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What’s Going On By Victoria Horsford

Victoria Horsford
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July 25, 2016 – Philadelphia, PA, United States – UNITED PAS – JULY 25: Pennsylvania delegate Cherelle Parker cheers for Michelle Obama on the floor of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa., on the first day of the Democratic National Convention, July 25, 2016. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) (Credit Image: © Tom Williams/Congressional Quarterly/Newscom via ZUMA Press)

THE NATION

What happened to the American Republican Party? If its convention last week in Cleveland, Ohio was a defining moment, the party requires dissolution or resurrection with a new messiah to replace Donald Trump, its presidential hopeful. Trump wants to make America great again. However, the America in his imagination is an insular dystopian place unfit for anyone with 21st century sensibilities. The Trump message was doom and gloom. The 2016 GOP Convention leaves little doubt in any critical thinker’s mind about the necessity for a Democratic White House and Senate victory in November.

This week’s Democratic Convention in Philadelphia is different…. in substance and tone. The Philly streets are lined with marchers and dissenters from all over the nation with multiple agendas. The Sanders supporters and Clinton supporters have a certain measure of détente and most agree to work ensemble to vanquish Trump. The National Democratic Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz was forced to tender her resignation, which should have been done two years ago. Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge replaces Wasserman as Democratic Convention Chair. Democratic strategist and commentator Donna Brazile will serve as interim Democratic Committee Chair. The convention opening night speakers, First Lady Michelle Obama, Senators Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, exemplified and celebrated American greatness. Their messages were a potent mix of diversity and hope! Now the hard work begins as we navigate the path to a Hillary Clinton victory in November.

 

NYC POLITICS: Reverend Dr. Calvin Butts is considering a run for the NYC mayoralty next year, according to a variety of media sources. The NY Post says that he would consider running as a Republican, if necessary. Dr. Butts is a registered Democrat. Calvin   Butts, 67, is the Senior Pastor at Harlem’s historic Abyssinian Baptist Church and the president of a NYS college campus. He has oversight of the Abyssinian Development Corporation(ADC), which boasts a sizable real estate inventory, and which suffers from fiscal and   mismanagement problems.   New York real estate barons Paul Massey and Don Peebles are also considering a 2017 NYC mayoral run. Add to that the growing list of NYC and congressional incumbents who covet the mayoralty.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is up for reelection next year, is not one of Dr. Butts’ minions.   His administration cut off $2 million in funds last year to the ADC social service division for its missed tax filings.   The Real Deal, an online real estate media outlet, also covered Butts(the politico) in a story, “Abyssinian Development head Calvin Butts Mulls Mayoral Run”. Same piece also reports that the ADC sold the Ennis Francis Houses, located at 2070 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., between 123/124 Street in Harlem, to Carthage Real Estate Advisors for $27.8 million in March. Harlemite Eddie Poteat is a Carthage principal.  Wonder who among New York’s power elite is encouraging Dr. Butts to consider a run. Butts observes: “de Blasio should be dumped for not firing the policeman who killed Eric Garner in Staten Island.”

 

ARTS/CULTURE/MEDIA  The NY Times Book Section commissioned a work by Africa’s most popular writer in the West, Nigerian Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi, which is titled “THE ARRANGEMENT: A Work of Fiction”, which was published on   July 3.   Piece is a clever imagining of the Donald/Melania Trump household, complete with the offspring and baggage of bygone marriages, Ivana and Karla.   Adichi is spot-on with insights into the reality show that is Trump’s life off-camera. Ms. Adichi’s fictional works include “Americanah” and “Purple Hibiscus”.   The New York Times has also commissioned a fictional piece about the Hillary Clinton menage, which will be published this fall.    

The Ava DuVernay-directed documentary film, “THE 13th”, opens the 54th NY Film Festival which runs from September 30 to October 16 at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. The film’s title is a reference to the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, which abolished slavery and its relationship to the high incarceration rate of Black people in today’s American prison system. “THE 13th” will be the first documentary to open the NY Film Festival in its 54-year history.   Ms. DuVernay directed SELMA, the highly acclaimed $20 million feature film which lifted a chapter during the 60s civil rights era that led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

 

NEWSMAKERS

The Mama Foundation’s husband-and-wife theater producers, Vy Higginsen and Ken Wydrow, celebrated their 35th Wedding Anniversary on July 19.   That team produced “Mama, I Want To Sing”, “Gospel Teens”, “Alive and Kickin’” and “We Are! Gospel For Teens”.

