MVP Harris is leading forcefully in the ongoing battle for reproductive rights — which we are going to WIN!
Commentary by Black Kos Editor Denise Oliver-Velez
Watching VP Kamala Harris, and her rousing reception in North Carolina at the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, on June 24, where she spoke on the one year anniversary of the horrendous Supreme Court Dobbs decision, I couldn’t help being both proud and heartened that we have her as our Vice President at this crucial point in our history.
Though right-wing forces continue to ignore the fact that a majority of Americans support the right to choose, and reject the harsh measures being imposed to restrict access to abortion, I believe that this issue will mobilize voters, especially younger ones, to end the political careers of politicians — male and female, who essentially support the possibility of murdering anyone in need of an abortion — no matter the reason. Anti-abortionists claim, falsely, to be “pro-life” when they have zero problem condemning someone to die of sepsis, to “save” a fetus. Now that they have gotten their wish to end Roe, they assume they can continue to promote and enact extremes.
It ain’t gonna end well for them.
Watching the responses to VP Harris, and other activists, as she travels across the nation, speaking out against the miscarriage of justice that SCOTUS has perpetrated, and rallying supporters of all backgrounds, gives me the unshakable belief that we are not going to allow further erosion of our rights.
The response to her recent speech in North Carolina, on the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Dobbs v. Jackson was no exception:
Here’s the full speech:
(TRANSCRIPT EXCERPTS)
Remarks by Vice President Harris on the Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
We are here today because one year ago today, the United States Supreme Court — the highest court in our land, General Stein — the court of Thurgood, the court of RBG — (applause) — took a constitutional right, that had been recognized, from the people of America, from the women of America. A fundamental right. A basic freedom.
And I know most of us here remember where we were on that day a year ago when the court decided Dobbs: June 24th, 2022. I was actually on my way traveling from Washington, D.C., to a maternal health event in Illinois when I heard the news.
Outraged, I called my husband, Doug, because there were a collection of words that were coming to mind that would not have been proper for me to speak with some other people. (Laughter.)
And, together, he and I talked — we talked about our daughter. We talked about my goddaughters, about my niece and her daughters. And I couldn’t help but think that their generation would have fewer rights than my generation or my mother’s generation.
And so, the three words that came to me that I publicly spoke — (laughter) — were “How dare they.” “How dare they.” “How dare they.” (Applause.) How dare they attack basic healthcare. How dare they attack our fundamental rights. How dare they attack our freedom.
[...]
Right now, in our country — right now, in our country, 23 million women of reproductive age live in a state with an extreme abortion ban in effect — 23 million women — which means right now, in our country, one in three women of reproductive age live in a state with a ban. States like Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Wisconsin. Some with no exceptions, even for survivors of the crimes of rape and incest.
Now, many of you know I started my career as a prosecutor intent on protecting, in particular, women and children who were the subject and survivors of violence. It’s immoral that so-called leaders would not understand and have some compassion for what those exceptions should be.
Some of the laws are banning at or before six weeks the right to have and access to have an abortion. Now, what most of us here know is that many women don’t even know they are pregnant at six weeks — which, by the way, tells us most of these politicians don’t even understand how a woman’s body actually works. (Applause.) They don’t get it. They don’t get it.
And next week, overruling the will of the people, North Carolina will be the latest state with an extreme ban, in spite of the best efforts of Governor Roy Cooper. (Applause.)
[...]
Over these past 365 days, doctors and nurses have also experienced this chaos and confusion and fear. They are not only afraid to lose their medical license, which they might. These medical professionals — people who have dedicated themselves to the care of perfect strangers — have told me that they fear being prosecuted and going to jail.
And be clear: In Texas and Alabama, doctors and nurses could go to prison for life. Can you imagine someone passing a law saying life imprisonment for a healthcare provider doing what, in their medical judgement, is the right thing to do?
In these past 365 days, extreme laws — creating chaos and confusion and fear. Laws that have also impaired access to other basic women’s healthcare issues. Because you understand — everybody here knows reproductive care clinics have been forced to close. Those clinics offer routine checkups for so many people in the community — trusted by the community. They offer referrals for mammograms and other cancer screenings. The impact to women’s health issues broadly is very real.
