Atlanta Housing Woes

Atlanta resembled a city once where everyone could find a decent place to live regardless of income or socioeconomic status. 

One could transition from one end of town to the next without giving it thought.  Baby boomers and Generation X rented apartments or bought homes wherever they pleased, even if it meant leaving the inner city behind.

With today's sky-high rent and rising mortgages, Atlanta has become less accessible, especially for the poor and middle class. Some blame a housing boom fueled by the upwardly mobile and a desire of many suburbanites, who hate being stuck in traffic, to return to the city they once fled because of school desegregation and rising crime. Neighborhoods are being redeveloped, but not in the interest of those struggling to make it.

So what must Atlanta and other growing cities do to fix their housing problem? Since every American has the right to live in a home they can afford, the private sector must be pressured to build communities within the price range of ordinary citizens. Georgians, regardless of background, deserve a place to call their own.  It's the right thing to do.

The government could also partner with businesses to help shoulder the cost of building affordable housing. The mayor of Atlanta, for instance, has partnered with companies to create mixed-income properties for seniors and low-income residents. Where public housing once stood are loving communities for everyone to enjoy. Tax-credit apartment buildings are also on the rise in the city. Those who qualify pay rent below the market rate, with the federal government picking up the rest. It is a win-win for all involved.

Atlanta still has a long way to go in solving its housing crisis. Because most public housing has been demolished in the city, many of the poor have been pushed out to surrounding areas, which may no longer be feasible since these communities have suffered a similar faith in recent years.  Added to the equation are poor elderly homeowners who are being priced out due to rising property taxes the mayor and council must deal with.  With these and other pressing issues on their plate, local governments have their work cut out for them.

Voter Suppression in Georgia

Since becoming Secretary of State of Georgia, Republican Brian Kemp has been accused of making it difficult to vote in the State. He has even been labeled the "master of voter suppression." 

While running for governor, things haven't changed much for Georgia's secretary of state; his efforts to block or circumvent the right to vote, especially for minorities, continue full speed ahead.

Kemp's most potent weapon used to purge voting rolls appears to be the "exact match" rule. After it was banned by the courts, the Republican majority found a unique way to push it through the General Assembly with startling results.

Under "exact match," addresses and other identifying information on a voter registration form must be identical to that on a driver's license or other government-issued documents, including something as simple as a hyphen or junior in one's name. As a result, at least 53,000 voter registration forms have been targeted or on hold in Georgia, 90 percent of which belong to minorities. Stacy Abrams, an African American and the Democratic candidate for governor, and civil liberties groups have filed a lawsuit, claiming it amounts to a modern-day poll tax and unfairly targets the poor and elderly.

Kemp has also targeted voter registration groups around the state in a supposed attempt to combat illegal voting. Get-out-the-vote rallies led by Abrams and others have netted over half a million new Asian, black, and Hispanic voters, with Kemp questioning or investigating their methods and goals. The Secretary of State's office has not discovered a hint of wrongdoing by Abrams' group or other voting rights organizations, which amounts to a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars.

Kemp's attempt to suppress the vote seems, in general, to be based on fear, according to a secret recording obtained by the New York Times when he said, "Democrats are working hard registering all these minority voters that are out there and others that are on the sidelines.

"If they can do that, they can win these elections in November," thus stopping the Republican agenda.

In his much-criticized role as secretary of state, he has fostered an environment of voter intimidation across Georgia. For instance, four hundred absentee ballots have been rejected in Gwinnett County, one of Georgia's largest and most diverse counties, over simple errors or insufficient information regarding signatures and addresses since the start of the election, according to the Atlanta Constitution.  Civil liberties groups have filed suit demanding that they be counted by election day. Other suspected cases of voter suppression during Kemp's tenure have included attempts to close polling places in rural, predominately black counties and assaults on early voting. 

Although a Georgia judge recently ruled against the "exact match" law,  the secretary of state has appealed to a higher court with just days to go before the election. The saga continues in Georgia for their simple quest to vote. 

