Category: opinion/columnists

It’s something we’ve all faced. You can’t hide from it or run away from it. Defeat, in any form, is an experience that all of us have encountered in some fashion or form. Growing up, I admit that I was afraid to fail. I think many of us are. The media, teachings forced into modern school systems and society has indirectly given our mind prompters to be afraid of failure and to avoid it all costs.

As I continue to make mistakes and “suffer” losses in my life, I began to learn a valuable lesson, which ironically allowed me to increase my self- confidence and persistence in my life. I know it sounds counterproductive but failure is simply another tool to help get you to your desired goal. Once you begin to modify your perspective about this term it will yield you everlasting strength to continue to pursue new goals, projects and to step outside your comfort zone to truly live.

Many Silicone Valley tech companies encourage failure. In fact, Google X, which is Google’s secret research and development subsidiary responsible for focusing on testing radical new technologies to solve some of the world’s hardest problems, is all about failure. More specifically, it turns out that “failure isn’t just an option, it’s practically a requirement” as one CNN article states. Google X is responsible for hundreds of innovative projects that include global worldwide Internet accessibility, driverless cars, and even space elevators. Google X’s executive,

Dr. Astro Teller, admits that the only reason why many of their projects are successful is because “success was in itself a failure.” So why does one of the world’s most, profitable companies— that influences nearly 1 billion people— put so much emphasis on failure? Are they on to something? I certainly think so.

You’ve heard the stories— from Michael Jordan to Albert Einstein, Oprah and Thomas Edison. Oprah was let go from one of her first jobs in TV after the producer declared that she was “unfit for television.” Michael Jordan was cut from his high school varsity basketball team and sent to his junior varsity team as a sophomore. Albert Einstein who is considered one of the greatest minds in history was called a slow learner growing up. Even Thomas Edison who is credited for the creation of the light bulb embraced a fearless attitude by testing his light bulb experiment over 10,000 times. Edison said he learned “10,000 ways not to make a light bulb.” He succeeded by relentless trial and error and eventually achieved his goal. You only need to be right once.

These great figures in human history experienced numerous failures in their lives but that didn’t stop any of them from achieving their goals. It simply created another opportunity to learn for their failures and try again. They never gave up. If you study these high- achievers you begin to understand that a critical quality of being successful in life is not being afraid to fail. After all, it’s not what happens to you it’s how you react to it that matters.

Let me make myself very clear. I am surely not suggesting that failure is something that you should try to do. What I am saying is that in life, failure is inevitable. Whether it is in your relationships, career or personal development, failure is a part of the process. For this reason, you must change your relationship with failure and see it as part of your journey to achieving your desired outcome. Change your perspective of failure and know that the best way to handle it is to learn from it.

Here is my challenge for you. The next time you fail at something in any aspect of your life try seeing it for what it is. Remind yourself of people in your life that have failed but eventually achieved their goal. Think about the high- achievers that I mentioned who faced failure. They are no different than you. Remember that it’s all a part of the process and this is something that all of us experience so you are not alone. Pick yourself back up get a pen and write down why you failed and figure out ways to correct it in the future. Most importantly, keep your eyes on your goal. I will leave you with one quote that I would recommend that you memorize and reflect on, “Refuse to let circumstance alter your thinking, and you will see circumstance grow into the image of your thought.”

Positively Caviar, Inc. (PCI) is a grassroots nonprofit organization focused on instilling mental resilience by way of positive thinking and optimism. Each month, a member of the Nucleus Team will feature a column focused on mental and physical health tips, scientific studies, nutrition facts and stories that are positive in nature to support a positive and healthy lifestyle. To learn more about how you can support, volunteer or donate to Positively Caviar, Inc. visit: staybasedandpositive.com.

News & Experts— Numerous surveys show that many Americans live paycheck to paycheck, have little saved for retirement, and lack fundamental financial knowledge. Part of the problem, experts say, is that financial literacy has not been emphasized in American education; only 21 states require high school students to take a personal finance-related class. If parents want their children to learn the value of money and how to avoid financial problems as adults, the education has to start at home, says Steve Kruman, a financial planner and investment advisor at Bryce Wealth Management.

“When they understand their parents’ financial situation and gain an understanding of financial literacy,” Kruman says, “they are more likely to appreciate the gifts they are given, or aren’t to be given, and why.” Summer is the ideal time to teach financial literacy to children because they can get real hands-on experience. Teaching a child to be financially literate will help them understand that they have to take personal responsibility to be financially secure when mom and dad aren’t there to put the food on the table for them.” Kruman offers the following at-home teaching methods to help children learn financial literacy:

●Gardening and investing— The parent purchases seeds and other starting materials at a garden supply store and has the children keep track of the spending by item on a notepad. “As you work together in the garden, keep a time log of each family member working,” Kruman says. “When it’s harvest time, teach them to count up the cost of production. Help them determine the value of their produce by comparing store prices of the same product, minus the cost of production. They will learn that you can start small as an investor, but putting in more effort along the way makes things grow.”

