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OP-ED: No More Broken Promises to Black America

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President Trump, the Republicans, and the Supreme Court are rolling back all the gains made by our people over the last 162 years. Quality education is being dismantled. Racist gerrymandering disguised as equal opportunity is eliminating Black congressional districts. Civil Rights are being stripped of their ability to protect Blacks. A massive tax burden is being shifted from the rich to the poor.

 

By Reverend Dr. Boise Kimber | BlackPressUSA

The AI Boom and the promise of public ownership: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming one of the most powerful forces in the global economy, with the potential to generate historic levels of wealth. As technology companies and governments position themselves to benefit from this growth, our communities must share in those gains in ways that are real, substantial, and protected from political reversal

At the same time, many communities are pushing back to ensure that new AI infrastructure does not strain local resources, increase costs, or pollute their neighborhoods. Sovereign Wealth Funds and Equity Stakes: the latest promise being offered to the public is the creation of sovereign wealth funds or similar ownership models that would give people a stake in AI-generated wealth.

Several proposals point in this direction: • President Donald Trump has explored strategies for the U.S. government to take equity stakes in leading AI firms. • Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced legislation aimed at giving the public a share in this new economic value. • OpenAI has proposed a voluntary “Public Wealth Fund” that would give American citizens a direct stake in the gains created by artificial intelligence. The question is whether these proposals represent real economic inclusion—or another version of a familiar promise that never fully reaches Black America because of broken promises such as the 40 Acres and a Mule broken promises from government and business are not new to Black Americans.

The history of slavery, emancipation, and Reconstruction shows a repeated pattern: Black labor created wealth, but Black people were denied equal compensation, legal protection, and the resources needed to build generational wealth. Near the end of the Civil War, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton met with 20 Black leaders in Savannah, Georgia. Those leaders made clear that true freedom and self-determination required land ownership. Sherman’s Special Field Order No. 15 set aside 400,000 acres of confiscated Confederate land and granted enslaved families plots of up to 40 acres.

After Lincoln’s assassination, however, President Andrew Johnson reversed course, pardoned former Confederates, and returned the land to its previous owners. Unpaid labor and unequal compensation from 1619 to 1865 were allocated to former enslaved Africans and their descendants who had labored from sunup to sundown without wages, building wealth for enslavers and for the governments and institutions that supported the enslavement economy.

During much of the Civil War, the Militia Act of 1862 allowed Black soldiers to be paid less than white soldiers. Black soldiers received $10 per month, with $3 deducted for clothing, leaving only $7 in take-home pay. White soldiers received $13 per month with no clothing deduction.

Congress did not correct this inequity for two years. The reality was that “Emancipation” without economic justice and equality was the order of that period of American history, and in April 1862, eight months before President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Congress passed the District of Columbia Emancipation Act. The law freed roughly 3,000 Black people, but its benefits were unequal: enslavers received compensation of up to $300 per enslaved person, while the people who had labored without pay received nothing unless they agreed to relocate outside the United States, where they would get $100.

The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery in the United States but preserved a loophole by allowing involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime. Former slaveholding states exploited that exception through Black Codes, convict leasing, and Jim Crow laws, using the criminal legal system to restrict Black freedom and to preserve economic control and wealth by former enslavement masters.

These broken promises symbolize the federal government’s failure to provide foundational reparations and economic justice to Black Americans. They represent the systemic hurdles that descendants of enslaved people have navigated as they struggle to build generational wealth in the United States. Today we are facing another threat to Black American economic progress.

President Trump, the Republicans, and the Supreme Court are rolling back all the gains made by our people over the last 162 years. Quality education is being dismantled. Racist gerrymandering disguised as equal opportunity is eliminating Black congressional districts. Civil Rights are being stripped of their ability to protect Blacks. A massive tax burden is being shifted from the rich to the poor.

Given this record, it is reasonable to question whether the federal government and its technology partners will truly protect Black interests in the next wave of AI-driven wealth.  Senator Bernie Sanders is right to argue that artificial intelligence is built on “the collective knowledge of humanity and the creative work of tens of millions of people.” He also correctly warns that the public should have a say in how AI develops so that its benefits serve humanity, not only the wealthiest people on the planet.

However, his current legislative proposal falls short of providing true equality or meaningful economic opportunity for everyday Americans. Sanders estimates that the average payment would be $1,000 per person before taxes. Measured against the 1862 purchasing power offered to relocating slaves, the only time in American history when the DC Blacks were offered reparations, that amount would equal only about $33. Meanwhile, the data, knowledge, and creative work of ordinary people are helping create new billionaires and trillionaires.

