KENNETH

Troy I read Eugene Robinson's book several years ago and found it very insightful and thought provoking on issues of race, community, class, and identity. With that in mind I think Black people in America are more complicated and diverse than ever. Depending on age, income, and education there are differences in our Perceptions of Race and Racism. Ideas of freedom, protest, self help, integration, separation, and community no longer resonate with many black people. Things are different now. The Baby Boomers and Gen X myself in the latter see things and care about things younger people don't. That can be very bad or very good. Maybe the best we can hope for is that black people just keep living and striving individually and collectively. Whether it's separation or integration may not matter.

Joy Reid could make money with a YouTube Channel or web show like Roland Martin that's absolutely the case. Moreover with her salary from Reid Out on MSNBC I doubt she's hurting as much as the average person who loses a job.

Of course I'm of the view that we should fight all this stuff. However there's never anything wrong with self help. Here's what I think : 1. Black people own and start all kinds of businesses all the time. Most of them are very small and don't employ many people. We need to get into growth industries to make money off everybody and create wealth and opportunities. The idea of thriving self contained local ethnic neighborhood based economy as the road to freedom will not work. That's been over. 2. In cities where blacks have political clout and successful companies like Atlanta or others we need to focus on community development with black businesses central to that effort. However it's not enough just to make some blacks richer and part of the elitist 1%. We need look at pulling up all blacks as the focus of public policy in mostly black cities like Detroit, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Washington DC. 3. If white people don't respect us or our rights then black businesses people, activists, and politicians need to start looking to strategic partnerships with foreigners to do things. We need to also look at boycotts and financial pressure.

There's no outcry by black people or anyone else because the white man did the dirty work. He made a sick person who annoyed and made us uncomfortable go away. It's very difficult dealing with mentally sick people especially if they are unwilling or too often unable to get help. A lot of us are struggling with our own issues and trying to survive economically. We don't want or need the added burden that comes with family or friends who mentally sick. The simple fact is we are selfish. That's a sin. Yes I said it. It's a sin according to God's word the Bible. The wages of sin is death. They could have ignored the man or restrained him without killing him. However they were selfish and vain only concerned with themselves so instead they killed him. You know what I'm a sinner too because I wrongly think somebody should kill that white man for what he did because once again the criminal justice system has failed us.

Remember if you really want what's best for black people including black men or anyone else who works hard Democrats are far from perfect. However you won't get a hearing from the Republican Right including Trump and MAGA with their fake Populism. Black men and women work hard and belong to unions, also work low paying jobs, have good paying Federal jobs, and own all kinds of businesses that benefit from contracts through DEI programs. Trump and Republicans want to undermine organized labor, oppose raising the Minimum Wage, scale back the Federal government, and end DEI initiatives. This hurts all Black people. We can pressure Democrats and get a hearing. The Republican Right doesn't give a damn. They want just enough Black voters to make sure Democrats lose. As far as racists and systemic racism are concerned as I always say there's no substitute for struggle.

Maybe there's no real consensus or even a concern among large numbers of Black voters especially men about race specific policies. How many brothers care about stalled police reform and voting rights legislation in Congress. Are they willing to fight for it ? Did they do anything to press Congress or President Biden or Kamala Harris on such issues ? I bet they didn't. Moreover how many disinterested brothers really are aware of what Biden has done to benefit us through Student Loan Forgiveness or parts of the Inflation Reduction Act. The former gives us badly needed debt relief while the latter creates thousands of new skilled jobs. It's easy to get mad and complain or simply drop out. But too many of us don't want to do the hard work thinking, speaking up, and advocating even when there are setbacks. Often the benefits aren't always immediate. But what's worse is the contempt for and opposition to Black women for doing what we men often refuse to do. Kamala Harris might lose this election in part because alot of us brothers will stay home.

Troy I agree with you that protest and advocacy should lead to concrete change especially law and public policies. Please don't misunderstand my point. But things are different now with technology and people being less attached to community.

I understand what you mean. But we can't give up. It takes persistent effort and adjusting to a new time and different kind of Black community that's not like the one that produced the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.

You got that right !

