Commentary by JoanMar
While the country, if not the entire globe, focused on The Great Orange Plague—aka The Defendant, or The Indicted— and his much-deserved whupping at the hands of Jack Smith, another act of ugly, traumatizing over-policing occurred in Greg Abbott’s backyard.
Texas cops stopped the Heard family because they were Black. They ran their tags because they saw a Black family. They traumatized the two boys and the parents because they were Black. Let’s just get that out of the way.
Sometime in the early 2000s, my family was driving south on 1-95 on our way to New York City. The ex is driving, and one maddening fact about him is that he’ll not go above the speed limit, which, to our (me and the kids) everlasting annoyance, seems like crawling on the interstate. Suddenly, traffic slows down to like 10-15 MPH. Looks like an accident up ahead, we thought. We slowly worked our way up to the front of bottleneck, and what do we see? Two state troopers, one in the left lane and the other in the right, moving at the pace of a Sunday morning stroll! The traffic buildup was created because nobody wanted to go ahead of them. We drove behind them for two exits when the ex decided that the cops were clearly on some sort of power trip and there was no good reason for them to be holding back the flow of traffic. He eased into the middle lane and moved ahead at 50 MPH. As soon as he did that, the lights started flashing and the sirens started blaring. They were after us. He pulled over, rolled down his window, kept his hands on the steering wheel, and waited. The troopers came up to the window, “License and registration!” they shouted. I heard a whimper from the back seat. The ex looked at them (I imagined with scathing contempt), leaned forward, one hand still gripping the steering wheel, and with the other, he put his elbow on the steering wheel, put his chin in his cupped hand, stared straight ahead and proceeded to ignore them. “License and registration!” they repeated. I started to open the glove compartment to get the docs, “No! They get nothing! No documents!” the ex barked at me. Well, he didn’t exactly bark, but his command was delivered in such an authoritative tone that I didn’t even think of not obeying him. I withdrew my hand and waited. My daughter started crying. The cops started throwing questions at us: “Where are you going? Do you know you were speeding? You have a weapon in the car? Any drugs? What’s up, bro? You didn’t see us?” The ex totally ignored them, looking straight ahead. We had a standoff for what seemed like an eternity but couldn’t have been more than a minute or two. They backed down. They just turned and walked away. I was shaking.
I was reminded of that incident this week as I watched the videos of the Heard family of Arkansas being terrorized by Keystone cops in Texas. I don’t know why the cops backed down in our case. Did it have anything to do with the state? Connecticut has one of the lowest rates of police brutality in the country. Was it because of the ex’s demeanor? Was it my baby crying in the backseat? Did they have a crisis of conscience? Who knows. As traumatizing as it was back when it happened, it does not appear to have left debilitating scars on the family, as is indicated by the fact that I had almost forgotten about it. The Heard family was not so lucky. They will not forget their ordeal anytime soon.
Demetria Heard, from Little Rock, Arkansas, was driving with her husband, son and nephew in the car when they were pulled over in a “high-risk” traffic stop in Frisco that saw at least one officer aim a weapon at the car and warn the family that they would be shot if they reached back into the car.
Police said when they ran the plate, the licence had accidentally been entered as Arizona, not Arkansas, and had been flagged as a potential stolen car - later promoting the Frisco police chief to issue an apology to the terrified family.
As you watch the videos, if you can bring yourself to watch them, remember that at worst, the suspected crime here would be a stolen vehicle. We haven’t even got to the stage of asking why the hell they felt compelled to run the tags in the first place.
Y’all pulled a gun on my son for no reason, dog!
It could have gone all wrong for us, though. I’m just saying, I wonder… like I said, I dropped my phone here, they yelled out, “Don’t move or we’ll shoot.” And I dropped my phone. If I were to reach for my phone, we could all have been killed.