Sources:  The Washington Post and the Atlanta Constitution.

Obamacare on the Line

Republicans have sought to kill the Affordable Care Act on many occasions and failed. It suffered a blow when the president signed the 2017 Republican-led tax bill. The bill eliminated the individual mandate, which required all Americans to be covered by health insurance or pay a tax. 

Despite its critics, recent polls suggest that most Americans like the Affordable Care Act or what Obama did to make health insurance accessible to all. As a result, Republicans have jumped on board, claiming they backed pre-existing conditions, the hallmark of the Federal health care law, all along. Nothing could be further from the truth. By voting to abolish the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, it would effectively end protection for millions in this country suffering from a previous health crisis, something all the GOP have fought diligently to do since its passage, despite voicing their support at rallies and on T.V.  The president, GOP members of Congress and Republican lawmakers running for office across America are dispensing such nonsense to poor, unsuspecting voters who will be stabbed in the back come January.  

Democrats, who passed the beloved ACA, must fight to set the record straight. They must call out the hypocrisy on the right or make it known that the GOP hates Obamacare, including the part that relates to pre-existing conditions, and would gut it like a fish. If progressives don't fight back, Republicans will succeed again on a phony claim like in 2002 when they bolstered support for the war in Iraq.

Sadly, Republicans will do anything to stay in power, lie, steal, and cheat instead of stating the facts or standing up for what is right.

Georgia Governor's Race Update

The race for governor heats up in Georgia as Democrats and Republicans clash over the right of all Georgians to vote with three weeks to go before election day.

Brian Kemp, the Republican nominee, recently flagged 53,000 voter registration forms, 90 percent of whom belong to minorities, in his official capacity as Secretary of State. Kemp claims they violate the "exact-match" policy put forth by him and the Republican majority in the General Assembly.  For instance, if the name or address listed on the form doesn't coincide with identifying information on a driver's license or another official document, which can be something as simple as a missing hyphen or misspelling, it will be targeted or put on hold with the voter allowed to cast a provisional ballot, which may or may not be counted.   

Kemp's opponent, Democrat Stacy Abrams, the first African American woman to be nominated by a major party for governor, and civil rights groups have not only filed suit against Kemp but are demanding that he recuse himself or step down from his current position until the election is over. They claim "exact-match" not only amounts to a modern-day poll tax but unfairly targets the poor and the elderly, who may find it difficult to obtain documents verifying their status. Kemp's opponents also assert that his refusal to leave office while running for governor is like the fox guarding the henhouse or an umpire playing on the opposing team, which stacks the deck against the Democrats.   

The Secretary of State of Georgia's actions conjure memories of the 1964 Mississippi Democratic Freedom Party.  When African Americans in the Mississippi could not participate in the political process, they elected their own delegates to the Democratic National Convention but were denied seating.  If 53,000 or more minorities cannot vote on November 6 or are intimidated at polling places, the country will suffer a similar faith with the fraudulently elected taking office. 

 Kemp made a shocking statement recently when he referred to his opponents as outside agitators. This is reminiscent of the 1960s in the Deep South instead of a State moving forward, which could negatively impact Georgia's growing economy. That may be why so many in the State oppose his candidacy. 

Democrats Making Headway in Georgia

The race for governor in Georgia has tightened with the Democratic and Republican candidates running neck and neck in the polls. Republicans, who have won every governor's election in the state since 2002, may see their luck run out in 2018. 

The tightness of the race could be due to a desire for Medicaid expansion in the State, shifting demographics, or an aversion to Trump.  Whatever the reason,  Georgia could be on the hills of electing its first African American woman governor.

Stacy Abrams, the African American Democratic nominee, has been running a race Georgians can be proud of.  She supports expanding Medicaid to help save rural hospitals and wants to lure jobs to isolated areas that have not benefited sufficiently from the economic recovery.  In addition, she favors criminal justice reform to help rehabilitate non-violent offenders and not throw away the key.

