Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Lioness of Equality

 By Mildred Robertson

Today we mourn the loss of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who succumbed to a long battle with cancer. Ginsburg was only the second woman to sit on the highest court in the land.

 

Both a champion for justice and progress, Ginsburg led the fight for equality under the law. Her tireless advocacy, unending service, and trailblazing spirit opened the door for women and girls across the country to aspire to, and achieve seats of power in government and business. Her efforts, however, were not confined to seeking justice for women. She was equally committed to securing justice for all.

 

Nominated by Bill Clinton in June 1993, Ginsburg was confirmed in August. Her appointment to the Court followed a legal career as an advocate for the advancement of gender equality and women’s rights. Before taking the bench, Ginsburg had already won multiple cases argued before the Supreme Court.  

 

Her passing comes at a pivotal time in our nation’s history. If the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris ticket is successful, it will be the first time that a woman, no less a Black woman, is a heartbeat away from the levers of power in the United States. It remains to be seen whether America is ready to make that leap. While Kamala is neither the first female candidate to vie for either president or vice president of the United States, a successful Biden/Harris ticket would nonetheless be a huge departure from political norms in the U.S. The success of such a ticket is made possible, in part, by the work of Justice Ginsburg and others like her.

 

Justice Ginsburg’s passing also adds to an already fracas 2020 Presidential campaign. The airwaves have been awash in advertisements attempting to establish uncertainty about the efficacy of our political system. Both political parties are embroiled in a flurry of activity to determine how to maintain the power to fill the vacant seat, while doing as little damage to candidates caught up in tight races across the country.  Voters are carefully watching, and many are mobilizing to respond to how the White House and the Senate handle this vacancy with less than two months until the national election. The question is, will our Congress respond in a way that honors her memory and her body of work, or will her passing be the catalyst for a major challenge to our democracy.

 

As the nation pauses to honor Ginsburg, a folk hero sometimes referred to as “the Notorious RBG,” the words spoken in a 2018 documentary about her life powerfully exemplify her passion for justice. Ginsburg paraphrased the 19^th Century abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sarah Grimke, stating, “I ask no favor for my sex; all I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.”

 

Those words…that legacy resonate as women still struggle to meet their potential in a world that maintains a double standard, and black people struggle just to live. The question is, will America live up to Ginsburg's call for justice and allow women and minorities to stand in liberty, or must we fight to remove the weight of oppression to gain justice and equality.

 

She will be missed—but will not be forgotten. May the "Lioness of Equality" rest in Glory and may her work stand through the winds of change.

The State of America: Change Has to Come

By Guest Blogger, Mary Ratliff, President NAACP Columbia, Missouri Chapter

We are experiencing a very tragic and difficult time in our Country. I listened to the President's speech during the Republican Convention that compelled me to put pen to paper to respond to what seems to be a distorted or omitted fact in Donald Trump's speech. While delivering his speech He posed this question, while directing their attention toward the White House: "What is the name of this House, which is of course the White House. He then said, "We are here they are not."

Many have criticized those remarks but no one has addressed the meaning of his remarks, meaning this House is named for those who should occupy it, and is called the White for that purpose. I believe this was not a dog whistle but a bullhorn announcement to those who believe the presidency should be reserved for white males only.  

Change has to come, we need to recognize this is not a movement but a revolution. In a movement requests are made; in a revolution demands are made with expected outcomes.  We are calling upon like minded citizens, as was the case in the 50's, 60's and 70's, to join with us to march, demonstrate and strategize to bring about the changes necessary to bring peace to this troubled country.

We need all hands on deck to turn out the vote this November 3, 2020. Make no mistake, this administration has caused damage that will take strong leadership to repair. Unfortunately there are those who want to take us back to the 'good old days'  when Black Americans were viewed as less than human; only capable of jobs that required physical strength. This was not to be the only plight of the Black Race, because we had strength most of the time with little or no formal education. Black mothers and fathers taught us there is nothing more important than freedom and education; so we fought, bled and died for the right to have our little boys and girls enjoy the freedom that is due them.

I am appealing to our white friends, recognizing they can never walk a mile in our shoes,  to have a conscious that will direct them to no longer sit by and allow the senseless killing of Black men by police for no reason but for the color of their skin. 

