15 minute read
OpEd
EDITORIAL
No Justice, No Games
Kudos to members of the NBA, WNBA, NFL, NHL, tennis, and other professional sports leagues whose members did more than take a knee following the most recent police-involved killing of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis. Last week, players staged walkouts while standing up against racial injustice in the U.S. It was a powerful statement to make and for all of America, and the world, to see and hear.
As players, coaches, and even sports commentators made bold statements and then walked off the field, the court, and news desks, it brought to mind A Day of Absence, the 1965 one-act play, by Douglas Turner Ward, the playwright and actor most noted for founding and directing the Negro Ensemble Company based in New York City. The play takes place in a Southern town where, overnight, Black people suddenly disappear, leaving White people to fend for themselves to do the work they depended on Black people to do for them. It is a satire, but for one day, the walkout of athletes – both Black and White – left America wondering who or where would they go for entertainment if the players, the majority in most leagues who are Black, refused to play.
The New York Times, in a headline, called it a “deafening silence… that provided a powerful message.” And The Washington Post described it as a “new standard of civil disobedience.” No matter how you characterize this moment, it is clear that the players discovered their voice and used it effectively.
“We are not just basketball players,” Arial Atkins of the Washington Mystics said. “And just because we are basketball players doesn’t mean that’s our only platform.”
An official statement by the Milwaukee Bucks read, “When we take the court and represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin, we are expected to play at a high level, give maximum effort and hold each other accountable. We hold ourselves to that standard, and in this moment, we are demanding the same from our lawmakers and law enforcement.”
At a time when COVID-19 is devastating American households through sickness and death, forcing less human interaction, and creating job AS PLAYERS, COACHES, AND EVEN loss, as well as mental, physical, and emotional concerns, SPORTS COMMENTATORS MADE the nation needs its favorite past-times to return. But athBOLD STATEMENTS AND THEN letes are humans, too, and they share the pain that makes WALKED OFF THE FIELD, THE COURT, playing less fun. We take pride and support the deciAND NEWS DESKS, IT BROUGHT TO sions they’ve made and their demands to end all injustice MIND A DAY OF ABSENCE, THE 1965 everywhere. So, as the games begin, we know these men ONE-ACT PLAY, BY DOUGLAS TURNER and women have proven that until there is justice, the WARD, THE PLAYWRIGHT AND ACTOR games may end again. WI MOST NOTED FOR FOUNDING AND
Stand Up for Black Girls
Glad to see someone is talking about the school-to-prison pipeline that Black girls face in the story “School Policies, Procedures Hurt Girls of Color: Report.” Black girls are often described as too loud, too aggressive, too mouthy, grown, etc. Black girls are also unfairly treated from a young age and it will not get better unless people call it out and change their own mentality first.
Lynn Felder Washington, D.C.
TO THE EDITOR
Bridging the Gap
To the Washington Informer Bridge, all I can say is wow! What a great section showing young, Black people in an honest, intelligent and creative light. Great stories and photos. I also love the cartoon on the cover. Nice job, folks.
Terrence Billingsley Landover, Md.
Readers' Mailbox
The Washington Informer welcomes letters to the editor about articles we publish or issues affecting the community. Write to: lsaxton@washingtoninformer. com or send to: 3117 Martin Luther King Jr Ave., SE, Washington, D.C. 20032. Please note that we are unable to publish letters that do not include a full name, address and phone number. We look forward to hearing from you.
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
Guest Columnist
By Julianne Malveaux
Lawlessness and Disorder: America’s Mistreatment of Its Black Citizens
When a 17-year-old white boy walks down the streets of Kenosha, Wis. with a loaded automatic weapon, he is cheered and thanked by the police and offered a water bottle. No matter that he’d killed two people and wounded another. His attorney says it was self-defense, and Kenosha Sherriff Miskinis said the shootings would not have happened had those killed not broken curfew. Later he “clarified” his
Growing up in Louisiana, I was exposed to men and women who used animals to work their land and/or as a food source to sustain their families. It was fascinating that most of these men and women could gather their animals to a central location for feeding and other purposes with a unique sound, call or shout.
I was amazed at the amount of con
As of now, there is no clear proof that the antibodies that develop after being infected with COVID-19 offer any protection from future infections. Even if these antibodies will protect you, no one knows what antibody levels are needed to protect against reinfection.
As evidenced by the man in China who is the first confirmed case of being infected a second time, we need to accept that there is much we need to unremarks, but his callousness was frighteningly evident.
Speeches at the Republican National Convention painted a wildly inaccurate picture of the Democratic Biden-Harris ticket. It would not be “safe,” said Vice President Mike Pence. There will be lawlessness, violence, and destruction, said Rudy Giuliani. And count on the Republican presidential nominee to stir the pot during his dystopic 70-minute combination of lying bombast and dire predictions. Through it, all the words “looting” and “lawlessness” were repeatedly used. trol these calls afforded these people over their “dumb animals.” I didn’t immediately think about a correlation between animals and humans, but after observation, I realized humans become conditioned to the influence of “noise” in our lives as well.
