Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooting

This is what a U.S. Grade A homegrown killer
looks like! What say you #Trumpites? [Crickets]

Things That Make You Go Hmmm...

Where are the #AllLivesMatter people?

I don't hear or see them anywhere! [Crickets]

2 Cases of Irresponsible & Wreckless Racism

CNN: Black Rag Dolls Intended to be Abused
Were Pulled From Shelves After They Were Called Racist

Regarding this story, I encourage you to click on the image to see a larger view of the label appearing on the rag dolls. The cowardly Harvey Hutter Company that manufactured the dolls have disconnected their phones and taken down their website. Oh, really? You need to run and hide because what were you thinking when you created this product? And further, I hold the stores accountable for their lack of judgement. The dolls never should have made it out of the boxes and onto the shelves when the shipments were received!

ESSENCE: YouTube Pulls 'Dina & The Prince' Cartoon

By My Pingu TV For Racist Messaging & Promoting Stereotypes

As for this story and the apology from My Pingu TV that created the cartoon, keep it and you know what you can do with it. The damage is already done to any little black girls who watched this thoughtless video. Did you even attempt to consider how they would feel before you released this crap! I have two granddaughters (and a grandson) who watch videos on YouTube quite a bit and most of the time, they prefer YT to watching TV. I'm so glad they didn't know anything about it or see this blatant insult to who they are and how their looks are perceived.

Stripe Day @ AmeriKick

My grandson got a Great Effort stripe and a second blue stripe on

his #PurpleBelt from Sensei Colin in karate class yesterday, so he's

another step closer to the next belt level!" 🥋 #BlueBeltBound

Summer Fun Pics of The Grands

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Well, this is the perfect follow-up to my post from yesterday because it depicts what our communities and country SHOULD be. This is the preview for a movie which will be released in November that tells the life story of a beloved, gentle, and kind man by the name of Fred McFeely Rogers.

Better known as Mister Rogers, Fred raised several decades of children via his TV show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" which aired for 33 years from 1968-2001. The show was designed for pre-schoolers but when it debuted in 1968, me and just about every other 10 year old I knew watched it everyday after school. I remember it having such a calming effect on me and I loved it.

Tom Hanks had the distinguished honor of playing Mister Rogers in the movie and OMG, casting him in the role was absolutely perfect. So, for all those who grew up watching the show, this is a definite must-see and special trip down memory lane you don't want to miss. See you at the movies, neighbor!

You Ain't Got to Go Nowhere!

Regarding the racist "America, Love It or Leave It" Republicans & Trumpites who are running scared because they view all people of color as a threat to their future, here are several other alternatives they would NEVER suggest to you...

Timing is Everything

💜 #ILoveSomeoneWithDementia

IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME 

Alzheimer's & Other Dementias' Impact on Communities of Color
A Short Documentary Project by Renee Chenault Fattah

Meme of the Day

The Mothers of the Church

The Mother Board of traditional African American churches always receives the utmost respect and they are a force to wreckon with. When these women call Jesus on the mainline to pray for you, He always listens and answers their prayers on your behalf. As a young child, you know better than to act up in church if you are sitting anywhere near them in the pews and all they need to do is cut you a look. Their faith in God is strong and unwavering, and they are the backbone of black congregations.

⏰ Quality Time w/ The Grands

We beat the heat @ Wynnewood Lanes and had a blast!

My youngest granddaughter stopped using

the kiddie stand and won the first game! YGG!

My oldest granddaughter stopped playing

around and won the second game! YGG!

Autism Awareness

#AlwaysUniqueTotallyInterestingSometimesMysterious

A Single Blade of Grass

Quote of the Day

ABC-6 ACTION NEWS

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney Fires Back: "If Donald Trump ever
has to go back to where he came from, he's going to have to go to hell."

#IStandWithTheSquad

Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Omar (D-MN), Tlaib (D-MI), and Pressley (D-MA)
This is the United States of America and our diversity is our strength!
#DumpTrump #ImpeachTrump #PutRacistsOnBlast #Trumpism

Commentary of a Democrat

Please read this because it pretty much explains where I stand on most political issues of the day...

