In 1995, I started what would become a 19-Year Loc Journey. I remember my mother immediately, and repeatedly warning me that I would never get a good job-as long as I had those “dreadlocks.” I ignored her warnings, and though there were absolutely some challenges, but even she eventually embraced this Black Man’s Crown. But for so many others, and especially for Black Women, the struggle is all too real. Many of our sisters have been fired, and/or had job offers rescinded, simply for wearing their hair in its Natural State. Adding insult to injury, last year The U.S. Supreme Court TWICE sided with employers that sought to discriminate against those who dared to leave the perms, wigs, and weave alone. Can anyone tell me how one’s hair style reflects his or her work ethic, and/or ability to perform within one’s job description? Yeaaaaahhhhhhhh, I thought so.
The good news is that, for at least one major city, there is now a movement in place to pushback against those who would seek to discriminate against any brother or sister who chooses to wear his or her hair in its natural state. The 1st law of its kind, is a small victory; but hopefully will lead to similar legislation in other urban areas. This new mandate was authored by New York City Commission On Human Rights, and provides protections for this with “natural hair, treated or untreated hairstyles such as locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, fades, Afros, and/or the right to keep hair in an uncut or untrimmed state.”
In addition to future protections, the city ordinance provides a standard from which previously targeted citizens can now sue, and also mandates for stiff penalties for any school or business in violation. Violator could be hit with fines of up to $250,000, without a cap on damages; and can force employers to rehire anyone fired, demoted, harassed or punished based on the choice to go natural.
New York has set the bar, now it’s your turn Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, Nashville, Charlotte, Atlanta, Memphis, and the list goes on…
https://www.essence.com/hair/new-york-city-hair-discrimination-law/
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/02/224697/new-york-city-natural-hair-discrimination
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/18/style/hair-discrimination-new-york-city.html
https://rewire.news/ablc/2018/05/16/u-s-supreme-court-ignoring-black-hair-discrimination/
https://www.ebony.com/culture/black-news-anchor-fired-unprofessional-natural-hair/
https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-city-classifies-hair-restrictions-as-discrimination-11550537156

Since the buildup to the buildup to the 2016 elections, it feels like almost daily we are inundated with at least three or more ridiculous stories and/or soundbites that show just how insane the world of politics has become. It’s hard to keep up sometimes-and some individual stories are so bad, that several others seem to fly under the radar. Honestly, I’m not sure if you even want to know some of this; but most of this should be a reminder to get in line & get out the vote in 2020.
Here are just a few from the past week…

INDIANA IS FOR THE CHILDREN…
Indiana Republican State Senator Chip Perfect has introduced a new bill that would overhaul the state’s current child labor laws. Under present guidelines, minors in the state cannot work more than 30 hours per week (18 hours, if under 16 years old); and cannot work late nights, without parental consent. Under the legislation proposed by Mr. Perfect, each of those rules would be eliminated. Problem is, Chip’s business holdings would directly benefit from said rule changes. Chip owns a local ski resort, that employs almost all minors (hundreds of them) reportedly. Even worse, the state’s Bi-Partisan Senate Ethics Committee has ruled that Chip’s positioning as owner of Perfect North Slope do not constitute a conflict of interest in this case. Disguised as a way to help local business owners, this appears to just be an effort to help his own. This is why political education, on the local level, is so important. If the asses understood that most of these elected officials are working for themselves (and other special interest groups), and not for the people that elected them, then more of them would be shut out of positions of authority.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/a-gop-lawmaker-wants-to-repeal-child-labor-laws-in-his-state-he-employs-hundreds-of-minors/ar-BBSWPtC?ocid=spartandhp

