Category Archives: Black Lives Matter

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) Black Lives Matter groups held a press conference on Wednesday discussing a lawsuit that alleges the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office is responsible for a 14-year-old Tampa boys death in 2014.

Representatives from Black Lives Matter Restoration Polk and Black Lives Matter Grassroots were joined by families of Black individuals whose lives were impacted by police brutality and racial injustice to discuss the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Andrew Joseph IIIs family.

The speakers called for an end to qualified immunity, which the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Officerepeatedly invoked in this case. Qualified immunity is a government protection that shields police officers and other officials from being sued. It can also block the release of information.

In my years of activism, I have had the unfortunate opportunity to work with countless families who have been impacted by police misconduct, police brutality and how these law-enforcement agencies are able to lean on qualified immunity in order to deprive families like the families behind me, and the Andrew Joseph family from the right to justice and accountability, said Pastor Carl Soto with Black Lives Matter Restoration Polk County Inc.

Andrew Joseph III and about 100 other teenagers were kicked out of the Florida State Fairgrounds on School Day in 2014 following a number of teen-involved fights and misconduct that broke out inside the fairgrounds, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office.

However, his parents maintain that their son wasnt involved, but was handcuffed and detained. They said deputies dropped him off by the interstate to meet his ride home.The 14-year-old was hit by a car while trying to cross I-4.

A number of safety measures have been taken at the fairgrounds since that incident to ensure that any minor in attendance is safe, such as the HCSO Community Action Team that will once again be at the fair on Student Night, the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office said in a statement to News Channel 8 earlier this year.

The Josephs said theyve seen changes in the fairgrounds policy since that night, like parents getting a call if their child is removed from the park and having them sit in a waiting area until their parents arrive. They wish their son had been given that option, avoiding what they say was an unnecessary interaction with police.

Wednesday marked day three of the wrongful death trial. The Black Lives Matter groups met outside the federal courthouse in Tampa along with the families of Emmett Till, Oscar Grant, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, Markeis McGlockton and Ruben Debrosse.

Families rallied demanding change, saying their loved ones suffered the same racial injustice at the hands of law enforcement, including the family of Emmett Till.

Emmett was killed by a white mob and the police covered it up and again were seeing attempts to cover up again 66 years later, the same type of cover-up, said Tills cousin Magnolia Carter. I stand for justice, I want to see the end of qualified immunity and I want to see the justice for this family that they deserve.

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Black Lives Matter calls for end to qualified immunity, discusses lawsuit against HCSO in Tampa teens death - WFLA

A Warren city councilman accused of chasing down and handcuffing a woman who put Black Lives Matter stickers on yard signs for then-President Donald Trump has pleaded no contest to a lesser offense.

Warren City Councilman Edward Kabacinski entered the plea Monday in 38th District Court in Eastpointe, the day his case was scheduled for a jury trial.

Charges were authorized against Kabacinski, 48, in October 2020. A charge of impersonating a public officer, a one-year misdemeanor, was reduced to disturbing the peace, according to court records. A 93-day misdemeanor assault and battery charge was dismissed.

Warren City Council Member Eddie Kabacinski faces off against a racial justice protester during a confrontation on Hoover Road in Warren, Saturday, Sept.19, 2020. Counterprotesters played blaring sounds out of speakers and hurled insults at protesters, who then crossed over Hoover Road and confronted counterprotesters. Pushing and shoving ensued, and shortly after, protesters returned to their side of Hoover Road.

Judge Kathleen Galen sentenced Kabacinski to 12 months of probation with conditions, including anger management classes and no similar conduct or assaultive behavior, in addition to $1,055 in fines and costs.

Kabacinski's attorney, Stephen Rabaut, said the plea was taken under a section of the Michigan criminal code that allows for a delayed sentence. If Kabacinski does what he is required to do, the charge can be dismissed. The judge said she would review the matter in six months, Rabaut said.

Mr. Kabacinski isnt happy about the resolution, did not want to enter a plea, but at the advice of counsel elected to enter the plea because he saw it was probably in his best interest," Rabaut said.

Kabacinski could not be immediately reached for comment.

