Later in his remarks, Trump said, “It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal. We have to take care of one thing: military protection. We have to guard the country.”

What Trump Calls “Day Care”

The “day care” that Trump was complaining about is Project Head Start—the early childhood federal program in the U.S. that promotes school readiness for children from low-income families from birth to age 5. Project Head Start was created in 1965 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty” to break the cycle of poverty by providing comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and social services to low-income preschool children, while engaging parents as partners. It aimed to prepare disadvantaged children for school and support families. The program serves over a million children annually across the nation. For fiscal year 2026, Head Start and Early Head Start are funded at $12.36 billion.

Trump calls it “day care.”   Reducing Head Start to “day care” is not just inaccurate—it diminishes its purpose.  Dr. Mary Palmer, retired director of the child care centers at Southwest Community College in Memphis, with 40 years of experience in childcare, states that programs caring for children, “it is not ‘day care’ but ‘child care’. We don’t take care of the ‘day’, we take care of the ‘child’.

The Cost of War vs. The Cost of Children

Based on estimates from early March 2026, the United States is spending approximately $1 billion a day on military operations against Iran. And the first six days of the war (beginning around Feb 28, 2026) were estimated to have cost over $11.3 billion in munitions and direct costs. In other words, one week of the war with Iran can pay for an entire year of Head Start. This contrast raises a stark question: what does the federal government consider essential?

Project 2025 and the Push to Eliminate Head Start

Perhaps Trump’s got the idea to eliminate “day care” from Project 2025.  Project 2025 has emerged as the guidebook, or the bible of Trump’s second term. The recommendation to eliminate the Head Start program is found in Chapter 14 of the Project 2025 Mandate for Leadership document, specifically on page 482. The text explicitly calls to “Eliminate the Head Start program” along with the entire Office of Head Start (OHS). The rationale given in Project 2025 for the elimination of Head Start is that it has “little or no long-term academic value for children.”  This statement is false.

According to research done by Economists Dr. Martha J Bailey of the University of California-Los Angeles, and Dr. Brenden Timpe of the University of Nebraska, “Project Head Start provides significant long-term academic and life benefits, particularly for disadvantaged children, by increasing high school graduation rates, boosting college enrollment and completion (up to 39% more likely), and increasing the likelihood of earning post-secondary degrees or certifications. It reduces grade retention and improves adult economic self-sufficiency, including higher employment rates and lower poverty.”

Bombs or Babies?

During the first day of the war, the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran, was bombed by the United States Armed Forces using a Tomahawk missile.  Over 150 people were killed, including at least 120 schoolgirls aged between 7 and 12, along with teachers and parents.

On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social that he will destroy the entire Iranian civilization. “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to ?happen, but it probably will.”  There are approximately 6 million children aged birth to 5 in Iran who are the age of children served by Head Start in the U.S. Trump threaten to kill all 6 million of them.

The Trump administration is now seeking a record-breaking $1.5 trillion in defense spending for the 2027 fiscal year to fund military operations, including the conflict with Iran, representing a massive 40% increase in military spending. Reports indicate an additional $200 billion in supplemental funding was initially requested for the Iran war. $200 billion could fund the Head Start program for more than 15 years.

A Question of National Priorities

It seems that we have an administration that appears to be more concerned about bombs than it is about babies. The contrast is difficult to ignore. On one hand, a domestic program that nurtures the development, health, and future opportunity of vulnerable children faces elimination. On the other hand, military expenditures continue to expand at historic levels. The issue is not simply about budgets—it is about values. What does it mean for a nation to claim it “can’t afford” early childhood investment while committing vast resources to war? At what point does prioritizing military strength come at the expense of human development? In the end, the debate comes down to a fundamental choice: Should national power be measured primarily by the strength of its weapons—or by the well-being of its children?

Staff Writer; Dr. Robert J. Walker

Thus, colorblindness is not only a medical problem; it is also a spiritual one. Why? God Himself created color diversity. You cannot believe that God is providential and also believe that color is accidental. (Note: In accordance with the Bible, I refer to God in masculine terms. I understand that not all faith traditions do so.)

Ignoring color runs counter to God’s self-evident intentions. He created humanity and allowed it to evolve into a wonderful spectrum of colors, shapes, sizes, and other attributes. Imagine someone saying, “I don’t see differences in people’s height.” Assuming that the person is sighted, you would wonder whether he or she was mentally stable.

Thus, when someone says, “I don’t see color,” they are (perhaps inadvertently) rebuking God for creating one of the defining characteristics of His divine design. Diversity is a key feature of all life, whether humans, animals, insects or plants. What if there were only one kind of vegetable?

Due to America’s legacy of racial segregation, I grew up in an essentially all-Black family, lived in an essentially all-Black neighborhood, attended essentially all-Black schools, and worshipped in a decidedly all-Black church. Then, when I was in sixth grade, a school desegregation order took effect in my area of town. Consequently, I was bused to the south side of Indianapolis.

That was a transformational experience. For the first time in my life, I was exposed to white people en masse. (Well, other than at the Indiana State Fair.) My life was richer for that experience, despite some extremely difficult racist incidents that my fellow Black students and I endured. I don’t recall a single person in those years saying, “I don’t see color.”