LEO birthday greetings to the following zodiac queens and kings of the jungle: Dawn Parks Anderson; Halle Barry; Marcella Bazile; Usain Bolt, Jamaican track star; Barbara Chavis; Bill Clinton; Sarah Dash; Ambassador Alice Dear; Robert DeNiro;   Michael Ealy; Laurence Fishburne; Vivica Fox;   Barbara Harris; Ramona Grey Harris; Michael Horsford; Mick Jagger; Martha Mae Jones; Vernon Jordan; Lois Knox;   Debra Lee, BET CEO; President Barack Obama; Paul Mooney; Professor Obie Nicholas; fine artist/philanthropist Danny Simmons; Wesley Snipes; Yvonne Stafford; Vanessa Van Boom; Winnie Walker and Victor Wareham.

SUMMER PLEASURES

The BLACK EXPO 2016, which supports Black Businesses, will be held on Saturday, July 30 from 10 am to 9 pm at the Sheraton Hotel, located at 811 Seventh Avenue at 53rd Street, Manhattan.   [Visit NewYorkBlackExpo.com]

The 14th Annual Martha’s Vineyard African-American Film Festival unspools August 8-13.   One film generating lots of buzz is “MUHAMMAD ALI: The People’s Champ”, which plays on 8/10. For full schedule, visit MBAAFF.com

The NY State Summer Stage in Harlem returns this year every Thursday through August 25 at the NYS Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building, located at the 163 West 125th Street Plaza. Its August calendar: August 4–the African Culture Night, August 11–R&B Night, August 18–African Cuban Night, August 25–Gospel Night with Hezekiah Walker and other notables like Juda Camp, Rev. Kenney and Sheena Lee. [Visit summerstageinharlem.org]

The African Food Festival will be held at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on August 13/14 from 12-8 pm. Culinarian talents from across the African Diaspora will be among top festival attractions like Senegal-born Pierre Thiam, who lives in NY. Festival will include chef demonstrations, lunch/dinner, food vendors and coffee ceremonies. Local African restaurants Madiba, Awash, Bunna and Buka are some of the festival participants.   The African Food Festival is the brainchild of Ghana-born culinarian Ishmael Osekre, who runs Afropolitan Insights. [Visit nycafricanfoodfestival.com]

HOLD THE DATES: August 5 to 21. Olympics in Brazil.

Harlem-based pop culturist, Victoria Horsford is reachable at victoria.horsford@gmail.com.

Election 2016

Editor, Our Time Press
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Election 2016

By David Mark Greaves

Looking at both political conventions, even for the most cynical, it cannot be argued that this election is six of one, half dozen of the other. This one is for real. The Republicans made a testosterone-driven expression of such white male anger and hate that the ugliness was on full display, and like too much hip-hop music, with its own misogyny, profanity and black male anger, you could feel an undercurrent of domestic violence implicit in the atmosphere. What was good about seeing these Republicans all together at one time is that it made the threat real, like being shown the bogey man does exist.

The Democratic convention is one of women taking charge. First Lady Michelle Obama’s address cut through the chaos and went to the heart of the matter, the children and the future. The theme of love not hate and embracing of diversity expressed throughout this convention, reflected a positive and reality-based vision of where we are and where we need to go.

And yet there is something more, a declaration that it is long past time for the female nature of humanity to be in charge of running the nation. And that the mean-spirited brawn the Republicans offer be replaced by a nurturing consciousness, protective of the young and all others in the national family.

As was said time and time again at the convention and is being repeated throughout the nation, this is an election that will change everything and we have to work to ensure that change is something we can believe in.

Mothers of the Movement

Editor, Our Time Press
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Mothers of the Movement

Geneva Reed-Veal: One year ago yesterday, I lived the worst nightmare anyone could imagine. I watched as my daughter, Sandra Bland, was lowered into the ground in a coffin.

Sandy, my fourth of five daughters, was gone.

No, not on administrative leave, but on permanent leave from this earth, found hanging in a jail cell after an unlawful traffic stop and an unlawful arrest.

Six other women died in custody that same month: Kindra Chapman, Alexis McGovern, Sarah Lee Circle Bear, Raynette Turner, Ralkina Jones, and Joyce Curnell. So many of our children gone but not forgotten.

I’m here with Hillary Clinton because she is a leader and a mother who will say our children’s names.

Hillary knows that when a young black life is cut short, it’s not just a personal loss. It is a national loss. It is a loss that diminishes all of us.

What a blessing to be here tonight, so that Sandy can still speak through her mama. And what a blessing it is for all of us that we have the opportunity, if we seize it, to cast our votes for a president who will help lead us down the path toward restoration and change.

