He darn sure wasn’t white

174 years ago, in 1852, Frederick Douglass asked the question, “What to the slave is the Fourth of July.” Here was the answer they gave four years later in Yazoo City, Mississippi, where my grandmother was born in 1902.

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On July 4, 1776, while white America celebrated its declaration of independence, approximately 500,000 enslaved Africans and their descendants remained in chains in the thirteen colonies. They made up roughly 20% of the colonial population of 2.5 million people, human beings denied the very liberty proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence. 📹Press play and let the song speak truth. For my ancestors, there was no freedom to celebrate. There was no liberty. There was no justice. There was no equality. They were bought, sold, raped, whipped, branded, exploited, and treated as property while a nation declared that “all men are created equal.” Today, there is a determined effort to sanitize that history, to pretend slavery was merely an unfortunate chapter, that enslavers were simply “men of their time,” and that the brutality of chattel slavery should be viewed through a softer lens. No. There is nothing ordinary about owning another human being. There is nothing admirable about building wealth and a nation on stolen labor, stolen lives, and stolen futures. We do not celebrate July 4 because we were not free. Independence Day was not independence for Black people. Our ancestors remained enslaved for nearly another century. Then came Black Codes, Jim Crow, racial terror lynchings, legalized segregation, disenfranchisement, redlining, mass incarceration, and the ongoing struggle to be recognized as fully human. Our fight for freedom did not end in 1776, or even in 1865. In many ways, it continues today. That is why Frederick Douglass asked, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” His question still confronts America’s conscience. So today I ask another question: What to Black people today is the Fourth of July? Until liberty, justice, and equality are more than promises on paper, it remains a day that reminds us not only of America’s stated founding ideals, but of America’s unfinished work to actualize them 250 years later. #IndependenceDay #4thOfJuly #America250

Ted Nugent tells his followers, “Never hate to tell the truth,” then shares Tyrus’ claim that Black people are the most racist group in America. Martin Luther King Jr., who actually confronted America’s racial reality with courage, said the vast majority of White Americans were racist, consciously or unconsciously. One man spent his life challenging the system that enforced segregation, lynching, voter suppression, and discrimination. The other amplifies rhetoric that blames the victims of that history. History will always force a choice: Who has earned the credibility to speak on America’s racial condition—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., or Tyrus? I’ll take the judgment of the man who confronted racism with truth, sacrifice, and his life over a television personality whose commentary flatters the prejudices of those who never wanted to hear King’s message in the first place.

Read my latest ‘Selling Out the Struggle’ Link (medium.com/@TalbertSwan/sell…) There is an old saying that every person has a price. History has repeatedly shown that, for some, all it takes is the right check. The latest reports that 50 Cent is set to perform at Donald Trump Jr.’s exclusive Executive Branch club, following appearances by Busta Rhymes, Ja Rule, and Timbaland, are not just entertainment news. They are another reminder that too many Black celebrities are willing to monetize their influence while their own people are under attack. Predictably, the excuses have already started. “It’s just business.” “They’re entertainers.” “They’re getting paid.” “Mind your business.” No. This is our business. When a government and a political movement are dismantling civil rights protections, attacking diversity initiatives, erasing Black history, weakening voting rights, targeting affirmative action, and advancing policies that disproportionately harm Black communities, the question is no longer whether an entertainer has the right to cash a check. The question is what price they are willing to put on their conscience.

Let’s talk about contact to the neck. A hard basketball play involving Alyssa Thomas and Caitlin Clark has been turned into proof, amongst maga’s kaitlyn klark klan, that Black women are “targeting” a white player. Never mind that basketball is a physical game, the league reviewed the play, and imposed its discipline. Here’s the hypocrisy. The same people screaming about a foul on Caitlin Clark had no such moral outrage when Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes until he killed him. They defended the officer. They questioned the victim. They justified the violence. Apparently, a split-second basketball collision is an unforgivable assault, but a man dying under the knee of a police officer was somehow acceptable. That contradiction tells us everything. If your compassion only appears when the person on the receiving end is white, while your empathy disappears when the victim is Black, your outrage isn’t about justice. It’s about whose humanity you choose to recognize. Basketball is physical. Racism is deadly. Know the difference.

