A Black descendant of a founding father and early president of the United States dressed as his ancestor for a photoshoot published in the newest edition of Smithsonian Magazine.
Shannon LaNier posed for an image that has been published alongside that of his great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson is credited with writing the Declaration of Independence, which led to the country’s founding in 1776, and later served as the third U.S. president.
LaNier descends from former slave Sally Hemings, who was raped by her owner, Jefferson. LaNier, who is a TV news anchor in Houston, Texas, is a ninth-generation descendant of Hemings and Jefferson.
A 1998 DNA test showed that LaNier and Jefferson are related, according to The New York Times.
He posted both photos on his Instagram page, stating that this article is is helping hold a mirror’ to the country. He continued by writing that Jefferson “not only took part in creating this country but also it’s people… black, white, brown, yellow & red!”
The photoshoot was a part of a Smithsonian Magazine piece titled “American Descendants” in which photographer Drew Gardner recreates photos of famous Americans. Gardner also gathered descendants of 19th-century abolitionist Frederick Douglass and suffragist leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton to recreate their images.
The descendants dressed up in identical outfits, wigs and make-up to match photos of their ancestors, which are placed side-by-side in the publication.
LaNier, however, opted not to wear a wig during his shoot. He did the shoot to illustrate the paradox of Jefferson’s legacy.
“I didn’t want to become Jefferson,” LaNier said in the article. “My ancestor had his dreams — and now it’s up to all of us living in America today to make sure no one is excluded from the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
LaNier co-wrote a book about his family’s complex lineage called Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family that was published in 2000.
“He was a brilliant man who preached equality, but he didn’t practice it,” LaNier told NBC News. “He owned people. And now I’m here because of it.”
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A group of mostly Black and mostly armed protesters descended on a Confederate memorial park in Georgia Saturday to stage a demonstration on the Fourth of July, Reutersreports.
Video footage of the scene posted to social media shows about 200 militia members, identified as “Not F**king Around Coalition” (NFAC), marching through Stone Mountain Park, according to Newsweek.
Stone Mountain is a state-owned park in an Atlanta suburb.
The marchers, dressed in all black and some in paramilitary-style clothing, paraded through the park peacefully. Some carried rifles, while others were armed with military-type weapons. Ammunition belts were slung over some demonstrators’ shoulders.
Stone Mountain has been a gathering spot for white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan throughout history. They even meet there on occasions, usually with protesters nearby.
“I want the heart of the Ku Klux Klan to hear me no matter where … you are,” he said. “I’m in yo’ house. Where you at? You made a threat. We don’t threat. We don’t scare, ’cause we don’t care.”
Many statues and monuments made to honor the Confederates have been toppled across the country, either by design or force. Stone Mountain also features a Confederacy commemoration. The giant granite displays a carved depiction of Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson and Robert E. Lee on it.
STONE MOUNTAIN, GA – JUNE 16: A protester holds a Black Lives Matter sign in front of the Confederate carving in Stone Mountain Park on June 16, 2020 in Stone Mountain, Georgia. (Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)
Reuters further reports that many have called for Stone Mountain’s Confederate monuments to be removed after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police in late May.
A spokesman of Stone Mountain Memorial Association, John Bankhead, made a statement to WXIA-TV that the armed protesters were peaceful and they had a right to demonstrate there.
Yesterday—NFAC marched into Stone Mountain Park, a popular gathering place for the KKK in Georgia, to call out white supremacist groups. pic.twitter.com/IeIJ6EpAFC
“It’s a public park, a state park. We have these protests on both sides of the issue from time to time. We respect people’s First Amendment right,” Bankhead stated. “We understand the sensitivities of the issue here at the park … so we respect that and allow them to come in as long as it’s peaceful, which it has been.”
Stone Mountain Park had just reopened for the Fourth of July weekend. I had been closed to the public prior to the holiday due to the coronavirus epidemic.
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President Donald Trump has had nothing but scathing things to say about the protesters around the country, particularly those that continue to rally outside the White House.
On Saturday, some of those demonstrators decided to fight fire with fire, literally.
