Race

Trump Says Strong Economy Will End Racism

June 5, 2020 at 11:51 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump said his plan to address racism is a strong economy, after he was pressed on whether he has a plan to end systemic racism in the country, the Washington Post reports.

Said Trump: “It’s the greatest thing that can happen for race relations, for the African American community, for the Asian American, for the Hispanic American community, for women, for everything.”

He added: “We all saw what happened last week. We can’t let that happen. Hopefully George is looking down right now and saying this a great thing that’s happening for our country. There’s a great day for him. It’s a great day for everybody. It’s a great day for everybody. There’s a great, great day in terms of equality.”

Black Lives Matter

June 5, 2020 at 9:06 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A video of the protests over George Floyd’s killing in New Rochelle, NY shows what Barack Obama noted earlier this week: The protesters are far more diverse than they were in 1968.

This moment has really awakened more white people to the problem of racism in our country.

Texas GOP Leaders Share Racist Facebook Posts

June 5, 2020 at 7:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Republican leaders in four Texas counties shared racist Facebook posts, some of which also floated conspiracy theories, leading Gov. Greg Abbott to call for two of them to resign,” the Texas Tribune reports.

“Abbott and other top Texas Republicans called for the resignation of the GOP chairs in Bexar and Nueces counties after they shared on social media a conspiracy theory that Floyd’s death was a ‘staged event,’ apparently to gin up opposition to President Trump.”

Very Few Approve of Trump’s Handling of Protesters

June 5, 2020 at 6:03 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds only 32% of Americans approve of President Trump’s reaction in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, which has sparked thousands and thousands of protesters in dozens of cities demanding racial justice, while 66% disapprove.

The poll also finds 74% believe Floyd’s death at the hands of a white police officer is a sign of an underlying racial injustice problem in the country.

Emotional Debate Rages as Paul Blocks Anti-Lynching Bill

June 4, 2020 at 7:59 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“An anti-lynching bill that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has held up in the Senate for several months led to a heated and passionate battle on the Senate floor Thursday, pitting the Kentucky Republican at odds with two of the Senate’s three black members over changes to the bipartisan legislation,” USA Today reports.

“The emotional debate centered on the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act, which passed the House in a bipartisan 410-4 vote in February and would make lynching a federal crime.”

Virginia Governor to Remove Robert E. Lee Statue

June 3, 2020 at 6:12 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is expected to announce plans Thursday for the removal of an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond’s prominent Monument Avenue,” the AP reports.

“The Democratic governor will direct the statue to be moved off its massive pedestal and put into storage while his administration seeks input on a new location.”

Bush Speaks Out on George Floyd

June 2, 2020 at 5:54 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former President George W. Bush wrote in a statement that he and his wife, Laura, are “anguished” by the death of George Floyd, and said that “it is time for America to examine our tragic failures.”

He added: “How do we end systemic racism in our society? The only way to see ourselves in a true light is to listen to the voices of so many who are hurting and grieving. Those who set out to silence those voices do not understand the meaning of America — or how it becomes a better place.”

Flag of Treason

May 31, 2020 at 11:07 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Lincoln Project is running a new attack ad blasting President Trump’s record on race relations.

People Pushed to the Edge

May 31, 2020 at 8:36 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, writing at the Los Angeles Times:

“Yes, protests often are used as an excuse for some to take advantage, just as when fans celebrating a hometown sports team championship burn cars and destroy storefronts. I don’t want to see stores looted or even buildings burn. But African Americans have been living in a burning building for many years, choking on the smoke as the flames burn closer and closer. Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it’s always still in the air.”

Trump Stayed Silent as Cities Burned

May 31, 2020 at 7:46 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Never in the 1,227 days of Trump’s presidency has the nation seemed to cry out for leadership as it did Sunday, yet Trump made no attempt to provide it.”

“That was by design. Trump and some of his advisers calculated that he should not speak to the nation because he had nothing to say… He had no tangible policy or action to announce, nor did he feel an urgent motivation to try to bring people together. So he stayed silent.”