Further, unity in diversity is a central tenet of Christianity. To be genuinely Christ-Centered is to go beyond the lip service that often pervades the church. If Christ is at the center, diversity cannot be on the periphery. Acts 6 presents a biblical example of the spiritual importance of unity in diversity.

In seven verses Luke reveals a perfect example of embracing diversity that marries recognition and reconciliation. There was a religious/cultural dispute among early Christians who had converted from Judaism. The disciples intervened quickly to quell suspected discrimination. They acknowledged that not doing so would have hindered the preaching of the Gospel.

Thus, when people deride the “Social Gospel”, they’re deriding the clear message of Scripture. The truth is that there is no “Social” Gospel; there is only the Gospel. The Euangelion. The Good News.

Jesus admonishes us to love our neighbor in Matthew 22:39. The Greek word that Matthew uses for “neighbor” literally means “anybody other than you”. There is no way around that. This shouldn’t be surprising because of the circumstances surrounding His birth. Jesus was an undocumented immigrant who was born to an unwed teenaged mother. He understood, in the most personal way, what it meant to be an outsider.

And it’s not just Jesus. We often forget that God initiates this commandment in the Old Testament, telling us to love, to welcome, to take care of, and to protect immigrants and foreigners. God does so not once. Not three times. The Old Testament demands this of us more than 35 times!

Tragically, a large percentage of Americans disagree. That includes Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who has stated that our strength is not in our diversity; it is in our unity. In doing so, Hegseth is positing that unity and diversity are opposing concepts. They’re not.

Diversity is not the opposite of unity; the opposite of unity is disunity. Disunity breeds chaos, disorder and hatred. Being unified in purpose — as long as that purpose is right and moral — is a good thing.

The opposite of diversity is homogeneity. Sameness. Monolithism. Uniformity. How boring would our world be if everyone were just like me? (Well, not me; I’m pretty cool.) But how boring would the world be if everyone were exactly the same? What if there were just one kind of person?

Diversity divides us only when it is demonized. But embracing diversity brings us together. Thus, with all due respect to Secretary Hegseth, recognizing and celebrating diversity quite literally promotes unity. We will never become “one Nation, under God, indivisible” until there genuinely is “liberty and justice for all.”

If America is ever to be great fully, we cannot embrace diversity partially.

Written by Larry Smith

We face a myriad of problems in the U.S. and within the Black community.

One of the biggest problems facing America is that we have been “misdiagnosed” not only by our political leaders, but also by our governing institutions.

If you are misdiagnosed, you will be given the wrong prescription to cure the said problem.

Herein lies the problem in America and most pronounced within the Black community.

Allow me to go back to my Oral Roberts University roots to properly diagnose our illness.

I am reminded of my good buddy Daniel and our many conversations over the millennia.

In the fifth chapter of the book of Daniel it tells the story of the King of Babylon, Belshazzar and the hand writing on the wall.  Daniel was considered the wise man of the Kingdom who had the blessing of God upon his life.

No one was able to interpret the handwriting on the wall until the King summoned Daniel.

The king promised Daniel he would be third in line to the kingdom if he were able to interpret the handwriting on the wall.

In Daniel 5:25-27, “And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin…This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it…Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”

In a similar manner, liberalism has been on trial for the past fifty years in America and more specifically in the Black community.

Liberalism of the past fifty years has damaged America and has devastated the Black community!

Paraphrasing Daniel, liberalism has been tried and is finished.  It has been weighed in the balances and has been found wanting. And now the unfettered support of the Democrat Party by Blacks is slowly being stripped away from the radical liberal racist whites of America.

These radical liberal white racist have injected feminism into our Black women, homosexuality into our Black churches, and turned unfettered abortion into a perverse form of birth control.

Liberalism has further destroyed the Black community with non-performing schools, out of wedlock childbirth, and the total decimation of the entrepreneurial class with more government regulations, increased minimum wage, and out of control tax rates.

Democrats, like King Belshazzar, are incapable of reading the handwriting on the wall.

Democrats have had several recent versions of Daniel, ones who could properly interpret the handwriting on the wall for the party, but they have shunned them.

Pennsylvania senator, John Fetterman and political strategist James Carville have both been very critical of the Democrat Party being high jacked by the far left of their party.

During a recent hit on Fox News, Fetterman discussed why he voted to confirm new Homeland Security Secretary, Markwayne Mullin.  “I believe in a very secure border…We also agreed that we should deport all of the criminals. My friend Markwayne and I, we agree on that…The Democrat Party is motivated by Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS).”

Carville’s diagnosis of the Democrat Party is, “Constipated. Leaderless. Confused. A cracked-out clown car. Divided. These are the words I hear my fellow Democrats using to describe our party as of late. The truth is they’re not wrong: The Democratic Party is in shambles.”

Fetterman and Carville have both sounded the alarm to any and everyone in the Democrat Party who will listen.

They have rightly given the Democrat Party the right interpretation of the handwriting on the wall, to no avail!

Each have blown the horn on the radical leftward drift of their party.  According to them, Democrats continue to support radical open borders, radical homosexual and transexual policies, higher taxes, etc.

