Latest news with #Blacks
Economist
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Economist
Losing Religion
Sandwiched between two non-descript office buildings in the centre of Washington, DC, sits a special church. Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church has hosted funerals for civil rights icons and opened its pews to American presidents. This year it made history again when it sued the Proud Boys, the far-right group that vandalised the church's property in December 2020. For generations the centuries-old traditional Black church has been the foundation for civil rights movements, from abolition to voting rights. But membership is in decline as younger Blacks switch allegiance to more mixed race, non-denominational churches. On The Weekend Intelligence Tamara Gilkes Borr asks what happens to America's fight for equality if the traditional Black church disappears?
Miami Herald
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
‘Alligator Alcatraz' sounds more like ‘Gator Gulag' for migrants
Prison swamp I'd like to propose a better name for the immigrant detention facility some are calling 'Alligator Alcatraz.' 'Gator Gulag' has a much better ring to it. Tim Turman, Cutler Bay Camp ire Amazing how one governmental decision — the creation of a migrant detention center in the Everglades, being billed as 'Alligator Alcatraz' — can anger so many different constituencies. The decision angers environmentalists, as it destroys our precious Everglades; it angers the Miccosukee tribe, as it establishes a prison smack in the middle of their tribal lands; it angers everyone who recognizes the value of hard-working, law-abiding immigrants and abhors the unlawful treatment they are receiving; finally, it angers every taxpayer who recognizes this wastefulness, as it enriches private prison companies and the politicians they fund. Ana Alejandre Ciereszko, Miami Bahamians snubbed? Re: the June 24 editorial, 'City that immigrants built just turned its back on them.' Perhaps the Miami Herald Editorial Board overlooked that Bahamians were among the first West Indians to immigrate to the mainland U.S. in the late 19th century. Many worked in Florida's agriculture or labored in fishing, sponging and turtling in the Keys. Bahamian enclaves developed in areas such as Lemon City, Coconut Grove and Cutler. In 1896, foreign-born Blacks comprised 40 percent of Miami's Black population. Bahamians in Florida created their own institutions, most notably Episcopal churches. Black Bahamians, however, faced state-enforced racism, could not vote, were persecuted by epithets in the local press and were not allowed to stay in the hotels that employed them. In 1921, the Ku Klux Klan staged a large rally in Miami attacking Bahamian immigrants. My grandparents were among these early settlers. The editorial board's historical snub is suspect in light of statewide and nationwide efforts to rewrite or completely eliminate the presence, historical imprints and contributions of Black Americans. Rosa Osborne, Pembroke Pines No more war Re: the June 25 op-ed, 'Rubio is America's best hope in the Iran conflict.' Excellent commentary by Mary Anna Mancuso on the need to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, but at the same time avoiding a never-ending war in the Middle East or regime change. Marilin Rodon, Coral Gables A matter of trust I recently received two official notices — my motor vehicle registration renewal and my updated voter information card. What should have been routine communications from Miami-Dade County felt off. Neither featured the traditional county logo. Instead, each was re-branded with a personalized seal prominently displaying the name of the elected official — the tax collector and the supervisor of elections (whose name now arches over the word 'VOTE' in a design that resembles a campaign sticker). This isn't just a design choice — it's about power optics. When an elected official's name dominates official documents, it shifts public perception, making these offices feel less like trusted institutions and more like self-branded entities. That's especially problematic when the offices in question administer elections and tax collection — two areas where public trust is essential. By replacing the county seal with individualized branding, these new officials are blurring the lines between public service and political self-promotion and gives the impression they operate outside the bounds of government. At a time when faith in government is already fragile, this kind of self-serving design undermines trust. Cris Ascunce, Miami Shores A rare politician I don't live in New York City, never spent much time there and don't usually follow its local elections. However, when I heard about Zoran Mamdani's campaign for mayor, something stood out. He wasn't just another politician with carefully rehearsed talking points. He was honest — and that's rare. I didn't support Mamdani because of his