Rabaut said delays in the case were primarily related to COVID-19 or trial scheduling.

Warren City Councilman Eddie Kabacinski

More:Warren councilman faces criminal charges for 'arresting' woman over Trump signs

More:Warren City Council president blasts councilman arrested after selling Trump merchandise

This is not the first time Kabacinski has had runs-in with police.

He has a motion hearing Sept. 26 on an unrelated case in 41A District Court in Shelby Township after he was arrested by Utica police on a misdemeanor ordinance violation in 2021 after he allegedly peddled political merchandise without a sales permit during a Trump rally.

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In October 2021, Warren City Council members passed a resolution 5-2 to censure him for his misuse of his position as a councilman and removed him from committee assignments days after they said he was arrested for refusing to wear a mask inside the TCF Center during a Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission meeting.

Warren City Council President Pat Green told the Free Press on Monday: "I'm glad the courts have resolved this, and I hope that the victims of his crime are satisfied with the court's rule."

City of Warren city council member Eddie Kabacinski looks over maps as he listens to The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission holds its first public hearing on Oct. 20, 2021, at the TCF Center in Detroit. The hearings are an effort to solicit input on the draft maps they've drawn.

In October 2020, Kabacinski was investigated for his actions while attending a Trump rally in Eastpointe. St. Clair Shores police said when they arrived at Stephens and Kelly they found a Trump rally attendee had handcuffed a woman. An officer immediately took the woman out of the handcuffs, according to a police report.

Police said the then-24-year-old Eastpointe woman was chased down and handcuffed byKabacinski after shestuck three Black Lives Matter stickers on the Trump signs that were placed along the boulevard. WhenKabacinski grabbed the woman, shesprayed him with Silly String, according to the report.

It stated Kabacinski handcuffed her with her hands to the rear and sat her next to him until police arrived.

Kabacinski told C&G Newspapers he detained the woman because she acted to "breach the peace" by putting a 5-by-8-inch Black Lives Matter sticker on a Trump-Pence sign. He claimed he is a former military police officer and federal law allows him to detain those who breach the peace or break the law.

The woman was not facing criminal charges.

Kabacinski, a first-term member of the nonpartisan Warren City Council, is a Trump supporter who donned a military gas mask during an April 2020 City Council meeting and complained about a loss of freedom because of actions Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took to control the spread of the coronavirus in the pandemic's early days.

In September 2020, he took heat after he stood with counterprotesters at a march to support a Black family who lived in his council district and was thrice the victim of attacks because they had a Black Lives Matter sign in their front window.

More:Warren man, father plead no contest in attacks against Black neighbors

More:Detroit senator, Trump supporters among candidates booted from primary election ballots

Kabacinski showed up at the marchin military attire with a gun on his hip and carrying a large Trump flag. He stood with counterprotesters who he said were there to show support for law enforcement.

In May of this year, Kabacinski was disqualified from running for state office by the Michigan Department of State because he did not pay outstanding fines or filed missing campaign finance reports at the time he filed an affidavit to run for office, violating state campaign finance law.

Last month, Kabacinski was in an accident on I-696 that he said he and his campaign manager concluded was a targeted attack by those associated with the Democratic Party because of his political views. Michigan State Police told the Macomb Daily there was no indication the accident was intentional. The other driver was speeding.

Kabacinski was wearing a neck brace and using a walker at the most recent City Council meeting Sept. 13, according to video of the meeting.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Warren councilman pleads in case of 'arresting' woman over Trump signs

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Here's the punishment for Warren councilman who handcuffed woman over BLM stickers - Yahoo News

If you are a fan of the highly accredited HBO drama Euphoria, you might have come across the recent Sydney Sweeney Blue Lives Matter controversy which has blown up across multiple social media platforms in the past few weeks.

TikToks For You pages and Twitters timelines have been flooded with memes, threads and other forms of social media discourse being fired up in reaction to an Instagram post that featured Sydney Sweeneywho plays Cassie in the HBO showat a family gathering in which a guest in the background of Sweeneys mothers 60th birthday party was wearing a Blue Lives Matter Shirt. Though this controversy stems from something as minuscule as a t-shirt in the background of an Instagram post, Sweeney needs to understand her influential role and be more careful of what is included in her posts in the future.

