I came across this great interview between British-Jamaican cultural theorist Stuart Hall and legendary Trinidadian political activist and writer CLR James on YouTube recently. I remember first watching this interview when I was in college where I minored in post-colonial studies. It brought back a lot of good memories of the classes I took and how the information continues to influence my perspectives today.
This year the nation is commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination. Much of the focus has been on his activism within the many civil rights struggles throughout the United States. It is commonly believed that King’s interest in global civil rights issues began with his 1967 Riverside Church speech railing against the Vietnam War. King made the connection between domestic terrorism against blacks in the South and international terrorism against the Vietnamese, both at the hands of the white establishment.
However, King’s international activism began ten years before when he traveled to Ghana in 1957 to participate in the new country’s independence ceremonies and to have a private meeting with the newly-minted prime minister, Kwame Nkrumah. This was his attempt to connect the American civil rights movement, specifically the Montgomery Bus Boycott, with the struggle of oppressed people globally. He attended the ceremonies with other American civil rights leaders and civil servants like Ralph Bunche, A. Philip Randolph, Adam Clayton Powell, and then Vice President Richard Nixon. Before returning to the United States, King also visited Nigeria and London, where he had another private meeting with C.L.R. James, a Trinidadian public intellectual who was inspired with the success of the Montgomery Boycott.
King would travel to Nigeria again in 1960 to meet with its first president, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and attend his inauguration. He also went on a five-week tour of India in 1959. Of course, King was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolence philosophy and was able to meet with other Indian peace activists there, as well as with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. King then met with the Algerian president, Ben Bella, who was instrumental in his country’s liberation movement against France, to discuss a wide range of issues such as racial injustice and the Cuban Missle Crisis.
“As I sat talking with Mr. Ben Bella, he displayed, again and again, an intimate knowledge of the Negro struggle here in America,” King said.” The battle of the Algerians against colonialism and the battle of the Negro against segregation is a common struggle.”
Jamaica was a common destination for King, where he wrote many of his books and speeches and paid homage to Marcus Garvey while in Kingston giving a speech in 1965.
Being ahead of the curve and on the right side of history, King took a strong stand against South Africa’s white regime when he co-authored the “Appeal for Action Against Apartheid” in 1962 with African National Congress President Chief Albert Lutuli.
But, of course, King was always on the right side of history in many other ways too!
A few days ago, I was reorganizing my inbox and came to the realization that nearly 40 percent of my emails in the last two years were about organizing efforts against Trump. I am on a lot of email lists for many social justice organizations and my friends and colleagues forward me stuff about upcoming protests, rallies, petitions, sit-ins, fundraisers, panel discussions, speaker series and other actions. Living in liberal Boston, there seems to be something going on almost every day.
I have finally come to the conclusion that I have protest fatigue. This is not just because I feel like nothing is charging or getting worse in this country (which is very true), but also because I don’t feel like most of these efforts are focused on big-picture solutions. Yes, it is always great to see large crowds come out to protest anti-Trump initiatives against immigrants, Muslims, people of color, women, low-income and LGBT folks etc. However, the reality is that a lot of these protesters are not voting on election day, which matters a lot more. If they are voting, there are not voting strategically.
Quite a few of the people who are always forwarding me emails about anti-Trump protests voted for Jill Stein or wrote in Bernie Sanders in the 2016 election. When I see people like Susan Sarandon complaining about Trump, I just can’t be bothered by them. In my opinion, if you voted for Jill Stein or Bernie Sanders, you might as well have had voted for Trump. In all honesty, I need these to shut up because you get the government you deserve.
Regarding folks who didn’t vote at all in 2016, they are also part of the problem. I have a friend who is a black, unemployed single mother in Michigan who didn’t vote because she didn’t think her vote would matter, as she thought Hillary Clinton would win. She lives in a swing state and didn’t think her vote would matter!!! Her vote would have mattered more than mine since I live blue Massachusetts. And yet, she continues to complain to me about Trump taking away her health care benefits.
You get the government you deserve!
I would like to see the Democrats be less anti-Trump and more pro-policy solutions. While I think it is valid to continue the Russia investigation and look into other unethical concerns within the Trump administration, they can’t expect to win the 2018 midterms and 2020 presidential election purely on Russian hackings, impeachment, and Stormy Daniels. Most Americans care about jobs, healthcare, education and a host of other issues. What is their plan to win any of these elections? More importantly, how do both parties encourage more people to not only vote in the major, national elections but also the local elections happening every year? Your mayor, city councilor, state representative, and town alderman have a more direct impact on your everyday quality of life than anything that is going on in Washington.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Democratic primary win is a small sign of hope, but let’s remember she won in blue New York City. If people want to see the fruits of their protest labor, they need to get involved, get informed and start voting often every.
I am going to a barbeque today and I plan to bring a very American dish – Frito Pie! This wonderful concoction originates from the Southwest. I was first introduced to it when I went on a brief business trip out to Albuquerque many years ago. It is basically chili con carne eaten out of a bag of Fritos. This being New Mexico, there was also a dash of red and green chile, making it a “Christmas” Frito pie. New Mexico cuisine is a mix of Mexican, Spanish and Native American foods.
I went to the National Museum of the American Indian in May and tried a version with Bison meat and cornbread. It was pretty good!
For the party tonight, I will be making it as a casserole with the Fritos at the bottom of the bowl, instead of pouring it into Frito bags.
Frito Pie Recipe
Here’s my recipe. If you want to do a vegetarian version, ignore turkey instructions and brings beans and mixture to boil.
In a six-quart stockpot, cook turkey over medium heat until it’s light brown, breaking into crumbles; drain. Stir in red chile sauce, flour, salt, jalapenos, and garlic until blended. Gradually stir in beans.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 12-15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
To serve, pour Frito chips into the casserole dish and pour chili mixture on top of it. Then put cheese on top and put in the oven until the cheese is melted at 360 degrees. Take out of oven and top with lettuce, tomatoes, and onion. If desired, top with sour cream. Should make 4-6 servings.