Lucia McBath: You don’t stop being a parent when your child dies. I am still Jordan Davis’s mother. His life ended the day he was shot and killed for playing loud music. But my job as his mother didn’t.

I still wake up every day thinking about how to parent him. How to protect him and his legacy. How to ensure his death doesn’t overshadow his life.

Here’s what you don’t know about my son. When Jordan was little, he wouldn’t eat a popsicle unless he had enough to bring out to his friends. He loved practical jokes. He liked having deep conversations about our love for God and why He allows suffering and pain.

I lived in fear my son would die like this. I even warned him that because he was a young, black man, he would meet people who didn’t value his life.

That is a conversation no parent should ever have to have.

Hillary Clinton isn’t afraid to say black lives matter. She isn’t afraid to sit at a table with grieving mothers and bear the full force of our anguish. She doesn’t build walls around her heart.

Not only did she listen to our problems, she invited us to become part of the solution.

And that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to keep telling our children’s stories and urging you to say their names.

We’re going to keep building a future where police officers and communities of color work together in mutual respect to keep children, like Jordan, safe. Because the majority of police officers are good people doing a good job.

And we’re also going to keep using our voices and our votes to support leaders, like Hillary Clinton, who will help us protect one another so this club of heartbroken mothers stops growing.

Sybrina Fulton: I am an unwilling participant in this movement. I would not have signed up for this. None of us would have.

But I am here today for my son, Trayvon Martin, who is in heaven.

And for my other son, Jahvaris, who is still here on earth.

I didn’t want this spotlight. But will I do everything I can to focus some of that light on a path out of this darkness.

Hillary Clinton has the compassion and understanding to comfort a grieving mother. She has the courage to lead the fight for common-sense gun legislation. And she has a plan to repair the divide that so often exists between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

This isn’t about being politically correct. It’s about protecting our children.

That’s why we’re here tonight with Hillary Clinton. And that’s why, in the memory of our children, we are imploring you — all of you — to vote in this election.

Hillary is the one mother who can ensure our movement will succeed.

We leave you what God has given us, strength and peace.

 

Michael Bloomberg Speaks on Donald Trump at the Democratic Convention

Editor, Our Time Press
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Michael Bloomberg Speaks on Donald Trump at the Democratic Convention

Michael Bloomberg Speaks on Donald Trump at the Democratic Convention

July 27, 2016 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. - MICHAEL BLOOMBERG speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (Credit Image: © Bill Clark/Congressional Quarterly/Newscom via ZUMA Press)
-medium wp-image-18470″ src=”http://ourtimeathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Pg2_Bloomberg-300×200.jpg” alt=”July 27, 2016 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. – MICHAEL BLOOMBERG speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (Credit Image: © Bill Clark/Congressional Quarterly/Newscom via ZUMA Press)” width=”300″ height=”200″ /> July 27, 2016 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. – MICHAEL BLOOMBERG speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (Credit Image: © Bill Clark/Congressional Quarterly/Newscom via ZUMA Press)

Given my background, I’ve often encouraged business leaders to run for office because many of them share that same pragmatic approach to building consensus, but not all. Most of us who have created a business know that we’re only as good as the way our employees, clients, and partners view us. Most of us don’t pretend that we’re smart enough to make every big decision by ourselves. And most of us who have our names on the door know that we’re only as good as our word. But not Donald Trump.

Throughout his career, Trump has left behind a well-documented record of bankruptcies, thousands of lawsuits, angry shareholders, and contractors who feel cheated, and disillusioned customers who feel ripped off. Trump says he wants to run the nation like he’s run his business. God help us.

I’m a New Yorker, and New Yorkers know a con when we see one! Trump says he’ll punish manufacturers that move to Mexico or China, but the clothes he sells are made overseas in low-wage factories. He says he wants to put Americans back to work, but he games the US visa system so he can hire temporary foreign workers at low wages. He says he wants to deport 11 million undocumented people, but he seems to have no problem in hiring them. What’d I miss here?!

Truth be told, the richest thing about Donald Trump is his hypocrisy. He wants you to believe that we can solve our biggest problems by deporting Mexicans and shutting out Muslims. He wants you to believe that erecting trade barriers will bring back good jobs. He’s wrong on both counts.