This small payment does not address the deeper question: who should own and benefit from the wealth AI generates? No more empty promises to Black American communities should be expected.  We will not accept another symbolic promise of “40 acres and a mule” from the federal government or the technology industry.

If AI is going to generate historic levels of wealth, then the benefits must be real, substantial, and protected from political reversal. That means any new public-wealth proposal must include: • Substantial investment in Black communities. • Clear guarantees that promised benefits cannot be easily reversed by a future administration. • Accountability from both government leaders and technology companies.

As President of the 7-million-member National Black Convention, USA, I intend to help ensure that new achievable and financially sustainable promises are not only made but kept.

UPDATED: Democrats Allocate $35 Million for Outreach But Overlook Black Press in Bid for Diverse Voter Support

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By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

In what the Party is calling a bid to secure control of the U.S. House in the upcoming November elections, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has announced a $35 million investment in a comprehensive outreach initiative targeting Latino, Black, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian voters. “Power the People” aims to persuade, organize, welcome, educate, and reach voters from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Despite the significant allocation, a notable omission from the Democratic strategy is the exclusion of the Black Press of America, a move that continues to raise eyebrows given the pressing need to engage African American voters effectively. The Democratic Party, including the DCCC, the Democratic National Committee, and the Biden-Harris re-election campaign, has thus far ignored criticism for overlooking the influential Black Press.

While the DCCC revealed that 2024 spending surpassed the $30 million expended on these voter groups in the 2022 midterm elections, concerns persist over excluding the Black Press from this financial commitment. Critics argue that the omission is particularly striking during what is widely acknowledged as modern history’s most crucial and transformative election.

During Biden’s 2020 campaign, he turned to the Black Press when it appeared that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and even New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s campaigns were gaining steam. In fact, before arriving in South Carolina, Sanders who had just romped in Nevada, held 45 delegates while Texas Democrat Pete Buttigieg was second with 26, and Biden had claimed just 15.

In Charleston, Biden met with a conglomerate of publishers from the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of America’s 250 Black-owned newspapers and media companies.

A broadcast interview led by NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. was followed by a national news article about the sit-down that all went viral. And, after the endorsement of South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, Biden solidified the vital Black vote and dusted his competition all the way to the White House.

Missayr Boker, DCCC Deputy Executive Director for Campaigns, defended the “Power the People” initiative, stating that it honors the commitment to a multiethnic coalition crucial for a robust democracy. The initiative focuses on persuading and mobilizing Latino, Black, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian voters to counteract what the DCCC perceives as efforts by extremist Republicans to suppress the votes of people of color.

The DCCC said its approach includes conducting in-depth research, creating multilingual media content, organizing with local leaders, and countering disinformation targeting specific communities. However, the absence of collaboration with the Black Press of America remains a point of contention.

José Muñoz, a DCCC spokesperson, emphasized the party’s commitment to “smart, targeted outreach,” which he claims recognizes the nuances not only between different ethnic groups but also within various regions and districts.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that José Muñoz’ comments were in response to criticism. They were not. 

Democrats Allocate $35 Million for Outreach But Overlook Black Press in Bid for Diverse Voter Support

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By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

In what the Party is calling a bid to secure control of the U.S. House in the upcoming November elections, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has announced a $35 million investment in a comprehensive outreach initiative targeting Latino, Black, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian voters. “Power the People” aims to persuade, organize, welcome, educate, and reach voters from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Despite the significant allocation, a notable omission from the Democratic strategy is the exclusion of the Black Press of America, a move that continues to raise eyebrows given the pressing need to engage African American voters effectively. The Democratic Party, including the DCCC, the Democratic National Committee, and the Biden-Harris re-election campaign, has thus far ignored criticism for overlooking the influential Black Press.

While the DCCC revealed that 2024 spending surpassed the $30 million expended on these voter groups in the 2022 midterm elections, concerns persist over excluding the Black Press from this financial commitment. Critics argue that the omission is particularly striking during what is widely acknowledged as modern history’s most crucial and transformative election.

During Biden’s 2020 campaign, he turned to the Black Press when it appeared that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and even New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s campaigns were gaining steam. In fact, before arriving in South Carolina, Sanders who had just romped in Nevada, held 45 delegates while Texas Democrat Pete Buttigieg was second with 26, and Biden had claimed just 15.

In Charleston, Biden met with a conglomerate of publishers from the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of America’s 250 Black-owned newspapers and media companies.

A broadcast interview led by NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. was followed by a national news article about the sit-down that all went viral. And, after the endorsement of South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, Biden solidified the vital Black vote and dusted his competition all the way to the White House.

