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News & Info

Madness or Incompetence

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on April 5, 2024 Respond

Reflections on the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The choice between madness or incompetence is not a new one. It seems that throughout human history, or at least US history, we have been confronted with this choice. After all, as I write this article, we are dragging our feet in choosing between helping Palestinian innocents (over 14,000 children murdered) while selling / giving tax payer paid for weapons to Israel. We recently had to choose between the healthcare industry profits (excluding providers – MD’s, Nurses etc.) and the wellbeing of our most vulnerable (elderly and at-risk) during the COVID pandemic, where we have lost over 1.15 million Americans. During WWII, we delayed in choosing whether to join the war against Germany, fully aware of the Holocaust against Jews, or remain neutral while over 6 million were being slaughtered by the Nazi’s.

Dr. King’s Legacy

The discussion of Dr. King’s assassination on the 56th anniversary of his murder related to madness or Incompetence begins with one of his landmark accomplishments: The Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

This act was signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon Johnson. It outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting.

National Archives

Historically and unconstitutionally, impediments to voting had been established in conservative states that prevented many African Americans from voting. Thanks to Dr. King and other civil rights leaders, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed and pushed away all those obstacles and finally allowed for close to full African American participation in our democracy.

The Regress of Progress

In 2022, a Center for Public Integrity investigation found unequal access to voting and political representation in all 50 states. Twenty-six states — all under Republican control — made access to voting less equal for people of color, younger voters, immigrants, people with disabilities and others following former President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election defeat.

How could we let our country descend into madness? Who were the stewards that were charged with keeping the hard fought gains made by Dr. King and his generation of social justice champions? That’s where the incompetence comes in. Since the 1980s we have seen a two party sponsored corruption of our political system, allowing for unlimited $$$ campaign contributions via Super PAC’s and other dark money sources. Many of the perceived longtime stalwarts of the Democratic Party such as the Clintons, Nancy Pelosi, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Joe Biden (among others) did not launch efforts at Campaign Finance Reform. Towards the contrary, these folks colluded against campaign finance reform leaders such as Senator Bernie Sanders with is Get Money Out of Politics movement.

Unrepresented

Why you ask? Because there are large sums of money to be made by all by accepting multimillion contributions from the National Rifle Association, the health insurance companies, the Oil and Gas industry, “Big Pharma”, to mention just a few. Polls consistently show that, for example, most Americans support an assault weapons ban, most Americans support abortion rights, and most Americans support limiting the amount of money donated to political campaigns. In short, our representatives are no longer representing us. To be clear, the vast majority of our elected officials from both parties have their hand in the big money financial contribution pot. Due to this legalized bribery, our “representatives” have allowed for the initiatives that Dr. King fought and died for to be rolled back.

The solutions lie with us, the voting populace. We must demand that all elected officials be subject to campaign finance regulation, where candidates have an allotted amount of $$$, given out equally to those who meet a signature threshold. We will not see a healthy democracy restored until financial gain is not an incentive to run for political office. That has to be our litmus test for any candidate running to “represent” us be it locally or nationally.

Alex Paramo

Alex is the Founder of Community Publishing. Community Publishing is dedicated to creating virtual space for community based artists of all media (writers, painters, photographers, musicians, etc…) to collaborate on multimedia book projects with the purpose of promoting their work. Alex has authored two children’s books that were adapted for the Theater – Princess Marisol & the Moon Thieves and Princess Marisol & the Portal. Alex, with his daughter Marisol, will be releasing the third book in the Princess Marisol series, Princess Marisol Presents the Wisewoman & the Moon.

Alex also writes music review articles, and is the host of the film focused podcast smARTalk. Alex is a Social Studies teacher and serves on the Board of KUNM, a public radio station based out of Albuquerque New Mexico. Read his full bio here.

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The Tree Great Ones: Presale Discount

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on February 13, 2024 Respond

Los Tres Grandes: descuento de preventa

From noted scholar Eliseo “Cheo” Torres PhD comes The Three Great Ones: Los Tres Grandes. This bilingual edition was edited by Timothy Sawyer Jr., translated by Mario Esteban del Ángel Guevara with Illustrations by Dave Briggs.

Eliseo “Cheo’ Torres PhD

Retired as a Vice President of Student Affairs from the University of New Mexico, Cheo is now a part-time faculty teaching traditional medicine, Curanderismo courses year-round.  Cheo regularly lectures and offers a 2-week summer class and 2 online courses on the history, herbal remedies, and rituals of Curanderismo to audiences ranging from scholars and students to people hoping to become knowledgeable about alternative and traditional medicine, including lay people and medical professionals alike. 

