the John F. Slater Fund, headed by former US President Rutherford B. Hayes, was seeking “colored men worth educating,” in order to fund their studies in the United States and abroad. Du Bois applied, but Hayes responded that what Du Bois had read about the program was incorrect; the organization had provided scholarships in the past, but not any longer.
Undeterred, Du Bois wrote a second letter “intimating that [Hayes’] change of plan did not seem to me fair nor honest.”
“I find men willing to help me thro’ cheap theological schools, I find men willing to help me use my hands before I have got my brains in working order, I have an abundance of good wishes on hand, but I never found a man willing to help me get a Ph.D.,” he wrote.
Writing letter after letter, Du Bois’ persistence paid off. The following year, the Slater Fund awarded him a $750 fellowship (half gift, half loan) for a year of study at the University of Berlin. Du Bois later wrote that, after he received word that he could study abroad: “I remember rushing down to New York and talking with ex-President Hayes in the old Astor House, and emerging on air. I saw an especially delectable shirt in a shop window. I went in and asked about it. It cost three dollars, which was about four times as much as I had ever paid for a shirt in my life, but I bought it.”
It was in Berlin, Du Bois wrote, “where I first met white folk who treated me as a human being.”
In 1895, Du Bois he became the first Black person to earn a PhD (in history, rather than philosophy) from Harvard.
Powerful Resistance
Much has been written elsewhere about Du Bois and his tremendous impact as a scholar and activist. His role in cofounding the NAACP—the nation’s oldest civil rights organization—was perhaps his most profound act of resistance to the marginalization of African Americans in the United States. Under the aegis of that organization and its lawyers, Black Americans struggled against discrimination in the political process, housing, public accommodations, the criminal legal system, and education.
______
Sources
Philip S. Foner, W. E. B. Du Bois Speaks: Speeches and Addresses 1890–1919, with a tribute
by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 2nd ed. (1970; repr. New York, NY: Pathfinder Press, 1972).
W. E. B. Du Bois, “A Negro Student at Harvard at the End of the 19th Century,”
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Federal prosecutors revealed alarming details in a detention memo filed on Wednesday, July 5, regarding the arrest of Taylor Taranto, a man apprehended last week in former President Barack Obama’s Washington, D.C., neighborhood.
According to the memo, Taranto began live-streaming in the area shortly after resharing a social media post from Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate claimed to share Obama’s address.
The prosecutors urged a federal magistrate judge in the D.C. District Court to keep Taranto detained pending his trial for charges related to the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack.
In the filing, prosecutors noted that Taranto not only possessed weapons but also made threats against House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin.
In June, Taranto and several others entered an elementary school near Raskin’s home.
The disturbing incident was live streamed by Taranto, who documented the group’s actions, such as wandering around the school, entering the gymnasium, and projecting a film related to the events of January 6.
The court filing revealed Taranto’s motive behind targeting the elementary school, stating that its proximity to Raskin’s residence influenced his choice.
Taranto expressed his intention to send a “shockwave” to Raskin, whom he perceived as harboring animosity towards supporters of former President Trump.
The memo quoted Taranto, who stated, “he’s one of the guys that hates January 6 people, or more like Trump supporters, and it’s kind of like sending a shockwave through him because I did nothing wrong, and he’s probably freaking out and saying s*** like, ‘Well he’s stalking me.’”
Moreover, Taranto explicitly mentioned the location of the school, Piney Branch Elementary School in Maryland, which is adjacent to Raskin’s residence.
Prosecutors emphasized the immediate and severe threat Taranto posed to the public.
They argued that his words and actions demonstrated his potential danger to multiple political figures and the general public.
Further, they urged the judge to consider the high-risk Taranto would pose if released, warning of potentially catastrophic consequences.
Taranto, already subject to an open warrant related to the January 6 riot charges, was apprehended last week in Obama’s neighborhood while possessing firearms.
The day before his arrest, Taranto claimed on a livestream that he possessed a detonator.