Because of scientific research, we understand the effect of “noise” on African Americans is responsible for many significant behaviors. In 1939, Dr. Kenneth Clark, a noted Black psychologist, and his wife performed an experiment where they asked Black children ages 6 derstand about COVID-19, in order to protect ourselves as best as possible.
As pointed out in an earlier column, as summer comes to an end, the prospect of a flu season during the coronavirus pandemic is a frightening thought for many health experts.
Six months after the start of the pandemic, we are seeing tens of thousands of deaths, and thousands of people experiencing horrible effects from the virus even after surviving! And yet, we seem to be as far away from understanding this COVID-19 virus!
Now, in what could only be called
Black folks are all too familiar with lawlessness. After the aching oppression of enslavement, much of which was lawful, we endured the post-Reconstruction era where laws were made re-enslave the recently emancipated with Jim Crow “laws,” voter suppression, random violence against Black people deemed “insolent” and others. Rabid racists took Black people’s property, raped Black women and girls, and experienced no consequences.
Though much of this was against the law, white law enforcement agencies did not enforce the law, so there were to 9 to choose between Black and white dolls that were the same except skin color.
The test asked the children to: • Choose the doll they liked best or would like to play with. • Choose the doll that’s the “nice” doll. • Choose the doll that looks “bad.” • Choose the doll that looks like a white child. • Choose the doll that looks like a colored child,
By Glenn Ellis
a “mind-blowing” decision, the CDC has just issued guidance that says, “If you have been in close contact (within 6 feet) of a person with a COVID-19 infection for at least 15 minutes but do not have symptoms: You do not necessarily need a test unless you are a vulnerable individual or your health care provider or state or local public health officials recommend you take one.”
REALLY?!
It has been barely a month, since the CDC, themselves, confirmed that 40 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the United States are in people who don’t few arrests, even fewer trials, and hardly any convictions. A white man was more likely to be convicted of killing an enslaved person (and usually fined) because they “destroyed someone’s property” than to be tried or convicted because they killed a Black person.
Consider the lynching of Anthony P. Crawford, a Black man of considerable property who was lynched on Oct. 21, 2016, in Abbeville, S.C. Crawford owned 427 acres of “prime cotton land” and was wealthy enough to lend money to both Black and white farmers. He was a civic-minded AME • Choose the doll that looks like a Negro child, • Choose the doll that looks like themselves.
At question six, most had identified the Black doll as “bad.” When asked question seven, many replied that the white doll looked like them. Others refused to pick either doll or just start crying.
The Clark Test was presented as evidence in the Supreme Court Brown v. Board decision and, more than any other instrument, demonstrated the know that they are infected. In other words, asymptomatic people. Up until now, the guidance stressed the importance of testing people who were in close contact with infected people. Now, without explanation, this is no longer recommended.
As recently as June, the CDC’s advice was, “Because COVID-19 is highly transmissible and can be spread by people who do not know they have the disease, risk of transmission within a community can be difficult to determine. Until broad-scale testing is widely implemented, or we have a more church member but was described by some whites as “rich for a (N)egro” and insolent along with it. Anthony Crawford, born enslaved, had land worth $20,000 in 1916 or $500,000 today.
One day, Crawford went to the county seat to sell cottonseed and other goods at the county seat. The owner offered him five cents a pound less than he offered whites. Crawford, being “insolent,” said he would rather dump his cottonseed in the river than be cheated, using colorful language. He was ar
Guest Columnist
By E. Faye Williams
If You Hear It Enough
MALVEAUX Page 45 psychological impact of the portrayal of image and character upon a group; how image can shape and influence conduct and behavior. Considering the historically stereotyped images of African Americans, it is easy to understand OUR struggle to maintain positive character images rather than acceptance of the negativity projected/expected of us.
WILLIAMS Page 45
Guest Columnist
Ongoing Challenges with Testing for COVID-19
Those who enjoy history or who witcomprehensive and precise measure of disease burden, states and communities should assume some community transmission or spread is occurring.”
Go figure! The whole purpose of doing testing is to reduce the rate at which someone infected comes in contact with someone not infected or reduce the probability of infection if there is contact. The more a person interacts with different people, and the longer and closer the interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread. So can
ELLIS Page 45
Guest Columnist Trump’s House of Lies
“Though nothing Donald did surprised me, the speed and volume with which he started inflicting his worst impulses on the country – from lying about the crowd size at the inauguration and whining about how poorly he was treated to rolling back environmental protections, targeting the Affordable Care Act in order to take affordable health care away from millions of people, and enacting his racist
As an undergraduate, I am concerned about how students will manage their mental health as we return to school after a tumultuous year. No one has planned for a pandemic in 2020, but we are presented with the unfortunate task of navigating these unknown times. Unfortunately, college students must navigate both worldwide events and stressful schoolwork. Unlike other countries
Sorry to be the bearer of sad tidings, Never-Trumpsters. But I have to tell you, Joe Biden will not win the presidential election this November. It’s not that he can’t win. His problem is that he won’t do what he needs to do to win.