Three Great Healers

Book Cover

The three healers lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s and were legends while they were alive, healing peoples’ minds, bodies and spirits. I have been impressed with their popularity, which I think compares to that of modern rock stars. Everywhere they went, they attracted hundreds of followers. All three were noble, sincere and humble, and they never charged a fee for their services. The three were even considered folk saints while they were still alive. (A folk saint is not a recognized church saint but a saint of the people. To be considered a saint while still alive is very unusual).

Although the three great ones died a long time ago, the stories in the book are told as if they are still living today – which, in a sense, they are, since they are still greatly admired and talked about by people who remember their history and the great example that they set as healers and as people. In the first story, you will meet Don Pedrito Jaramillo, who will teach a young man how to be happier and healthier; in the second, you will meet Teresita, and learn the story of how she became a healer; and in the third, you will meet El Niño Fidencio, who will teach a family how to overcome their troubles by being happy and positive. – Excerpt from the Preface of the book.

Presale Purchase

Your presale purchase includes a discounted price and signed copies from Dr. Torres! Thank you for your continued support of Independent Publishing / Media.

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Abduction: Attack in Noakhali

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on January 22, 2024 Respond

Cultural Hegemony & Untold Genocides by Rinita Mazumdar PhD

From the forthcoming book Noakhali, 1946: By Sandip Mukherjee, Translated and recreated by Rinita Mazumdar PhD. Subscribe below for access to pre-sale discounts and signed copies!

From Bengali Daily, Anandabazar Patrika July 5, 1947:

(This is still the largest circulated daily in Bengali and also supports an independent Television news channel which airs news in 5 Indian languages)

Allahabad (a city in Northern India) July 3, 1947: 
Mr. Amiyo Mukherjee, appealed in the Kotwali police station in Allahabad that one Hindu girl from his family, named Anima Mukherjee, was abducted three months ago during the attack in Noakhali and was brought here under a Muslim name, Zohra. The Mukherjee household was burnt down during the attack on Hindus in Noakhali. The girl herself testified that she was abducted by a Muslim man named Siddiqui and was confined in his home. This girl would be produced in Court to testify. She wrote letters to a relative and appealed to rescue her. After killing her parents, the gang brought her to Howrah Station in West Bengal and then to Marrek Springs; there she was forced to put on a hijab and brought to Allahabad. She further testified that 8 people gang raped her. She was given a Muslim name after the man abducted her. The Magistrate gave further directions to the inquiry.

During the trial the girl was residing with a Hindu family under the directions of the Court, and was called by her given name, Anima Mukherjee. The man who abducted her was arrested in Uttar Pradesh (Anandabazar Patrika, July 5, 1947).

Find previous articles of Dr. Mazumdar's series on Global Conflict by clicking here.
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One Diya Lamp and One Story

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on December 27, 2023 Respond

Cultural Hegemony & Untold Genocides v3 by Rinita Mazumdar PhD

For our divided land and for our forefathers. In the story told, there is at the end mention of Nehru and Patel. Nehru was the first Prime Minister of independent India and Patel was the Deputy Prime Minister of independent India. Nehru’s daughter, Indira Gandhi, was the longest Prime Minister of India. During this time India and Pakistan went to war for the third time over the rise of East Pakistan and India won the war, although opposed by the USA, and East Pakistan was reborn as Bangladesh.

I do not do rituals or celebrate festivals. Nonetheless, before Diwali, I thought I will start sharing from Collins and Lapierre’s book, “Freedom At Midnight” in parts. For me, this is a way to give back to our forefathers, a knowledge that I was barred from knowing and acting on. In therapy, some old wounds heal, and some remain, for us this will probably never heal. For me this Diwali (Hindu festival of lights) is to keep the Diya alive of our history, culture, our pain, and our joy.