We can only solve our biggest problems if we come together and embrace the freedoms that our Founding Fathers established right here in Philadelphia, which permitted our ancestors to create the great American exceptionalism that all of us now enjoy. Donald Trump doesn’t understand that. Hillary Clinton does. And we can only create good jobs if we make smarter investments in infrastructure and do more to support small businesses. Not stiff them. Donald Trump doesn’t understand that. Hillary Clinton does.

I understand the appeal of a businessman president. But Trump’s business plan is a disaster in the making. He would make it harder for small businesses to compete, do great damage to our economy, threaten the retirement savings of millions of Americans, lead to greater debt and more unemployment, erode our influence in the world, and make our communities less safe.

The bottom line is: Trump is a risky, reckless, and radical choice. And we can’t afford to make that choice.

Now, I know Hillary Clinton is not flawless; no candidate is. But she is the right choice — and the responsible choice — in this election. No matter what you may think about her politics or her record, Hillary Clinton understands that this is not reality television; this is reality. She understands the job of president. It involves finding solutions, not pointing fingers, and offering hope, not stoking fear.

To me, this election is not a choice between a Democrat and a Republican. It’s a choice about who is better to lead our country right now: better for our economy, better for our security, better for our freedom, and better for our future.

There is no doubt in my mind that Hillary Clinton is the right choice this November. So tonight, as an independent, I am asking you to join with me — not out of party loyalty but out of love of country. And together, let’s elect Hillary Clinton as the next president of the greatest country in the world, the United States of America. Thank you.

Excerpts From the Address of  President Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Monday, July 24, 2016

Editor, Our Time Press
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Excerpts From the Address of  President Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Monday, July 24, 2016
July 27, 2016 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S - President BARACK OBAMA and HILLARY CLINTON on the stage at the Democratic National Convention. (Credit Image: � Mark Reinstein via ZUMA Wire)
-medium wp-image-18467″ src=”http://ourtimeathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Page-1_HillaryBarack-300×228.jpg” alt=”July 27, 2016 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S – President BARACK OBAMA and HILLARY CLINTON on the stage at the Democratic National Convention. (Credit Image: � Mark Reinstein via ZUMA Wire)” width=”300″ height=”228″ /> July 27, 2016 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S – President BARACK OBAMA and HILLARY CLINTON on the stage at the Democratic National Convention. (Credit Image: � Mark Reinstein via ZUMA Wire)

“…what we heard in Cleveland last week wasn’t particularly Republican – and it sure wasn’t conservative. What we heard was a deeply pessimistic vision of a country where we turn against each other, and turn away from the rest of the world. There were no serious solutions to pressing problems – just the fanning of resentment, and blame, and anger, and hate.

And that is not the America I know.

The America I know is full of courage, and optimism, and ingenuity. The America I know is decent and generous. Sure, we have real anxieties – about paying the bills, protecting our kids, caring for a sick parent. We get frustrated with political gridlock, worry about racial divisions; are shocked and saddened by the madness of Orlando or Nice. There are pockets of America that never recovered from factory closures; men who took pride in hard work and providing for their families who now feel forgotten; parents who wonder whether their kids will have the same opportunities we had.

Now, eight years ago, Hillary and I were rivals for the Democratic nomination. We battled for a year and a half. Let me tell you, it was tough, because Hillary’s tough. Every time I thought I might have that race won, Hillary just came back stronger.

But after it was all over, I asked Hillary to join my team. She was a little surprised, but ultimately said yes – because she knew that what was at stake was bigger than either of us. And for four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment, and her discipline. I came to realize that her unbelievable work ethic wasn’t for praise or attention – that she was in this for everyone who needs a champion. I understood that after all these years, she has never forgotten just who she’s fighting for.

You know, nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office. Until you’ve sat at that desk, you don’t know what it’s like to manage a global crisis, or send young people to war. But Hillary’s been in the room; she’s been part of those decisions. She knows what’s at stake in the decisions our government makes for the working family, the senior citizen, the small business owner, the soldier, and the veteran. Even in the middle of crisis, she listens to people, and keeps her cool, and treats everybody with respect. And no matter how daunting the odds; no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits.

That’s the Hillary I know. That’s the Hillary I’ve come to admire. And that’s why I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as President of the United States of America. (Not me, not Bill not anybody)

Now, Hillary has real plans to address the concerns she’s heard from you on the campaign trail. She’s got specific ideas to invest in new jobs, to help workers share in their company’s profits, to help put kids in preschool, and put students through college without taking on a ton of debt. That’s what leaders do.

And then there’s Donald Trump. He’s not really a plans guy. Not really a facts guy, either. He calls himself a business guy, which is true, but I have to say, I know plenty of businessmen and women who’ve achieved success without leaving a trail of lawsuits, and unpaid workers, and people feeling like they got cheated.