Abrams' focus on families has also captured the hearts of Georgians. In addition to Medicaid expansion, she intends to reach out to juvenile offenders with programs to help keep them off the streets. Abrams also plans to expand Pre-K, reduce welfare rolls by providing jobs in hard-hit areas, and chip away at the high school dropout rate, especially among African American boys and rural youth. She believes it will improve the family unit and lead to safer neighborhoods. 

But above all, the campaign represents a breath of fresh air for many voters or an alternative to the old boy network.  She speaks candidly about the issues and doesn't rely on business, as usual, to get things done.  She has worked across the aisle with the GOP to save scholarships for deserving youth and improve transportation in crucial areas. She is also a young woman who embodies the Twenty-First Century or the emerging new Georgia that is business/tech-savvy and cares nothing about the State's segregationist past.

Maybe with the backing from Georgians of all walks of life, she can defeat her Republican challenger, Brian Kemp, who is seen as a throwback to Georgia's ugly past.       

Crisis in Black America

Do you ever feel that the black community is at war with itself or that we are our worst enemy?

I live in Atlanta, Georgia, a so-called black mecca,  where I see things daily that make me question the unity that supposedly exists among us.  I see it not just in the workplace or the home but in everyday life, from rude store clerks to a mass transit system that fails people of color.  Blacks have also been pushed out of the city in record numbers despite black administrations.  I could go on for days with other examples of dysfunction in our community, such as the scrounge of black-on-black crime.

But let us not jump to conclusions concerning violence in the black community.  Most of it stems from the feeling of disrespect either from other African Americans or those outside the community.  The legacy of Jim Crow has been flipped or turned inside out to make it seem as though we are the problem, and it never fails or even leads to issues like colorism. 

Colorism, stamped out during the black and proud Sixties and Seventies, has risen again in the Twenty-First Century. Young black men often discredit dark skin African American women on social media or refuse to date them all together in direct response to a baseless claim that lighter complexion is somehow supreme to darker skin, some say fueled by the Hip Hop culture. It has even begun to affect older generations of African Americans or how we interact with one another in business and dating.

What has caused this resurgence in the once-held belief that light skin is superior to darker skin in our community? Some blame the Rap industry for the preponderance of fairer skin African American men and women portrayed in videos and on popular T.V. programs like Love and Hip Hop that present their standard of beauty. Others simply think it's an unfortunate outcome of slavery that's ingrained in our DNA and may not go away. Whatever the reason, it is weakening our community and must stop.

Another situation involves the ongoing struggle between heterosexual and gay black men that dates back to the Seventies.  Although there may be a truce between them today due to changing social norms, tensions still exist.  Straight black men often feel that gay black males get treated better in a white male-dominated society or are perceived as less of a threat and thus offered the best jobs, education, and other advantages, which is likely, true.  Overall,  they see them as a threat to black masculinity with their mannerisms,  thoughts, or outward appearance.

Straight black men even fault gay or bisexual African American males for the rapid spread of HIV in black America. They contend that if they would practice safe sex or deal with their kind exclusively, it would cut down on the high rates of AIDS in the black community since many of them transport the virus from prison once they reunite with women, which has a trickle-down effect in urban and rural areas, even though most experts blame the alarming rate of HIV infections among blacks to a lack of testing for the disease and access to the latest life-saving medications to treat it. 

Gay black men, on the other hand, see their straight African American male counterparts as having the best of all worlds. They get acceptance from others or escape the ridicule of their sexual orientation or lifestyle and avoid relentless bullying as a youth.  They add that heterosexual black men also enjoy an advantage in the dating world as a broader community, especially in rural areas where gay communities may be virtually nonexistent.