Muslim identity. I supported him because he focused on what actually matters: working people trying to afford rent, get to work and live with dignity. He talked about the root causes of inequality and had the courage to challenge the special interests that dominate American politics. What struck me most was that he didn't hide who he was — his faith, his background. He didn't campaign on it, either. He spoke to voters as people, not demographics. That kind of leadership is needed well beyond New York. In South Florida, we're dealing with many of the same issues: unaffordable housing, failing infrastructure and political disconnection. Mamdani's win offers a glimpse of what's possible when a candidate leads with principles instead of pandering His campaign is a sign not just of change in one city, but of a shift that could ripple across the country. If we pay attention, we might realize this wasn't just his victory. It could be a turning point for all of us. Syed Ali Rahman, Davie Critical view Since Zohran Mamdani's landslide victory in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor this week, the Miami Herald has published several pieces by writers who have expressed varying shades of disgust for Mamdani's stance on whether Israel has 'the right to exist as a Jewish State.' To reiterate, Mamdani has said he believes that Israel, like all other nations, has a right to exist as a state with equal rights for all. That commentators find equal rights for all to be incompatible with the Israeli state, as they see and imagine it, says more about their own internalized approval for supremacist ideology — valuing one people over others — than anything else. To see elected officials, judges and political commentators parrot this line uncritically, especially in light of our country's own dark past with Jim Crow laws, is truly frightening — not the electoral success of a rising progressive Muslim immigrant who believes in this nation's ideals. Katherine Shehadeh, Coral Gables Highway robbery On June 17, media outlets across this state reported in detail the contents of Florida's newly passed $115.1 billion state budget. Coverage rightly highlighted numerous elements — from tax cuts and voucher expansions to emergency reserve allocations and job eliminations. No mention, however, of the men and women who patrol Florida's roadways, respond to thousands of traffic crashes, support hurricane deployments and serve as the front line for safety on our state's highways. At a time when violent crashes are increasing, staffing is at crisis levels and Troopers are being paid monthly on salaries that lag 30 years behind Florida's economic growth, the omission is glaring. While legislators debated reserves and rent taxes, the 1,700 Troopers sworn to protect the motoring public were again ignored. They received no mention in session wrap-ups, no analysis in budget overviews and certainly, no front-page attention. To claim that Florida's budget is complete when it fails to address the most visible and vulnerable layer of public safety is impossible. We respectfully urge Florida's press to correct this oversight. Tell the full story, not just the tax breaks and budget games, but the silence that continues to surround those who keep Florida free. Spencer Ross, president, Florida Highway Patrol, Orlando Job security South Florida's Congressional politicians claim to be against President Donald Trump's immigration policies. However, until they vote on the record against him, their claims mean nothing. These politicos don't dare vote against him; if they did, they would be primaried and lose their cushy jobs. Sol Yanowitz, Miami
West Australian
2 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
Raymond Da Silva Rosa: Housing affordability forcing Blacks out of Liberal States
A recent New York Times report that 'housing affordability and quality of life concerns are pushing longtime Black New Yorkers out of the city' exemplifies a startling reality in the US. Liberal US cities and States such as New York and California, which are most likely to support causes such as Black Lives Matter, are also those with declining Black populations. The decline is because Blacks are leaving for 'red States'; Republican party dominated Trump strongholds, where housing is more affordable, and they can have a higher standard of living. Equally surprising is economist Noah Smith's report that fervently Trump-supporting red State Texas, an oil-producing State with a conservative culture, has built more solar energy capacity than liberal California, a deep blue State. Two recent books, Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson and We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of New Elite by sociologist Musa Al-Gharbi, provide much the same explanation as to how the surprising development came about: in essence, many well educated and well off US citizens are liberal in principle but self-interested in practice. Here's