What’s Going On

US ELECTION: 11/3

Donald Trump is officially on steroids! American life will descend into a hellish decline as we witness the final days of the “Portrait of Dorian Gray” US president until November 3. On 9/29, the night of the first Presidential debate, Trump invited The Proud Boys, an acknowledged white supremacist group “to stand back and stand by,” at polling sites” on 11/3! The debate was rife with racist messages,
chaos,devoid of dignity. His Proud Boys invite preceded the Trump testing COVID 19 positive revelation. His condition required hospitalization, his official introduction to the steroid dexamethasone, which affects thought processes and delirium and an elusive transparency. Trump isthe world’s leading COVID spreader. The 74- year old USA president is on a COVID cocktail which includes Remdesivir, supplements and oxygen support. Trump ailments, hypertention, cholesterol and obesity. Back at the White House after a 3-day Walter Reed Medical Center stay, Trump removed his face mask and returned to work with a vengeance. He ordered a hold on Stimulus talks until after 11/3,in favor of the SCOTUS hearings to replace Justice Ruth Ginsburg. That action triggered Dow Jones 600 point plunge, which called for his announcement to immediately approve a second round of $1200 stimulus checks. Are the steroids impacting his mental clarity? Is he ready for the second Presidential Town Hall Debate in Miami next week?
The COVID incubation period is 5 -7 days. Trump bullied the doctors into his early hospital discharge. He is a walking COVID disaster infecting all who interface with him. More than 18 White House West Wingers are COVID positive and quarantined.. On 1/20/2009, US GOP Senator Mitchell McConnell vowed to make President Barack Obama a one-term president. Now, scores of people are allied to make Trump a one-term presidential pestilence.
Will the South pivot blue this year? It has been a while since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 since the South sent its sons and daughters to Congress. It takes 270 electoral college votes to win the US presidency. The 15 battle ground states include AZ, FL, GA, IA, ME, MI, MN, NE,NV, NH, NC , OH, PA,TX, WI. The states African American voters will make a difference are FL, GA, MI, NC, PA and WI. Harris has an special appeal to Asian American voters.

US SENATE: Dems need three seats to flip the US Senate. In South Carolina, incumbent Senator Lindsey Graham faces stiff competition from Democratic opponent African opponent Jaime Harrison. Early October polls show them 48 -48%. Harrison, a Jim Clyburn mentee is a campaign money magnet. Mississippi-African American Mike Espy is in a close race (1%) with Senate GOP incumbent Cindy Hyde- Smith who will not debate him. Espy campaign coffers are full. When he wins, he will be the first Black Senator from MI since Reconstruction.
The US Senate should be focused on approval of a new coronavirus stimulus package to provide immediate economic relief to millions of Americans. On 10/6 Trump kills stimulus talks and orders his compliant GOP Senate to focus on Barrett hearings. He says Stimulus can wait until after 11/3. Yes, delirium has set in. A few minutes later the US stock market tanked. A few hours later, Trump reversed himself and allowed that Stimulus talks should restart the next day.

SCOTUS: The US Senate, however, is preoccupied with Supreme Court confirmation proceedings for Amy Coney Barrett, the late Justice Ruth Ginsburg successor. Two of the three GOP Senators, who are on the judicial committee, are in quarantine and unable to vote.Why the rush? Will SCOTUS be involved in post election challenges?

NY: The Wall Street Journal reports that Fri 10/ 9 is NY voter registration deadline and more than 430, 000 young eligibles have not signed up. It is part of a 2020 national trend owing to COVID19, eco crisis, and national protests. Most Americans register to vote with Dept. of Motor Vehicles ID. More than 700,000 New Yorkers do not have DMV- issued ID. Check with your non-campus bound college students about voter registration.

NEW YORK
Received, completed and mailed my absentee/mail-in ballot. Voted for all of incumbents who rep my Central Harlem district: Congressman Adriano Espaillat, NYS Senator Brian Benjamin and NYS Assemblywoman Inez Dickens. Benjamin is eying NYC Comptroller run in 2021. Dickens does not confirm nor deny widespread rumors about a 2021 NYC Council run. Democratic women covet the City Council 2022 seats. Most of the 51 City Council seats will be filled by new members in 2022.
Did NYC open its schools in haste. The recent COVID surges in about 12 zip codes in Brooklyn and Queens resulted in school closings for a few weeks. Governor Cuomo visits afflicted areas and closes schools and nonessential businesses there.

BUSINESS MATTERS
Charles Phillips was named to the COMPASS Board of Directors. COMPASS is a real estate tech company with 18,000 real estate agents. An enterprise software executive and cloud computing engineer, Phillips was CEO/Chair of Infor, world’s third largest business software company, which was recently acquired by Koch Industries. Phillips was also Oracle President and Board member after a stint at Morgan Stanley Managing Director. A former US Marine, he holds a BS in computer science, from the US Air Force Academy and a JD from NY Law School. A glass ceiling crasher, what’s Phillips next CEO/Chair destination.

ARTS/CULTURE

THEATER: The Brooklyn-based Billie Holiday Theatre, under the leadership of artistic director Dr. Indira Etwaroo, will spearhead head a strategic initiative for Black theater institutions with a $5 million lead gift from the Mellon Foundation, historically the largest one-time investment in a Black theater initiative to support The Black Seed Initiative, a national strategic plan to “create impact and sustainability for Black theater institutions and initiatives.” African American Elizabeth Alexander poet, memoirist, scholar and culture advocate is the Mellon Foundation President. MUSEUM: Kevin Young has been named Director fo the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in 2016.

Kevin Young, 49, is current director of the Harlem-based Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a special division of the NY Public Library. Until the NMAAHC opened, Schomburg was the nation’s premier Black American culture citadel. Young is scholar archivist, author and poet and he wears New Yorker Magazine poetry editor hat.

PEOPLE
RIP: New Yorker Steve Carter, 90, died on 9/15, in Texas. Prolific African American playwright who brought inspiration from ancient Greek and American theater to NY streets. A product of the fabled Negro Ensemble Company which mounted many of his plays like “Terraces” and “News of Mountain Dew.” He loved satire and drama equally and wrote plays about Caribbean Americans settling in NYC. His dad was Trinidadian. After NEC, he was affiliate with Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. His plays were mounted at colleges, local and European theater. He was the recipient of a Drama Desk Award and NEA and Rockefeller Foundation grants.

A Harlem-based media/branding specialist, Victoria is reachable at Victoria.horsford@gmail.com