●Working and budgeting— Kruman says parents can undercut their teaching of financial literacy by handing out spending money whenever their child wants something. “To learn good financial skills,” Kruman says, “work needs to be taught. They learn they are rewarded for effort, not just for showing up. With their finite amount of money, they can be taught what they’ll have to do as adults – divide it up for bills, spending money, and savings – and that it doesn’t grow on trees every month.”

●Saving and staying out of debt— “A good lesson for your children to learn about debt would be to show them how a loan would work by you being the lender,” Kruman says. “Have them think of something that they would like to buy (such as a new bicycle or laptop) but that they don’t have enough money saved already. You could offer to help them make the purchase much earlier than continuing to save for it, but only in exchange for a loan payment that would be made by reducing their chore money. That way, they would learn how debt eats up their earning power. You have to instill in them that savings isn’t an option, but rather a necessity, so people don’t become slaves to debt.”

●Apple slices and taxes— “Chances are your kids have already heard you bemoaning taxes,” Kruman says. “Get one of those vertical apple slicers, and cut an apple up in sections to represent the approximate portion of your personal tax hit— federal, state, city/township, Social Security, etc. Put those slices next to the remaining part of the apple, and that difference will stick with them.”

●Toys and depreciation— “Teach them to look at their toys and clothes,” Kruman says. “Toys wear out. Children’s toys and adults’ expensive items, such as cars, need to be purchased to replace old ones, and teaching an understanding of that principle of depreciation is essential to teaching your kids why people need savings. Help them understand depreciation by asking them to compare prices of toys being sold at a yard sale versus a similar toy being sold at a new price online or in a store.”

“Children have a lot of years to grow up,” Kruman says, “and you can give them years of age-appropriate financial lessons in their own home that will last a lifetime. Start now if you haven’t already.” Steve Kruman is a financial planner, investment advisor and insurance agent at Bryce Wealth Management. He is also a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, focusing on estate planning. For more information, visit: www.brycewealth.com.

I am pleased to work and live in our nation’s capital. Washington, DC is a city on the move progressively even amidst the continued existence of the COVID-19 pandemic. But there is one emerging issue in the District of Columbia that in my long career in the field of civil and human rights that I am very concerned about. That is the issue of people returning to our communities from prison.

It’s difficult to argue that there is not an urgent need for better helping former inmates make the difficult transition back to society. A returning citizen with a pathway to gainful employment and secure housing has a better chance of developing a strong connection to his family and community and not returning to prison.

Mass incarceration in America is a serious national problem that needs to be resolved. African Americans, in particular, are disproportionately imprisoned across the country. I personally know what it is like to be unjustly imprisoned and the difficulties of trying to overcome the aftermath of counterproductive stigmas and unfair stereotypes with respect to the lingering unjustified cloud over former prison inmates.

But as a practical matter, common-sense measures that would bolster support for individuals reentering society sometimes meet sharp resistance — even now, as the nation engages in an emotional and painful debate over whether America has lived up to its promise of social justice, equity, and a fair penal system.

That tension between theory and policy is, sadly, beginning to emerge yet again in Washington, DC, where some community advocates have raised objections to plans for a new residential re-entry center that would provide temporary housing, job and skills training, substance-abuse counseling and other critical support for inmates returning home after serving time.

Many residents in DC share the conviction that we must do far more to lend a hand to the thousands of individuals — disproportionately black men aged 21 to 30 — who return to the District each year after periods of incarceration. But right now, DC is without a single re-entry center that is equipped to provide such support.

In a move that would fill that void, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) earlier this month awarded a contract for a new re-entry center in Ward 7. BOP tapped CORE DC for the project, a social service provider that operates a homeless shelter and a home confinement program in DC and is a subsidiary of a non-profit organization that manages homeless shelters and re-entry centers throughout New York City.

The effort to establish a functional re-entry center in Washington, DC, has been a difficult and complicated one, partly because of the troubled history of Hope Village, a social service provider that closed its doors earlier this year, ending its 42-year run as the District’s only option for returning citizens.

Watchdogs and activists, including myself, have long been calling for Hope Village to be shut down due to poor program management and a lack of accountability. Put simply, the provider had lost the trust of the community.

Against this backdrop, representatives at CORE DC have gone to great lengths to reassure the public that they are committed to helping turn the page on this long and turbulent chapter and work closely with the community to establish a re-entry model that is tailored for the District’s unique set of needs.

