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opinions
A New Opportunity – Marcus Jones
by Deborah Springer Suttlar
October 5, 2024
Let me introduce you to Colonel (Retired) Marcus Jones who is running for Congress in the Second Congressional District. He is indeed qualified for this position. Marcus Jones represents honesty, integrity, and intelligence. He has a desire to serve the needs of all people and not just the desires of the privileged. If we were to elect a man such as Marcus Jones, we would have a person eager and interested in serving every Arkansan.
There are many of us who want a Congressperson who believes in public schools, fair wages, better health care and eager to promote goodwill to help all people, then Marcus Jones is who we need. We desperately need someone different than what we have, and we deserve better. We need someone who will serve the entire constituency of the Second Congressional District, and not his own interest.
French Hill has not served this district fairly. He originally campaigned on what was wrong with the Affordable Healthcare Act. However, he has never submitted a plan to address it and has not done anything to improve it. We don’t even hear about what he’s doing in Washington, D.C. Instead, he has been busy helping those with special interests and truly little to address the issues of the poor and disenfranchised, not even when he had the opportunity to do so. French Hill has often voted against the very issues which could have helped his constituency, and his record proves it. We need to fire him before he inflicts more damage on the people who need help. I am not just talking; I have the proof. His record speaks for itself. The sad truth is that most bills to help were passed without his vote. In other words, other Congresspersons are helping us, but not French Hill.
I have listed below just a few of the bills (including a brief explanation) which French Hill voted “NO.” When he could have helped the people of the Second Congressional District:
HR 8873 Presidential Election Reform Act - this bill revises the process of casting and counting electoral votes for presidential elections.
HR 9640 Presidential Tax Filing and Audit Transparency Act of 2022- candidates must submit their tax filing to the IRS. (this had been done voluntarily until Donald Trump)
HR 4118 Break the Cycle of Violence Act- bill directs the DHHS to award grants for coordinated community violence intervention initiatives in communities disproportionately impacted by homicide and community violence.
HR 7790 Mental Health Matters Act – increase access to mental and behavioral health care. It also includes grant ad increase the number of school-based mental health services.
HR 8296 Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022 – abortion rights and protection for medical staff.
HR 2988 Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act- This bill expands and revises whistleblower protections applicable to individuals who provide information to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to a violation of securities laws.
HR 1808 Assault Weapons Act- a bill that would have restricted the sale, transfer and possession of certain firearms and ammunition magazines. (Senate did not pass)
HR 2543 Federal Reserve Racial and Economic Equity Act- This bill addresses access to financial services, diversity in various financial institutions and establishments and other related issues. (access to credit, mortgages and banking services are expanded, including credit discrimination, etc.)
HR 6833 The Affordable insulin Act – this bill limits cost-sharing for insulin under private health insurance and the Medicare prescription drug benefit. (private insurance did not support)
HR 2115 Crown Act- a bill to prevent discrimination against people based on their hair texture or hairstyle. (Senate Republicans blocked this bill)
HR 2499 Federal Firefight. Fairness Act of 2022- This bill makes it easier for federally employed firefighters who contract certain illnesses to qualify for federal workers’ compensation. (chronic diseases)
HR 7910 Protecting our Kids Act – (part of this bill prohibits the sale or transfer of certain semiautomatic firearms to individuals under the age of 21yrs. old.)
HR 5129 – Community Services Block Grant Modernization Act – This bill modifies the program and supports various anti-poverty activities, primarily through formula-based allotment to states, Indian tribes, and territories.
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – provides communities with added resources to keep guns out of the wrong hands, including billions of dollars in funding for violence prevention, mental health, and school safety to turbocharge efforts to make our communities safer.
The choice is clear, we need Colonel (Retired) Marcus Jones We cannot afford French Hill any longer as a representative of the people of Arkansas. If he cannot and will not help us address the critical needs of the working poor and the disenfranchised, then get out of the way because people are suffering, and he is obviously getting paid to hurt us not help us.
Let us work to have a new Congressperson for the Second Congressional District. Our lives depend on it. Vote on principle, vote for Marcus Jones.
Proverbs 29:7, The righteous care about justice for the poor but the wicked have no such concern.
Congressman John Lewis- “A democracy cannot thrive where power remains unchecked, and justice is reserved for a select few. Ignoring these cries and failing to respond to this movement is simply not an option- for peace cannot exist where justice is not served."
Deborah Springer Suttlar
Deborah Springer Suttlar is a social and community advocate, and a long-time supporter of public schools.
opinions
My Swan Song
by Dr. C.E. McAdoo
October 5, 2024
Greetings to all! In conversation with Dr. Nellums, I told him I am ready to write a book. It will be based on the articles I have written over these past three years.
This will be the last article I will write for a while, or at least until sometimes in 2025.
As I write my last article, this is what I want to leave you with: I would like to ask you to be more sensory. You may ask, what does that mean? The Lord has blessed us with five senses, and I want to talk about each one:
Touch: Let us remember that what we touch (or feel) can really make a difference. We have inanimate objects for example, our vehicles, our dishes, and our furniture. For both the living and non-living, to be able to touch is such a blessing! We can put that in reverse order, “I am feeling something that is giving something back to me,” whether I am in my vehicle or sitting at my table, we need to be more sensitive to what we touch and feel.
Hearing: Let us open our ears, now what does that mean? We need to be able to really hear! Active listening is such a great asset! There are so many people that need to be heard, and sometimes you may not even like what they are saying, but they need to be heard! So, be someone’s ear to hear!
Smell: I really like this one, you can “smell” something fishy or you can smell something pleasant. However, the thing is if you keep your nose stopped up you won’t smell anything! I am going to be very direct: blow your nose, get it cleaned out, so we can smell things effectively! I think I have said this more than once, our exercise guru says we need to bring that oxygen through our nose and let it out through our mouth; that’s just like nitro glycerin to our brains, so don’t forget to smell!
Taste: Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see how good the Lord is, blessed is the man that trusts in Him.” The sense of taste is such an important sense. The word “Taste” can mean different things for example, “I love the taste of fresh peas” or “you have good taste in clothing.” The sensory image of Psalm 34:8 leads us to focus more on worship and obedience to our Lord. This image can cause a “chain reaction,” the more we seek God and his will, the more we want to be a helping hand or a listening ear. You never know who or how many people observe what you do every day. That may be the only sermon someone hears, and even though you are only one person, your kindness and your actions can draw a crowd, and that one person becomes a mighty force. Taste the beauty and joy that life can bring to our community and our world.