ACISM IS BIPARTISAN…
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam publicly admitted to indeed be the man in photos from 1984, that show him dressed in Blackface & a Ku Klux Klan Robe. The pictures are from the Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook. Additionally, a page in his undergraduate yearbook (at The Virginia Military Institute) shows him as referring to himself as “Coonman.” All this from a Democrat, who relied heavily on The Black Church for votes, and campaigned as the opposite of current President Donald Trump. Smh. There have been multiple calls for his resignation; but as of the time of this writing, Northam has asserted that he will not be doing so. The governor released at least two apology statements; but they are much the same denial-based crafted comments. Hopefully the pressure for him to step down will outweigh the apologists, and minimizers that will come to his defense in the coming days. It is interesting to note that Northam was outed by conservative opposition; but regardless as to how this information made its way to the public, this dude has to go!
https://pilotonline.com/news/government/politics/virginia/article_67fdd682-2662-11e9-a7d1-c7ed70e09b50.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47098776
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/gov-ralph-northam-admits-he-was-in-1984-yearbook-photo-showing-figures-in-blackface-kkk-hood/ar-BBT3X66?ocid=spartanntp

​“ALL OPTIONS ARE ON THE TABLE”
Vice President Mike Pence issued statements questioning the legitimacy of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, amid threats of U.S. Military intervention. For those that missed it, The Trump Regime has ratcheted up its efforts to undermine the authority of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro. All diplomatic relations were broken off last week, after a push by Trump officials to recognize opposition party leader Juan Guaido as the new Venezuelan President. Since then America has put crippling sanctions on the country’s export of oil, and The Bank Of England has refused to return $1.2 Billion of Venezuela’s gold. To justify said actions, the Trump Regime, and their imperialist allies are flooding the media with the usual playbook of lies and difficult to prove accusations (i.e. supporting terrorism, human rights abuses, theft of resources, etc).
Venezuela has been a target going back to at least 1998, when former President Hugo Chavez was elected to power and began making reforms to redistribute the nation’s wealth more equally amongst its citizens. Chavez would prove to be a very outspoken critic of Western Imperialism and sought to form strong alliances between nations in The Caribbean, South America, Africa & Asia. Upon his death in 2013, Maduro was selected to carry on these reforms. Imagine the outcry if another nation demanded that an American President be deposed, simply because they disagree with his or her socio/economic policies.
Sidebar: On January 25th, it was also announced that former diplomat Elliot Abrams has been brought in to assist with efforts to remove President Maduro from power. For those unaware of his history, Abrams will forever be linked to Iran-Contra which allowed the flooding of South Central Los Angeles with crack cocaine to finance military support for Nicaraguan rebels seeking to overthrow the Sandinista Government. President Ronald Reagan denied knowledge of these activities, and his operatives mostly got rich instead of going to jail. But Black and Latino Communities, across this nation were damaged in ways that few have recovered from almost three decades later.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-25/u-k-said-to-deny-maduro-s-bid-to-pull-1-2-billion-of-gold
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/venezuelas-guaido-rejects-mediation-offer-eu-russia-190202103935083.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/venezuela-crisis-latest-updates-190123205835912.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/intensifies-anti-maduro-push-russia-backs-venezuelan-ally-190125200417182.html
https://www.britannica.com/event/Iran-Contra-Affair
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/10/gary-webb-dark-alliance_n_5961748.html​

IT WASN’T ME…
“I had the shoes. I had a glove. And I used just a little bit of shoe polish to put on my cheeks and the reason I used a very little bit because – I don’t know if anyone’s ever tried that – you cannot get shoe polish off,” he said. “I had always liked Michael Jackson. I actually won the contest because I had learned to do the moonwalk.”
After initially admitting to being in the recently unearthed picture, showing him and others in Blackface & KKK uniforms, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam now says that he was not in those pictures. Northam claimed that, after looking more closely at the picture, he realized that it was not him. He did however, admit that he had once appeared in Blackface to make himself look like Michael Jackson for a dance contest. Northam asserts that he never owned a copy of the yearbook that holds the photo at the center of this scandal; and went even further to avoid responsibility for the “Coonman” nickname-explaining that two classmates gave him that name, but never explained why.
How one can pretend to be that dumb is beyond me; so we’ll just leave this right here. 
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/02/ralph-northam-yearbook-photo-racist-1144276