Black men in the LGBTQ community also purport that if they excel in the workplace, it is because of their diligence in seeking education and nothing else.  While some black boys may pin their hopes on sports or "rapping" to succeed or fall victim to crime, others who question their sexuality may spend more time hitting the books with less distraction, becoming well-sought-after lawyers, doctors, nurses, and scientists.  

In addition to the crisis between straight and gay black men, exists a battle of the sexes in the black community. Some say it started in the 90s with black female discontent for black men and has ballooned today with the help of the internet as their boyfriends and husbands accuse them of having lost their identity or way in the world with their mode of dress for instance, or argumentative nature which makes them difficult or impossible to deal with.  It's a troubling assessment that impacts marriage and family in black America as many black men choose to remain single or date outside their race.

Black women, in return, see African American men as stagnant or caught in limbo today. They point to the dwindling number of black men in corporate America or upper management, which affects their earning potential.  However, many black men have worked traditionally in the blue-collar industry, where jobs have declined or been shipped overseas.  In addition, black women accuse black men of not being willing to engage in committed relationships or that they would rather play the field despite black women's longing to be with them, although the great majority of them date or marry women of color.

Discontent in the black community, whether real or imagined, hits us especially hard.  Asians, Hispanics, and whites are building businesses or shoring up capital for future generations instead of throwing shade, fighting over turf, or who looks the best in a lame attempt to fit in with the majority. Instead, we should focus on economic development, education, or redefining the black family.

Despite the mounting challenges, being black means the world to me. I've studied the history of my people since the third grade or wrote plays glorifying our lifestyle. Black music is what binds us, especially 70's Soul. It makes me smile, cry or slip into serious thought. Our politics or protest build communities while our standing in the world unites others. Lastly, the business acumen we share, especially in the entertainment, government, and service sector, provides a much-needed income. Let's hold tight to the values that make us whole instead of bickering or standing in the other's way.

New Melting Pots

There is a section of Atlanta called the historic Westend where African Americans are being priced out due to gentrification.

On any given day,  one will see neighborhood blacks, who dominate in population, frequent the mall, transit station, and red brick storefronts reminiscent of small towns in Georgia decades ago.  It is one of the many areas of the city claimed by African Americans when whites fled for the suburbs in the 50s and 60s.  Now they want it back.  Before the white flight,  blacks built proud neighborhoods, colleges, and small businesses alongside their white neighbors.  Despite this,  the elderly and misinformed may be forced to leave even though the last mayor,  who was African American, told them to hold on to their homes for the next generation,  while the present mayor,  a black woman,  is creating ways for seniors and the poor to stay in the houses they love.

However, she may hit a roadblock in her efforts to keep disadvantaged citizens in their homes in the Westend and other parts of Atlanta.  Home prices throughout the city have doubled or tripled following the housing slump due to a grave shortage of available new homes and a robust economy.  When real estate prices increase, it adversely affects property taxes,  forcing low-income residents to sell.

I moved to Atlanta's Westend three years ago.  I feared it beforehand.  Since then,  I have learned that it is sexy cool, and proper, like blacks in rural Georgia in the '60s and '70s.  Adair Park,  one of the area's best-kept secrets,  has become a haven for black high school reunions and other get-togethers just down the street from where I live.  The Mechanicsville and Pittsburgh neighborhoods, which survive as a testament to their middle and working-class roots before being hit by the crack and heroin epidemic of the eighties, are making a surprising comeback.

Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for the area in the sixties.  He and others dramatized its poverty and neglect.  He also praised its progress and bought a home near Morehouse College,  where he attended school.

Like the Westend, other areas of Atlanta exist where African Americans have lost their footing in recent years or where there has been an influx of well-to-do newcomers.  In the early 2000s, Kirkwood, Candler Park, and other communities on Atlanta's Eastside virtually flipped from majority black to majority white.  Neighborhoods in The Old Fourth Ward on the city's Northside soon followed suit, with many of the poor unable to remain in the homes they had lived in for generations.  It is a crisis the city must fix.