On June 28, prosecutors stated that Taranto made “ominous comments” on video targeting McCarthy, proclaiming, “Coming at you, McCarthy. Can’t stop what’s coming. Nothing can stop what’s coming.”
After witnessing these threatening remarks, law enforcement authorities attempted to locate Taranto but were unsuccessful.
The following day, on June 29, Trump allegedly shared what he claimed to be Obama’s address on the social media platform Truth Social.
Taranto, using his own Truth Social account, reposted the address.
Taranto further declared, “We got these losers surrounded! See you in hell, Podesta’s and Obama’s.”
Shortly after, Taranto resumed live streaming from his YouTube channel while driving through Washington D.C.’s Kalorama neighborhood.
According to the government’s filing, Taranto parked his van and walked around the residential area.
Due to the restricted nature of the neighborhood, United States Secret Service officers began monitoring Taranto almost immediately upon his arrival and initiation of filming.
Prosecutors highlighted Taranto’s repeated claims that his actions were protected by free speech as if uttering the words “First Amendment” absolved him of trespassing.
The detention memo quoted Taranto’s remarks captured in his recording: “So yeah, more than likely, these guys also all hang for treason. See how I said that? You gotta be very safe and careful. Someone warned me.”
As Secret Service agents approached Taranto while veering off the street into a wooded area, he attempted to flee but was swiftly apprehended and arrested.
In their filing, prosecutors disclosed that two firearms, a “Smith and Wesson M&P Shield” and a “Ceska 9mm C.Z. Scorpion E3,” were discovered in Taranto’s van during his arrest.
Additionally, they found numerous rounds of nine-millimeter ammunition, a steering wheel lock, a machete, signs, a mattress, and other items indicating that Taranto had been residing in the van.
While over a dozen other firearms are registered to Taranto, authorities said they have yet to locate them.
By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher, San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper
African Americans in particular and people of color in general have a history of Supreme Court decisions against their interest. When the Plessy vs Ferguson decision was handed down in 1896, the Court said “separate but equal ” was the rule. We survived the “Jim Crow” era that followed. When the Court said in the Dred Scott decision that “ A Black man has no rights that a White man is bound to respect, we survived the indignity of being called everything except “Mister”. As Maya Angelo said: “And still we rise.” We have experienced the works of racist White Justices before. Today, we are better educated and equipped than we have ever been with full knowledge of options and alternatives. The only question is: Do we have the collective will to fight back?
Consider that while the Supreme Court has acted and has an embedded conservative majority for years to come. The Constitution does give us a way out of all the decisions handed down against our interest.
Years ago when the Court ruled against flag burning, the Congress passed a law which said while such activity was offensive to many, there existed a First Amendment right under Freedom of Speech to burn the flag if one decided to do so. Today, just as the President is proposing legislation to overcome Student Loan Forgiveness, and the reversal of Roe v. Wade, the Congress can legislate the reversal of these Supreme Court decisions.
The problem is that we the people must change out those Right-leaning Conservative Members of Congress for people who support our points of view and will vote to make the desired legislative changes. We must run candidates in each of the 435 congressional districts that will commit to and support our goals and we must finance them as well as register to vote in such extreme numbers that we overcome the opposition.
We must remember that there are more people in America that share our views among young Whites and people of color than the conservative element that appears interested in returning Donald Trump to the Presidency.
Let us not forget that all the Republicans now running against Trump appear to be afraid to speak out against him. Let us not forget that the very basis of the overwhelming support for Trump is racism. The racism is based in a fear that America is changing to whites becoming a minority rather than the majority they have always been. While this idea might be too much for some of us to think about, let’s focus on the fact that if we register to vote, then we have a ticket in the American lottery of Democracy.
We must then use that vote for people who support our cause, no matter what their race. We can not engage in reverse racism, but rather winning for all of us who have a shared interest in the challenges before us. If the vote was important enough to try and keep it from us through Voter Suppression, then it’s important enough for us to fight for.
