Where Black Students Matter

An excerpt from the New York Post -

These are the colleges where black students really matter
By Dennis Richmond, Jr.

When New York’s black high school seniors return to school in the fall and start looking ahead to college admissions, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) should be at the top of their lists.

As protests over racism continue to ripple across the country, HBCUs offer a safe haven where young minds can feel truly embraced by a racially diverse faculty who will empower them for the future. According to US Department of Education statistics, 75 percent of all black people with a doctorate degree (and four fifths of all black federal judges) received their undergraduate training at HBCUs. With typically lower tuition fees and a more integrated staff than traditionally white institutions, HBCUs are a more affordable and supportive way for black kids to level the playing field.

https://nypost.com/2020/07/11/these-are-the-colleges-where-black-students-really-matter/

1st Black Female Fighter Pilot!

BZ to Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle on completing the Tactical Air (Strike) aviator syllabus. Swegle is the @USNavy’s first known Black female TACAIR pilot and will receive her Wings of Gold later this month. HOOYAH! @FlyNavy @NASKPAO #ForgedByTheSea #CNATRA #CNATRAgrads pic.twitter.com/FKSlURWQhJ

— Naval Air Training (@CNATRA) July 9, 2020

The Greatest Asked a Question

“How come is everything white?”

Muhammad Ali appeared on Parkinson in 1971.pic.twitter.com/mNtQvMxmZ8

— BBC (@BBC) June 9, 2020

The story behind this iconic Olympics protest

Not Today

An excerpt from the New York Times - 

Yeah, Let’s Not Talk About Race

Unless you pay me.

By Damon Young

The people doing the least can be found in every viral video clip of a white person hysterically refusing to wear a mask at Trader Joe’s. These people are unhinged, dangerous and just plain goofy, willing to die (and kill) over Jicama Wraps and Kale Gnocchi. And the people doing the most? Well, the most happens anytime a white person encounters a Black person who writes about race — or just a Black person who just happens to be Black — and the Serious Conversation About Racism (SCAR) must ensue. This isn’t a new phenomenon. I’ve been SCARed before in the grocery store express aisle, between pickup hoop games at the gym, while getting a colonoscopy, and at least 82 percent of the unsolicited emails I get are drive-by SCARings. But now America feels like a deleted scene from “Get Out.” Or better yet, “The Sixth Sense.” But instead of seeing dead people, white people see us as walking, talking, antiracist book lists.

There’s no better example of the absolute most than the recent ABC News feature on Ernest Skelton. Mr. Skelton, an appliance technician, was just doing his job when the white woman whose house he was working on grilled him about the plight of blacks in America. He shared that racism is, um, bad. The woman, Caroline Brock, wrote a post about their conversation on Facebook, and it went viral. Local news stations called, and they eventually appeared on “Nightline” as an example of what happens when America allows itself to “heal from the heart.” But all I can think about is this man trying to fix a sink while taking a random pop quiz about redlining.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/opinion/george-floyd-racism.html?searchResultPosition=1

A conversation on being Black in America with @Angela Rye

Representation Matters

Little Jenna here is exactly why #representationmatters . I am so grateful for this show, that so many young people can watch this show and say “It’s me” . Thank you @britbrit1432 for sharing this video ❤️💕❤️💕 @HamiltonMusical #hamilfilm pic.twitter.com/iDbb4orVIs

— Phillipa Soo (@Phillipasoo) July 6, 2020

The 4th of July to Me

Black ppl have been dehumanized, brutalized, criminalized + terrorized by America for centuries, & are expected to join your commemoration of “independence”, while you enslaved our ancestors. We reject your celebration of white supremacy & look forward to liberation for all. ✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/YCD2SYlgv4

— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) July 4, 2020

We Tip Our Caps

Today, we all tip our cap to the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues. #TipYourCap2020 pic.twitter.com/dIcVYiRBHj

— MLB (@MLB) June 30, 2020

A Field of Flags

An excerpt from the Boston Globe - 

A patriotic forest takes root to fight a stubborn, invisible — and deadly — enemy

More than 8,000 flags fly as emblems of resolve against a pandemic

By Thomas Farragher 

Michael Labbe stood beside the field of flags he and his family have planted
in front of their home to honor all of those
who have died from COVID-19 in Massachusetts.
JESSICA RINALDI/GLOBE STAFF

GRAFTON – It happens several times a day on the gently sloping road where Michael Labbe is tending a star-spangled garden.