Let us make it plain, there are those who say if no change is made in administration, we will be set back as a people, I say to you, that's a dice that shouldn't be rolled. Slavery did not stop John Brown, Harriett Tubman, Medgar Evers or Dr. Martin Luther Jr., and it wont stop us. It seems so strange to have to say in 2020, "we will be free." Unfortunately, that is not the case for Mike Brown, Travon Martin, George Floyd, Blake Taylor and so many others. 

We like Dr. King believe in a nonviolent revolution and refuse to allow our message to be lost in senseless violence. So we commend our young people for accepting the torch passed on to them as we continue to be the shoulder for them to stand on until we all are free indeed.

Respectfully Submitted By Mary A. Ratliff. President Columbia NAACP

Ratliff has spent over 60 years in the civil rights struggle, beginning in the 1960s when she helped organize a group called Concerned Citizen United. She later became president of the Columbia Chapter of the NAACP where she continues to serve today. Ratliff also served several terms on the National Board of the NAACP.

Where’s My Mail?

Americans React to Chaotic Leadership

By:  Mildred Robertson 

                                                                                                    

Many Americans will turn to the U.S. Postal Service this fall to cast their vote during the most dangerous pandemics the world has ever known. The Coronavirus Pandemic has sickened 5.6 million U.S. citizens and 174,293 have lost their lives as of August 18, 2020. Times such as these have historically caused Americans to come together to fight a common enemy, putting aside partisanship, and in some instances even prejudices and racism. Americans leaders have commonly stepped forward to summon our better angels as we work for the collective good of the country.

 Not so, however, in 2020. Our current administration has instead worked to divide us even further, casting around to find a villain besides himself upon whom to lay blame for the unchecked spread of Covid-19 within our borders. America is experiencing the collapse of our social and financial foundations, the demise of our school system, the overburdening of our health-care system and the total lack of vision regarding how to emerge from the horror that is the untethered pandemic sweeping our nation. Not only is there a lack of leadership in addressing these pressing national concerns, but an attack on the nation’s infrastructure that could help mitigate some of the issues we face.  

 From the lack of an organized effort to obtain the personal protective equipment (PPE) needed by the health care industry to safely treat infected patients to the hobbling of the U.S. Post Office in order to discourage absentee voting during a pandemic requiring physical distancing, this administration has acted as an adversary to rather than a proponent for America’s survival and recovery from this pandemic. 

 As legislators grapple with a gridlocked congress, the House continues to attempt to hammer out a compromise to provide a much needed stimulus check to Americans struggling during this pandemic.  A key component of their negotiations is an attempt to provide $25 billion in emergency funding to the U.S. Postal Service so that it can meet its traditional obligations and another $3.6 billion for state and local election officials struggling to staff polling places and process mail ballots which are expected to increase due to the pandemic.

The administration is at odds with the House as it struggles to provide relief to Americans suffering from furloughs, job loss, sickness and death. The administration has instituted draconian measures to slow down the mail, ripping mail sorters from mail rooms across America, and spiriting away mail boxes in minority communities, in hopes, it is believed, to discourage these individuals from voting by mail. These voter suppression tactics, if successful, would result in long lines and would possibly decrease the number of individuals voting due to fear of exposure to Covid-19.

Citizens across the nation have already experienced slow mail service as the USPS officials eliminate overtime in the midst of a worker shortage due to the pandemic. As quarantined Americans increasingly depend upon the USPS for everything from medicine to toilet paper, the post office is experiencing staff shortages due to the virus. Postal workers complain that mail is left sitting on the docks, and postal customers tell stories of late delivery of medication, and small business shipments and correspondence arriving 3 weeks after postmark. The strategy behind these tactics is to discourage mail-in voting. It is the president’s position that mail-in ballots will result in voter fraud, though there is no data to support that claim.

 Many battleground states, including Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin currently require that mail ballots be received by Election Day in order to be counted, regardless of when they were mailed. By slowing the mail many voters who mailed their ballots in a timely manner might be disenfranchised. Even if the states decide to accept ballots postmarked by November 3, it is possible that uncertainty about the election outcome could be established. By slowing delivery of mail-in ballots it is more likely that a clear winner could not be announced election night. In other words, a candidate who was in the lead based upon Election Day in-person votes could challenge the legitimacy of mail ballots, even though a majority of people chose to use that method due to the pandemic. This claim could be made even if their ballots were mailed timely. Trump has already indicated that he will challenge the legitimacy of mail-in ballots despite the pandemic.