Let us remember that our fight is for the collective and not just for each of us individually.
The Struggle really does continue. Will you be a part of it?
Dear Community, Please save the date for the official launch of the San Diego County Leave No Veteran Homeless initiative on July 6th, 2023 at 10:00am at the County Administration Center. Watch on Facebook Live or stand with us as we announce a region wide initiative.
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Over 1.8 million Muslims are taking part in this week’s Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, as one of the world’s largest religious gatherings returns to capacity following years of coronavirus restrictions.
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all Muslims are required to undertake it at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do so. For the pilgrims, it is a profound spiritual experience that wipes away sins, brings them closer to God and highlights Muslim unity.
Pilgrims this week braved temperatures in excess of 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) to perform their rituals in the open air.
For the Saudi royal family, which captured Mecca in the 1920s, organizing the pilgrimage is a major source of pride and legitimacy. Authorities have invested billions of dollars in modern infrastructure, but the Hajj has occasionally been marred by tragedy, as in 2015, when over 2,400 pilgrims died in a stampede.
Saudi authorities had expected some 2 million pilgrims, but official figures released Tuesday put attendance at around 1.8 million, considerably fewer than the nearly 2.5 million who came in 2019. The cost of the pilgrimage, combined with widespread economic woes, may have been a factor.
Here’s a look at the pilgrimage and its meaning.
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE HAJJ PILGRIMAGE IN ISLAM?
The pilgrimage draws Muslims from around the world to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, where they walk in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad and retrace the journey of Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael as they are known in the Christian and Jewish traditions.
As related in the Quran, Ibrahim is called upon to sacrifice his son Ismail as a test of faith, but God stays his hand at the last moment. Ibrahim and Ismail later are said to have built the Kaaba together. In the Christian and Jewish traditions, Abraham nearly sacrifices his other son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah, which is associated with a major holy site in Jerusalem.
The Kaaba was a center for polytheistic worship among pagan Arabs until the arrival of Islam in the 7th century, when the Prophet Muhammad consecrated the site and inaugurated the Hajj.
Muslims do not worship the Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure covered in a black, gold-embroidered cloth, but view it as their most sacred place and a powerful symbol of unity and monotheism. No matter where they are in the world, Muslims face toward the Kaaba during their daily prayers.
Pilgrims walk beside pigeons outside the Grand Mosque, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Muslim pilgrims are converging on Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca for the largest hajj since the coronavirus pandemic severely curtailed access to one of Islam’s five pillars. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
The Hajj has been held every year since the time of the prophet, even through wars, plagues and other turmoil.
In the Middle Ages, Muslim rulers organized massive caravans with armed escorts that would depart from Cairo, Damascus and other cities. It was an arduous journey through deserts where Bedouin tribes carried out raids and demanded tribute. A notorious Bedouin raid in 1757 wiped out an entire Hajj caravan, killing thousands of pilgrims.
In 2020, amid worldwide coronavirus lockdowns, Saudi Arabia limited the pilgrimage to a few thousand citizens and local residents. This is the first year it is being held without COVID restrictions.
HOW DO MUSLIMS PREPARE FOR THE HAJJ?
Some pilgrims spend their whole lives saving up for the journey or wait years before getting a permit, which Saudi authorities distribute to countries based on a quota system. Travel agents offer packages catering to all income levels, and charities assist needy pilgrims.
Pilgrims begin by entering a state of spiritual purity known as “ihram.” Women forgo makeup and perfume and cover their hair, while men change into seamless terrycloth robes. The garments cannot contain any stitching, a rule intended to promote unity among rich and poor.
Pilgrims are forbidden from cutting their hair, trimming their nails or engaging in sexual intercourse while in the state of ihram. They are not supposed to argue or fight, but the heat, crowds and difficulty of the journey inevitably test people’s patience.
Many Muslims visit Medina, where the Prophet Muhammad is buried and where he built the first mosque, before heading to Mecca.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE HAJJ?