White and middle-class African Americans moving back to the inner city of Atlanta is o.k. as long as locals are not displaced.  It could help strengthen communities or provide more opportunities for a better way of life.  But the primary goal should be to keep these areas intact for lifelong residents and newcomers to enjoy.

Georgia Leader Makes History

Georgia State Representative Stacy Abrams shocked the world of politics when she became the first African American woman nominated by a major party for governor when she handily defeated her moderate Democratic rival,  also a woman, in Georgia's Democratic Primary for what is expected to be an uphill battle for the state's governorship.

Abrams,  however, made a name for herself long before her stunning victory in the Georgia Democratic Primary for governor.

Abrams' road to success started in her youth.  She was raised by hardworking parents in Gulfport, Mississippi, and Atlanta, Georgia, who emphasized education and community involvement.  As a high school honors student, she worked as a typist for a Congressional campaign and was promoted to speechwriter because of her writing ability and grasp of current events. After graduation,  she enrolled in Spelman College to study Economics, Political Science, and Sociology.  While there,  she was hired by the mayor's office to mentor troubled youth.  After graduating Magnum Cum Laude with a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies,  she earned her J.D. from Yale University and later an MPA from the University of Texas-Austin, as she was on her way to stake her claim in law and politics.

She was hired by one of Atlanta's top law firms. She handled cases involving tax-exempt organizations, healthcare, and public finance.  She was appointed Deputy City Attorney for Atlanta at age 29 due to her reputation as a lawyer. 

Abrams entered politics in 2006.  She won a seat in the Georgia General Assembly as a State Representative and assumed office in 2007.  One of her accomplishments has been to preserve Georgia's H.O.P.E. Scholarship, which helps deserving students pay for most of their college education.  Abrams' Democratic colleagues in the House voted her Minority Leader in 2011 for her leadership ability.

After serving ten years in the Georgia General Assembly,  Abrams threw her hat into the 2018 race for governor.  She received over 70 percent of the vote against her moderate white female opponent in the State Democratic Primary by taking a progressive stance on education and economic development.  She and other Democrats believe the party can take back the governor's office by energizing the base instead of reaching out to Conservatives against her potential GOP challenger,  who's locked in a run-off.  She will either face Secretary of State Brian Kemp,  who's seen as a throwback to Georgia's segregationist past,  or Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, who has the backing of the GOP establishment.

Whomever Abrams faces in the general election for governor of Georgia,  Democrats realize it will be a hard-fought battle.  She will have to run up the score in Metro Atlanta, pick off predominantly black counties in middle and South Georgia, and do well in communities where blacks are half the population.  She must also pound away at issues important to all Georgians.  By doing so,  she will be the victor. 

Source:  Wikipedia

Democrats, Republicans Battle In Georgia

Like other states, Georgia is embroiled in a mid-season election that could be one of the most contentious in State history.

Democrats and Republicans have been charged with fighting for the soul of their party or steering it to the hard right or left.

After a heated primary contest, Republicans are pitting two bitter rivals against each other in the run-off for the GOP nomination for governor.  Secretary of State Brian Kemp, while running one of the most discouraging campaigns in Georgia history, will face Lt. Governor Casey Cagle in July.  Earlier in the campaign,  Kemp ran an ad promising to round up illegal immigrants in his pickup truck and take them back across the border to Mexico,  which garnered him national attention.  He also displayed a rifle in one commercial in support of the Second Amendment.  The candidate labels himself an unapologetic, unconventional conservative in the spirit of Trump.

On the other hand,  Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, who finished first among Republicans in the primary for governor and has the backing of the GOP standard-bearer,  has pledged to run a more conventional race for the state's highest office.  Unlike Kemp,  Cagle promises not to engage in gimmicks to get votes but to emphasize Georgia's growing economy,  a need to strengthen public education, and a sensible approach to immigration to not offend other groups in a state that is becoming less white,  unlike others in the GOP.  If he succeeds,  he will have the help of moderates or independent voters to thank.

