John Lewis is the kind of antidote of hope this country needed. Folks are making lots of noise about Congressman John Lewis being the first black man to have the honor to lie in State at the U.S Capitol. Considering the thick and rich layers of white supremacy clued to the cartilage of the bones in America that affected John Lewis life, I'd say he earned it. He earned it when he tried to get a library card in Selma and he was denied. He earned it as an American citizen, who desired to vote and register others in his community to vote but he was denied. What Lewis endured is well documented. He went to jail for us. He was beaten on a Bloody Sunday for us. He was brutalized for us, and somehow John Lewis continued fighting against hatred and bigotry, selflessly for the plight of black people. He marched fearlessly with Dr. King in Selma, Alabama so black folks could have the right to vote.
I do understand that some of you don't believe in voting because you argue it doesn't matter. Well, it mattered to a young man by the name of John Lewis who was pregnant with freedom. He wanted you to have it. He died trying to give you ownership of your rights to own the politics in your community. Your voice does make a difference. There is nothing wrong with having a strong black populace with the right representation. There is something not right, when there is no representation of folks who look like you, representing your city or state when it is predominately you who reside there. Dr. King had a plethora of men and women who helped black folks get good representation in their local politics and nationally. They had high morals. Congressman John Lewis was a symbol of liberation. Your life mattered to him and his legacy is evident of that. We are thankful to have had this kind of trouble on our side!
The Appeal tightens your political senses in criminal law, the prison system, and keeps you armed in the best defense of new laws plus everything in between. If you are a law student, work in the legal field or into politics, The Appeal will give you a mixture of all things strategically placed to inform you. Knowledge is all the power you need. If you have loved ones in the California prison at San Quentin you would want to know why there is an explosive outbreak of covid-19 in that place. Even if you didn't, those individuals are human beings and they have family and friends who care about them. The Appeal always gives you the goods on mass incarceration. This is also part of our reparations. Did you hear about the Michigan judge who had a black teenager jailed for not doing her homework? This kind of breach in our constitutional rights continues to happen to a majority of melanated people. The judge states the young lady was on probation.This is madness. I don't see either party addressing these issues. The criminal justice system is always harsher with black children and that's a fact. Subscribe to The Appeal newsletter. You will stay alert and be informed.
I am about to go boldly where others have gone before. Yes, I do believe that this country is just ripe to give reparations to folks living in a nation that has continued to roar and toil with the humanity of black people for there own economic deficits. John Lewis fought for some of the exact things we are still fighting for. Shame on you America! Lets just be honest. Some of your laws and policies are not equitable. Why is this still allowable? It's the year 2020. Black people are getting their American constitutional rights violated with voter suppression, police brutality, and discriminatory policies on purpose like they did in Asheville, North Carolina. The difference is, Asheville voted on making their past wrongs right. I pray other states co-opt their stance. It is by our faith and your fate to pay for all the free labor our ancestors helped to build. Let's not talk about all the individual companies one by one who benefited from our free labor. For all the Jim Crow laws and lynchings held in your favor like a church service on a Sunday. For all the biased prejudices allowed against black folks in this criminal justice system employed by you, America. You owe big time. History and karma says you owe us. Denial of your atonement is cowardly not an option.
LeBron James has a lot of nerve. I am pleased to mention why. Mr. James has partnered with other like-minded individuals in the entertainment and athletic industry to help convicted felons get their voting rights restored. This brother formed a group of folks who are willing and financially able to pay off fines and debt owed by ex-felons so they can vote again. Florida passed a law that allows men and women to vote again but they have to pay all applicable fines. This is good news. There is always hope. Kudos to LeBron and his group of angels. May all the other states follow Florida's lead.
Why are people trying to demolish the statue of Christopher Columbus? He is an European explorer who discovered America, right? Well, our history books left out the fact, he didn't discover America. He did have a crew. He did explore but when he arrived to America the Indians, or indigenous people were already there. People are beyond tired of Europeans lying about history. Just tell the truth. If I was Italian American I would feel some kind of way about not knowing the whole truth and nothing but the truth concerning a man we all were taught lies about. In Chicago protesters were determined to remove the Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park and Arrigo Park. Some were peaceful and there were some violent protesters. In order to keep the peace, the culture, and the heritage of the Italian community in tact, Mayor Lori Lightfoot removed the statues in the middle of the night, discreetly.
In the history books they failed to mention that Christopher Columbus enslaved the natives that were there before he arrived. Columbus and his crew gave them diseases and mistreated them. There was nothing good about Columbus. There are several states who celebrate indigenous people on Christopher Columbus Day. They renamed it Indigenous People Day.
The only way to be excellent is to maintain the European standards of hair styles. A Young man by the name of DeAndre Arnold was affected by a school policy that prevented him from his prom and graduation. He was on the Ellen Show because his story went viral. European standards doesn't work for all people, plus why is there this song and dance about diversity when you don't mean it? Yes, say ouch because if you are an employer or over a school district with discriminatory policies like the one at the Barbers Hill Independent School District in Texas, I am sweetly talking to you. I get it. You don't like black people wearing deadlocks. So you create a policy that is really targeted for a certain group of people but you say it's for all boys who has long hair, ok. It isn't the bone straight hair you are used to. To certain black folks their hair (locs) is black excellence. It's part of their culture. I wonder if a male had short styled dread-locks would he get the same treatment?
Lanisha Bratcher faces two counts of felony charges because she voted while on probation. This is why Representative John Lewis got into the game of politics. To kill racist policies like this. I smell discriminatory practices in the air and you think black folks don't deserve reparations. This is ridiculously troubling. It's flat out perturbing. Ms. Bratcher had no prior knowledge about this law. She is a black woman so to you she gets no grace. North Carolina please fix this racist, Jim Crow antics. That prosecutor should not be representing the folks in that district. If you are allergic to fairly uphold the law, I question your authority. Why should you have it? You shouldn't. Please read the entire story. These are the ingredients that reparations are made from, by scratch.
If you see it, you can do it. Yahweh gave you those visions for a reason. If you believe it, the universe will bring it to past for you. If you want it, work hard and you shall have it. After all your achievements and successes you can mentor someone else and bless them. We have the ancestral right to apply for financial stability and generational wealth. This statement is foreign to not all, but a majority of black people. Those in the black community haven't been exposed to the stock exchange. Its common in the European community. When you invest in stocks it gives you the pleasure to retire comfortably, pay your kids college tuition, and maintain abundance in your life. The time is right to challenge your thinking. There is a group of folks who made history this year during the pain and lifestyle changes of a pandemic. As noted in The Root, Mr. Joe Cecala is a former attorney who partnered with Cadiz Capital Holdings L.L.C., to launch the first ever, so clever, black owned United States Stock Exchange. They named it the Dream Exchange. That is a beautiful thing for our young minds to see. It is a great example to emulate ownership of your business. Let's do our research and invest in some generational wealth. When you are informed and armed with financial knowledge, your bloodline is more polished.