As reported by The Hill, a group of demonstrators gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House to burn the American flag and chant “America was never great” on Independence Day.
The group responsible for the flag burning demonstration was the Revolutionary Communist Party, or RevCom for short. The scene followed a speak-out event put on by Refuse Fascism, who has organized a slew of national protests following the president’s divisive South Dakota speech at Mount Rushmore Friday.
After arguments with protesters who disagreed with their action, RevCom have managed to get a larger flag burning outside the gated Lafayette Square to chants of “slavery, genocide and war—America was never great.” Within seconds, it’s reduced to ash. pic.twitter.com/r7VItDanpw
Refuse Facism called for the president’s removal, as well as Vice President Mike Pence. A caption from the website reads: “Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech was a nightmare for humanity. We need to make July 4th a nightmare for the Trump regime.”
People gathered near Lafayette Park, the epicenter for many of Washington D.C. protests stemming from the police killing of George Floyd.
In video footage taken by protesters, the group lit a large American flag on fire, and began a chant for the crowd:
“One, two, three, four! Slavery, genocide and war! Five, six, seven, eight! America was never great!”
Although the president has yet to respond to this act, he has been critical of people who burn American flags. At his campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma last month, Trump exclaimed that those who burn the flag should be arrested. He expressed a desire to propose that such action should be punishable by at least one year in jail.
The Supreme Court, however, in 1989 ruled that burning the American flag is protected by the First Amendment.
SEATTLE (AP) — A car drove onto a closed freeway early Saturday and struck two people in a crowd protesting against police brutality, killing one and critically injuring the other, authorities said.
Summer Taylor, 24, of Seattle died in the evening at Harborview Medical Center, spokesperson Susan Gregg said.
Taylor and Diaz Love, 32, of Portland, Oregon, were hit by the car that barreled through a panicked crowd of protesters on Interstate 5 early Saturday morning, officials said.
Dawit Kelete of Seattle drove the car around vehicles that were blocking I-5 and sped into the crowd about 1:40 a.m., according to a police report released by the Washington State Patrol. Video taken at the scene by protesters showed people shouting “Car! Car!” before fleeing the roadway.
Love is in serious condition in the intensive care unit, Harborview, Gregg said.
Emergency personnel work at the site where a driver sped through a protest-related closure on the Interstate 5 freeway in Seattle, authorities said early Saturday, July 4, 2020. (James Anderson via AP)
Love was filming the protest in a nearly two-hour-long Facebook livestream captioned “Black Femme March takes I-5” when the video ended abruptly; with about 15 seconds left, shouts of “Car!” can be heard as the camera starts to shake before screeching tires and the sound of impact are heard.
A graphic video posted on social media showed the white Jaguar racing toward a group of protesters who are standing behind several parked cars, set up for protection. The car swerves around the other vehicles and slams into the two protesters, sending them flying into the air.
The driver, who was alone, fled the scene after hitting the protesters, Trooper Chase VanCleave told The Associated Press. One of the other protesters got in a car and chased the driver for about a mile. He was able to stop him by pulling his car in front of the Jaguar, Van Cleave said.
Troopers arrived, and the driver was put in custody, Washington State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead said.
Kelete was described by offices as reserved and sullen when he was arrested, according to court documents. He also asked if the pedestrians were OK, the documents say.
Kelete was booked into the King County Correctional Facility on Saturday morning on two counts of vehicular assault. Bail was denied.
A protest sticker is posted on a handrail above Interstate 5 Saturday, July 4, 2020 in Seattle, where two protesters on the highway were critically injured after a car barreled into them earlier in the day. One has died of her injuries. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A judge found probable cause to hold Kelete on an investigation of vehicular assault. He faces a second court hearing on Monday at which the judge will determine if he can be released on bail, according to court documents.
It was not immediately clear if Kelete had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Officials were trying to determine the motive as well as where he got onto the interstate, which had been closed by the state patrol for more than an hour before the protesters were hit. Mead said they suspect Kelete drove the wrong way on a ramp. Trooper Rick Johnson said the driver went through a barrier that closed the freeway.
Troopers did not know whether it was a targeted attack, but impairment was not considered a factor, Mead said.
Kelete has a Seattle address. He is listed in public records as a student who attended Washington State University between 2011 and 2017 majoring in business and commerce. His enrollment status could not be confirmed because the university was closed Saturday.
The Washington State Patrol said Saturday evening that going forward it won’t allow protesters to enter I-5 and would arrest pedestrians on the freeway.
Seattle has been the site of prolonged unrest following the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which sparked nationwide protests. Dozens of people were arrested this past week in connection with protests as demonstrations continue after authorities cleared the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” zone Wednesday morning.
Protesters had shut down the interstate for 19 days in a row, Mead said at a press conference.
The State Patrol responded by closing sections of the interstate to keep drivers and protesters safe.
“In a time that requires care and flexibility, we are exercising the safest means possible to avoid injuries or worse to motorists, protesters, WSDOT personnel and our troopers by closing the roadway and separating protesters from vehicular traffic,” Chief John Batiste said in a statement on June 27, responding to complaints about the road closures.
Mead emphasized that the freeway is “simply not a safe place” for pedestrians, and said he hoped protesters would cease what he termed “unlawful behavior” in blocking the interstate.
“My hope is, as a result of this tragedy, protesters will reconsider their desire to be on the interstate because I cannot guarantee their safety, plain and simple,” Mead said.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said the city stands beside the friends and family of the victims.
“No one should risk their life for demanding better from our city, state and country,” Durkan said on Twitter.
Protesters were on the freeway for more than an hour before the car drove around the blockade around 1:36 a.m., Mead said.
The state patrol tweeted out two pictures of the driver’s car with significant damage to its bumper and windshield.
Here are two pictures of the suspect vehicle that struck two protesters on I-5 this morning. Investigation into motive and point of entry in to I-5 are still under investigation. pic.twitter.com/gU1QH6TFTu
• PopCom is an automated retail company that leverages facial detection, machine learning and blockchain technology to help retailers collect valuable customer insights
• In the age of COVID-19, PopCom validates the need for vending and retail automation
• PopCom has the technology to securely verify customer identity to sell regulated products including cannabis and alcohol in vending machines
PopCom, a leading automated retail technology company specializing in smart vending and kiosk solutions successfully completed their second equity crowdfunding campaign on Start Engine. The goal was to grow its operations, build its sales team, reach more customers, and meet the demand for more automated retail machines in the wake of COVID-19, with their proprietary vending machine, the PopShop Kiosk. In a mere 47 days, PopCom did what no female founder in global history has ever done – they raised $1.3 million in capital exclusively from crowdfunding investors. This comes on the heels of a previous campaign where PopCom was able to raise $1.07 million in capital bringing their crowdfunding total to $2.3 million.
“Although the timing is sensitive due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we must continue to look towards the future and build products for our customers,” said Dawn Dickson, PopCom Founder & CEO. “While some industries are hurting, the requirement for social distancing validates the need for vending and retail automation. We believe that the market will continue to move towards self-service and contactless retail. Vending machines and convenience services are becoming more essential, and retailers are looking for more ways to deliver their products direct-to-customer with less human friction. We are excited about what is to come.”
With the intention to service the entire regulated retail market, PopCom has secured technology pilots and rollouts starting with cannabis and alcohol in 2020. It is the company’s intent to eventually power all machine-driven transactions in the retail space with its operating system that integrates facial detection to understand the customer demographic profile including age, gender, and emotion. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it more apparent that this could be a valuable asset to communities around the world, mitigating the need for human contact in emergency situations. Consumers would be able to access essential items around the clock, preventing lines and crowding.
With more than 4,000 investors, Dickson raised a historic crowdfunding campaign using Regulation CF secure token offering (STO). This type of fundraising instrument allows companies to secure investment from the general public, both accredited and non-accredited investors, which is outside of the traditional fundraising route that most technology start-ups take. “It was important to me to be able to raise capital this way to build and encourage intergenerational wealth in often overlooked communities,” Dickson said. “I aim to bridge the gap between venture capital and everyday people.” PopCom is still accepting reservations from investors who want to be waitlisted for future rounds. There is over $300,000 in commitments to date.