Missayr Boker, DCCC Deputy Executive Director for Campaigns, defended the “Power the People” initiative, stating that it honors the commitment to a multiethnic coalition crucial for a robust democracy. The initiative focuses on persuading and mobilizing Latino, Black, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian voters to counteract what the DCCC perceives as efforts by extremist Republicans to suppress the votes of people of color.

The DCCC said its approach includes conducting in-depth research, creating multilingual media content, organizing with local leaders, and countering disinformation targeting specific communities. However, the absence of collaboration with the Black Press of America remains a point of contention.

In response to criticisms, José Muñoz, a DCCC spokesperson, emphasized the party’s commitment to “smart, targeted outreach,” which he claims recognizes the nuances not only between different ethnic groups but also within various regions and districts.

Habari Gani? Jan 8, 2020

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Increasingly alarmed that 78-year-old Bernie Sanders could become their party’s presidential nominee, establishment Democrats are warning primary voters the democratic socialist would struggle to defeat President Trump and hurt the party’s chances in key congressional and governors’ races. The urgent warnings come as Sanders shows new strength in the first two  primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire, and a dominant fundraising operation. Sanders has escaped close scrutiny as rivals doubt he can win the nomination. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel warned Sanders’ status as a democratic socialist and support for “Medicare for All” won’t play well among swing voters.“You need a candidate with a message that can help us win swing voters in battleground states. The degree of difficulty dramatically increases under a Bernie Sanders candidacy. It just gets a lot harder.”

 

 

The Fox network says it’s officiall: Jussie Smollett won’t  returning for the “Empire” finale. Nearly a year ago, Smollett was canned from the hit drama amid charges he concocted a wild story about being robbed at gunpoint by two, homophobic men on the streets of Chicago – charges that were later dropped by Cook County state’s attorney Kim Foxx. Since then, there’s been speculation Smollett would return in the finale episode. However, Fox entertainment head, Michael Thorn, said that’s not happening, according to TheWrap. Producers wrote Smollett’s character, Jamal Lyon, out of the show at the end of season five. Chicago police built its case on the theory Smollett staged his attack to promote his career. Currently on a midseason break, “Empire’ will return in the spring to run its final episodes.

 

 

Comedian and actor Martin Lawrence said recently the sexual harassment lawsuit brought by former “Martin” sitcom co-star Tisha Campbell 20 years ago was…B.S.! Lawrence made the claim while promoting the upcoming “Bad Boys for Life.” In 1997, Campbell, who played Lawrence’s girlfriend Gina in the sitcom, made allegations that she had experienced “obsessive” physical and emotional abuse by Lawrence, which included “repeated and escalating sexual harassment, sexual battery and violent threats.” Lawrence has always vehemently denied the claims and alluded in an interview how the tension on set led to him leaving the show, even though it was originally reported that it had been canceled. I have nothing but love for her, and I always have.”

A Call to Bernie Sanders and Cornel West on Reparations: “Black People Can’t Wait!”

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By Tolson Banner

(via BlackNews.com) Nationwide — Have you ever been caught in the middle of “sumptin” where it seemed as if there was no way out? Like table tennis, you are “pinged and ponged” between two opposing forces: red and blue states. Incessantly, you are slammed into the net because neither side is willing to reconcile the dichotomy of America’s ongoing white tribal war: benign neglect by Democrat liberals and recalcitrance by Republican conservatives. Malcolm X referred to this as the fox or the wolf for black people. This is the nature of reparations where white people are either asking black people to be patient like the Biblical Job or resign ourselves to the waiting room, get in line, take a ticket and listen out for their number (untold millions of Africans who died, as well as, those who were enslaved during the Christian/Atlantic enslavement trade) – which to this day has never been called. No reconciliation; no atonement; and no healing.

This constant request from white people (some blacks as well) to be patient and wait are the critical reasons why Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote the book Why We Can’t Wait. King laid out several reasons to make his case during the tumultuous 60’s. Those same reasons are applicable today for black people: disillusionment with the way justice is served up for black people; lack of confidence in politicians and the government; decolonization of Africa (today neo-colonialism); living out the true meaning of the Emancipation Proclamation; and economic inequality.

