| From the Villa ge of Brook ly n |
OUR TIME PRESS THE L OCAL PAPER WITH THE G LOBAL VIEW
| VOL. 22 NO. 5
February 1 – 7, 2018 |
Since 1996
State of Disunion Subject of Real Talk Across Nation; Can Our Leaders Flip the Script?
The African presence was brought to the State of the Union by the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, by wearing kente cloth as a rebuke to the president's description of that homeland. More on SOTU on pages 3, 8,
Trump's Speech Appeals Racists ■■
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By Sheryl Estrada
ormer Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke was one of the first to commend President Donald Trump on his State of the Union (SOTU) address Tuesday night as the entire speech was an affirmation of Trump’s view of whose lives matter. “Americans are dreamers, too,” Trump said at the beginning of the portion of his speech on immigration. Duke’s response tells you everything you need to know: “Thank you President Trump. Americans are ‘Dreamers’ too.” Not only was the play on words a jab at the 800,000 DACA immigrants whose future in this country is being held hostage
by Republicans, it was similar to the white nationalist response to “Black Lives Matter” — “All Lives Matter.” In Trump’s speech, Corey Adams, a Black man, was used as a prop. He was the only African American to be called out by the president. Adams is a welder from Ohio whom Trump said will benefit from his tax overhaul plan. Shortly after Trump spoke of Adams, including calling him “a good welder,” he poignantly used the efforts of a young, white boy to take a dig at Colin Kaepernick and other Black NFL players who’ve taken a knee during the national anthem. “Here tonight is Preston Sharp, a 12-yearold boy from Redding, Calif., who noticed ➔➔ Continued on page 2
Democrats Boycott SOTUS
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emocratic Rep. Maxine Waters California decided early on she wouldn’t show up for SOTUS. “Why would I take my time to go and sit and listen to a liar?” she said on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes” on Jan 12. “I don’t appreciate him and I wouldn’t waste my time sitting in that House listening to what he has to say. He does not deserve my attention,” Walters added. While several Democratic lawmakers like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi wore black in honor of the #MeToo movement, some powerful Dems exercised their right to boycott the address all together. Here are the lawmakers who chose not to show up and stated their reasons early on: Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia
“In good conscience, I cannot and will not sit there and listen at him as he gives the State of the Union address,” the civil rights leader told ABC News. Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon “I respect the office of the presidency,” Blumenauer said Friday, according to KPTV. “I›m not going back for the State of the Union address, because Donald Trump doesn›t respect it. He doesn›t tell the American people the truth. He acts to divide us.” Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York “At every opportunity, he’s disrespected me and individuals who look like me,” ➔➔ Continued on page 2
Magic in the Ministry: Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker, Pg. 15