Each year since 1926, February has marked celebrating black history, originally founded by Carter G. Woodson as Negro History week. February was chosen as it was the months of the births of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. And each year, the issue is raised by many people as to why do we need a special month to commemorate black history. Ditto for Hispanic History month, and Women’s History month which follows in March. I struggle with the fact that black history month is necessary in our society. Black History month was never intended to go on forever. Carter G. Woodson, the original founder of Black, did not intend for it to go on forever. Instead, he hoped that one day, we would not need a Black History Month or any other specific month based on race, gender or nationality. That day has not come yet. So once again, we must wash, rinse and repeat Black History Month. Carter Woodson once said on Black History Month: “We should emphasize not Negro history but the Negro in … [Read more...] about Why We Still Need Black History Month
Archives for February 2014
Florida’s License to Kill Law
I appeared on the Thom Hartmann Big Picture show on Monday to try to demystify and digest the Michael Dunn verdict. As Hartmann points out during the interview, the jury found that Dunn was guilty of shooting at a moving vehicle (the 5th count) but failed to find him guilty of shooting Jordan Davis, an unarmed teen. Dunn also received guilty verdicts of the three attempted murders. After thinking about the verdict, I believe the jury must have found that there was no threat or fear of threat when Dunn fired the last three of ten shots at the car, in which Jordan Davis was a passenger, as it sped away from Dunn. But that still begs the question of why they did not find him guilty of the first seven shots which resulted in Davis’ death. There were 12 jurors in the room deliberating along with a 13th juror. And that 13th juror resulted in a hung jury. The 13th juror is the subconscious or conscious racial bias of one or more of the jurors assembled. In football, there are 11 … [Read more...] about Florida’s License to Kill Law
Michael Dunn Verdict and Jim Crow 2014 Style
In the aftermath of the Michael Dunn verdict, where Dunn, a white man was allowed to get away with, at least for now, the killing of Jordan Davis, a black 17 year old teen, many ponder what do we do now and how do we respond. In many ways, the criminal justice system in the south is going back to the Jim Crow days where many southern states would not convict a white man for killing a black man. Apparently, in the 21st century, it is still difficult to obtain a verdict against a white man for killing a black teen, if the George Zimmerman and Michael Dunn cases are any indicators. But these cases are not just occurring in Florida. While the days of Emmett Till and whistling or winking at a white woman and getting killed without any justice may appear to be gone, they have been replaced with blacks being killed for wearing a hoodie while walking home from the store, playing loud music in a car, asking for help in a white neighborhood as in the cases of Renisha McBride and Jonathan … [Read more...] about Michael Dunn Verdict and Jim Crow 2014 Style
Still No Justice, No Peace for Jordan Davis
On today, February 16 which would be the 19th birthday for Jordan Davis, there is still no justice and no peace for the family of Jordan Davis and those who support justice in our criminal justice system. The jury in the case of Michael Dunn spoke late on Saturday evening with a hung jury for the killing of Jordan Davis by Michael Dunn, after reaching guilty verdicts of attempted murder for the 3 other males. For many, the case was a test of whether a Florida jury would convict a white man for the killing of a black teen. And the question was answered in the negative. The reasons for the jury’s failure to reach a verdict in the Dunn case is not as difficult to understand for many African Americans who experience racial bias but nonetheless are still disappointed and disheartened. The overwhelming evidence at trial revealed that Michael Dunn fired ten shots in the car in which Jordan Davis was a passenger after complaining about the loud music coming from the vehicle; the other … [Read more...] about Still No Justice, No Peace for Jordan Davis
Michael Dunn: Will a Florida Jury Convict a White Man for Killing a Black Teenager?
The sting of the George Zimmerman verdict is not quite healed yet for many and Florida faces another Stand Your Ground case with another white man killing a young black teenager. This time, it’s not about a suspicious person wearing a hoodie but a SUV with black teens playing loud music that caused the death of Jordan Davis, age 17. Defendant Michael Dunn faces murder and several attempted murder charges for shooting into the SUV of Jordan Davis when he asked him to turn down the music. On its face, the case seems simple as even the defendant’s fiancé testified against him. The defendant claims that he shot the Davis multiple times for his own self-defense. Michael Dunn claims that he had to shoot in self -defense because he saw a gun pointed at him and feared for his life. His fiancé states he never mentioned seeing a weapon in Davis’ SUV. No weapon was found in Davis’ vehicle. Now that the jury has entered into the deliberations phase of the Michael Dunn trial, it’s … [Read more...] about Michael Dunn: Will a Florida Jury Convict a White Man for Killing a Black Teenager?
Blurred Lines and the Right to Privacy
We face a growing assault on our right to privacy online with presumed innocent sharing to friends and family resulting in government surveillance by the NSA, while many persons only see blurred lines when it comes to online privacy violations. As Alessandro Acquisiti points out in his TED Talk, Why Privacy Matters, {LINK} some people don’t care about online privacy as many think they have nothing to hide. I beg to differ. I think most people don’t understand and don’t connect emotionally with online privacy issues. And once more people come to better understand what their online identity means and also connect on an emotional level, many more people will speak out about their right to privacy and against government intrusion. As a former prosecutor, I often heard victims of burglaries and home invasions speak with outrage about the violation of their privacy when someone came into their homes and took their belongings without their consent. They understood what happened and they … [Read more...] about Blurred Lines and the Right to Privacy