The Hajj begins with Muslims circling the Kaaba in Mecca counter-clockwise seven times while reciting prayers. Then they walk between two hills in a reenactment of Hagar’s search for water for her son, Ismail, a story that occurs in different forms in Muslim, Christian and Jewish traditions.
All of this takes place inside Mecca’s Grand Mosque — the world’s largest — which encompasses the Kaaba and the two hills.
On Tuesday, pilgrims headed to Mount Arafat, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Mecca, where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon. There, they stood in prayer throughout the day asking God for forgiveness of their sins in what many view as the spiritual high point of the pilgrimage.
Around sunset, pilgrims walked or took buses to an area called Muzdalifa, 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) west of Arafat. They picked up pebbles to use in a symbolic stoning of the devil in the valley of Mina, where Muslims believe Ibrahim was tempted to ignore God’s command to sacrifice his son. The pilgrims stay for several nights in Mina in one of the largest tent camps in the world.
The pilgrimage ends with a final circling of the Kaaba and further casting of stones at Mina. Men often shave their heads and women clip a lock of hair, signaling renewal. Many will assume the title of “hajj” or “hajja” — a great honor, particularly in more traditional communities. Some paint murals on their homes with images of airplanes, ships and the Kaaba to commemorate the journey.
The final days of Hajj coincide with Eid al-Adha, or the festival of sacrifice, a joyous occasion celebrated by Muslims around the world to commemorate Ibrahim’s test of faith. During the three-day Eid, Muslims slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to the poor.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
In a move that reflects a determination to avoid any accusations of delay or sluggishness, Federal Judge Aileen M. Cannon, overseeing the prosecution of former President Donald J. Trump in the classified documents case, announced an ambitious timeline on Tuesday, with the trial set to commence as early as August 14.
Although the judge’s proposed timeline may face delays due to extensive pretrial litigation, particularly regarding handling classified material, her swift approach suggests a commitment to expediting the proceedings.
Due to Cannon’s relative inexperience as a judge, her earlier actions received much attention and criticism.
Last year, she disrupted the document investigation with several rulings in favor of the former president, only to have her decisions overturned by a conservative appeals court, which cited her lack of legitimate legal authority to intervene.
Brandon L. Van Grack, a former federal prosecutor with expertise in national security-related complex criminal cases, expressed doubt that the trial date would hold, given that the process of providing the defense with classified evidence during discovery has yet to commence.
Nevertheless, Van Grack told the New York Times that Judge Cannon appeared determined to move the case forward promptly.
“It signals that the court is at least trying to do everything it can to move the case along and that it’s important that the case proceed quickly,” Van Grack commented.
“Even though it’s unlikely to hold, it’s at least a positive signal – positive in the sense that all parties and the public should want this case to proceed as quickly as possible.”
In public statements following the recent indictment of Trump and his aide, Walt Nauta on 37 federal counts, two weeks ago in Miami’s Federal District Court, Special Counsel Jack Smith, who oversaw the investigation, emphasized his desire for a speedy trial.
The schedule outlined in Judge Cannon’s order aligns with that objective, requiring all pretrial motions to be filed by July 24.
The judge also ruled that the trial and all related hearings will be held in Fort Pierce, a small town in the northern region of the Southern District of Florida.
Trump’s arraignment took place at the federal courthouse in Miami.
How good a job is the Food and Drug Administration doing in its crackdown on kid-friendly electronic cigarette flavors? The Associated Press sought to answer that question by looking at tightly controlled sales data.
The AP obtained the data from the analytics firm IRI, which tracks barcode scanner sales from convenience stores, gas stations and other retailers. A person not authorized to share it gave access to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The AP found that the FDA has been unable to keep up with a flood of illegal disposable e-cigarettes from China. Their influx has forced the agency to try to eliminate thousands of illegal products sold by under-the-radar importers and distributors.
