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🗞 THE NEWSSTAND
(Hint: go Incognito to fight dem paywalls).
Each week I sit here, write, and communicate the news with you as I consume it. But at the end of this newsletter, you have to continue reading on your own and talking with one another. Read the opposing view. Talk with your friends and family who hold different opinions. And do not be afraid to disagree with others or to admit when you are wrong.
These are a few sources I think will help you better understand the world and diversify your view of it. As always, read both sides and have an open mind.
Sign up for The Flip Side for a bipartisan newsletter.
Visit PolitiFact and FactCheck.org for factual checks on the media we consume.
And talk with one another in a non-stressful or attacking way. Here are some tips.
The events that have taken place in the past seven days would be impossible to condense into a few sentences. There is too much happening at home, in our neighborhoods, and in our country, at this moment for me to describe them to you without doing an injustice to the momentous time, we are living through.
Bear with me though in my effort to try and share these stories with you.
This past week we witnessed hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets in cities all across the country (and world) protesting the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. There were peaceful and protests, thousands of arrests, violence, and sadly 12 deaths.
The overwhelming response by people who never paid attention to the Black Lives Matter movement has been unprecedented. Even the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s could not have imagined the cross-racial solidarity and mobilization at such a rapid pace. In just four days over $20 million was raised by a small bail fund in Minneapolis for peaceful protestors whose mission is to “pay criminal bail and immigration bond for those who cannot afford to as [they] seek to end discriminatory, coercive, and oppressive jailing.”
With this, people all across the country woke up to ideas that have been prevalent and shared for many years but were easily ignored and not discussed in white communities, such as white privilege and systemic racism. The racial inequalities and wealth gap are being surfaced again after 60 years of being told “racism no longer exists.”
We also saw a wide response by government officials from calling on national guards to the implementation of curfews in cities across the country. Then we witnessed Donald Trump’s call for US military troops to be deployed to cities to ‘dominate’ protestors.
This was met with staunch criticism from former Defense Secretary James Mattis. Likewise, the current Defense Secretary Mark Esper distanced himself from Trump’s comments stating that he opposed the deployment of active-duty troops to quell the protests taking place across the United States.
The president this week also held a photoshoot in front of St. John’s Church in D.C. using the National Guard to clear the way with pepper spray, which was met by intense criticism from ex-Joints Chief Mike Mullen, who served as America's highest-ranking military officer.
Then all current living past US presidents joined the conversation, with statements from former President George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton.
Before we move on I’d like to remember the names of those who have died during these trying times this past week.
Calvin L. Horton Jr., 43, Minnesota
Javar Harrell, 21, Michigan
Dave Patrick Underwood, 53, California
James Scurlock, 22, Nebraska
Chris Beaty, 38, Indiana
Dorian Murrell, 18, Indiana
Italia Kelly, 22, Iowa
David McAtee, 53, Kentucky
David Dorn, 77, Missouri
“I know my brother would not want violence, let’s do this peacefully, please.”
—Terrence Floyd, George Floyd’s younger brother
🎧 WEEKLY MIXTAPE
Grammy-nominated hip-hop super duo from Brooklyn Run the Jewels bring us their fourth studio album today on RTJ4.
Another Brooklyn-based hip-hop group Flatbush Zombies brings a slightly more raw sound with their latest Now, more than ever.
DJ Bruno Flores releases a house version of Fela Kuti Afrobeat classic 1980 track 2000 Blacks.
Enjoy the soulful R&B track “Westin” from the live set of a classic Tiny Desk session by Lido x J’von.
Also this late-night discovery from French DJ Simon Delacroix, better known by Toxic Avenger on his melodic, yet energetic Midnight Resistance.
📺 THE STREAM
This weekend watch, When They See Us (Netflix) which tells the true story of the exonerated Central Park Five who were falsely accused of attacking a white woman jogging in 1989.
Just Mercy is now being made available to stream for free in June in an effort to help explain systemic racism for those trying to better understand a concept being widely discussed in recent days.
13th (Netflix) is a documentary that explores and analyzes the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom.
This moving series The Hate U Give based on the bestselling 2017 novel tells the story of a teen caught between two worlds after witnessing the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend at the hands of a police officer.
In this Sundance-award winner Fruitvale Station, we witness the tragic murder of Oscar Grant, a young man who was killed in 2009 by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle on his way home from work to take care of his daughter.
🍽 THE KITCHEN
Bacon Wrapped Jalepeño Popper Chicken
Ingredients
chicken breasts
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Price's pimento cheese
jalapeños
applewood smoked bacon
Directions
Split the jalapenos in half and remove the seeds and ribs.
Add the pimento cheese to the peppers by pressing the filling into the jalapeno halves. Place the halves back together.
Press down with one hand on top of the breasts and use the other hand with the knife parallel to the cutting board to slowly slice through the breast. Make sure you don’t cut all the way through. Leave one side of the breast completely intact so you can easily open and close the chicken.
