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Officers Of Color Barred From Guarding Derek Chauvin, Former Officer Charged With Killing George Floyd – Lawsuit Alleges

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center – County Jail Where Derek Chauvin Was Booked Following Arrest

Eight officers of color filed a racial discrimination suit on February 9, 2021, stating that they were barred from guarding the former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with the death of George Floyd.  Officers state they were reassigned to work on other floors within the jail so that they would not come into contact with Chauvin.  Court documents indicate the officers identifying as African American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and mixed-race were “segregated and prevented from doing their jobs by defendant solely because of the color of their skin”.  Officers also stated that Chauvin received special treatment from a white lieutenant. 

Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter after video footage recorded May 25, 2021, showed him placing his knee on George Floyd’s neck for approximately nine minutes, during which time Floyd repeatedly stated that he could not breathe.  Attorney for the eight officers, Lucas Kaster said, “When Officer Chauvin arrived, they were prepared to do the jobs they had done every single day up to that point, until, that is, Superintendent Lydon’s order prevented them from doing so.”

Attorney Kaster also stated, “The impact on our clients has been immense. They’re deeply humiliated and distressed, and the bonds necessary within the high-stress and high-pressure environment of the ADC have been broken,”  The lawsuit asserts that Superintendent Lydon gave orders that all officers of color were not allowed to guard Chauvin or have any interaction with him, or even to be on the same floor where he was being held.  Attorney Kaster describes the officers as being “extremely upset and offended.” Devin Sullivan, one of the plaintiffs states in court documents that he was in the midst of patting down Chauvin when he was told to stop by Superintendent Lydon and then was replaced by a white officer.  

Continue reading “Officers Of Color Barred From Guarding Derek Chauvin, Former Officer Charged With Killing George Floyd – Lawsuit Alleges” →
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Hoodie vs. Gas Mask

Black History: Special Delivery!!

Rep. Bobby Rush (Left), Rep. Matthew Gaetz (Right)

On March 5, 2020, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) highlighted the difference in treatment that he experienced in 2012 when he wore a hoodie and sunglasses on the house floor to protest the death of Trayvon Martin. Rush was forcibly removed from the house floor by the seargent-at-arms for violating its decorum code. Fast forward to 2020. Republican Rep. Matthew Gaetz came onto the floor with a full gas mask to call attention to the COVID-19 virus. While he was asked to remove the gas mask, he was not removed. Gaetz is white and Rush is African American.

In response to the difference in treatment, Rush tweeted, “In 2012, I wore a hoodie on the House Floor to make a statement about the deadly consequences of racial profiling. On Wednesday, @RepMattGaetz wore a gas mask in the chamber, making light of an epidemic that has killed 14 Americans. Guess which one of us was forcibly removed.” Gaetz defended his actions by saying that the gas mask was “medically necessary”. However, gas masks are not normally considered to be medically necessary.

Sources:

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/486303-dem-congressman-notes-difference-between-his-hoodie-protest-and

https://mashable.com/article/viral-gas-mask-hoodie-tweet/

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Dr. Roscoe C. Giles: First African American To Be Become Certified By The American Board of Surgery

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

Roscoe Giles
Dr. Roscoe C. Giles (1890 – 1970)

Roscoe Conkling Giles (1890 – 1970) was born in Albany, New York. He was the first African American to become certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1938 at the age of 27. After graduating from high school in Brooklyn, NY, he was awarded a scholarship to Cornell University and would be the first African American to earn a medical degree there.  He was 16 years old when he began his studies at Cornell.  While there, in 1907, Giles became one of the first members of African American fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. which was started at Cornell in 1906. Continue reading “Dr. Roscoe C. Giles: First African American To Be Become Certified By The American Board of Surgery” →

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Honoring King’s Life, But Working Against His Agenda??

Black History: Special Delivery!!

“You can’t honor Dr. King’s life and then work against his agenda.” – Rev. Dr. William Barber

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MLK: “A Father We Have Yet To Bury”

Black History: Special Delivery!!

On April 3, 2018, Dr. Bernice King and her siblings took part in a service at Mason Temple Church in Memphis, TN to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination which occurred on April 4, 1968. The last public speech given by King was at Mason Temple on April 3, 1968. Bernice King comments on the trauma and grief she and her siblings still experience even as adults. …..50 years later. Not only was Dr.

King assassinated, but so was King’s mother, Alberta King who was shot and killed while playing the organ at a church in 1974. King’s brother Rev. Alfred Williams died from drowning in 1969. Many felt the “accidental drowning” may not have been an accident. Alfred King was also very active in the civil rights movement and worked closely with his brother.

Bernice King’s words in commemorating the 50th anniversary of her father’s assassination, are both poignant and moving as she reflects on experiencing the grief and trauma of the father that they “have yet bury“. The grief and trauma of these experiences is still present with them……… 50 years later.