Back in 2020 I wasn't for Kamala Harris as Biden's VP. I felt at the time there were more Progressive Black women in Congress who were better suited like Barbara Lee also from California. But then again I was also for Bernie Sanders until Biden got the nomination. At times she has struggled as Vice President but she's persistent and willing to take the fight to Republicans. Now she's likely to be the Democratic nominee, and if she wins President. What will that mean for Black people? We would benefit from certain policies in a Harris administration just like that of Biden. But it's not likely that Harris will do anything significant that's race specific like Reparations or even the George Floyd Police Reform Act which has stalled in Congress. While some of this can be blamed on systemic racism in the political process and Rightwing Republican obstruction. It's also important to recognize that Kamala Harris like Barack Obama is the kind of Black Politician who came up through the White community not Black Interest group politics. These kinds of Black politicians aren't focused on politics or policy solutions targeted to Blacks like others who come from the Black community. Furthermore the Democratic Party hasn't passed any major policy initiative targeted at Black people since the 1960s. Too often the party is focused on getting and keeping white working class men or white suburban moderates. While we gain some benefits they are never adequate in relation to our support for Democrats or the particular problems we face. Ultimately Black people must be better organized and more willing to hold Harris if she's President and Democrats accountable for not doing certain things. But then Black people at every level need to develop and push for an agenda with specific policies. When it comes to politics you can blame Kamala Harris and Democrats for not doing enough. However we have to take some responsibility ourselves.

Thanks aka for responding to my post. Standing and fighting as a united front win or lose works for the Republican Right every time. Even when they lose a Presidential race they come together to obstruct the Democrat. They just might win again with a lying convicted fellow whose willing to flirt with authoritarianism. Too often Democrats are reactive and defensive due to media narratives, polling, and opposition from the Republican Right. They come off as weak and Standing for nothing while also being too divided. Biden was a fighter who did a lot of good for the country despite being old and slow all along. He was a likable and known quantity which may be especially important with independent swing voters needed to win the election. Kicking him out and going with Harris or anyone else poses a big risk. But I will vote for her.

I hate to see the President forced out because people are driven by the media, polls, and Rightwing Psychological manipulation rather than conviction and a willingness to fight no matter what. But Kamala Harris maybe the nominee unless others come forward at the convention. I hope she won't face opposition.

Beyond the choice of whether to vote for Biden or Trump its important to put the relationship between Black people and the Democratic Party in perspective. If Biden wins there are things Black people will want. If Trump wins then for many black voters it will come down to supporting Democrats in 2028. Of course that depends on how bad four more years of Trump will be for our politics and democracy. It's important to not deny Black agency or legitimate claims on the polity. When we demand things from government it's not begging the " White Man " or being dependent. This isn't their country or their government its ours. Contrary to what Rightwingers and Black Nationalists claim the government has been doing things that helped White people since Independence. But it hasn't done nearly enough for us. We are more than justified considering denial of our rights and material deprivation due to systemic racism. Most Black people who vote support the Democratic Party although more and more Blacks especially younger people are identifying as independents or Republicans. And Democrats need Black voters because most Whites support Republicans. It's often said that Democrats take Blacks for granted and do nothing for us. That's not true. While there's been no major legislation or policy initiative targeted towards Blacks since the 1960s. We benefit from all kinds of government policies that help everyone like the Affordable Care Act. In large urban areas programs that directly benefit Black communities get Federal funds. Black businesses at local, state, and national levels benefit from Federal contracts. All of this is due to support from Democratic politicians both Black and White. Furthermore large numbers of Black people have good paying government jobs. Democrats believe in an active government that helps people and spends money. These things benefit us. However the Democratic Party is not perfect. It needs to do more and be effective in addressing the problems faced by Black people. This is why advocacy and activism are just as important as voting. Just because Democrats are in office at any level doesn't mean they will pursue policies that help us. We need more than representation or symbolism. We have to fight for concrete change through government action even when that means challenging Democrats. Democrats don't do enough for us. But we don't do enough to hold them accountable. We benefit from supporting Democrats. But we won't get more and better until we organize and pressure the party more effectively. Voting is only part of the solution. Black people need grassroots groups like Black Lives Matter. We must also lobby and pool money to form political action committees to flex our power. And we need to use all forms of media to achieve our goals as well. This has to be the approach to Democratic Party politics.

If Biden steps down that's fine. But I don't believe in pressuring him because he's come this far and hasn't ruined the country. Last Thursday night was nothing new. Yes it was really bad. Biden is mentally and physically slow yet he hasn't hurt the country thus far. Meanwhile nobody is saying Donald Trump the convicted felon, Liar, unhinged, reckless, wannabe, dictator should leave the race. Even worse millions of Americans are ready to choose Trump over Biden.

Unlike in the 1970s a lot of CBC members represent majority white districts so they aren't rooted in or mainly focused on the black community or issues that effect us. The problem with AIPAC is that it's a big money special interest group that will go after any Democrat who doesn't uncritically support US policy on Israel.