Is Global Warming A Crisis As Global As Covid-19?

By: George Ngigi

Nothing is as irritating as it is frustrating like to see nations do little to avert an unkind situation, even worse after having been warned about it for a countless number of times.

As scientists have hinted, the reality of a looming disaster is just ten years away, when the cruel hand of global warming would begin taking its toll on human lives and property.

Already, the effects of climate change can be felt right across the world. And no one can deny that those effects are rearing their ugly head in all manner of ways, from destruction of property and infrastructure, which cost awful lots of money to restore, to loss of human lives. We are left with no choice but to respond to the emergency.

Global warming phenomenon is not new to us. A good number of years have gone by, since we first heard about the systematic destruction of the ozone layer by greenhouse gas emissions (GHGS).

Which begs the question: What have we done so far to combat climate change that is wagging its tail across the globe? The saddest thing is that no proper measures were put in place to curb and reverse the trend. Me thinks we have become so used to the tendency of acting only when a calamity has occurred.

We cannot afford to sit down and do nothing about it like people who are  expecting a miracle is going to happen any time to change that reality. The world has between now and 2030 to give priority to what needs to be done to curb the growing trend of global warming. That is the stark reality.

For to do otherwise, would be the height of hypocrisy. As soon as the alarm bells were sounded, the world ought to have begun making compromises. We should be thinking of going for the long haul in the fight against global warming.

Which implies interrogating our own national standpoints and interests, by asking ourselves as individual nations what we can do for the world instead of what the world can do for us, just to paraphrase what a former US president once famously said.

As we speak now, what there is to show in terms of progress towards the attainment of the set target of keeping global average temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius has all the makings of a failed plan of action. Things should never be allowed to run as though it is business as usual.

Fighting global warming

Just like the Covid-19 pandemic has prescribed a new normal to survive its wrath, a similar plan of action requiring an adaptation to a whole new situation brought on by greenhouse gas emissions, need be devised to counter global warming and the attendant climate change effects.

A new world order, in terms of bringing sanity to the ways we generate energy need be our guiding star. For us to avoid running into the danger of being eliminated by the effects of global warming, we should muster the courage, as community of nations of saying fair and square, that we need to go back to the drawing board if all else has failed.

There is no room for any more procrastination and there is nothing to stop us from acting proactively. Twenty three years are now behind us since the Kyoto protocol, 1997.

It did well by arming itself with global architectural plans meant to guide countries in their efforts to counter global warming. It enunciated the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in which countries would commit themselves to cut down on gas emissions.

The developed world would have the obligation to embrace binding gas emission-reduction targets. On the other hand, for developing world, those targets were to be set by the individual countries while keeping their development needs into consideration.

In other words, developing countries enjoyed an ’emission space ‘. To make the battle against global warming easier for everybody, the developed countries were duty-bound to provide assistance in the form of funds and technologies to the developing countries in order to allow use of clean energy for their development needs possible.

Contrary to what some people think, it was not a one standard for some and another for others. It was not a half-hearted commitment. Rather, it was a well thought out approach tailored to bring everybody on board in the ‘war’ effort against global warming.

It is necessary to categorically deny claims that it was a deliberate attempt to scuttle the process by making recommendations that were hard to implement and thus maintain the status quo.

The disappointment nonetheless, is that two decades down the line, the Kyoto protocol targets are yet to be met. The  half-hearted commitment by both the developed and the developing countries could be the reason for not achieving much.

Failure to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions is a worrying situation because a runway rise in global temperatures is enough to make all of us panic — rich and poor countries alike.

Paris agreement

The Paris agreement, 2015 on climate change, sought to set the momentum that would see countries aggressively pursue emission-reduction target strategies. It hoped to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius by 2100. To be on the safe side, participants (195 countries) agreed to keep instead, an average global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius on pre-industrial levels. However, it fell short of a time frame for achieving gas pollution reduction targets.

Suffice it to say, an enabling environment is needed to put the world set fair to win this war. Anything above 2 degrees Celsius of global temperatures would place the planet on the worst scenario of recording irreversible effects of global warming.

The world would begin experiencing a host of climate change issues that would go down in history as having no parallel in our times.

A slew of policy measures intended to help meet gas emission targets were faced with challenges right from the beginning. Those challenges stem from the all-familiar unchecked deforestation to the failure of weaning the world off the fossil fuels.

Aside from financing green-energy projects in the developing countries proving harder than anticipated, those same developed countries have difficulty in completely abandoning oil and coal mining to generate electricity and to power their industries and automobiles.

For purely economic and political reasons countries, both developed and the developing ones, have had to contend with the real issues on the ground like solving unemployment problem and delivering on promises made by the ruling political class on economic development agenda.

Yet for others, the fossil fuel is their economy’s cash cow as a country. Mere words can hardly be sufficient to urge such a country to abandon use or sale of fossil fuels and adopt other sources of energy measures without a broad-based economic support system.

What with a reluctance by the advanced world to fully implement the Paris agreement as stated on paper. In all honesty, as governments, they too have to bow to the pressure from their citizenry. Which is a major reason for not reducing or limiting the use of fossil fuels to manageable levels.

Checking on global warming and fighting climate change is a collective global challenge that requires an equally global effort in terms of political will and commitment by every country.

Making sacrifices and compromises in form of availing funds for investment in clean energy projects and, in helping developing countries to transition to power-generating solar and wind projects, among other alternative sources of energy, is necessary given the urgency and importance of the matter.

Thinking that global warming is not a priority or climate change is not  real, we would be deluding ourselves much the same thing as believing Covid-19 is not real. It is a battle ahead of us which must be fought and won because if it is not, we all stand to lose.

No country in the whole world can be too lucky to meet all its socio-economic development needs, because we live in imperfect world. However, that is not to say we can not get to our desired greenhouse gas emission-reduction levels.