[...]
Just consider: Over half of the counties in Georgia, Oklahoma, and Texas have no OBGYN. I did not say “a few.” I said “none.” Not one.
So, as we clearly see, the moment we are in — and we are united in this movement — we must also understand the larger context.
This fight is not only about the people of one particular state. These extremists plan to take their agenda national — an agenda that, by the way, goes beyond reproductive rights. It’s a lot of these same folks that attack the right to vote, that prevent the teaching of America’s full history with book bans. (Applause.) Book bans. Book bans in this year of our Lord 2023?
[...]
And, by the way, the majority of Americans are with us. (Applause.) The majority of Americans, I do believe, agree that one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do with her body. (Applause.) If she chooses, she will talk with her pastor, her priest, her rabbi. But it should not be the government telling her what to do. (Applause.)
And I do believe that the majority of Americans agree that an important attribute of a true leader is the ability to have empathy — to truly have some curiosity and concern and care for the struggles of other people. This having been the approach, by the way, of people from Kentucky to California, voters of every party, who just last year protected reproductive rights. (Applause.)
And so, while Americans make your — make their voices heard across our nation, President Biden and I will continue to do our part.
[...]
So, North Carolina, let’s stand because we believe medical decisions should be made by a woman and her doctor, not politicians. (Applause.) Stand if you want to end the crisis of maternal mortality, to institute national family and parent paid leave. (Applause.) Stand to pass the affordable child care and to uphold the rights of all people to own their future. (Applause.)
Stand if you love our country. (Applause.) Because we are fueled by our love of country, and we stand knowing what we must fight for and what’s at stake.
And, again, I will say: When we fight, we win. Thank you. (Applause.)
Back in January, she delivered remarks on the 50th Anniversary of Roe in Tallahassee, Florida —which may be the home of Ron De Satan and his ilk, but it is also a state where a majority of voters oppose abortion bans.
Remarks by Vice President Harris on the 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
From the transcript
Last year, so-called leaders at the state House here in Tallahassee —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — passed a radical abortion ban with no exceptions even for the survivors of crimes like rape and child molestation and human trafficking.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Here in Florida, healthcare providers face prison — prison for up to five years for simply doing their job.
And now the state has also targeted medication abortion and even threatened Florida pharmacists with criminal charges if they provide medications prescribed by medical professionals.
And Florida is not alone. Twenty-two states have announced they will not follow new federal rules that allow women to get medication prescribed by their doctor from a certified pharmacy. Imagine.
So, today, we are fighting back. (Applause.)
None of the positions VP is taking and fighting for are new. Some folks may have forgotten this moment back on the debate stage, in October of 2019, before she dropped out of the race — I haven’t.
Market Watch reported her fierce remarks (my bold)
“This is the sixth debate we have had in this presidential cycle and not nearly one word, with all of these discussions about health care, on women’s access to reproductive health care, which is under full-on attack in America today,” said Harris, one of 12 Democrats onstage vying for the nomination.
“There are states that have passed laws that will virtually prevent women from having access to reproductive health care,” she added, presumably referring to ongoing efforts to restrict abortion access. “And it is not an exaggeration to say women will die — poor women, women of color will die — because these Republican legislatures in these various states who are out of touch with America are telling women what to do with our bodies.”
Given that women make up more than half of the country’s population, she said, “people need to keep their hands off of women’s bodies and let women make the decisions about their own lives.”
Expect to see VP Harris criss-crossing the nation in the weeks and months ahead, rallying voters in coordination with reproductive rights organizations and activists. In case you missed it — here is the recent interview and round-table discussion she had with Joy Reid on “The Reid Out,” along with Genesis Sanchez, Shannon Brewer, Amanda Zaroski and Dr. Todd Ivey.
Right-on! MVP Harris. Fight On!