A car slows and pulls over. A camera is raised. A prayer is said. And then the passersby move on in a sudden and solemn silence.

Occasionally, they get out for a handshake. Or an air hug.

Just like 71-year-old Rhonda Lavallee did the other day as she stood in near disbelief to take in the forest of flags that has suddenly blossomed on Labbe’s front lawn.

There are more than 8,000 of them now, each one a red-white-and-blue emblem to a life lost to a killer pandemic that clouds America’s Independence Day, a holiday usually punctuated by kaleidoscopic fireworks and cozy backyard cookouts with family and friends.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/07/02/nation/patriotic-forest-takes-root-fight-stubborn-invisible-deadly-enemy/

He's Not With Us!

HAPPY FOURTH?

Trump’s visit to Mt. Rushmore ignites fireworks - both real and political: https://t.co/bSCtVCCqMS

America marks 244 years of independence in troubled times ... once more: https://t.co/2Y97vfcjYs

‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?’: https://t.co/nSGIaDMqFK pic.twitter.com/cG13GgOxH9

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) July 4, 2020

He Wanted Us to Know Black Lives Matter

From the Washington Post - 

Carl Reiner’s Daughter Tweets Final Dig At Donald Trump On Her Late Father’s Behalf

The late comedy legend often took the president to task on the platform.

By Lee Moran

Carl had wanted to tweet this picture, taken last Saturday. As you can see he was happy and vital up to the very end. He will be sorely missed. pic.twitter.com/Q4sh0QK4Xz

— carl reiner (@carlreiner) July 3, 2020

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/carl-reiner-daughter-donald-trump-blm_n_5f007635c5b6acab2850ff03 

Priceless!

An excerpt from Bored Panda -

Tired Of Customers Ignoring Their Polite ‘Please Wear A Mask’ Sign, This Store Puts Up A New One And It Gets Dark Real Quick Interview 

ByJonas Grinevičius and Mindaugas Balčiauskas

However, wearing a mask is now a political issue in the United States. Some Americans refuse to wear them because they believe it limits their freedom. But tired of people coming in without covering their faces, vintage clothing shop Antique Sugar in Phoenix, Arizona got the world’s attention after it put up a hard-hitting sign about wearing face masks.

https://www.boredpanda.com/face-mask-sign-antique-sugar/

Artists Reflections

From the Washinton Post - 

Nine black artists reflect on the question: “Is America at a point of reckoning?”

By Washington Post Staff

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/lifestyle/black-artists-america-racial-inequality/

Exposing Racism in Medicine

An excerpt from Today - 

How this Black doctor is exposing the racist history of gynecology

Dr. J. Marion Sims is known as the founding father of gynecology. He earned this title through contributions made by experimenting on enslaved Black women.

By Maura Hohman

There's one name Dr. Kameelah Phillips, an OB-GYN at Calla Women's Health in New York City, would prefer not to use in her operating room: Sims.

Depending on the context, the word can mean either a surgical tool, "Sims' vaginal speculum," or its inventor, Dr. James Marion Sims. Sims is known as the founding father of gynecology, but his legacy is fraught because of how he gathered much of his learnings — by operating on enslaved Black women without their consent or anesthesia.

Today, Phillips is "reclaiming" this story, she told TODAY. She prefers to call the tool "Lucy."

Lucy was an enslaved 18-year-old who almost died after Sims operated on her, attempting to fix her postpartum urinary incontinence, according to the Journal of the National Medical Association.