Using new security rules passed in 2016, equity crowdfunding platforms like Start Engine level the playing field for underrepresented startups, and for micro angel investors to invest alongside venture capitalists. These platforms allow everyday people to get in early-stage tech deals with high growth companies, and offer them the opportunity to reap the rewards as they scale and increase in value.
“The global community is calling for self-service retail to become more easily accessible, considering the shifts in our climate and technological advancements,” said Dickson. “With investment becoming more inclusive and open to forward-thinkers, my family, friends, community, and supporters, I believe we will reach the next milestones to success.”
About PopCom
PopCom is an automated retail technology company specializing in software for vending machines and kiosks. The company is venture-backed and an alumnus of TechStars and Canopy Boulder. Other Investors include Backstage Capital, NCT Capital, and Black Star Angel Fund.
Currently based in Columbus, Ohio, PopCom was founded as a software company in 2017 and is revolutionizing brick-and-mortar retail with frictionless, machine-driven transactions–changing the way consumers and businesses interact in self-service retail environments. Learn more at https://popcom.shop/
Danielle Mullen, the owner of Semicolon Bookstore, a Black-owned book store in Chicago, says that the global Black Lives Matter campaign has resulted in a huge financial boost for her business. She says that her store has gone from selling 3,000 books a week to 50,000 books a week.
As a woman-owned business, Danni says that her store is committed to having a direct impact on raising literacy rates in Chicago and beyond. She is selling books both online and inside her recently-reopened shop located at 515 North Halsted Street. “We were created with one thing in mind — community,” she says.
According to The New York Times, many other book stores across the nation are having the same success. However, sometimes the orders are so overwhelming, that they can’t “manage the deluge of orders”.
Even Danni admits that she struggles to keep up, and they’ve even had to unplug the store’s phone. “We couldn’t answer it and answer email and fulfill orders at the same time,” she said. “We now have almost 60,000 followers on Instagram — and we’re a bookstore! We had probably 3,500 to 5,000 before.”
While many people, especially minorities, believe that President Donald Trump sympathizes with white supremacy, one former white supremacist has spoken out saying that he believes it as well.
Christian Picciolini, a reformed neo-Nazi who now does work to deter extremism, in an interview with NPR‘s “Morning Edition” last week expressed that the president has a pattern of behavior that is consistent with someone who subscribes to white supremacy.
Questions about this pattern were revived once again after Trump retweeted a video clip that included a white man wearing a MAGA hat yelling “white power” in late June. Trump later deleted the tweet, but has not commented on the matter.
Trump tweeted a video of a supporter chanting “white power.”
Donald Trump is a flat out racist. His campaigns have been racist. His presidency has been racist.
Any person of any race who supports Trump’s white supremacy should be ashamed of themselves. pic.twitter.com/jn154U83is
Picciolini in the Thursday interview said “this has been a pattern.”
“This hasn’t been the first time that the president has tweeted something that has come from a white supremacist or that has had a white supremacist message, whether it’s talking about a conspiracy theory that’s connected to white genocide or whether it’s using pejorative language to describe other people,” he stated.
The former neo-Nazi believes that regardless of what Trump’s actual affiliations are, what the president’s plan involves is spurring a reaction out of his base of supporters. Picciolini is now an author and founder of the Free Radicals Project, which works to prevent extremism, according to NPR.
“What is intentional, I believe, is the goal to instill fear,” Picciolini continued. “We’re seeing a lot more language that is racist, especially with the use of social media, and he is emboldening that kind of language through his tweets.”
In one of those tweets, Trump called a group of George Floyd protesters “THUGS.” His documented love for Confederate statues dates back at least to 2017 when wrote that a “beautiful” statue of Robert E. Lee was being removed.
Such rhetoric was amplified during his Friday speech, one day before Independence Day, at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, where he criticized demonstrators for forcibly removing more Confederate statues in the name of Black Lives Matter protests, saying: “this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution.”
“I think what President Trump is, is a megaphone,” Picciolini stated. “It’s as if Trump kicked over a bucket of gasoline on all of those small fires that have existed for 400 years and created one large forest fire.”