Though Sweeney had no intention of sparking controversy from the image, nowadays everything posted on the internet is open for public debate and discourse in the comment section. Criticism is to be expected for any form of media released to the public. The Blue Lives Matter flag was formed in counter-protest to the Black Lives Matter movement and has been adopted by right-wing extremist groups. It is completely warranted for viewers of the post to have a heated reaction to the inclusion of the Blue Lives Matter shirt. It is only natural for people to raise an eyebrow in response to seeing this symbol on Sweeneys Instagram.

Due to the rise of political discourse on TikTok in the past two years, there has been a rise of identity politics that coin symbols as right or left leaning, such as the Blue Lives Matter imagery becoming a symbol of the right, and the LGBTQIA+ flag standing as a symbol of the left. Identity politics is harmful because it lacks nuance; politics are not black and white. One can be supportive of both Democratic leaning and Republican leaning policies without owing total allegiance to one party.

TikTok makes it easy to block content you do not want to see by blocking creators and clicking on the not interested button, which will remove all related videos from your feed. Depending on what side of the political spectrum you lean towards, you can make it possible to only consume media from your desired party. This omits all opposing opinions and ideas, making it difficult to consume balanced media. With that said, it is crucial to be open to all forms of media so you can form an opinion on an issue for yourself.

Identity politics also lack an aspect of critical thinking skills and opinion building- voting just based on identity makes it difficult to call out and hold candidates accountable, especially if you have similar identities. However, due to the increasing polarization of American politics stemming from the Trump presidency, political discourse has shifted to black or white, which negates nuance and does not represent how people decide what policies and agendas are important to them.

Sweeney has not been very outspoken about her political views, and communities on the internet have already deemed her cancelable and demanded a response about the post. An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions, Sweeney tweeted.

Sweeney has since taken the photo down, but when one lives the life of a television star, everything you release into the world will be critiqued and picked at by internet users looking for any trace of something they can use against you.

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Does everything have to be a political statement? DU Clarion - DU Clarion

Evan Narcisse, Black Panther author and narrative design consultant with a resume that boasts hits like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and the War for Wakanda DLC for Marvels Avengers, continues to navigate the complex role race plays in the work hes brought onboard to do, especially when dealing with Black characters.

I do think theres an aspect of some of these outreach instances where people just assume that theres a kind of homogenized, monolithic Black experience that Im in touch with instinctually and can call on in a moments notice, Narcisse says. We talked about Du Bois work and the ways the phenomenon of double consciousness acted as a precursor to what we currently think of as intersectionality. We also talked about tokenism in the video game industry and how frequently Black creators, actors, developers, and the like are sought after to highlight a particular Black experience that ends up being treated with little variety.

We know that one of the things that makes video games unique is the ability to embody a character [and] control their actions, resulting in a feedback loop of self-identification that is really strong, Narcisse says over Zoom. He strives to follow one of his most important rules of character creation: Treat your character like a real person. Allowing diverse characters in the digital space to thrive, with depth and dimension, is one of the ways Narcisse grapples with identity, race, and belonging in video game narratives.

This understanding allows us to present Black characters as more than soldiers, thugs, or barely humanized weapons for the player to wield with impunity. Such representation allows players to empathize with fully realized characters in ways that potentially ask them to address their own implicit racial biases. Ozioma Akagha, whose voice acting chops span multiple iconic roles, like Shuri in Marvels What I ? series and Alyx Vance from Half-Life: Alyx, explains the importance of being able to see herself in a given role.

When I see roles like Julianna [Blake] in Deathloop and Hana [Cole] in Gears of War 5, Im likelook at this! We exist in this fantasy world. So I get excited about that, and I go for that. While the number of women in video games has steadily climbed over the past several years, the appearance of Black women in protagonist roles is still rare. The world kind of tells Black people what being Black is, but I like how in the roles Ive been blessed to have its a person going through a human experience in a human world, and thats what being Black is, she says.

