Donald Trump is trying to invalidate the 2020 presidential election by undermining the votes of Black Americans. Donald Trump is only challenging votes in states with cities that have large Black populations that voted Democrat which caused him to lose the state. He’s only questioning the votes in Black areas.
This is undemocratic and blatantly racist. This is an assault on the rights of Black Americans. Americans that support the actions of Donald Trump and the GOP or that are apathetic towards it are shameful cowards that don’t love democracy, The Constitution or America. They don’t cherish fairness or freedom.
Whether anyone likes it or not the Black people of America have spoken and our voices matter. We voted in record numbers and helped to oust a president that would have never been elected in the first place if Americans were not so racist, gullible and stupid.
Trump has lost nearly every lawsuit his filed over the integrity of the election. Now the AGs of various states are suing WI, PA, GA and MI over the legitimacy of their elections. In other words the great states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan are being asked to defend their Black citizens rights as Americans.
We the Black people of America have spoken and we overwhelmingly think Trump is unfit for office. We exercise our right to vote an now it is being challenged by Republican politicians. Their actions are blatantly racist and should not be tolerated. Donald Trump is trying to over turn election results and he thinks the path of least resistance is trampling on the will of Black voters.
Black women deserve to be honored and respected in their relationships with men. Black women deserve commitments from romantic partners. Black women deserve to raise their children in intact families and have responsible and involved fathers for their children. Black women deserve to be invested in financially. But young Black women are being influenced to not require or expect those things.
Yet many Black women are having children for men that have no good intentions towards them. By good intentions I mean traditional marriage. The majority of Black children grow up in single parent homes. Single motherhood has been glamorized and exalted in the Black community but the co parents to these women don’t seem to be very appreciative of their children’s mothers. You don’t have to go very far on social media before you find a man degrading the mother of his child.
What does that sound like to you? To me it sounds like Black women are being treated as handmaidens, mammies, wet nurses, brood mares. I know it’s harsh to hear but it’s up to Black women to stop it. The way they stop it is by accepting no less than respect, honor and commitment.
There are benefits to being a single woman. But there aren’t many benefits to being a single mother aside from escaping an abusive and volatile relationship or a deadbeat that is a liability instead of an asset. Those kind of relationships should be avoided and abandoned whether children are involved or not.
Two parent households provide the children with the best opportunity to thrive. Nuclear families allow women to devote more energy into their children. Marriage also provides protection for women and children. If the marriage is healthy it provides a good model for children to learn about relationships between men and women.
Some will say that marriage is just a piece of paper and that it isn’t necessary for a happy home life. People have been saying that for a generation now but that hasn’t happened. Now that women have been brainwashed by feminism to believe that they don’t need to be respected and honored families are being started haphazardly through hook ups and relationships that never had any stable footing. These relationships have not yielded good results for children, women or men.
There is a large gold digging community on social media that encourages women to “secure the bag”. I’m all for women pursuing men with money but if there is no honor or respect there you are just being a whore. A commitment still needs to be made. Wealthy men marry all the time.
Don’t breed children for unworthy men. Don provide men with an opportunity to be an IG dad. It’s an privilege to be a father and it’s a chance for a man to leave a legacy in the world. Children are also a lot of responsibility. It’s part of a man’s responsibility to establish a nurturing and stable family unit for his children. That is achieved by choosing a wife not choosing a handmaiden.
This is a video I made a while back for my You Tube channel.
Black women should stop allowing themselves to be turned into handmaiden, wet nurses, mammies and brood mares. The only way they are going to achieve this is by accepting nothing less than respect, honor and commitment from men. If you don’t get the respect you want then live your life on your terms instead of compromising with a man that never chose to honor you.
American Ideals and the Constitution are George Floyd’s greatest asset. After George Floyd was killed on video and controversy and civil strife ensued stories began to circulate around social media about George Floyd’s past. But in the eyes of the law a person’s past doesn’t matter once they have served their time. The Constitution states that suspects are presumed innocent until they receive a trial by jury.
Presumed innocence and a trial by jury are rights granted to US Citizens. That’s what George Floyd has going for him. It’s not his strength of character which is questionable to put it mildly. That’s why I find it ironic that so many Black Americans try to disassociate themselves from their Black American identity. A lot of the men that have been victims in high profile police misconduct cases only have the rights granted to them by citizenship to fall back on. Because most of them have been less than model citizens.
If you disregard the Constitution and what America is supposed to stand for. If you disregard civility and the service that police are suppose to provide. If you disregard the Christianity that most Christians claim to observe. It can be said that George Floyd met up with karma.
