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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
Time-Lines
by Dr. C.E. McAdoo
September 9, 2024
We may or may not have considered going into business. We may have been a businessperson, or we may have considered it because we see other people in it. The idea is, we are all in business. Our business is ourselves. Let me work through a time-line concept as we put ourselves in a place to be the best we can be! The reasonable way to start a time-line, I feel, is with a foundation. The time-line shall be Foundation, Product, Expansion, Market, Alliance and Sustainability.
· Foundation / Product: Foundation for us as individuals is the thing we display. It is for me, the seen and the unseen. I know we have heard this more than once, “no one knows what goes on behind closed doors.” However, what goes on behind closed doors comes out when we are in the atmosphere of the world, because that’s our foundation. I’ve not been shocked or surprised nor have I been elated either, but I’ve looked at certain situations with people, and I’ve come to this conclusion: this is their foundation.
I always go back to my son talking to me about people who curse. There are some people who curse in a derogatory way, they really hurt people when they say those words. Then, there are some people who curse because that’s their voice. I’m not saying that maybe
I should not use that negative statement for a foundation example, but that came out first. Now, let me “flip the boat,” there are some people who are very amenable. I was in a store the other day and I opened the door for some people, and they said, “I thought chivalry was dead.” I grew up with chivalry, if there was a woman or a young lady coming into a store, you opened the door; that is part of my foundation. The first part, and you can go in your own life of those things that are part of your foundation: Your honesty, integrity, and how you deal with folks. I think I’ve said this more than once, but one of the beautiful things my daughter-in-law said to us in our family was that she did not hear the word hate. We try not to use that word in the house, and I had never really thought about it, but it just became part of our foundation.
· Expansion: We must expand, and I go back to Paul’s words: “when I was a child I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, . . . when I became a man I did away with childish things.” I think that’s what expansion means. As we grow older and try to set ourselves to be the best we can be, there is opportunity for us to have maturity on certain things. I try not to be too exact on a lot of this stuff, because when you tell folks they ought to be more mature on certain things, they just may not have it in them. Remember, we are going back to the foundation part and product part. So, I will say that having maturity is the way we expand! Also, part of our expansion is to have understanding.
I will get into the political realm; there are certain people that will say to others, “I can’t understand why you are behind that candidate and I can’t understand why you are also behind this other candidate, but that’s your understanding and if you have a good firm belief and knowledge of why you are supporting one candidate over another, that’s good understanding! As you grow older you should not be swayed by the millions of dollars, the ads on TV, and all the flyers, but have your own understanding. Does this person in the political realm line up with my political beliefs and does the candidate line up with the way I understand life to be, that’s what it’s all about! The whole concept of where we are today is life and death! The life part we have some say in it. The death part, when it comes it comes, and that’s the end! So, let us have a good understanding of what we are going to do on the part we can control.
· Market You are always marketing yourself. To keep yourself in the market, that’s something you can control. I remember growing up I played a little football, and I was on the high school team. But I wanted to be a basketball player. However, I could not market myself as a basketball player, that was just not part of my skill set. When you get ready to market yourself, this is where the tough part comes in, you have to ask yourself, what do I have to offer? I had size so I could move people out of the way, I was kind of strong, and I could play football, so I marketed myself as a football player.
Then I marketed myself as someone who believed in academics. So, you ask yourself, what are my skill sets that I can apply and do something with? To have knowledge and not use it is the same as having a skill set and not using it. If you have the skill set and just let it sit there, it’s no good to anyone. So, marketing is certainly where you need to be.
· Alliance: Alliance is that connective part of who we are to be the best we can be. To do that, associate yourself with people as I talked earlier in the marketing part. When you are in a situation where you are trying to be in alliance with other people, you can find out pretty quickly if these people are on the same page as you are! The Lord has blessed me to be in a leadership role in the church for forty-four years, but I guarantee you I was not in control! The way I tried to lead is by using the train phenomenon. Yes, the train is the engine, but if the engine does not back up and connect to the cars you are not going anywhere because you have no alliance!
You’re just like a lone wolf out there. Sometimes people in leadership are like that, sometimes it’s like that in your own. I’ve had to back up to my children sometime for them to connect with me. I’ve had to backup to my wife sometime to connect with her. It’s the same even in my fraternity and with people in other areas. So, the alliance piece is being able to connect with your power to bring on those with you, but as you bring them on, whether you are the engine or you are you are in one of the cars, always be happy and glad and you are able to be in an alliance!