Trump’s attack on USPS is his second attempt to strengthen his political position with the approaching election. He first floated the idea of postponing the election due to Covid-19 before finally suggesting that only votes that are tallied on Election Day be counted.  His suggestion was met with immediate push back from Americans from both sides of the aisle.  The attack on USPS has fared no better. In new developments, under extreme pressure from citizen protesters and the legislature, the Trump appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced today that changes to USPS processes and procedures will be halted until after the November election.

It is clear that when citizens collectively raise their voices, government responds. November 3^rd we have the option to loudly declare our desire for leadership that responds to the needs of every American citizen. We can demand an end to chaos by voting for stable leadership that comprehends democratic governance and understands that America is a nation ruled by the people.

It’s About the Census, Stupid

By Mildred Robertson

As Americans struggle with the Covid-19 outbreak, attacks on our democracy by a sitting president, racial unrest, the militarization of our police force, and a gridlocked legislature, many do not have time to think about how the next 10 years will play out in American democracy. But we must. You see in 2020 America must collect data to determine how it will divide its limited resources for the next 10 years.

Little is being said about the 2020 census as the nation’s airwaves are dominated by the president’s mindless press conferences, a deadlocked congress that cannot implement any useful legislation, and police militarization against peaceful protesters. Granted, these are all topics that need and deserve the public’s attention. However, the 2020 census is as important as, if not more important than any of these challenges. In fact, the successful implementation of the census will have an impact upon all these issues.

Many minorities are wary of the census, fearing that “Big Brother” is trying to keep tabs on them. It is an understandable fear, but one that is being used to suppress much needed minority participation in the process. You see, the census helps determine how federal dollars will be used in local communities. That means that an under count in your community may mean that vital community services won’t get the dollars they need to support improvement in city services. It may mean that you don’t get a city council person to represent your area. It may mean that potholes in your community don’t get fixed. You might be denied a congressional representative. There might not be a public school or hospital built in your community. Maybe you will end up with fewer fire stations than you need. You might not have a public works department that can adequately maintain your streets, or pick up your trash. The census affects things like youth programs, senior meals, healthcare and housing assistance.

So if you care about the conditions you live in…if you care about your community…then you care about the census. You see, in 2010, the last time a census was taken conservatives were the majority in most statehouses around the country. The data collected in the census is used to determine how many national and state legislators will be apportioned to your community. Because the legislature, both locally and nationally, can draw congressional lines, they were able to use the data from 2010 to draw voting districts that placed all the power in their hands across much of the country. It is called gerrymandering. These gerrymandered districts resulted in political districts drawn in such a way that only one party benefited. By drawing lines with conservative voters in the majority, they were able to sweep statehouses across the country and to win majorities in the United States Congress and statehouses nationwide.

If you want to have an impact on how your community is governed, you need to fill out the census. Donald Trump will not be sending his goons to your door. The census will not trigger a follow-up on a delinquent ticket or warrant. It is not a way to determine whether illegals are in your home. You do not have to talk to the census taker who knocks on your door. You can fill out the census form on the internet. It only takes a few minutes. The questions are not overly invasive.

A depressed census is the number one voter suppression technique. Don’t let your love of privacy or fear of an over-reaching government keep you from participating in this vital activity. Just like voting, participating in the census is the duty of every American and it is the privilege of every resident. Make sure your community is rightfully reflected in the 2020 Census so that the distribution of resources over the next 10 years will meet your community’s needs. Visit my2020census.gov to fill out your census questionnaire. Please, do it today.

Presidential Polls Predict Landslide--Don't Count on it!

By Mildred Robertson

According to recent polls, Joe Biden will rout Donald Trump on November 3.  A Quinnipiac University poll taken July 9 – July 13, 2020 show that 52% of Americans support Joe Biden while only 37% support Trump. The poll of 1273 registered voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8%.  Sounds like good news for Democrats. However, voters who are lukewarm on 2020 candidates and think their vote is not needed should probably rethink their position.

The 2020 Presidential election has a unique set of challenges which make the final outcome less predictable than past elections. Factors include a repeat of 2016 when Russia interfered in the presidential election, a possible drag on the youth vote for the Democratic nominee’s moderate stance on many hot button issues, and voter intimidation and suppression attempts by Republicans and other conservatives.