In a statement addressing since-deleted retweet of the white power clip, White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Dere explained that the president “did not hear the [white power] statement made on the video” and that he liked the display of “tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters.
“It was always used in a way that was a white supremacist manner,” Picciolini said. “Not in a sense that black power is used as a cry for equity and a cry against white supremacy. White power has always been used as kind of a bludgeon and not as anything other than that.”
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This week Bank of America announced its new partnership with iHeartMedia to launch the Black Information Network (BIN), the first 24/7 national and local all news audio service dedicated to informing the Black population and spotlighting issues of importance within the community.
The goal of the new network is to provide a voice for Black people to help foster new conversations with a deeper understanding. form. A study by iHeartMedia showed that 86% of Black listeners believe a platform like this is necessary and are likely to use it as an important news source. CVS Health, GEICO, Lowe’s, McDonald’s USA, Sony, 23andMe, and Verizon are also apart of the new partnership for the platform.
“When we can invest in opportunities that genuinely serve communities, like BIN, we are living up to our values and achieving the highest and best use of our resources,” said Meredith Verdone, chief marketing officer of Bank of America in a press statement.
“Keeping informed about events in our rapidly changing world has never been more important, and BIN’s goal of delivering relevant, local news tailored to the needs of Black communities across the U.S. directly aligns with Bank of America’s goals to strengthen and better serve local communities across the country.”
“We are pleased and proud to support the launch of BIN: Black Information Network by contributing resources that will have the greatest impact—our reach, our multiple platforms, our technology infrastructure and our broad, in-depth relationships with consumers,” said Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia.
“The commitment to service, and the immediate need we saw for a news and information destination for the Black community, accelerated the launch of BIN: Black Information Network to serve this community in an important new way. We are honored to be joined by some of the most important companies in the world that are also committed to this mission.”
from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/31NHi6q
via Gabe's Musing's
Researchers are discovering that magnetic fields permeate much of the cosmos. If these fields date back to the Big Bang, they could solve a cosmological mystery.
from Wired https://ift.tt/2NZdLhM
via Gabe's Musing's
Kanye West is running to be president of the United States and made his announcement on the nation’s birthday amid the Fourth of July festivities.
On Saturday evening, the “Ye” rapper took to social media and declared that he was entering the presential race. He is putting himself in contention with President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
“We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States Flag of United States! #2020VISION,” he tweeted to his almost 30 million followers.
Telsa CEO Elon Musk endorsed his campaign.
“You have my full support!,” he tweeted in response.
West has not yet announced what party affiliation he will be associated with or further details on his platform. TMZ also reported that West still needs to file the necessary paperwork to run this year with the FEC which is a requirement for anyone getting into the 2020 race.
Although his entry into the presidential race sent social media abuzz, it is not the first time that the outspoken star has entertained the idea.
Last year, West set his sights on the 2024 election to be commander in chief.
“When I run for president in 2024, we would’ve created so many jobs that I’m not going to run, I’m going to walk,” he said.
West’s political ambitions in 2020 will put him in direct contention with Trump, his friend, and whom West has vigorously defended over the years. West has made no secret that he supports Trump and his administration even if it has prompted backlash.
“I’m a Black guy with a red [MAGA] hat, can you imagine? … It reminded me of how I felt as a Black guy before I was famous, when I would walk in a restaurant and people would look at you like you were going to steal something. ‘This is your place, Ye, don’t talk about apparel. This is your place, Ye, you’re black, so you’re a Democrat,’” West told WSJ in March.
West also stated that he planned to vote for Trump despite not doing so in the last election.
“No, I’m definitely voting this time,” Ye told GQ in April. “And we know who I’m voting on. And I’m not going to be told by the people around me and the people that have their agenda that my career is going to be over. Because guess what: I’m still here!”
Trump has yet to comment on his latest challenger to his seat in the oval.
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Detroit has the highest percentage of Black or African-American people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and activists in the city say that racist facial recognition software is hurting the population disproportionately.