Radical liberal Black Democrats and their weak organizations are still bringing an analogue mentality to a digital political world.

Marching and singing We Shall Overcome was good for the sixties and seventies; but in the twenty first century, they are tired and worn out.

Calling white folks racists has lost its mojo.  Blaming the legacy of slavery and systemic racism no longer resonates with the American people.   Dying on the hill of DEI is no longer productive.

Slavery was and will always be America’s original sin; but no one alive today owned any slaves and whites are rightfully tired of being beaten across the head over something they had nothing to do with.

If you have a disagreement with those who support the elimination of DEI, calling them a racist is not going to make them open to hearing your point of view.

The reason I have been able to successfully navigate being in the Republican Party is that I have come to understand the Powell doctrine.

Former secretary of state, Colin Powell advocated and promoted the principle of constructive engagement.  He applied this principle not only to foreign policy, but also his approach to life.

Constructive engagement meant talking and building relationships with those you oppose and disagree with.

I am not always able to get Republicans to change their view on policies that I disagree with them on; but I have on many occasions been able to get them to moderate their views on some issues.  In many instances, getting someone to moderate on certain positions is just as good as a victory.

I challenge my readers, especially my Democrat readers to name me one issue Democrats have ever moderated on to bring Republicans towards their side.

To Democrats, you must move to their side or be called a racist; you must give up your moral values to prove that you are not a right-wing nut—like abortion; you must support homosexuality to prove you are inclusive.

You can not philosophically disagree with radical Black liberals and still be a good person.  You must give up your value system to prove you are a person of goodwill.

Liberalism has failed by any and all objective measures, so why Blacks continue fighting for more of the same is crazy to me.

Continuing to use a dial-up modem to access digital content is like asking Americans to give up their cars and go back to the horse and buggy days.  Not going to happen.

Blacks have not changed their approach to advocacy since the civil rights days.

We are living in a digital world with Black folks trying to solve problems with analogue solutions.

Staff Writer; Raynard Jackson

This talented brother is a Pulitzer Award nominated columnist and founder and chairman of Black Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF), a federally registered 527 Super PAC established to get more Blacks involved in the Republican Party. BAFBF focuses on the Black entrepreneur. For more information about BAFBF, visit www.bafbf.org. You can follow Raynard on Twitter; RealRaynardJ; on Gettr: RaynardJackson.

Can also drop him an email at; RaynardJ@ThyBlackMan.com.

The layoffs are part of a broader AI driven economic shift that is already reshaping who works, who advances, and who is left behind. And by every measurable indicator, African American workers are among the most exposed.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data show Black workers account for nearly 20% of clerical and administrative support roles despite being just 13% of the workforce. This matters because African Americans remain overrepresented in the exact job categories AI is replacing. Amazon diversity reports show Black employees make up a large share of fulfillment and support roles but less than 8% of technical positions.

Across many of Amazon’s core business units including warehousing, logistics, and transportation, Black workers are overrepresented by as much as 30–40% in certain metro areas, while remaining significantly underrepresented in software, data science, and AI engineering roles.

The economic consequences of such disparities are severe. The median Black household has $44,900 in wealth, compared to $285,000 for white households, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest Survey of Consumer Finances. And Black workers who experience layoffs take longer to find new jobs and face larger post-layoff wage penalties than white workers with similar credentials.

AI-driven displacement threatens to widen these gaps. A 2024 report from the National Bureau of Economic Research found workers displaced by automation experience earnings losses of 20–30% lasting more than a decade, with the steepest losses concentrated among Black workers without access to retraining or internal mobility.

Meanwhile, corporate investment in reskilling lags far behind automation spending. The World Economic Forum reports that while 60% of companies expect AI to eliminate roles, fewer than 25% have retraining pipelines tied to guaranteed job placement. Amazon’s own upskilling programs reach only a fraction of the workers most at risk.

Lawmakers should respond aggressively to reduce harm to Black workers. Maryland Governor Wes Moore, currently the nation’s only Black governor understands the threats AI can pose for African American workers.

In his recent State of the State address, Governor Moore pointed directly to artificial intelligence as one of the defining forces reshaping the economy, arguing that AI will determine who has access to opportunity in the next generation and who is left behind. Moore framed AI not simply as a technological breakthrough, but as a workforce challenge that demands intentional public investment, emphasizing that states must prepare workers for AI-driven change rather than react after jobs disappear. He stressed that innovation without inclusion will deepen inequality, and that the government has a responsibility to ensure emerging technologies expand opportunity rather than concentrate it.

Moore’s remarks underscore the stakes for Black America. If AI policy focuses only on productivity gains while ignoring who occupies the jobs being automated, displacement will fall hardest on Black communities already facing structural barriers to wealth and mobility. His call to align education, workforce development, and economic growth around emerging technologies underscores the need for targeted investment in institutions that serve Black workers at scale, particularly HBCUs.

HBCUs produce nearly 25% of Black STEM graduates despite receiving a fraction of the funding of predominantly white institutions, and they already serve as trusted on-ramps for first-generation and working-class students into high-demand fields. With targeted investment, HBCUs can rapidly expand programs in data analytics, machine learning, cybersecurity, cloud engineering, and applied AI.