Sight: The world is the soil. The Lord blessed me as many of you know, I’ve done a little of everything. I used to work for the Arkansas Lighthouse for the Blind. After working with a number of blind partners and clients, I find seeing to be such a blessing, because when are able to evaluate what is within ourselves, that allows us to respond to that in a productive and positive way. So, let us open our eyes to see our family, our friends, and our world and at least once a day, step outside and use the sense of sight to look at nature! I go back and think of the beautiful flowers that adorn many houses in our neighborhoods. We know that is what’s important to the Real Estate folks talk, they talk about how the house has to have a good appearance to be appealing to the buyers. That’s the same way with us, when you go to looking at people, or organizations, they need to have a certain appearance.
So, use all of your senses to hear well, touch and taste well, and hear and see well!!
C.E. invited a guest to describe the Sense of Taste
Love,
I Am Charlie Edward McAdoo
Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo is a retired District Superintendent with the United Methodist Church.
opinions
The Power of Pausing
by Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo
September 28, 2024
I love baseball. I was the baseball pitcher once in my lifetime. I enjoyed baseball so much that it really became a part of my life. So, I want to start today’s article by talking about baseball. Being a baseball pitcher, I thought I was pretty good until I was taken aback recently by hearing the news of Aroldis Chapman, a pitcher who currently still plays today for the Pittsburg Pirates. He throws the fastest baseball known to man at 105 miles per hour! We’re talking about pausing, but right now, I want to deal with being faster. The fastest known animal is the Cheeta. They have been tracked traveling at 60 miles per hour. In 1978, the Australian Speed Boat the “Spirit of Australia,” reached the speed of 317.59 mph, or 275.98 knots on the water. In 2013, Jessi Combs, a professional race car driver, was clocked at 399 mph, breaking a forty-eight-year-old record.
In 2020, the Rapper, Eminem was credited with a Guinness World Record for rapping a staggering 7.5 words per second, that’s about 227 minutes for a 30 second period!
We all love fast, it was interesting, educational, and insightful to research fast. However, I did not really have to research fast, all I had to do was go to the grocery store and stand in the line to be checked out by someone only to hear a voice say, “the self-check-out line is faster, you may go there.” There are two points to make here, not only am I standing in line waiting for someone to wait on me, but it also looks like the person checking would realize if I don’t stand in line waiting on you, we will all be self-checking one of these days. Self-checking may be faster, but it just won’t be human, and that’s ok for some folks, but not for me.
The context for me is simply that we are in a “Micro-wave society,” that is, we hit it, we get power, it heats up real fast and then we are ready to eat it! As I continue to move on to talk about pausing, I don’t want to neglect being fast, because there are some things that are fast, but we do need to remember pausing. Sometime when we call Customer Service, very seldom do they want to wait on us, if you notice, now no one wants to talk to you. Old folks like myself we just pause and go to the zero’s and finally we do this, and we do that. Here is something you can do, it's not a secret, but you can speed things up, when they go through all the prompts, tell them you want to buy something, it works every time, if they think you want to spend money or more, they will move you to the beginning of the line!
Let’s move on now and talk about pausing. I think life is moving so fast for many of us, that we have forgotten the value of pausing. Today, I want to talk about pausing in such a way that will give us some insight into our lives. In doing research on pausing, it was interesting that the first thing I read was a German article on Paul Tillich. They called him an existentialist we called him a theologian. He was a theologian that believed in science. He used the analogy of the traffic modality. You have stop signs, yield signs, and go signs. So many signs, and that’s the same kind of things we deal with in life. Paul Tillich was the kind of theologian that enabled pastors to go through life and build up a credible theology based on Tillich’s understanding of how you talk to people.
In 1952 he wrote The Courage of Being. The book really talks about the fact that the question is not being but having the courage to be! The courage to be is having the courage to pause!
When you think about it, it takes courage to pause. I thought that takes aways some of the tension and fear we have, because we don’t always realize that it’s good for us to pause.
When you are being yourself, you can pause. As a matter of fact, I was with some friends of mine recently and they have a little porch outlet where two people can sit. The husband gets his coffee, and the wife sits there with him, and they are able to have that “pause moment” in their lives, where many times, so many of us do not have that. So, the first thing in the Power to Pause, is the Power to Be!
Next, when we think about pausing, I remember Mr. Wesley talked about journaling. I don’t do as much of it as I should, but I believe I remember at St. Paul’s School of Theology, one semester while I was there, they had us journaling. If you have not done any journaling, it can be quite interesting when you do it on a daily basis. A couple of things can happen. Number one, you may find out you are a pattern person, and number two, you may want to do it for more than one month. I think I have said this more than once, but while I was an adjunct professor in college, I had a student that said, “If you don’t write it down, it never happened.”
The Power to Pause is:
1. The courage to be
2. The power to be
3. Get into the Intention zone
What is the “Intention Zone” when it comes to pausing? It is, before you get out of bed in the morning, intend to be present! Intend to be present wherever you are. Today I have had personal calls from people in certain situations that’s going on here and there. I’ve also had a call from someone whose husband just died. My intention when I got up this morning was not to have a call about something going on somewhere, and I certainly did not intend to get a call about someone’s husband dying. However, when I woke up intending to be present, that meant when they contacted me, I was present for them. Also intend to spend quality time with your parents, your friends, and your family. When you wake up, intend to say good morning to your spouse or hello to your children. Intend that when you leave home you not only spend quality time while you are away from them, but when you come back you intend to spend quality time there.
Another part of the intention zone, even before you start your day, intend to drive wherever you are relaxed. I have started trying to do that recently. I don’t care if I am going to be late, I will just be late. I’ve tried to not speed, just let driving relaxed be part of my intention zone. When you get where you are going, if that’s going to bed, to work, to a meeting, intend be relaxed and with the most positive attitude you can. Recently I was talking with someone on the phone, and I told them to stop and take three deep breaths. (The research I have been doing said take six deep breaths.) Wherever I am going, to the gym or around town or even if I am going to preach, I don’t know how many deep breaths I take, but I think taking six deep breaths is enough.
The last part of the intention zone is:
To meet, smile, and greet. Greet at least three strangers sometime during the month. I always tell my Memphis Story. When we were at the Galleria in Memphis, folks were coming in the door, and I smiled, and I opened the door for a lady. She said, “you must not be from here.” I said pardon me. She said folks in Memphis don’t do that. I smiled and said, “Well, I was just trying to be polite to you.”
As I get ready to close, I will tell you about a new terminology out there, call Creatives.
People who sing, who dance, who do spoken word, who write, they call Creatives. So, another part of the power of pausing is to find your creative spot. I know a friend who loves her flowers, and she likes to tend her flowers, and she likes to water them and make them look pretty. That's her creative moment, her creative self. So, we can pause in our creativity. You’ve got to like something. I keep asking myself, why do I keep writing these articles every week? Because I guess I like to talk, and write to others, anyway, get your creative mind!