Like Republicans,  Democrats seem divided on how to take back the governorship.  Stacy Abrams,  who defeated her Democratic rival handily in the primary to become the first African American woman nominated by a major party for governor,  ran a back-to-the-basics campaign that she plans to continue in the general election.  Abrams thinks Democrats can win without pandering to Republicans or moderates due to shifting demographics and a hatred for Trump that looks promising for the Democratic Party. She feels that reaching out to other groups has not worked in the past and that it is best to energize the base.  But regardless of Abram's big victory over her more conservative opponent,  there are still those in her ranks who strongly feel she will have to appeal to outsiders in what is expected to be a tight race to help close the gap. They have big plans if she wins and doesn't want to leave anything to chance.

Whether Republicans hold on to the governorship in Georgia or Democrats upstage them,  the State will be on a markedly different course for the first time since 1970.

African Americans and the Law

African Americans have dealt with the downside of law enforcement since slavery.  Whether it was the slave catcher,  the Northern police, the Southern sheriff during Jim Crow, or the angry patrolmen of today,  we have endured negative policing with the battle scars to prove it.

The desperate relationship between African Americans and the police,  which seems to have worsened in recent years, won't get any better as long as law enforcement refuses to do a full-scale inspection or see nothing wrong,  which means we must divide and conquer to succeed.

I am not advocating violence or massive resistance to bring about change in the country's legal system or that we get caught up in the hype of fighting law enforcement in the streets.  Instead, bad officers must be rooted out by the courts or internal affairs with irrefutable evidence in conjunction with community policing.  Peaceful marches to uphold the Constitution could also prove helpful even in a country bitterly divided. 

Appealing to the U.S. State Department or United Nations may be another option to dramatize police brutality in the U.S.  Other people or nations utilize such bodies to bring about international pressure or changes in human rights.  It would embarrass the U.S. in the eyes of Russia, China, N. Korea, and other adversaries.

Lastly,  we must condemn violence in the black community, which leads to improper law enforcement tactics.  Many law enforcement officers,  black or white,  see the black community through a tainted lens of crime, unemployment, and broken families instead of areas suffering the effects of years of neglect.  As a result,  they may employ undue pressure to restrain suspects or other forms of disrespect. 

Law enforcement represents the last vestige of Jim Crow in America or the mistreatment of a group of Americans seemingly based on color.  It will only end with the proper tactics or efforts needed to effect change,  such as pitting good officers against bad ones and exposing corruption where it exists.  It is a fight we must never give up when the cards are stacked against us.

In retrospect,  there is a movement in America right now aimed at teaching young black men how to react when confronted by cops that I would like to touch on.  Yes,  they must respect the law, but why aren't white or Asian young males being taught the same lesson?  Black men deserve the respect of other races of men when stopped or questioned by officers of the law because anything less than that is a return to slavery.

Morris Brown College

Many African American colleges or universities founded during Jim Crow or the aftermath of slavery no longer exist today. They fell victim to a lack of funding or a nation willing to integrate, which expanded educational and other opportunities for blacks.  Others have been forced to combine with nearby predominately white institutions to stay afloat or retain some semblance of their past.

Morris Brown College in Atlanta,  Georgia, established in 1881, is one of those HBCUs holding on by a thread or may be forced to close its doors. The school that once hosted WEB Dubois is a shell of its former splendor today. The iconic stadium, dorms, and most classroom buildings are no longer in use or are dilapidated, like an episode of Life Without People. Its remaining faculty and students number less than a hundred.  In its heyday, it educated future doctors, lawyers, and teachers who would go on to make a contribution to their community.  

The school's downward spiral or descent into oblivion started in the 1990s. It faced financial woes first, which may have been due to the mismanagement of funds.  Things got so bad that it could not pay its water bill. The final blow occurred when MBC lost its accreditation in 2002, and support from the United Negro College fund dried up, forcing nearly all students to flee for greener pastures elsewhere.