HBCU partnerships can build paid apprenticeships, AI co-ops, and credential pathways that move Black workers from declining roles into growing ones, rather than leaving them to compete in an unequal labor market after displacement.

Every dollar invested in AI labs, faculty, research partnerships, and employer-linked training at HBCUs reduces the risk that Black workers will be permanently locked out of the next economy.

And we must remember that Black representation matters in AI. Currently, less than 5% of American AI professionals are Black. This lack of representation shapes which jobs are automated and which are protected. If African Americans are excluded from AI design, they will be disproportionately left out of its benefits.

Amazon’s layoffs are already history. The question now is whether our policy response moves as fast as the technology did or whether Black workers are still waiting for help when the next round of cuts comes.

Written by Kevin Harris & Richard McDaniel

Official website; https://x.com/MrRichMcDaniel

“In 1954 Charles C. Diggs Jr. would become only the fifth Black man elected to Congress since Reconstruction.”

For some Black readers, Diggs may be a name we’ve heard in passing—maybe connected to the Congressional Black Caucus, maybe tied to Detroit’s political history—but Orr brings him forward in full color. His is a name young people need to know when mentioning the contribution of Black people in government.  Diggs emerges as a trailblazer who understood early on that political power wasn’t just about holding office; it was about using that office to uplift the people who put you there. Orr shows how Diggs championed civil rights, fought for African nations gaining independence, and pushed for dignity and fairness at a time when Black voices in Congress were few and often dismissed. There’s a sense of pride in seeing how boldly he moved, how he refused to shrink himself, and how he insisted that Black issues were American issues.

However, Orr is honest with the reader, and does not erase the fall, and that’s where the book becomes even more compelling. Diggs’ legal troubles, the accusations, the conviction—Orr lays it all out without sensationalizing it. He invites readers to sit with the complexity. What does it mean when a leader who has done so much good becomes entangled in scandal? How do Black communities reconcile the brilliance of their heroes with their flaws? Orr doesn’t tell readers what to think; he simply presents the full story and allows the weight of it to settle naturally. Unlike some authors is not trying to sway the reader…he wants the reader to think for themselves.

“This book shows that Diggs strategically practiced a moderate politics that was quieter than the militant race politics practiced by Powell, more appealing than Dawson’s conservative Chicago-style approach, and often more effective than both.”

What makes this book resonate is how familiar the arc feels. Black leaders often walk a tightrope—expected to be exceptional, expected to be perfect, expected to carry entire communities on their backs while navigating systems built to undermine them. Diggs’ rise is inspiring, but his fall is a reminder of how unforgiving the political world can be, especially for Black public figures. Orr captures this tension with care, giving readers space to reflect on the pressures, expectations, and vulnerabilities that come with being “the first” or “the only.”

Orr’s writing is smooth and accessible, making the book feel less like a dense political biography and more like a long conversation about a man whose life mattered. It’s a relaxed read in tone, but not in substance. You walk away with a deeper understanding of Diggs, of Detroit, of Black political power, and of the complicated legacy that leaders leave behind.

For Black readers who appreciate stories that honor our history without flattening it, House of Diggs offers a thoughtful, balanced, and deeply engaging look at a man who shaped a movement, carried a community, and left behind a legacy worth examining with both pride and honesty.

House of Diggs by Marion Orr can be found at your local bookstore and anywhere books are sold.

Staff Writer; Christian Starr

May connect with this sister over at Facebook; C. Starr and also Twitter; MrzZeta.

Also via email at; CStarr@ThyBlackMan.com.

As cars come and go, the film explores themes like economic hardship, race, religion, and the pursuit of the American Dream, all with humor and satire. The episodic structure gives a snapshot of 1970s urban life, capturing both the frustrations and camaraderie of working-class people. More important to me besides fine azz Tracy Reed, it had Richard Pryor, Franklyn Ajaye, Bill Duke, Antonio Fargas, Garrett Morris, and Otis Sistrunk in the flick. But more meaningful was its iconic funk and soul soundtrack, produced by Norman Whitfield with Rose Royce. One song in particular to me that stood out was “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, a song by Rose Royce, released in 1976 on their Car Wash album.

When a cat says “put your money where your mouth is,” it has a simple meaning: It means back up what you’re saying with action or proof, especially by taking a risk, making a commitment, or showing you truly believe what you’re claiming. In short: Don’t just talk—prove it.

This puts into perspective what comes to my mind when Demokkkrats call the Save Act Jim Crow 2.0. It makes no sense to me for anyone to consider requiring that one is a U.S. citizen, and showing ID to vote, is anything close to Jim Crow laws or the black codes.

Jim Crow refers to a system of racial segregation and discrimination laws in the United States that enforced white supremacy, mainly in the South, from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s. The term comes from a racist 19th-century minstrel character called “Jim Crow,” which became shorthand for laws and customs that separated Black and white people.

Key features of Jim Crow laws included segregation (“separate but equal”), voting restrictions via tactics like poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation to prevent black Americans from voting, legal discrimination in the form of laws openly treating black citizens as inferior, and violence and intimidation. The U.S. Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson upheld segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine, giving Jim Crow laws legal backing.