When I tell you that I was bawling right along with that father? That was hundreds of years of injustices and a sense of helplessness bottled up in those sobs. Those sobs were for little Tamir, for kneeling Michael, for Tyre, for Big George, for baby Fanta; for the thousands of others who fell like leaves in a dense forest. That was compacted, concretized pain that could not be contained. And why, why do we continue to have these instances of police traumatizing innocent people with their overbearing, dictatorial assholery? Why? Because this is by design. “This,” as our dear friend a2nite was fond of saying, “is a feature and not a bug.” The system continues to function as it was intended.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A group founded by the conservative activist instrumental in the U.S. Supreme Court's June decision rejecting affirmative action in collegiate admissions on Wednesday sued an Atlanta-based venture capital fund that supports Black women who own small businesses, accusing it of unlawful racial discrimination.
The nonprofit American Alliance for Equal Rights, founded by affirmative action foe Edward Blum, said in its lawsuit that the firm, called Fearless Fund, is violating Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, a U.S. law barring racial bias in private contracts, by making only Black women eligible in a grant competition. It was filed in federal court in Atlanta.
Fearless Fund was launched in 2019 by three prominent Black women - actress Keshia Knight Pulliam, entrepreneur Arian Simone and corporate executive Ayana Parsons - and counts as investors Bank of America (BAC.N), Costco Wholesale (COST.O), General Mills (GIS.N), Mastercard (MA.N) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N).
Lawsuits brought by another group founded by Blum led to the Supreme Court's June ruling declaring unlawful the race-conscious student admissions policies used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. The new lawsuit is Blum's first since that decision.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Glossier Grant Program has a new class of Black beauty entrepreneurs with businesses ranging from halal-certified skincare to feminine hygiene products. Since 2020, Glossier, through its “Glossier For Good” initiative, has invested over $1.4 million into the grant program, which has helped to spearhead sustainable growth for more than 30 Black beauty founders.
This year, six new entrepreneurs will spend four months in partnership with Glossier receiving mentorship from the company’s team of advisers, access to business programming, and one-on-one meetings with CEO Kyle Leahy and a host of the brand’s partners. Chosen by a panel that included Glossier‘s CMO Kleo Mack, Chief Creative Officer Marie Suter, and Into the Gloss Editorial Director Ashley Weatherford, the grantees all possess the innovation, creativity, and passion necessary to drive the world of beauty forward.
The 2023 Glossier Grant Program grantees include Flora & Noor, the only halal-certified skincare brand made and based in the US. Its products are completely vegan and cater to those in need of combating skin conditions like eczema and hyperpigmentation. Mela Vitamins will also participate in the program; the brand is the first and only vitamin company geared specifically to the needs of melanated people, including crucial Vitamin D nutrients. Moodeaux, founded in 2021 by Briana Arps, is an earth-friendly fragrance brand boasting long-lasting scents that nurture the skin. Soss focuses on self-care for Black men by providing high-quality grooming products designed to fight irritation and to be gentle on the skin, while Kushae, founded by OB/GYN Dr. Barb and ex-pharmaceutical sales consultant Kimba, offers cruelty-free and pH-balanced feminine care products. Lastly, Of Other Worlds is a different kind of beauty product’ offering clean and clinical skincare products for all skin tones, body types, and genders.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your hair should have nothing to do with your work performance, something a North Carolina teenager had to learn that the hard way. Autumn Williams, 16, told Queen City News that her employer, Chick-fil-A in Harrisburg, told her she had a uniform violation because her blonde braids weren’t her natural hair color.
Williams was only working for the popular fast-food restaurant for three months when her supervisor pulled her aside. She said she felt singled out and embarrassed.
“She was like, ‘Hey, one of our supervisors came by and said they noticed blonde in your hair, and he asked that you leave and come back when it’s taken out since it’s an unnatural color to you,’” Williams said.
Not understanding why this wasn’t mentioned during orientation, Williams stood her ground and brought the issue to human resources. She saw that some of her fellow coworkers also had hair that was deemed “unnatural” and was curious about what the employee handbook said.
According to the handbook, there is nothing in there that specifies what unnatural hair colors are. “Unnatural hair colors or eccentric styles (e.g., Mohawks, shaven designs, etc.) are not permitted,” the book says. “Females: Hair that falls around the face must be tied back using a simple hair band or barrette that has no loose or dangling parts.”
