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

Harriot isn’t interested in repeating the often inaccurate stories many of us were fed in school. Instead, he digs into the parts of Black history that textbooks either botch or twist into something unrecognizable. But what makes the book stand out is the way he does it. He writes with a rhythm that feels familiar, like he’s talking directly to us, not at us. He’s not talking to the majority in this country…he’s talking to us. The jokes land because they’re rooted in shared experience, and the truths hit even harder because they’re framed in a voice that feels like our family.

“In this book, the country we know as the United States is just a parcel of land that was stolen and repurposed as a settler state using European logic and the laws of white supremacy. This book is a story about a strong-arm robbery. It is about family and friends trying to recover what was stolen. It is the testimony, and the verdict that a jury of our peers has never heard.”

The book moves through major eras of Black life in America—enslavement, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement—but Harriot refuses to let these moments be reduced to suffering alone. He highlights the brilliance, strategy, and joy that have always been part of our story. He reminds us that Black people weren’t just surviving; we were shaping the country at every turn, often in ways the mainstream narrative conveniently forgets.

What’s wonderful is how Harriot blends humor with scholarship. He’ll crack a joke that makes you laugh out loud, then follow it with a historical fact so wild you must pause and reread it. That balance keeps the book from ever feeling heavy, even when the subject matter is. It’s the kind of storytelling that makes you want to pass the book around to your cousins, your friends, your group chat—because it sparks conversation, and sometimes a little righteous anger, but always with a wink.

“Still, I can’t think of a single incidence where liberty has been achieved through gradual means, nor can I point to a single example of white people saying, “You know what? I think I’m gonna stop oppressing you.” Perhaps the first step toward liberation begins with the dismantling of the idea that freedom is something that white people can give someone. Just sayin’.”

For Black readers, especially, the book feels like a reclamation. Harriot writes with the assumption that we’re in on the joke, that we understand the cultural shorthand, that we don’t need our history softened or translated. There’s something powerful about that. It’s a reminder that our stories don’t need to be filtered through anyone else’s lens to be valid or valuable.

By the time you finish, you feel both entertained and informed, but also affirmed. Harriot gives us permission to laugh at the absurdity of America’s contradictions while still honoring the resilience and brilliance of our people. Black AF History isn’t just a retelling of the past—it’s a reminder of how much agency, creativity, and power Black folks have always had, even when the world tried to pretend otherwise.

It’s a relaxed, engaging read that manages to be both fun and deeply meaningful. If you want history that speaks your language, challenges the usual narratives, and keeps you laughing while you learn, this one delivers. It’s a book every Black person must read.

Black AF History by Michael Harriet 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.

Bree Matthews, the heart of the story, steps onto the campus of UNC–Chapel Hill carrying a grief that’s still raw from the sudden loss of her mother. Deonn doesn’t rush her through that pain or try to tidy it up. Instead, she lets Bree move through it the way many of us have had to—messily, angrily, quietly, and with a determination that comes from not knowing what else to do. That emotional honesty is one of the book’s strongest themes. Bree feels like a real Black girl navigating a world that expects her to shrink, soften, or stay silent, and she refuses to do any of the above. The book combines fantasy and reality perfectly.

“The most important thing you can do in this world, the most necessary thing, is to survive it. You can’t do anything for anyone else if you don’t take care of yourself first.”

When the magic enters the picture, it doesn’t feel like an escape from reality, it feels like an extension of it. The secret society Bree encounters is steeped in old, inherited whiteness, full of tradition and gatekeeping. Watching her push into that space, question it, and ultimately challenge its foundations hits differently when you understand what it means to walk into institutions that weren’t built with you in mind. Deonn doesn’t shy away from showing the microaggressions, the assumptions, the subtle ways Bree is underestimated. But she also shows Bree’s brilliance, her intuition, and the power she carries from her lineage.

And that lineage—rooted in African American ancestral magic—is where the book truly shines. Deonn treats ancestry not as a distant idea but as something living and present. The Root magic tied to Bree’s family feels like a tribute to Black Southern traditions, to the strength of our elders, to the idea that our people walk with us even when we can’t see them. For Black readers, that connection feels intimate and grounding. It’s a reminder that our history is not a burden but a source of power.

“Growing up Black in the South, it’s pretty common to find yourself in old places that just… weren’t made for you. Maybe it’s a building, a historic district, or a street. Some space that was originally built for white people and white people only, and you just have to hold that knowledge while going about your business.”

Even with all the action, secrets, and supernatural twists, the story never loses sight of Bree’s emotional journey. Her grief is not a side plot—it’s woven into every choice she makes. Her Blackness is not an obstacle—it’s a source of clarity and strength. Her voice is not muted, it’s amplified.

Deonn’s writing is smooth and immersive, making it easy to fall into the world she’s built. Bree is allowed to be complicated, vulnerable, stubborn, brilliant, and brave. She’s allowed to take up space. She’s allowed to be the hero.

For Black readers who love fantasy but rarely see themselves at the center of it, Legendborn is a breath of fresh air. It’s a story about magic, yes, but also about identity, inheritance, and the courage it takes to claim your place in a world that wasn’t designed for you. Deonn doesn’t just give us a heroine—she gives us a mirror, a reminder, and a spark.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn 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.

One began as a joke currency featuring a Shiba Inu meme. The other transformed the idea of digital art ownership into a multibillion-dollar phenomenon. And now, the worlds of Dogecoin and NFTs are slowly colliding—with some fascinating possibilities for meme lovers, collectors, and crypto enthusiasts.

Dogecoin was never created with NFTs in mind. Back in 2013, there was no ERC-721 standard, no Bored Apes, and certainly no multimillion-dollar JPEG sales. Dogecoin’s purpose was to be a fun, light-hearted currency for tipping and micro-transactions. But over the years, the crypto space evolved, and NFTs emerged as a powerful tool for creators to monetize art and memes, often embracing the same playful, internet-native humor that made DOGE famous in the first place.

The meme culture that fuels Dogecoin is the same energy that gave rise to meme NFTs. In fact, one of the most iconic NFT sales of all time was none other than the original Doge meme image, which sold for a jaw-dropping $4 million in 2021. That sale alone proved that the DOGE community and the NFT world share not just interests but roots. Both celebrate internet culture, viral content, and decentralization in their own quirky ways.

Technically speaking, Dogecoin and NFTs exist on different blockchains, which has historically created a gap between them. Most NFTs live on Ethereum or other smart contract platforms, while Dogecoin runs on its own proof-of-work blockchain. That said, the crypto community loves a challenge—and a growing number of developers are building bridges to make DOGE-compatible NFTs possible.

Projects like DogeLabs and DogeNFT are experimenting with wrapping Dogecoin so it can be used in smart contracts or even minting NFTs that are directly related to DOGE culture. These early experiments open the door to a future where owning a piece of Dogecoin history—like rare memes, gifs, or community moments—could be tokenized, traded, and stored as NFTs.

One exciting trend is the merging of DOGE-based tipping with NFT rewards. Imagine tipping your favorite meme creator in Dogecoin and receiving a limited-edition NFT as a thank-you. Or attending a Dogecoin-themed virtual event and collecting commemorative NFTs that mark your attendance. These are more than gimmicks—they’re ways to build loyalty and identity within the Dogecoin ecosystem.

There’s also potential for meme-based NFT games and virtual worlds to incorporate Dogecoin as a native currency. In these gamified spaces, users could earn DOGE through gameplay and spend it on in-game NFT assets, blending financial utility with digital collectibles. It’s a vision that aligns perfectly with the playful spirit of both communities.

From a market perspective, Dogecoin’s low transaction fees make it an appealing option for small NFT transactions. While Ethereum users often complain about high gas costs when minting or transferring NFTs, DOGE offers a lightweight alternative that could support a more casual, everyday NFT market. This kind of ecosystem could be perfect for digital sticker packs, badges, or community art drops.

Still, challenges remain. Without native smart contract support, Dogecoin relies on wrapped tokens and external platforms to connect with the NFT world. These solutions are still in development and haven’t reached mass adoption. For Dogecoin NFTs to truly take off, the community would need to embrace more DeFi and dApp innovation—something Dogecoin’s core developers have historically approached cautiously.

In the end, though, Dogecoin and NFTs share more than just internet fame. They represent new ways for people to interact with value, humor, and ownership online. Whether through art, memes, or experimental token models, DOGE has a natural place in the NFT space. It’s not just about speculation—it’s about culture, community, and creativity.

So is this a match made in meme heaven? The answer might not be written in the stars, but it’s certainly scribbled across Reddit threads, Discord channels, and the hearts of crypto users who believe that fun and finance can coexist. If Dogecoin and NFTs continue down this path, the result could be one of the most entertaining—and unexpectedly powerful—collaborations in the digital economy.

Staff Writer; Mark Brown

“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.

The subjective and somewhat mythical title of “face of the league” is based on a number of factors. The first is the player’s talent as they have to be among the best at their sport at that particular period of time. The professional sports league must also market that athlete through commercials and ads which show the athlete’s charisma, and it is also important that the athlete who is the “face of the league” shows leadership qualities to not shy away from the spotlight placed on them. In sports history, it is easy to name some of the recognizable “faces of the league” in different sports like Michael Jordan and LeBron James in the NBA, Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby of the NHL, and Ken Griffey Jr. in Major League Baseball. It could be said that it is as important for women’s professional sports leagues to have a “face of a league” to draw more casual fans and continue to develop the interest around women’s sports.

While the WNBA has continued to grow in popularity in the recent years, some of that can be attributed to a new “face” of the league, Caitlyn Clark. Clark isn’t the best player in the WNBA, as that would be A’ja Wilson, but she is the most recognizable name and face of the league due to numerous factors. Trinity Rodman had a built-in factor that makes her a compelling sports figure due to her last name. As the daughter of Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, she has now made her own legacy separate from her father, whom she has had a very rocky relationship with. At just 23 years old, Rodman’s skills, flair on the soccer field, and age made her so important to the NWSL that the instituted new league clause to give their teams a better chance to retain U.S. soccer stars from leaving to play in alternative soccer leagues overseas.

Soccer is the global game so while Trinity Rodman is talented she is not the best women’s soccer player in the world. She ranked 37th of ESPN’s top 50 women’s soccer players in the world and among the best U.S. soccer players. Rodman has battled injuries at times in her young career but the NWSL is putting all their hope that she can draw casual sports fans and keep diehard soccer fans glued to the league as their “face of the league”.

Staff Writer; Mark Hines

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

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “public relations” as “the business of inducing the public to have understanding for and goodwill toward a person, firm, or institution”. The NFL has made several quality public relations moves over the past two decades including moving the NFL Draft to a different NFL city every year and upgrading kickoff returns in game. However, the NFL recently winning its grievance to stop NFL Players Association Report Cards can be viewed a public relations negative in multiple ways. Last month, an arbitrator found in favor of effectively banning the union from publishing future player report cards and that the report cards violated the collective bargaining agreement by “disparaging NFL clubs and individuals.”

The annual NFLPA report cards issue letter grades in areas such as player amenities, travel accommodations, coaching and ownership. They also focus on how NFL players’ families are treated including family meeting areas pregame and postgame and they matter a lot to NFL players. Every year when they are published, there are NFL organizations that are lauded for their overall amenities and treatment of players and their families while there are other NFL organizations that receive negative attention for being subpar in comparison to other NFL organizations. Having those important factors publicized forces NFL organizations to keep up if they are lacking in areas and improves things overall for all NFL players and NFL organizations, i.e. owners, wanting no publicity about some of the more daily aspects of their organization can be viewed as negative PR.

Over the last 20 years, the NFL is aiming to stop the NFL Players Association’s annual report cards grading each of the 32 franchises can be viewed among the three worst PR moves by the NFL on the last 20 years. Here are the three worst PR decisions by the NFL of the last 20 years (from fifth worst to the worst):

3. NFL wins grievance to halt NFLPA’s public release of team report cards-Not wanting the NFL players to grade the positives and negatives of NFL organizations for public release is not the best look for NFL team owners or NFL organizations.

2. Roger Goodell’s mea culpa on video to Colin Kaepernick-Back in 2020, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell publicly said he wished the league had “listened earlier” to polarizing former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, known for protesting during Star-Spangled banner in 2016. Kaepernick never played in the NFL again after 2016.

1. 2012 “Fail Mary” NFL game-The importance of actual NFL referees was emphasized in 2012 when a last second Hail Mary throw by Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson was first grabbed by Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings. Jennings was able to pin the ball to his body as he fell to the ground and landed on top of Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate. Tate tried to wrestle the ball away, and his efforts led to confusion among the refs. After several minutes of replay review, the NFL replacement refs ruled it was shared possession and a touchdown for the Seahawks. The call was universally considered to be wrong and the call was a major reason that two days later, an agreement was reached to end the referees’ lockout.

Staff Writer; Mark Hines