Mandated COVID Vaccination For All Is Imminent

While ultimately it will be a lost fight, I do not summarily dismiss people who reject the COVID vaccination as irrational, minus the trump supporters, solely because of their position.

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Our government(s), the pharmaceutical industry and the medical profession have earned this mistrust. Yes, there are the indisputable facts of Tuskegee, which is but a drop in the bucket of medical experimentation on human subjects, and the rantings of a mad man masquerading as POTUS who had the shot himself (SMH) but who among us does not believe that there exists a cure for cancer, is not resentful of being gouged financially by doctors, hospitals and big pharma, who trusts that FDA approvals are granted free and clear? I could go on.
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The mistrust is real and earned. It is not limited to Black folks or even crazy trump supporters. These entities must own it and start sharing all of the facts with the American public instead of shutting down the dialogue, even of fellow professionals, of those who disagree with them. Allow the discourse. Perhaps then, some of the resisters might be swayed to vaccinate. Is that not the overall goal? To dismiss or denigrate them however, only adds fuel to the[ir] fire. But soon, public pressure that will look much like the pass system reminiscent of apartheid and being reduced to the social status of leper, even with friends and family, will force or at the least, serve as a mandate for most to ultimately vaccinate.
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As a society, we either passed this test, if you will, with flying colors or we failed miserably. It depends on which side of the issue one stands. There must always be a segment of society that challenges our government. History has taught us that. I ain't mad at the resisters. I just want them to accept that no matter their position, COVID is real, people are dying and vaccinated or not, they too, must respect the now socially acceptable codes of conduct to wear masks, wash hands and respect personal spaces, social distancing at a minimum...

This is the article that prompted this writing...
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/vaccine-refusers-hesitancy-mandates-fda-delta/619918/

Waste Not!

I love the concept of this meme or photo someone posted on Facebook. I hope the message is true. What a novel and logical idea! 

 
I remember having dinner with a friend in South Africa, Refilwe. As we were leaving the restaurant, she gave her doggy bag to a homeless man outside the restaurant. He was quite thankful and did not take it as a sign of disrespect being given food from the unfinished plate of another. He did not counter that instead he wanted money. None of that.

She gave from her heart and what seemed the natural and logical thing to do, he received it accordingly. I loved it and made note to self that it was so un-American-like. We often take our doggy bag home of our much too large servings provided us by a restaurant who under pays it's workers, put it in our overstocked refrigerator, forget about it, and often eventually throw it away or feed it to the doggy, which is probably the origin of the name "doggy bag" and might also be why our homeless would likely reject such an offer. Who knows? 

Never, however, would it be the norm to simply give it away or would we be so kind to offer our bounty to a hungry stranger. What an UN-American concept! Nightly, bakeries, grocery stores, restaurants, banquet organizers and such throw away tons of food for fear of lawsuits, lack of empathy, no compassion, etc. 

Meanwhile, there is no shortage of homeless people who are hungry and begging in the streets of America, homeless shelters and food centers are everywhere and still there are not enough, school lunch programs are thriving as though only the school aged children in the family are hungry. 

Also meanwhile, America consoles herself in flooding the television with PSAs featuring starving and malnourished, usually Black or Brown, children in other countries promoting the notion that all is well here in America, the "land of plenty where the streets are paved in gold". SMH... 

American capitalism disappoints me yet again. I love when I hear stories like this about France and remember the natural concern for a fellow citizen by my friend in South Africa where I hope her gesture is the norm. 

The USA MUST do better! Many of her sheets are off, to include that poverty and hunger in America is a very real thing! Ignoring it will not make it go away...

Racism & Discrimination Front and Center!

To deny LaVar Burton the job as the new host of the popular game show, Jeopardy, would be a slap in the face but certainly in line with America's fear and rejection of talking about white privilege and teaching true history, hers and that of Black people. 

There is no way that this guy should get the job over LaVar Burton except that seeing a Black man in a roll of intelligence day in and day out would be too reminiscent of Barack Obama and the rage his presence caused for America such that he was succeeded by a true imbecile! As we are seeing played out in the Olympics, Black excellence scares the hell out of some people committed to a narrative of Black inferiority...

LaVar, "Kunta Kinte" Burton, showing up in this role goes against the very narrative of how this country wants Black people, who she formerly enslaved, depicted as brute, animalistic, uneducable and denied the right to learn to read and write, to be depicted. We can't be smart and sophisticated as is the persona Trebek created for this position. We can run, jump, dribble, sing and do physical labor but we are not to be articulate, learned and intelligent. Whatever would be the result of such a positive image of Black folks? Another of America's lies would be exposed! Black folks being proud, emboldened, awakened, inspired and possibly empowered by an image of  Black positivity? So give the job to an unknown, unskilled, mediocre white guy. Its not like we haven't seen that happen before!

There's no real surprise here. This is but another example of America's fear of Black excellence! Let's see how this shakes out. If they give the job to this unknown, mediocre white guy, I hope the show flops!

Fly Me To The Moon? No Thank You

Did you watch the launching in space of  Richard Branson yesterday? I just read on  a Facebook page where this guy said he was angry about it and and he talked about why. I  can't say I'm angry about it but I do wonder why we care so much. 

These very rich men racing one another to be the first in space feels ridiculous and insensitive in light of all that's going on in the world. But what really stands out for me is that here we are, the struggling, barely making it or paying too much 99% cheering on the 1% who enjoy lavish, carefree lives at our expense. 

