Prince & the Idea of Transcending Race #RIPPrince, Harriett Tubman on the $20 Bill, Blackface Bob Marley, and Democracy Springs #SocialJusticeNews
Hello World!
Time for another Social Justice News Update from around the world. Giving you news and my perspective on it all from those fighting the good fight all around our Mother Earth.
In Climate Justice News…
Its Earth Day! #EarthLife Read my owed to Mother Earth:
MIA wrote a song for H&M’s World Recycle Week April 18-24th they will take your old clothes and recycle them while giving you store credit. Her song perusal is catchy while helping a good cause. Check it out.
https://www.hm.com/us/life/culture/h-m-inside/2016/03/m_i_a-and-h_m-will-recycle-your-old-clothes
Earth Guardians who I just think are incredible young people are taking over the UN Climate Conference, recently sued the Obama admin for lack of care when it comes to climate justice causes and they won.
Also there is a big group at the UN Climate Conference this weekend getting ready to sign the Paris Climate Agreement.
In Flint Water Crisis news people are finally being convicted in this whole crazy mess. Charges were filed against Flint employee Michael Glasgow and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality employees Stephen Busch and Michael Prysby.
http://www.democracynow.org/2016/4/20/criminal_charges_filed_in_the_poisoning
Also Big Ups to Leo for fighting for us and caring for the Earth and Climate Justice!
In Terrorist News…
Berlin happened where a subway was hit in the same vain as the 2015 Paris attacks. Also some of the young girls who were taken from their villages by Boko Haram are being treated with the lack of respect they deserve. They are being treated as if they are terrorist and being seen as if they are spies or have been brainwashed due to being kidnapped. Sad! They deserve to be treated with way more respect and dignity then that.
In Black Lives Matter News…
In Florida recently a police officer watched as 3 teens drowned in a stolen can & they did nothing but watch. You hear in the dash cam video the officers hear them yelling then a few minutes later they are herd saying “6-7 their done dude. “This brakes my heart so what if they were criminals so what any good human being would have saved them.
Also a Texas cop body slammed a young 12-year old Middle School girl when she started to cause a ruckus in class. Of course perusal the police officer got off with only being put on administrative leave.
Bill Clinton is not a fan of Black Lives Matter. Hilary was giving a speech and a BLM women interrupted her and was thrown out of the rally. The BLM women wanted to address Hilary on her calling blacks “super predictors” back in the ’90s and for signing the crime bill sending thousands of black people to jail over minor criminal offences. She did apologize for it but Bill is saying that the families of these people were the ones who wanted the bill signed as they wanted to get their kids off the streets and stop them from being killed. He says that this BLM women is supporting the very people killing those lives they say they are protecting.
Of course there is more I would go over the latest list of other police killings that have happened in 2016, but there are too many to talk about but I am big supporter of Black Lives Matter. I actually just saw the women who started the movement on Black Girls Rock! which was amazing.
Big Ups to Freddie Gray & his family + the city of Baltimore on the one year anniversary of Freddie’s death.
Speaking on Black Girls Rock! I watched this years show and it was pretty great perusal with Amandla Stanberg (who you might know as Ruie from the Hunger Games) receiving called the Young, Gifted & Black award which recognized her amazing way she has taken the rains on social media to help fight the ongoing racism and cultural appropriation as well as being a champion for LGBTQ youth all while being unapologetic black. Brandy performed her amazing song Beggin and Pleddin and Lauryn Hill did a medley of Lost One with some Fela dancers helping her out. Good show over all. http://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/2016/04/black-girls-rock-2016.html
Harriet Tubman is going to be on the $20 bill and is of course drawing controversy. She won’t be on there until 2020 but people are on two sides of the fence. On the one hand people are happy that we are getting a piece of the pie but also know that by the time she is on the bill it will be when paper money goes away as it is already devalued. Then there are those who feel even considering putting her on the bill is wrong as he was completely against the idea of capitalism. She was an abolitionist, feminist, farmer, herbalist and just a powerful women. The idea of even putting her on the bill is blasphemy! Also she is only going to be on the front of the bill not even the back which will still have Andrew Jackson. If we are going to pretend that this thing called money really matters then lets be really symbolic with it and have Harriet on front and a Native American person on the back to replace Jackson. I personally don’t think Harriet or anyone else should be on this capitalist blood money because it was not created for us.
Another thing that happened on 4/20 is the Bob Marley blackface filter on Snapchat. Apparently this was made by the Marley estate where they came up with this face swap filter where you can wear the face, locks and hat of Bob Marley. Now this caused some people to get up in arms and call this digital blackface. I’m not going to say Bob is the reason people wanna smoke weed & listen to reggae but Bob is the reason people wanna smoke weed & listen to reggae. He is also the reason people wanna lock their hair (some look better then others). He was a man of the people all people and yes he is black but he did have a white daddy and was with his share of women across the rainbow so…This is digital black face no doubt would of been better if this just had his hat and locks not the actual face. Can’t we just have a little fun and celebrate his spirit. Appreciate the culture and be respectful. Big Ups to Bob & the Marley fam Jah Bless!
