A Crucial Decision

 America is electing a new president, and two major contenders are vying for the office. One has distinguished herself as a leader for women's rights. Many characterize the other as a charlatan with his best interests at heart. The country will have the opportunity to turn the page or get mired in the past. 

By choosing the latter, the nation risks repeating ideas that failed or being further divided by a man who evidently chose style over substance. 

Trump, the man seeking a non-consecutive second term in office, has vowed to destroy the country from within by rebuking his opponents and setting the stage for a culture war with various institutions at his disposal. To that end, he will rely heavily on the Supreme Court, which he packed with conservative ideologues during his first term and those in his inner circle unwilling to tell him no.

Trump may also employ the federal judiciary to halt criminal actions against him. For instance, Trump will nominate judges who can manipulate the system, or he will bank on the recent Supreme Court ruling, which granted him immunity from prosecution in matters involving official White House business or Constitutional duties. If interpreted correctly, nothing the former president is accused of should meet the guidelines. Conservatives have often petitioned the courts to overturn longstanding precedents, such as with Roe v. Wade. Trump will pick up the mantle if granted four more years in office. 

There is also worry that if granted a second term, Trump will govern recklessly with no guardrails. Even though there is a system of checks and balances, Trump, with a possible Republican-controlled Congress and a Conservative-leaning Supreme Court in his pocket, could introduce legislation detrimental to the country, such as overturning Brown v. Board of Education, the Voting and Civil Rights Acts, Miranda v. Arizona, and Loving v. Virginia. A total abortion ban may also be on the docket, as well as police immunity in cases involving brutality or officer wrongdoing.  Lastly, Trump may take extreme measures on immigration, even for those entering the country legally, such as travel bans.

The past should be a guide to Trump's leadership style. The forty-fifth president is betting the country has amnesia or is blindsided by the inflation he laid the foundation for. He gave tax breaks to those who didn't deserve them and flatlined the economy with his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the supply chain is suffering due to corporate greed and mistakes made by the previous administration. Trump inherited stellar economic conditions but squandered them.

When Americans go to the polls, they should reflect on how millions lost their lives to COVID-19, how corporations were given the green light to overcharge consumers, and how controversy rocked the Whitehouse four short years ago, which created the situation we find ourselves in today.

They Should Rethink Their Choice

 I have listened to African Americans who have turned their back on the Democrats. I am not a Democrat or a Republican, and I have voted for both parties. On this issue, however, I side with the Democrats. Often, when Biden advanced legislation that would have benefited African Americans, such as the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, it was voted down by Sen. John Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia, who held the party hostage, and Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat of Arizona, after receiving money from liberal donors. Their votes were crucial to the slim Democratic majority in the Senate. Republicans and the conservative-leaning Supreme Court also played a significant role in dismantling the president's agenda, such as the student loan forgiveness program.

Biden bashers also claim Trump poured money into historically black colleges and universities. If so, it was done to curtail black enrollment at predominantly white colleges. It is the oldest trick in the White Supremacy playbook. For example, when the Supreme Court outlawed segregation in public education in 1954, Southern States rushed to upgrade segregated schools or abide by Plessy v. Ferguson 1896, which declared that segregation or separate facilities for white and black people, such as eating establishments and schools, were legal as long as they were equal. In other words, they sought to stalemate or hinder the court's decision. 

President Biden and the Democrats have enacted legislation beneficial to the African American community, despite what critics may claim. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Rescue Plan of 2021 issued stimulus checks to struggling Americans. It also provided parents $300.00 a month for each child under six and $200.00 for those between the ages of six and eighteen. It lifted millions of kids from poverty before its demise and could be resurrected with Republican support. Moreover, the historic bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has allocated billions for roads, bridges, and other projects in so-called red and blue States, translating into construction opportunities for young black men. And to stimulate the supply chain after the COVID-19 shutdown, Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which capped the cost of Insulin at $35.00 and added jobs. Lastly, the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act finally saw the light of day nearly seventy years after the young boy was brutally murdered, something his mother and others fought so hard for.

Aside from passing historic pieces of legislation, Democrats claim to be keeping White Supremacists or MAGA Republicans at bay, who long for the past. It is believed by many that MAGA Republicans desire to overturn the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution and undo the 1954 ruling on segregation in public education if Trump is re-elected and Republicans take control of Congress. Such actions would dismantle the hard work of the Civil Rights Movement.

Critics also worry that if Trump and far-right Conservatives take control in 2025, other laws this country takes for granted will be at risk. They include Virginia v. Loving (1967), Miranda v. Arizona (1966), and the Supreme Court ruling affirming gay marriage (2015), for instance. There is also concern that abortion rights will be totally banned, the Affordable Care Act abolished, and both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 invalidated. Finally, Trump has pledged to give police federal immunity in cases involving brutality. 

Since Biden is no longer on the ballot, it is up to Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, to convey to the American people that the country may not survive another Trump presidency unscathed. The nation must rally around her for the best possible outcome, regardless of one's views on the issues. 

The Redlining Factor

De facto segregation existed in most American cities during the dark days of Jim Crow, with the effects felt today.

De facto segregation or segregation on a geographical basis involved customs, choice, or institutional racism rather than law. It was upheld by those in power with harsh penalties for anyone who dared defy the system.

Redlining played a major role in De facto segregation, denying African Americans the right to buy a home wherever they chose. It kept blacks confined to a particular area as banks refused to approve mortgages for them in affluent or white neighborhoods, or a red line was drawn around predominantly black neighborhoods, indicating they would be turned down by a lending institution. Black homeowners were also prevented from getting home improvement loans, and the value of their property was often deflated when they tried to sell or move up the social ladder. It was common practice in the North as a covert form of discrimination with federal backing. Southern whites, however, relied on overt measures to keep blacks out of their communities, such as lynching, physical assaults, intimidation, and death. 