Happy Diwali

15th August 1947: This was India’s first Independence Day. Amritsar Railway station No 10 Down. Certainly, something seriously penetrated through the huge gathering. He saw four armed guards by the side of the driver. He was afraid that something seriously wrong had happened. The anxious public became shocked for an unknown reason. The station master looked at 8 coaches of the train. He saw all the doors were closed and windows were open. Not a single passenger was coming out. Cani Singh entered as the first coach; He got a shock. He found only dead bodies. On the floor parts of human bodies are here and there. Suddenly, he heard a fable voice. He shouted “You are now in Amritsar. We are Hindus and Sikhs. Here are the police. Don’t be afraid. After hearing his voice a few bodies started movement. But then what he saw was a thick clot of blood everywhere. He would never forget the scenery in his life. A woman cried loudly while holding her husband’s hand that was separated from the body with a sharp sword. Children were crying holding the bodies of their father and mother. Station masters were moving to other coaches stepping over the dead bodies. Same scene in all the coaches… In the last coach there was a writing in white color “This train is our gift of freedom to Nehru and Patel.”

Reference: Collins, L. & Lapierre, D. (1975). Freedom At Midnight. Simon and Schuster, NY.
Find previous articles of Dr. Mazumdar's series on Global Conflict by clicking here.
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Not India But Bharat The Land Of The Hindus

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on December 19, 2023 Respond

Cultural Hegemony & Untold Genocides V2 by Dr. Rinita Mazumdar

What in the globe is known as “India” is not what Indians call their land, the word “India” came from foreigners who called people living by the Sindhu river (now in North West India and Pakistan),  or “Sapta Sindhu” “Sapta” is the number seven, Probably, the Arabs (ancient Arabs of Mesopotamia, Syria, etc) could not pronounce “S” and turned it into “H” and called it “Hindu” from Sindhu. According to some researchers, “India” comes from the word “Indu”, which in Sanskrit is “moon”. The land of the moon. Indeed, Shiva carries the crescent moon on his head. Most probably India came from Sindhu, the river or Sapta Sindhu, the land of the seven rivers. 
In the Indian Constitution and the people in general and in the epics, that place, which is now the Indian Subcontinents divided into several nations, was called “Bharat” and they followed what is known as “Hinduism”. 

A Brief History

Origin of the word “Bharat”:

There is a misconception that “Bharat” is named after the king Bharat, son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala. That is not the case. Here is what the research shows:

In the 7th Mandala of the Rigveda there is a description of the Battle of 10 kinds (Dasraajn Yuddha). This was a decisive battle for the establishment of the union and establish the hegemony of the Bharatas and the Kurus over the land later came to be known as “Bharat”. According to Michael Witzel, the battle was fought between 1450 and 1300 BCE. The historicity of this battle was accepted by Geldener. The king on the Bharat side was Sudas Paijavana and Vashist (as mentioned in the Rg Veda). In the Samaveda and Yujurveda the names changed. The patron Deity of the Bharatas was Indra.

The Bharatas crossed the rivers Beas and Sutlej towards Kurushetra and met an alliance of kings (probably 10). They were Purus, Yadu’s, Yaksu, Matsya, Druhyus, Pahtas, Bhalanas, Alinas, Vishanin, Sivas, Vaikarnas, and Anu. There were feuds between the Bharatas and their opposite aliances. Some sources say that the alliance opposed to the Bharatas stole cows from the Bharatas, while others say that the conflict was over who would control the rivers (Ranabir Chakravarty) . The first phase of the battle was fought on the banks of Ravi (Prasuni) west of Kurushetra. Despite the fact that there were more people on the side of the alliance, nonetheless, King Sudas won the war by strategic breaching of a dyke on the river thereby drowning most of the opponents; also they were blessed by their patron deity, Indra. This battle was decisive as Bharatas occupied the entire Puru territory (Western Punjab) centered around Saraswati and then went east and set their kingdom with the Ashvamedha Yajna. The Khandav Forest had to be conquered and the Kikutas had to be defeated. From the hymns it is possible to conclude that an alliance of the Purus and Bharatas and others were formed. After this the ground shifted to the banks of the Yamuna and Bhida, Sighras and Yaksus were alliances that were defeated.

According to John Brockington this is the nucleus which from which the Kurushetra war of the epic Mahabharata was written. According to S.S. N. Murthy and Walter Ruben this battle inspired the kurushetra story of the Mahabharat. Whatever it is, most historians agree that this battle was decisive in establishing the Bharat and kuru clan over vast tracts of lands as a union by bringing disparate clans together and forming a union. It is believed that the descendants of this clan ruled over the land that is Bharat now and is possibly the ancestors of the modern people living in the region called “Bharat’ or “India”.