No country is expected to do more than it can afford, in the sense that each one is unique in its own way in terms of its needs. And such needs cannot be satisfied any more than the prevailing circumstances and challenges can allow to be achieved.

Nevertheless, it is the developing countries that will be the most affected by the climate change even if they account for negligible amounts of global gas emissions. But pointing fingers at others will not help matters in any way.

Combating global warming begins with seeing ourselves, developed or developing countries, as partners with a unity of purpose. Just like there are global business partners in companies like Zinzino and others, so should countries treat and look up to each other as such.

Challenges and consequences

As already noted before, being cognizant of the fact that some countries are in dire need of support more than others would be a fair game. Due to the nature of their unique situations and varying stages of development, it is not surprising at all to discover that they need more time and assistance to adapt to the new requirements.

Admittedly, they cannot for instance, be expected to suddenly abandon their heavy investments in fossil fuels in favor of green energy and at the same time be able to sustain their own economic development plans. That would be near impossible to do even with the best of intentions. Such understanding will help to drive the common cause to greater heights of success.

Switching from traditional fossil fuels to the new sources of power generation is a challenge not just to the developing countries but also to the advanced world. These challenges notwithstanding, however, it would be a death wish for the world not to tackle global warming, itself a product of human civilization.

About 720 million people around the world will be forced into extreme poverty between 2030 and 2050 if the current trend is sustained while others lose their lives to natural calamities tied to hostile climate change. Over the years the world has been treated to very harsh outcomes of climate change.

Extreme weather conditions with far-reaching consequences continue to hit different parts of the world at will and with impunity. Barely a month passes without media coverage of global warming related disasters which manifest themselves as heatwaves, hurricanes, rainstorms, flashfloods, droughts and lightnings, sometimes claiming lives and causing destruction in their wake.

Granted, the threat of global warming and climate change is so real to everyone unless one does not care to look further afield if those effects are nowhere to be witnessed near where they live. Understandably, it may not be a world scare like the Covid-19 is today, but nothing can rule out the possibility of it becoming one in the years to come.

That is what all future meetings on climate change and global warming should have in mind when addressing this very serious challenge of the twenty-first century (21c). And the world has what it takes to deal with the challenge, with a mutually embraced commitment by all.

 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) at the invitation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) had this to say: ‘One of the key messages that comes out very strongly from the report is that we are already seeing the consequences of one degree Celsius of global warming through more extreme weather, rising sea levels and diminishing Arctic sea ice, among other changes.’

A rise in sea level, in particular due to melting ice sheets would directly destroy coastal regions or submerge vulnerable islands and their inhabitants.

And this is how serious the matter is.

In other cases, parts of the world would be rendered uninhabitable due to extreme temperatures and an agricultural disruption of unprecedented levels would take its toll on populations, subjecting them to widespread food shortages.

 Large segments of world populations would be placed either on the verge of destitution or total destruction if a time-saving global strategy is not instituted. Their lives and livelihoods would be at stake whichever way you look at the emerging picture.

On the positive side, USA has rejoined  many other countries, in support of the global effort to continue with the struggle of finding solutions to the imminent crisis. Dropping ball in the fight against global warming by  the US was a big blow to the whole process. Since historically the US has been the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, now the second largest emitter of carbon dioxide after China; the assumption has always been the US should lead in this gas reduction struggle.

Taking care of our environment as individuals, communities, nations, and the world at large is the only weapon  we can use to turn around the possibility of terrible events happening and is what can save us from a global disaster so sure to come in the fullness of time.

Excuses or arguments and counter-arguments or taking a geopolitical stance to the matter will do no one any good. For no part of the world is safe.

As inhabitants of this world, we should refrain from destroying it because we have nowhere else to go to and we can not go to the moon to hide there or to Mars to make it our new home, when catastrophes come calling.

We look forward to seeing what comes out of the world climate change conference scheduled for November, 2021 in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

It is our hope that even as we battle Covid-19 pandemic, the world is not going to lose attention to global warming, a crisis in its own right, whose effects should attract equal concern by those in authority as we all very well know they are a threat to mankind.

Low Minimum Wages – How it Affects Families

By: Shecondria Duncan

Monthly rent is steadily on the rise in every state in America. Yet, the federal minimum wage is still only $7.25 per hour. A full-time employee earning this amount has a gross monthly income of around $1,160. So how is it that families living on minimum wage can afford their monthly rent, utilities, and other necessary resources when the lowest average rent in America is around $700 or more a month? The answer is simple. They can’t. The truth is millions of families in America struggle daily to provide for their families due to low minimum wages. As a result, they often become homeless and have individuals at high risk of developing anxiety, depression, and nutrition-related health disorders.

Minimum Wage Puts Families at Risk of Homelessness

The most needed resource for any family is a place to call home. Our homes provide the foundation and support we need to function properly at work, school, and even in our relationships with our friends and coworkers. They are where we eat, sleep, and perform the tasks that build and support our self-confidence, like learning how to care for our personal hygiene. The current low minimum wage puts families at risk of losing these livelihoods and widens the gap of the poverty line for millions of Americans.

For a family of two, the poverty line is $17,420. If the family breadwinner only earns minimum wage, their yearly salary before taxes adds up to $15,080. That is $2340 below the poverty line. That gap increases to $11,000 for a family of four. So, not only are some families experiencing poverty, if they are earning $7.25 per hour, they are falling well below the current poverty line. Thus, making it impossible for them to afford rent, utilities, and other necessary monthly resources.

Anxiety & Depression Are Often Symptoms of Low Wages

Think about it, how would you feel if you could not afford your monthly expenses not because you’re unemployed but because your job does not pay enough. It would feel like adding insult to injury, right? Unfortunately, this is true for millions of Americans. They wake up early in the morning, bus their children off to school, and work for 8 hours or more five days a week at a job whose salary won’t pay their monthly bills. Inevitably, most of them fail into depression or experience anxiety more often than they desire. What’s more, their depression and anxiety can affect the way they raise their children.

According to a Yale Medicine article, parents who are depressed interact differently with their children, so much so that it affects the child’s development. They are said to use less emotion and expressivity in their language when interacting with their babies. In addition to that, they often use less eye contact. Unlike parents who are not depressed, they lack the energy and liveliness to interact with their children, hindering them from engaging in fun activities like playing outside or reading books.

Low Minimum Wages Put Families at Risk of Nutrition-Related Health Diseases

When you are down to your last few dollars the last thing on your mind is purchasing healthy food for your family. The biggest goal for families in this situation is simply to put food on the table. While this solves the problem of hunger, it does little for preventing nutrition related health diseases like diabetes. Many will argue here that most of these families receive some form of government assistance.  While this is true, even with government-funded food programs, many families still cannot afford to purchase high-quality foods for their entire families. Consequently, rather than having access to foods that are organic and free of genetically modified organisms or GMOs, low-income families often eat foods that contain unhealthy food additives like high fructose corn syrup and MSG, both found in most processed foods.

In short, besides the few states with an average rent of a little over $700, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in most states is $1080.00. This fact alone reveals that low minimum wage in America has upgraded from a crisis to an epidemic. Why? Because families who earn minimum wage can no longer meet their basic needs even as full-time employees. Before this epidemic gets further out of control, the federal government must take a stand and give the federal minimum wage the increase it deserves.

It’s Time to Give the Confederate South a Real Burial

By: Rohit Iyer

In 1877, the United States Supreme court commissioned, built, and placed a statue of former chief Justice Roger B. Taney in the chamber of the highest court in the land. Heralded as a southern icon, a proponent of state’s rights, Taney is held in high regard by many southerners to this day. However, many don’t realize the impact the bust of Taney holds for many Americans. He represents an era in history where African Americans were not considered humans or citizens and was the deciding vote in the notorious Dredd Scott V. Sanford supreme court case. Due to the ramifications of his decision and the resulting trauma, the bust of Roger Taney must be removed and relocated from the Supreme Court, as it represents centuries of suffering and injustice.

The bust of Roger Taney was placed in the Supreme Court in continuance of tradition. Each former justice becomes immortalized in the chambers of the building, with either a statue or bust being sculpted and placed in the central chambers. The statue has remained in place for 133 years, serving as a constant reminder of the Dredd Scott v. Sanford decision. Recently, the controversy around the statue has erupted following the re-emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, looking for racial equality and healing in America. To achieve these goals, a statue idolizing a man who deemed African Americans to not be human cannot continue to stand in the U.S Supreme Court.

Roger Taney’s racist decision to deem African Americans as property and not humans holds awful connotations that must be left in the past. The fateful decision left deep wounds in America, and we should not commemorate it, “It ruled that ‘African Americans were not and could never be citizens of the United States-‘” (Hopkins, Daily Mail). This ruling invalidated the citizenship, and essentially humanity of African American citizens, and as Taney continued, they were deemed property. In a state that prohibited slavery, such as Missouri, Taney’s ruling set a dangerous precedent of slavery and southern values drifting into Northern states and threatened the humanity of African American citizens. This was not merely a decision based on beliefs of state’s rights or southern beliefs, but a decision rooted in racist ideals. In his reason for decision, Taney reinforced the idea that Black Americans were inferior to the white race. “…he believed that the federal government had no right to limit slavery. He mistakenly thought he could save the Union when he ruled that the Framers of the Constitution believed slaves were so inferior that they possessed no legal rights.” (Oyez.org). The decision to rule Dredd Scott as property and not a human was rooted in the racist and entirely false belief that Black Americans were simply not as much humans as whites. This perpetuated belief manifesting itself into the most infamous supreme court ruling of all time harmed African Americans for years after, showing the lasting impacts of Taney’s ruling. As a nation, we should not continue to affirm and immortalize the man behind the racist decision by honoring him with a bust in the Supreme Court. It does nothing but remind African Americans of the oppression faced just 150 years ago, and makes confederate sympathizers feel as though their heroes maintain power over the nation to this day. By allowing his bust to remain in the Supreme Court, we idolize the decision in Dredd Scott v. Sanford.

Relocating statues to “confederate graveyards” as well as teaching the 1619 project would help to heal the racial divide stemming from statues commemorating confederate icons. To begin the healing process, the Taney bust should be removed from the supreme court and handled in ways seen in former Soviet nations. A confederate graveyard would help to quell the persisting effects of the Antebellum south. As seen in former Soviet nations, a “graveyard” to monuments such as the Justice Taney bust would go to lengths to condemn white supremacy and the actions of former confederate icons. “We envision a cemetery for the American South where removed Confederate statues would be displayed, perhaps, in a felled position – a visual condemnation of the white supremacy they fought to uphold” (Brasher and Alderman, The Conversation). This method of relocation using other nations as a model would help to preserve the history surrounding the monument while also removing it from a place of power. The other way in which the United States should move forward towards a more racially equal nation is to implement the teaching of the 1619 project in schools nationwide. The 1619 project, while flawed, must be taught to our nation’s youth to show the racist past of our nation. “The goal of the 1619 Project is to reframe American history by considering what it would mean to regard 1619 as our nation’s birth year. Doing so requires us to place the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are as a country.” (Silverstein, The New York Times). To ensure all Americans understand the broad scope of racism in America, the 1619 project must be taught.

These reforms would heal the United States racially, moving forward and removing the power inequities seen by placing confederate statues in important federal sites. By implementing confederate graveyards, statues such as the Taney bust would be removed from their high positions, and relocated to a museum style cemetery, where it would be displayed fallen, a remnant of an evil time, broken. This would signify a major shift in the way confederate era monuments are displayed in America. Many believe, however, that by removing statues, people run from the issue on hand and risk forgetting history. “He warned that moving the statue would take Taney’s impact out of context. “When you lose that context, you’re left with bias, you’re left with prejudice,” he said. “Let’s use it as a learning experience. Let’s not run from it.” (Levin, The Fredrick News-Post). However, with a graveyard, these issues would not be an issue, as history would not be removed or forgotten. Simply, it would be put into context. The ultimate goal of the confederate graveyard is to reduce the power the Taney bust holds, and to ensure the nation does not idolize the man who stated Black Americans were not humans in the U.S. By implementing the 1619 project as curriculum across America, racism and misguided beliefs about our nation’s history could be weeded out at a fundamental level. The 1619 project is integral to the progress of the nation, ensuring the racially evil history of the nation be taught in a clear manner, and to help move forward as one. Some believe that by teaching the 1619 project in schools, anti-Americanism would prosper. “The banning of the 1619 project is the latest effort by Trump against new progressive interpretations to history that he deems un-American. Trump has in the past defended Confederate statues, called the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ a symbol of hate…” (Edwards, Alexander, Mail Online) Trump’s rhetoric is emblematic of a divided nation, in that he and his base believe the phrase “black lives matter” is a hate symbol, and that the 1619 project teaches unamerican Values. Once again, this is unequivocally false. The 1619 project, while with its flaws, does more than any other nationalized curriculum to address the atrocities of America’s past, while educating the nation’s youth, attempting to forge forward for racial unity. Both implementing a confederate graveyard and teaching the 1619 project extensively would ensure statues like the Taney bust lose their stature, rather being placed in an ecosystem where historical context is preserved, and idolatry doesn’t occur in the highest court in the land. The 1619 project ensures that the historical context of Taney’s actions among many others does not get lost in education, but rather gets elevated. By doing so, the confederate south’s power begins to fade, finally becoming history rather than a current issue. 

By allowing the bust of Roger B. Taney to sit elevated in the middle of the Supreme Court’s chamber, the decision of Dredd Scott v. Sandford becomes further legitimized, treating Taney as a hero rather than viewing him through a critical lens. The man who deemed African Americans as non-citizens, perpetuating racist ideologies cannot be held highly, immortalized in the Supreme Court, but must rather be part of a confederate graveyard, symbolizing the fall of white supremacy and the confederate south once and for all. By teaching the 1619 project, racism and distorted American history can be rooted out, rather teaching the nation’s youth about all of history, not just a rosy picture. By implementing these reforms, we do not forget or wash away history, we enhance it. That is why the confederate south must be given a proper burial, with the 1619 project its moving eulogy.

Works Cited

Brasher, Jordan, and Derek H. Alderman. “A Confederate statue graveyard could help bury the Old South.” The Conversation, 26 July 2019, advance.lexis.com/document/?pdmfid=1516831&crid=4f441433-c706-4784-beb5-9be09a14fedb&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fnews%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A5WNF-6VC1-JB75-9088-00000-00&pdcontentcomponentid=463575&pdteaserkey=sr0&pditab=allpods&ecomp=fzx2k&earg=sr0&prid=96f93af1-b1fb-4166-86d7-5a38f23f7700. Accessed 11 Nov. 2020.

Edwards, Valerie, and Harriet Alexander. “‘Democrats want to remove America’s guts’: Trump tells cheering North Carolina crowd that he wants to ‘restore patriotic education’ after threatening to defund schools that are trying ‘to take away history’ by teaching The 1619 Project.” Mail Online, 9 Sept. 2020, advance.lexis.com/document/?pdmfid=1516831&crid=8b3dce3f-22b9-4f02-910f-8e052a48c7d8&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fnews%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A60T0-C6K1-JCJY-G0B6-00000-00&pdcontentcomponentid=397135&pdteaserkey=sr3&pditab=allpods&ecomp=fzx2k&earg=sr3&prid=eb805b44-80e8-4e45-b553-4298928c886a. Accessed 11 Nov. 2020.

Hopkins, Anna. “Ancestors of judge who sentenced Dred Scott to a life of slavery finally apologize to his family after 160 years but the relatives liken the gesture to ‘bringing a Band-Aid to an amputation.'” Daily Mail, 7 Mar. 2017, advance.lexis.com/document/?pdmfid=1516831&crid=5dd2eddb-bfd3-4655-80b8-c8e109c453c0&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fnews%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A5N1R-0S51-F021-633C-00000-00&pdcontentcomponentid=397135&pdteaserkey=sr2&pditab=allpods&ecomp=dzx2k&earg=sr2&prid=21e77a64-46a8-4c92-ad1d-ca4324861e19. Accessed 24 Nov. 2020. Lavin, Nancy. “Community weighs in on Taney statue relocation.” The Frederick News-Post (Maryland), 13 Aug. 2015, advance.lexis.com/document/?pdmfid=1516831&crid=23e1c576-49f4-400b-b46b-6af43ca62653&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fnews%2Furn%3AcontentIt

The Legacy We Leave

The federal government has been executing federal inmates at an alarming rate. This article explores the racial bias that plagues this system and the history that it was built on.

An opinion piece by Ally Christiani

In college, my favorite part when it came to essay assignments was writing the introduction and conclusion. The introduction was like a palette cleanser, it prepared my reader for what was sure to be a lengthy argument.

I was taught to always make the conclusion powerful, encapsulating, and memorable. The word memorable is obviously subjective with its connotations.

After 4 years of divisive speech, erratic behavior, and misogynistic actions, we land on the question of the conclusion. President Trump has managed to at least prove consistency in the need to demonstrate power over responsibility. Sadly, the easiest way one can show power is through the oppression of the most vulnerable in society. He will exercise, without question, all the powers the Presidency entitles him to have, despite the moral consequences and declare it as the needs of the people.

President Trump broke a 130-year-old precedent of pausing federal executions during the transition period to a new President. Despite the voices of the people (A 2020 Gallup poll cited in the report shows the highest level of opposition to the death penalty among Americans since 1966, with 43% against it and 55% in favor of it.) and a global pandemic  (some States issued stays and no State-level executions took place past July 8)  10 executions have taken place so far in the past 5 month period with 3 remaining. President-elect Joe Biden (who opposes the death penalty) is scheduled to be inaugurated on January 20^th, President Trump has an execution scheduled for January 15^th.

In July 2019, now former US Attorney William Barr announced the administrations decision to resume federal executions after a 17-year pause. The federal death penalty was re-established by the Supreme Court in 1988, and since then only three federal executions have taken place, all of which occurred under the Bush Administration. Barr announced they would oversee 13 executions in 2020, the most in a year by any president since 1896.

Although the death penalty falls under the literal meaning of law, it is far from law and order. Capital punishment in America is amongst the most flawed system in the criminal justice system. Since its re-establishment, it has consistently been used disproportionately against African Americans.

“African Americans make up 42% of people on death row and 34% of those executed, but only 13% of the US population is black.” (as per the Equal Justice Imitative report on the death penalty).

The explanation for this racial disparity can be traced back to the Reconstruction Era (1865-1876), where its predecessor lynching was first introduced.  During this period, almost 2,000 African Americans were killed, with an additional 4,400 documented lynching’s post-Reconstruction (1877-1950). In 1972, Furman vs. Georgia, the Supreme Court first struck down the death penalty calling it “lynch law,” and said in their decision: “of these few to be sentenced to die…it is the constitutionally impermissible basis of race.” As attitudes and consequently, government evolved, new ways to oppress and discriminate hid themselves in legislation and precedents.

This years’ executions followed the trend of inherit bias and systemic discrimination that evolved from the past, and ingrained itself into the criminal justice system. Almost half of the defendants executed are people of color and 76% of the executions are for the deaths of white victims.

“As of October 2002, 12 people have been executed where the defendant was white and the murder victim black, compared with 178 black defendants executed for murders with white victims.” (as per as an ACLU report on the death penalty).

One of the more concerning flaws when it comes to the death penalty, is the number of inmates that are exonerated yearly after spending sometimes decades sitting on death row, awaiting an execution date, for a crime they did not commit. This error again, affects African Americans disproportionately.

The blockbuster movie Just Mercy brought death row stories to the big screen and forced people to face the widespread bias that reaches deep into the system. In death penalty cases, the rate of exonerations has steadily increased with 172 people being exonerated since 1973. 1,529 people have been executed in the US since 1973, 502 of those (including those this year) were African American. The Equal Justice Initiative reports that for every 9 people executed, one person on death row has been exonerated.52% of exonerees, were African American.

Despite public outcry, letters from victims’ families urging the administration to stop the executions, and activists tying up the phone lines of the White House, nothing has managed to slow down the Trump Administration’s agenda to exhaust the use of the death penalty. President- elect Joe Biden has vowed to eliminate the use of the federal death penalty and create incentives for the states who follow suit once he is sworn into office.

The death penalty in this country is nothing more than vengeance hidden through the idea of justice—an eye for an eye. It is possible that soon to be former President Trump is seeking his own vengeance, using these executions as his vessel.

Miriam Krinsky, a former federal prosecutor and executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution, said the busy execution schedule in the last days of an administration is “a sad legacy to leave.”

But I am sure, this is the exact conclusion Mr. Trump wanted to write.

Sources:

1. www.cnn.com/2020/12/17/politics/federal-death-penalty-2020-trnd/index.html
2. www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/upcoming-executions
3. www.eji.org/issues/death-penalty/
4. www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55236260
5. www.aclu.org/other/race-and-death-penalty
6. www.nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/12/trump-cranks-up-executions-on-his-way-out-of-the-white-house.html
7. www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/12/03/law-officers-call-halt-executions-trumps-final-weeks/3806399001/
8. www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/stories/dpic-and-black-history-month

Address The Disconnect

A video and blog series for AWOFINC & BLACK

By: Ally Christiani

As a writer, words serve as a comfort. I always found beauty in English words and our ability to manipulate them to deliver a purpose; change or engage an absent mind. Langston Hughes, a poet from the Harlem Renaissance, masterfully uses the English language to create definitions for words that can be considered the hardest to define.

Freedom is a strong seed

Planted

In a great need.

Listen, America—

I live here, too.

I want freedom

Just as you.

–Langston Hughes

The fight for freedom in any sense, has been the definitive connection across humanity. When observing American history, one can determine for sure, that this fight has been in consistent pursuit.

Freedom is indeed, a great need.

I began studying American history on a quest to identify parallels and reveal answers to better make sense of the present. The Old World ultimately, discovered the New World as the consequence of a desire to be free from the burden of inconvenient trade routes. In 1619, slaves were brought to America to give freedom in the sense of time and labor, to the first Americans by quite literally stripping another race of their own. The American Revolution was fought for liberation from British Rule; that is, to inherit the freedom of being their own country.  Plantation elites instilled the idea of superior and inferior races to free themselves from the guilt of profiting off of stolen autonomies.

In sequence, to demonstrate the power of historical parallels, revolutions inspire revolutions. The backs they lashed, lashed back, and forced the South to reckon with their capitalistic crimes. The Civil War forced this reckoning and temporarily brought a sense of rebirth. Oppressive systems transformed and Jim Crow birthed segregation, disenfranchisement, white supremacy, lynching, incarceration, and police brutality. Revolutions counteracted just the same…Montgomery Bus Boycott, The Freedom Riders, ’67 Detroit Riots, ’92 LA Riots, March on Washington, Bloody Sunday, Ferguson 2014, the murder of George Floyd 2020…

What has changed? I hear people ask. Well, everything and nothing, is the appropriate answer.

These events of the past in comparison with the present prove we are connected intrinsically; and yet, it is the presence of this disconnect that allows history to continue to repeat itself.