Since she wasn’t given the clarification she needed, Williams quit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After surviving cancer and signing to Real Madrid, Linda Caicedo is making her mark at the World Cup. The 18-year-old player already scored a goal in each of Colombia's first two matches. NPR: This 18-year-old Colombian survived cancer. Now she's the World Cup star
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 2023 Women's World Cup is already breaking records. It's the biggest tournament to date, with 32 participating teams. And though it's possibly the last opportunity for several iconic players – like Marta and Megan Rapinoe – to win big for their home countries, there's also an unmistakable rising star on the field this year: Colombia's Linda Caicedo.
Who is she? At only 18, Caicedo is quickly becoming one of the biggest names in soccer.
- She made her professional debut at age 14 playing for América de Cali and finished that year as the top scorer in the Colombian league.
- When she was only 15, Caicedo was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She kept the news relatively private as she underwent surgery to remove a tumor and received treatment until declared cancer-free. She wasted no time in returning to the field, winning her second Colombian league title in 2021.
- Although already a star at home, Caicedo earned a much larger spotlight during her international tournaments last year. At the Copa America Femenina, she scored the goal that cemented Colombia's qualification for this year's World Cup as well as the 2024 Olympics. She went on to be named MVP of the tournament.
- But Caicedo didn't shy away from some of the controversies at the Copa America, says soccer journalist and researcher Júlia Belas Trindade. "The players were protesting against the federation for bad conditions, and she was one of the most outspoken players even though she was just 17 at the time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MOHAMED BAZOUM, Niger’s president, was under no illusions. He understood how coups in two of his neighbouring countries, Burkina Faso and Mali, had undermined their fight against the jihadists running rampant across much of the Sahel. Military rule weakens the army, deprives it of international military assistance and saps the state’s ability to deal with jihadist violence, he told The Economist in May. “The whole bet for us is...to promote [good] governance that has the effect of protecting us against a coup,” he said. On July 26th he was ousted by the head of his presidential guard, General Abdourahamane Tchiani.
The toppling of Mr Bazoum, who assumed office in 2021 in Niger’s first ever democratic transfer of power, has triggered an unprecedented crisis. The immediate worry is that it may ignite a regional war. Even if that danger is averted in the next few days, the putsch will almost certainly deal a crushing blow to efforts to fight the world’s most dangerous jihadist insurgency, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives in the three core countries in the Sahel: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
The most pressing risk is that Niger’s neighbours are drawn into conflict as they square off behind either the junta or Mr Bazoum. Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s president who was briefly jailed in 1994 by a military dictator, has made opposition to coups a cornerstone of his foreign policy. “We will not allow coup after coup,” he said in July when he was elected chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ecowas), the regional bloc, referring to the five coups that had taken place in three of the bloc’s members since 2020.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Four months after an expulsion vote thrust the pair into the national spotlight, Democratic state Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson formally won reelection Thursday to their seats in the Tennessee General Assembly.
Republicans voted to oust Jones and Pearson from the legislature in April after they interrupted House proceedings with a gun-control protest. But the two were quickly reappointed to the seats until this summer's special elections.
In Nashville, Jones defeated Republican opponent Laura Nelson with nearly 80% of the vote for the House District 52 seat. In Memphis, Pearson defeated Republican Jeff Johnston with more than 90% of the vote for the House District 86 seat.
"Well, Mr. Speaker, the People have spoken," Jones wrote in a tweet just after 9 p.m. "The FIND OUT era of politics is just beginning. See you August 21st for special session."
Jones was first elected to represent District 52 last November. Pearson was elected to the District 86 seat in a special election primary in January. Shelby County Commissioners then appointed him, allowing him to be sworn in before the general election in March, in which he had no opponents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WELCOME TO THE FRIDAY PORCH
IF YOU ARE NEW TO THE BLACK KOS COMMUNITY, GRAB A SEAT, SOME CYBER EATS, RELAX, AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF.