Six Former Mississippi Police Officers Plead Guilty to Assault Charges

Attorney Malik Shabazz (pictured right) speaks at a Feb. 15 press conference on behalf of Michael Jenkins (pictured 2nd left) with Jenkins’ mother, Mary Jenkins (left), and his father, Mel Jenkins (2nd right) File Photo by Kayode Crown

By: Adonis Armstrong

Six former Mississippi police officers admitted guilt on Thursday, Aug. 3rd, in connection with race-fueled assault charges, with most of them identifying as The Goon Squad, known for their willingness to use excessive force, according to WJTV.

Based on court documents, the officers barged into a Braxton residence without a warrant and forcibly handcuffed Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in January. For approximately 90 minutes, Jenkins and Parker endured various torturous acts, including being shot with tasers, subjected to a form of "waterboarding" involving milk, chocolate syrup, and alcohol, and experiencing anally penetrating with an unidentified object. One of the accused even put a gun in Jenkins' mouth and pulled the trigger, causing a bullet to fracture his jaw, lacerate his tongue, and inflict severe neck injuries.

In an effort to conceal their evil actions, the former officers planted a firearm and methamphetamine on the victims and tampered with home surveillance footage, spent shell cases, and taser cartridges. As a result, Jenkins faced charges of aggravated assault and controlled substance possession, while Parker was accused of disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia.

After a civil rights investigation conducted by the Justice Department, the disturbing situation came to light, resulting in multiple charges against each of the six former officers. Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, and Daniel Opdyke, who were part of the Rankin County Sheriff's Department, and Joshua Hartfield, a former member of the Richland Police Department, have admitted to various offenses, including conspiracy against rights, obstructions of justice, deprivation of rights under color of law, discharge of a firearm under a crime of violence, and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Additionally, Dedmon, Elward, and Opdyke pleaded guilty to three federal felony offenses for a separate incident from December 2022. U.S. District Judge Tom Lee announced that all six individuals will be sentenced in November.

Ex-Mississippi officers plead guilty to racist assault on 2 Black men during raid

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Tulsa Race Massacre Survivors' Reparations Lawsuit dismissed by Oklahoma Judge

Tulsa Race Massacre survivors from left Lessie Benningfield Randle, Viola Fletcher, and Hughes Van Ellis in June 2021. (Brandon Bell/ Getty Images)

By: Adonis Armstrong

An Oklahoma judge has dismissed a reparations lawsuit filed on behalf of the three remaining survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, putting an end to the legal fight that aimed to rebuild the former Greenwood community and establish a survivors fund. The ruling was delivered on Friday July 7th.

Lessie Benningfield Randle, aged 108, Viola Fletcher, aged 109, and Hughes Van Ellis, aged 102, who were all young children at the time, are among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The devastating event saw their prosperous Black community, known as the "Black Wall Street," burned to the ground by a violent mob of white individuals following allegations of an assault. The massacre resulted in the displacement of thousands of people and the estimated loss of hundreds of lives.

In May 2022, New York philanthropist and co-founder of the nonprofit Business for Good, Ed Mitzen, generously contributed $1 million to Fletcher, Randle, and Ellis, aiming to alleviate financial hardships for their families and express solidarity towards their experiences. Mitzen expressed his deep disappointment and described the dismissal of their lawsuit as an "incredibly sad development," he told NBC News, emphasizing the significance of supporting the centenarians and acknowledging the importance of their stories.

Attorneys representing the city of Tulsa presented their case for the dismissal, contending that, “Simply being connected to a historical event does not provide a person with unlimited rights to seek compensation from any project in any way related to that historical event.” Judge Caroline Wall ruled in favor with them.

“Upon hearing the arguments of counsel and considering the briefs filed by counsel for plaintiffs and counsel for defendants, the court respectfully finds and order the plaintiffs’ second amended petition should and shall be dismissed with prejudice,” according to documents on the state's court network, Wall stated in her ruling. The ruling bars the lawsuit from being resubmitted in state court, although the survivors still have the option to pursue an appeal.

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D.C. Judge Orders Proud Boys to Pay $1M+ for Destroying BLM Sign at Historic Black Church

Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.

By: Adonis Armstrong

The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, a historic institution in Washington, D.C., has recently been granted a default judgment exceeding $1 million in a lawsuit against the Proud Boys. The lawsuit was initiated by the church, situated about six blocks away from the White House, three years ago, accusing over a dozen members of the white supremacist group of vandalizing a Black Lives Matter sign.

A number of individuals affiliated with the organization were alleged to have trespassed onto the premises of the church by scaling a fence, subsequently vandalizing the property by tearing down a Black Lives Matter banner that was securely fastened. This inconsiderate act reportedly occurred in December 2020 during a heated confrontation between supporters and opponents of former President Donald Trump. The lawsuit sought compensation amounting to thousands of dollars, intended for enhancing the church's security measures and acquiring a replacement banner.

On Friday (June 30), Judge Neal E. Kravitz of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia issued a ruling in favor of the institution as the defendants, which included former leader Enrique Tarrio, failed to appear in court. “For generations, the leaders of Metropolitan AME and the members of its congregation have vocally and publicly supported movements for civil rights and racial justice,” Kravitz stated in the ruling acquired by CNN. “Church leaders and congregants view supporting the Black Lives Matter movement as a continuation of the church’s mission of advocacy for civil rights and racial justice.”

As part of the verdict, Kravitz determined that an additional $1 million in punitive damages must be paid. The Proud Boys mentioned in the lawsuit are also enjoined from approaching the church within a 100-yard radius. Moreover, they are prohibited from issuing threats to Reverend William H. Lamar IV, the pastor of the church, and making slanderous statements about him.

“We refuse to live in a nation where that kind of violence has the last word. We will never be silent,” On Saturday July 1st, Reverend William H. Lamar IV conveyed to The New York Times. Yesterday July 2nd, the church commemorated its 185th anniversary.

This decision sends a clear message that acts of hatred and destruction will not be tolerated, and that justice will be served. We hope this serves as a precedent to protect other institutions and communities from similar acts of vandalism and intimidation.

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Supreme Court Rules Affirmative Action Programs in Education Unconstitutional

During the 2015-'16 term, when race-conscious college admissions were last upheld, a protester in favor of affirmative action demonstrated outside the Supreme Court. (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)

By: Adonis Armstrong

The educational system faces significant impact as the Supreme Court's decision raises concerns about potential racial discrimination.

Today June 29th, the Supreme Court of the United States delivered a verdict declaring affirmative action programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina as unconstitutional. According to The Washington Post, the court deemed the schools usage of racial factors in their admissions process to be a violation of the Constitution's equal protection guarantee. Consequently, this ruling brings an end to the systems that were established to facilitate access to higher education for Black and Latino students.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., representing the conservative members in the majority, expressed their position in a written decision letter. “The student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual — not on the basis of race,” he penned. “Many universities have for too long done just the opposite. And in doing so, they have concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”

Particularly, Roberts highlighted the admission programs of Harvard and UNC, “lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful end points.”

In dissenting with the court's ruling, Justices Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Sonia Sotomayor expressed their opposition to the decision. “Today, this court stands in the way and rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress. It holds that race can no longer be used in a limited way in college admissions to achieve such critical benefits,” Sotomayor stated. “In so holding, the court cements a superficial rule of colorblindness as a constitutional principle in an endemically segregated society where race has always mattered and continues to matter.” Due to her previous involvement on a board at Harvard University, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson recused herself from the case related to the institution.

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Mississippi Resident Files $400M Lawsuit Over Jaw Shooting Incident

By: Adonis Armstrong

A federal lawsuit seeking $400 million in damages has been filed by a Mississippi resident who narrowly escaped death after being shot in the mouth, all while being detained alongside his companion by six police officers from Rankin County. The incident took place during an alleged drug raid.

On February 15th, Eddie Terrell Parker (left) and Michael Corey Jenkins can be seen seated in a room at the office of lawyer Trent Walker in Jackson, Mississippi. (Aallyah Wright/Capital B)

Michael Corey Jenkins, aged 32, and Eddie T. Parker, aged 35, both African American, allege that their constitutional rights were infringed upon on January 24th. This occurred when deputies from Rankin County's Sheriff's Department forcefully entered Parker's residence, placed the men in handcuffs, and conducted a drug search. Despite unlawfully entering Parker's home, their attorney, Malik Z. Shabazz, informed Capital B that during the incident the officers use, “excessive interrogation methods to coerce a confession.”

Among the defendants listed in the lawsuit, three officers, including Hunter Elward, who were present at the residence in Braxton, Mississippi, as well as Sheriff Byran Bailey, have been named as codefendants. Jenkins alleges that Elward, during the incident, discharged a firearm and inflicted severe, potentially life-threatening injuries to his jaw and tongue. The lawsuit further states that following the incident, Elward falsely accused Jenkins of pointing a gun at him, resulting in the filing of wrongful criminal charges.

For almost two hours, the individuals were subjected to a series of disturbing actions which included frequent punches, kicks, slaps, electric shocks from stun guns, and relentless racist remarks, all conducted in an extremely juvenile and peculiar manner. As stated in the lawsuit, the officers also allegedly made an attempt to sexually assault Jenkins and Parker using a sex toy. When their efforts to commit this evil act against Jenkins were frustrated due to him defecating on himself, the officers responded by engaging in immature and bizarre behavior, laughing, throwing eggs at them, and forcing them to remove their clothing and take a shower together.

The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department has initiated a federal investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff's Office regarding this matter. However, it has not been officially disclosed whether the allegation of attempted sexual assault will be part of the investigation. On May 8th, Shabazz wrote a letter to the Civil Rights Division urging them to examine the case as a hate crime. A spokesperson from the Civil Rights Division has acknowledged the receipt of Shabazz's letter.

This isn’t the first time the Rankin County Sheriff Department has been handed a lawsuit. I hope this is the lawsuit to promote change in the department.

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Family Demands Arrest of White Woman in Fatal Shooting of Black Neighbor

Ajike “AJ” Owens

By: Adonis Armstrong

Calls for the arrest of an unidentified white woman are echoing among Florida residents after she reportedly confronted and verbally abused her Black neighbor's children before fatally shooting their mother.

NBC News reported on Monday June 6th that a prolonged feud between a 58-year-old woman and her neighbor's children reached a tragic outcome on Friday June 2nd. As civil rights attorney Ben Crump stated, Ajike "AJ" Owens' children were playing in a field near an apartment complex in Ocala when the woman, identified as white, started shouting at them to leave her property, accompanied by racial slurs.

Following the verbal altercation, according to Crump, the children inadvertently left an iPad behind, which the 58-year-old woman allegedly seized. The woman reportedly threw the device when one of Owens' children approached to retrieve it, striking the boy's head and causing the iPad screen to crack, as noted by the attorney.

When their mother Ajike heard about the incident, Owens crossed the street to talk to the woman about it. “She knocked on the door, and at that point, the woman allegedly shot through the door, hitting AJ, who later died from her injuries,” the attorney stated.

We have been retained by the family of Ajike “AJ” Owens. We will continue to stand alongside her relatives and community members as they demand accountability for the deceased mother of four. #AjikeOwens pic.twitter.com/bEcnTYb729

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) June 5, 2023

Pamela Dias, Owens' mother, who addressed the incident on Monday, affirmed that her child did not present any form of threat to the neighbor. “The mother, the protector of her children, she wanted to know why this happened — a closed, locked door. The door never opened. My daughter, my grandchildren’s mother, was shot and killed with her 9-year-old son standing next to her. She had no weapon. She posed no imminent threat to anyone,” Dias revealed.

During a news conference yesterday, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods refrained from confirming or denying Crump's description of the events. However, the sheriff acknowledged that at least two of Owens' children may have been present and witnessed the shooting. “The children are a big part of answering a lot of our questions,” Woods stated. The police have verified that Owens and the 58-year-old individual were involved in a heated altercation, and it has been confirmed that Owens was shot through the door. “I wish our shooter would have called us instead of taking actions into her own hands,” he also added.

No arrest has been made yet due to Florida's stand your ground laws, but that is not stopping the community from demanding justice because now four children are motherless.

News conference: Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods gives update on deadly shooting investigation

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Statue Honoring Emmett Till's Mother Unveiled at Illinois Alma Mater

Mamie Till-Mobley (Credit: Getty Images)

By: Adonis Armstrong

On April 29th, 2023, a statue honoring Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till, was unveiled at her alma mater, the Argo Community High School in Chicago, Illinois. The statue, which depicts Till-Mobley holding a photo of her son, serves as a powerful reminder of her unwavering strength and courage in the face of immense tragedy.

Mamie Till-Mobley was the mother of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy who was brutally lynched in 1955 after allegedly whistling at a white woman while visiting family in Mississippi. Till-Mobley's decision to hold an open casket funeral for her son, which allowed the world to see the horrific brutality of his murder, helped galvanize the Civil Rights Movement and brought national attention to the issue of racial violence and discrimination.

Unveiling of the Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Memorial Walkway pic.twitter.com/DDQKKCs8aO

— Argo Community HS (@argohs217) April 30, 2023

Argo Community High School unveiled an 850-pound sculpture by Sonja Henderson, who began working on it in 2021. The sculpture depicts Till-Mobley giving a speech at a Civil Rights event, standing at a podium and reading from a piece of paper with a picture of her son in front. The front of the podium features wise words inscribed by Mamie Till-Moble, 'We are only given a certain amount of time to do what we were sent here to do. You don’t have to be around a long time to share the wisdom of a lifetime. There is no time to waste.”