Jim Crow began to collapse during the Civil Rights Movement, beginning with Brown v. Board of Education, which declared school segregation unconstitutional, followed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned segregation in public places, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

None of this is even problematic today, and if it was so dangerous a threat to the constitution, why don’t Democrats in Congress put their money where their mouth is, and stop taking a paycheck as long as the government is in shutdown mode?

This should be standard procedure; if the cybersecurity experts at the Department of Homeland Security, TSA agents, and Secret Service are not being paid, then why should they be? The truth is, they don’t experience any hardship; they are willing to handle the burdens faced by federal workers in these agencies. When they go to the airport, they don’t have to wait in line because security and law enforcement officers escort them to the front whenever they travel.

In my teen years, every Fourth of July, my neighborhood had a block party. One of the guests annually was Harold Ford Sr, his brother John, and their kids, one of whom was Harold Ford Jr. He would even swim in our backyard pool. The Fourth of July was a big thing back then. Junior eventually took his father’s place in Congress to represent Memphis.

While there, I recall that he once sponsored a Bill that would prevent members of Congress from receiving pay during a government shutdown. It was introduced after there had been two prior shutdowns due to a conflict between Clinton and Republicans led by Newt Gingrich over spending levels, Medicare, education, and balanced budget plans. His argument was simple: members of Congress should not receive pay during a government shutdown. In his view, which I found reasonable at the time, if Congress fails to pass a budget and the government shuts down, lawmakers should share the financial consequences. It aimed to create accountability and pressure Congress to avoid political gridlock.

However, the measure never made it to the floor for a vote. So here we are today, where politicians on one side of the aisle have a main concern for the rights of illegal aliens over the demands of U.S. citizens. This is all it is. Every time you look around, the progressive policy position is on the side of illegal immigrants. Whether it is Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland begging for the return of Salvadoran Kilmar Armando Ábrego García, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and state Attorney General Keith Ellison defending rampant fraud committed by naturalized Somali’s, or state officials refusing to share and clean voter rolls, illegal immigrants are defended to the hilt.

No one who is taking the position to keep the government closed should be paid. The true reason they complain so vehemently about DHS being at voting polls and the SAVE Act is that if enacted, the SAVE Act cuts off their path to cheat so that they will lose seats and, importantly, power. They don’t want the swamp to be drained, so they make excuses.

Hell, you need ID to drive, fly domestically or internationally, buy alcohol, cigarettes, open a bank account, cash a check, get a job, enter any federal building/courthouse, rent a car, and in some cases, to get a prescription. You can’t even buy cold medicine without an ID.

If you are too stupid to get the proper identification, then you shouldn’t be voting! The only supposedly American who can’t get their birth certificate that I know of is Barack Obama.

Why die on this hill, and who are they protecting? Is it the woman recently arrested for the murder of her lesbian lover in Charlotte, NC, Lhis Brito-Costa, 23, an illegal alien who killed her partner after finding out she was cheating on her with someone else, and then shoved her body in a closet and covered the entryway with towels? Is it Abdul Jalloh, the illegal immigrant arrested over 30 times, who stabbed a woman to death at a bus stop in Virginia, where Governor Abigail Spanberger has signed an executive order, terminating agreements between state law enforcement and ICE? Or are they the millions of illegals voting in California, where ID is not required to vote?

These are the people Democrats want in our country. Then there is the fact that a lot of blue-run states are giving illegals driver’s licenses, and paying the homeless 5$ for their voter registration. In Delaware, people with green cards are registered to vote. This shit has got to stop, and people need to be held accountable, because every illegal vote cancels out an American citizen’s vote.

Again, if you can’t be a responsible adult to minimally have your documents in order, with extremely low effort, then you have no business voting in this country. I can not believe we even have a big debate about this. But at the same time, I never thought we’d be debating what a man and a woman are.

The Democrats are literally saying that black Americans and women are too dumb to go to the health department or social security office websites and submit their personal information if for some reason they threw their marriage certificate in the trash or laminated their SS Card.

If I have to register to vote again, I have my birth certificate. I misplaced my birth certificate a few years ago, and I just ordered one online from the Shelby County clerk to get a copy. If you live too far from that county, you can order it online. If you can’t figure that out, then you’re not intelligent enough to vote.

We have to connect the dots. They depend on dirty voter rolls, ballot harvesting, and universal mail-in. This means we gotta vote in the primaries and November, we can’t allow the lefty loonies to take power again. If you stay home, you’re voting for a Democrat. Until then, we have to make these folks suffer, and stopping them from getting paid when no one elses is, would be a good start.

Staff Writer; Torrance T. Stephens

Can also purchase any of his books over at; Amazon – TTS Books.

Over the years, there has been an increase in the demand for skilled airline personnel. Many current pilots are reaching retirement age, so replacements are in high demand. Tuskegee has an opportunity to meet the need. The new aviation program prepares students for high-demand, high-paying careers in commercial, airline transport, and military aviation. Tuskegee graduates enter the workforce with both technical skills and a legacy of excellence, positioning them for success and upward mobility in the field. With the aviation industry facing pilot shortages and rising demand, pilots from Tuskegee are well-prepared to seize these and other career opportunities and achieve their professional goals across different aviation sectors.