Akagha isnt the only voice actor who appreciates the flexibility video games allow for the growth of Black characters. Noveen Crumbie, who starred as Nicole Olivia Wheaton in My Loft and Solari Sentinel in Legends of Runeterra, and who plays fan favorite Layla Ellison in Arkane Studios Austins upcoming vampire shooter Redfall, says her close relationship with her voiceover agent helps get her to the right roles. They email me specific roles they think Ill be right for, Crumbie says in a Zoom call. Lately I have been seeing auditions where itll state in specifications seeking primarily Black people for this role, which is really good to see. Now these clients out there are actually paying attention and seeking the right people for these roles.

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The Duality of Being Black in Gaming Spaces - WIRED

REVOLT BLACK NEWS Weekly aired on Friday (Sept. 16) to discuss the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi; the Black Lives Matter organization fallout; Tyler Perrys latest offering; and the 2022 Primetime Emmys. REVOLT Special Correspondent Segun Oduolowu hosted the episode, titled Black Community and the Jackson Water Crisis and the Cost of BLM. He was joined by Jackson State University student Mackenzie Williams, Vice President of Programs at the U.S. Water Alliance Renee Willette, BLM Grassroots lead attorney Walter Mosley Jr., One Love Global CEO Angela Waters Austin, and Mass Exodus Movement founder Quisha King.REVOLT Entertainment CorrespondentKennedy Rue McCullough also brought viewers the latest in celebrity news, during which she interviewed Tyler Perry about his film A Jazzmans Blues.

Oduolowu opened the show by discussingthe Jackson, Mississippi water crisis, during which more than 150,000 residents were left without clean running water and were placed under a boil water advisory for weeks. He then held a roundtable discussion with Williams and Willette to discuss who should be held accountable for failing to implement preventative measures. Williams told Oduolowu that while some people are blaming the Jackson City Council for the tragedy, it would be incorrect to do so. I am a citizen of Jackson, Ive lived here my entire life. Above the city council is our governor, and our governor isnt necessarily as empathetic with the city of Jackson when it comes to these types of social issues, she declared.

During the conversation, Willette stated that poor infrastructure played a key role in the Jackson water crisis. We havent invested in infrastructure or workforce in our country in about 45 years and thats a systemic problem across the country. The changing climate is making severe storms, flooding, and water quality issues even worse for communities across the country, she asserted. Unfortunately, this isnt a problem thats isolated to Jackson. I think were seeing the results and the tragedy in Jackson right now, but this is something that communities across the nation have to face and deal with.

Switching gears, Oduolowu turned his attention to a lawsuit that was filed against Black Lives Matter leader Shalomyah Bowers for allegedly misusing millions of donated funds for personal use. Delano Squires, contributor for Fearless with Jason Whitlock, expressed to REVOLT that throughout the years, BLM has misled members of the Black community. A lot of people sent their hard-earned money to BLM thinking that they were an organization that was sincere in the things they said they would do in terms of improving certain outcomes in the Black community. Clearly, in the last two years, thats proven to not be the case, he explained.

Oduolowu led a provocative exchange with Mosley, Austin and King about the history of BLM and allegations the organization has faced in recent years. Mosley told REVOLT the lawsuit alleges Bowers embezzled $10 million dollars from donated funds. He told Oduolowu that BLM Grassroots is currently investigating the ordeal. As our investigation proceeds, we find more instances of this malfeasance, of this self-dealing, of [these] insider payments to him and to his firm, he stated.

Austin told Oduolowu that she is not surprised Bowers and the BLM organization have denied any wrongdoing. I wouldnt expect a different response. Its rare that when people are in the wrong that they are willing to come forth with that. Ultimately, it is the history of the work of Black Lives Matter Grassroots that will stand for itself, she claimed.

King stated, It was obvious from the beginning that the BLM organization was not meant to help Black Americans. Im happy that they are being sued. But, I think that the whole premise of what the organization started off with, we were duped as American citizens and a lot of us saw that early on. This was a search for power. This was not a search for helping people, she voiced.