Lastly, the power of pausing is deep listening. Wow. Deep listening. And I don't say it because this is a political year. You hear so much stuff. The last election time, I took a trip to Georgia. Man, I'm telling you, every second there was a political campaign ad from one of the other parties on saying all sorts of things. But you've got to be able to learn how to do deep listening. Deep listening to me is when you're able to listen through the distractions and the noise of everyday life. And the distraction, the noise of somebody just trying to put you to a certain place.
Because the one thing that will keep you from listening deeply is when you're distracted. Another thing that will keep you from listening deep is when you have noises. And so, lastly, the power of pausing is being able to do some deep listening. And I'll bet with deep listening, even if nobody else is satisfied with what they’re hearing, you will be.
Love,
I Am, ...Charlie Edward McAdoo
Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo is a retired District Superintendent with the United Methodist Church.
opinions
EDUCATIONAL EMERGENCY – Update for August 24, 2024
By Joy C. Springer
September 28, 2024
EDUCATIONAL EMERGENCY – Update for September 27, 2024
Trying to catch up! A bit under the weather last week and was not able to share with you what happened at the Capitol last week! Here’s the 411: the members of the Arkansas Legislative Council (ALC) held its monthly meeting. The “big” topic of discussion involved the “costs” involved for maintaining the “correctional” (also known as prisons) facilities for the state of Arkansas.
Did you know that the state of Arkansas pays millions of dollars on a yearly basis for the maintenance and operations of these facilities? Here are some of the numbers:
-Arkansas spends about $23,000 per inmate annually
- the total cost of Arkansas prisons to incarcerate an average population of over 13,300 inmates totals approximately $326,000,00 million dollars.
- ALC approved a ten- year contract to provide comprehensive medical, dental, pharmacy, and mental health services for
inmates and offenders in the custody of the Department of Corrections with 100% state funding totaling $235, 525, 926.90!
- The projected cost of this ten-year contract will cost the state of Arkansas $1,613,276,588.80 billion dollars!
Yes, that amount is correct, almost 2 billion dollars over the next 10 years!
How do maintenance and operations compare to the amount the state of Arkansas will pay to educate the children of Arkansas? Great question! I am glad you asked.
-Arkansas schools spend less per K-12 pupil than the national average. The state ranks 42ndin spending and 41st in funding.
-Arkansas k-12 schools spend $13,260 per pupil for a total of $6.54 billion annually.
-Arkansas K-12 schools receive $1.36 billion or $2750 per pupil from the federal government.
- State funding totals $4.5 billion or $9020 per pupil.
-The LEARNS ACT estimated cost will be $297.5 million in 2023-24 and $343.3 million in 2024-25.
-In 2024, Arkansas spent $34,100 per pupil on public colleges and universities, with 20.9% going to instruction. Federal
funding for public postsecondary institutions averaged $2,180 per student, white state and local funding averaged
$7,980.
Arkansas' funding system for public schools is based on a student-based model that provides a foundation funding amount per student, plus additional resources for students who need more support. The state uses a cost model called the “Matrix” to determine the foundation funding amount. The state and local community divide the foundation funding amount based on local property wealth.[1]
I realize that I should not make this comparison, however, these numbers caught my attention when I saw them:
Arkansas spends more per inmate than it does per pupil. (compare $23,000 vs $13, 260)
The approval of this contract is being highlighted here because there has been much debate/discussion by members of the Review Committee of ALC regarding this contract over the past year. Members have questioned the amount being requested and the process utilized for the procurement through the RFP process. On last Friday, it was concluded that the Department of Corrections had developed Rules (previously approved by ALC??) that were not in compliance with the intent of the law authorizing the procurement. In fact, the ALC withdrew its approval of the previous rules governing procurement that was utilized by the Department of Corrections through the Office of Procurement and requested that Procurement resubmit this Rule to
comply with the law.
Is maintaining the state of Arkansas’ prison systems more important than educating all students through the equitable allocation of funding to our schools? Arkansas’ Educational Emergency continues!
[1] . This funding system funding has been approved because of the Lakeview case.
Rep. Joy C. Springer represents District 76 in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Mrs. Springer previously served on the Little Rock School Board and is a long-time civil rights activist and supporter of equality in public education. She currently serves on the House Public Transportation and House Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs committees. Additionally, she serves on the Performance Review committee, and Joint Budget committee as a 1st alternate including Personnel and Special Language, and as a 2nd alternative on the Legislative Auditing committee.
opinions
Hell Bound
By Deborah Springer Suttlar
September 22, 2024
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my granddaughter going off to a Historical Black College. My article was entitled HBCU Bound. The subject this week is entitled “Hell Bound.” I wanted to highlight this subject due to the evil, maniacal misogynism, lies and sadistic racism which have infiltrated the current race for the presidency.
Those of us who believe in Hell and Heaven know that there are certain qualities a person will emulate when they adjust their behavior to a life of redemption. Redemption means the action of saving or being saved from sin or evil. I am mindful that this redemption is not the result of something we did, it is an act of grace bestowed upon us. It is a price in which people who are of the Christian faith understand was paid to have the privilege of life. This means those who believe will react in our daily lives because this redemption means something to us.
Unfortunately, there are some in our society who exhibit characteristics which could be described as hell bound. Hell bound means to be extremely determined to do something, without considering the risks or possible dangerous results. We often say, “they were hell bent.”
It appears that those hell bound have a “reprobate mind.” A reprobate mind is described as a mind that has become so hardened and tainted by evil influences that it can no longer discern right from wrong. Have we not seen evidence of that today? We have.
If you do not understand what I am implying indulge me for these two examples.
In the book of Exodus when Pharoah was warned to release the enslaved Israelites, he would not heed the warnings (plagues) that God placed before him. Pharoah was subjected to many opportunities to change his ways and stop maligning and placing an unfair burden on the enslaved people he had repeatedly refused to release. He ignored the warnings. His ultimate downfall was pride, power, racism, and greed.
Now, we have Donald Trump who has been documented as inciting an insurrection because he could not accept defeat. Trump has been convicted of sexual misconduct. He has been indicted in four separate criminal cases which include attempts to overturn the will of the voters and interfering with the 2020 presidential election results, federal charges for obstructing an investigation and unlawful retention of classified documents after his presidential term. He has been indicted on thirty-four counts in criminal proceedings related to hush money payments to an adult film star during the presidential campaign in 2016. Donald Trump has survived two (2) assassination attempts within the past 9 weeks. All of this has transpired, and he remains a presidential candidate by the Republican party and others who have embraced him, his lies, and his racist rhetoric.
Just like the Pharoah, he has not exhibited a heart for redemption or to be remorseful and step away. Donald Trump is a not a person of principles, justice or represents a mindset of humility. There has not been one declaration of regret regarding any of his actions. In fact, it has been just the opposite. He has shown contempt for the law, defiance, incompetence, hatred, and hostility. He has exhibited no respect for the lives of those he has caused harm to or concern for the lives he has influenced to follow him. Just as the Pharoah, Trump has ignored the warnings.
