Category Archives: Black Lives Matter

6/12 Dave Chapelle – 8:46

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Dave Chapelle did a show recently and it’s supposed to be on Netflix. But for some reason, it got released on YT for free. I haven’t really watched all of it, but thought you might wish to view it when you have some time. I’m posting it now as it may not be free for long.

From the NY Post:

Dave Chappelle sounds off on George Floyd, blasts Candace Owens in surprise special

In a set rife with his signature searing social commentary (warning: the language is raw), the comedian touches on everything from George Floyd’s death to being unable to accept a Grammy Award on the day Kobe Bryant died, to the hypocrisy of conservative TV host Laura Ingraham — and even throws in a signature bit about Ja Rule for levity.

“It’s hard to figure out what to say about George Floyd, so I’m not going to say it yet,” Chappelle opens, flipping through a black notebook, later adding, “I got to tell you, this is like the first concert in North American since all this s–t happened, so like it or not, it’s history. It’s going to be in the books.”

The special was filmed on June 6 in Yellow Springs, Ohio, with coronavirus-era social distancing guidelines in place for attendees, including face masks and temperature checks. The comedy legend had not performed on stage in 87 days until the special, though he has since performed similarly intimate gigs around the Dayton area.

The video’s a bit unfiltered in tone which is OK with me. Chapelle poses various questions touching on racial justice.

6/11 Nina Turner Shares Her Thoughts About Police Brutality with/TYT; Booker Gets Another Major Endorsement & OT

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Nina Turner, a firebrand in our circles, was a guest on TYT’s “The Conversation” program. Here’s the video, it is short of 15 min long. Lots of discussion about “defunding the police”, BLM, and yes, Joe Biden.

Charles Booker gets another major newspaper endorsement, this one from the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Our informed choice is clear: Charles Booker is the kind of political leader and change agent that our commonwealth needs. We believe he is worthy of the Democratic nomination.

The Kentucky state representative, born and raised in Louisville’s West End, has the background, experience, commitment and vision to help transform our state and nation. He brings a perspective and several well-crafted ideas that Kentucky voters need to consider as we approach November’s general election.

While Amy McGrath has broad support, as evidenced by her successful fundraising, she has not shown the progressive ideas and bold leadership necessary to move our state forward. She has been overly moderate, measured and cautious throughout this campaign, focusing more on her military service (which we applaud and sincerely respect) or her motherhood than offering a sweeping vision for the commonwealth — especially in these turbulent times.

Unfortunately, her message to voters has been unimaginative and uninspiring: “Let me tell you what’s wrong with Mitch McConnell instead of explaining why my vision for our commonwealth and our country is a better fit for Kentucky voters.”

We also believe the national Democratic Party was too quick to offer its full support and fundraising apparatus to a candidate who has never held public office and stumbled out of the gate when announcing her candidacy. McGrath’s self-described “common sense Kentucky Democrat” tagline — a campaign strategy to attract potential supporters of President Donald Trump who are looking for an alternative to McConnell — has fallen flat in these final weeks of the campaign.

Candidate Mike Broihier should continue to pursue public office. He supports the progressive ideas that Booker is pushing, including Medicare for All, universal basic income and the Green New Deal. He’s a retired Marine combat veteran with a good grasp of the issues Kentuckians face and the conviction to bring change, but he doesn’t possess the same political experience and passion that Booker brings.

Lots more news, tweets, and videos in the comments. See you there!

5/30 Bernie Bro Killer Mike Makes Impassioned Speech to Protesters in Atlanta; Citizens March Against Police Brutality All Over the US; News Roundup & OT

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LeBron James picks up on Killer Mike’s Speech Last Night:

Leave it to a Bernie Bro to speak “pragmatic” truths.

Phil Collins sang about apartheid in South Africa. The song “Colors” could be applicable here. Today.

More news, tweets, videos in the comments section. Welcome to the weekend, with lots of civil and uncivil rest. Still 5 months to go until Election Day.

11/3 Bernie Rallies with Ilhan Omar in Minneapolis & OT (live)

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Ilhan is finishing up her remarks, Bernie on shortly.

More in the comments section!

10/1 Rocktober Begins…and With Some News for Justice; Sanders to Air First TV ads in Iowa; Afternoon/Evening OT

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Surprising news out of Big D…

Not a lot of justice in the US for African-Americans, but we’ll take it. This is what Ilhan Omar tweeted:

Axios reports that Chuck Grassley isn’t eager to make known whom the whistleblower is.

Here’s the ad, “Fights for Us.”
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And your news, tweets, etc? This serves as an open thread.

Castro, Harris, Warren declare support for reparations. What does that mean in policy terms?

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Here’s America’s first black president talking about reparations for slavery and systematic discrimination. Obama: Theoretically, you can make, obviously, a powerful argument that centuries of slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination are the primary cause for all those gaps. That those were wrongs done to the black community as a whole, and black families specifically, and that in order to close that gap, a society has a moral obligation to make a large, aggressive investment, even if it’s not in the form of individual reparations checks, but in the form of a Marshall Plan, in order to close those gaps. It is … Continue reading →

The American Dream simply does not exist for the majority of black men.

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Researchers at Stanford, Harvard and the Census bureau have recently published a study that takes a broad look at equality of opportunity in the US. The data set they analyzed is enormous. It tracks 20 million people now in their late thirties, evaluating their childhood circumstances across race, class, family structure, neighborhood, school, etc. They evaluate where these individuals ended up, in terms of income, and several other factors (including whether or not they were incarcerated). The results simply eviscerate any argument that there’s a level playing field and equality of opportunity. Across a wide range of factors, it’s clear … Continue reading →