Freedom
Commentary by Chitown Kev
I knew that I would be writing this today, Election Day, when Americans are making a decision between representative democracy and totalitarianism so I felt that I had to do some reading.
It seemed...appropriate...to settle on mid-19th century American literature; the sheer feistiness of the genius of Frederick Douglass, the tragic joy and exuberance of Walt Whitman, the moral clarity of Ralph Waldo Emerson...but when I think about the decision that Americans are faced with today, the horrors of Edgar Allan Poe also come to mind.
I can’t get the shoe salesman’s 2017 Inaugural speech, the “American Carnage” speech, out of my mind.
Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities, rusted-out factories, scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation , an education system flush with cash but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge.
And the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential. This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.
American life, in 2016, was certainly not a crystal stair (yeah, I dipped into some Langston too!). But who knew that we’d wind up sitting on some rusty-ass nails instead of tacks?
Who knew then that we were electing a pied piper the likes of which even Hamelin had never seen?
From (attempted) Muslim bans to parent/child separations to a conjure so fierce that some of those that followed the piper’s tune injected bleach into their veins as an attempted cure of contagion.
“American carnage” never was a fact in 2016. it was a projection, a vision or, if you’d like, a spell.
Or a song.
A song so mesmerizing that those under that spell wanted to overthrow the duly elected government of the United States (thankfully, most Americans didn’t fall under that spell, after all).
Look, I’ve supported at least the idea of a Kamala Harris for President campaign since I saw her 2016 victory speech upon defeating Loretta Sanchez for California’s U.S. Senate seat; I not going to pretend that I have no biases in that regard.
Sure, I can discuss the projected policies and the possibilities of a Kamala Harris presidency. I like most of them. That’s the reason the Vice President has maintained my unqualified support since 2016.
But even if I didn’t support Harris, the honest truth is that now: I am sick and tired of hearing the low murmurs of the piper’s song playing in my ears and subconscious. It’s the worst kind of ear worm.
I hear it. It was louder for my ancestors. That tune is still killing folks to this day.
And promises to kill more.
If President Joe Biden did nothing else, I will be eternally grateful simply for his alternative playlist of democracy. Most excellently played.
But still...I hear the piper’s tune, louder and deadlier than ever.
And I don’t want to hear that
Nevermore.
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News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
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In September 2023, Davis and Caroline Moturi moved into their first home next door to Sawchak. The arguments between the neighbors began over a tree planted between their homes, but quickly escalated, according to court documents.
“What should have been the start of a wonderful chapter with my husband became a living nightmare,” Caroline Moturi wrote in the days after her husband was shot.
Police were first dispatched to the home in October 2023 after Sawchak allegedly made threats involving “disparaging racial comments” at Moturi. Officers have been called at least 19 times by the Moturi family, court records show: after Sawchak allegedly swung a metal garden tool at Davis, who was standing on a ladder; after he hurled threats at Moturi’s wife, and yet again after Sawchak allegedly shoved human feces through the mail slot of their front door.
“I don’t call the police for fun. I call because I want my family to be safe,” Davis Moturi told CNN affiliate, KARE.
Through it all, Sawchak “constantly evaded law enforcement by retreating into his home and refusing to answer the door,” court records state.
Sawchak, who had been charged with multiple felonies from his interactions with the Moturis, had three open arrest warrants against him in the days leading up to the alleged shooting.
Last Friday, O’Hara said that the situation escalated in part due to the actions of the victim, but he did not elaborate on what Moturi allegedly did.
Then, a week before the shooting, Sawchak allegedly stood outside the Moturis’ home with a firearm and pointed the gun at Davis through the window, according to prosecutors. On October 23, Sawchak allegedly shot Moturi in the neck from his second-floor window.
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If you’ve ever looked at the call letters on a radio station, they may have seemed like just letters to you.
But at WDKX Radio in Rochester, NY the “D” stands for Frederick Douglass, the “K” for Martin Luther King Jr. and the “X” is for Malcolm X.
Amid a media landscape where many Black radio stations advertising to Black listeners aren’t owned by Black people, WDKX exemplifies the legacy and power of independent Black media. This year, the station celebrates 50 years in business.
According to the African American Public Radio Consortium, an estimated 10,000 commercial radio stations broadcast daily in the U.S. but fewer than 1% are Black-owned. This disparity reveals more than just a gap in ownership; it highlights a systemic issue that leaves fewer Black leaders in charge of the voices and messages that claim to speak for Black people.
“Anybody can play Black music or put Black programming on, but there’s a different type of authenticity and relationship when it comes from Black creators,” says Andria Langston, WDKX’s current co-owner and national sales manager.
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Over the past few years, Lagos Fashion Week has been garnering attention due to the designer’s use of specific textiles that they have a special relationship with. But, the key week is also becoming larger due to the country and its emphasis on creating programming around it. Boyd was able to partake in a panel and rub shoulders with designers, she received a firsthand immersive experience while in Lagos.
“Lagos Fashion Week definitely was one of the best fashion weeks I’ve ever been to,” Boyd shared in an email. Some of the presentations Tenicka attended included Kilentar and Oríré, these were also a few of the content creator’s favorites. Both are wildly popular here in the United States, for instance, Kilentar recently hosted a New York pop-up that was a success.
Many of the shows were also fetes which provided a notable way to celebrate new collections. “The way [designers] were insistent on capturing the audience, inviting the customer into the story of the brand, and the intentionality around [the] diversity of the models was commendable,” Boyd added.
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WELCOME TO THE TUESDAY PORCH
IF YOU ARE NEW TO THE BLACK KOS COMMUNITY, GRAB A SEAT, SOME CYBER EATS, RELAX, AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