Back in December of 2016, Cam Newton was benched for the first series of the game, as punishment for an alleged “dress code violation” as punishment. That punishment only lasted for ONE PLAY; as Derek Anderson immediately threw an interception on the first play. Carolina Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera could have stood on whatever measure of principles he thought mattered and extended the punishment; but he knew that this would be the very definition of insanity. 
But this week, Derek Anderson (who has only thrown the ball 6.7 passes in the past three years) will be the starting QB for The Buffalo Bills. Oh, and of those 67 passes, five of those were intercepted. He did throw for two touchdowns; but ummm yeah. Another career backup, that’s a backup for a reason, is being sent out to start a game while Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned…
A few weeks ago, I wrote about some teams that I felt should consider at least adding Brother Kap to their roster. Let’s take a look at the state of affairs, as week seven begins... 

​The Buffalo Bills currently rank last in Total Offense, Passing Yards, Receiving Yards, and First Downs. Collectively, between Josh Allen and Nathan Peterman, The Bills have only THREE Touchdown Passes thru six weeks. Add nine INTs and an injured Josh Allen to the mix, and you what you get is one big mess. Prior to all of this, they ran Tyrod Taylor out of town in very disrespectful fashion. And now they want Derek Anderson to put down his clipboard, and throw some more interceptions…

As a resident of The State Of Tennessee, I’ve seen and heard a lot in regard to it’s lineage of quarterbacks. From McNair to Young to Mariota, and all the trash in between, it’s been a lot of good and a lot of bad. But never have The Titans been this impotent. Based on the callers to the various talk radio shows, the fans have largely lost all optimism that the once-heralded Marcus Mariota would lead the team to a brighter future. And to have been sacked 11 times this week, by a Ravens Team that does not include Ray Lewis or Ed Reed??? The Titans rank in the bottom three in Total Offense, Passing Yards, Receiving Yards, and First Downs. And Mariota still can’t stay healthy. Last year, it was reported that Colin Kaepernick actually reached out to The Titans requesting an opportunity to workout for a roster spot. Instead they chose Matt Cassel; and this year Blaine Gabbert. Don’t you think it may be time to return that call and reach back?  

​In my earlier piece, I questioned if The Cardinals understood the ramifications of going forward with an injury-prone Sam Bradford and an unexperienced Josh Rosen under center. Predictably, Sam Bradford went down to yet another injury. Josh Rosen did okay at first; but after being mauled by Denver 45-10 Thursday Night, it is clear that he may already be damaged goods. Last night Rosen threw the ball 39 times; but for only 194 yards. He threw one touchdown, versus three pics, for a QBR of 3.0. Horrible. Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy was fired after the game; and Byron Leftwich will now be tasked with saving this kid’s career. As if reviving an offense that ranks in the bottom five in every statistical category so far this year. More specifically, the rank next to last in passing yards and total offense-while ranking dead last in third down conversion percentages at a lowly 23.1%. 

​Eli Manning threw the ball 43 times on Sunday; but could not throw a TD. He did throw an INT though. His teammates are publicly and privately expressing frustration over his play. For the season, he has only thrown six touchdowns-versus four interceptions and four fumbles. Colin may not be the shiny new toy in which a high 1st round pick this year would have been viewed as; but he would at this point be a breath of fresh air and new energy. Currently at 1-5, what do The Giants have to lose? In a pretty weak NFC East, it’s not to late to make a comeback? 

​Like The NY Giants, The Oakland Raiders throw the ball an awful lot to not be scoring many points. I don’t even have the patience to do the math on calculating the Yards Per Pass Average for the 142 yards gained off Derek Carr’s 23 completed passes. I know I haven’t been watching; but does anyone throw the ball downfield anymore? Like The Giants, The Oakland Raiders are in a weak division, that can still easily be won. Perhaps a little fresh energy would help energize the squad and muster a turnaround for a team that has fast become the laughingstock of the NFL.