In Music News…
Legends in the music world are dropping like flies late 2015-2016. Natalie Cole, Maurice White, Phife Dawg, David Bowie, Scott Weiland, Glenn Frey & now Prince among others. I can’t do this anymore 2016 if another one dies I’m done for real!
http://www.wetpaint.com/celebrity-deaths-2016-1466194/
Prince Is Dead! The Purple One has left the building Thursday April 21st. It is said he died of a saver case of the flu. He is left by adoring fans everywhere. I wasn’t as big a fan of him as I am MJ but I did watch Purple Rain growing up when we would take road trips and I knew that whole soundtrack. My brother in-law was a huge Prince fan and that’s how I got into him a little.
Now like MJ and Whitney they had voices, messages and a style all their own that resonated with millions all over the world. That being said at the end of the day they were black. I have been seeing a lot of social media posts since Prince’s death and a lot of them talk about how he transcended race. This meaning because he didn’t fit into the narrative of black people he transcended race by playing rock music and being androgynous. He was more palatable to the mainstream which if you think about it Prince was not even here to be mainstream and carter to the media. When he became “the artist formally know as…” he didn’t even wanna be that name he wanted his flared out ankh symbol to represent him as an artist yet due to media pressure he ended up changing his name back to Prince. He fought the same struggles any black artist of his time and before him had to deal with and was very much a fighter in black causes. He just last year played a free concert in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death in Baltimore at the hands of the police. Remember his Grammy speech on books and black lives. As much as his music was for everyone he was not really here to be this media spectral and was just as black as ever! I also think Prince was an indigo like Michael, a highly spiritual, talented, different person who comes to Earth for a short time to influence the masses then is taken in a flash. His color was purple and his symbol was the ankh for a reason he knew what’s up as purple is a highly spiritual color & the ankh is a high power symbol. Also he was talking about chem-trails and stuff before it became mainstream to think about stuff like that. Rest in Power Prince you are now with Michael & Whitney your music will live on forever in our hearts.
http://www.fuse.tv/2016/04/prince-shade-list
In Feminism News…
Kesha is still stuck in her contract with Sony and Dr. Luke is still free to produce for fools who choose to work with him. They made a fool of Kesha in that court room and I just feel so bad for her and wouldn’t wish this nightmare on anyone. People need to take this seriously true or not always believe the rape victim always. She is strong though and with the support of her family, friends and fans she will get through this. Oh and can I just say Taylor Swift is a tool and I completely agree with Demi Lovato on this. Sending money sure great but what people like Kesha and others really need is actions behind words and money.
In LGBTQ News…
Many southern states will not let Transgender folks go the bathroom in their gender. Now pee and poop is pee and poop at its most basic level its biology. Ever human no matter who have to relieve themselves and I don’t know why it matters which bathroom you use. Would you rather me go on myself while I what for my assisted at birth gender bathroom to be free when the other one is 100% free?! So stupid just create a bathroom for Transgender people and move on then you don’t have to deal with them at all. Of course good old Target is all for letting the Transgender community use their bathrooms as their smart and know they will loose money plus its morally right.
This has also gotten some artists evolved in this fight for gender equality. Some have decided not to play in certain states who go by this HRC law most notably Pearl Jam and Bruce Springsting not playing in North Carolina. On the other hand you have people like Laura Grace Jane & Kacy Musgrave not letting this law stop them from playing in North Carolina and are taking a stand this way. Of curse I understand both ways of taking a stand.
In Presidential Candidates News…
Some voters in New York where unable to vote last week during the primary. When some voters went to vote their names where not on the voter list or they couldn’t vote at their station.
Donald Trump & Ted Cruz are both still idiots and their memes, videos, pictures, gifs and such are so hilarious. His latest 7/11 videos are so funny. Then Bernie is a little behind Hilary and I sadly think unless he picks up his poll by this summer that Hilary is going to be the candidate even though I like what Bernie is doing better. As long as Trump or Cruz is not in the white house I at this point don’t really care who gets in as they are just puppets of the system.
In General Social Justice News…
Democracy Springs happened last week and many millions upon millions came to the nations capital to have sit ins and protest the unfair way our country is being run from our economy to labor to education to voting rights laws to environmental issues and everything in between. Over 900 people where arrested including some celebrates like Rosario Dawson. I wanted to go down and support but unfortunately I was in class during the time of the protests and plus I am poor with no bail money lol.
Um I think that’s it but there is always more so be on the look on for more of these news updates to keep you in the know in the future.
Also if you’re looking for alternatives to the mainstream news check out these news outlets: Democracy Now!, RT, Young Turks, AJ+, Al Jazeera
The Life & Times of Ice 