News — black power

Many Black people and other minority groups feel insecure under the administration of Donald Trump. Yet the U.S. president has done little to reassure them of their safety. He has in the past refused to condemn white supremacists and in situations where he offered a condemnation, he did so reluctantly.

Concerned about the safety of Blacks in the US, former rapper, producer and DJ in the 1970s, John Fitzgerald Johnson, also known as Grand Master Jay, has formed a militia group to protect the Black community.

The Not F*cking Around Coalition (NAC) intends to carry out its activities of protecting Blacks before and after the U.S. election in the face of a growing threat from white supremacists and police brutality against unarmed Black men.

In a recent podcast, Grand Master Jay vowed to protect the rights of Black voters who may be intimidated by white supremacists at the polls. “I think that everybody needs to climb down out of their emotional tree, and remember that it is against federal law to show up at a voting place with weapons and intimidate anybody,” he said on “Run and Tell This podcast.”

“If the United States government doesn’t want to enforce that law against people that doesn’t look like us, they’re not going to enforce it against us. We have no intentions of starting a confrontation or firefight over this vote.”

According to him, the Black community feel disenfranchised by the whole US electoral system. He explained that the mission of the group is not to fight anyone who wants to vote for either Trump or Biden but to ward-off the Proud Boys and other white supremacy groups. 

According to ADL, a non-profit organization that works to stop hate groups, the Proud Boys is a misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and anti-immigration organization. Some members espouse white supremacist and anti-Semitic ideologies and/or engage with white supremacist groups, it added.

In the first presidential debate against Biden, Trump told the group to “stand back and stand by.” He added: “But I’ll tell you what, somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the left, because this is not a right-wing problem. This is a left-wing problem.”

Shortly after the debate, Proud Boys organizer, Joe Biggs, posted on social media: “President Trump told the proud boys to stand by because someone needs to deal with ANTIFA… well sir! we’re ready!!.” 

For Grand Master and his militia, the president essentially gave marching orders to the Proud Boys to attack Black voters, something he and his men would not allow to happen on Election Day and beyond.

“We’re not carrying those guns for show,” he said on the podcast, adding that: “You best believe I’m prepared to die so that you and your children can have a future.”

Not F*cking Around Coalition was formed in 2017 after white supremacists marched through the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, and instigated violence, leading to the death of one person and many sustaining injuries.

“This was it. We had to get serious,” Grand Master Jay told VICE News. “No more talking. No more speculating. No more ‘What ifs.’ That was when I knew race relations had gotten to a point. What were we doing here? Things are just getting worse.”

The group has two missions. The first is to form an “inter-city security force to protect Black communities and the second mission is to form an “ethnostate”, a new country that’s “owned, operated by Blacks.”

South Sudan's government and the rebels of the National Salvation Front (NSF) announced in Rome the signing of a ceasefire agreement.

The National Salvation Front, which mostly operates in the country's southern states has clashed frequently with gouvernmental forces.

But thanks to a international mediation, firefights should stop between the two forces.

"What were the results of this meeting? It was the commitment of the parties to the ceasefire and, above all, the decision to organise a meeting between the military from both sides to ensure that the opposition is included in the mechanism for monitoring ceasefire violations" said secretary-general of Sant'Egidio, Paolo Impagliazzo, who leaded the negociations between the government representative Barnaba Marial Benjamin and National Salvation Front (NSF) representative, Thomas Cirillo Swaka.

Despite efforts by other rebel groups, the National Salvation Front, hadn't signed the September 2018 peace deal. Thomas Cirillo, the leader of the rebel group has agreed to a ceasefire earlier this year, but it hadn't been respected.

Over 380 000 have died and 4 million people, a third of the country's population have been displaced, in a seven lyear long civil war, that officials now hope to finally bring to an end.

Nationwide — At a time when the state of the world is extremely uncertain and fragile, Patrice McLaurin is providing a silver lining by dismantling racist biases against Black children, with a current emphasis on Black boys. Owner of Khemrah Publishing, a boutique publishing house located in Buford, Georgia, McLaurin uses this platform to serve as an author and image activist. Her literary works are cultivating the brilliance of Black children, one book at a time.

According to McLaurin, some of the most important work that needs to be done in the Black Community is the shifting of racist and biased propaganda against Black people. “Unfortunately,” states McLaurin, “any disparaging caricature that can be placed upon a person has been used as an identifying persona against Black folk.”

Part of McLaurin’s cause as an image activist is to dispel these effigies by reinforcing positive imagery. After the violent deaths of Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice, McLaurin’s passion was amplified and it birthed literary works that would give Black children and their counterparts, an opportunity to see the value in their existence. “Oftentimes, a book is a child’s first introduction to an outside world,” states McLaurin, “so it is important that their books humanize all of those who exist in it.”

McLaurin’s first children’s book, Have You Thanked an Inventor Today?, chronicles the school day of little boy as he uses the inventions of Black people throughout his day. It provides the practical perspective that we all utilize the genius of a black mind, daily, and affords ALL of its readers an opportunity to learn about the rich contribution of Black People to this nation. It includes brief biographies about each inventor as well as activities that promote reading comprehension and retention.

Have You Thanked a Kidventor Today? is the second installment in McLaurin’s image activism, as it highlights inventions created by a group of inventors who are rarely discussed, children. This book includes a glossary and fun science experiments that promote innovation and higher-level thinking.

McLaurin’s latest title, I Am Because I Choose, is a wonderful social-emotional learning tool that encourages children to take ownership of their choices and behavior. One of the most dynamic elements of the book is its cover, which boasts a little black boy who stands tall as an audacious superhero!

To note, McLaurin’s books also provide an alternative to a disturbing trend in children’s book diversity that quite possibly contributes to the literacy gap that exists between black boys and their peers. According to the most recent statistics released by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, only 11.9% of children’s books have black children as their protagonists. Moreover, of the books that are written about black children, historically, very few of them have featured black boys. Rather than complain about this problem, McLaurin decided to provide a solution. “If you want to help bridge the literacy gap that exists for black boys, allow them to see themselves positively reflected on the pages of a book,” she says.

While the work that McLaurin produces for children is admirable, her existence as a Black woman and author of children’s books, is quite the defiance to the status quo based on diversity statistics. In keeping with that defiance, she continues to champion her overarching goal, “To raise the vibration of our children and this nation, one book at a time.”

McLaurin’s books are available at PatriceMcLaurin.com or anywhere that books are sold.

Follow her on social media:
Facebook – @thankaninventor
Instagram – @patricemclaurin
Twitter – @mclaurinwrites