The mission of the latest program at Tuskegee University’s Aviation Science Program is dedicated to cultivating the next generation of aviation professionals through innovative education, cutting-edge technology, and a commitment to excellence.  Rooted in the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, the program strives to foster diversity, leadership, and integrity within the aviation industry. The mission is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and ethical foundation necessary to excel in all facets of aviation, while empowering them to be pioneers in an ever-evolving global aerospace landscape. The program is committed to preparing graduates who will succeed professionally.  It will also inspire positive changes in their communities and beyond.  The goal is to become a leader in producing the next generation of aerospace professionals guiding innovation in our community and nation.

There was a time young Black people were extremely limited in the kinds of work they could expect to be involved. We then went through a period when new opportunities opened to them.  Each time I look at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) offerings, I am amazed by all the new subjects.  Students began having opportunities which my generation had never heard!  However, with a return to a lot of the racism we faced in the past under the current Administration, it’s important for our Historically Black Colleges and Universities to expand and provide offerings such as the one Tuskegee is offering.  Once trained, their students will be ready to meet new opportunities they can use not just in the United States but around the world.

Aviation is a field that allows them to open their own business not only as a pilot, but in other aspects of aviation.  They can be aircraft electrical mechanics or technicians. They can be aircraft engineers and much more. This would include design, maintenance and operation of aircraft. All of this is necessary to ensure safety and efficiency.  It includes applying scientific and technological principles to research, develop, and design aircraft and their components, as well as overseeing their maintenance and performance testing.  They don’t all have to be pilots once they go through aviation training.

In summary, there is potential to be involved in aircraft design, aircraft maintenance and avionics dealing with the electronic system of the aircraft. This training opens many new opportunities for those who are trained to open their own businesses not only as a pilot, but as a flight instructor, mechanic, aircraft designer, air traffic controller, aviation safety inspector, airport manager and more.  There are many benefits for participating in the Tuskegee Aviation Science program. For more information, call 334/727-8011.

Written by Julianne Malveaux

Official website; https://www.juliannemalveaux.com

There is a point, a space in time, somewhere above the clouds, but before the stars appear. Where the noise of our daily lives — drops away. And all that is left is a vast, empty, silent space where we are left with our own presence in that space. A silence that astronaut Victor J. Glover has seen 3,000 times as he resides above the Earth on the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly six months. And will again experience in March when he travels to the moon aboard the NASA Orion spacecraft for the Artemis mission.

A historic moment in space exploration is about to be reached. Astronaut Glover and his team are set to board the Artemis II spaceship. This will be the first time humans have visited the moon since the Apollo 17 mission over half a century ago. However, this is more than just about traveling in space or reaching a planet. It is also about the historic feat of the person who will set foot on the moon. Victor Glover, an astronaut in the Artemis II mission, is expected to become the first Black person in space to visit the moon. He will be followed by becoming the first Black man to walk on the moon in a subsequent mission of the Artemis program. Glover will have achieved two remarkable records in a relatively short period of time.

This is an exploration story for many, but for me, this is also a story of connection. Victor Glover and this writer share three things in common. Three values that define us as people and define the way we view the world. First, we are followers of Christ. Second, we are believers in science and technology. Third, we are members of the noble fraternity of Phi Beta Sigma. As I watch my brother ascend into space, I know that I would be witnessing something special happen. Not only will I be witnessing history being written, but I’ll be also watching him take our shared values to new heights in space.

Faith in the Cockpit

Glover says he is an “open” practicing Christian, affiliated with the Church of Christ. He prays before every flight he takes everything from an F/A-18 ride to launching a mission to the moon atop a rocket. His faith, he explains, is not an emergency generator; it is the foundation upon which everything else rests.

He has plainly said that his faith was the “money in the bank” that paid off in his military and scientific career. He was once asked about the old saying that there were no atheists in foxholes, and he agrees, but smiles and adds, “And there aren’t no atheists on top of a rocket either.” He goes on to add that his faith is deeper than just a last-minute prayer in an emergency. Rather, it is an attitude of humble submission to the unknown and wonder for the mysterious — and nowhere is that attitude more naturally at home than in the cosmos.

During his six months aboard the International Space Station, Glover took communion in orbit. In a photo posted on Twitter, Glover is shown floating near the ceiling of the International Space Station (ISS) receiving the elements of the Eucharist using pre-packaged wafer and cup. “It taught me that space didn’t make the Lord’s Supper any more special,” Glover tweeted later in the month. “The act was already sacred. Location is incidental. The promise is everything.”

“I should have known that before getting here,” he admitted. “But now I know that in my bones.”

Science and Scripture: A False Divide

Glover is a Navy test pilot, an engineer, and a 26-year veteran of the military. He has done spacewalks in the emptiness of space. He knows the equations. He also opens the Bible. And he has given considerable thought to why so many people feel that those two things cannot be mixed.