That outreach has included meeting with elected officials, advocates, faith-based organizations and residents to hear their concerns and invite their input on how the community can come together and forge a new way forward on this important issue.

But just weeks after BOP awarded the contract to CORE DC, there are already disturbing, not-in-my-backyard reactions from individuals who should know better, especially now, amid constant reports exposing the systemic injustices that African American men must contend with in the policing and criminal justice systems.

Consider the recent comments made by Tyrell Holcomb, the Commission Chair of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in Ward 7. Holcomb indicated his opposition to a new re-entry center in his community, saying that “using Ward 7 as a dumping ground to place the least attractive facilities has gone on far too long.”

It’s time to move past this kind of destructive rhetoric and ugly thinking, which has the pernicious effect of dehumanizing the men for whom such a facility could provide a second chance and be a source of positive transformation. NIMBY opposition — which so often amplifies stereotypes and falsehoods in order to drum up fear — has long been an obstacle to building support facilities and programs for the most vulnerable, whether such protests have been in response to proposed group homes, drug treatment clinics or homeless shelters.

Many of the fears are simply without basis. Researchers have been studying myths about home values in communities that accommodate re-entry centers for decades, to take one example. One DC-focused study conducted by The George Washington University, Center for Excellence in Municipal Management and the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, found that housing values on streets with halfway houses continued to increase over a period of five years.

If there is any hope to make this a more just society, we have to shed our fears, and open ourselves to new ideas, new insights, and even, as is the case now in DC, new neighbors who are committed to being a part of the solution. We have to break old patterns of thinking that stifle progress and aid and abet the status quo.

We must remember that the men and women returning to DC after terms of imprisonment are not strangers. They are members of our community looking for a second chance to rebuild their lives after paying their debt to society. This is also a national issue. I am hoping that Washington, DC will lead the rest of the nation in welcoming our brothers and sisters back home from the nation’s prisons.

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and can be reached at dr.bchavis@nnpa.org .

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Former Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, who was caught on video pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck, has been charged with second-degree murder. Chauvin was fired along with the other three officers on the scene— Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao. They were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Floyd’s death while in police custody has powered a movement around the globe against police brutality and racial injustice. The chant of “Black Lives Matter” has grown even louder and fiercer as people of all colors stand in solidarity to oppose the killing of blacks at the hands of police officers.

Other high-profile recent deaths include: Ahmaud Arbery, who was killed in Georgia on February 23, 2020 after being pursued and shot by two white men, and Breonna Taylor, an EMT worker who was killed in Louisville, Kentucky by police on March 13, 2020.

Amid already heightened tension over these deaths, Rayshard Brooks, 27 was killed in Atlanta on June 12, 2020, by an Atlanta officer following a field sobriety test. Brooks was killed after he snatched an officer’s Taser and pointed it back at the officer while fleeing. The Wendy’s restaurant where the incident happened was set ablaze, and Brooks’ death has sparked new protests.

In the aftermath of these killings, there have been growing demands for change. Among them, calls to defund police departments. Locally, the Baltimore City Council cut $22 million from the police department’s budget. Nationally, NASCAR has announced plans to ban Confederate flags at its events, and in states across the country, monuments, and statues that many feel symbolize white supremacy and oppression are being taken down. On Tuesday, June 16, 2020, President Donald Trump signed an executive order addressing policing reforms.

Amidst the civil unrest, politicians, activists, lawyers, celebrities, and others have also voiced their thoughts and opinions about what needs to happen next. What do you think? This week, The Baltimore Times took to the streets to ask the question: Where Do We Go From Here?

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Carizma Williams Social Worker, MSW “Now that we have gotten the media and leaders’ attention, the next step is to educate. We can do that in multiple ways. We need to cater to everyone’s different learning styles. Not everyone understands why there is such a large group of people upset. The narrative is ‘Black Lives Matter,’ but all minorities who have been mistreated in any form or fashion should also be included. We may not be able to change the past, but going forward, we need to unite the community. We lack unity. We unite when it comes to protests and riots, but we are not on the same page when it comes to leadership and politics. As for the police, they need to incorporate some customer service education and people skills. They are so quick to grab their guns. They need different training. I also believe those we vote in, want to do well, but the system blocks them to an extent. Change will not come if we don’t see something wrong.”

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Leonard Stepney, Jr., Retired “I feel we protest because our struggle and obstacles have been so great. The metaphoric ‘knee on our necks’ have kept black Americans in a cycle of crime, unemployment, under-employed, under-educated, and and unhealthy. Systematically, we have been considered less then since 1619. There have been strides, but it’s the heart that has to change. We’ve had A Black president, and civil rights laws have been enacted, but the death of those at the hands of police illustrate that things haven’t changed much. Where do we go from here? Police reform, police training, laws that make police accountable for their actions, voting out those who are against the agenda of peace, equality, and justice for all, and of course prayer. Prayers that changes the heart of those who want to do us harm. Prayer changes things.”