In Vedic cosmology, there are seven islands surrounded by oceans, and each island is divided into several ‘territories”. Each territory has a name and the word VARSHA attached to them to signify the territory. The territory in which the Kurus and the Bharatas established their union is Bharatvarsha. To the north of this territory is Ilabrita VARSHA.

References:

  • Witzel, M (1997) The Development of the Vedic Schools and Political Miliiue” Harvard Oriental Series.
  • Witzel, M. “4 Early Indian history: Linguistics and textual parameters” In Erdosy George 9ed) The Indo Aryans of Ancient South Asian Language, Material Culture and Ethnicity Indian Philological and South Asian Studied,
  • Murthy, S.S. The Questionable historicity of the Mahabharata, Journal of Vedic Studies, 10 (5) 1.
  • Rg Veda: Bengali Translation.
  • Brereton, Joel P.; Jamison, Stephanie W., eds. (2014). The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India. Vol. I. Oxford University Press. pp. 880, 902–905, 923–925, 1.
  • Palihawadana, Mahinda (2017). Mumm, Peter-Arnold; West, Tina (eds.). “The Indra Cult as Ideology A Clue to Power Struggle in an Ancient Society”. Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies. 24 (2): 51.
Find previous articles of Dr. Mazumdar's series on Global Conflict by clicking here.
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Cultural Hegemony & Untold Genocides

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on December 13, 2023 Respond

Why I Write by Rinita Mazumdar

A blog series preview of her forthcoming book “Unspoken Hindu Genocides and Ethnic Cleansing.”

A Story of Shambho and Sisyphus: Exclusion, Agony and Our Journey

I write to heal and as a feminist (which is about justice for all, not just one gender, one race, one ethnicity, etc). I believe the personal is the political, so as I heal, the community also heals, for the difference between the Self and the “other”, the boundaries are both artificial as well as porous. My healing process is not linear, as in standard therapy, but a continuous and cyclic process, that involves a lot of “others”, histories, locations, memories, pain, and suffering. This collective memory, which are painful, also give us (me) a sense of empowerment.

As I start this blog in December and as I believe, the personal is deeply and inherent, political, I will mention an trauma/memory that is political, nonetheless, for me a story about the journey of an immigrant and her alienation, isolation, search, and identity. I start with one such memory of the Mumbai terror attack on November 26, 2008.

On this same day 15 years ago, Mumbai, India’s Western Metropolis was under terrorist attack. For most of those us who were born and raised in India, this was a hard day being so far and seeing visual image of the majestic Taj Hotel by the beautiful Sea, was a feeling of profound sadness and horror. 

When I visited the Elephanta Caves in 2019 by taking a ferry ride from the front of the Taj, those memories came back and I stood by the Taj, part of which is beyond repair now silently thinking of how the people and the Nation passed through this trauma. This writing, however, is not about the day of horror in Mumbai, but about my own experience when that news reached us here across oceans and mountains. All our experiences happen in a social context, and all our experience have specific meaning for each of us, these are the stories that build the entire fabric of our lives. I was all alone in my apartment, after having picked up my daughter from school and dropping her off to her father’s house. It was past midnight in India, so I did not call anyone (they live in Calcutta, which is East Coast). I was going through the messages and the images. I felt shocked and somewhat helpless, thinking, how can I be with those people, who share my history and identity. One of my Filipina friends called and we talked about this a bit and she did not seem surprised as “it has become normal”. There was a feeling of uneasiness on my part, I did not know, rather I could not NAME the feeling till 2015, when the Paris attack happened. 

Paris Attack

The Paris attack also happened in November and my daughter had left for Boston to her new College, and I was dealing with the separation and was trying to cope when the news of the Paris attacks came. As I opened my social media and the email, I could see support and condolences pouring out for our French co worker. I too sent her condolences. I returned home and sat with a cup of coffee and slowly, the old pain of Mumbai attack came back. It was gnawing, it was different. 

Naming Pain

For now, I could NAME the pain. I knew, as an Indian and a Hindu, whose civilization was under attacked precisely for what they are, that none of the support and the condolences that poured in for the French citizen came for me. I realized that I am an outsider to this Western, Abrahamic Club. It was then that I could NAME the pain on the day of the Mumbai attack, it was social exclusion. Literature of Grief counseling show that one recovers from grief, in time and through active healing and reconnecting. It is this sense of not being able to connect, of no one reaching out, of no one even interested in “Terror attack in those nations, those cultures”, from which my lonely-ness came. 