He was found guilty of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. He and five other men broke into a pregnant woman’s home and held her at gunpoint. George Floyd served five years in prison for that crime. He also had brushes with the law involving drugs. And he had several children within relationships with different women.
However, if you believe in what this country is supposed to stand for then there is no valid argument to defend the police officers that killed George Floyd. Police officers are supposed to defend the Constitution. They are not henchmen or street executioners. Suspects are entitled to their day in court and a trial.
The rights given to American citizens by the Constitution are what the fight against police brutality is about. And Black Americans need to understand that Constitutional rights are what give all of us a defense. A case can be made against anyone’s character and righteousness is subjective.
Why are so many children in America’s cities dying? I’m specifically talking about children in the inner city that are killed by gunfire. Children are being shot at baby showers, in their living rooms while watching TV, at church cookouts, in the back seats of cars and in their sleep at home in bed. It’s because they are surrounded by men that lack integrity and don’t value Black children and families.
I’ve seen numerous online arguments where men’s common response to criticism is that women do it too. Not in this case. Inner city killings are almost always committed by men. So boys and men in America’s big cities are the focus of this post.
Over the last ten years it has become common for children including toddlers and infants to be killed by gunfire. What’s going on? Why is this happening? Concern for others would dictate that you don’t shoot into a house not knowing who is inside. A reasonable person would understand that that kind of carelessness will lead to harm. And it just seems like a waste of time, effort and ammo to fire a gun in order to settle a score and not be certain that the person you want to shoot is in the cross hairs. It’s as if there are men that simply want to incite terror.
A generation of boys has been raised to be primarily concerned for themselves and to only care about their own survival. They are taught that they are valuable by people that have low expectations for them. These boys are pandered to and treated as if they are pets. Meanwhile they aren’t taught proper boundaries.
It’s a recipe for disaster and we are seeing it play out on the evening news almost daily. There is also a lack of respect for Black womanhood. Any culture or organization that does not respect women and value healthy relationships with women is going to have problems and abuse.
I believe that there are predatory gangs that dominate the streets of America. They take advantage of young men and make them subservient. They demand loyalty as if they are a cult. Predatory gangs strip children from broken homes of their humanity and moral compass in order to use them as tools for chaos. The chaos is a screen for their inadequacies.
Without boundaries, integrity, responsibility or care for others we have communities where babies are becoming collateral damage of street battles between men. Black American children are dying in strollers and car seats before they have the opportunity to start kindergarten. It’s tragic and things are progressively getting worse.
There are several factors to inner city gun violence but I believe in controlling what one can control. Citizens can not regulate gun availability and factors such as unemployment, underemployment and racism. But we need men to lead boys to become productive men and set boundaries of decency. Men need to teach their sons, young cousins and nephews integrity. They also need to recognize it if they don’t have it themselves and develop a stronger character.
Conflicts, armed or otherwise need to stay between men and the conflicts should be dealt with in an honorable fashion. By honorable I mean deal with disagreements and offenses face to face. Men need to try talking or even fist fighting. I’m not unrealistic and I understand that violence occurs from time to time.
There is no reason to involve innocent people particularly children in their rivalries. The behavior that we are seeing on the evening news is that of cold blooded sociopaths. Men in the community need to take a stand against it or it will continue and all efforts to improve the Black community will be futile.
Men that live in the big cities of America need to stand for integrity and set proper boundaries within their own neighborhoods. Cowardly behavior like drive by shootings and groups of men jumping one men need to end. Blaming women for everything needs to stop. If men want to be respected as leaders the buck needs to stop with them and they need to hold themselves accountable for the death and destruction in inner city neighborhoods across America.
That’s where true change will start. Men need to stop the senseless violence that robs children of their chance at life and makes communities unlivable. Men need to take a stand for their families and communities. No one else can do that for them.
Fourth of July weekend 2020 has come and gone. It was a very somber day for me this year. Generally I don’t do a lot for holidays but they usually put me in a good mood. This year Fourth of July was depressing. Independence DAy was melancholy due to the state of America and the uncertainty of our future. Our nation’s leadership is corrupt, there is economic uncertainty, a plague is filling hospital emergency rooms to capacity and racial tensions has emotions on edge.
This Fourth of July, like in past years many Black people made social media posts letting the world know that they have no plans to observe the holiday due to past and present racial oppression. That’s their choice and I appreciate and understand their opinions but I see things differently. I’m a proud Black American and I’m proud of our history in this country.