The unveiling ceremony was attended by a diverse group of people, including members of Till-Mobley's family, Civil Rights activists, and community leaders. The statue is expected to become a symbol of hope and resilience for generations to come, inspiring people to remember the sacrifices of those who came before them and to continue fighting for justice and equality for all.

The unveiling of the statue comes at a time of heightened racial tensions in the United States, with incidents of police brutality and hate crimes against minorities continuing to make headlines. The statue serves as a reminder that while progress has been made, there is still much work to be done to achieve true equality and justice for all.

The statue of Mamie Till-Mobley is a powerful tribute to a remarkable woman who turned her grief into action and inspired a movement. It serves as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done to achieve true equality and justice, and as an inspiration to future generations to continue fighting for a better world.

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Crutches & Spice: How Activist Imani Barbarin is Changing Narratives Through TikTok

Imani Barbarin / Credit: Hannah Price

By: Alexis Oatman

Funny. Charismatic. Outspoken. That’s how some people may describe Imani Barbarin, one of disability activism’s leading voices. Barbarin, known as @crutches_and_spice on TikTok, always begins her popular videos with a single objective: having uncomfortable but productive conversations about the lack of intersectionality within social justice movements, and more particularly, the disability sphere. For instance, in one of her most recent videos, Barbarin explains how white people pick and choose when to be in solidarity with BIPOC, treating allyship as an option that can be revoked anytime. “If you’re not nice while asking for it, they have the option to tap out,” she says in the video. “Racism for them is a special interest; racism for you is your life.” 

Barbarian has a keen knack for making challenging conversations digestible and accessible, whether she’s discussing ableism and white supremacy or pop culture. Though she may not be a formal educator, she’s still offering vital lessons. Her dry humor, which shines in every video, helps her message resonate, which is one of the reasons she’s garnered 150,000 followers and 6.4 million likes on TikTok and more than 100,000 followers on Twitter. During the past 16 months, TikTok broadened its reach through challenges and other entertaining bits, keeping more than 100 million users engaged throughout the pandemic and allowing some Black creators, including Barbarin and food influencer Tabitha Brown, to reach even new audiences.

As a fat, black, queer, disabled woman, her using her platform in this way is not only unheard of and long overdue. Barbarin has often pointed out how Black voices are silenced in this realm. However, this is nothing new for Black people: While we’re often the first people on the frontline to fight against inequality, our voices are often washed out by our white counterparts in what are supposedly “safe spaces.” 

Navigating through multiple identities at once allows her authenticity to shine through and is why I think she connects so well with her fans. 

Though Barbarin, who works as a communications manager, has been working within the disability movement for quite a long time, she knows all too well how Black people are intentionally silenced when they call out racism, homophobia, and ableism within the movement—and she now has the platform to push back.

Presently, the internet and social media have become an integral part of shifting cultural lexicons. Social media stars have been able to capitalize off their platforms and build an audience representative of whatever they choose. However, when we think of the phrase “influencer,” we need to think more profoundly about what these people are influencing the public to do. The content Barbarin is making opens up the space allowing allies and BIPOC to have those open and honest dialogues, but she does in as little as 15 seconds with her videos that are available for millions to share (and they do) with the touch of a finger. 

Barbarin recently spoke out against Britney Spears and the controversy around her 13-year-long conservatorship in another TikTok video, noting the gaslighting that members from the disabled can feel from the non-disabled community. Spears conservatorship has opened up the gateway to conversations about how disabled people are treated and perceived in society.

“Nobody’s saying her situation is not horrific, but it’s not unique,” she says in the video. “This is something disabled people are scared of all the time.” she says in the video. Barbarin went on to explain how there can be many occurrences in which disabled people end up asking the wrong question "to the wrong person and wind up in a conservatorship or guardianship." 

She made it clear that while the critics are dissecting the Spears situation and holding it up as some shocking example of celebrity injustice, "this could literally happen to anybody with a mental health diagnosis or not." 

Barbarin’s now facing immense harassment, including being called racial slurs and being doxxed by trolls. Being a Black woman on the internet in the current social climate can be terrifying, especially if you’re strong-willed and have something to say. While Barbarin’s conversations prove necessary, it's not only sickening to the amount of abuse this opens her up to. These social media platforms often work as a breeding ground for racism, misogyny, and homophobia, allowing many of these troll accounts to go unchecked. 

This shouldn't be surprising, though, unfortunately, Black women are among the most abused group on Twitter, according to data from Amnesty International, a global human rights organization based in the UK. Their data found that nearly 84 percent of Black women were more likely to be disproportionately targeted than their white counterparts. At least one in every ten tweets mentioning Black women was found to be abusive or problematic, compared to one in 15 for white women. 