Democrats and Trump-haters were buoyed after he chose Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. That was Muslim ban – overwhelmed me.”
These words were written by Dr. Mary L. Trump, the President’s niece, in her recently released book, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.” Needless to say, the Trump presidency has not only overwhelmed him, but also much of America and indeed, the world. To quote both President Trump and former First Lady Michelle Obama, “It is what it is.”
In a column titled, “Now Our Nation Must Heal,” written a few days that prioritize their citizen’s mental health, the United States has decided that physical and mental health is not a priority--and university student will suffer because of this.
College students make up a good number of people whose mental health will be negatively affected, and many fear that their colleges are not equipped to handle this.
For many students, college is already stressful enough, juggling schoolwork, jobs and extracurricular activities, but the community created in these environments often helps a smart decision. Bravo Biden. But other than that, he’s wimping out. He thought he was “Bad” with that move, pulling out his switchblade. The only problem is that the Republicans have made this a hatchet fight.
When I first felt Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), or even Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) were better on the issues from the rest of the wacky Democratic primary field, I gave Biden a pass. I thought he might best be able to stand up, eyeball-to-eyeball in a debate with The Donald and back him
By Austin R. Cooper, Jr.
before the November 2016 election, but published two days afterwards, I wrote these words: “May all Americans, regardless of party affiliation, remember these words spoken in 1858 by Sen. Stephen Douglas to Abraham Lincoln, who had just defeated him for the presidency: ‘Partisan feelings must yield to patriotism. I’m with you, Mr. President and God Bless you.’” I went on to write, “Madame President or Mr. President-Elect, America is already great. May you have the vision, desire, compassion, fortitude and patience to unite this country.” one cope. However, due to COVID, those communities are going to look quite different; many students cannot afford to go back to school, and others will be quarantined on campus. All of these add on to the impending loneliness college students are going to feel.
A survey done by the Healthy Minds Network between March and May, 2020 found an increase in depression amongst college students. Considering how difficult it is to access mental health services, universities can step in and help their students by providing efficient online mental down, and if need be challenge him to “step outside” to settle things if he tried some of that spooky stalking-stuff he did to Hilary Clinton in one of the 2016 debates.
But Biden has made so many stupid gaffes, till Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is suggesting that he not debate Trump! What? That’s Biden’s only asset, his potential ability to face down the Town Bully in a fair fight and show him up for being the empty-suit, windbag that he is!
Instead of getting out and engaging
In the four years of Donald Trump’s presidency, never, even for one day, has he demonstrated “the vision, desire, compassion, fortitude and patience to unite this country.” During the 2016 primaries, former Gov. Jeb Bush was accurate in his premonition about Trump: “He’s a chaos candidate and he’d be a chaos president.”
Trump’s vision for America? Divisive. His desire for healing the nation? Not even on his radar. Ability to show compassion? Only for Vladimir Putin. Twisted capacity to demonstrate fortitude? Ask Stormy Daniels. Patience? health resources.
This pandemic will have long-lasting effects on our mental and physical health. Even before COVID colleges were not adequately equipped to help its students and now more than ever, students’ mental health needs to be prioritized.
The current pandemic highlights the need for improved mental health for students. Students are forced to cope with the loss of physical contact, inability to see their loved ones, loss of jobs and the death of family members. And we don’t have a chance to voters in every town and hamlet where there’s a voting booth, Biden seems content to want to campaign from the basement of his house in Delaware. What? He seems to want to let Harris, and Sanders, and Stacey Abrams, the members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Barack and Michele Obama, and other surrogates do the retail campaigning for him. Bad decision.
By contrast, I read recently that the Trump campaign has already knocked on 1 million doors, encouraging voters to turnout for their guy. Only for that which financially benefits himself, family and friends.
Much of last week’s GOP convention production was illegal. The Hatch Act specifically prohibits federal employee participation in most partisan political activities. For example, calls for campaign political contributions cannot be made from government offices. True, the act does not apply to either the president or vice president. Nonetheless, it was illegal to host con
COOPER Page 46
Guest Columnist
By Jediael Peterson
Can Colleges Hold Space for Student’s Mental Health during a Global Pandemic?
vention activities at the White House. mourn our losses.
Even more, the idea that college students will be paying thousands of dollars in tuition and not receive adequate care is something for which students should not settle.
The pandemic heaps stress on us and it is not lightweight. It weakens the human immune system and makes us sick, a burden we cannot afford. Stress robs our sleep, distorts thinking, warps mental health, which
PETERSON Page 46
Askia-At-Large
By Askia Muhammad
Biden Won’t Win
in turn, reflects on our performance
Worst of all, Biden is bubble-bathsoft on the issues. At the Democratic National Convention, he gave more time to Republican-defectors from Trump, than he did to his party’s core supporters. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Secretary of State Colin Powell got prime-time speaking slots, while Democratic rising star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) got less than 90-seconds, and then only to pro-forma second the nomi
ASKIA Page 46