And if you’re concerned about who’s going to keep you and your family safe in a dangerous world – well, the choice is even clearer. Hillary Clinton is respected around the world not just by leaders, but by the people they serve. She’s worked closely with our intelligence teams, our diplomats, our military. And she has the judgment, the experience, and the temperament to meet the threat from terrorism. It’s not new to her. Our troops have pounded ISIL without mercy, taking out leaders, taking back territory. I know Hillary won’t relent until ISIL is destroyed. She’ll finish the job – and she’ll do it without resorting to torture, or banning entire religions from entering our country. She is fit to be the next Commander-in-Chief.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump calls our military a disaster. Apparently, he doesn’t know the men and women who make up the strongest fighting force the world has ever known. He suggests America is weak. He must not hear the billions of men, women, and children, from the Baltics to Burma, who still look to America to be the light of freedom, dignity, and human rights. He cozies up to Putin, praises Saddam Hussein, and tells the NATO allies that stood by our side after 9/11 that they have to pay up if they want our protection. Well, America’s promises do not come with a price tag. We meet our commitments. And that’s one reason why almost every country on Earth sees America as stronger and more respected today than they did eight years ago.

America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you, our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump.

In fact, it doesn’t depend on any one person. And that, in the end, may be the biggest difference in this election – the meaning of our democracy.

In fact, it doesn’t depend on any one person. And that, in the end, may be the biggest difference in this election – the meaning of our democracy.

Ronald Reagan called America “a shining city on a hill.” Donald Trump calls it “a divided crime scene” that only he can fix. It doesn’t matter to him that illegal immigration and the crime rate are as low as they’ve been in decades, because he’s not offering any real solutions to those issues. He’s just offering slogans, and he’s offering fear. He’s betting that if he scares enough people, he might score just enough votes to win this election.

That is another bet that Donald Trump will lose. Because he’s selling the American people short. We are not a fragile or frightful people. Our power doesn’t come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order. We don’t look to be ruled. Our power comes from those immortal declarations first put to paper right here in Philadelphia all those years ago; We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that together, We, the People, can form a more perfect union.

That’s who we are. That’s our birthright – the capacity to shape our own destiny. That’s what drove patriots to choose revolution over tyranny and our GIs to liberate a continent. It’s what gave women the courage to reach for the ballot, and marchers to cross a bridge in Selma, and workers to organize and fight for better wages.

Hillary knows we can work through racial divides in this country when we realize the worry black parents feel when their son leaves the house isn’t so different than what a brave cop’s family feels when he puts on the blue and goes to work; that we can honor police and treat every community fairly. She knows that acknowledging problems that have festered for decades isn’t making race relations worse – it’s creating the possibility for people of good will to join and make things better.

That’s America. Those bonds of affection; that common creed. We don’t fear the future; we shape it, embrace it, as one people, stronger together than we are on our own. That’s what Hillary Clinton understands – this fighter, this stateswoman, this mother and grandmother, this public servant, this patriot – that’s the America she’s fighting for.

And that’s why I have confidence, as I leave this stage tonight, that the Democratic Party is in good hands. My time in this office hasn’t fixed everything; as much as we’ve done, there’s still so much I want to do. But for all the tough lessons I’ve had to learn; for all the places I’ve fallen short; I’ve told Hillary, and I’ll tell you what’s picked me back up, every single time.

It’s been you. The American people.

Time and again, you’ve picked me up. I hope, sometimes, I picked you up, too. Tonight, I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me. I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me. Because you’re who I was talking about twelve years ago, when I talked about hope – it’s been you who’ve fueled my dogged faith in our future, even when the odds are great; even when the road is long. Hope in the face of difficulty; hope in the face of uncertainty; the audacity of hope!

America, you have vindicated that hope these past eight years. And now I’m ready to pass the baton and do my part as a private citizen. This year, in this election, I’m asking you to join me – to reject cynicism, reject fear, to summon what’s best in us; to elect Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States, and show the world we still believe in the promise of this great nation.

Thank you for this incredible journey. Let’s keep it going. God bless the United States of America.

July 27, 2016 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S - President BARACK OBAMA and HILLARY CLINTON on the stage at the Democratic National Convention. (Credit Image: © Mark Reinstein via ZUMA Wire)
July 27, 2016 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S – President BARACK OBAMA and HILLARY CLINTON on the stage at the Democratic National Convention. (Credit Image: © Mark Reinstein via ZUMA Wire)
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