With her sheer will allowing her to push forward and continue making content despite harassment, Barbarin has made it abundantly clear that her identities are not optional and that the world needs to see and recognize her as a Black disabled woman. 

By not identifying those things, people are not only marginalizing her experience but also putting her in harm’s way. “It’s important that people see and affirm me as a Black disabled woman because I have to move about in the world as such. By not recognizing those things, people are either isolating me or putting me in danger,” she said in a recent statement with VICE. “People who have never had to place qualifiers in their identity have never had to form a community to survive. People love to believe they aren’t defined by our identities or what we present to the world, but by the same breath with which they decry labels, we are able to find people who share ours.”

While many women on social media simply ignore trolls, this harassment can lead some to silence themselves or quit the platform altogether. A joint statement by the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on Violence against Women and Freedom of Expression revealed that the abuse women receive online can "chill and disrupt the online participation of women journalists, activists, human rights defenders, artists and other public figures and private persons." 

Poet and author Maya Angelou describes courage as one of the most important of all virtues. Why? "Because without courage, you cannot practice any other virtue consistently," Angelou said. "You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage." Barbarin has demonstrated courage not only in her existence but in her work. To grow as a society and get to the point of being post-racism, post-homophobia, and so on, we need to have those tough conversations. These types of discussions open minds and allow a realistic chance for growth. The best way to do this is by meeting people where they are. 

Barbarin not only builds off her experience and expertise in communications to appeal to a broader audience, but she’s changing the narrative of how we view disability and open people’s eyes to the prevalent casual ableism in society today. 

Barbarin’s capacity to stand so firmly in who she is, without fear or shame, is inspiring millions, and for a good reason. The social media star recently signed with a talent agency, so she’ll continue influencing people to think differently about how disabled people of color are excluded from the very movements intended to improve their lives. Barbarin is one of the most critical voices in the modern fight against injustice, and her millions of followers, myself included, we’ll be tuning in every step of the way.

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Make Racists Afraid Again: Army Sergeant Jonathan Pentland Charged With Assault

By: Kwana Adams

Our last two presidents have caused such a divide when it comes to race, but each in their own ways. People were so upset when Barack Obama was elected president, and those same people maintained a cult-like admiration for the next president Donald Trump. I call it cult-like because he did not even have to say things outright, yet his supporters would completely “understood” what he said and took it to extremes.

They liked him so much because he’s a great businessman (been bankrupt four times), and he “tells it like it is” (extremely offensive, downright rude, and disrespectful). I know that the general public likes to think the race line was drawn when Trump became president, but it was years before. Many horrid and racist things about Barack Obama were said, written, and drawn on poster boards because a black man dared to create history. Donald Trump led a whole campaign about the status of Obama’s birth certificate. He made his supporters feel bold enough to say what they want to say too. 

We started going out into the streets demanding our lives to matter, and they spoke over us with ‘All lives matter.’ Barack Obama brought them out of hiding, but Donald Trump made them bold; so bold that they would proudly spew hatred on social media with their full names and places of employment on display. They would proudly be caught on video spewing hatred, too… until it goes viral. Suddenly, they’re sorry, it’s not who they are, and they didn’t mean it.

Their lives shouldn’t be ruined because of a simple mistake. Aw, are we supposed to feel bad for them? I don’t. If you’re going to say racist, awful things, then say it with your whole chest. Stand ten toes on it. Don’t change it up now because you got caught in 4K. You meant what you said. Now you have to deal with the consequences.

My favorite thing is seeing racists lose their jobs, scholarships, and enrollment in colleges and high schools. Some people really believe that free speech means “freedom to say what you want and nothing happens.” Not anymore. You’re being held accountable. You’re losing your privileges, and sometimes you’re getting punched in the face. Freedom of speech does not mean you can say whatever you want and get away with it. 

I am so tired of seeing videos of white people verbally and physically assaulting black people. They’re triggering and, quite frankly, traumatizing. It physically hurts to see black people being shoved around, spit at, or called names just for simply existing. I do admit that video evidence is essential, but it rarely helps us, and when it does, it’s really refreshing.

A white man recently decided to intimidate and push around a much smaller black man because he was walking through the neighborhood. That man thought he was so tough until that video went viral. He got arrested, and black people showed up in droves outside of his house.

Jonathan Pentland, a US Army sergeant, was charged with assault for shoving that man whose only crime was minding his own damn business, and I feel great about it. The way he pushed around that man was despicable. It’s heartbreaking that we have to record interactions with white people so often because we could end up in a horrible situation.