I have two Black parents and four Black grandparents. I studied my family tree on both sides and I can document that we’ve been in this country for at least four generations. My identity is not tied to any other race or country. I’m Black American and completely comfortable with that and I take pride in my place in human history.
I have no desire to think of myself as a Moor, or a Hebrew Israelite nor do I believe that Black people are indigenous to North America. All of those are theories that Black people that want to disassociate themselves from the history of Africans in America share on You Tube. I believe that those people are ashamed of their heritage and envy White people.
I am one generation removed from a southern sharecropping family. My mother is one of nine children from rural Arkansas. She grew up in poverty and began working as a young child picking cotton with her family. They were paid for their labor by the pound. The cotton they picked was weighed and they were paid mere cents by the pound.
My mom left Arkansas after high school moved to Detroit, Michigan got a job at the phone company and married my dad who was an auto worker from Detroit. His parents were from Mississippi. The too left the agricultural South for the Industrial North for greater opportunities and freedom.
My folks divorced when I was young but I had a happy childhood where my needs and many of my wants were met. I went to college after high school graduated and later on earned two more degrees. After many years I got my foot in the door of the career I wanted. Both of my parents are enjoying retirement.
My family’s story is one of hard work and achievement. I’m proud of it. I’m glad to be an American. A high price was paid for me to have a stake in this country and I’m grateful to everyone that came before me that gave me the opportunities that I have today as a Black woman in America.
America has the biggest economy in the world and to be born here is a blessing. There is always an opportunity to make money in America. It may not be a lot and life is hard everywhere but survival is not precarious here as it is in other nations.
I’m a working class woman but I have a nice car, diamond rings, designer purses, a closet full of clothes and shoes and a full refrigerator. I’ve been on great vacations and have dined in hip restaurants. Life is pretty good and I won’t complain.
America has a fascinating history and is a beautiful country. There is a lot to do, see and experience. Many think it’s unhealthy but I enjoy the go getter culture. I also enjoy America’s materialistic, flashy nature. It’s what makes our economy great.
But America is far from perfect. There are glaring injustices. Overall this is indeed a racist, White supremacist country. I’ve been overlooked for opportunities and discriminated against because of my race. The saying that Black people have to work twice as hard to get half as far is true and I’ve been in the American workforce long enough that I’ve seen that principle in action.
I’m a tax paying, law abiding, citizen but I do not see police as friends or protectors. I prefer to keep them as far away from me as possible because an interaction with them could be unpredictable. I could end up hurt or dead. A simple misunderstanding can be fatal for Black people and their actions would most likely be excused by other Americans and the court system.
But I believe that Black Americans need to stand up for what is right in this country like we have done historically. We need to continue to hold the United States to its promise of liberty and justice for all. We need to continue to support the Constitution and Bill of Rights as citizens that have a right to pursue happiness. Our ancestor pour blood, sweat and tears into this country. Stand up for what is yours and remember that no one has given us anything. This is my country too.
America’s has a lot of great things going for it. But we have a lot of work to do in order to create a more perfect union to be enjoyed by all. I’m not going to give up on what America could be because of what it currently is and was.
America has been in violent turmoil for more than a week after the death of George Floyd. The catalyst for the tumult was Floyd’s gruesome murder by a former Minneapolis police officer that was captured on video by a bystander. After a few days of the suspects no being arrested and outrage in the media Americans took to the streets in protests. Some of the demonstrations were peaceful but there was also property damage, looting, injuries and deaths.
Once the protests became violent and the president responded with the threat of more violence there have been calls for unity. But unity is not the answer. I live in Kansas City, MO and there is a Unity March scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The mayor and police chief will be there along with demonstrators. This is simply an opportunity for a photo op and a heartwarming headline and hashtag in the media.
The Unity march that is scheduled in an area Kansas City park tomorrow is an attempt to appease White people’s feelings. Whenever there are racial tensions in America White people call for unity. However they want unity on their terms. Calling for unity in America is not genuine because White Americans typically flee diversity in order to concentrate their resources in their communities. Those in power want submission, not unity.
The words unity and coming together are used to pacify Black people and silence frustration and anger. Americans love segregation and Blacks shouldn’t forget that. The mayor and police force know what the problems are. They need to get to work, find solutions and implement policies. They have been empowered by citizens to do so and they shouldn’t be wasting time at picnics while the country is in crisis.