Let me be clear, I am not the judge of who goes to Hell. However, what I do know is that our actions should reflect redemption and love. The scripture in John 3: 19 tells us, “Man loves darkness rather than light because his deeds are evil.” These are the words of the Bible, not mine. There are those who believe that the deeds of Trump are right, and they follow him at their own peril. It also holds true that evil deeds can cause you to be unjustified, unregenerated and unredeemed.
The scripture of Isaiah 5:20 states, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who make bitterness sweet and sweetness bitter.” The warnings are repeated throughout scripture. I believe scripture.
Hell bound is not just a phrase and it does matter to where we are bound.
Deborah Springer Suttlar is a community activist and longtime supporter of public schools.
opinions
ways to relax
by Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo
September 22, 2024
Please take five deep breaths: breath one - breath two - breath three - breath four, and breath five. By taking deep breaths in with our nose and out through our mouth, as my instructor says, it’s almost like nitro glycerin to our body (the exercise people will know what I am talking about)!
I remember going by to see one of my elderly members, and when I knocked on the door she said, “Don’t come in Reverend, let’s you and I sit out here, relax ourselves and watch the grass grow.” I said to myself, “Wow! How fast does grass grow?” Knowing I would be there for only a limited amount of time, it was not the grass growing, but my sitting there with her and being put in a mode of relaxation. So, today’s article is not given in a prerogative way, that people might need to relax. I just want to share some suggestions for all of us.
We all have had tension in our lives since humanity has been on the earth. I feel that one way to relieve our tension is to find a path to relaxation. The terminology I am using is one my son and I used in our Grief Guidance sessions. We talk about everyone having a path. So, as I talk about ways we might have to relax, my path would not be like your path, nor would yours be like mine, but there are ways to relax.
Let me on the front end lift up a number of ways that I want to talk about, but I will not try to go through all of those that I have dealt with in my life. Those that I want to talk about today are:
· Listening to music
· Exercising
· Reading a book
· Visualization
· Meditation
· Focused breathing
Let’s talk about Listening to Music. I am somewhat caught “in-between,” call it a quadruple music appreciation concept for me. I grew up in Lebanon, Tennessee which is 30-miles from Nashville, Tennessee, and 20-miles from Gallatin Tennessee. In Nashville, we had the Grand Old Opry and Randy’s Record Mart, and in Gallatin we had WLAC, the Radio Station that played Rhythm and Blues of the day. Also, my cousin played the violin, so early on I appreciated Classical music. This was also in the time of the Crooner’s music: there was Frank Sinatra on the white side and Clyde Mc Fadden on the black side and Fats Domino who was back and forth and could have gone either way. So, one way to relax is to find some music you enjoy. I only listen to music for an hour or so at a time or a whole concert at one time. Just the other day I was listening to George Jones’s “She Stopped Loving You Today,” which is a country song, and I mean that was heavy, heavy, and I just enjoyed listening to it. So, do an inventory of your past music listening, and try to find you a path so when you do need to relax you are able to find that piece of music that helps you to do just that! The blessing now is you can go to YouTube and pull up multiple albums, or for some people it may just be one song.
Let’s talk about Exercising. To some of you that may not sound like a way to relax. My instructor’s name is Kelly. (sometimes we do call her ‘Atilla the Hun’ because she pushes us really hard!) The class I take is Strength Training. It’s not to lose weight, it’s to strengthen us. The reason that exercise is a way for me to relax is as she tells us, as we strengthen our bodies, we are able to put our bodies in a place where we can maintain our strength that we have and deal with situations we may be going through. So, many times you may or may not realize there are certain muscles that have been dormant. Sometimes when Kelly comes in, we may do toe muscles and finger or hand muscles and things you don’t even think about. We have different apparatus to help us do these exercises and I won’t go into all of those, you’ve been to the gym. The other good part that I do for myself is I have an elliptical machine at home, and I try to get in at least 2 &1/2 hours of cardio training a week. That’s relaxing to me, I can be in my computer room at home and work for a minimum of 20 mins and do cardio.
Next is Reading a Book. I am not going to spend a lot of time with this because we are all familiar with reading and the blessings it can bring! We can visit a new country, tour a world-famous museum, meet a new friend, or sit and gaze at a flower garden. We can lose ourselves in the book and find total relaxation!
Another thing that helps us relax is Visualization. What is visualization? Well, it is a fifteen-dollar complicated word in one sense, but there are so many places in our lives where we have had the blessing of something wonderful happening! The other day I was just sitting here thinking about being a little boy and we used to have to sack baseballs. I can see myself when my daddy’s baseball team would have foul balls. We would run into the woods and get those baseballs and take them back, and they would give us a nickel, and I can visualize that! Or I think about my time as a college professor, and I know this may or may not have been everybody’s experience. I taught in college for seventeen years as an Adjunct Professor. I can visualize the coming together of our class.
I would always wait for every student that was supposed to be there. Then, we had those extra moments of non-educational involvement. In other words, I never started my class off with our studies. We did certain things, we drew pictures, had a spoken word, we did a whole lot of things, and I can look back and visualize myself in the classroom. Those were really good days, and the aftermath of that is, sometimes I see some of those wonderful students, and they still remember those classes. I don’t have a direct process of how one can move to visualization in terms of a one, two, three. I found that the TV can be a distraction. I’m not a person who likes a lot of darkness, and I can just sit there and close my eyes in the light and visualize. I would just say find you some time and a quiet place and let your mind’s eye remember some a pleasant experience and recall the details of that in your mind, and feel yourself relaxing.
Let’s talk about Meditation. Meditation is a little different than visualization. Dr. Edward Reynolds taught me how to meditate. Sometimes you may be in a setting, and you may be struggling with how to get yourself together. You may or may not use this, but he would tell you to put a string on a street and start watching that string move and start following that string as it goes up this was and that way. As you are doing this, it’s kind of like a double-bladed axe: here you are trying to put yourself in a place of meditation, but as you follow that string down a quiet street, and move the string through different communities, you begin to have a period of meditation. That’s just one way I have been mentored by someone who taught me a lot about meditation. I’m not really good at verbal meditation in terms of reading this or that, but I can do the string and try to do some other things that relate to meditation.
Focused Breathing. One of the things you learn in almost any exercise class is how to breathe. Even though we all breathe continually, we may or may not get the health-giving benefits. I introduced this article with a deep breathing exercise. It can help cleanse and strengthen our lungs and help our whole body. Go back to the beginning of this article and start exercising by counting to five!