Republicans have made concerted efforts to limit early and mail-in voting. Their stance seems to be that a large voter turnout will result in their defeat, and have, therefore, pulled out all the stops as it relates to limiting minority access to the voting booth.  

False narratives run rampant in ads and among TV talking heads who repeat conservative tropes regarding widespread voter fraud. Many states are limiting the number of polling  places, all but guaranteeing that there will be long lines and ridiculous wait times come election day. These factors, added to the Corona virus pandemic, are designed to stymie the Blue Wave being predicted by state and national pollsters for the 2020 Election. If America has in fact turned against Donald Trump, conservatives seem to believe that they can stem the tide by discouraging voter turnout and making it difficult for those who chose to do so.  

The fact is, voting has never been easy for African Americans. From poll taxes, to night riders, to work schedules that make it difficult to get to the polls, many Americans found the challenge too tough. But it was not too tough for people like the recently deceased John Lewis who sacrificed his body to win you and me the opportunity to vote. It was not too tough for Dr. Martin Luther King, or the young men and women of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee or the Freedom Riders, many of whom gave their lives for our right to freedom and human dignity.

As we mourn the loss of Civil Rights icon John Lewis, it would be fitting that they change the name of the "Edmund Pettus Bridge" to the "John Lewis Bridge." But what would be even more fitting would be a record turnout of minority voters in the 2020 Election. That is the best way to honor his memory.

We cannot depend on polls to deliver our fate on November 3, 2020. We must take our destiny in our own hands and vote in numbers like we have never voted before. Check your registration to make sure that you have not been subject to one of the many voter purges occurring across the nation. Request your mail-in ballot as soon as they become available in your state. Make sure you mail in your completed ballot at least two weeks prior to November 3, 2020. If you choose to vote in person, take off November 3^rd so that you can stay as long as necessary to make sure your vote is cast. Go to the polls early. Talk to your family and friends to make sure they are registered and that they intend to vote.  

It is true that many polls across America say that the 2020 election is over. But a poll is just an educated guess. Don’t leave your future to guesswork—VOTE on or before November 3, 2020. 

Contact your local Board of Elections now for early voting locations or to obtain your absentee ballot

Seizing the Moment – While Black Lives Do Matter

By Mildred Robertson

My 30-something-year-old son has been active in the protests in San Diego, California triggered by the George Floyd murder. He has marched, he has been tear-gassed and clubbed by police, and he is frustrated. While his passion for immediate social change is still red-hot, he wants to know the end game. He wants to know what will happen when the marching stops.

His first response when he took to the streets is that it appeared that no one was in charge. It was a knee-jerk response from a group of young people overcome by the brutality they have witnessed over the course of their young lives. And they are outraged.

You see, while America’s duplicity is familiar to me…a near Septuagenarian, many youths, both black and white, have been sheltered from the race hatred that bubbles just beneath the surface of American society. America has never addressed the festering sore of slavery and its incumbent racial animus.

It is, perhaps, the fault of our generation who witnessed the transformative 60’s and experienced the benefit of a society where we could walk on the sidewalk and not have to step to the side to let a white person pass…or when we got to move outside the redlines…or when we were able to drink from whatever water fountain we chose. It all felt like progress. It WAS progress.

Our school systems white-washed the history of slavery and Jim Crow, and many of us, traumatized by the brutality of racism ignored it, striving instead to achieve the American promise of peace and prosperity. At least those of us who could. But far too many of our people were trapped in the dysfunctional strata of our society where they faced substandard schools, inferior housing, inadequate healthcare, food deserts, and over-policing.

While young people like my son were not unaware of racism…of course, I had “the talk” with him about policing…It had not touched many of them on a daily basis as it had those who were less fortunate. But this current administration has ripped the scab from our barely healing racial strife to expose the ugly hatred nurtured by white Americans who blamed their failures on our successes. Blacks who have not been able to dig themselves from the poverty into which they were grandfathered under the oppressive systems of slavery and Jim Crow were viewed as lazy, criminal, and not entitled to the American Dream. Those who became successful and moved up in society were viewed as interlopers who stole the Dream from deserving white citizens.

But polite society barely acknowledges this reality. You see, we work in integrated workplaces. Our friendships are many times interracial. We go out to clubs and share a drink after work, or have an occasional social dinner meeting.  We even sometimes worship together. Our lives have become intersectional.