In many instances, redlining resulted in ghettos or poor inner-city neighborhoods. The value of homes often plummeted as homeowners found it difficult to borrow money for upkeep, sometimes falling prey to shady loan deals or rent-to-own schemes. Also, African Americans who were lucky relocated to the suburbs, leaving behind the less fortunate. As a result, black students attended segregated schools or were bused to areas less welcoming. In later years, food deserts emerged as once-proud bodegas and corner markets closed their doors, and chain stores and strip malls shied away from the areas. It was common practice across the country in so-called blighted communities.

Lastly, de facto segregation, strengthened by redlining, impacted rural areas particularly hard. In the 1970s, an African American businessman and future mayor of a predominantly black community in Southwest Georgia voiced his concerns on the local radio station about how black neighborhoods were less developed than the white ones.  Many lacked tree-lined streets and paved roads, which made driving difficult, and were built without sidewalks, parks, or streetlights for safety. To add insult to injury, older homes lacked indoor plumbing and had outhouses in the back.  

As a result, a law was passed that mandated homes within the city limits be equipped with an indoor toilet, sink, and bathtub. Landlords often attached small rooms to the back of older homes as a solution that could be entered from inside or the back porch. The dirt roads disappeared during the Funk and Disco era, but the sidewalks never materialized. 

 

It Would be Difficult to Replace Biden, Who Deserves the Nomination

In the past, political bosses picked their party's nominees for president even after the advent of the primary system. This was to ensure the best possible man, as it were at the time, would get the job if there was no agreed-upon candidate or the convention deadlocked. It could mean as many as thirty or more ballots were cast before a leader was deemed suitable to those involved in the time-consuming process. Sometimes, it bore fruit, and at others, it didn't. 

In the 1960 Democratic presidential primaries, John F. Kennedy aspired to win as many primaries as possible to prevent a brokered convention. He enlisted his brother, Bobby, to keep his delegates in line or loyal to him and poached other delegates from rival candidates. After winning his party nomination, Kennedy narrowly defeated Vice President Richard Nixon in the general election.

Eight years later, in 1968, following the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, Vice President Hubert Humphrey was awarded the Democratic nomination. Humphrey had not competed in the primaries, and Senator Gene McCarthy held the delegate lead, likely after picking up Kennedy defectors. Humphrey lost a nail-biter to former Vice President Richard Nixon on election night in November.

Finally, in 1976, President Ford nearly lost the Republican nomination to Governor Ronald Reagan of California, even though he accumulated more delegates while campaigning in the states that held primaries and caucuses. Ford suffered a narrow defeat to Jimmy Carter, an unknown governor from Georgia. 

It would be difficult to pull this off today or replace Biden since the rules are stricter, and he has met the delegate threshold.  If I am not mistaken, the Democratic delegates are bound to the presumptive nominee, or what is a closed convention. 

Male Bonding

 Men need male companionship no matter how hard they try to avoid it.  A woman is his wife, sister, mother, aunt, or partner.  She is not intended to be his buddy, homeboy, or someone he can discuss women's issues with or hang out with. 

Boys form pivotal relationships, some lasting a lifetime or in spirit. It is a rite of passage for young men on their path to manhood.

The black barbershop has survived for this reason. It is a sacred place where black men fellowship or air their differences. They get a fresh cut and feel they belong. Some come without needing the barber's service and depart better than when they entered.  

The church, lodges, fraternities, nightclubs, colleges, and other hangouts provided similar services, strengthening the Civil Rights Movement.

Men need friends or the proper male companion, whether someone in the community, a son, or a long-lost buddy. I learned this growing up or being around guys my age at work or in the community. Having friends, and someone to talk to or ask a favor makes life easier and a joy to be alive.

We all Matter

Everyone has a story. Don't overlook anyone or think they have nothing to contribute or bold to say.

Ordinary Americans participated in the Civil Rights Movement. They were Sharecroppers, like Fannie Lou Hamer, or a retired soldier, such as Jimmie Lee Jackson, who was murdered protecting his mother and grandfather from racist state patrolmen.

I hate it when people don't see or go out of their way to avoid me because of my status in their eyes. They think they are better based on their assets. They should get to know the man behind the glasses or simple clothes.  

I am delighted, however, when a beautiful woman or upscale guy speaks or says hello.  It shows positive home training or someone who did not put themselves on a pedestal.

Whitewashing

The whitewashing of history is a strategy that dates back to the post-Civil War period. It involves attempts to omit the contributions of Black people in fields such as Science, Math, medicine, and other areas. Additionally, it seeks to rewrite the past in favor of white individuals by downplaying the effects of Slavery, Jim Crow laws, and racism.  This includes banning the teaching of subjects in schools that shed light on the struggles faced by people of color at the hands of their oppressors, as well as highlighting their resilience as a community.

Gaslighting is a key component of whitewashing as it relates to African Americans. It is blaming black people for their lot in society or any cruelty they experience in a culture that views them as less than. In simple terms, it is "flipping the script." For example, if an unarmed black man is shot in the back while fleeing the police, a biased legal system may criticize him for being afraid, without considering whether he would receive fair treatment in court.

Black people and like-minded individuals must reveal the truth and keep our story alive. This may involve building our own schools, calling out bigots, and holding wrongdoers accountable. Doing nothing is not an option; we have a rich history, and we are making significant contributions today. We must be prepared, Black people; we have important work to do.