Click on the link below to view an excerpt of Bernice King’s comments:

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Cynthia Marshall:  1st NBA African American Female CEO

Black History: Special Delivery!!

CYNTHIA-MARSHALL
Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall – Interim CEO Dallas Mavericks

On Monday, February 26, 2018, Cynthia Marshall was announced as the new interim CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. Marshall is 58 years old and recently retired from an executive role as a Chief Diversity Officer with AT & T. She retired after a 36 year career with there. After leaving AT & T, Marshall launched a consulting firm which focused on the areas of leadership, diversity/inclusion, and culture transformation.

She was recruited by Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban following the resignation of the former CEO, Tederma Ussery amid allegations of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct that was released in a recent Sports Illustrated article. Marshall will have the opportunity to drop the “interim” portion of her job title if she chooses. Highly recommended from AT & T leadership, Marshall has some tough work ahead of her. She appears to be up to the challenge!

Sources:

http://theurbannews.com/business/2008/im-every-woman-cynthia-g-marshall-president-att-north-carolina/

http://www.espn.com/espnw/sports/article/22587581/interim-ceo-cynthia-marshall-hopes-make-dallas-mavericks-model-response-misconduct

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-mavericks/mavericks/2018/02/26/new-interim-ceo-cynthia-marshall-promises-2019-mavericks-will-standard-diversity-inclusiveness

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1886 Carroll County Courthouse Massacre

Black History: Special Delivery!!

Carroll County Courthouse – Carroll County, MS

On March 17, 1886, in Carroll County, Mississippi, 23 people lost their lives in the “Carroll County Courthouse Massacre”. The circumstances leading up to the massacre occurred in January 1886 when two brothers Ed and Charley Brown dropped molasses on Robert Moore, a white man. The brothers transporting the molasses to a saloon. Ed and Charley were of Native American and African American ancestry. The situation was initially resolved without incident. Moore did mention the incident to a friend as well as Carollton attorney James Liddell. Liddell decided to take matters into his on hands.
Liddell challenged Ed and Charley, accusing them of dropping the molasses on Robert Moore intentionally. The men began to argue but the verbal altercation was broken up by bystanders before it became physical. Later in the day, Liddell heard that the Brown brothers had been speaking negatively about him, after which an argument ensued. The argument resulted in shots being fired. All 3 men were wounded. The Brown brothers pressed charges against Liddell for attempted murder. The white residents of the town were not happy that black men had decided to press charges against a white person.
On the day of the trial, March 17, 1886, over 50 white men armed with guns ran into the courtroom and began firing at the Brown brothers and other blacks in attendance. The Brown brothers were killed. Other blacks in the courtroom tried to escape by jumping out of second floor windows but were shot by armed white men outside of the courthouse. 23 blacks lost their lives during the massacre. No whites were injured. There were no arrests from the incident nor was anyone ever charged. Bullet holes on the courtroom walls were not covered until the courthouse renovation in the early 1990s. Governor Robert Lowry stated that the “riot” was initiated by the the “conduct of negroes”. News of the massacre received national press attention. However, there was no formal investigation of the incident. African American U.S. Senator Blanche K. Bruce requested federal action from President Grover Cleveland. The president denied his request. The massacre has received little attention and remains unsolved.

Sources:
http://www.blackpast.org/aah/carroll-county-courthouse-massacre-1886
http://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/articles/381/the-carroll-county-courthouse-massacre-1886-a-cold-case-file

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Racism In Retail (Again)…..

Black History: Special Delivery!!

Retailer H & M recently pulled a photo of a black boy wearing a hoodie with said, “coolest monkey in the jungle“. Not sure how NO ONE thought about how this would be viewed as offensive. The ad has been pulled, but not before social media blasted the retailer. Not surpisingly, the retailer also had some defenders on social media making comments like, “I see a sweet little black boy wearing a sweater with ‘coolest monkey in the jungle. I see nothing else. Hope this helps.”
Another said, “Perhaps it was an innocent mistake and no-one even thought that they injected racism into the ad.”

Unfortunately, the disrespect of comparing black people to monkeys has a long standing racist history!

Sources:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/h-m-slammed-racism-coolest-monkey-jungle-hoodie-article-1.3744160

https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5a53203be4b003133ec9917a/amp

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“Systemic Racism Kills….LITERALLY. DAILY.” -Bree Newsome

Black History: Special Delivery!!

Another powerful quote from a SHEro on the frontlines Bree Newsome!

“Systemic racism kills. Literally. Daily. This is why I have no space for folks who try to reduce the issue of racism to a mere “culture war”, as though racism is just a bad idea held by otherwise decent people & not a brutal system that deprives people of humanity”

-Bree Newsome

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