In his reflections on Dr. King, James Baldwin wrote that we were witnessing the death of segregation as we knew it, and the question was how long and how expensive the funeral would be. If only he knew. We are still in that funeral procession. 1/
Baldwin wrote in _No Name in the Street_: "An old world is dying, and a new one, kicking in the belly of its mother, time, announces that it is ready to be born. The birth will not be easy, and many of us are doomed to discover that we are exceedingly clumsy midwives." 2/
"No matter, so long as we accept that our responsibility is to the newborn: the acceptance of responsibility contains the key." 3/
Last night in Georgia we saw a glimpse of the crown of a New America. Today we will see the old America in its death throes. No matter. We must be diligent midwives. The labor has been long and hard, and the new world has yet to be born. Whatever happens next will be up to us. 4/
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Merry Christmas. Say a prayer for those who have lost loved ones and have to face this holiday season without them. Lift them up. Say a prayer for those children separated from their parents. Pray that one day soon they will feel their embrace.
Say a prayer for those who are struggling to keep a roof over their heads and to put food on the table. Be mindful of the least of these on this day of excess. Say a prayer for those who are alone on this day—that they may know they are loved
Say a prayer for those with hatred in their hearts. Pray that they might see the full humanity of those around them and embrace the power of love.
Who believes that $600 is a sufficient response to what is happening around this country right now? I know there are other much needed elements in the bill. But what is going on in the minds of legislators to think that $600 is sufficient?
We have to understand that the leaders of this country are CHOOSING this pain and suffering. Look at Europe. Nothing of this scale of suffering is happening there. Why? They are making dramatically different choices.
And don’t tell me that $600 is better than nothing. A dollar is better nothing! The question ought to be is it an adequate and moral response to the need.
We have to change the frame. Fighting over who is more committed to “law and order” reproduces a way of thinking that undergirds a problematic view of policing in this country.
All too often the phrase, “law and order,” has been used to shift the blame and focus from police violence directed at Black people to the response of Black people to that violence. @BreeNewsome 2/
We see this, for example, in how “law and order” was invoked in response to the nonviolent marches of the civil rights movement. The marches were the problem. The likes of Martin Luther King, Jr and John Lewis were the criminals not the defenders of the Jim Crow South. 3/
Hugh Downs died today at the age of 99. His death reminded me of something. While researching _Begin Again_ at the @SchomburgCenter, I came across a beautiful exchange of letters between Downs and James Baldwin. 1/
Downs was the anchor of NBC's Today Show and wrote Baldwin expressing his admiration and his own desire to do more with his platform to address the issue of racial justice in the country. 2/
It took Baldwin awhile to respond, but in May of 1966, he wrote Downs from Istanbul. "I am less sanguine, perhaps than you are," he noted. "I may have shed too many tears already. 3/
Let me explain my position on @Morning_Joe. When Democrats concern themselves about the political fallout over the slogan, “defund the police,” they end up, in most instances, captitulating to a certain framing of policing that is deeply problematic. 1/
@realDonaldTrump and Republicans will appeal to white fears and resentments. Use the tropes of law and order and accuse Democrats of being soft on crime. Responding to that accusation over the years has led to Democrats being complicit in building the carceral state. 2/
We can’t allow that frame to dictate how we respond to the demands of protesters. 3/
As we try and make sense of the brutal killing of #AhmaudArbery I can’t help but think of all the Black parents in this country who are filled with terror thinking about the safety of their children (whether they are an adult or a child). 1/
White Americans don’t feel this. They don’t have to worry about random white men killing their children while jogging. They don’t have to concern themselves about NYPD brutalizing their children because they are not social distancing or wearing masks 2/
They can brandish guns in a state Capitol in the name of their freedom. We can’t even take a knee. While they wait for more information about what happened to Arbery or for the decision of a grand jury, we have to manage our anxieties and beat back rage. 3/