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News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
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Capitalism, white supremacy, and yoga pants: An interview with DeJa Love, CEO of the Black Women’s Wellness Agency. VOX: What wellness means for Black women
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By 2020, after spending thousands of dollars on this journey without seeing any measurable improvement in my mental health — which people do experience from wellness efforts — I began to interrogate why I expected this effort to cure my anxiety and depression. I was sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic and, like many others, began to question what actually mattered to me. Still, I did yoga, strength trained, cycled, and meditated at home to keep myself mentally afloat during the pandemic, and during the antiracism protests over the murder of George Floyd — an immensely triggering moment for Black folks. Having a routine was helpful until it wasn’t.
By 2022 I was experiencing weekly panic attacks that slowly increased to I-don’t-know-how-many-days a week. I wasn’t sleeping or moving much farther than from my bed to the couch. When I was eating, I wasn’t choosing nutritious foods. I’d run out of motivation to care for myself — and all of it felt like it shouldn’t be happening to me because I should be tougher.
Mainstream wellness was, to lean further into cliches, a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. I was actively pursuing better mental and physical health, a key piece of a wellness journey, but I wasn’t taking the time to establish what felt good to me. I was trying to fit into the trendiness of wellness, and I desperately wanted the freedom it proclaimed I could have if I bought enough stuff. Nowadays, I define wellness as, “Doing what feels good and aligns with what I believe I need in this moment.”
My burnout story is a quintessential narrative among Black women. Many of us have been raised to be “strong” despite the systemic factors that make such an ideal impossible to uphold. The Strong Black Woman trope demands that we swallow our pain for the greater good of others, and it comes with grave psychological consequences. It can make us more susceptible to depression, anxiety, and feelings of isolation. For some Black women, we rarely forgive ourselves for our mistakes and relentlessly seek to meet others’ expectations. This is more harrowing when we consider that stress compounds. Besides causing headaches, chest pain, fatigue, and stomach issues, heightened stress levels can make sleeping impossible. Your breathing can quicken. You could develop high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, Type 2 diabetes, or memory loss — adverse health outcomes that Black people are more likely to experience.
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When the International African American Museum opens to the public Tuesday in South Carolina, it becomes a new site of homecoming and pilgrimage for descendants of enslaved Africans whose arrival in the Western Hemisphere begins on the docks of the lowcountry coast.
Overlooking the old wharf in Charleston at which nearly half of the enslaved population first entered North America, the 150,000-square-foot (14,000-square-meter) museum houses exhibits and artifacts exploring how African Americans’ labor, perseverance, resistance and cultures shaped the Carolinas, the nation and the world.
It also includes a genealogy research center to help families trace their ancestors’ journey from point of arrival on the land.
The opening happens at a time when the very idea of Black people’s survival through slavery, racial apartheid and economic oppression being quintessential to the American story is being challenged throughout the U.S. Leaders of the museum said its existence is not a rebuttal to current attempts to suppress history, but rather an invitation to dialogue and discovery.
“Show me a courageous space, show me an open space, show me a space that meets me where I am, and then gets me where I asked to go,” said Dr. Tonya Matthews, the museum’s president and CEO.
“I think that’s the superpower of museums,” she said. “The only thing you need to bring to this museum is your curiosity, and we’ll do the rest.”
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Voters in Sierra Leone were deciding Saturday whether to give President Julius Maada Bio a second term amid high unemployment and growing concern about the state of the West African nation’s economy.
A dozen candidates hoped to unseat Bio, though experts predicted his main competition likely would be Samura Kamara, the head of the All People’s Congress Party.
In the 2018 presidential election, Bio beat Kamara in a runoff by a margin of less than 5 percentage points. To win in the first round of voting and avoid a runoff, the top contender must secure 55% of the vote.
Bio has faced increasing criticism because of debilitating economic conditions that Kamara pledged to improve. Nearly 60% of Sierra Leone’s population of more than 7 million are facing poverty, with youth unemployment being one of the highest in West Africa.
Deadly anti-government protests have rocked the country during Bio’s presidency. The most recent one, fueled by the high cost of living, left dozens of people dead in August 2022, including members of the security forces.
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It was a typical Friday night at the Beco do Rato, a samba club tucked down a dark alleyway in Rio de Janeiro’s nocturnal Lapa district. A group of musicians beat their tantãs, tambourines and agogô bells to an audience of sweaty samba lovers who sang along.
Yet something about this scene was different: the band’s nine musicians were all women, and the crowd was also overwhelmingly female.
Such a sight remains relatively unusual in the world of Brazilian samba, which has always been dominated by men – from the singers and musicians, to the songwriters.
“Women were one in a million, and usually, they sang,” said Silvia Duffrayer, founder of the all-female Samba Que Elas Querem band, one of several such groups which are slowly tackling the inherent sexism of this widely loved music genre.
Samba Que Elas Querem drew widespread attention in 2018 after singing a feminist rewrite of the samba hit Mulheres (Women) – an ode of sorts to the many women in a man’s life, originally performed in 1995 by the cherished sambista Martinho da Vila.
The empowering lyrics of the rewrite, penned by Duffrayer and fellow singer Doralyce challenge the original’s faintly misogynistic stereotyping of women and raise a middle finger to the patriarchy.
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Voices & Soul
“… At first I thought my body was a dragon. Then
a tomb. Then a way of speaking. Now. Sitting here. Next to you.
It is only an opening. You have even begun dancing… “
- Latif Askia Ba
”Cratylus”
by Justice Putnam, Black Kos Poetry Editor
Plato’s “Cratylus” is cited by philosophers as the only Platonic dialogue devoted to linguistics, though its specific topic, “the correctness of names,” has proved so vexing, the dialogue is given only a cursory nod by modern scholars of Hellenic Classicism.
The dialogue concerns a disagreement between Cratylus and Hermogenes, with Hermogenes insisting that names, hence words, have come about due to custom and convention, they do not express the essence of their subject. Whereas Cratylus posits words have a divine origin, he stubbornly espouses a rather cryptic naturalism, claiming that a correct name for any given element of reality needs to fulfill an elusive natural standard. Socrates is asked to adjudicate the debate.
Latif Askia Ba is a poet with Choreic Cerebral Palsy. Derived from the Greek word for “dance,” The Cerebral Palsy Alliance in Australia describes Chorea as “characterised by involuntary movements that are brief, abrupt, irregular and unpredictable… (M)ovements can affect various body parts and interfere with movement, speech and swallowing.”
Aristotle listed Cratylus in “Metaphysics” as Plato’s first teacher, a radical disciple of Heraclitus, he believed the world was not set, but always in flux, so much so he stopped speaking, because he took speaking to be senseless in a world of flux.
You woke me up again. Cratylus.
Even with beeswax stuffed in my ear.
I could hear you howling
into the bathroom mirror. There there Cratylus.
Words can’t hurt anymore.
It would have been a beautiful night
otherwise. The sky. Our carbonated etcetera.
The sky scooped into your flashing pupils.
The monosyllabic sky. Opening its mouth
as self-incrimination.
You must’ve been frightened
when you opened the faucet and
night came pouring out. You didn’t think
it could get any weirder
than water. And now
here we are. With every faucet running. The stars getting stuck in the drain.
It’s gonna be okay. At first I thought my body was a dragon. Then
a tomb. Then a way of speaking. Now. Sitting here. Next to you.
It is only an opening. You have even begun dancing. Getting each vowel
to undulate into one vibrating river. Oh yes Cratylus
everything is on fire. You were right all along. You’re going to have to do
a lot more dancing. To see from up here. First. My body was a crisis. Then
an enigma. Then a liability. Now it is a brief encyclopedia. If you’re confused
Cratylus try saying it back to yourself in a palsied accent. So that each spasm
is a word turned inside out. So that knowledge is a dyskinetic hand
quickening against your cheek.
So that when you say
your name. Nobody will understand.
Oh Cratylus. Please.
No more crying.
No more faucets. No more bathroom
mirror. Pull each star
from the drain
and know. I can only
help by watching.
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