In whatever way you may consider relaxing, remember that it’s your time and your relaxation. However, it’s also a time for you to know that you need relaxation and when there is a need, I like to flip it on the other side to say, the answer is relaxation. This relaxation can come in many forms, but the main thing is, as you relax you will find that it has a full carry-over into how many other things it will make better in your life. I leave you with a verbal mediation thought, and I am going to do what I do so many times. I just picked a book up and it says, International Academy.
So, as I relax today, I’m going to think about this International Academy. I can see right now that my visualization may come in. I think I will catch a flight, and I don’t know what country I will go to, it may be Africa, Asia, or Europe, but I think I am going to go over and get in school and enjoy my day at the International Academy!
Love,
I Am
Charlie Edward McAdoo
Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo is a retired District Superintendent with the United Methodist Church
opinions
WHY KAMALA HARRIS MAY LOSE IN MICHIGAN, ARIZONA, AND WISCONSIN
by Wendell Griffen
September 21, 2024
On September 20, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now reported that the Uncommitted Movement has declared it will not endorse Kamala Harris, that it is vehemently opposed to the candidacy of Donald Trump, and that it will not endorse any third-party candidate in the U.S. presidential election contest. Here is a link to that report, and Goodman’s interview with Lexis Zeidan, a co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement.
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/9/20/lexis_zeidan_uncommitted_national_movement_2024.
The Uncommitted Movement’s stance makes a point that bears remembering. Kamala Harris will have only herself to blame if she does not win in Michigan, Arizona, and Wisconsin, battleground states whose electoral college votes are crucial for any presidential to win to reach 270 votes. I made that point in an August 23 blog post after Harris spurned pleas from Palestinian delegates who asked to speak during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
https://fierceprohetichope.blogspot.com/2024/08/kamala-harris-democratic-national.html
The Uncommitted Movement is not being unreasonable. Harris has refused to offer any evidence that her policies concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be different from those of the Biden administration if she is elected President. Harris has refused to state that she will insist that Israel be held responsible for violating international laws concerning war crimes and humanitarian violations. She has refused to state that she will insist that Israel stop bombing and indiscriminately slaughtering Palestinians in Gaza.
That posture is not only a bad campaign tactic. It is a disincentive for Arab-American voters whose votes she must have to carry Michigan and win its 15 Electoral College votes. And Harris is making a risky bet that she can win in Wisconsin (10 Electoral College votes), and Arizona (11 Electoral College votes), where voters support changing U.S. policy concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
On this important issue that most U.S. media outlets, unlike Democracy Now, refuse to cover, Kamala Harris is not only disrespecting and disregarding Arab-American voters. She is out of step with other voters who oppose current U.S. support for Israel’s long history of apartheid, settler colonialism, land and mineral theft, and bigotry against Palestinians in the West Bank and Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
One wonders why Harris is blind to how she is harming her prospects for victory over Donald Trump in November given her frequent statements that she is in a tight election contest. One wonders why Harris thinks that voters who oppose U.S. support for Israel’s inhumane, criminal, and failed policies will find her stance acceptable.
And one wonders why Kamala Harris seems determined to risk taking the rest of the nation down with her because of her stubborn refusal to change her stance.
On this subject, Kamala Harris is hurting her political campaign, hurting our nation, and hurting the prospects for peace between Israel and Palestinians.
That’s bad politics and horrible policy.
pastorgriffen@newmillenniumchurch.us
CEO, Griffen Strategic Consulting, PLLC
www.griffenstrategicconsulting.com
griffenstrategicconsulting@gmail.com
Co-Chair, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference
Hope fiercely. Love boldly.
Love one another. Jesus of Galilee, Palestine
We will find a way or make one. Hannibal of Carthage
Writing is how I fight. James H. Cone.
The time for pious words is over. Allan Aubrey Boesak
Justice is a verb!
https://fierceprohetichope.blogspot.com/2024/01/this-is-why-donald-trump-is-barred-from.html
opinions
DONALD TRUMP AND COMEUPPANCE
by Wendell Griffen
September 14, 2024
COMEUPPANCE (noun): a punishment or fate that someone deserves: “he got his comeuppance.” Synonyms: due, retribution, requital, recompense, just deserts, deserved fate, due reward, just punishment, castigation, wrath, chastisement.
Beginning shortly after 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on September 10, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris gave former U.S. President Donald Trump what one of my Arkansas lawyer friends would call “a stand-up ass whipping.”
People saw it happen live, across the United States and throughout the world.
Harris deployed her skills and discipline as a seasoned prosecutor to cut through Trump’s façade and expose his most unpleasant characteristics.
Dishonesty.
Bigotry.
Cultural and political incompetence.
Emotional immaturity.
Vicious idiocy.
Sociopathy.
Mental clumsiness and laziness.
By the time their 90 minute “debate” ended, Donald Trump’s posture was slumped.
He had yelled numerous false statements. Debate moderators refuted some of them, including Trump’s lies that immigrants are stealing, killing, and eating pet animals from residents of Springfield, Ohio, and that infants are being murdered after birth in states that protect abortion rights.
Trump praised Viktor Orban, the tyrannical leader of Hungary, and repeatedly mis-stated the name of the Taliban leader with whom he supposedly negotiated the end of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.
When Trump was asked twice by one of the debate moderators whether he regretted anything he did on January 6, 2021, when his followers violently attacked U.S. lawmakers as they were officially meeting to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, Trump refused to express remorse, contrition, or acknowledge that his conduct contributed to the attempt by his followers to violently stop the peaceful certification process.
Trump did not renounce the position taken by his vice-presidential running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, that Trump would impose a national ban on abortions if elected president.
Kamala Harris, with lawyerly skill, discipline, and presence, got under Trump’s notoriously thin skin by commanding the stage, taking the initiative, and calling him out so well that for the first time in his political career, Trump could not land a rhetorical counterpunch.
Political pundits will long remember Harris made two priceless retorts against Trump. Harris delivered this memorable line when asked to respond to Trump’s threat to prosecute and punish people who oppose his return to power: “Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people, so let’s be clear about that.” Trump’s reaction was unmistakable. https://www.yahoo.com/news/kamala-harris-says-donald-trump-222712074.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
And Harris began her response to a moderator’s question about U.S. support for Ukraine after Trump criticized Biden by delivering Trump a rhetorical memo. "Well first of all it's important to remind the former president, you're not running against Joe Biden, you're running against me." https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/youre-not-running-against-joe-biden-harris-hits-trump-with-debate-reminder/ar-AA1qm8Gp
From the time Harris replaced Biden as the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, Trump campaign strategists unsuccessfully tried to put her on the defensive. During the evening of September 10, during a nationally televised debate viewed by millions of U.S. voters, Trump had his chance. Instead, Harris gave him “a stand-up ass whipping.”
She did what Trump’s previous political opponents (Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden) tried but were unable to do.
Mocked him.
Ridiculed him.
Chastised him.
Exposed his emotional, intellectual, and political weakness.