New York Times: As protests and violence spill over, Trump shrinks back.

Quote of the Day

May 31, 2020 at 10:20 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“This is like Charlottesville all over again. He speaks and he makes it worse. There are times when you should just be quiet. And I wish that he would just be quiet.”

— Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D), quoted by Axios, on President Trump.

John Lewis Calls for Peaceful Protests

May 30, 2020 at 9:11 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) called for “love, peace and nonviolence” from all Americans as the nation reacts to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, NBC News reports.

Said Lewis: “Never, ever give up on any of our brothers and sisters. We’re one people, we’re one family. We all live in the same house, not just the American house, but the world house.”

Racial Tragedies Put Pressure on Biden for Veep Pick

May 29, 2020 at 7:46 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Joe Biden is facing growing pressure from activists and party leaders to pick a nonwhite running mate in the wake of explosive incidents involving race and police violence that have stoked widespread outrage,” the Washington Post reports.

“Biden has pledged to select a woman, prompting leading Democrats to publicly and privately promote several high-profile women of color for the job. Those calls have grown louder this week following the death of a black man in police custody in Minneapolis, a racist conflict in a New York City park and the fatal shooting of a black jogger in Georgia.”

Klobuchar Declined to Prosecute Cop Who Killed Floyd

May 28, 2020 at 2:36 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

George Floyd’s death in police custody is renewing criticism of Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) prosecutorial record, The Week reports.

“Before she became a senator and a top contender for former Vice President Joe Biden’s vice presidential spot, Klobuchar spent eight years as the Hennepin County attorney, in charge of prosecution for Minneapolis. And while in that position, Klobuchar declined to prosecute multiple police officers cited for excessive force, including the officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck as he protested.”

As for the officer who apparently killed Floyd, The Guardian reports that Klobuchar “did not prosecute and instead the case went to a grand jury that declined to charge the officers with wrongdoing in 2008.”

The Washington Post examined Klobuchar’s record as a prosecutor early last year: “As a prosecutor in heavily white Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar declined to go after police involved in fatal encounters with black men.”

Jonathan Capehart: Why black voters don’t want Klobuchar as Biden’s running mate.

Note to readers: An earlier version of this post linked to a source that may not be credible, although the reporting is similar.

Flashback Quote of the Day

May 27, 2020 at 10:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Racism isn’t getting worse. It’s getting filmed.”

— Will Smith on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, August 3, 2016.

Clyburn Admits He ‘Cringed’ at Biden’s Remarks

May 26, 2020 at 12:19 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) weighed in on Joe Biden suggesting that African American voters who support Trump “ain’t black,” saying he “cringed” when he heard the comments, ABC News reports.

Said Clyburn: “I cringed, no question about that.”

He added: “In this instance, Joe did not do as well as I hoped in responding, but I will say this, I go about my business every day comparing Joe Biden, to the alternative, not the Almighty. He is not a perfect person. None of us are.”

Biden Apologizes for ‘You Ain’t Black’ Comments

May 22, 2020 at 4:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Joe Biden apologized for the comments he made on black voters in a radio interview, CBS News reports.

Said Biden: “I should not have been so cavalier. I’ve never, never, ever taken the African American community for granted. No one should have to vote for any party based on their race, their religion, their background.”

Chicago Mayor Says Virus ‘Devastating’ to Blacks

April 12, 2020 at 1:52 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) told CBS News that the coronavirus is “devastating” black communities in part because of the underlying health conditions that disportionately impact people of color.

Said Lightfoot: “The answer that we believe is right is because of the underlying conditions that people of color and particularly black folks suffer from, whether it’s diabetes, heart disease, upper respiratory illnesses, the kind of things that we’ve been talking about for a long time that plague black Chicago, that lead to life expectancy gaps.”

She added: “This virus attacks those underlying conditions with a vengeance.”