Years later during Pandemic, when I had to cancel my flight to India I had the same feeling, when people joked about cremation and how “corpses were burnt”. Social exclusion starts at birth, the othering of some, carries on in life till death, or as in some cultures, like mine, beyond next to the next life, and cycles back…

I come from a culture where both the Sruti (hearing) and Smriti (memory) play big roles in knowledge production. Indeed, our memories recycle back, they say, in grief every anniversary. Like Shiva destroys and then cycles back to a new creation, our civilization was traumatized and then healed, dancing to the tune of Shiva, never giving up, never ending, only transforming. 

For all loss like energy it never goes away but transforms and acquires a new form. And those of us, who are excluded, carry on our cyclic journey, like Sisyphus or Krishna’s son Shambo (Samba, the last “a” is undertone) excluded for his disease but steadfast in his journey… waiting to be healed from our leprosy of exclusion (all lepers are excluded) by the Sunshine……). 

Shiva’s Dance in Albuquerque

Rinita Mazumdar, Ph.D. is one of the leading feminist scholars in the Southwest. Originally from India, Dr. Mazumdar earned her Masters from India and Canada in Philosophy and MSc in Psychology from the University of Phoenix. She received her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Find her poetry collection, “Shiva’s Dance in Albuquerque” by clicking here.

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Writing to Heal: Book Celebration

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on August 16, 2022 Respond

Join us for an afternoon celebration of Writing to Heal by Anthony Fleg, MD, MPH. Writing to Heal has been well received and lauded throughout the literary and medical community. The event will be taking place at the WHEELS Museum and includes live music, talk, multimedia presentation, art as well as the WHEELS exhibits! Part of your entrance fee goes to support this wonderful non-profit museum located on the beautiful Albuquerque Rail Yards grounds! The event will be taking place on Sunday, August 28 beginning at 4pm.

Anthony Fleg is a family medicine physician, a healer whose work is grounded in love, culture and community. He is originally from Baltimore, MD and has three younger brothers…Anthony lives in Albuquerque, NM with his wife Shannon, a Dine’ (Navajo) woman who guides him in life’s adventures. They co-direct the Native Health Initiative and have four children (Nizhoni, Bah’Hozhooni, Shandiin and Sihasin) that are the center of their lives…Anthony considers this one of his medicines and a part of his identity as a healer. He brings writing into his clinical work as part of a patient’s treatment plan and has begun teaching writing as a form of wellness and self-care to fellow healers. When the pandemic began, his writing came out of dormancy as he started the Writing to Heal blog project which spawned Writing to Heal the book.

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Rail Trail Final Return

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on October 28, 2021 Respond

Join us for a FREE open house event, refreshments will be served! This is a well-spaced outdoor and indoor event, with artists spread out throughout the FUSION campus 700 1st Street NE, Albuquerque. Join the ten Rail Trail Time Travel artists and enjoy interactive stations and art projections. Explore ideas for how to enjoy art on the future Rail Trail..The outdoor projections are best seen after dark.

Artists:

Jennifer Gomez Schoenholzer, Armani Leon, Elizabeth Salazar, Jai Myer, Alex Paramo, Hong Yan, Joshua Patterson, James Black, Andrew Fearnside, Susana Garcia DominguezCome on by and take a peek at the ongoing development of the FUSION campus, we would love to see you!

Click Here for Facebook Event Page

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smARTalk: Press Release

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on January 8, 2021 Respond

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
alex@communitypublishing.org
505.304.8584 

Community Publishing Announces Live-Stream / Podcast Promoting
New Mexico Arts & Small Business via Film Industry Professionals

ALBUQUERQUE, NM December 14, 2020 – The Albuquerque based media company, Community Publishing, is announcing the launch of a new hybrid Live-Stream / Podcast on Friday January 1, 2021 and every Friday thereafter. Sponsored by the leader in podcasting, Anchor FM, smARTalk will leverage the Film Industry Professionals in New Mexico to help promote the New Mexico Arts (of all mediums) community and small businesses by interviewing said professionals about their New Mexico based film projects. The show will be Livestreamed on Facebook and Twitter but will also be available to listen to as a podcast via Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts. 