Afterwards, Trump did what few political candidates ever do. He showed up in the spin room and uttered these words to reporters who knew he was lying. “It was my best debate ever.”
Trump’s spin room effort cannot erase the truth. Harris exposed Trump’s smallness. He knows it. His campaign strategists know it. Independent voters know it. Leaders of other nations know it.
Donald Trump got his comeuppance in Philadelphia. And here’s the most galling aspect of that reality for him. Minutes after the debate ended, the Harris campaign challenged Trump to another debate. In doing so, Harris served this notice to Trump.
I am not finished whipping the britches off of you. For the sake of freedom, democracy, and with clear memory of all the ways you have lied, insulted, and mistreated the presidency, our nation, and harmed the world, I will expose you every one of the remaining days in this campaign season. And you cannot stop it.
(Photo Credit..Dictionary.com)
Wendell Griffen is the author of Parables, Politics, and Prophetic Faith published by (Nurturing Faith, (2023) and
The Fierce Urgency of Prophetic Hope (Judson Press, (2017). He is also an ordained minister and former elected judge.
www.fierceprophetichope.blogspot.com
www.wendellgriffen.blogspot.com
Pastor, New Millennium Church, Little Rock, Arkansas
pastorgriffen@newmillenniumchurch.us
CEO, Griffen Strategic Consulting, PLLC
www.griffenstrategicconsulting.com
griffenstrategicconsulting@gmail.com
Co-Chair, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference
opinions
EDUCATIONAL EMERGENCY – Update for September 14, 2024
by Joy C. Springer
September 14, 2024
It has been a busy week for me at the Arkansas Legislature this past week. Members of the Public Health committee and the Democratic Black Caucus members traveled to Memphis, Tennessee and West Memphis, Arkansas to discuss healthcare disparities and maternal health concerns in the state. It was also an opportunity to visit institutions that were educating individuals from Arkansas to assist in addressing these concerns. Look forward to information gained from those meeting in next week’s article!
In keeping with promise from last week, I indicated that I would share another reason the Educational Emergency continues in the state of Arkansas. Late last week, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported the following as a top news story:
USDA ranks Arkansas worst state for food insecurity!
Again, what is food insecurity? Thanks for asking. We need to understand this concept. Food insecurity is defined as a household level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food. (Google definition) The Arkansas Democrat Gazette starts off the article by stating the following:
“Arkansas was once again the hungriest state in the country in 2023, with the levels of households that experienced low or very low food security rising from 16.6% in 2022 to 18.9%, according to an annual report released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette further reported the USDA defined food security:
“very low food insecurity” as the more severe members of a household experience reduced food intake and disrupted eating
patterns at times in a year because of limited money and other resources for obtaining food.
According to the Governor’s Food Desert Working Group, 62 of the 75 of Arkansas counties had an identified food desert.
What is a food desert? Thanks for asking. A food desert has been defined as an area where “residents must travel more than one mile in an urban setting or more than 10 miles in a rural setting to obtain a selection of fresh nutritious food.” I have previously reported food deserts in House District 76.
The Gazette’s article also reported that an average of 12.2% of 132 million households experienced very low food security across the country. Arkansas’ current three-year average is up from 12.6% average in 2018 to 2020, but down from 21.2% average from 2011 to 2013. Additional statistics concluded that 13.5% of homes or 18 million house-holds were food insecure in 2023. Of the homes that had children, 8.95 or 3.2 million households, were food insecure. This number is up from 6.2% in 2021 and 7.6% in 2020. I found it interesting that there were no specific statistics regarding the total number of households with children in Arkansas that were food insecure.
With no specific report, that leaves us having to guess that the number is greater that 6.2% especially since the headline of the article states that Arkansas is the worst state for food security!
Arkansas’ Educational Emergency continues given the findings of this report!
Rep. Joy C. Springer represents District 76 in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Mrs. Springer previously served on the Little Rock School Board and is a long-time civil rights activist and supporter of equality in public education. She currently serves on the House Public Transportation and House Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs committees. Additionally, she serves on the Performance Review committee, and Joint Budget committee as a 1st alternate including Personnel and Special Language, and as a 2nd alternative on the Legislative Auditing committee.
opinions
EDUCATIONAL EMERGENCY -September 9, 2024
By Joy C. Springer
September 9, 2024
EDUCATIONAL EMERGENCY – Update for September 6, 2024
There were only a few committee meetings at the Legislative this week. However, I do note that the Arkansas Legislative Council subcommittee on Game, Fish/State Police did meet. What is this committee’s objective? Great question! Thank you for asking.
According to the Arkansas State Legislature website and if you click on ALC-Game & Fish/State Police, you will find the following:
This committee is assigned all matters pertaining to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Well, what is the role of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission? According to the Commission’s website, its mission and vision is as follows:
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s mission is to conserve and enhance Arkansas’s fish and wildlife and their habitats while promoting sustainable use, public understanding and support.
With that being said, the ALC-Game& Fish/State Police subcommittee for the past year was directed by the Legislative Council to undertake the Arkansas Firearms and Concealed Carry Laws study and to provide a written report of its activities, findings and recommendations, including any draft legislation to the Arkansas Legislative Council of its findings before October 1, 2024. The subcommittee, in particular, reviewed “all existing laws of the state of Arkansas concerning the ownership, use and possession of firearms as well as the concealed carry laws of the state.”
During each meeting of this subcommittee, members of the public were invited and permitted to provide input to the subcommittee on the topics being discussed at each of the meetings. In addition, the following state agencies were asked to come and participate in the meetings of the subcommittee:
1) Attorney General’s office
2) Arkansas State Police
3) Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
4) Prosecutor Coordinator’s Office
5) Sheriff’s Association; and
6) Arkansas Department of Transportation
As a result of the meetings held, there were at least 19 recommendations that came from the subcommittee. These recommendations included, but not limited to the following:
1) Repealing of certain sections of the Arkansas Code;
2) Ensuring that current and new proposed legislation would not be more restrictive than federal law;
the removal of school bus stops from the list of prohibited carry locations; and
3) striking from current law the prohibition of carry during parades and demonstrations.
The recommendations listed are a few of the recommendations that are being made to ensure that guns are more visible in our communities. The complete list may be found on the Arkansas Legislative website by going to arkleg.state.ar.us. Go to the subcommittee meeting that was held on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, and click on the documents tab.
I found several of the recommendations to be very troubling as did several did several members of local grassroots organization of “MOMS DEMAND ACTION.” A nationwide organization that is fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. They advocate the passage of stronger gun laws and work to close the gaps that jeopardize the safety of families due to gun violence. In particular, members of this group called to the attention of the committee that the recommendation regarding the removal from current law the prohibition to carry at school bus stops could possibly open the door for more students, ages 18 and older, to actually carry guns to schools.