Phillips recalled feeling "shocked, appalled and disappointed," when she first learned about Sims' history over 10 years ago. In that moment, she said it was "a no-brainer" to stop using his name.

https://www.today.com/health/racism-gynecology-dr-james-marion-sims-t185269

Hamilton Mask-up Parody Medley

What Trump Won't Say

From the Associated Press - 

Analysis: What Trump leaves unspoken carries consequences

By NANCY BENAC

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump seems to rarely leave a thought unspoken.

Of late, though, it is increasingly clear there are things Trump won’t say — and they are tied to the most important issues of his presidency.

Among them:

— Knock it off, Russia.

— Wear a mask, Americans.

— Systemic racism must end.

None of the above are particularly bold or controversial messages.

https://apnews.com/c3251ce810aa70351e535430a48fcc50

Living in the State of Idiocracy

An excerpt from the Washington Post - 

Welcome to the United States of ‘Idiocracy’

Opinion by Max Boot

The presidency’s idiocy is matched by that of Republican governors in states such as Florida (where coronavirus cases increased by 277 percent in the past two weeks), Texas (+184 percent) and Arizona (+145 percent). They were slow to declare lockdowns and quick to end them. They also refused to impose statewide mask mandates — and, in the case of Texas and Arizona, tried to prevent municipalities from imposing their own rules — even though studies show that wearing masks can reduce transmission by as much as 85 percent.

This toxic imbecility is getting people killed. But recall the adage that “every nation gets the government it deserves.” Trump and the Trumpy governors did not seize power by force. They were elected by constituents who, in some cases, see masks as the spawn of the devil.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/30/welcome-united-states-idiocracy/

President Obama - Oh How We Miss You!

View this post on Instagram

Robert Gibbs, Jay Carney and Josh Earnest never had to hold a press conference to announce that the President reads.⁣ ⁣

A post shared by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on Jun 30, 2020 at 3:28pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

With the “President’s Daily Brief” aka the PDB back in the news, I thought it’d be a good time to re-post a couple of PDB photographs.⁣ ⁣ As I’ve mentioned previously, there are two components to the PDB: a written brief that is sent to the President every morning. And an oral brief by the Director or Deputy Director of the National Intelligence. ⁣ ⁣ President Obama received and read the written PDB early every morning in the residence. His first meeting every day in the Oval Office was almost always the oral PDB, every one of which I photographed during the eight years (I never said every aspect of my job was visually exciting.)⁣ ⁣ So here’s two photographs, one from each term, which shows the oral PDB with the usual people attending during that particular point in time.⁣ ⁣ Photo 1, Oct. 22, 2014: from left, Ben Rhodes, Lisa Monaco, Mike Dempsey (Deputy Director of National Intelligence), the Vice President, the President, Susan Rice, and Tony Blinken (Denis McDonough’s hand is shown at right; Avril Haines was usually in attendance as well.)⁣ ⁣ ⁣ Photo 2, Jan. 28, 2011: from lower left: Denis McDonough, John Brennan, Robert Cardillo (Deputy Director of National Intelligence), the Vice President, the President, Tom Donilon, Bill Daley, Ben Rhodes and Tony Blinken. ⁣ ⁣ Here’s an important distinction: any President that receives intelligence information has been briefed whether he received it in writing, in person or on the phone. So, for instance, if the President received the intelligence information only in the written PDB, it is a lie for the White House press secretary to then say the President wasn’t briefed on the information.⁣ ⁣ ⁣

A post shared by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on Jun 30, 2020 at 7:43am PDT

The Character of a Man

From Thread - 

A Rabbi's Story 

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1275429939597021184.html?campaign_id=93&emc=edit_fb_20200701&instance_id=19913&nl=frank-bruni&regi_id=38867499&segment_id=32334&te=1&user_id=e3bf1057d4e3c0988a79ae4bce515610