We need racists to go back to being afraid. We need to keep holding them accountable, like Jonathan Pentland and Miya Ponsetto, so they don’t keep believing they can harm us and endanger our lives without repercussions. Make examples out of them and make racists afraid again.

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Stop Asian Hate: Support a Cause Without Degrading Another

By: Kwana Adams

There has been a lot of Anti-Asian hate crimes happening all over the world. It’s been a thing since the pandemic started over a year ago, but it has gotten significantly worse over the recent months.

Recently, there was a mass shooting in Georgia that took the life of six out of 8 women of Asian descent. Although the gunman himself claimed the crime was not racially motivated, it’s hard to believe, seeing as though all the victims were of Asian descent and mostly women.

Older people of Asian descent have been the biggest victims of Anti-Asian hate crimes lately too, and it’s hard to ignore or deny the fact that Asian people are being targeted. This is a topic that deserves a lot more attention than it’s getting and people are trying to raise awareness.

However, I’ve noticed something off about the way some people are bringing awareness to this issue…Why is it that people are degrading the Black Lives Matter movement to uplift the Anti-Asian hate crime movement? You know these two issues can co-exist right? And each movement is equally as important. There have been numerous Tik Toks and tweets saying things along the lines of, “Y’all were loud for BLM so why aren’t you being loud for this?” or when a black person commits a crime against an Asian person, here come the “But BLM right?” comments. 

I want to see how passionately people (incl other POC) will stand up for Asians. Those of you who were so vocal w BLM, where are you on the 1900% increase in Asian-directed hate crimes? The violence that has taken many lives (yet we rarely see those stories covered in the media)

— Laura Huang (@LauraHuangLA) February 11, 2021

My question is, why does BLM need to be brought up at all? Why can’t one issue be brought up without trying to degrade another? If people did their research, they would know that the movement didn’t happen overnight.

Black Lives Matter was created in 2012 by three black queer women, Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors. Regardless of what it’s become today, it originally began as a response to Trayvon Martin’s death and the injustice that followed it. It’s grown tremendously since 2012 and that is mostly due to the backlash that it’s received from people who don’t understand what it is.

It started off as a response to police brutality and how the police treat our black bodies. From there, it just grew and grew. Black people have been abused and ignored for so long, that no one could have anticipated this growing as big as it did. Making comments like “But BLM right,” is just anti-black and has no place in these conversations. 

Right girlie. pic.twitter.com/oY28QvrR7F

— Johnny (@garontherun) March 18, 2021

The point I’m trying to make is, it can take time for people to catch wind of important issues. It has nothing to do with people thinking one issue is more important than other. You don’t need to degrade and disrespect one movement to uplift another. And if you’re only bringing up the Anti-Asian hate crime movement, only to bring down the BLM movement, do you even care about that movement, or are you just trying to spew hate?

The other reason the BLM movement was so popular was because black people not only created it, but they refused to let it die. Every single time an injustice was done to a black person, the community rose up. They were in the streets protesting, they were boycotting, they were on social media spreading awareness. All of that contributed to the popularity of BLM.

Creating a movement and making so much noise that people can’t even pretend not to hear you, is why BLM is not going anywhere. Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor… and hundreds more names. There’s a pattern here. There’s a reason we all know their names and it’s because we made sure no one would forget them.

Activists for the Black Lives Matter movement have been jailed, gone missing, or been killed for this movement. It’s so much bigger than people think it is. So when people try to downgrade it, they’re not only disrespecting the movement, but they’re also disrespecting the people who lost their lives behind it. A lot of pain, injustice, and loss went into making BLM as big as it is. 

This may be a hard pill to swallow but the black community is not in charge of making all issues go viral. Stop trying to guilt people into joining a movement when you could be sharing information and raising awareness instead. Black Lives Matter or BLM is not some punchline or retort you can use when there is an issue that’s not getting enough media attention. The Anti-Asian hate crime movement deserves a lot more than that. It is an important issue that deserves a platform that’s not tied to someone else’s movement. Talk about it more.

Let people in your communities know about the hate crimes against the Asian population that’s been happening. Speak to your elected officials. Go out into the streets and protest to get their attention and the attention of the media. Most importantly, make your own movements.  

“Y’all were loud for BLM, but quiet for this,” is not the way to get people involved. Please do better.

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Meghan Markle Is An Example Of Skin Color Remaining An Issue In Society

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | CREDIT: CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY

By: Alexis Oatman

The former Duchess of Sussex, Megan Markle, and her husband Prince Harry recently sat down in an explosive interview with Oprah on CBS Sunday night accusing the royal family of not only racism, even going as far as asking about their son Archie’s skin tone, and ignoring calls for help from the constant barrage of negative and albeit racist media coverage.

