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Black activists and officials see a major threat in South’s plans to reopen
As Southern governors are reopening the region this week, black activists are joining with local and federal lawmakers to sound the alarm about what they see as a looming threat to the Black Belt. They say the mostly white, male Republicans — who were reluctant to close their states but are now eager to reopen — are effectively issuing a “death sentence” for millions of black Americans who have been disproportionately impacted both economically and medically by the novel coronavirus. Click Here to Read More
Our Biggest Threat Isn’t COVID-19. It’s The President
Trump has elected to lift the stay-at-home rules that slowed the spread of COVID-19. It’s simple, really. To him, the needs of a small number of CEOs and high-wealth families are more important than your life, or mine. He’s choosing unchecked capitalism and bailouts for his friends over the health and safety of ordinary workers. The people who wait tables. The people who drive for Lyft and Uber. The people who care for our kids and parents. The powers that be are pretty much willing to sacrifice everyone who doesn’t have the luxury of continuing to work from home. If we are called back to work before the proper time, the answer of every patriotic American must be a loud and forceful, “hell, no!” If Trump doesn’t care about our safety, we must take matters into our own hands. Stay home. Stop the spread of this virus. You have a right to save your own life. Listen to public health experts and doctors. They [...]
The Playboy Symposium: As Goes the South
In October 2018 I pulled up to a community center in Jefferson County, Georgia to meet with a group of senior citizens and talk about the importance of voting. Many of them had heard of the Black Voters Matter bus—what we call the “Blackest Bus in America”—and they wanted to go outside and see it. So we wrapped up the program, went out to the bus and had an impromptu pep rally, singing and dancing to the music of James Brown and Al Green. My new friends asked if they could ride the bus down the block to vote early as a group. After folks had hopped on and just as we were pulling away, staffers from the center stopped us. Someone had seen the “black” bus and called a local official, who told the center to unload the seniors immediately. These were fully competent adults who wanted to go vote. The official had no legal right to stop our trip. Sadly, this is [...]