Later in the show, McCullough hosted her Entertainment Remix segment, during which she interviewed Tyler Perry about his latest film A Jazzmans Blues and what inspired him to write the screenplay. It was a literal rainy night in Georgia and I had just seen an August Wilson show, and I went to a little caf for the after-party. He was there and we had a chance to sit and talk and chat, and he told me just write what was in my heart. I went home and started writing Jazzman, Tyler Perry revealed.

McCullough also shared highlights of the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards, where Euphoria actress Zendaya made history by becoming the first Black woman to win an Emmy twice for Best Actress in a Drama Series. My greatest wish for Euphoria was that it could help heal people, said Zendaya during her award speech.

Sheryl Lee Ralph also made history at the awards show by becoming the second Black woman to win an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Abbott Elementary. Ralphs acceptance speech went viral as she boldly sang, Im an endangered species.

Watch a quick clip from this weeks episode up top. Plus, be sure to catch the next installment of REVOLT BLACK NEWS Weeklyon Friday, Sept. 23, 2022 at 5 p.m. ET on REVOLTs app.

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Tyler Perry wrote A Jazzmans Blues after chatting with legend August Wilson - REVOLT

Protesters carrying a Black Lives Matter flag march inside a fountain at Veterans Memorial Park following a march from the Grand Rapids Police Department.Photo: Daniel Shular (AP)

On Monday, a lawyer for one of two brothers who have been detained since June for felonies they apparently committed during the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol said his clients actions were comparable to those who participated in Black Lives Matter protests.

Adam Jackson, and his brother Brian Scott Jackson, face a slew of charges including: committing an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings, disorderly conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, civil disorder, resisting, assaulting or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon and physical violence.

Even though prosecutors allege that Adam Jackson threw an orange traffic cone at police guarding the entry to the building before charging at them while holding a stolen police riot shield, his lawyer Joseph McBride argued that somehow Black Lives Matter protesters were given a pass and seemingly didnt understand the difference.

How do you say youre a white supremacist without saying youre a white supremacist?

McBride stated:

No matter how you feel about Jan. 6, or no matter how anybody feels about George Floyd and that situation, there is some commonality there. Im referring to the fact that lots of people, when it came to the Black Lives Matter protests, participated in acts of violence, but they were largely given a pass. Why were the given a pass? Because society, the court system, the media recognizes that when those people left their front door, they left for political, constitutionally protected reasons.

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US District Judge Rudolph Contreras who is overseeing the case wasnt amused by McBrides comparison. The one violent Black Lives Matter protester that came to me went to prison, so some arguments are going to resonate more than others, he retorted.

However, a comparison simply cannot be made. Those who participated in storming the Capitol on January 6 took an unfathomably violent approach to desperately keep former president Donald Trumpa fascistin office. Because he glorified violence and increased militarization of homeland security agencies. Because he was instrumental in separating immigrant families by placing their children in cages. Because he relished in the belief that people of color are racially inferior.

Because he wasand isthe embodiment of white supremacy.

The people who took to the street in solidarity with BLM brought awareness to how we are the ones being shot and killed by police like clockwork (and were lucky if the officers responsible are punished for their crimes). They used their individual power to come together and try to save lives, not destroy them.

Studies have shown that in more than 93% of protests associated with Black Lives Matter over the course of 2020, those who participated were not violent or destructive. More than 2,400 locations documented peaceful protests, while fewer than 220 locations reported violent demonstrations.

In addition, 900 people have been charged in the January 6 insurrection, while 2020 BLM protests saw only around 300 people arrested. The mob who took it upon themselves to protect a second Trump presidency were heavily armed, stormed government property, attempted to detonate pipe bombs and assaulted nearly 150 officers.

They used sheer terror and quite frankly, whiteness, to be able to execute in such an abrasive and dangerous stunt. No, the insurrection is nothing like Black Lives Matter demonstrations. To entertain such an absurdly false equivalence wouldnt just make someone ignorantbut a bonafide racist as well.

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Only Racists Would Equate The Capitol Riot To Black Lives Matter Protests - The Root

The period between Barack Obamas inauguration as president and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S Capitol marked a pivotal time for Black Americans to gain dignity and the ability to fully participate in democracy.