We march for George Floyd connected to the protestors in the 1992 LA Riots. We cast votes at local polling centers connected to the almost 200 black victims killed by white mobs in Opelousas, Louisiana in 1868 for trying to exercise their right to engage in the political process. We kneel at sports games, connected to the black GI’s returning home with the aspirations to be included in the 1944 GI Bill benefits only to be denied access to every one of them.

In my video and blog series developed for BLACK/AWOFinc, my goal is to address this great disconnect between our past, our present, and ultimately the future. This realities America created and therefore must address to achieve the truths they claim to be self-evident… all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Langston Hughes tells us freedom is a strong seed—singular—just like the sun there is one. How we nourish it determines how it will grow—education, speech, collectiveness, power, and empathy.

I hope for you to explore these questions and topics with me as I take a dive into the systemic issues facing African Americans today in relation to the past. My goal with this project series is to help plant the seeds, the ideas, and equip you with the knowledge to support others growth –to improve society for everyone.

MORE INFORMATION:

This project will highlight and explain the different ways systemic racism exists and prevails in our society. It will be released in parts tackling each individual issue, how it functions, and the history behind it. The topics include but are not fixed to:

• Education
• Health Care
• Police Brutality
• Voting Suppression/Political Engagement
• Justice System
• Housing
• Wealth Gap/Poverty/ Employment

The series is scheduled to begin within the first few weeks of January with an official launch date TBD.

Be sure to follow along on social media platforms to stay up to date on the release date and each release/post after that.

Instagram: @2BlackExcellence

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2BLACKExcellence/

Blog: https://2blackexcellence.wordpress.com/

The Truth Behind Microaggressions Including Ones Your Child Might be Facing In the Classroom

Microaggressions are extremely dangerous because in most cases people are unintentionally projecting them unto others. At the same time, microaggressions can also be intentional and used as a passive-aggressive way to spread bias or stereotype about a specific group without coming off too hateful. This includes “hostile, derogatory, or negative attitudes toward stigmatized or culturally marginalized groups.” In other words they can be instances of racism, homophopia, sexism, etc. masked as innocent comments, gestures, jokes, etc. They also be often masked as back-handed compliments that compliment you, but bashes the community you belong to. They can cause people to feel slightly uncomfortable. Nonetheless, whether intentional or not, microaggressions are not cool and can cause a lot of damage. Let’s take a look at some variations of microaggressions and what they look like.

Racism	Sexism	Homophobia
You don’t talk like a black person.	Act more like a lady.	It’s just a phase.
You must be good at math.	Women are bad drivers.	You don’t act gay.
Are you the new diversity hire?	Stop being so emotional.	Who’s the man/woman in the relationship?
You all look alike.	Men don’t cry.	You’re too pretty to be gay.
Can I touch your hair?		What are you?
You’re pretty for a black girl.

Microaggressions can also be found in the classroom. According to Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D., these are the microaggressions to watch out for in the classrooms:

 Failing to learn to pronounce or continuing to mispronounce the names of students after they
have corrected you.
 Scheduling tests and project due dates on religious or cultural holidays.
 Disregarding religious traditions or their details. (Ex. Impacts of fasting)
 Setting low expectations for students from particular groups, neighborhoods, or feeder
patterns.
 Calling on, engaging and validating one gender, class, or race of students while ignoring other
students during class.
 Assigning student tasks or roles that reinforce particular gender roles or don’t allow all students
flexibility across roles and responses.
 Anticipating students’ emotional responses based on gender, sexual orientation, race or
ethnicity.
 Using inappropriate humor in class that degrades students from different groups.
 Expressing racially charged political opinions in class assuming that the targets of those opinions
do not exist in class.
 Using the term “illegals” to reference undocumented students.
 Hosting debates in class that place students from groups who may represent a minority opinion
in class in a difficult position.
 Singling students out in class because of their backgrounds.
 Expecting students of any particular group to ‘represent’ the perspectives of others of their race,
gender, etc. in class discussions or debates.
 Denying the experiences of students by questioning the credibility and validity of their stories.
 Assigning class projects or creating classroom or school procedures that are heterosexist, sexist,
racist, or promote other oppressions, even inadvertently.
 Using sexist language.
 Using heteronormative metaphors or examples in class.
 Assuming the gender of any student.
 Continuing to misuse pronouns even after a student, transgender or not, indicates their
preferred gender pronoun.
 Assigning projects that ignore differences in socioeconomic class status and inadvertently
penalize students with fewer financial resources.
 Excluding students from accessing student activities due to high financial costs.
 Assuming all students have access to and are proficient in the use of computers and applications
for communications about school activities and academic work.
 Assuming that students of particular ethnicities must speak another language or must not speak
English.
 Complimenting non-white students on their use of “good English.”
 Discouraging students from working on projects that explore their own social identities.
 Asking people with hidden disabilities to identify themselves in class.
 Forcing students with non‐obvious disabilities to “out” themselves or discuss them publically.
 Ignoring student‐to‐student microaggressions, even when the interaction is not course‐related.
 Making assumptions about students and their backgrounds.
 Featuring pictures of students of only one ethnicity or gender on the school website.
 Having students engage in required reading where the protagonists are always white

Now that you know exactly what microaggressions are, I’m sure majority of you can say you’ve experienced it at least once. So, how do you react the next time someone hits you with one? How you respond is up to you. You can either let it go if you decide it isn’t that big of a deal or if you feel the person meant no harm or you can decide to address it. If you do decide to address it, you have the power to decide how and how much time you want to spend on it. You can simply tell them not to do that anymore or you can decide to challenge and educate them. The point is to not allow these microaggressions to consume you and take up your life, but to use them as a teaching point especially in a time when race relations and conversations are so pivotal.

White Privilege And How it Can Be Used to Help the Black Community

In the wake of everything that is going in on the country right now, white privilege is at the helm of it. Everything from the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor to the calling of the police on members of the black community for simply bird watching, working out or going about their day-to-day business relate back to white privilege. Yes, we know all cops aren’t bad. Yes, we know all white people aren’t racist. But the thing we need white people to understand now more than ever is that whether they are racist or not, they have white privilege. Their skin tone does not warrant the level of fear for their lives that black people have had to deal with for far too long. Right now what we need is for white people to understand the white privilege, accept it, speak on it and use it to become allies to the black community so that change can be made. Now is not the time to be silent or mutual. Now is the time to take action and if you don’t know how to take action, learn, research, ask questions, etc. At this point it is not enough to simply not be racist, if you aren’t on the front line with the black community helping to make change and putting your white privilege to good use, you aren’t helping create change. If you question what white privilege has to do with all the recent events, look at Amy Cooper and how she deliberately lied on Christian Cooper when calling the cops and made sure to mention his race. Those actions could of led to the same thing that happened to George Floyd. In fact it did, back in the 50s with Emmett Till. This is the kind of harm white privilege does, especially if people like Amy Cooper are using it in the way they are and putting black people in even more danger than they are on the daily. Black people have been fighting for years, it’s time members of other communities join us. And for those that have, we see you and we thank you. But make sure to ask yourself how can I take it further than social media?

For those looking to learn more about white privilege and address the issue, check out girlupcampaign’s post on Instagram.

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Or theconsciouskid’s post

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAx4-8GpHvK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

What You Should Teach Your Children About Black Culture Ahead of Black History Month

With January quickly coming to an end, that can only mean one thing: Black History Month is approaching. Of course we celebrate our culture and our people year round, but February gives us a chance to really reflect and bask in our accomplishments a little more than usual. It’s also a good time to celebrate with your kids and teach them about our history as well as why February is an important month. Here are a list of things you should talk to your child about to prepare them for Black History Month:

1. Jim Crow laws
2. Ancestry
3. Important black leaders
4. The history of black artists/musicians/actors/authors, etc.
5. Black scientists
6. Slavery
7. The history of racism
8. Civil Rights Movement
9. The Black Panthers
10. Africa
11. HBCU’s
12. Black Lives Matters
13. Black Veterans
14. African Americans and politics
15. Juneteenth
16. Thurgood Marshall/Supreme Court Cases that helped African Americans secure rights

Know of any more things that are important to teach children about Black History? Share them below.

7 Ways You Can Prevent Your Child From Being the Next Shooter

With mass shootings happening way too often and back to back in the case of the two most recent ones in El Paso and Dayton, it is obviously apparent to everyone but the people in power that something needs to be done about gun laws. But with the realization that many of the shooters are what the media likes to label “troubled” or “mentally ill” teens or young adults, the question should be posed as to whether or not there is anything parents can do to prevent their children from being the next shooter? The short answer to that question is yes. Although as we know some things are beyond the parents’ control, especially as their children grow older and make their own decisions; it’s still important that they try to make a positive impact on their kids while they still can.

Parents are more times than not the first people who will be able to notice a behavioral change in their children. It is important that when you do notice this, you take the necessary measures to get to the bottom of what has caused a shift in your child’s behavior. You can decide which steps work best for your children depending on their age. Here are some ways you can do that:

 

1. Monitor Your Child’s Social Media/Screen Time
Social Media is a big cause for depression among youth because it opens the door to internet trolls/internet bullying. It can also expose children to tons of online violent content. While some children may not be affected by this, others may be influenced to mimic what they see. So it is important for children to determine what is best for their child.

 

2. Keep Track of Your Child’s Relationships

Who’s around your child that could negatively affect their behavior and expose them to negative things? This could be friends, family friends, family members, etc. It’s also equally important for children who may not have many friends as well because this can be a sign that there may be things happening in school beyond your knowledge such as bullying that are causing them to have a hard time making friends.

 

3. Talk With Your Child

It might sound obvious, but some parents don’t take the time to do this. Ask them how their day was. Talk about serious issues with them. Ask them how they feel about all the mass shootings and other acts of violence they might see on the news. Obviously as they get older, some kids don’t want to share much with their parents, but don’t let that deter you. You should still ask questions and show interest because it is a sign you care. Children feeling neglected or not cared for can lead to further issues.

 

4. Work With Your Child on Self-Esteem

 If you see your child having issues with low self-esteem, it’s important to address it head on and work with them on loving themselves. A good way to do this with young children is through daily affirmations.

 

5. Watch Your Behavior

 Children often learn their behavior from their parents, so it’s important to limit the amount of violence you expose them to. Teach them to express themselves calmly and patiently through words instead of resorting to violence.

 

6. Discuss Gun Safety

Teach your kids about all the gun protocols, the dangers of them and how to stay safe. Also make sure if you have a gun in the house that it is completely out of reach of the kids. It is also a good idea that the gun is stored unloaded and locked separate from the ammunition.

 

7. Teach Your Children Acceptance of All

Because so many of the mass shootings fall under the category of hate crimes whether it’s against a certain race, religion or the LGBTQ community; it’s important that you talk to your children at an early age and teach them about the importance of accepting people for who they are.

 

Know of some more ways to help prevent gun violence? Let us know below.

Understanding Institutional Racism

Racism has been a complex topic for years now because despite the belief of many, there isn’t just one type of racism. In fact, there are many with many different names including: individual racism, interpersonal racism, cultural racism, structural racism and institutional racism, etc. In order for progress to be made, people must first be educated on racism as a whole to gain a knowledge on what can be done fix the injustices placed upon people of color.

 

On Saturday Aug 10., Evanston Live TV and BLACK put together Community Conversations: Understanding Institutional Racism with panelist/speakers: Pat Quinn, Devon Reid, Bennett Johnson, Lisa Disch, Dino Robinson, Christopher Shuttlesworth and Baxter Swilley. Melika Gardner was the moderator for the event.

 

The event was all about action with emphases on voting, getting signatures and asking important questions of the people who are in power to make change.