The last part of our Time-line is: · Sustainability
Jim Argue was president of the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas. I had been on that board for twenty-five years. Jim came to us and said, “we need to have a board retreat.” At that board retreat Jim talked about the whole continuity piece of succession. We must have a succession plan. No one wants to talk about it, not being here forever. My wife won’t be here forever, my kids won’t be here forever, but we need to have a succession plan so whatever we are doing now, our family, our friends, those who love us can know I do have sustainability! In other words, I would hope that two-hundred, three-hundred years from now the McAdoo name would still be a name that people know.
The Lord blessed me and my family. We have genealogy that goes back to 1850, and we can document information. One thing about sustainability, it’s got to be on paper. I’ve said this more than once and I’ll say it again. I had a student that was stationed over in Germany in the military, and he said: “Reverend, the Germans say this, ‘if you don’t write it down, it never happened.’” Part of sustainability is writing it down!
Part of the importance of that: when Social Security began in the 1930’s, a lot of people did not have Birth Certificates. Then there were a lot of people like me, my sister was the only one in our family that was born in a hospital, the rest of us were born by a Mid-wife. So, in those days, they wrote down the births in the Bible. The Social Security Administration of the United States of America took those Bible dates as evidence of your birth. Even now when I am at Garage Sales and I see people trying to sell old Bibles I say, it may be some documentation in there that you want to keep for your families. So, that’s sustainability. Write it down. When they wrote it down in the Bible it meant something back then! Now, these are just suggestions to make a Time-line piece that will help make us all better people.
You have all the bullets here, and you know they lead somewhere: Foundation, Product, Expansion, Market, Alliance, and Sustainability. They lead to you being the best person you can be. So, the foundation to your sustainability is, you can make sure that I am the person that I am. And being that, no one can imitate me to be as good as I can to be for myself.
Love,
I Am
Charlie Edward McAdoo
Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo is a retired District Superintendent with the United Methodist Church.
opinions
Thankfulness
by Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo
August 31, 2024
As I think about thankfulness, part of it goes along with how I have been so blessed down through the years. I have tried to pass an attitude of thankfulness on to my children, people in the local church, and many thoughtful people I have met throughout my life.
My Daddy’s name was Thelma McAdoo, and everybody called him “Slick.” Thankfulness carries with it many concepts that enables one to have a lifeway that affects people in very positive ways. One of the things that thankfulness brings is Joyfulness! One of the ways is when someone gives you something and you thank them; and they did not ask for your thanks. But it gives joy to your life and your heart in such a way that joyfulness enables you to enjoy the day. Joyfulness brings on enjoyment, and so one aspect of thankfulness is joyfulness!
Another part of thankfulness is Satisfaction. I know that Stevie Wonder sang the song, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” and then the rock group, the Rolling Stones, sang it after he did. The whole thing about the song, Stevie Wonder said he was trying and trying but he could not get satisfied, because it was a male and female thing. But the thing is, when you thank someone, you get the satisfaction of knowing that I really appreciate what someone has done for me! That’s the internal piece of this article today. It may not be the longest article I have written, but I hope it impacts you in a very mindful way.
So, that’s joyfulness and also satisfaction. The third thing I want to talk to you about what thankfulness does, is thankfulness brings us Gladness.I won’t talk in a one hundred percent perspective, but for me, there are a lot of folks in today’s world that are just not glad about a whole lot of things. So, sometimes when you are able to be thankful for someone, it just makes you glad that you are able to do that!
The last thing that thankfulness does – it Tickles You! It tickles me when I am able to do something for someone and be thankful. This is another McAanism. In conversation with my family, I always try to end what I’m doing with them with “Thanks.” It blesses me to know that I’m able to do that for them.
Before I end this article, let’s go to another level. I am not looking at the Paralympics now, but I will be looking at some of them to see the Americans strive in those athletic events. It was great for them to break records, to do this and do that, but I was thankful as an American citizen, that they competed the way they did! That’s the whole thing in terms of sports. It’s not who wins or who loses all the time. It’s about how you play the game, and you’re thankful you have the opportunity to be part of an individual event or part of a team!
That’s the end of today’s article, as I have tried to share with you what I feel thankfulness can do for us!
Love,
I Am, ...Charlie Edward McAdoo
Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo is a retired District Superintendent with the United Methodist Church.
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
opinions
EDUCATIONAL EMERGENCY – Update for August 24, 2024
By Joy C. Springer
August 24, 2024
EDUCATIONAL EMERGENCY – Update
This week was Legislative Council (ALC) Week at the Capitol. We started the week with subcommittee meetings of ALC. Subcommittee meetings were held all week long in preparation for Arkansas Legislative Council meeting held on today, August 23, 2024.