Set the stuffed popper in the middle of the opened breast and then fold the top flap of the chicken over to envelop the popper completely.
Wrap the chicken in one or two pieces of bacon.
With your smoker (or oven) preheated to 250 degrees F, place the stuffed chicken on the smoker or in the oven. Close the lid and cook until the internal temperature has reached 150 degrees F.
When the chicken reaches 150 degrees F, baste with BBQ sauce of choice,
Continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
🥃 THE CABINET
Mint Julep
This week we’re pouring up the Mint Julep, “the king of the early American cocktails.” The Virginia-based drink has an interesting history that traces back to some of the original American mixologists who were, in fact, African Americans.
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 bunch fresh mint, torn into pieces
1 ½ oz Kentucky Whisky
1 oz mint syrup
Fresh mint for garnish
8 oz glass or silver cup filled with crushed ice
Directions
To make the mint simple syrup, add the water and the sugar to a small saucepan and boil for 1 to 2 minutes stirring until sugar is dissolved. Muddle mint slightly to release natural oils, stir it into the syrup mixture. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
Fill an 8-oz glass with crushed ice. Pour in the whiskey and give it a good stir. Then top with the mint syrup and a few sprigs of fresh mint.
Enjoy!
🎙FIRESIDE CHAT
We have a choice as individuals to choose the words that we use. And these words matter. These words matter because words deliver a message and influence the chain reaction that we set out into the universe.
Yellow journalism and its use of sensationalist words over facts in the late 19th century pushed the United States into war against Spain in Cuba and the Philippines. Those words mattered.
The words that journalists use today matter. The words that leaders use matter. The words that celebrities use matter. But more importantly, the words that you use matter.
How you use those words and when you use those words also matters. We have the power to ignite change. We have the power to create human progress, civil rights, peace, and equality. But we also have the power to ignite violence and hate.
One of the most infamous orators of all time is Adolf Hitler who gave over 5,000 speeches to deliver a message of division in an economically ravaged Germany. His opportunistic words took advantage of discontent in society to create a racist ideology, the National Socialist German Workers Party’.
"I know that men are won over less by the written than by the spoken word, that every great movement on this earth owes its growth to great orators and not to great writers."
—Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf," 1925
Today we find ourselves at a time in society where words have never mattered more. The words of leaders too often forgiven for “being taken out of context” or “sarcastic.”
The words from news pundits that are intended to appeal to a particular audience without regard for their validity. And the incredible opportunity and responsibility that social media gives us to share words that go viral.
We have the choice to defend the words that reiterate our existing beliefs or opinions. And we have the opportunity to critique and evaluate our words and change them.
I ask myself when are we going to stop disregarding the words from the people who have the most influence in the world? Us.
When are we going to start calling out ourselves for the negative effects of our own inappropriate or dangerous words for what they are?
This past week we heard words like THUGS, ‘dominate the battlespace’, and the words “I’m not racist.”
We use our words to defend ourselves or express anger at one another while forgetting to pause and listen to our own words. We also forget to listen to the words of others. And when others get angry at us for our choice of words, we tell them “you’re taking my words out of context.”
But here’s the thing. If we don’t start taking words more literally then we will quite literally tear one another down.
I have grown and learned so much these past few years of my life. I have grown even more these past few days because I have chosen to listen to the words being spoken.
I am here to listen to you. To myself. And to others. We owe it to each other to start talking. And we owe it to each other to start listening. But unless we start using the right words then we will never be able to understand each other.
That is the imperfection of language. It is a beautiful expression of thoughts and feelings that was invented by our ancestors. Yet in the history of humankind, it is a fairly recent evolutionary development. We are still learning how to use this powerful form of communication that influences others and the world.
The imperfections of language require us as humans to constantly and diligently challenge one another on the use of our words. Words matter.
Here are a few words that especially matter during this time. Take a moment to read them. Go and talk about them. Talk with yourself. Talk with your family. Talk with your friends. Let’s start learning how to use words better so that we can begin to better interpret the words of others.
Race — a social construct that artificially divides people into distinct groups based on certain characteristics such as physical appearance (particularly skin color) ancestral heritage, cultural affiliation, cultural history, ethnic classification
Racism — the systemic subordination of members of targeted racial groups who have relatively little social power by the members of another racial group who have relatively more social power.
Systemic Racism — the policies and practices ingrained in established institutions, which result in the exclusion or promotion of racial groups. It differs from overt discrimination in that no individual intent is necessary.
Racial Bias — a conscious or unconscious prejudice against an individual or group based on their identity.
White privilege — simple, everyday things and conveniences white people aren’t forced to think about in a society that go beyond the inconveniences of having to shop in the “ethnic hair section” at the grocery.
Antiracist — a person who opposes racism and promotes racial tolerance.
Ally— a white person who actively works to eliminate racism.
“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered you will never grow.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet, author and lecturer
We're in this together
#StayAtHome #HabituateInSpace
Adam. I’m so proud to know you. Perfectly written. ❤️