These years were a time of reconstruction marking a struggle between those who support the advancement of Black people and those who dont.

Thats the argument of Peniel E. Joseph, a University of Texas at Austin professor of public affairs and history. His new book, The Third Reconstruction: Americas Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century, comes out in early September.

Josephs book, which combines personal memoir with historical research, is largely influenced by Black feminist thought, which reimagines U.S. democracy in a way that centers Black womens identity, politics and humanity.

In the book, Joseph identifies three periods of reconstruction in U.S. history times of racial violence, political divisions, cultural memories and narrative wars but also major political and racial progress.

The First Reconstruction occurred between 1865 and 1898, he argues. The Second Reconstruction was the civil rights era, which he says started with the Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954 and ended with Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination in 1968.

The Third Reconstruction was from the election of Barack Obama to the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, as well as the events that followed, such as the Jan. 6 riot.

In his book, Joseph analyzes the relationship between those he calls redemptionists and those he calls reconstructionists. Redemptionists, according to Joseph, advocate for white supremacy whether they actively voice it or not.

Reconstructionists advocate for a multiracial democracy that looks at society through an intersectional lens. Reconstructionists argue that, regardless of race, gender identity, sexuality or class, one can participate in democracy.

The son of Haitian immigrants, Joseph grew up with his single mother and brother in New York City. His childhood inspired his work, he said, and exposed him to the barriers Black people face. He saw Black people killed long before the BLM movement began, he said.

It was being around my mother whos a historian and a writer in her own right [and] a feminist and social justice advocate that I got introduced to all of this, he said.

His book recognizes Black female leaders such as journalist Ida B. Wells, activist Angela Davis and politician Stacey Abrams as pivotal figures in civil rights and social justice movements spanning the three periods of U.S. reconstruction.

Joseph said he was finally able to dig deeper into the influence of Black feminist thought because this was his first project that was a blend of history and memoir and cultural criticism.

Stacie McCormick, an associate professor of English at Texas Christian University, said its long overdue to discuss the role of Black feminism in social justice. They have often been the driving force behind encouraging people to support social justice movements, she said.

Black Lives Matter is one of the first movements where Black women were centered for their leadership, McCormick said. However, despite the advancements the BLM movement made, McCormick said there still needs to be more acknowledgement for Black women and girls who are killed by the police.

Joseph has been studying Black feminist thought and literature for about 30 years. He said with this new book, the Black feminist intersectional lens helped him understand how the BLM movement garnered so much support following the death of George Floyd in 2020.

Three Black women Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors started the BLM movement. In 2020, a diverse group of people built on what they started, and queer people, Black women, students and the formerly incarcerated helped lead the effort.

Social justice activism was not strictly for Black people Latino, white, indigenous, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders joined in.

I think Black people have always been the canary in the coal mine, Joseph said, but having other non-Black people join in solidarity of protests is important.

Joseph said writing the new book was cathartic and illuminating. Everyone is a student of history, he said, trying to process whats happening in their life and society by telling stories about themselves.

Some people want to run away from what I ran toward, he said. I think people will run away from history and might find it too painful or too angry. But I thought in 2020, what was interesting, is that so many people joined that effort.

Joseph is the founding director of UTs Center for the Study of Race and Democracy in the LBJ School of Public Affairs. He formerly taught at Tufts University. He has also published several other books, including The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. and the award-winning book Waiting Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America.

Lisa B. Thompson, a professor of African and African Diaspora Studies at UT Austin, has known Joseph for about a decade. She described him as an excited and deeply interested intellectual. Thompson said it was admirable for Joseph to publish a book about current events in a way that gives non-historians an opportunity to understand what is happening.

I think his way of framing these things helps us understand certain historic cycles, but also is very adamant about keeping our sense of hope about what can happen, she said. Its very inviting [and] comprehensive, and I dont believe hes talking down to people. Hes calling people in to have a conversation that we need to have.