The following subcommittees met this week:
1) ALC – PEER
2) ALC – REVIEW
3) ALC – CLAIMS REVIEW/LITIGATION REPORTS
4) ALC – EMPLOYEE BENEFITS DIVISION OVERSIGHT
5) ALC – GAME & FISH/STATE POLICE
6) ALC - PERSONNEL
7) ALC - ADMINISTRATIVE RULES
8) ALC - EXECUTIVE SUBCOMMITTEE
9) ALC - OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE REVIEW
To learn specifically the role of each of these committees, please go to arkleg.state.ar.us and go to the Meetings and Events tab. One of the ALC committees related to addressing the state’s educational emergency, in my opinion, is PEER. The subcommittee PEER stands for Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review. This committee reviews matters pertaining to financial operations.
and fiscal performances of state agencies, departments, and institutions, including, but not limited to program performance and evaluation, efficiency in the operation of agency program and services, among other things. This committee authorizes the distribution of millions of federal dollars of American Rescue Plan, Act Appropriation (ARPA) requests.
The list of agency appropriation requests included Arkansas Tech, Department of Health, Department of Education- Office
of Early Childhood and the Department of Energy and Environment- Division of Environmental Quality. PEER approved appropriations totaling approximately $10,941,000.00. What is the balance of ARPA funds remaining? Thanks for
asking…The State of Arkansas still has over $3.3 billion dollars remaining. Also, as a part of reporting to the committee is the fund balance for the Educational adequacy Fund. Yes, this is the fund to ensure that all students in the state of Arkansas receive an equitable education. Its balance prior to the transfer of funds for fiscal year 2025 to Public School Fund and the Department of Education was $658,760,621.69.
PEER also approved a request for the transfer of $7,500,000.00 to the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education to provide funds to school districts who have not received Teacher Salary Equalization funding for salaries and to meet the educational needs of the districts.
If you tuned into the Democratic National Convention (DNC) this past week, you have heard about the need to rid our communities of availability of guns. This was in response to the gun violence that has taken place in schools over the past
several years. Well, the ALC subcommittee on GAME, FISH and STATE POLICE discussed on Wednesday of this week recommendations for new legislation to ensure the availability of guns to persons in the state. One recommendation was to ensure that persons could carry guns on school grounds when picking up their children from school. This subcommittee’s timeline is to submit review of recommendations to the Executive Committee of the ALC between October and December depending on the final drafts from the subcommittee.
Update – I attended the special Board meeting of the Little Rock School District on August 19, 2024. After hearing comments from the public, the Board went into Executive and return stating no action was taken. It was communicated that members of the Board were committed to ensuring that students would be educated in the Little Rock School District without disruption.
In closing, YES, we do have the funding available to address the state’s educational emergency! The question remains will it be equitably distributed to address the needs of intended beneficiaries.
I am waiting to see some results… until then, the Educational Emergency continues!
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
Checking our Life Boxes
by Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo
August 24, 2024
CHECKING OUR LIFE BOXES
In a recent conversation, I was engrossed in a “mirror moment” in my life. When I get my mind in front of me and get my mind right, I thank God I have checked some of these most important boxes in my life. This week’s article is not about my journey and sojourn, it’s about me properly lifting these boxes up for us to reflect on.
For me, the boxes are the following: Making, Accepting, Following, Tolerating, and Completing. These are not all the boxes one may check in life. They are just the ones I want to life up for us in today’s article. The beautiful part of this article is that you can reduce some of these boxes, as well as add to those that may better serve you.
· Making We are all manufacturers; the product we are producing in our life is a way to a good living through plans we make early in life. It’s not just about making the plans but being able to identify those plans that are just for us. All manufacturing starts with a need, and that’s the blessing of making. To me it’s like making a meal, and we know we are in need of certain nutrients so that our bodies can grow. We have lived in households where our family has supplied us with those nutrients. We need to stay healthy and to live by those nutrients we get from good food. Our life also needs to have certain life nutrients. We can’t keep living off the same thing each day, each month, each year and in each situation. We need more. Not just new nutrients, but we also need, over time, to turn them into something that will be more acceptable to us in the new lifestyle and patterns that we are about in our lives.