Film Industry Actors, Directors, Screenwriters and other Professionals will be interviewed in 2 segments where they will discuss their specific project and their experience in New Mexico. Smaller micro-segments will feature New Mexican visual artists, musicians, writers and entrepreneurs. A veteran of the TV industry, the show’s host, Alex Paramo, will be pushing his guests to reveal social issues that they are passionate about. “To have an insightful, entertaining and meaningful conversation, I will be focusing on social causes that these folks are committed to working on. A great many folks you see on-screen have dedicated their time and resources to innovative and important social projects and that is what we will focus on.”

The premiere episode will feature City of Albuquerque, Cultural Services Deputy Director Hakim Bellamy. Mr. Bellamy is also Albuquerque’s Inaugural Poet Laureate, Author and Emcee. The micro-segments will feature local small business owner Mike Silva of Rude Boy Cookies, Chris Brennan of Reviva, Author Audrey McNamara, and Painter Lynnette Haozous. smARTalk Production Manager Colleen Elvidge states, “We want this show to be as representative of New Mexico culture(s) as possible. In leveraging the film community filming in New Mexico – Netflix, Universal Studios – we are aiming to shine the spotlight on the incredible group of talented artists of all mediums that are unique to New Mexico.”

Community Publishing is locally owned and operated out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 2015, Community Publishing publishes multimedia books & blog articles from artists of all mediums. The independent media company is focused on providing a platform for diverse content from creators of traditionally underrepresented communities. 
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From the Left Field Bleachers: Explicit

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on August 28, 2020 Respond

When unarmed people are being murdered by “law enforcement” officers without due process should the support for the solution(s) to this ongoing tragedy be implicit or explicit? Let’s back up for 2:58.

The Pros

The Milwaukee Bucks decided to boycott/strike and refused to take the court for the 1st round NBA Playoff game against the Orlando Magic. Shortly thereafter the other NBA teams scheduled to play along with the WNBA, MLB and WNBA games were cancelled), on Tuesday (08/27/20) in protest of the attempted murder of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha Wisconsin Police Officer. Originally ,when discussions were being held for the NBA to restart play in the “Bubble” atmosphere in Orlando Florida, many players were outspoken in dissent against the idea, George Hill of the Milwaukee Bucks for one stated that he did not want Pro Basketball to distract from the ongoing Black Lives Matter struggle in particular.

What Can We Do?

According to this ESPN article, NBA players and the Players Union were trying to figure out what the best path forward in offering solutions to the issue of police brutality against African Americans. Stars like LeBron James and others have used their significant social media platforms to express frustration, anger and call for societal change in order to the address the issues being put forth by the Black Lives Matter movement. Today LeBron went so far as to leverage the power of his team the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers to force owners to use their resources to help find a solution for these ills. But here is the rub, his actions and all other athletes utilizing their platforms are being implicit instead of explicit. Stay with me here.

Can anyone make a real case that the modern (Kennedy era) Democratic Party has more closely represented the interests of African Americans, way more than the modern (Nixon era) Republican Party? Sanity dictates that we cannot even be a serious conversation about which party has because the answer is obvious. The Democratic Party is extremely flawed with Corporate Democrats still firmly calling the shots but even this terrible reality pales in comparison to the atrocities committed and furthered by Republicans and Donald Trump. Voter suppression like tactics like closing polling locations and now pulling out mailboxes in African American communities is part of the past and current strategy of disenfranchisement.

So if this is the case, then the solution is clear, athletes can use their influence to EXPLICITLY endorse, support, and help elect candidates that will become leaders that will truly represent us and tackle the root causes of inequity-racism-brutality. Does becoming an internationally recognized individual forfeit your right to express your ideas for solutions to many of society’s issues?

Emboldened

(Now) Senator Bernie Sanders 1965 Property of Chicago Tribune All Rights Reserved

So picture this, here is LeBron James emboldened and determined to help change things, “I support the progressive movement brought to the public consciousness by Senator Bernie Sanders and led into the future by the squad: made up of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. I support this movement because I know progressives like Senator Sanders were chained to, and arrested in support of African American’s during the 1960s, fighting for their right to the same rights that white Americans enjoy; while others were putting human rights behind political calculations of “personal evolution” or wondering about what the country is “ready for.”

Explicitly vs Implicitly

LeBron didn’t say that, I did. And I also say we ALL need to come out and support and vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, then hold their asses to the fire to start adopting progressive, people first policies that are going get to the root causes of racism, police brutality, inequity…all that. I said that, and LeBron and his fellow NBA players should be explicit and say it too. Way too many have died to be beating around the bush lost in implicit messages. Sometimes the solutions are as simple as, well, Mathematics…

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