He waves away the supposed “war” between Genesis and physics with the air of someone who has been having this conversation for years. “Tell me what cosmology says about the origin of the universe,” he invites. The Big Bang—the explosion that scatters light and energy in space. The universe cools and grows dark. The first stars are ignited, and then heavy elements are formed into planets with atmospheres and oceans. “Now, read Genesis 1:1-19,” he invites. He’s simply pointing out the obvious coincidence between cosmology and Genesis.

The fact that the theoretical physics of the origin of the universe is confirmed, even supported, by the Bible and the Bible confirmed and supported by the findings of science doesn’t necessarily mean that there are two separate accounts of two separate events. As Glover puts it: “Two different languages describe one tremendous event.”

Glover is due to become the first black person to walk around the periphery of the moon in March of this year. An obvious reason why the moon is very special to him. It is estimated by scientists to be around 4.5 billion years old, which is a snapshot of the very early days of our solar system. Some religious people find this hard to reconcile with the Bible, but it doesn’t cause any issues for Glover. He said: “The power of the Gospel is not in a timeline. It’s in that message, in that promise.” He doesn’t need the universe to be young to be convinced that the universe is loved.

A Phi Beta Sigma Man Among the Stars

What NASA isn’t reporting is another side of Victor Glover that we in the fraternity need to acknowledge. Victor Glover is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated. Black Greek-letter organizations were founded in 1906 on the campus of Howard University, and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity was chartered at the Alpha chapter on January 9, 1914, on the principles of Brotherhood, Scholarship, and Service.

For millions of Sigma men worldwide, Glover’s accomplishments will evoke a very special feeling. Phi Beta Sigma fraternity was founded upon the creed of brotherhood, and brotherhood is not just a word – it is a promise, a solemn pledge, and an unbreakable bond of principles that transcend time and space, education and profession. Every Sigma man in the world will feel a very personal attachment to the Sigma brother who navigates in a space suit while orbiting the moon.

One aspect of Glover’s achievement is lost in the discussion of him being the first Black astronaut selected for a moon mission by NASA—although that aspect is certainly a part of his achievement. What is more important is the fact that for Glover, his love of Christ, his love of science and technology, and his love of Phi Beta Sigma have been blended into such a unique mixture that history will have to take note of him for the rest of time.

Three Pillars, One Launch

In March, the Orion capsule; Artemis II, that will take people to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years will at last leave the tower that supports it, rise up from the launch pad, break free of Earth’s gravitational pull, and take up into space. And Victor J. Glover will be at the controls of this rocket. He’ll be focusing, of course, on the mission plan, on navigation, and on a million and one details that he’s no doubt mastered during years of preparation. But he’ll most certainly be praying, as this writer will; for a safe journey for the entire crew.

And somewhere here, across the world, there will be millions of people who feel an irreplaceable connection to this man – loved ones, acquaintances, or strangers – watching profoundly because of his special place in their lives. And as the rocket carrying one of their number rises, ascends on a parabola, and disappears into the distance on its journey to the moon, millions of people will also be carrying a load. An invisible load that cannot be measured or assessed in any way. A load of faith, of identity, of brotherhood.

The heavens declare the glory of God, the Psalmist wrote. In March, a Sigma man — a Christian, an engineer, a pilot, a father — will go up to listen. And when he comes back down, he will report to the rest of us what he heard. Godspeed to Victor J. Glover!

Associate Editor; Stanley G. Buford

Feel free to connect with this brother via Twitter; Stanley G. and also facebook; http://www.facebook.com/sgbuford.

Also his email addy is; StanleyG@ThyBlackMan.com.

In addition, since the late 1890s, Black communities across the nation celebrated the birthday of Frederick Douglass. Negro History Week kept the tradition of commemorating two great men while reforming the celebration to include the study of a great race. Though Woodson admired both men, he had never been fond of celebrations held in their honor. Woodson believed that history was made by the people, not simply by great men. He envisioned the study and celebration of the Negro as a race, not simply as the producers of a great man. Woodson wanted the Black community to focus on the countless Black men and women who had contributed to the advancement of human civilization. Negro History Week, with the goal of raising racial pride and consciousness, ultimately became Black History Month. A dedication to honor the struggles and central contributions of Black Americans to U.S. history and culture. One individual who deserves recognition for continuing the legacy of our Black ancestors is Jefferson McClellan.

Jefferson McClellan is not a famous person, nor does he have a familiar name, but the 13-year-old from Prince William County, Virginia, is an American hero. He is a middle school student who used his personal heartbreaking experience as a teaching moment and valuable lesson to those within his community. McClellan experienced something that no person should ever have to experience.

The pain of racism is real and is no respecter of age. The 8^th-grader boldly confronted the racism he encountered by speaking truth to power, delivering an emotional speech publicly to members of his local school board. In his statement, he emphasized that racism was a serious problem in his school. He added that he had also been called a monkey and the N-word. McClellan stated, “These are racial slurs said directly to me by other students.” In his speech, he explained that he had previously reported the harassment, but nothing was done, and the abuse continued. Eventually, he took matters into his own hands and physically fought back after another student told him, “Shut up, N-word.” He was suspended for three days; the suspension was later reduced to one day.