Al-Gharbi's take on the housing crisis: 'Although relatively affluent, highly educated white liberals are among the strongest proponents of affordable housing in principle, they often adopt a 'not in my backyard' position with regard to their own communities. Studies have consistently found that as cities trend increasingly left, denizens tend to choke off new housing development'. Here's Klein and Thompson's analysis of the same issue: 'Liberals might detest the language that Trump and Vance use to demonise immigrants. But blue America practices its own version of scarcity politics. Zoning regulations in liberal States and cities that restrict housing supply have increased costs far more than the recent influx of immigrants'. As for solar energy, long and expensive delays in getting through regulatory roadblocks designed to protect local interests are a principal reason California has fallen behind Texas in installing mega solar energy projects. The US's intense culture war between liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans has no Australian equivalent but it is striking that just about all the many and varied problems described by Klein, Thompson and Al-Gharbi are familiar to us in Australia, including most prominently, the housing affordability crisis. It's not a stretch to appreciate the issues have arisen for the same reason: our unwillingness to acknowledge and accept necessary trade offs in making policies, that is, wanting to have our cake and eat it too. Reading Abundance can feel like receiving friendly fire if you lean left because it's obvious both Klein and Thompson are blue State liberals who wish to salvage the brand. In contrast, We Have Never Been Woke comes across as distinctly unfriendly and precisely targeted artillery. This narrative overlooks the role of liberal policies in creating his popularity. Klein and Thompson report that 'in the 2024 election, Donald Trump won by shifting almost every part of America to the right. But the signal Democrats should fear most is that the shift was largest in blue States and blue cities — the places where voters were most exposed to the day-to-day realities of liberal governance'. My guess is that it would be good in the present circumstance for those of us on the left to bear in mind the excellent advice when one is in a bad relationship: you can't change other people, you can only change yourself. The 'good news' in both books mentioned is that there seems to be a lot of scope for us to change for the better. Winthrop Professor Raymond Da Silva Rosa is an expert in finance from The University of Western Australia's Business School.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Democrats need to show blue collar workers some respect
Aretha Franklin made clear what she needed (as did Otis Redding, who actually wrote the song). 'All I'm askin',' she famously sang, 'is for a little respect!' She then spelled it out, in case you weren't sure: 'R-E-S-P-E-C-T.' Put in political terms, you can't get votes from people you don't respect. Or more accurately, you can't get votes from people who believe you don't respect them. When people of faith, or gun owners, or those worried about illegal immigration hear Democrats say that such people 'get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations,' they don't feel respected. More succinctly, assigning people to a 'basket of deplorables' does not signal respect. Neither does speaking as if to the Harvard faculty club or failing to put forward candidates who represent a particular segment of the population. Which is the most underrepresented group in Congress? Blacks? Gays? Women? Latinos? No. The most underrepresented segment in Congress are those without a college degree. According to the Census Bureau about 67 percent of Americans do not hold a college degree, whereas in Congress that number is less than 2 percent — a gap of more than 65 percentage points. Non-college degree holders are not the same as blue-collar workers, although they often overlap and many conflate the two. Blue collar workers do not feel respected. A 2024 Pew poll found that a mere 10 percent of blue-collar workers feel they are respected by their fellow Americans. And those blue-collar workers aren't wrong. A group of European scholars found better educated Americans hold more negative attitudes towards less well-educated people than toward highly educated people. Less-educated people ranked at the bottom of a list of disfavored groups. They were also seen as more responsible and blameworthy for their situation than others. Who is least likely to disrespect them? Not their co-workers or supervisors, but rather their clients and customers — the rest of society. The wages they are paid constitute one kind of evidence of disrespect. That particular dissatisfaction is signaled most painfully by the fact that 'pay has not kept up with increases in the cost of living.' Indeed, the whole idea of meritocracy which, until