But it is not where our lives meet that causes problems. It is when we walk out of the hospital and take off our lab coats, when we leave the bank and change from our Brooks Brother’s suits to our jogging pants and hoodies, when we come home from the fire station or the police station and put on our casual clothes. When we look like all the other black folk in the world…That is when the problems start--when we become the threat.

When we are walking to the corner store like Trayvon Martin, or lying in bed like Breona Taylor, playing in the park like Tamir Rice or driving our car like Sandra Bland; the threat is real. But it is we ourselves who are threatened.

Though touted as the land of fairness and equality; America, since its inception, has always had a strange taste for violence. From the slaughter of native Americans, to the brutalization of slaves, to the ruthless marauding of Black communities throughout reconstruction, to the viciousness of the attack on civil rights activists, to the inhumane policing in Black communities that have resulted in the death of thousands of folks like George Floyd. Blood lust has been a part of the White American nature.  Yet White folks clutch their pearls when a young protestor, angry over these 400 years of injustice, raises his or her fist and possibly throws a brick.  It is this disconsonance that has caused many White Americans, not only to see but acknowledge their duplicity.

And now, with eyes open, many White Americans are persuadable. Many can acknowledge the shame of slavery, the burden of servitude, discrimination and racism on the Black community and the disparities that are rooted in them.

Unfortunately for George Floyd, it was his televised execution that caused many White Americans to see. But his death has created a moment. A moment when Black Lives do actually matter. The moment will be fleeting, so we must seize it now to create the change we need in order for America to be great for the FIRST time.

America on Fire! Black Lives Matter

 By Mildred Robertson

It has happened again. Police officers have publicly executed an unarmed black man. On May 25, 2020, Officer Derek Chauvin nonchalantly pressed his knee into the neck of George Floyd as he pleaded for air…his life. Ultimately he pleaded for his deceased mother, knowing, I believe, that he would soon meet her. Chauvin and three other officers, without care or emotion, watched the life seep out of George Floyd over an alleged $20 crime, while a crowd of onlookers begged the officers to give him relief. First Minnesota, and then America exploded.

Cities all over the country…the world…have erupted in response to this latest case of brutality. Some have erupted into flame; a flame fueled by Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and Philandro Castille and Sandra Bland, and Mike Brown and… Unfortunately there is not enough space in this blog for me to name all those black men and women who have been murdered at the hands of those who were supposed to protect and serve them.

This last injustice, however, this public execution of George Floyd has touched a nerve that has not been exposed since the bombing of an Atlanta church which snuffed out the lives of four innocent little girls. Floyd’s death appears to be the final straw that has made the burden of racism and social injustice too much for many Americans to bear.  Numerous leaders across this nation have said that things must change for justice to be served.

The unbridled passion erupting all over this nation has resulted in weeks of sometimes violent protests, fueled by rogue peace officers pursing anything but peace.   Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey urged for, not the dissipation of passion, but a redirected anger focused on creating real concrete changes to systemic racism. “I’m not asking for patience…I am asking you to take that energy that has consumed our country…that either can destroy us or build us up, and use it not to destroy our neighborhoods,  but to destroy systemic racist…all of the things that make it difficult when a life like George Floyd’s is taken… to get justice.”

Unfortunately, however, the truth is that history does not provide us hope that the officers, though charged, will receive the justice they so richly deserve.  Nor do the atrocities endured by peaceful protesters bode well for a swift resolution to conflicts inherent when America reawakens to systemic injustice. 

This conflict is not about burned out main street, or looting. It is not about property. The rioting and looting is a distraction. The fact is Derek Chauvin and the police officers with him clearly killed Floyd. It is a fact that they were not immediately arrested and charged with murder. It is a fact that three of the officers walked free for weeks before even receiving charges. The recent deaths of Ahmaud Abery, Breonna Taylor and ultimately, George Floyd demonstrate that America’s claim to civility is hollow.

White Americans need to attest to the fact that the policing system in our country is broken. They must admit that police militarization in communities of color is real. They must acknowledge that race plays an out-sized role in lives of black folk and other minorities throughout this country. That would be civil.

All lives matter, but right now it is black lives that are under attack. Until the sacrifice of black bodies on the streets of America is finally deemed actionable…until police officers learn that their violent policing of black communities is criminal…until violators are held accountable, fiery convictions will rage on.

Without justice, there will be no peace.