· Accepting We have heard it said in many different ways, “I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth.” The bottom line to this expression is, when we are old enough to appreciate it, that many of us were not born in a high value situation, having those things in life that others did not have. We’ll just use a classic word people were saying that we were rich. Now, some things in life we must accept. Since this is a personal piece that I’m writing about today, let me talk about just one aspect of accepting, and hopefully this will be helpful to all of us. I attended school at Lemmons Corner School for the first five years of my life. For those first five years, I brought home all “E’s.” I started my 6thgrade year at Market Street School in Lebanon, Tennessee. The first grade I brought home that year had a funny-looking thing that was new to me. It was a “C,” and I asked my mother what did that mean. I told her that I understood when I was at Lemmons Corner, the” E’s” stood for excellent. Well, she sat me down and she said, “Charlie, that “C” means you are average in that subject.” I accepted that I was average in some areas in that subject. It helped me to understand that I could be average in other aspects of my life: sports, romance, working, etc. That means I was average, but I always tried to do my best.
· Following Ifyou are following someone who does not know where they are going, then you are following someone who could lead you into a negative path in life. So, be careful about the people you follow. Keep in mind that following can start at home, with your classmates, with your friends, and with all those around you. If you follow someone that leads you in a positive manner, that following means you are headed toward something that needs following in your life. Following can be viewed from a balcony level. So many times, it’s hard to follow someone when we are following them from the ground level. Every now and then, try to step out in your life so you can view from the balcony level. Then you are able to see a better aspect of who you may have been following. So, beware of who you may be following!
· Tolerating I call myself a very open-minded person. However, as I have gotten much older, I have found we must be a little tolerant of some things more than others. I’m truly thankful that I am more tolerant of my grandchildren now than I was a few years back. Maybe it’s old age or maybe it’s just realizing that children need some tolerance. You can’t let them do everything, but you’ve got to realize that they are not grown. They don’t know about these different things, so you’ve got to tolerate some things to help them grow and open themselves up to what’s before them.
Now, some of us can get along with a lot of stuff and I pride myself on that, but we also have to know the value of toleration. In fact, there are some things we must give an open-minded 360-degree view. When are able to do that, we are able to look at something from that perspective and say, I’ve given it a full look and the decision I am making is one that I can live with, whether tolerant or intolerant.
· Completing.
After completing this, you can start checking your own boxes!
Love,
I Am
Charlie Edward McAdoo
Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo is a retired District Superintendent with the United Methodist Church
opinions
Love is Not Overrated
by Deborah Springer Suttlar
August 17, 2024
Many of us only apply the word “love,” toward family and friends. However, the Bible says we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Christ instructed us in John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” When we read this command from Jesus, we realize that love is both required and essential to our relationship with him and love is not overrated.
Love is one of the strongest emotions other than hate. We all know that hate is the opposite of love. In todays’ society, love is not demonstrated as it should be. There seems to be much more hate expressed toward people. The feeling of hate causes us to ignore and resist the alternative which is to show love.
Since the rise and election of Donald Trump, I have been in a defensive mode. The thought to love those who mistreat Black people, treat others unjustly, hatefully and with animosity, has not resulted in a desire for me to be loving toward them. However, I have come to realize that my response is neither right, productive nor what has been commanded of me.
As I have grown older, I have come to realize that there must be a change. This change also must begin with each one of us. We live each day wondering, “Where is the Love?” Do we give it? Do we encourage it? Do we express it? We have forgotten how powerful love is. It is much more powerful than hate because hate is destructive. We should remember the times when we rose beyond the acts of hate. Those times during the struggles of the Civil Rights Era, when we had love and compassion for one another. We showed love and shared each other’s burdens and pains. Whenever a family was in crisis, we cared about each other. Now, we barely acknowledge one another, except for those we know. This is not being loving to one another. The scripture in Luke 6:32.” If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.” Love is not overrated.
I question the loss of the affection and love we had for each other when we were subjected to the struggles of discrimination, poverty and being disenfranchised? Do we still see each other as brothers and sisters? Because the struggle for us is not over. It’s a new day but we face the same hate. The act of love is the strongest weapon we have against hatred. The love we had for one another resulted in changed hearts, restored relationships, new laws and conquered the most impossible situations in our lives. Love was the catalyst for the change in our lives. The one who loved us most made change happen because of His love for us and how we responded in kind. Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., also showed us how to love and is now celebrated for his belief in love verses hate.
Love was and is our superpower. The strength of love is important and vital to our existence and our future. We were made in the image of a God whose most important attribute is “love.” We cannot ignore the commandment to love people. Jesus has shown us that Life is the greatest expression of love one human being can offer to another. We should not forget the power of love and how it changes us for the better.
As we live each day of our lives, let us think about the love that is needed to move us away from hate and despair. In truth, our souls cannot survive without it. Let us not lose sight of the power of love. Love is the ultimate gift of God and love is not overrated.
Love is eternal.
I Corinthians 13: 4.” Love is patient, love is kind, It does not envy, it is not proud.”
African Proverb – Tell me whom you love, and I’ll tell you who you are.
Deborah Springer Suttlar is a social and community advocate, and a long-time supporter of public schools.
opinions
THE KAMALA HARRIS-TIM WALZ ANTIDOTE TO HATEFUL FAITHFUL POLITICS
by Wendell Griffen
August 17, 2024
There have been countless – meaning too many to count – articles, interviews, speeches, and sermons about the toxic content and character of Trump-MAGA policies that are widely viewed as supported by people who identify themselves as “religious conservatives,” “evangelical Christians,” “values voters,” and “Christian nationalists.” Vice President Kamala Harris presented the antidote to what I have termed “Hateful Faithful” politics on Tuesday, August 6, by her selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
Tim Walz is a 60-year-old white man. He was born in rural Nebraska, joined the Army National Guard at age 17, served 24 years, attended state college on the GI Bill, became a public-school social studies teacher, and is married to a public-school teacher, Gwen Walz, They are joyful parents to adult children (a daughter named Hope, and a son named Gus) who were born thanks in vitro fertilization (IVF).
On August 6, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz presented the message about what I term the antidote to Trump-MAGA policies and politics. It is the politics of love, justice, freedom, and joy. It is the politics of inclusion, liberation, and cultural competence. It is politics based on the power of love, not the love of power.
In less than a month, diverse constituencies have leaped to embrace and support the Harris candidacy for President.
Black Women for Harris.
Black Men for Harris.
White Women for Harris.
White Dudes for Harris.
Republicans for Harris.
On August 14, there was even a Zoom gathering of Evangelicals for Harris.
Independently and collectively, these and other constituency groups are becoming a frontline antidote to Trump-MAGA-Project 2025 politics and polices of hate, fear, greed, violence, lust for power, and notions of U.S. empire. The optics are refreshing as the Haris-Walz campaign heads to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention and official designation as the Democratic candidates for President and Vice President of the United States in the 2024 general election.
The Harris-Walz campaign is doing much better than political pundits expected, let alone hoped. Political polls show Harris leading Trump in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and almost even with him in Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia. Fundraising records have been surpassed. People are eager to volunteer. Enthusiasm for the Harris-Walz ticket is high.
Yet, Vice President Harris will face what may be the first major test of her political leadership in Chicago in what will be a sizeable contingent of pro-Palestinian activists attending the Democratic National Convention. They are not pro-Trump. They are Democratic voters who support Palestinian survival, legitimacy, self-determination, security, and sovereignty, and who demand to be heard during the convention.
They lament, abhor, and detest the fact that 40,000 Palestinians have been starved, bombed, shot, and otherwise slaughtered by Israeli Defense Forces since Hamas fighters attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
They lament, abhor, and detest the fact that the Biden administration blocked resolutions presented to the United Nations Security Council calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, release and safe return of all hostages, and immediate efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
They lament, abhor, and detest the fact that the Biden administration supplies the weapons that Israel uses for what independent observers recognize as genocide and collective punishment of Palestinians.
In Chicago, these protestors will not be mollified by the pageantry of a national political nominating convention. They will not be disregarded or dismissed as a distraction. They will be prophetic faces and voices challenging Harris and the Democratic Party about the “elephant in the room.”
· The United States supports an ongoing genocide in Gaza where 40,000 men, women, and children have been slaughtered, and where schools, places where people worship, life support systems, and dwellings have been ruthlessly bombed.
· The United States has been the biggest and most enthusiastic supporter of what the International Court of Justice recently determined was 56 years of collective punishment, apartheid, land theft, and settler colonialism by Israel against Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the Occupied West Bank since 1967.
· Beginning with President Harry Truman in 1948, Democratic and Republican administrations have sided with Zionist leaders in Israel and pro-Zionist people in the United States against the interests of Palestinian self-determination, liberation, and sovereignty.
Vice President Harris will not be able to ignore these protestors, nor should she try to do so. She will need to do more than acknowledge their presence.