Trump, animated both parties' rhetoric for decades, reinforces this educationalism. Suggesting America is a meritocracy implies that people get what they deserve. Both success and failure are in the hands of each individual. Elon Musk 'deserves' to be the richest man in the world because of his intellect, ability and vision, or so meritocrats would claim. The corollary of course is that those who are struggling economically also deserve what they got. The implication is 'it's their fault.' As political philosopher Michael Sandel put it, the 'single-minded focus on education as the answer to inequality is partly to blame. Building a politics around the idea that a college degree is a condition of dignified work and social esteem has a corrosive effect on democratic life. It devalues the contributions of those without a diploma, fuels prejudice against less-educated members of society, effectively excludes most working people from representative government and provokes political backlash.' Trump tells non-college voters a very different and much more congenial story. They've gotten a lot less than they deserve, because immigrants, foreigners, incompetent politicians and other elites have conspired to bar the door to their success. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro lead the way in a different direction for Democrats. On his first day in office, the newly elected governor removed the requirement for a college degree affecting some 65,000 state jobs. 'In Pennsylvania,' he said, 'the people should decide what path is best for them, not have it decided by some arbitrary requirement or any arbitrary limitation.' He insisted that hiring should instead focus on skills and experience. It's just one important example of showing respect to blue collar voters, whom Democrats need to return to the fold. Mellman is president of The Mellman Group a consultancy that has helped elect 30 U.S. senators, 12 governors and dozens of House members. Mellman served as pollster to Senate Democratic leaders for over 30 years and is a member of the American Association of Political Consultants' Hall of Fame. He holds degrees from Princeton and Yale.
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘Unconditional bail never felt so good': Barry Egan watches Kneecap celebrate freedom with hip-hop hymns for the Dublin faithful
There is only one band in the world with titles like that. And yet, on a long hot summer night, the atmosphere at Kneecap's sold-out show in Fairview Park on Thursday was as friendly and inclusive as any Westlife concert. There were kids with their shirts off playing basketball on the court outside the venue, as if they were in Brooklyn. Inside, fans were eating hipster burgers and chips or drinking pints of beer in the sunshine. But there were plenty of political statements around too. Many fans wore tricolour balaclavas and Ireland football jerseys or had Palestinian flags draped over their shoulders. One young man had a flag with the slogan 'From the river to the sea' on it. Another had a T-shirt with 'England get out of Ireland'. People were taking selfies beside a vehicle mocked up as a PSNI armoured Land Rover. On the wall beside it was the wording: 'More Blacks. More Dogs. More Irish. Mo Chara.' The most popular T-shirt of the night had the words 'Free Mo Chara' on it. At 8.50pm, the man the T-shirts were referring to bounded on stage to deafening applause and said: 'I'm a free man.' The 8,000-plus fans at the sold-out show were bouncing about inside the giant tent so vigorously that you could probably feel the vibrations all the way to Westminster Magistrates' Court, where last Wednesday the 27-year-old rapper (real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) was granted unconditional bail after being charged with a terrorist charge. He is accused of displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig last November. 'Unconditional bail never felt so good. I'm going to make the best of it,' he said. The crowd cheered and waved their Palestinian flags He was true to his word as he raced around the stage like a nationalist Mick Jagger in a shiny tracksuit. He was flanked by fellow rapper Móglaí Bap, with DJ Próvaí in his Tricolour balaclava behind them at the DJ console supplying the beats and some raps himself. Before they took to the stage there was a video screen with messages about Israeli genocide in Gaza, the 60,000 Gazans killed and the Irish Government allowing the US military to use Irish airports. ADVERTISEMENT The crowd cheered and waved their Palestinian flags and the show began with It's Been Ages — and Móglaí Bap showing off his bilingual lyrical dexterity: 'Oh it's been ages/since we made the front pages/Sin deireadh linn ár hiatus/Back to annoy c**ts that hate us.' The feel-good hip-hop had everyone under the big tent dancing like they were having the time of their lives. The feeling was reciprocated by the energetic three men in tracksuits and runners on stage. Next up was Fenian C**ts. Once you get past the title, it's a hip-hop hymn to the beauty of Protestants and Catholics in the North... ahem, getting it on. It had 8,000 people dancing and singing along to the tale of a latter-day Romeo and Juliet in Belfast, with an unhappy ending. Móglaí Bap raps about hooking up with a young woman who's as beautiful, he says, as the mythical Niamh Cinn Óir, the golden-haired lover of Oisín, son of Fionn MacCumhail. It might sound overblown, but it's fun. As pop critic Miranda Sawyer wrote last year: 'Like Eminem, Kneecap's humour is the key to their success.' Another song, the club-friendly banger Parful, is about young Catholics and Protestants dancing with each other in the North's clubs on a Saturday night. As Mo Chara rapped in Fairview: 'These young people have lived their entire lives in a society poisoned by sectarian hatred/Rave brings Protestants and Catholics together…' On Rhino Ket, they sing about the effects of coming home after a night on the tiles in their beloved Belfast, taking the drugs of the song title. 'Can't sit, can't think, can barely even walk,' raps Mo Chara. 'Dunno how the f**k we'll make it back to the Falls,' answers Móglaí Bap. We don't discriminate in who we piss off On another song about the joys of drugs, Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shite, Mo Chara raps: 'I swear I haven't got any gear Mr Garda.' I was curious about the reaction to that one from any members of An Garda Síochána present at the concert. I spent a memorable few hours with the group at a hotel in Newry in 2021. On that occasion, they arrived late because their car broke down on the way from Belfast. When they walked in, a little sheepishly, Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap from West Belfast and DJ Próvaí from Creggan in Derry ordered flat whites, cappuccinos, herbal teas. Their only rock'n'roll behaviour was when DJ Próvaí, who wears a tricolour balaclava when he performs onstage, reached into his trousers, took his trademark headgear out of his underpants and threw it to me. (I still have it.) The Guardian recently described Kneecap as being post-Good Friday Agreement bad boys, taking out every old authority figure without fear. They quoted them saying: 'We don't discriminate in who we piss off.' And on Thursday night in Fairview, it would appear so. The Recap, their new single, is released tomorrow (though a bootleg version has been doing the rounds on SoundCloud for a while now) and it was one of the standout songs of the night. The track was inspired by UK Tory Party leader Kemi Badenoch. Lest we forget, Kneecap won a court case last November against Badenoch after she had blocked an arts grant being awarded to the band, citing their politics as being anti-British. For two hours on Thursday, Kneecap were a blur of energy as they dared and prodded the audience to keep up with their exuberance — it's powerful, innovative, exciting and fun music. They sliced and diced their lyrics between English and Irish in their songs and the crowd lapped up every word. In short, it was a great show, all 17 songs of it. Yes, they're gobby, and yes, they're controversial. And yes, you probably won't like all — or any — of their songs, which are deliberately provocative. But as they say themselves, they are simply holding up a mirror to society. I think there is a huge sense of pride in Ireland for what Kneecap stand for The biggest cheer of the night came after they shuffled off and then returned to encore with Get Your Brits Out and Hood. The latter is about... well, as Mo Chara raps 'Low-life scum — that's what they say about me', while the former is about a made-up drug-fuelled night on the town with the grandees of the Democratic Unionist Party. They rap, with 8,000 people joining in: 'Arlene's throwing shapes/half a yoke nearly killed her/Jeffrey Donaldson's lost all his filters.' After the show, I spoke to Kneecap's manager, Daniel Lambert, who is also chief operating officer of Bohemians Football Club. 'It was a phenomenal night,' he said. 'The atmosphere was unbelievable. I have never felt noise like it coming off a stage. I think there is a huge sense of pride in Ireland for what Kneecap stand for — and that they are going around the world and bringing such a positive portrayal of Ireland. 'Kneecap deliver such positive messages. I think that they're a really important act at the moment — and we should also remember what Fontaines DC are doing, what the Mary Wallopers are doing, what Lankum are doing, what CMAT is doing, what Gurriers are doing, what Murder Capital are doing. 'What they're all doing around the world is great — going out there and bringing amazing music to people, but also a message of solidarity and empathy with Palestine, which is so important right now. 'I think Kneecap can forever hold their heads up high and know they've done — and are doing — something really special. I am really proud of them.'
