Kamala and the Democrats put on a show last week at the Democratic National Convention. Was it enough to grab the attention and votes of those in swing states? The pressure's on.
DNC 2024: Selling Hope
Well the Democratic National Convention is over and it was a well-orchestrated display of:
Ushering out the old, embracing the new, and energizing the Democratic base
Tapping into their Black side (or skillfully pandering??) with the Obamas, a roll call heavy on Black music, performances by Black artists, the Exonerated 5 and more
Uplifting Palestine in words, but not in deed
What did you think of the DNC?
We didn’t walk away being the newest, most enthusiastic recruits to Camp Kamala, but we didn’t expect to. To us, she is filling a critical need to keep Donald Trump away from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but she is not going to be the one to rescue us. Only we can do that and that change needs to start on a local level first. Check out our personal takeaways from the DNC here.
Looking to 2024
Pro-Palestinian activists (some of whom are Black) and Black supporters of Kamala Harris are at odds over the question of whether Black people should vote with their own best interests in mind or not vote blue at all out of solidarity with Gaza. It’s unfortunate because if anyone understands mutual struggle, it’s Black people. On the flip side, however, we know that this is a position in which we have to put our masks on first before we can help others.
RFK Jr. suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed….Donald Trump.
Maybe that’ll make Donnie feel better because he was so bothered by Kamala’s DNC speech, the former Liar in Chief called himself fact-checking her. If you’re curious to know the difference between what she said, he said, and the truth, check it here.
Fulton County, Georgia, get ready. Your state board of elections is expected to sow doubt in the election process by replacing independent election watchers with partisan monitors.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
So much for wanting a ceasefire. The State Department’s new lead on Israel-Palestinian affairs is known to be very pro-Israel and expected to provide all the weapons Netanyahu's genocidal heart desires. The previous person in this role resigned over Biden’s decision to stick beside Israel no matter what.
That immigration program that the Biden Administration launched last week to provide non-citizen spouses and stepchildren a path to citizenship is now being challenged by Texas and 15 other states.
A federal judge blocked the POTUS’ plan to ban all non-compete agreements that would prevent a worker from going to their employer’s competitor. The ruling was made on the grounds that the Federal Trade Commission didn’t have grounds to make a sweeping decision and should have only targeted problematic non-compete arrangements.
Congress, What’s Good
January can’t get here soon enough for House Republicans. They’re so committed to impeaching Joe, they’re willing to work on it during their August recess. Last week, a report of nearly 300 pages was released outlining the corruption Biden is believed to have engaged in with foreign nations to enrich his family. While they say it’s impossible that Joe was oblivious to the shady business dealings Hunter Biden was involved in (which we agree with), they stopped short of accusing the president of a crime. Now, if only they could put this much effort into the government shutdown deadline, which is on September 30.
Speaking of work effort, there’s been increased discussion of term limits. This is because more elderly politicians have died in office in the last 4 years than in the previous decade (2010-2019).While we think capping the amount of time someone can serve would be beneficial, some experts say having higher turnover in Congress would do little good, if any.
Social Justice Round Up
A judge ruled the shot Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend fired because intruders (the police) were in their home was the legal cause of her death. This challenges efforts to hold the officers who obtained the warrant with incorrect info from being held accountable.
A teenager and her family are suing a Detroit judge after the judge made the teen dress up in a prison jumpsuit for falling asleep in his courtroom and “having a bad attitude” during a field trip. Both the teen and the judge are Black.
The National Black Farmers Association is not done with the USDA. After the recent $2B payout, they’re coming for the other $5B in debt relief that was rescinded by President Biden’s administration.
What the Health
Free COVID tests are coming back…in a month. You can order them on COVIDtests.gov in late September and they’ll be shipped by USPS.
Though concentrated in Africa at the moment, mpox is still considered a global health emergency. Here’s how you can recognize the signs on brown skin.
Speaking of mpox, vaccines arrived in over 70 developed countries during the outbreak 2 years ago, but none in Africa. With this latest outbreak, 10K doses are finally arriving in the Motherland, but that’s only a tenth of a percent of what’s actually needed. Can someone tell us what good is the World Health Organization if they’re going to deprioritize the poor countries every time?
Around the Diaspora
191 migrants who sailed off the coast of North Africa were rescued in 5 different missions after being stranded in the Mediterranean.
Talks to end the war in Sudan are not going as planned. One side sent representatives to participate in negotiations recently scheduled in Geneva, Switzerland. The other side, however, refused and is seeking a return to talks in Saudi Arabia that were put on hold in December 2023.
The Kenyan government has plans to reintroduce some of the tax measures from the finance bill that sparked this summer’s protests. While the tax for menstrual pads has been scrapped, those going towards teachers’ wages and for the purchase of electronic devices will proceed.
Trinidad & Tobago is giving their coat of arms an update by replacing Christopher “Colonizer” Columbus’ 3 ships with the steel pan, their national instrument.
Our Black Jobs & Our Black Money
Are you setting yourself and your family up for generational success with a will or a trust? Learn the difference between the two and determine which one might be best for you. Also, make sure you tell your hardheaded elders to do the same. We can’t be the only ones dealing with stubborn parents, aunties, etc., can we?
Culture that Pops
Clark Atlanta set a record for receiving 45K admissions applications, outpacing even the University of Georgia. In a time where college attendance is said to be down overall, it’s beautiful to see increased interest in HBCUs.
This teacher is inspiring her students and the internet as a whole with her viral classroom designs.
Janet “Ms. Jackson If You’re Nasty” Jackson is headed to Vegas for her own residency. She’ll be performing 10 dates from December through February, so grab your tickets as soon as they go on sale on this Wednesday.
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