Above all, Harris must show that although she is Vice President and obliged to defer to President Joe Biden concerning global affairs (including Palestine and elsewhere) until Biden leaves office in January 2025, she – unlike Biden and his predecessors since Harry Truman – will not disregard mountain-sized horrific realities concerning Israel, Palestine, Gaza, and the Palestinian quest for sovereignty, self-determination, and political and territorial security.
Harris must demonstrate political, cultural, and geopolitical competence and empathy concerning Palestinian liberation, self-determination, justice, security, and sovereignty that Biden, Trump, other politicians in both major parties, and U.S. media outlets plainly lack.
Donald Trump and his advisors may hope that pro-Palestinian delegates to the Democratic National Convention cause Kamala Harris to stumble, or at least lose some of her appeal. I hope that Harris will meet this challenge with insight, discernment, empathy, cultural competence, and intellectual clarity (strengths that Trump plainly lacks).
That does not require Harris to present sweeping policy views about Palestinian liberation, self-determination, and justice during the Chicago convention. Harris knows that Joe Biden is President until January 20, 2025. Current woes concerning U.S. support to Israel result from Biden’s leadership.
The task facing Kamala Harris in Chicago is to convince Democratic delegates, including pro-Palestinian activists, to give her the chance to lead in a different and better way. Doing so will be further proof that there is an antidote to the Trump-MAGA-Project 2025 politics of the “Hateful Faithful.”
I hope U.S. voters decide to take that antidote.
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
For Such a Time as This
By Deborah Springer Suttlar
August 3, 2024
On July 21, 2024, President Biden withdrew as the Democratic presumptive nominee for the 2024 presidential election. He then proceeded to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. President Biden’s decision was a result of increasing pressure over concerns regarding his health, age, and the possibility these factors would reduce his ability to win the election against Donald Trump. This action by President Biden was one of deep patriotism and courage. His endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris was” for such a time as this.”
I could not help but reflect to the Book of Esther and the biblical significance of this historical action. As with Esther, Vice President Kamala Harris was placed in a position due to the removal of another. Both women were promoted to a status in which they are being used to impact the destiny of their people. In both cases it is a matter of survival and not annihilation. Vice President Harris could be able to not only help people of color, but also women, men, poor people, children and help maintain democracy in America. What is interesting, in the Book of Esther, God is never mentioned, but is very much the guiding force for the prevention of the destruction of His people.
In America and worldwide, the status of women, and specifically women of color, has been one of subservience, disrespect and deemed as second-class citizens. Historically, Black women have endured indignities in America through slavery, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights era and even in our present-day society. Black women were denied equal access while Black men were given the right to vote. Although our struggles have been parallel with Black men in terms of racism and discrimination. Black women have endured sexism many times by our men and American society. However, as with Esther, God will use all kinds of people to fulfill his divine purpose. Who would have thought former Senator Joe Biden as President Biden would have chosen a Black/Indian woman as his Vice President and later his successor as the Democratic nominee to run for President of the United States?
We can never underestimate the power of our God. He has seen fit to place Vice President Kamala Harris in a position to rid America of the possibility of a Trump Presidency. This is remarkable when you think of the Black women who preceded her and what they did and have done to ensure that democracy prevailed in a country which once enslaved them.
It is important to remember some of those Black women such as: Shirley Chisolm, Harriett Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Angela Davis, Elizabeth Eckford, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ida B. Wells, Coretta Scott King, Dorothy Height, Ella Baker, Katherine Johnson, Mary McLeod Bethune, Betty Shabaz, Myrlie Evers-Williams, Daisy Bates and many others who fought for our humanity and to be treated as equals In our society. These women rose up and put their lives on the line for us and against prejudice, hate and disrespect.
For such a time as this, we need Vice President Kamala Harris to win this election. She was placed in this position to run for the Presidency of this United States of America. As the first Black/Indian woman Vice President, she has a law degree and has been both Attorney General and a Senator representing California. She is not a DEI hire; she was elected, and she is qualified. The Black women who live and have lived in this country endured unspeakable evils of racism and inhumane treatment because of the color of their skin and sex deserve this moment.
Even today, the insults and disrespect continue. However, we have a job to do. God has provided the opportunity. Now, it is the time for all Americans who believe in their own democracy must do what God has asked of us, to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with him. We must put our faith into work and vote to lead America to ensure justice and liberty for all. The alternative is not an option for us. We must rise to the occasion and vote for Kamala Harris for president, for such a time as this. This is our moment. God is with us.
Esther 4:14 “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?
Deborah Springer Suttlar is a community activist and longtime supporter of public schools.
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.