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BLM movement explored in new book by UT Austin professor - The Dallas Morning News

Mohsin Hamids new book, The Last White Man, questions whiteness at a time when Black Lives Matter is delivering change, but it is surprisingly lightweight

Mohsin Hamids new book, The Last White Man, questions whiteness at a time when Black Lives Matter is delivering change, but it is surprisingly lightweight

One morning, Anders, a white man, woke up to find he had turned a deep and undeniable brown. Thats the opening sentence of Mohsin Hamids tale about race and difference. Anders never discovers how or why he changed colour. But it changes his life utterly.

Anders rings in sick rather than go to his job as a trainer in a fitness gym. His partner, Oona, a yoga teacher, tells him that he looks a different kind of person, utterly different. She is initially deeply uncomfortable at the idea of having sex with a dark man, even one she knows so well. Oonas mother is even more repulsed by the idea of intimacy across racial barriers, even though all that has changed is her daughters boyfriends skin tone.

The book cover

When Anders eventually ventures back to work, he believes other people, other white people, view him differently, less trustingly. He feels unsettled about the most basic of issues: who he is.

But he is not alone. More and more people suddenly, and without explanation, lose their whiteness. Some of the more fantasist websites and message groups promulgate wild conspiracy theories which given the absence of a conventional explanation find a ready audience.

Extremist militia groups take to the streets; law and order collapses; a race war looms. But as the transformation in peoples appearance becomes almost universal, a new normal takes hold. The idea of whiteness becomes little more than nostalgia for a lost era.

Against the odds, Hamids novel ends on an uplifting note pointing to the possibility of overcoming racial differences and relishing our shared humanity. Thats a comforting notion, however implausible it may be.

Author Mohsin Hamid| Photo Credit: Reuters

The novel is also about loss and grief and parenting. Anders terminally ill construction worker father is immediately and instinctively protective of his newly dark son. Oonas mother, in contrast, is caught up in right-wing conspiracy theories, though in time she too makes an accommodation with the new order.

The story is not dated or located, but it is clearly about the United States today shaped by Black Lives Matter and Americas continuing failure, even after electing a black president, to overcome racial fault lines. Mohsin Hamid divides his time between the US, the UK and Pakistan and is best known for the widely-acclaimed The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a novel set in Lahore and published 15 years ago.

Also read |Yes, well, Im terrified: Mohsin Hamid in conversation with Tishani Doshi

Once again, Hamid addresses in this novel one of the commanding global issues of our times demonstrating the ability of creative writing to encourage us to look afresh at ourselves. He talked in a recent interview with The Observer about how his new novel is rooted in his experience of being a Pakistani man in America in the aftermath of 9/11: This experience of loss, which the main character, Anders, has in my book, was something I felt very strongly at that moment. I went to elite universities, I lived in cosmopolitan cities. I wasnt white, but I was, you could say, white enough. And then after 9/11 all that changed. When things didnt go back to how they were it got me thinking: what is this thing white America that I used to have a probationary membership to?

Hamid addresses in this novel one of the commanding global issues of our times demonstrating the ability of creative writing to encourage us to look afresh at ourselves| Photo Credit: AFP

But The Last White Man is not of the same calibre as Hamids earlier work. It is topical but surprisingly lightweight. It is slender in all sorts of ways: not so much a novel as a novella, barely 40,000 words in length; short on the development of character; and all round, just a touch insipid.

Hamid purposefully avoids the word black. Those who change colour turn from white to dark. It seems they adopt new facial characteristics too, so this is not simply a darkening of skin colour but a racial transformation. However, that is not fully spelled out.

The Last White Man

Mohsin Hamid

Penguin Random House

599

The Last White Man has been written in the style of a fable, with a deliberately nave writing style, and an almost complete avoidance of speech marks. It speaks to centuries of white privilege; of building social status and identity on not being the other; of the deeply ingrained racism that continues to blight even the most economically advanced democracies. But it is a fable which is a reflection rather than offering a clear lesson.

The Black Lives Matter movement has achieved global resonance and has helped to deliver change. It has prompted a spate of books about race, most of them non-fiction, and many of more substance than this slim volume.

Andrew Whitehead is a former BBC India correspondent and a visiting professor at the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai.

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Review: Mohsin Hamids new book The Last White Man is just a touch insipid - The Hindu

OVER the past few years, the powerful Black Lives Matter movement has sprung up to protest police brutality against black people.