Black Americans also need to focus on getting our houses in order so that people outside of our community don’t matter as much. Fortify yourself, your family and your community spiritually, financially and physically. Taking care of ourselves and families will make us less vulnerable and we’ll be better able to defend ourselves.
Black Americans often seek out White validation in order to gain social standing or take advantage of opportunities in other communities. We need to build our own opportunities and wealth. We need to seek validation from each other. We need to learn to value one another. In other words mind your own Black business.
I’m not saying there is anything wrong with having a relationship of any sort with any person who is not Black. We live in a multi cultural society and friendships, romances and work/business relationships will develop. But if you are a Black man or woman that is confident and proud of yourself you will more of an asset in any liaison with any race.
White supremacy is not going to change. If anything it is going to become more extreme. Black people need to learn to rely on themselves and develop a stronger infrastructure within our own community. Start small and set small financial goals for yourself such as getting$x in the bank, cleaning up your credit or maintaining good credit and repaying debts. There is no need to make a spectacle of it. Quietly secure your future and mind your Black business.
I hope Black people don’t fall for the okey doke about the ruse of unity. Don’t hug or cry to cops. Don’t make having a White friend group or lover your goal because you think it will increase your social standing. Be confident and proud of who you are. Value your own culture and your own family. It will make you a better friend or lover to whomever you choose. Move quietly and secure a future for yourself and your family.
I have no interest in fighting racism. I am interested in seeing Black people develop their own economic engine and vibrant social network. This would make us less vulnerable to attacks and gives us more leverage to fight attacks against us. Mind your Black business and build prosperity for yourself and your family. That’s the only way to fight the power. Unity with racists helps the racist. It does nothing for you.
I am Black and a bit of a social media junkie. Social media outlets have pretty much figured out that I’m Black and they suggest pages, channels, people, places and things that other Black people frequent. I follow them as do others in my demographic. It creates little virtual communities and there you have it, the Black social media sphere. It has been fun, entertaining, and educational in good ways and bad. Black social media can be a useful and entertaining tool. But it can be very toxic.
I’ll start off by saying that Black people are not given enough credit for being so witty and creative. When I was a big Facebook and Twitter user my brothers and sisters would absolutely have me cracking up with their unique takes on various hashtags. Some social media users reminded me of the glory days of hip hop when being a little street or ghetto or whatever you call was meshed with intelligence and insight. We don’t get to see that much in the media anymore. I miss it.
Black social media users have also brought attention to injustices in America such as police brutality and racism in common places. Cell phone video and social media has given justice to many Black people that never would have gotten it otherwise. I think that is wonderful and heroic.
But I’ve decided to not follow a lot of Black social media pages due to the nature of the speaker or his or her followers. I blocked The Shade Room on IG years ago and my quality of life immediately improved. I stopped following the 1990s rapper David Banner because I got tired of being a defender of the faith. I blocked The Amazing Lucas on You Tube because he is trying a little too hard to prove that he is a conservative Black man. It’s sad to watch a Black man pander to people that way.
It’s difficult to build a social media following unless you already have some sort of claim to fame, an amazing talent or you fit a particular beauty standard and decide to flaunt your body for the sake social media popularity. I’m guessing that it may even be more difficult for non celebrity Black people to build a large following because I rarely see Black people discussing things that wouldn’t be considered a Black interest on social media. I’ve figured that the best way for Black people to gain a social media following is by being controversial within the on line Black community.
I think Black men have it the hardest in the social media world. It’s a little harder for them to find their social media niche. Many Black women and feminine Black men have gained social media notoriety by creating celebrity gossip outlets, make up and hair tutorials.
But I don’t see many Black men creating channels that aren’t about dissecting matters in the Black community. It seems to me that the easiest way for a Black man to gain a large social media following is by talking about such matters and blaming Black women for them. Some of the most successful Black You Tubers that I’m aware of are men that think that Black women are solely responsible for every single problem in the Black community. Like, seriously every – single – one. The mental gymnastics these guys do is impressive. Actually buying into it is a personality disorder of some sort.
I’ve never followed members of the He Man’s Woman Haters Club but men that follow these ideologies show up in the comment sections of other vlogs such as gossip channels or a channel that is talking about current events to a Black audience. They drop nasty remarks about Black women’s appearances, marital status, “attitude” or whatever. They even put Black women down for going to college and pursuing careers. I would like to think that most of these remarks are coming from trolls in Moscow but I know my people and this can’t all be blamed on the Russians.
