On Black People Time News: All of Last Week’s News From a Black Woman’s Perspective

Between Kanye West, Bill Cosby, I’m not sure what news to report on right now. I normally try to pick three big things and keep it short, but hmm….we’ll see…

Our Very Own Super Hero

On Sunday we learned of the Waffle House shooting in Antioch,TN, which led four dead. A patron of the establishment, James Shaw Jr. was able to tackle the gunman, but the gunman (later discovered to be Travis Reinking) still got away. While this was a tragic event, it confirmed to the world that Black men are superheroes. It also confirmed to the world how racist Trump is as he and the White House have yet to recognize James Shaw Jr. for his bravery. Remember how the guy in the house said he would run into a school with a known gunman…with a gun? Well James did it and saved people without one. Where’s his recognition?

#WESTANDWITHCHIKESIACLEMONS

Meanwhile in yet another southern Waffle House in Alabama, Chikesia Clemons was what many would describe as sexually assaulted by Saraland police after Waffle House employees called the police on her. Apparently, Clemons requested plastic cutlery and a Waffle House employee tried to charge her. Clemons then asked for the corporate office number, which prompted an exchange between the two, and the employee called the police.

A social media video shows the police confronting Clemons and her implying that one of the policemen was being rough. The video seems to skip, but then you see Clemons roughly thrown on the floor, and struggling with the officer. In the midst of the struggle, her breasts are exposed due to her manhandling and one officer ever puts his hands on Clemons’s neck.

As a Black woman, all I could think about while watching this video is the quote by Malcolm X, saying the Black woman is the least respected and protected woman. Watching that video is how I imagine a scene to play out with a slave back in the day. The police handled her like she was less than human. Not one of them said, hey, let’s get her covered up or anything, and she obviously wasn’t a physical threat though it took three of them to arrest her.

Dear Black man, if you are reading this. I hope you are pissed the fxck off! She’s your sister, wife, girlfriend, cousin, daughter, MOTHER! You should be riled and ready to see how you can make sure this never happens again. You should be educating yourself on how a proper arrest is done.

In an interview with Al Sharpton on PoliticsNation, Clemons shared that she is “just taking it day by day, it’s just so hard on me, I can’t eat I can’t sleep, I’m constantly crying, I have a six-year-old daughter, I’m trying to be strong for her.  She sees me crying, she starts to cry so it’s very hard on me at the time right now.” A town hall led by Sharpton and Clemon’s attorney, Benjamin Crump, is to be held Tuesday, May 1, 2018, at Bethel AME Church at 7 pm.

Whatever the outcome of this all, can we please refrain from using that video later as a meme. It’s seems like are only concerned with issues for so long, before they become a joke to us.

#MAGA

On Wednesday, Kanye West wore a MAGA hat and posed with Universal Music Group executive Lucian Grainge and YouTube’s head of music, Lyor Cohen. He then followed up with tweets expressing his support for Trump. Over the prior weekend, West gave a nod of approval to a Black conservative commentator. Since then Black media and social media has had a field day going in on ‘Ye, and artists expressed their own disappointment via music, often over a ‘Ye beat or turning his own words against him.

Chance the Rapper intervened via Twitter at one point, tweeting that “Black people don’t have to be Democrat”. Sidebar, we really don’t have to be only Democrats or Republicans. I think now is the time to be really exploring the other political parties that are out there. However, it was not that we did not want to hear, that part needed to be said, but we didn’t want someone (especially not Chance the Rapper of all people) coming to the defense of Kanye, when Kanye has not used to his influence to come to defense of the many social injustices we are starting to witness every day.

While Chance did receive some backlash, he is still good for being dapped up, as he made it a point to tweet Trump and reject his “thank you”. Hmm… so the guy in the house had time to tweet and thank Chance the Rapper (implying Chance was supporting him as well) but again, he had no time to recognize James Shaw Jr.

The “No Problems” artist took the time to explain that he made his comment because Kanye is also from Chicago and like family. As for Trump, Chance said, “I’d never support anyone who has made a career out of hatred, racism and discrimination.” 

As for ‘Ye, he and T.I. dropped a song entitled “Ye vs the People” on Friday. You can be the judge. If you are wondering how all of this transpired from a cheap looking hat, I am too. I probably should add that Kanye said that Obama was president for either years and nothing changed in Chicago also, because he did say that.

Bill Cosby v Cliff Huxtable 

On Thursday, Bill Cosby was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand. Each count can require a maximum of ten years. Cosby is currently 80 years old.

Many are conflicted about this situation, unable to think the sweater loving Dr. Huxtable is capable of such actions. While I do believe it is possible to pay 50 women to lie on one man, I just don’t; see the point in it for Cosby. However, one article perfectly explained how we all were so eerily blinded. You can read it here.

Michelle Wolff Goes In At WHCD

I’d never heard of Michelle Wolff until she hosted the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, but I will be following her and her future work. While many are now clutching their pearls over Wolff’s speech, I think she did a damn good job. She went and did what they paid her to do or asked her to do (I don’t know if you get paid for this speaking at this event). Nevertheless, she made light of the situations, many news outlets make heavy every day, stretching stories out for weeks at a time, with the same ole information, blogging and reblogging. The only difference is Wolff had to face those people as she did it.

As for Sarah Huckabee Sanders- girl bye! You lie to America almost every day in your news conferences, and you do so in such a condescending manner. We’re not idiots baby. You spin everything. If Sarah said it, it’s like Wolf said, “It’s probably lies.”

Plus Wolff wrapped up her speech reminding everyone that Flint still doesn’t have clean water. You can view the video here.