Guns in and around school! Our children cannot learn…
Look forward to an update on another factor that causes the City of Little and state of Arkansas’ Education Emergency to continue.
Rep. Joy C. Springer represents District 76 in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Mrs. Springer previously served on the Little Rock School Board and is a long-time civil rights activist and supporter of equality in public education. She currently serves on the House Public Transportation and House Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs committees. Additionally, she serves on the Performance Review committee, and Joint Budget committee as a 1st alternate including Personnel and Special Language, and as a 2nd alternative on the Legislative Auditing committee.
opinions
HBCU Bound
by Deborah Springer Suttlar
August 31 2024
On the weekend of August 17, 2024, I had the pleasure of accompanying my daughter and her family to Greensboro, North Carolina. My granddaughter was HBCU bound. We were there to assist with the enrollment of their first child and my eldest granddaughter into North Carolina A&T. As a grandmother, it was one of the proudest days of my life. The fact that both of her parents attended a HBCU, we felt the torch was being handed over to the next generation for academic excellence.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities are an important part of our heritage and American society. While we are aware of the social injustices and economic struggles former slaves and people of color faced in this country, the right to basic educational opportunities were also denied to us. However, we overcame that obstacle with the first HBCU (Howerd University) which was established on March 2, 1867, by African Americans who wanted to educate and share their knowledge to improve the lives of former slaves and others of African descent who were also denied higher educational opportunities. Today there are 107 HBCU’s in America.
I was elated that of my granddaughter wanted to attend a HBCU. She chose this school due to the excellent program for Engineering. There are other many great engineering schools she could have attended. However, she chose a HBCU during a time when our academic educational opportunities as people of color are again being limited and derailed.
Today, this effort to deny educational opportunities is ever present. Since 1619, we have been subjected to a system of denial of human rights, liberty, and a myriad of opportunities afforded to white people. This battle for our rights as equal citizens has resulted in basic human rights being litigated for us to even obtain equal status as citizens. We are not giving up, nor are we going to allow it to persist. We will continue to contest the laws which have banned books, negated our rights to access to educational institutions and employment opportunities which are rigged for “white privilege.” Our fight is against this injustice. The denial of our right to educational opportunities will not go unchecked and unchallenged until we have “equal protection under the law.”
In the meantime, our HBCU’s are as relevant today as they were in 1867. We have proven that we have the aptitude when we are not denied opportunity, access or discriminated against. As James Brown stated in his song, “I don’t want nobody to give me nothing, open up the door, I’ll get myself. All we want is for the doors to open and the elimination of the deceptive laws enacted and blocking our progress.
Another pressing issue is the fact that Historically Black Colleges and Universities are not adequately provided funding as Land-grant universities. There are billions of dollars owed to them as authorized by the Morrill Act of 1862, and later the second Morrill Act of 1890. These HBCU’s are owed money, and it has not been distributed due to racism. This problem has been exacerbated by Republican Governors and Republican controlled legislators denying funding which has resulted in severe financial issues for HBCU’s. We need our money.
We must never forget the value of being educated. It is important that our children understand the importance of being educated at any academic institution which values them and is invested to ensure that they are educated for excellence. In addition to being HBCU bound we must be aware that, “Education Matters.”
Proverbs 1:5 – Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.
United Negro College Fund - A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Fanti Proverb - “If you educate a man, you educate one individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a family.
Nelson Mandela – “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”
Deborah Springer Suttlar is a community activist and longtime supporter of public schools.
opinions
REPAIRING THE BREACH AND FORGING AHEAD
by Wendell Griffen
August 31, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris had a brilliant week during the Democratic National Convention. She and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, were nominated and celebrated with enthusiastic fanfare. Even right-wing media outlets such as Fox News acknowledged as much.
However, Harris and Democratic leaders committed an unforced error by refusing pleas from Palestinian-American delegates to the Convention to speak briefly – five minutes – concerning the ongoing genocide Israel is committing against Palestinians in Gaza, with U.S. funding, weapons, and diplomatic support. I’m not alone in holding that view. Prominent national newspaper columnists friendly to Harris - Jamelle Bouie and E. J. Dionne come to mind - said so as well.
That unforced error pained Palestinian-Americans who grieve the Biden Administration’s full-throated support for Israel as Israeli Defense Forces slaughtered more than 40,000 people in Gaza – including more than 14,000 children – since October 7, 2023. They are not going to support Donald Trump’s bid to return to power. However, they wanted to be treated similar to the parents of an American-Israeli hostage held by Hamas who were allowed to speak during the Democratic National Convention.
Harris can repair the pain from that unforced error. She should confer with Palestinian American leaders such as Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and James Zogby (founder, and president of the Arab American Institute), and then meet with them publicly as they speak about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza because of Israeli military actions. Then her campaign can engage Arab American voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, and other battleground states and appeal to them to support Harris’ presidential aspirations.
The point is for Harris, Tlaib, and Zogby to lead Democratic activists and pro-Palestinian activists in fence-mending, breach repairing, and coalition-building efforts. Doing so is more advantageous than continuing the current postures of suspicion, resentment, and grievance that Harris supporters and pro-Palestinian activists hold towards one another. The feelings of suspicion, resentment, and grievance do not help Palestinians or Harris. They only benefit Donald Trump and Benjami Netanyahu (the current prime minister of Israel), political leaders whose hostility towards Palestine and Palestinians is well-known.
I hope my suggestion is well-received by Harris, Tlaib, Zogby, and others who want to prevent Trump and Netanyahu from acting out their racist, anti-democratic, and authoritarian agendas. We need one another. We need to hear one another. And we need to show grace and humility towards one another when we err.
I hope Harris, Tlaib, and Zogby get together to help heal the wound caused by the “unforced error” in Chicago. I hope they decide to work together. And I hope they can lead others to defeat Donald Trump in November.
Spread the word.
www.fierceprophetichope.blogspot.com
www.wendellgriffen.blogspot.com
Pastor, New Millennium Church, Little Rock, Arkansas
pastorgriffen@newmillenniumchurch.us
CEO, Griffen Strategic Consulting, PLLC
www.griffenstrategicconsulting.com
griffenstrategicconsulting@gmail.com
Co-Chair, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference
Hope fiercely. Love boldly.
Love one another. Jesus of Galilee, Palestine
We will find a way or make one. Hannibal of Carthage
Writing is how I fight. James H. Cone.
The time for pious words is over. Allan Aubrey Boesak
Justice is a verb!
https://fierceprohetichope.blogspot.com/2024/01/this-is-why-donald-trump-is-barred-from.html
opinions
KAMALA HARRIS RAISES THE STAKES
August 31, 2024
By Betsy Reed
Editor, Guardian US
(Editors Note) This appeal is from the US editor of the Guardian Newspaper.