It’s like some of these guys (to be fair, I’ve had Black women make rude remarks about my appearance, especially my hair as well) know that Black women are trying to avoid them so they come to where we are in order to insult us in some way. I’ve made what I thought was an innocuous comment and have had my personal appearance attacked by my fellow social media users. People like that are usually hiding behind an anonymous profile so I can’t be sure of who they are but I’m guessing a lot of the insults based on skin color and hair texture are coming from people with similar skin color and hair texture.
After degrading Black women these gentlemen go on to put fairer skinned women on a pedestal. I don’t understand why they didn’t do that in the first place and just left us out of it. No one needs to justify their dating and marriage choices to anyone. And you shouldn’t have to put someone else down in order to express your love for someone else. Black women return the vitriol. They too have set up channels and make comments tearing Black men apart. There is no way to have a community if men and women hate each other.
Another topic that’s caught a lot of traction on Black social media is “woke” Black people telling Black Christians to stop believing in Christ. I had to block the 90s rapper David Banner for this reason. People like him are arrogant and patronizing and always use the same two or three reasons to justify their opinions.
Their reasoning displays their ignorance about the Bible, geography, human history. This “woke”, afrocentric community are the ones that believe in a White, European Jesus. Not those of us with the understanding that Bethlehem isn’t in Europe. Once again, all they need to do is follow their heart. There is absolutely no need to degrade someone else in order to justify a personal choice. Leave us out of your personal choices and I’ll leave you out of mine.
I ran across a You Tuber named The Amazing Lucas one day and I decided to follow him. After watching a few of his videos I blocked him. I don’t need anymore of his videos. He’s a young Black man that would probably describe himself as being conservative. But after a while I guess he had to work harder to prove himself.
He’s too emotional about things that aren’t that big of a deal such as the political opinions of NBA players that he’s never even heard of. Lucas is of the belief that racism is all a figment of Black America’s imagination which I find to be a very condescending and delusional view point. The Amazing Lucas doesn’t seem to understand that racism is an economic and sociological matter.
I don’t know who runs The Shade Room but they are a horrible human being and their followers are complete morons. It’s hard to find a dumber group of people on social media than what you would find on that IG page. I blocked them a long time ago because they were on there making fun of Simone Biles body. That’s right. They body shamed a world class athlete.
People that enjoy The Shade Room only like women that look like strippers. It’s all they care about or respect. They absolutely love people from the Love and Hip Hop Series and various young rappers that I’ve never heard of. But they trash an Olympic champion because she’s not so called slim thick. They trashed Gabrielle Douglas as well. I believe they came for her because she mentioned something about women should dress modestly and they went berserk. I don’t share the values of most people in The Shade Room so I had to block them.
The death and funeral of rapper Nipsey Hustle and the trials and tribulations of TV personality Wendy Williams have dominated Black social media the last few weeks. Meanwhile three Black churches in Louisiana burned mysteriously and the son of a police officer was arrested for the crimes.
I was on a You Tube channel yesterday that fashions itself after a news broadcast. The host discussed the church fires and people in the comments section were talking about their disdain for Christianity, especially Black Christians. They are clearly missing the point. But if they are that stupid why bother talking to them. I blocked the channel. I think we need to shift our values a bit. Our community suffered a terrorist attack and
I understand that the death of Nipsey Hustle is yet another urban violent tragedy but last weekend six were shot at a baby shower in Chicago. I haven’t heard Black social media say a word about that. I didn’t know who Nipsey Hustle was until he died so his death is no different than all the other murders that happen in the Black community.
I think that we should use the powerful medium of social media to discuss that to the point of beating a dead horse like we do stupid topics like fake hair, inter racial dating and twerking. And men that are obsessed with women that they don’t like need to be the ones doing the talking instead of blaming everything on single mothers.
I wish that Black social media communities would just stop trying to tell others in their community what to do. Stop thinking you know what’s best for someone else. If we all do our part, Christians, Israelites, Agnostics, LGBT, feminists, etc. we can all make improvements to build a better future for everyone. But this intra racial at least snarkiness and at most hatred should stop. We need to learn to respect each other more. I don’t feel like Black people appreciate our differences.
Some of these conversations that take place have been going on for years and we have come to no conclusion or made no progress. They are trivial matters anyway so we should just move forward. I think there are a few things we should be able to agree on such as if you’re mad at someone you shouldn’t shoot up their baby shower and let’s discuss those matters. The rest of if is all just drivel and a huge waste of time and I refuse to participate in it anymore.
Shannon in Kansas City YT: KC Bible Study IG: @showmeshannon Twitter: kcshannonlee1 