Meghan Markle Is An Example Of Skin Color Remaining An Issue In Society

Still, Meghan as a fair-skinned, almost white-passing biracial woman, in today’s American culture due in part to cultural beauty standards, would more be more exotified.

Lighter-skinned biracial people have quite a bit of a representation in media and entertainment. I mean, there is an entire show dedicated to the plight of them called Mixed-ish.

Markle has been able to play a race chameleon somewhat, and it worked so far in the US, but once she got to the UK, things were very different. I don’t consider Meghan as Black; she is mixed and has not even outrightly claimed the title herself, and yet she admits she still experienced harsher treatment in the media still due in part to her race.

Let’s be clear, while colorism is what allowed Meghan to marry into the Royal Family, anti-blackness is what forced her out of it.

Among the many revelations revealed throughout the one-hour and 30-minute interview, the couple claims a royal family member asked how dark their son, Archie, would be.

So, yes, she was light enough for him to marry, but her being of mixed-race struck fear into the heart of the monarchy to have their future “superior” bloodline disrupted. This is what it means to benefit from colorism and suffer because of racism.

Unfortunately, to them, it doesn’t matter how fair-skinned you are, how much you straighten your hair either, or even if you have an entire white parent. For them, it is any connection to blackness—features, hair, color, etc.

While her proximity to whiteness with complexion got her in the door, it was still ultimately not enough. She was never entirely accepted by the Royals.

The endless and overtly hostile references to her race, the pathologizing of her move, and tiresome comparison to Kate. Meghan’s mother, a Black woman, adorned her beautiful locs and warm brown skin at their wedding. I wonder was it at that moment when they feared the worst. 

But are we surprised?

The British monarchy has built its wealth off white supremacy, classism, elitism, oppression, and slavery.

The major emphasis on her heritage by national media coverage meant that her humanity was now diminished to the point she was treated in the same capacity as a full Black woman. Her light skin/ proximity to whiteness privilege had been revoked by the UK.

I’m personally happy she and her husband decided to give up their titles and did what was best for them.

In a clip from the Oprah interview, Prince Harry admitted that he “feared history repeating itself.” After all, if his family didn’t protect his mother Diana, why would they protect a Meghan, a woman of color? I don’t know why we expected any different.

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Dr. Seuss Books Are Being Pulled Due To A History Of Racist Illustrations

By: Emily-Ann

It looks like Dr. Seuss is following suit with Quaker Oats and has halted the circulation of six of their books. The books make references to African culture and Asian stereotypes. 

The following books have been pulled out of circulation due to harmful imagery and illustrations in the books. This comes after the call for companies, organizations, and across the board to review how they do business and the people they hurt to make a profit. Dr. Seuss Enterprises has issued a statement that can be found on their website. 

Dr. Seuss wore blackface, acted in his own minstrel shows, and drew racist cartoons. They make sure we read his books in school though. pic.twitter.com/u8PZZQouqZ

— 247 Live Culture (@247LC) February 16, 2021

“We are committed to action.  To that end, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, working with a panel of experts, including educators, reviewed our catalog of titles and made the decision last year to cease publication and licensing of the following titles:  And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat’s Quizzer.  These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.

Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’s catalogue represents and supports all communities and families.”

This statement was issued on the birthday of Dr. Seuss and has made nationwide news and has got many people talking. It looks like this company’s values and concerns have shifted. Whether it is a genuine or a business move one thing is for sure, companies alike are changing the way do they business. I have heard websites like eBay, listing these books as $4,000 where they used to be $14.99 each. The exclusive copies of his work have increased sales and sale prices. 

Why are people still purchasing these books? I am sure we’ve had these books read to us as small children. Why would you want to hang on to a past? Hopefully, our fight for progress will continue to inspire change. This is just a constant reminder that this society still has work to do. Our voices are stronger and louder together!

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Celebrating Black History | The Life of Political Activist Angela Davis

By: Kwana Adams

I didn’t learn a thing about Angela Davis until well into my college years, and she immediately became one of my favorite people. I learned about her during a time when I was learning more about activism and black history. I was angry and tired, and I wanted people to look up to. My knowledge of prominent black women in activism was and still is severely lacking, and it’s disappointing. However, if I want to learn black history, I’ve come to terms that I have to teach myself.

That has been my mission ever since learning about Angela Davis. She, too, thought that black women were not being represented enough in history. The school system only taught me so much then sent me on my way. I can remember the few names of prominent black men I learned about, but I can’t remember learning about a single black woman. Black men are usually the face of activism and civil rights, but women were right along with them, fighting just as hard and being brutalized and treated just as horribly for being black. 