Even before the news pundits pontificate and before election gurus peer into their crystal balls, Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders with his echo chamber renowned scholar, Cornel West have already told black people to forget about having reparations as part of Sanders’ platform or the Democratic platform for that matter (although we are beginning to hear a faint chorus in favor of reparations from some Democratic hopefuls). Need I remind my Democratic socialist and Christian revolutionary brothers that anytime is the right time, as Spike Lee reminded us, to “DO THE RIGHT THING!” One would think being a Jew, Sanders would find ‘holocaust kinship’ with the descendants of the greatest holocaust known to humanity. Immersed in the history of black people like probably no other scholar heretofore, how in Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Jehovah, Zoroaster and Muhammad’s name can West ask black people to wait? King gave us reasons during the Civil Rights era. Today, it appears we are haunted by similar reasons:

WHY WE CAN’T WAIT: The pain and suffering experienced by the Jewish people during the holocaust engendered “esprit de corps” with African-Americans from the Atlantic enslavement holocaust. But that is where the similarities end. The Reparations Agreement between Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany was signed on September 10, 1952. In short, Germany was to pay Israel for the costs of “resettling so great a number of uprooted and destitute Jewish refugees after the war and to compensate individual Jews.” Three quarters of a century after the holocaust ended, former U.S. Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat negotiated settlements for victims who were not covered under previous agreements. In contrast, when the Civil War ended in 1865, ideas on how to make the enslaved African-American “whole” were bandied about but never took hold. With the U.S. Presidential election between Hayes and Tilden hanging in the balance, the North conceded to the demands of the South by removing all Federal troops: unleashing another reign of white domestic terror known as Jim Crow. No reconciliation here Bernie… Cornel.

WHY WE CAN’T WAIT: President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act in 1988 to compensate over 100,000 people of Japanese descent who were incarcerated in internment camps during WWII. The federal government legislation extended a formal apology from the U.S. government and paid out $20,000 in compensation to each surviving victim. For black people incarceration and their continued enslavement were surreptitiously upheld by the 13th Amendment which was ratified in 1865. Michele Alexander, author of “The New Jim Crow” documents this loophole in the 13th amendment which states: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or anyplace subject to their jurisdiction.” The railroading of black people by this nation’s legal system for crimes they did not commit are well documented. Add “Three Strikes Legislation” – courtesy of the Democratic Party and signed into law by “Slick Willie” aka former President Bill Clinton – and you’ll witness the makings of raw material for the prison/enslavement/industrial complex. No atonement here Bernie… Cornel.

WHY WE CAN’T WAIT: After twelve years of research, Dr. DeGruy developed her theory of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (P.T.S.S.). DeGruy went on to publish her book of the same name which outlines and addresses the residual impacts of generations of slavery. According to DeGruy, P.T.S.S. is a theory which explains the causes of many of the adaptive survival behaviors in African-American communities throughout the United States and the Diaspora.

Some of the results from DeGruy’s findings were: multigenerational trauma together with continued oppression; absence of opportunity to heal or access the benefits available in the society which leads to P.T.S.S. These maladies show up as lack of self-esteem; feelings of hopelessness/depression; and a general self-destructive outlook. Anytime America has experienced major catastrophes, as in school shootings, grief counselors are rushed to the scene to begin the healing process which hopefully would allow people to handle the trauma. For almost five centuries, no grief counselors were dispatched to help African Americans deal with the trauma and horror of their brutal enslavement. No healing here Bernie…Cornel.

To all the other naysayers who reject the idea of “work-done payments” for black people on the basis of not quite understanding how disbursements would be handled, allow me to remind them there are various models and formulas already in existence for computing and calculating reparations. For example, black people could be exempt from paying federal taxes and allowed to attend universities who benefitted from our enslavement tuition free. Georgetown University (GU) recently passed a student referendum to increase the school’s tuition by $27.20 to compensate the descendants of 272 enslaved Africans who were sold to save GU and the Catholic Church. This bears scrutiny – not waiting!

Even former President Barrack Obama maintained black people were too far removed from our enslavement to seek compensation – Bernie echo those sentiments. The recent findings from the Freedmen’s Bureau Project have identified a listing of enslaved Africans and their “property value” thus illuminating a direct line to their descendants. I ask, are we too far removed to see and witness the toils of our labor? No we are not! Most notably, our enslaved labor was used in the construction of the U.S. Capitol and the White House: two shining beacons of light promulgating democracy, while at the same time highlighting the hypocrisy. Above and beyond these examples, our “free” enslaved labor made America the richest nation in the world – but we are too far removed for compensation?

The weight of waiting is a burden black people can no longer endure. David Brooks, a white moderate conservative seems to agree. Brooks writing an op-ed piece for the New York Times titled “The Case For Reparations” opined, “Slavery and the continuing pattern of discrimination aren’t only an attempt to steal labor; they are an attempt to cover over a person’s soul, a whole people’s soul.” Gifted artist, musician and ancestor, Gil-Scott Heron captured this soul wrenching pain and suffering of black people in his song, “Who’ll Pay Reparations On My Soul?” Bernie… Cornel I think this question is for the two of you. Barack feel free to chime in.

Tolson Banner is a writer and columnist. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. Vincent Jones also contributed to this article.