What a difference a year makes!! Black Americans went from the penthouse to the outhouse when the 2016 election brought Donald Trump to power. Will the next four years be a descent back to the 1960’s?
President Trump’s pick as U.S. Attorney General is Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions. Here are four reasons from a Washington Post article1 on why Black Americans should be wary of Mr. Sessions:
- Sessions’ loyalty to Trump
- The possibility of more voter suppression efforts and weakened civil rights protections.
- Crackdowns on Muslims, undocumented immigrants, and even critics.
- Sessions’ worldview.
Jay Harold believes you should hope for the best case but prepare for the worst case scenarios with President Trump.
Black History Month is a time for reflection
The tremendous sacrifices of our forefathers must be remembered. Jay Harold believes that there are many great quotes from visionary black people. Jay Harold has highlighted some of these quotes about the black condition in America with a video.
Quotes from W.E.B. Dubois2, President Barack Obama, Nikki Giovanni3, Jaachynma N.E. Agu4 and more renew your spirit. The determination displayed to rise despite the crushing burden of repression is amazing. You can feel the strength of character of W.E.B. Dubois when he wrote these words. “There is in this world no such force as the force of a person determined to rise. The human soul cannot be permanently chained.” Powerful words that stand the test of time.
The quotes are brought to life when set to the music of Morgan Bouldin5. The song “U know what time it is” implies that more hard work is needed for a better future for black people.
William Ernest Henley wrote the poem “Invictus” while recovering from surgical procedures to save his leg. One of his legs had already been amputated, and he was determined to keep the other one. His fight is similar to African-Americans of the past. We start out walking toward the future with twin pillars of hope and opportunity as our legs. Somehow we lose one of the pillars. That’s not the end of our journey for black people. We keep moving forward. Wilma Rudolph6 said “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” Here ‘s the poem:
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
“We ask for nothing that is not right, and herein lies the great power of our demand.” – Paul Robeson
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Many people feel that President Trump is now putting in place the people necessary to implement an agenda based on white identity politics7. Time will tell if people are overreacting like many did when President Obama was elected in 2008.
Take a car ride through recent Civil Rights History with the free “Slow Roll Through Civil Rights” on the Jay Harold website. Enjoyed this post? Share it and read more here.
Jay Harold is always looking out for your Health and Wealth.
Bibliography
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2017/02/09/jeff-sessions-is-now-the-attorney-general-here-are-the-four-biggest-things-to-fear/?utm_term=.a39e37494292
- http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/dubois/aa_dubois_subj.html
- http://www.nikki-giovanni.com/
- https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJaachynmaAgu/
- http://www.morganbouldin.com/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilma_Rudolph
- http://www.salon.com/2016/11/22/donald-trump-will-take-care-of-the-african-americans-will-we-see-a-repeat-of-redemption-the-post-civil-war-white-backlash/