While many of us remember the 1991 beating of Rodney King, by The LAPD; how many remember the name Latasha Harlins? Shot in the head by a Korean Store Owner that suspected the 15-Year-Old of stealing a bottle of orange juice, the murder of young Ms. Harlins was just as much a core reason for the riots as what happened to Mr. King. Latasha died with $2 dollars in her hand-the money to pay for the $1.79 bottle of OJ (no pun intended). Did I mention that she was shot in the back of the head? Soon Ja Du had confronted young Latasha physically; resulting in Ms. Harlins attempting to just leave the store. But instead her life ended on that Saturday Morning of October 9th, 1991. As for her killer? Soon Ja Du was initially charged with 1st Degree Murder, with Special Circumstances; but ultimately, she was only convicted of the far lesser charge of Voluntary Manslaughter. Soon Ja Du was only sentenced to 5 years on probation and 400 hours of community service (with a $500 fine as restitution to The Harlins Family), despite recommendations that she receive the full maximum sentence of 16 years in prison allowed under California Law. Judge Karlin actually argued that Latasha, the murdered victim, was actually the implied criminal in this case. Sound familiar???
The murder of Latasha Harlins occurred just six days after the beating of Rodney King. And while Soon Ja Du’s Empire Liquors store would become the constant target of protests, the building would be torched and destroyed during the riots that went down after the officers that beat Rodney King were acquitted in April 1992. The store never re-opened. While the entire country would have an opinion as to what happened to Rodney, anyone of the requisite age in South Central California would surely tell you that it was the unpunished murder of young Miss Harlins that was the true defining moment that led to an angry rebellion. The verdict in Simi Valley was just the lighter fluid added to an already smoldering fire. Latasha Harlins would be 42 today…
​
SOURCES:
https://www.theroot.com/a-fallen-black-girl-remembering-latasha-harlins-1790898980
https://www.good.is/articles/latasha-harlins-rodney-king-anniversary
https://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2017/04/los_angeles_riot_25_years.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/24/news/judge-who-gave-probation-in-a-slaying-may-be-moved.html

On the morning of September 15th, 1963, a bomb was detonated from under the front steps of The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. While most of the church members had already transitioned upstairs to begin, five young girls were still downstairs in the basement area of the church. As a result, Cynthia Wesley, Denise McNair, Carol Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins would be killed in the explosion. Addie Mae’s sister Susan Collins would survive; but would be blinded for life due to her injuries. Another 14-20 people were reportedly injured in the bombing; and two teenagers (Virgil Ware and Johnny Robinson) would be killed for protesting the murders of these young girls. This horrible moment of domestic terrorism and racist evil would serve as one of the most notable events among those that would galvanize the fight for civil and human rights in America and around the world.
“The blood of our little children is on your hands.”
The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church had been the base of operations for most of the activities centered around the fight for desegregation and equal rights in Birmingham; and was also considered to be a centerpiece of The Black Community. After intense efforts by Dr. King and The SCLC to mobilize the masses, a victory in the overall war had been achieved. On May 10th of that year, Birmingham officials would relent to desegregating the local restaurants, public restrooms, public fountains, stores, and more. This led to an onslaught of retaliatory violence from white groups that included fire-bombings and other bombing attacks at The Gaston Hotel (where Dr. King has previously stayed), the home of Dr. King’s brother A.D., and twice at the home of NAACP Attorney Arthur Shores. Four members a local KKK Splinter Group (The Cahaba River Group) would be named as suspects in 1965; but no indictments would come after an almost five-year investigation. In 1971, a new investigation would be launched, by then Alabama Attorney General Bill Blaxley. Robert Chambliss would eventually be found guilty of murder in 1977.  As for the other three assassins, Bobby Frank Cherry and Thomas Blanton would be sentenced to prison after The State Of Alabama again re-opened the case files in the year 2000. Herman Cash escaped punishment, as he died in 1994. 
SOURCES:
https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/13/us/1963-birmingham-church-bombing-fast-facts/index.html
https://www.nps.gov/articles/16thstreetbaptist.htm
https://www.britannica.com/event/16th-Street-Baptist-Church-bombing
BONUS READING:
https://www.npr.org/2013/01/25/170279226/long-forgotten-16th-street-baptist-church-bombing-survivor-speaks-out