Here are five takeaways from the AP’s reporting:
E-CIGARETTES KEEP FLOODING INTO THE U.S. WITHOUT FDA PERMISSION
The number of unique e-cigarettes sold in the U.S. has mushroomed to over 9,000 since 2020, when the FDA began restricting vaping flavors and requiring manufacturers to request permission to stay on the market.
The FDA says it has reviewed millions of vaping applications, rejecting 99% of them because they have not been shown to benefit public health. That should mean fewer e-cigarettes being sold in U.S. stores, but hundreds of new varieties appear each month, flouting FDA rules.
ALMOST ALL OF THE NEW PRODUCTS ARE FLAVORED DISPOSABLE E-CIGARETTES FROM CHINA
The increase in e-cigarettes has been almost entirely driven by Chinese-manufactured disposables, with more than 5,800 disposables currently being sold in U.S. stores, according to the IRI data. That number is up more than 1,500% from 356 disposables available in early 2020.
Most products mimic the designs and flavors of a few large brands, including Elf Bar, Puff Bar and Esco Bar. Counterfeiting is a big problem across the industry.
LOW-COST CHINESE MANUFACTURING HAS LOWERED THE BAR FOR NEW VAPING BRANDS
Manufacturers in the Chinese city of Shenzhen allow customers to order tens of thousands of e-cigarettes for as little as $2 each. Designs, artwork and flavors can be customized. Many companies promise to ship orders in two to three weeks.
FDA’S FORMER TOP TOBACCO OFFICIAL WARNED THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ABOUT DISPOSABLES
In late 2019, the FDA’s top tobacco official warned officials in President Donald Trump’s administration not to exempt disposables from a rule restricting fruit and candy flavors that can appeal to kids.
The FDA banned those flavors from reusable vaping systems like Juul in January 2020, amid a surge in youth vaping. But the regulation specifically exempted disposable e-cigarettes, leading to the explosion in new products on the market today.
FDA’s former tobacco director, Mitch Zeller, told The Associated Press that White House officials made the decision without his input. When Zeller protested that teenagers would simply switch to using flavored disposables, he was told there was no appeal.
CHINESE MANUFACTURERS AREN’T SUBJECT TO REGULAR FDA INSPECTIONS DUE TO INCOMPLETE RULES
Congress gave the FDA the power to regulate tobacco companies in 2009, with the aim of scrutinizing industry ingredients and manufacturing. But currently, only U.S. manufacturing sites are required to register with the agency for routine inspections.
That means the FDA has little visibility into the conditions at Chinese facilities that produce many of the e-cigarettes sold in the U.S. today.
The FDA could bring foreign vaping manufacturers under routine oversight, but it must finalize rules and standards for how e-cigarettes and other tobacco products are made. Congress instructed the FDA to write those regulations more than 14 years ago, but the agency only released a draft version earlier this year.
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor
After the U.S. Supreme Court did what many have long expected, strike-down race-based admissions to colleges, Black leaders held emergency press conferences and strategy calls. One convened by Marc Morial on June 29 hours after the Supreme Court’s decision yielded sharp commentary.
Affirmative action refers to a set of policies and practices aimed at promoting equal opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups, particularly in relation to employment or education. The purpose of affirmative action is to address the historical and ongoing systemic discrimination and underrepresentation that has been faced throughout history. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, and individuals with disabilities have been beneficiaries. Typically, affirmative action involves taking proactive steps to increase the representation of these underrepresented groups in areas where they have been historically excluded or marginalized.
The 6-3 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court will alter college admissions policies. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing the opinion for the majority, said the programs “unavoidably employ race in a negative manner” and “involve racial stereotyping,” in violation of the Constitution. The ruling affirmed that race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina are unconstitutional.
Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke in person her dissent from the bench which signaled strong disagreement saying the court’s ruling “further entrenching racial inequality in education” will have a devastating impact.”
