@MorbidKnowledge But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
—Luke 10:33-34
Members of the Ghanaian community in Toronto gathered and celebrated at a hotel downtown to welcome the arrival of the Ghanaian national soccer team, the Black Stars, ahead of their debut World Cup match against Panama on Wednesday.
Eleven years ago today, nine Black worshippers were murdered during Bible study at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston.
Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney. Cynthia Hurd. Susie Jackson. Ethel Lance. Rev. Depayne Middleton-Doctor. Tywanza Sanders. Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr. Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton. Myra Thompson.
We say their names and remember the sacredness of their lives.
This was not only a mass shooting. It was a heinous act of white supremacy carried out in a house of worship. We must tell the truth about that hatred, grieve what it stole, and remain committed to dismantling the violence of racism in every form.
#MotherEmanuel #SayTheirNames
It means so much to Barack and me to open up the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago. This is where I grew up, where Barack got his start, and where we raised our girls. So having a place where kids from our community can see themselves, connect with each other, and channel their hope—there’s nothing more powerful than that.
Black people are not mad that a racist idiot uneducated uncooth UFC coward called Michelle Obama what he called her because we absolutely expect racists who hang around racists to be racist
On what would have been Malcolm X’s 101st birthday, I honor a life that challenged this nation to confront truth, injustice, and the cost of denying human dignity.
May we continue to reflect on the urgency of freedom, self determination, and justice.
#MalcolmX#MLK
Ever heard of the name Clara Belle Drisdale Williams?
Clara Belle Drisdale [1885-1993], the first African-American graduate of New Mexico State University. Many of her professors would not allow her inside the classroom, she had to take notes from the hallway; she was also not allowed to walk with her class to get her diploma.
She married Jasper Williams in 1917; their three sons became physicians. She became a great teacher of Black students by day, and by night she taught their parents, former slaves, home economics.
In 1961, New Mexico State University named a street on its campus after Williams; in 2005 the building of the English department was renamed Clara Belle Williams Hall.
In 1980, Williams was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws degree by NMSU, which also apologized for the treatment she was subjected to as a student.
She died at 108 years old.
Pritzker: The decision by the Supreme Court today on the Voting Rights Act is an abomination. It is an attack on a crown jewel of our democracy. Illinois is the proud home to having sent more black congresspeople to Washington than any other state in the country.
The decision that was made today by SCOTUS about the Voting Rights Act is an attack on minorities across this country. We're not going to stand for it in Illinois. We're going to push back. We have options for pushing back. And that is under discussion with the legislature even today.
I talked to lawyers this morning, people who are experts in this, who've said that everything that we have in Illinois now is constitutional, even under the new ruling.
I'm sure there will be people who try to attack it. But the reality is that if you read through the Supreme Court decision, I'm told that it validates the maps that are already in place. And of course, we'll be looking at a new remap in Illinois in 2031.
Justice Kagan:
"I dissent. The Voting Rights Act is—or, now more accurately, was—'one of the most consequential, efficacious, and amply justified exercises of federal legislative power in our Nation's history.' It was born of the literal blood of Union soldiers and civil rights marchers. It ushered in awe-inspiring change, bringing this Nation closer to fulfilling the ideals of democracy and racial equality. And it has been repeatedly, and overwhelmingly, reauthorized by the people's representatives in Congress. Only they have the right to say it is no longer needed—not the Members of this Court. I dissent, then, from this latest chapter in the majority's now-completed demolition of the Voting Rights Act."
The Supreme Court has been chipping away at our elections for years. It is clearly carrying out Donald Trump’s will with this decision.
New York has always led the fight for voting rights and we’ll lead again.
I’m working with the Legislature to change New York’s redistricting process so we can fight back against Washington’s attempts to rig our democracy.
Today’s Supreme Court decision in Louisiana vs. Callais is a direct attack on Black voters and marks a shameful moment in our democracy. This ruling opens the door to racial gerrymandering that will take us back to Jim Crow. This ruling is a betrayal of Black voters and the promise of democracy. We will not stay silent.
https://t.co/4te7bRGtBn
John Lewis was beaten with clubs wrapped in barbed wire on the Edmund Pettus Bridge fighting for voting rights.
Today’s SCOTUS decision takes the sacrifice and fight of all who marched before us and throws it away.
We must keep marching — too many have fought too hard to give up.
Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities - so long as they do it under the guise of “partisanship” rather than explicit “racial bias.” And it serves as just one more example of how a majority of the current Court seems intent on abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach.
The good news is that such setbacks can be overcome. But that will only happen if citizens across the country who cherish our democratic ideals continue to mobilize and vote in record numbers - not just in the upcoming midterms or in high profile races, but in every election and every level.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest American composers of all time, pianist Edward “Duke” Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) led his famous swing orchestra for 50 years of his life and released more than 80 albums
#dukeellington#composer#piano#jazz
Hailey Baptiste is a professional tennis player born and raised in Washington, D.C.. She grew up near the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center, began playing at age four, and trained at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland.
Baptiste just beat the No. 1 ranked women's tennis player in the world, Aryna Sabalenka! #DMVPride @JTCCtennis
Many enslaved African Americans went to Mexico for sanctuary. When slave owners demanded that Mexico send them back, Mexico replied:
“There are no Black slaves in Mexico, only Black citizens,”
They insisted that all enslaved people were free when they set foot on Mexican soil. Slave owners then hired bounty hunters to illegally kidnap escapees in Mexico, but Mexico fought and killed to protect them.