Kamala Harris acknowledged at the start of her speech in Chicago that her path to the stage at the Democratic National Convention was unexpected. But as she made the case for her candidacy – and demolished her rival, an “unserious man” whose ascent to the presidency would nonetheless have “extremely serious” consequences – a rapturous crowd embraced her as the justice-seeking prosecutor who represents their best hope of defeating Donald Trump.
Harris’s speech capped the longest of summers for Democrats, who found their way to a promising campaign only after the June nadir of Joe Biden’s catastrophic debate performance and his exit from the race three weeks later. The decision to bow out earned the president a hero’s welcome on the DNC’s opening night, where he gave an assured, rousing speech before leaving for vacation, skipping the Obamas’ barnstormers on Tuesday, vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz’s pep rally on Wednesday, and Harris’s finale. The message was clear: this is Harris’s party now – and she is positioning herself as a president who would fight for the people, while Donald Trump fights only for himself.
The Democrats’ convention not only telegraphed unity but also coursed with a human emotion that was plain to see – joy – providing a vivid contrast with the Republicans’ tone of grievance and vengeance. There was dissonance, though, between the euphoria on display and the frustration of those concerned over the mounting death toll in Gaza. The Guardian highlighted the voices of pro-Palestinian protesters outside the convention, including one Palestinian-American from Chicago who said: “I don’t want my tax dollars to be used to murder my own family.” We also followed “uncommitted” convention delegates who sought to bring a Palestinian humanitarian message to the Democratic national convention arena, but staged a sit-in after being denied a speaker on the main stage.
Harris’s glide path to the nomination has visibly rattled Donald Trump. Lunging off-script in a speech designed to be a campaign reset focused on the economy, the former president tried to label his opponent a communist and a fascist. Where Trump and his allies have been more disciplined is in their detailed plans to steal the election should they lose in swing states.
Despite the vibes and memes buoying the Democrats and Harris’s gains in the polls since Biden’s exit, this race is still unnervingly close.
America’s future rests with a fraction of voters in a handful of states. As the intense phase of campaigning begins – with a pivotal debate scheduled for September 10 – odds right now appear only slightly better than even that we will avert another Trump reign that is all but certain to be ruinous for American democracy and the world. And as we have already seen, a balance this precarious can shift in an instant.
Thank you for your support.
Betsy
Betsy Reed is the Editor of the Guardian Newspaper. https://www.theguardian.com
About Us
Why we must create our own narratives
Perception is reality. How we are viewed and what is said about us matters. It is abundantly clear that here in Arkansas, we as African-Americans don't control many, if any, statewide media groups. On any given day, COUNT the number of positive stories reported by print and television stations KATV, KARK/KLRT-FOX-TV, and KTHV, about African Americans in Arkansas.
In Arkansas, with the exception of KTHV, the media groups and their ownerships are conservative and often often distort people of color and specifically, BLACK families. As black consumers of the news, "that's the part we miss." How on the "regular" we are portrayed by white media groups and their local news stations and print media.
A study from the University of Illinois concluded that at best media outlets (a) promoted racially biased portrayals and myths that pathologize black families and idealize white families with respect to poverty and crime (b) play a dangerous role in spreading debunked stereotypes about black families and (c) at worst, amplify those inaccurate depictions for political and financial gain. We've all seen that type of behavior before.
When media outlets examined in the study reported stories about poor families, they chose to feature black families in their coverage 59 percent of the time, even though only 27 percent of families living below the poverty line are black.
Similarly, in coverage of welfare, 60 percent of families portrayed were black, even though only 42 percent of families receiving welfare are black.
Finally, the article addresses the real-life consequences of the continued distortion of black life by the media. "When the news media constantly associates black people with crime, it increases racial stereotypes among viewers, leading the public including liberal and conservative Arkansan's to disproportionately favor punitive criminal justice policies." As a collateral damage piece, when the poor are depicted as overwhelmingly black, it leads the public to support heavier restrictions on welfare because of a perception that undeserving black people benefit from it. Backers of corporate and right-wing policies gain when the news media blames black families for social conditions, while their own role in destabilizing society remains invisible.
This online publication exists to counter the narrative that constantly depicts African Americans as "less than." It exists to balance the negative view of African American life that is constantly depicted in the local news and information outlets in this state. We are so much more than the lip-service paid to us by those that control the news cycle. It's not about the reporting of the news, it's about the process of manufacturing the news. There is a saying that goes something like this. "If you control the messenger, then you control the message." Let's take some of that control back. As African Americans in Arkansas, let us create our own narratives. Most importantly, let us report and talk about the real issues.................. with our own voices,.... and our own opinions.
meet our contributors
opinion
opinion
opinion
Deborah Suttlar
Deborah is a longtime Community and Civil Rights Activist. Her column appears in the Opinion Section.
Click the link below to read read Deborah Suttlar's column.
https://talkblackarkansas.com/opinion
opinion
opinion
opinion
The Honorable Wendell Griffen
Judge Griffen will comment on the law and its impact on Black Arkansans. He will also discuss and legal and social issues on a state and national level impacting Black Arkansans and Black Americans.
Click the link below to read Judge Griffens column.
Finance
opinion
Religion
Gaining generational wealth is the key to Black economic family wealth and security. We will share strategies from the Association of African American Financial Advisors to help you and your family get there. We will inform you about managing your finances so that you can start your path to financial freedom.
Religion
At the State Capitol
Religion
Rev. C.E. McAdoo
Rev. McAdoo is a retired District Superintendent with the United Methodist Church. He will provide a weekly column on Religion and Black Arkansas.
Click the link below to read Rev. McAdoo's column.
https://talkblackarkansas.com/opinion .
At the State Capitol
At the State Capitol
At the State Capitol
State Representative Joy C. Springer
State Representative Joy Springer is a veteran school an civil rights advocate for African-American children and their families. She will provide a weekly column on state legislative and educational concerns affecting African -Americans .
Click the link below to read Representative Springer's column.
Medicine and health
At the State Capitol
At the State Capitol
This weekly column features a listing of top African-American doctors in Arkansas, and their areas of expertise. We will try to connect you with physicians who understand your physical, cultural and mental health needs. One study suggests that African American male patients who meet with black physicians often ask to receive more preventive services than patients who met with nonblack physicians. This study also suggested that black doctors are more likely to provide a comfortable settings to black patients, perhaps because of shared experiences or backgrounds. The study concluded that increasing the amount of black physicians could lead to a 19 percent reduction in the black-white male cardiovascular mortality gap and an 8 percent decline in the black-white male life expectancy gap.
Education
Who to call
Who to call
This weekly column will focus on educational happenings in the state including news from local school districts and the Arkansas Department of Education.
Who to call
Who to call
Who to call
People always have "who to contact questions." Whether it is a local city government office or a state government office, we will try to steer you in the right direction.