The decision would seem to be a slap in the face of history as well as real world reality. Currently, a move is on to ban books in many school districts across America with many Republicans calling rudimentary discussion on race “divisive.” Statistics on college enrollment for African Americans demonstrate there is more work to be done to increase enrollment at a time when college costs have skyrocketed.
“I find it interesting to say we’re beyond race in this country when we know that 48 percent of white students admitted to Harvard between 2009 and 2014 either were legacy admissions or they were athletes,” said Maya Wiley, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
“This is the first time that we are facing a court that misinterpreted the equal protection clause and our seminal case Brown vs. Board of Education after a predecessor court made very clear what the principals were in the Constitution and in the Brown case,” said Janai Nelson, President of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund during a mid-day press event held by the National Urban League.
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund has been involved in every case involving affirmative action that has gone to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Unfortunately, this Supreme Court is trying to have a reality that is more reflective of 1950,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson.
“Today’s case, let’s be very clear, does not end Affirmative Action but it makes it much more difficult. It narrows the ability of higher education institutions to use their own power to decide who should be in a classroom… we are not abandoning the fight,” Nelson concluded.
“Friends today the Supreme Court got it wrong. I think this day will live in infamy. Because it was one of the most tortured opinions any of us have ever seen because it’s twisted in terms of its logic on the law,” Damon Hewitt, President of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
“Nothing in the opinion stops universities from asking about their race,” Hewit pointed out. “Our advice to students is to continue to talk about your experiences with race and racism,” he concluded.
“This Supreme Court ruling will close the door to educational opportunity for many Black students and students of color who want to attend non-HBCUs. With this new ruling, UNCF knows that more students will turn to HBCUs for their college educations. We also know that our HBCUs will do everything they can to meet increased student demand,” stated a press release from the United Negro College Fund.
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Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE and publisher of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears regularly on #RolandMartinUnfiltered. She may be contacted at [email protected] and on twitter at @LVBurke
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor
Carlos Watson, the co-founder of Ozy Media, is loudly claiming on social media and in a well-produced video that he has been targeted as a Black entrepreneur in the mostly white tech world.
Ozy collapsed after Watson was indicted for fraud in February 2023. Federal prosecutors alleged that Watson and his company defrauded investors out of “tens of millions.” Prosecutors claim that Watson ran a company that was a fraudulent scheme to fool financial supporters based on false information about Ozy.
But in the tech world, over-inflating user data and success is generally standard practice. Watson is arguing that his prosecution is racially biassed and that he was using often used tactics by tech entrepreneurs.
“The U.S. legal system criminalizes the actions of black #entrepreneurs such as OZY Media Founder Carlos Watson while giving their white counterparts a pass. Black entrepreneurs receive 1% of venture funding and 51% of the prosecution,” wrote Watson on social media on June 21.
Watson’s legal defense team is asking the Department of Justice to conduct a racial bias investigation on the Brooklyn prosecutors who are working on his case. Watson claims that the three white prosecutors focused on him have overwhelmingly prosecuted Black people and other people of color while only ten percent of their prosecutions are Black.
In February, federal prosecutors accused Watson of running Ozy “like a criminal organization.”
“There’s a not-so-secret track record of double standards in prosecution of Black people for identical allegations as our counterparts. Acknowledging this does not suggest indifference, but of the reality we face,” wrote Dr. Nehemiah Mabry on twitter regarding Watson’s prosecution.
Ozy recently released a statement regarding ten one thousand dollar grants that have not been delivered to their “genius award” recipients.
Kenneth Montgomery, an attorney on Watson’s legal team, said in a statement that, “the unwarranted criminal charges brought the company to a complete standstill and forced the cessation of operations. The Watson family firmly believes in making higher education accessible to all, which is why they co-founded Achieva College Prep Service well before Mr. Watson founded OZY.”
Carlos Watson, 53, is a graduate of Harvard University, Stanford University and Stanford Law School.
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Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE and publisher of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears regularly on #RolandMartinUnfiltered. She may be contacted at [email protected] and on twitter at @LVBurke
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