In referencing the suspension, McClellan stated to the board members, “I’m here asking why when racism was directed at me, the response is slow or silent, but when I react to it, the response is immediate and clear.” He continued, “I’m not asking for special treatment, I’m asking you to stop allowing people to hurt me.” Unfortunately, Jefferson McClellan is a teenager who has experienced the same dark and ugly side of America experienced by his ancestors. The hurt, the pain, and the humiliation he describes as an 8^th-grade student are the same as those that past leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson, and John Lewis fought against. They fought against this during their era, so that McClellan’s generation would not have to feel the pain and abuse as much. Racism persists when it is passed from generation to generation. The abuse McClellan is receiving comes at the hands of other 8^th graders his age. McClellan’s story highlights how racism is embedded in certain households when passed down from the parent to the child. The child then becomes a terror to boys and girls like Jefferson McClellan.

McClellan turned what may have been intended as a typical school board meeting into a classroom for Black history. “It’s sad, it’s hurtful and disrespectful that I have to deal with this from middle school to grown-up age; it’s not going to stop,” McClellan said. “If it does stop, that’s a miracle. The world we live in is not going to stop because people can say and do whatever they want without consequences.” The source of racism, in the case of Jefferson McClellan, came from the schoolhouse. In the cases of Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland and former President Barack Obama, the racism came directly from the White House. Recently, President Trump posted a video to his Truth Social account that contained an image depicting President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. Gov. Moore was also the target of racism from the President, as he was uninvited to this year’s National Governors Association dinner. As the nation’s only sitting Black governor, he was singled out for exclusion, as was Colorado’s Gov. Jared Polis. Polis is the first openly gay and first same-sex marriage governor in the U.S.

Jefferson McClellan said he was hurt but wanted to speak up so that no other student would have to experience what he did. For that reason, he is a changemaker worthy of recognition during Black History Month. Our nation needs more young people like him who are willing to take a stand and make a conscious and courageous decision to make the world a better place for everyone.

Written by David W. Marshall

Official website; https://davidwmarshallauthor.com/

One may purchase his book, which is titled; God Bless Our Divided America: Unity, Politics and History from a Biblical Perspective.

Dr. Woodson, who received his Ph.D. in history from Harvard, was a well-placed educator who had served as a teacher, school principal, and professor and dean at Howard University and West Virginia State College. Thus, he had participated on the various levels of education as teacher, administrator and critical observer and had gained intimate and extensive knowledge of how the educational system disadvantaged Black people through what he termed mis-education. There are several critical elements in Woodson’s concept of mis-education and his envisioning an emancipatory education.

First, Dr. Woodson argues for what we called in the 60’s a relevant education and after Molefi Asante, an Afrocentric education, one rooted in the historical, social and overall cultural reality of Black people. And he found the misreading, falsification and manipulation of history a core practice and cause of the mis-education of Black people. Thus, he says at the outset, “only by careful study of the (African American) himself and the life he is forced to lead can we arrive at the proper procedure in this crisis”, i.e., the mis-education of Black people and the socio-economic and political disadvantages this imposes, aggravating the condition of oppression.

Secondly, Woodson places the process of enabling the self-determination in thought and practice of the student at the heart of the educational enterprise. Therefore, he states that “the mere imparting of information is not education. Above all things, the effort must result in making a man think for himself and do for himself”. For Woodson, this emphasis on cultivating in students an enhanced agency, i.e., the will to think and act in a self-determined way, is not for frivolous, selfish or self-enslaving ways. On the contrary, it must be an emancipatory education, one that is both a promise and practice of freedom. Thus, he says, “the only question which concerns us here is whether these ‘educated’ persons are actually equipped to face the ordeal before them or unconsciously contribute to their own undoing by perpetuating the regime of the oppressor”.

Moreover, Nana Woodson contends that the educational system is undergirded by and duplicates a philosophy and “ethics” which justify and facilitate White domination through a racist protocol of disabling and controlling the minds, and therefore, the person and actions of Black people. As he says, in perhaps his most quoted passage, “when you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his proper place and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary”. What is produced here, Dr. Woodson argues, is an “enslaved mind” which is derivative and disadvantaging rather than original and enabling. Such a mis-educated Black intellectual becomes “a hopeless liability to the race”, little more than a duplicate descendent of the original White mis-educator.

Dr. Woodson also places great emphasis on service to the masses and education as a vital power and process for such service. He tells us we should not adopt class attitudes and behavior based on acquisition of a university education. On the contrary, he says, we “should redefine higher education as a preparation to think and work out a program to serve the lowly rather than live as an aristocrat”. Here he argues for “translating the idea of leadership into service”, i.e., developing a concept of leadership which is defined by and embodied in the ancient African virtue of service to the people, especially the most vulnerable among us.

To rightfully serve the people, Nana Woodson stresses repeatedly the practice of education as a process of emancipation and empowerment that leads to progressive and continuous development. “The education of any people must begin with the people themselves”, he states. Indeed, “History does not furnish a case of the elevation of a people by ignoring the thoughts and aspirations of the people”. This requires, he maintains, understanding their historical back-ground and current condition, and developing an educational program and practice which teaches their real history, frees their minds and empowers them in their struggle for a liberated life and decent living.

Finish story here; Remembering and Re-Reading Woodson: Envisioning An Emancipatory Education.