I'm a democrat, but that doesn't mean what a lot of you apparently think it does. Let's break it down, shall we? Because quite frankly, I'm getting a little tired of being told what I believe and what I stand for, when no one knows that better than me. Spoiler Alert: Not every democrat is the same, though the majority of democrats I know think along roughly these same lines:

1. I believe a country should take care of its weakest members. A country cannot call itself civilized when its children, disabled, sick, and elderly are neglected. Period.

2. I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Somehow, that's interpreted as "I believe Obamacare is the be-all and end-all." This is not the case. I'm fully aware that the ACA has problems, that a national healthcare system would require everyone to chip in, and that it's impossible to create one that is devoid of flaws. But, I have yet to hear an argument against it that makes "let people die because they can't afford healthcare" a better alternative. I believe healthcare should be far cheaper than it is, and that everyone should have access to it. And no, I'm not opposed to paying higher taxes in the name of making that happen.

3. I believe education should be affordable. It doesn't necessarily have to be free (although, it works in other countries so I'm mystified as to why it can't work in the U.S.), but at the end of the day, there is no excuse for students graduating college and saddled with five to six-figure debt.

4. I don't believe your money should be taken from you and given to people who don't want to work. I have literally never encountered anyone who believes this either, ever. I just have a massive moral problem with a society where a handful of people can possess the majority of the wealth while there are people literally starving to death, freezing to death, or dying because they can't afford to go to the doctor. Fair wages, lower housing costs, universal healthcare, affordable education, and the wealthy actually paying their share would go a long way toward alleviating these problems. But, somehow, believing that makes me a communist.

5. I don't throw around "I'm willing to pay higher taxes" lightly. If I'm suggesting something that involves paying more, it's because I'm fine with paying my share as long as it's actually going to something besides lining corporate pockets or bombing other countries while Americans die without healthcare.

6. I believe companies should be required to pay their employees a decent, living wage. Somehow this is always interpreted as me wanting burger flippers to be able to afford a penthouse apartment and a Mercedes. What it actually means is that no one should have to work three full-time jobs just to keep their head above water. Restaurant servers should not have to rely on tips, multi-billion-dollar companies should not have employees on food stamps, workers shouldn't have to work themselves into the ground just to barely make ends meet, and minimum wage should be enough for someone to work 40 hours and live above the poverty line.

7. I don't believe LGBT people should have more rights than you. I just believe they should have the same rights as you.

8. I don't believe illegal immigrants should come to America and have the world at their feet, especially since this isn't what they do. Spoiler Alert: Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for all those programs they're supposed to be abusing, and if they're "stealing" your job, it's because your employer is hiring them illegally. I believe there are far more humane ways to handle undocumented immigration than our current practices (detaining children, splitting up families, ending DACA, etc).

9. I don't believe the government should regulate everything, but since greed is such a driving force in our country, we need regulations to prevent cutting corners, environmental destruction, tainted food/water, unsafe materials in consumable goods or medical equipment, etc. It's not that I want the government's hands in everything. I just don't trust people trying to make money to ensure that their products, practices, etc. are actually safe. Is the government devoid of shadiness? Of course it isn't. But, with those regulations in place, consumers have recourse if they're harmed and companies are liable for medical bills, environmental cleanup, etc. It just seems like common sense when the alternative to government regulation is letting companies bring their bottom line into the equation.

10. I believe our current administration is fascist. Not because I dislike them or because I can’t get over an election, but because I've spent too many years reading and learning about the Third Reich to miss the similarities. Not because any administration I dislike must be Nazis, but because things are actually mirroring authoritarian and fascist regimes of the past.

11. I believe the systemic racism and misogyny in our society is much worse than many people think, and desperately needs to be addressed. Which means those with privilege (white, straight, male, wealthy, etc.) need to start listening, even if you don't like what you're hearing, so we can start dismantling everything that's causing people to be marginalized.

12. I am not interested in coming after your blessed guns, nor is anyone else serving in government. What I am interested in is the enforcement of present laws and enacting new, common sense gun regulations.