Thousands of Black Lives Matter protesters are set to take to the streets this week in response to the shocking death of George Floyd, who died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May 2020.

4

The civil rights group came about in response to extreme police brutality which culminated in the shooting dead of three African-American men in 2013.

Organisers say the movement's mission is to "eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities".

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Black Lives Matter regularly campaigns against institutional racism and violence towards black people, and speaks out against police brutality and racial inequality.

More than 1000 people were killed by police in the US in 2015, nearly a third of them black.

This is despite the fact that black people represent just 13 per cent of the population.

Against this background there was the fatal shootings of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana.

This sparked the Twitter slogan #blacklivesmatter.

Black Lives Matter was started seven years years ago in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

It began with a simple hashtag - #BlackLivesMatter - before people began taking to the streets to protest against inequality and violence.

The phrase had first been used in a Facebook post by Alicia Garza called 'A Love Letter to Black People' following Zimmerman's acquittal in 2013, before it was shared with the hashtag and a movement was borne online.

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The movement was founded by three community organisers and civil rights activists - Alica Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi.

The three women had first met through an organisation which trains community organisers.

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The Facebook post by Garza was picked up by Cullors, who shared the blog post online with the BLM hashtag, and supported by Tometi.

There are a number of different pages where people can donate and support Black Lives Matter.

AGoFundMe page for Floyd has already raised millions of dollars, while there is also the Minnesota Freedom Fund.

TheBail Project helps people post bail who cannot afford it, and all Black Lives Matter petitions can be found on the movement's website.

A Change.org petition isdemanding justice for Floyd.

See the original post:

What is Black Lives Matter and how did it start? - The US Sun

In the days since the FBI raided former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, many Trump supporters have pushed for the federal agency to be defunded. Black Lives Matter (BLM) has responded by insinuating such messaging is hypocritical given conservative backlash against calls made by progressive groups to defund the police.

One such instance came soon after Republican Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida threatened to give "not one more damn penny" to the FBI and other such agencies. BLM responded in a tweet to Gaetz that "you are corny AF. But we'll work with you to defund and dismantle the FBI. Welcome to #DefundThePolice."

For many people, BLM has become linked to the "defund the police" efforts. This happened after the groupwhich began as a grassroots, social justice movement but has also expanded into the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundationled protests around the world against police brutality. These protests grew in size and frequency in the wake of George Floyd's death in 2020, which is also when "defund the police" became a movement of its own.

On Thursday evening, BLM noted how Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Florida had also criticized the FBI. BLM tweeted out an illustration of a Black arm (labeled "abolitionists") joining hands with a white arm (with the phrase "Marjorie Taylor Greene's unhinged Twitter account" on it). "Defund the FBI" was written at the top.

"Y'all know that this is satire and we are WILDLY uninterested in partnering with her, right?" BLM wrote in a followup message. "We just thought it was funny how quickly they went from 'back the blue' to #DefundThePolice ..."

The BLM Twitter account also shared a tweet from conservative columnist Todd Starnes that read, "The FBI had been weaponized. Defund and Dismantle."

"Love this for us. Join us in our mission to divest federal resources from agencies like the FBI," the progressive group wrote in its caption above Starnes' message.

Similarly, after right-wing podcast host Liz Wheeler tweeted "Abolish the FBI," BLM shared her post with the comment: "Liz is an abolitionist girlie now."

BLM also retweeted various messages concerning the FBI's raid of Trump's estate, making it clear the group is by no means an ally of the former president.

Not everyone saw the same correlation between calls to defund the FBI and the movement to do the same with police departments. Investigative journalist Alex Rubinstein was among those who made the differentiation.

"Amazing to see so many braindead blue checks tweeting gotchas at Republicans for calling to defund the FBI, drawing false equivalencies between a federal domestic intelligence & law enforcement agency & local police departments," Rubinstein tweeted. "Yes, Republicans are hypocrites but this is dumb."

Newsweek has reached out to BLM for comment.

Read more here:

Black Lives Matter Calls Conservative Cry of 'Defund the FBI' Hypocritical - Newsweek