In 2017, Detroit signed a contract with DataWorks, a software company that specializes in facial recognition software. The contract is now up for renewal after a month-long delay, but many are saying that continued expansion of this software could do much more harm than good.
Since 2017, DataWorks has installed about 700 facial recognition cameras across the city and the new system has not directly impacted the crime rate, according to CNET.
Earlier this year, Robert Williams, 42, was arrested in front of his children for robbery charges. DataWork’s software matched Williams’ face to another man’s records. He was held for 30 hours and eventually released on bail, according to The New York Times.
Williams and the ACLU have now filed a complaint against the Detroit Police Department and are demanding they stop using the software.
Robert Williams was handcuffed and hauled away by Detroit police in front of his wife and young girls because of a false face recognition match. Facial recognition is inherently racist technology that has no place in our communities. https://t.co/POYBFMDRMBpic.twitter.com/LYMMCgUPJt
— ACLU of Louisiana (@ACLUofLouisiana) July 1, 2020
Since the murder of George Floyd, there has been a national outcry to prohibit facial recognition for all police departments across the nation.
The software has been cited as another instance of the police misusing their power. Amazon,IBM and Microsoft have stopped providing the police with facial recognition software.
Many independent entities have conducted studies about facial recognition, and the current technology has been shown to be riddled with racial and gender bias. The technology is more likely to make recognition mistakes with Black people, according to The New York Times.
CCTV cameras using facial-recognition systems at King’s Cross in London, England are to be investigated by the UK’s data-protection watchdog after a report by the Financial Times. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
“Even the manufacturers of this technology are pulling back and rethinking things, and we’re renewing. It makes absolutely no sense,” said Tawana Petty, director of the Data Justice Program for the Detroit Community Technology Project. “In the Blackest city in America, while the rest of the world is crying racial injustice and asking for overhaul, we’re doubling down.”
A 38-year-old Nigerian businessman and Instagram influencer, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, was taken into custody for money laundering and conspiracy charges, according to the Department of Justice.
Once known for rocking fancy watches, driving luxury cars, and wearing designer clothes, Abbas, better known as Hushpuppi on social media, was extradited to the U.S. from the United Arab Emirates. Abbas made his initial court appearance in a Chicago federal court on Friday.
Abbas portrayed himself as a successful real estate developer while his alleged scams amassed over $431 million,The New York Postreported. One of the alleged victims lost about $1 million dollars in 2019, according to a federal affidavit.
The FBI and Interpol raided his Dubai apartment as he slept and seized more than $37 million, in cash.
“The suspects targeted victims overseas by creating fake websites for well-known companies and banks in a bid to steal victims’ credit card information and then launder the stolen money,” Dubai police Brig. Jamal al-Jalaf said.
Prosecutors believe that Hushpuppi is one of many leaders of a global network that uses business email compromise (BEC) to amass millions. Hackers infiltrate and redirect the communications of legitimate businesses in order to make wire transfers and launder money.
“This case targets a key player in a large, transnational conspiracy who was living an opulent lifestyle in another country while allegedly providing safe havens for stolen money around the world. As this case demonstrates, my office will continue to hold such criminals accountable, no matter where they live,” U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said in a statement.
If convicted, Abbas faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The descendants of Frederick Douglass are not shying away from discussing the racist history of America.
The family of the 19th-century abolitionist and orator are taking time to reflect on the ongoing injustices that have become a centerpiece of our way of life.
Five of his descendants — ages 12 through 20 — read parts of the famed abolitionist’s speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” in a newly released video by NPR. The roughly 7-minute video was published on Friday, one day before the Independence Day holiday.
“Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice embodied in that Declaration of Independence extended to us?” Douglass Washington Morris II, 20, read.
“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim,” the group read.
“To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery.”
The special reading comes as the country deals with the loss of many Black Americans, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, unjustly killed by police. One descendant shared how it all ties in with Douglass’ speech.
“I think he’s mostly talking to the people who are already on his side, but believe that they can still try to talk this out or that things are still justifiable,” Zoë Douglass Skinner, 12, said. “I know a lot of people at the time were saying, and people now are still saying, that it’s not as bad as it could be.”