13. I believe in so-called political correctness. I prefer to think it’s social politeness. If I call you Chuck and you say you prefer to be called Charles, I’ll call you Charles. It’s the polite thing to do. Not because everyone is a delicate snowflake, but because as Maya Angelou put it, when we know better, we do better. When someone tells you that a term or phrase is more accurate/less hurtful than the one you're using, you now know better. So, why not do better? How does it hurt you to not hurt another person?

14. I believe in funding sustainable energy, including offering education to people currently working in coal or oil so they can change jobs. There are too many sustainable options available for us to continue with coal and oil. Sorry, billionaires. Maybe try investing in something else.

15. I believe that women should not be treated as a separate class of human beings. They should be paid the same as men who do the same work, should have the same rights as men, and should be free from abuse. Why on earth shouldn’t they be?

I think that about covers it. The bottom line is, I'm a democrat because I think we should take care of each other. That doesn't mean you should work 80 hours a week so your lazy neighbor can get all your money. It just means I don't believe there is any scenario in which preventable suffering is an acceptable outcome as long as money is saved.

Feel free to copy and paste this commentary, if you so desire. I did. And, just in case you are wondering, the actual author is unknown.

Meuse Family Reunion 2019

Greetings from Philadelphia, PA!

Friday, July 12th - Sunday, July 14th

This Stopped Me In My Tracks!

Every minute someone leaves this world behind.
 We are all in “the line” without knowing it.
We never know how many people are before us.
We cannot move to the back of the line.
We cannot step out of the line.
We cannot avoid the line.

SO, WHILE WE WAIT IN LINE...

Make moments count.
Make priorities.
Make the time.
Make your gifts known.
Make a nobody feel like a somebody.
Make your voice heard.
Make the small things big.
Make someone smile.
Make the change.
Make love.
Make up.
Make peace.
Make sure to tell your people they are loved.
Make sure to have no regrets.
Make sure you are ready.

Virginia Family Vacation

Greetings from Gloucester County, Ware River,

Bush Gardens & Water Country USA!

Meme of the Day

😢 #JusticeForElijah

This is what a #HateCrime looks like!

And, That's The Way It Is... Congratulations, Lester!

BLACK AMERICA WEB
NBC's Lester Holt to Get Walter Cronkite Journalism Award

I love my Evening News w/ Lester Holt and watch him every night.
Lawd help me, but I'm old enough to remember Walter Cronkite too!

Black News Vs. Snopes Re: Alligator Bait & More

BLACK NEWS
Research Reveals Black Children Were Used as Alligator Bait

SNOPES
Were Black Children Used as Alligator Bait in the South?

One of My Favorite Psalms

You Go, Girl!

The next generation of tennis to follow the famed Williams Sisters

(Venus & Serena) is here and her name is Cori "Coco" Gauff! #BlackGirlMagic

Meme of the Day

THE ROOT: #NOTMYARIEL

White Twitter is Big Mad About Disney Casting a Black Little Mermaid

Singer Halle Bailey will play the role in the upcoming live action movie and 

some of these idiots are also confusing the singer with Halle Berry, the actress!

Haooy July 4th!

#PartyOnTheBFParkway #WawaWelcomeAmerica

Meanwhile, in Washington, DC...

Trump is celebrating himself. Just SMH. #Trumpism

Prayer of the Day

Kudos to Proctor & Gamble

'THE TALK' was released by P&G in 2017 and focuses on the conversations that Black parents must have with their children in order for them to grow, survive, and thrive in spite of the racism they will encounter and not understand. The video aspires to create a better world for all--a world free from bias and a world with equal opportunity for everyone to succeed. #WeSeeEqual

'THE LOOK' was released by P&G in 2019 and focuses on the way Black males are perceived, stereotyped, and treated based on racial bias. The video aspires to create a better world for all and challenges people to look beyond what they think they see, to recognize everyone's humanity, and to have meaningful dialogue that leads to change. #TalkAboutBias

Quote of the Day

Regarding school busing and desegregation in America back in the day, "That Little Girl Was Me" too, Kamala! It is the reason I attended 4 out of 5 elementary schools from the 1st to 6th grade. YGG! #KamalaHarris