The shame surrounding MBC's steep decline is that the black community has lost or is in the process of losing another great institution of higher learning.  Just think about the thousands of young men and women who called it home or found their place in the world dating back generations.  They studied hard, joined fraternities and sororities,  partied well into the night, played sports, or met their first love.  It was ours, one of our best, where a few die-hard pupils and teachers hang on until the bitter end.

Let's save MBC and others like it in the future.  Yes, they are relevant in a society ripping apart at the seams.

Black Men Today

African American men make up approximately six percent of the U.S. population.  We live in big cities and small towns in every part of the country.  Some of us are college graduates, factory workers, or white-collar employees seeking the American dream.

We also fight for our right to exist in this country or realize our dreams despite the many obstacles we face.  Without doing so,  we would be less than men in a world of opportunity. 

It is the hope of our forefathers that pushes us to be great or not to give up.  We are expected to finish school, raise our sons, and be faithful to the community we call home, regardless of what others may think. We are pushed to lead in the military, on college campuses, or in the sports arena that men so love.

Despite such high expectations or faith in tomorrow,  society or those who may feel uneasy by black men target us. They do so with fear of a corrupt legal system that supposes to keep us down or prevent us from rising to the top.  So, they restrict employment, arrest us en masse, or knock down businesses we have started, like during Jim Crow or a faulty notion called integration. The system also doubts our achievements or role in building this great country and the world. Worse than that,  those in charge seem to saddle us with government assistance instead of expanding the economy to include the inner city or rural America, which could help end senseless poverty everywhere.

However, as black men, we can be our own worst enemies.  It is not always outside forces wishing to control or disrupt our lives.  Black men make the decisions to break the law, leave their families, or drop out of school in record numbers, which breeds poverty in places where it is needed the least.  We have also failed to participate wholeheartedly in the free enterprise system in recent years like other minority groups. If we don't acknowledge our faults, nothing will change or improve the black man's standing in America or the world.

I love being a black man. I always have. I love our style, politics, and determination to succeed. My only hope is that we realize our full potential or educate ourselves to the fullest so we can assume our rightful place in businesses, government, economics, and science like at the turn of the Twenty Century.  To have something to call his own is what every man strives for.

The future looks bright for black men in America. A wealth of educational and economic opportunities await him in a growing economy. I am confident he can continue to prosper or feel good about himself in a world that may be indifferent to his background, culture, or appearance.  He will rise above it all like generations past and be proud at the end of the day.

Puerto Rico Left Behind

A category four hurricane hit Puerto Rico in early September of 2017, followed by an equally powerful storm two weeks later that nearly wiped the island off the face of the Earth.

It still suffers from massive infrastructure damage,  including widespread loss of power and clean drinking water, despite being a U. S. territory.

The Trump Administration,  like the Bush White House during Katrina, has dropped the ball in helping Puerto Rico rebuild. The administration points to logistics as the main reason for not responding with full force to the crisis there, which breaks the hearts of many.

The fact that Puerto Rico is located hundreds of miles off the coast of Florida and is surrounded by water on all sides shouldn't diminish its importance or the role we should play in rescuing it from the depths of despair. The U.S. helped rebuild Europe after World War Two. Why not extend the same favor to American citizens? But Trump seems to think that the only people worth his time are those of his base and that everyone else can fend for themselves.

Due to the dire situation on the island,  thousands have been in search of a safe haven on the continental U.S.  They seek medical care,  education for their children, and a decent place to live,  which seems out of reach today following one of the most devastating acts of nature in American History.  And due to a domestic policy geared toward exclusion by the current administration or a lack of concern for those perceived as "outsiders,"  their transition or efforts to overcome hardship will be doubly hard.

Maybe the Trump White House will one day emerge from a self-imposed exile and deal squarely with  Puerto Rico instead of reaching out exclusively or caring only about those who voted G.O.P. in the last presidential election.