Frederick Douglass originally gave the speech to an abolitionist group on July 5, 1852.
NPR says the video was inspired by Jennifer Crandall‘s documentary project “Whitman, Alabama.” The project shows video of Alabama residents reading the words of Walt Whitman.
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A Black high school athlete says his dreams were dashed when he was attacked with racist taunts during a baseball game in Iowa.
Jeremiah Chapman, a junior who was playing in his first game with Charles City High School since the coronavirus pandemic put the country on lockdown, was met with cheers from some and racist chants from others in the game against Waverly-Shell Rock High School
According to CNN, Chapman was called “Colin,” and told “You should have been George Floyd” and “Get back to the fields.” He says the incident has left him disheartened.
“I try my hardest to have everyone like me because that’s just my personality,” Chapman said. “And it’s just hard seeing that no matter how hard I try, people can’t accept me because of my skin color.”
His mother, Keisha Cunnings, was not at the game, but received messages from people in attendance. She hopes this is a wake-up call for her son.
“I was angry because as a parent, this is the one fear I have for him,” she said. “The other part of me was kind of relieved that it did happen because it opened Jeremiah’s eyes to not be so naive and colorblind and ignorant to the fact that things like this still happen.”
Cunnings said she doesn’t believe the people shouting things to her son were trying to be racist, but acknowledged the incident was racialized all in an effort to take him off his game.
“I feel like they were being kids and just trying to say whatever they could say to throw him off his game and unfortunately they took it to race,” she said.
Cunnings also posted a picture of her son and a message in response to the incident, saying “He is kind, sweet and talented.. if you can’t see beyond his skin color then sucks for you!” adding “he doesn’t care who you support politically..and he doesn’t remind you of George Floyd!”
This is my boy! He is kind, sweet and talented.. if you can’t see beyond his skin color then sucks for you! And just and FYI…he has never worked on a field…his name is Jeremiah not Colin…he doesn’t care who you support politically..and he doesn’t remind you of George Floyd! pic.twitter.com/t5YCZKkS9c
Other players on the team have experienced similar forms of behavior at away games.
The Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District apologized in a Facebook post for the behavior during the game.
“This behavior is unacceptable. We make no excuses, because there are none,” Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District said in the post. “We do, however, wish to make a sincere apology to the Charles City school district and community and, in particular, the young man towards whom these comments were directed.
“We can’t undo what’s been done. But we are using this as a learning experience for the responsible party and, we hope, for many others in our schools and communities.”
Waverly-Shell Rock schools fully acknowledge that there was an incident at a recent baseball game that had one of our…
As the state of Florida sees a rise in COVID-19 cases, an 11-year-old boy has become the youngest person to succumb to coronavirus complications, as reported by CNN.
According to the Florida Department of Health, the boy, who was from Miami-Dade County and whose name has not been revealed, is the third minor to die from COVID-19 in Florida. The department also stated that the child had severe underlying health conditions.
Prior to that, a 16-year-old girl of Lee County and a 17-year-old boy of Pasco County both passed away after contracting the fast-spreading disease. As of July 3, more than 7,000 minors have been infected with COVID-19 in Florida. Cases of patients from 25 to 34 years of age account for 20% of the total cases in the state.
People between the ages of 15 to 24 account for 16% of Florida’s cases, and patients between ages 5 and 14 account for only 3%.
This news comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis reports that the average age of coronavirus cases has dropped from 65 to a median of 37 years of age.
Florida is seeing a surge of coronavirus cases as of late. On July 2, there were 10,109 new positive tests reported, which is a record for new daily cases. A Johns Hopkins University data analysis indicates that the Sunshine State is leading the country in average number of new cases per day.
“We’re not going back, closing things,” DeSantis said Tuesday. “I mean, people going to business is not what’s driving it. I think when you see the younger folks, I think a lot of it is just more social interactions and so that’s natural.”
DeSantis continued with a message to Floridians: “You have a responsibility not to come into close contact with folks who could be more vulnerable.”
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(@MrBlakeGreen) 
I’m heading to Ivory Coast 