MAGA has once again found a way to turn basketball into racial grievance. Black women are not “targeting” Caitlin Clark. They’re competing. The WNBA has always been a physical league. Hard fouls, tough defense, and intense rivalries aren’t evidence of targeting based on race, they’re evidence of elite competition. And let’s stop pretending Caitlin Clark is somehow unquestionably the best player in the league. She’s an exceptional talent with a bright future, but the WNBA didn’t begin when she arrived. A’ja Wilson is hands down the best and most dominant player in the game today. And there are other Black players whose resumes, accomplishments, and overall impact surpass Clark’s. What we’re witnessing isn’t an honest discussion about basketball. It’s the same old “Great White Hope” narrative that has been recycled for generations, elevating a white athlete by portraying Black excellence as jealousy, hostility, or resentment. Celebrate Caitlin Clark’s talent, but don’t manufacture a racist narrative that demonizes Black women simply because they refuse to treat her differently than every other player on the court. It’s basketball, not a MAGA culture war.

Everybody with a phone and a social media account thinks they’re an activist today! x.com/i/spaces/1pKdRRmAeqYJW

Make it make sense

MAGA seeing no problem with dehumanizing a brilliant, accomplished Black woman affirms the mephistophelian nature of the ungodly, immoral fiends that are part of it and the vile demagogue that leads it.

Trump’s obsession with the Obamas has never been political. It has always been personal, racial, and ugly. First, he spent years pushing the racist birther conspiracy against President Obama. Then he shared content depicting the Obamas as apes. Recently, a fighter stood in the White House and referred to Michelle Obama as a man, and the White House said nothing. Now Trump is publicly referring to Barack Obama as a “stupid son of a bitch.” The pattern is impossible to ignore. MAGA’s problem has never been that Barack and Michelle Obama failed. Their problem is that the Obamas succeeded. They cannot stand the fact that a brilliant Black man became President of the United States and that a brilliant, accomplished Black woman became one of the most admired First Ladies in American history. So they resort to what racists have always resorted to: dehumanization. They question Barack Obama’s legitimacy. They question Michelle Obama’s womanhood. They compare them to animals. They mock them. They insult them. They attempt to strip them of the dignity routinely afforded to white public figures. And then they wonder why people call them racist. No, this is not about policy disagreements. People disagree about politics every day. This is about a movement that repeatedly reaches for racist tropes whenever the Obamas are involved. Barack and Michelle Obama will be remembered as historic figures who served this nation with intelligence, grace, and dignity. The people obsessed with demeaning them are simply revealing themselves as vile, denonic, racist, human refuse.

America keeps telling Black people to trust the system, respect the verdicts, and accept whatever the courts decide. The problem is we’ve been watching who gets the benefit of the doubt. Kyle Rittenhouse crossed state lines with an AR-15, inserted himself into a volatile situation, killed two people, and was acquitted. Donald Trump later welcomed him to Mar-a-Lago for photo ops and praise. Daniel Penny placed Jordan Neely in a chokehold until he died. Jordan Neely never touched Penny. Penny was acquitted and later celebrated by Donald Trump and J.D. Vance as a hero. Meanwhile, Karmelo Anthony, a Black teenager involved in a confrontation with a larger white student who initiated the physical encounter, claimed self-defense and was sentenced to 35 years in prison, more time than former white police officers Derek Chauvin and Amber Guyger got for the murders of George Floyd and Botham Jean combined. That’s why many Black Americans are not interested in lectures about “self-defense,” “respecting the verdict,” or “trusting the law” from people who applauded Rittenhouse, celebrated Penny, defended George Zimmerman, raised money for Derek Chauvin, and still make excuses for Amber Guyger. The pattern is impossible to ignore. When a white person kills a Black person, we’re told to understand the fear, consider the circumstances, extend grace, and give the benefit of the doubt. When a Black person kills a white person, suddenly there is no grace, no nuance, no context, and no benefit of the doubt. Don’t tell us the system is colorblind when we’ve watched the same people cheer one verdict and rage against another based almost entirely on who was holding the weapon and who ended up dead. The issue isn’t whether America believes in self-defense. The issue is whose self-defense America is willing to believe.

Ben Swan was a veteran, civil rights leader, legislator and proud champion for Springfield. He spent a lifetime making Massachusetts fairer, stronger and better for the next generation. A huge loss for Springfield and our state. Keeping his family, friends and all who knew and loved him in my heart. masslive.com/westernmass/202…

Another installment of Caucasity Calls. These voicemails all have something in common. The callers are middle-aged and older white men, who proudly identify as MAGA supporters and Christians. They called a church to leave messages calling me a “n*gger,” a “monkey,” and every other racist slur they could think of. Ironically, every one of them accused me of being the racist while they were literally using the N-word. Think about that. These are supposed to be grown men. Fathers. Grandfathers. Churchgoers. Yet they spend their time searching for a Black preacher online, tracking down a church phone number, and leaving profanity-filled racist voicemails because they were triggered by my comments about the Karmelo Anthony verdict. I disagreed with people celebrating the verdict. What I haven’t done is search the internet for strangers, look up their phone numbers, and call them screaming obscenities. Why is this such a recurring behavior among so many of the children of the chalk? By the way, calling me a “n*gger” is not some magical weapon. It isn’t kryptonite. It doesn’t diminish me. It doesn’t define me. It doesn’t take away my education, my accomplishments, my faith, my family, or my purpose. I know who I am. The only thing these calls reveal is the darkness, bitterness, and hatred residing in the hearts of the people making them. This is the ugly side of white Christian nationalism. People who claim the name of Christ while acting in direct opposition to everything Christ taught. The language is vile. The behavior is infantile. The hatred is demonic. And the voicemails prove it. These recordings speak for themselves. The contrast between what these callers claim to be and how they actually behave is impossible to miss.

A grown white man stood on the grounds of the White House, with a microphone in his hand, and the best thing he could think to do was repeat a tired, racist conspiracy theory about Michelle Obama. Nothing remotely intelligent, just the same old garbage that has circulated among racist corners of the internet for years. Imagine winning a fight and then immediately reminding the world that you have the intellectual depth of a puddle. Josh Hokit didn’t expose Michelle Obama. He exposed himself. Michelle Obama is a Princeton graduate. A Harvard Law graduate. An attorney. A bestselling author. A former First Lady of the United States. One of the most admired women in the world. Her accomplishments will be remembered long after people forget the name of the fighter who decided to embarrass himself for applause. What makes this even worse is that it happened at the White House, and when given the opportunity to condemn it, the Trump White House refused. That tells you everything you need to know. This is the same political culture that has repeatedly tolerated racist attacks on the Obamas, trafficked in dehumanizing imagery, and winked at the worst instincts of its supporters. The silence was not an oversight. It was a statement. Notice how quickly maganuts rush to defend Melaria Trump whenever anyone says anything remotely critical about her. They demand civility and want respect for the office of First Lady. But when Michelle Obama is targeted with racist, sexist, and dehumanizing lies, they become strangely silent. Their outrage is selective. Their principles are conditional. Their hypocrisy is obvious. Michelle Obama does not need validation from Josh Hokit, Donald Trump, or anyone else occupying the comment section of American politics. She has already established who she is through her character, intellect, accomplishments, grace, and service. The truth is that Michelle Obama represents everything that terrifies certain people: a brilliant Black woman who cannot be diminished, intimidated, or erased. Michelle Obama is a beautiful Black woman. She is an accomplished Black woman. she is a brilliant Black woman. She is a respected Black woman. And every racist fool who thinks otherwise can go straight to hades. History will remember Michelle Obama. History will remember Barack Obama. History will remember the progress they represented. As for the people who spend their time recycling racist conspiracy theories posting memes, depicting them as animals, history has a place for them too. It just isn’t where they think it is.

Derek Chauvin, police officer sworn to protect and serve, pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, betrayed the public trust, and helped ignite a global reckoning on police brutality. He was sentenced to 22 years. Karmelo Anthony, a Black teenager, involved in a confrontation that ended in tragedy was sentenced to 35 years. Whether you agree with every aspect of either case is not the point. The question is why America reserves its harshest punishments for Black defendants while extending greater grace, understanding, and leniency to white ones. Justice cannot be blind if race continues to shape who is viewed as a threat, who is viewed as redeemable, and whose life is considered worthy of empathy. The disparity speaks for itself.

People coming to X now that FB and IG are down

The hypocrisy is as blatant as it is predictable. A Black teenager attends an event he has every right to attend, legally possesses a knife, is confronted, and suddenly the chorus becomes: “Why did he have a knife?” “He should have walked away.” “He shouldn’t have defended himself.” A white teenager travels to a city where he doesn’t live, inserts himself into a volatile protest, carries an AR-15 he was too young to possess, claims he is there to protect property he does not own, shoots two people, and the very same voices instantly declare: “That was self-defense.” So which is it? The answer is painfully obvious. In America, self-defense is not a principle. It is a racial privilege. A privilege extended to white people and denied to Black people.

Self-defense is a racial privilege reserved when nonmelanated people murder Black people. It is denied to Black people when defending themselves against white aggressors. Chikei Rick Chow had the complexion for the protection. Karmelo Anthony had the pigmentation for the condemnation. Amerikkka.