After being involved in a highly publicized murder case and her involvement in the Black Panther and an all-black Communist Party, Angela Davis became widely known. Most of her life was filled with racism and prejudice, so it’s no surprise that she became as radicalized as she did. As a child, she learned to live with the racial segregation that surrounded her, but she also learned that it would start with her and her generation if there were to be any change.

Birmingham, Alabama, where she was born, was a very infamous city for racial attacks, and it was hard for black people living there. Not only did she become an activist and influential political figure, but she is a fantastic author as well. A book by her is much more valuable to me than anything I learned as a student. She has so much more to offer me, as a black woman, than the school system has. 

With the life that she lived and is still living, it comes as a shock that it wasn’t part of any curriculum. She was on the FBI’s most-wanted list; she was imprisoned for 18 months of her life, she saw her friends die from bombs, and most of all, she lived to tell the tale. When asked if she approved of the use of violence by the Black Panthers, this was her response:

“You ask me whether I approve of violence? That just doesn’t make any sense at all. Whether I approve of guns? I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. Some very, very good friends of mine were killed by bombs- bombs that were planted by racists. I remember, from the time I was very small, the sounds of bombs exploding across the street and the house shaking… That’s why when someone asks me about violence, I find it incredible because it means the person asking that question has absolutely no idea what black people have gone through and experienced in this country from the time the first black person was kidnapped from the shores of Africa.”

I look up to Angela because she spent a lot of her life fighting and being knocked down, and she is still fighting. She is still working towards the future she’s been wanting to see since she began her fight. I love the drive and the determination, and the power she possesses. I’m embarrassed to admit I haven’t known her long, but I make up for it every day. It’s sad to say that her fight is not over, but we have come so far from where she started. Some progress is better than no progress, and I hope people don’t think the fight ends here because we aren’t going anywhere until we see results. Angela taught us.

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Danye Jones Was Lynched in 2018: We Should Be Talking About This More

By: Omar Cook

Every parent’s worst fear is to find out that their child has died, but to find out that your son was lynched is a nightmare no parent should have to endure. On October 17, Melissa McKinnies found her 24 year old son, Danye Jones, hanging from a tree in their own backyard outside of St. Louis County, Missouri. The fact that this happened in 2018, just lets us know that we aren’t as progressive of a society as we think we are.

McKinnies found her son dangling from a bed sheet that did not belong to them and insists that her son was murdered even though the situation is being investigated as a suicide. McKinnies posted a picture of Danye’s lynching in a facebook post that has been deleted saying “This is what I woke up to. They lynched my baby,” she wrote. “I’m sick and losing my mind but I had to let the world see what they did to my baby.”

This is #DanyeJones. His mom, Melissa McKinnies, is a #Ferguson Activist.

Danye was found hanging from a tree in his mom’s backyard on 10/17. The police didn’t investigate, but called it a suicide.

But Danye has just bought property to sell & his mother knows this isn’t true. pic.twitter.com/BYkaDehz9X

— Brittany Packnett (@MsPackyetti) October 31, 2018

Melissa McKinnies was a prominent activist and protester in the city and helped setup protests during the Ferguson uprisings in 2014. “She said he was targeted and murdered in retaliation for her activism,” according to the Post-Dispatch. “They watched my house and when my husband and my son would approach the car, they would drive off,” McKinnies told KMOV-TV. This is the third death involving Ferguson activists as DeAndre Joshua, was murdered in 2014, and Darren Seals in 2016. Both of these men were found inside of vehicles that had been torched.

“Three untimely deaths in St. Louis County over the past four years have inspired speculation that Ferguson protesters are being systematically murdered,” The Washington Post reports, “although so far there is no evidence to suggest that the parallels are anything more than coincidental.” It’s unfortunate that black people can’t protest in this country without receiving threats or being ridiculed for speaking out on issues. NFL players kneel for situations like this, but there are people who choose to ignore that racism is still a major problem in this country, and will try to sweep the issues under the rug to fit their agenda.

2018 and black people are still being lynched. #JusticeForDanyeJones https://t.co/pifxABLiTd

— Carolyn Ramsey (@SellBuyCarolyn) November 1, 2018

McKinnies may have to face the harsh reality that this case may not get the justice it deserves. These are the types of stories that mainstream media needs to be covering but instead it’s up to black sources to cover our own stories. As a black parent, you almost have to be cautious every time your child steps foot outside of the house. It’s sad that there are people that are filled with so much hate that they have to murder someone because they have opposing beliefs. This is the America that we still live in. Racism is very much alive and black men are still dying as a result of it.

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