These people are insanely rich only because of their exploitation of us and we cheer them on. We can't afford housing, health care, insurance of all kinds, education, the infrastructure is falling, we are inundated with taxes and inexplicable service fees dreamt up by them and our government, poverty and world hunger are real and yet we are on the sidelines, glued to our boob tubes, cheering on these rich men and the games they enjoy through profits earned on our backs. Feels like a new plantation. I ain't cheering that Massah's happiness is more important or more relevant than my own... 

There is just something very wrong with all of this for me and nope, call me Scrooge, but I didn't watch one second of it! Instead, I hosted a very empowering When Black Women Gather Zoom call for Black Women with the brilliant Gloria Browne-Marshall, author, lawyer, playwright, radio talk show host, law professor, etc. Our souls and our minds were nourished. Our hearts were filled with the spirit of Sistah-hood. That's what I did. How bout' you? 

Footnote:

Someone just shared this video of the late and great  Gil Scott Heron from 1970,  performing  Whitey On The Moon. He so much more precisely critiqued the alarming indifference to poverty and real world struggles. Click here to check it out. 

My Soul Looks Ahead

"The Slave went free; 

stood a brief moment in the sun; 

then moved back again toward slavery"

WEB DuBois

I fear with some of our thinking, this is where we are [headed]. What is it that Harriet said about shooting some of our folks? Perhaps she should have...

Yesterday I read that a republican candidate with Black skin publicly scorned Vanessa Williams for singing Lift Every Voice and Sing, the Black National Anthem, on PBS in celebration of Juneteenth becoming a national holiday. She said it was divisive...

I learned a few weeks ago that 4 years ago, a "man" with Black skin, "Rev" jesse peters, launched July as white history month. Because they needed it...

Although perhaps unconsciously, we have so internalized double standards intended only for us, intentionally designed to hold us down, that it is us who now advocates for enforcement of the Black Codes, I mean double standards, that keep us in our place...

We are becoming the proverbial foot on our own neck. We are proud however and want the world to see, that the shoe on that foot has a red bottom. SMH...

We actually fight to be king crab pulling others of us back down to suffocate beneath us at the bottom of the barrel.

 
All too often it is now us who is unbothered, unmoved and all too joyful to be seated beneath the tree bearing strange fruit dangling above that looks like us. All too often it is us who has provided the rope...

Too many of our youth is obsessed with 'bling' and not interested at all in our history, the shoulders they stand on or the source of the blood, sweat and tears that afforded them the opportunity or ability to achieve that bling. They have bootstraps...

Too many of us are far too happy to be seated at corporate and other tables not prepared by or for us and have zero interest or concern about making place or room for others of us. Pass the wine...

Meanwhile, our Vice President said America is not a racist country...

I could go on...

The white man's work is done. He need now only sit back, eat popcorn and wait. We are becoming our worst enemy.

My Soul Looks Ahead and Weeps...

💔🖤💚

Juneteenth; Step One

 

This is the second year my employer recognized Juneteeth as a holiday and closed the office before it became state or federally observed.

While federal recognition of the day as a holiday is a step in a positive direction, especially in the midst of America trying to deny or ban teaching her history as it pertains to race and Black folks in America, many of us are reserved or cautious in our glee of this  moment. 

Why are we reserved and cautious? 1) Because history has shown us that following this type move, comes commercialization and loss of the true spirit, meaning and significance of the holiday. Its significance will become lost in greeting cards and a 20% sale at Macy's.  2) Black folks might be reserved or cautious in our elation because this act of government can be used as an excuse to deny racism and white supremacy, because there remain so many matters of political importance that need to be addressed in the Black community. 

Juneteeth was easy legislation to pass. It involved no heavy lifting for Anti-Black politicians, there was no change in circumstance or consequence for them or Black folks. As a matter of fact it is a shield for racist politicians who will offer their vote in favor of the holiday as a reason to deny or deflect from accusations of racism.

So yes, let's celebrate this milestone while simultaneously keeping the pressure on all of our elected officials and community leaders. This day of recognition is culmination of lots of hard work by many in the Black community. It is our job to make certain that their work was not in vain or reduced to a nice gesture or honorable mention on the part of government but instead the preface for or setting the tone for much larger and pressing matters to be achieved. We must now go back and deal with the essential steps that were leapt over in our continued pursuit of progress for Black Americans. 

In the meantime, Happy Juneteeth Everyone!

💗🖤💚

Shame Draped in Fear of One's Truth...

This is what owning one's history in America looks like. Don't own it, legislate it away... 

In the face of national exposure for horrific acts of government covered up and not talked about for 100 years, the governor of the state guilty of domestic terrorism against an innocent Black community - mass murder, grand arson and dropping a bomb annihilating innocent, non-threatening American citizens, to include children - and the the murder of Native Americans during the infamous Trail of Tears, shows remorse by signing a bill forbidding discussion of such acts. Call it shame draped in fear, of one's truth... 

Excerpt:

"Oklahoma's Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill banning the teaching of critical race theory in schools. The ban, signed on May 27, 2020 --in the midst of the state's national acknowledgement of the Centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre--  prohibits lessons  that might make someone feel discomfort, guilt or distress on account of their race or sex-- including current events such as the murder of George Floyd, family separation at the Mexico border and the Tulsa Race Massacre. This is designed to limit how much teachers feel they can dive into conversations about topics such as structural racism and white supremacy before and since the Tulsa Race Massacre."

Click here to hear a YouTube video I posted just a few days ago on this matter, America Fears Her Truth..

Keep talking people. Try as it may, in today's times a government cannot rewrite its history nor legislate it's people into silence....