 

So what exactly is institutional racism? Institutional racism is one of the most important forms of racism because it has a much greater impact than individual racism and can be harder to fight. It is described as discrimination in social and political institutions. Factors of institutional racism include: wealth, income, criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power and education.

 

Some great examples of the biggest forms of institutional racism we have had to face are the Jim Crow segregation laws and more recently how the police department handles Black and Latino males. New York police directed officers to stop Black and Latino males between the ages of 14 and 20. These types of encounters often cause people to lose hope instead of fighting for change, but the panelists (many of who have also faced institutional racism themselves) are proof that overcoming is both possible and important.

 

Gardner: You all have this movement that’s actually making change. Usually it’s hitting those first couple roadblocks people go back to being comfortable. No one wants to get down in the grass and make things happen. What did you all do, what did you tell yourself, what actions did you take to get over those over those roadblocks?

 

Bennett Johnson has dedicated his life to the power of the black community through three areas: political, business and literary. He’s done this through his work in the civils rights era and his publishing company Path Press Inc. He also helped found the Chicago League of Negro Voters in 1958, which is an independent political organization designed to support black candidates in Chicago elections.

 
Johnson: The obstacles is just like anything in life. You don’t grow unless you have obstacles and you don’t succeed unless you get over those obstacles. So an obstacle isn’t something you should be intimidated by it’s a challenge.

 
Former IL Governor Pat Quinn has dedicated his time to progressive policies and fighting for everyday people. He is adamant about taking down Donald Trump and his hateful policies.

 
Quinn: If you don’t vote, you don’t count so it really is important what Devon said to get everybody you can to vote in the upcoming elections of 2020. One of the reasons I’m committed to this whole power of petition and referendum is that it encourages people to understand that I’m not only voting for candidates, but there are issues. We heard some of the issues here today that’s important, whether it’s making sure people get a fair share of government money and construction dollars or making sure people have decent schools and raising minimum wage. The whole movement of raising minimum wage began with a petition drive.

 

Devon Reid is an Evanston City Clerk. He dedicates much of his time informing/educating people about the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

 

Reid: Here in Evanston I work to bring a voice to the table that isn’t traditionally at the table. I started to face a lot of pushback from our city council and folks within the city. One of the ways that I am overcoming is that I rely on you folks to be educated, to understand what’s going on in the government and to vote. Right now, we’re sitting in the Fleetwood Jourdain Center and what we know is that in 1931- Mr. Jourdain won the election in 1931. He was the first African American elected to the Evanston city council. The city council then voted to dismiss him from the council based on trumped up charges of voter fraud. They found a few cases where people were living in storefronts or places that weren’t properly zoned as housing and they used that to say well your whole election was fraud and they kicked him out of office. Mr. Jourdain came back a year later and won the election again. He came back and became a strong voice for the African American community here in Evanston and for the entire city, advocating for the construction of this community center, advocating for desegregating our communities and parks. So what I hold onto and what helps me get over the hurdle is knowing that we have smart, dedicated people in the community and that I am ultimately accountable to you and that is what will help us keep this movement going forward.

 

Dino Robinson spends his time educating people on the history of African Americans through the Shorefront Legacy Center, which he founded.

 

Robinson: I think we all have points in our lives that make us woke. My key point started in kindergarten and I saw the system of hierarchy about leadership and lack of leadership. And so I was living in Michigan as early as kindergarten that I borrowed from the sports apparel Nike “Just Do It”. That’s my motivation, every time somebody said no, I just did it. So in kindergarten, when I was woke up a peer of mine as I was playing with this toy- actually it’s clay, making my car out of clay. This kid came up to me and said “niggers are not aloud to play with toys” and the teacher was maybe three feet away. She looked at me and looked at him and turned away. I had a moment in that time as I thought about it that this kid did not learn it on his own, he learned it from his parents. And I had a chance to either become violent or be assertive. At that moment in my live, even though I was in kindergarten, the thing I realized is no one can tell me what I can and can’t do.

 

Lisa Disch is a political science professor at The University of Michigan. She discusses contemporary continental political thought, with an emphasis on the feminist theory, political ecology, and theories of democracy in both the US and France.

 

Disch: Information is one of the best ways of getting over obstacles. All of these problems that we think are astronomical, they’re not. The more we know about issues, the more likely we are to find solutions. It takes digging and it takes looking on social media. It takes information and information opens up points of action that you didn’t know existed.

 

Christopher Shuttlesworth works towards solving the issues surrounding systemic poverty and economic morality through The Illinois Poor People’s Campaign.

 

Shuttlesworth: I’ve had a few obstacles, but one in particular is a story. My youngest sister was having a quintillion and everyone- the family was dressed really nice. It’s a beautiful time, I wanted to leave though. So my wife at the time, my younger brother we’re leaving, it’s downtown Chicago. So as we’re crossing the street police cars cross the corner. So they get out and call me over to the car, they say put your hands on the car. They put me in the car in handcuffs and drive me to a McDonald’s and waited for the manager to come out and identify me. So of course the manager couldn’t identify me because I didn’t rob the McDonald’s so they arrested me for disorderly conduct. That’s just one of the things that really helped me to keep going- to persevere, to really get involved and join people that are doing things to really change and dismantle this society. It’s going to take all of us. It’s not a color issue, it’s a human issue. It’s going to take humans.

 

Gardner: I love these stories because I think everybody in the room has been met with an obstacle when you felt passionate about something and you just stopped- these people didn’t stop and I know there’s people out there who are fighting and doing things, but a lot of us stop. We let the obstacle overwhelm us and we just go back to comfort.

 

As the event wrapped up and the audience got to ask their own questions it was stressed that simply coming to the event to attain the knowledge, but not using the knowledge to evoke change wasn’t going to be much help. The purpose of the event was to provide residents with knowledge of what institutional racism is so they can recognize it and do their part to change it. Now that you have the resources what are you going to do?

 

Tell us what obstacles you’ve had to overcome institutional racism and what you are doing to fight it.