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Alliya Dabo Student (Morgan State University) “I think we can’t go back to normal because we now face someone else’s normal. The only difference is that it is being recorded. I think change needs to happen immediately instead of waiting for a riot, protest, or for Social Media to be outraged for changes to be made. For example, with Breonna Taylor, the police came into her house unannounced, but it took rioting and retweeting in order for the ‘No Knock Warrant’ to be banned. For Ahmaud Arbery, when he was gunned down, the case was closed, but once people became more aware of it, the more evidence came out, such as the video. Once the media and public gets ahold of something, you can be held accountable. We need to take the initiative as soon as something happens.”

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Carol Williams “I think the next step is to begin to turn the finger on ourselves. We have to show respect and love, and stop killing each other. If we as black people can’t respect ourselves, how can we expect other people respect us? Proclamations and laws to stop police from killing us, won’t stop us from killing us. If we treat ourselves like animals, other people will do the same. We all need to pray and come together as one.”

As my wife and I watch the press 24/7 coverage of the legal righteous protests and illegal rioting and looting in cities, we are ashamed of the people smashing windows and stealing items from businesses.

We are also ashamed of the large corporations that looted 500 billion dollars of our stimulus tax dollars without having to break any windows to carry a heavy wide screen television 12 blocks past the cops, through a crowd back to their apartment.

Most of the looters got the $1,200 each stimulus check, which helped them buy food and make payments on a few bills, but they are still unemployed with little or no health care insurance.

Both groups who steal are wrong and led by Trump and his posse who are more famous than Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

If you have not checked your checking account lately you may not remember that it takes one thousand million to become a billion dollars. That is a long way from the $1,200 you finally got.

We all can stop being Trump’s piggy bank if we vote him and his fellow GOP parasites out November 3, 2020.

Enough is enough but use a non-violent way. Do not riot, shoot or loot but sue the criminals, embrace education, run for office, become legislators, map out your future, register and vote.

When our country faced riots during the administrations of Jimmy Carter; Ronald Reagan, Bush (1); Bill Clinton; Bush (2); and Barack Obama, each of these brave presidents gave a speech from the Oval office to show us he was in control. However, our “macho man” president, Trump, is being well guarded in the basement of the White House.

1 Corinthians 6-10 “Nor thieves nor greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

James J. Hankins

Wilmington, NC

On most weekday evenings since the onset of the pandemic, I jump into my minivan and drive to a property our firm manages on behalf of a healthcare client. Due to the late hour, I am always able to park in the first space after the bus stop, in front of the building. This space offers a great vantage point from which to quickly scan the courtyard for unusual activities before I begin my inspection routine.

My routine usually requires less than 15 minutes. First, I inspect the suite entrances and storefronts looking for broken glass or doors ajar. Next, I enter the service entry door and walk through the interior hallways and mechanical room listening for unusual noises, sniffing for unusual odors and looking for anything out of order. Finally, it’s up to the rooftop parking deck to observe the mechanical equipment, and check for newly deposited trash, personal effects stashed by the homeless and spent consumables left behind by illicit drug users. I take pictures to record my observations. If all goes well, I am able to quickly complete my routine, return to my vehicle where I jot down a few notes, and then drive home.

This past Monday evening began as usual. I parked in my favorite spot. Alley— clear of people and trash. Dumpster— clear of residential trash bags and bulk trash. Storefronts— five of eight secure and intact. Inspecting the last three requires my walking into the cul-de-sac, a portion of the courtyard that is tucked away and not visible from the street. Entering the cul-de-sac presents the most physical danger to me. I never go there alone after dark. Before entering, I dial-up my already heightened ADD sensitivity to “hyper” mode. I never wish to surprise or be surprised.

This area is frequented by the homeless. It is where they seek shelter from the elements. It is where they seek respite from a hard day on the streets. It is also where they methodically prepare and consume their illicit drugs before drifting off into a nod.

I turn the corner, scanning the final three storefronts, when I detect an anomaly. The service entry door is propped open and the glass pane is shattered. Bad news. I now enact my three-hour break-in routine.

This routine begins with my calling the police. When they arrive, they search the interior, collect crime scene evidence if appropriate, and issue a report. Next, I call the glass company, requesting them to board the door or window until the glass can be replaced. Once boarded, I can return home.

About four times every year, someone breaks into this building. I enact my break-in routine every time. Every time except tonight. While awaiting the police, I received a call from the glass company. They inform me that, due to the “riots,” their 24/7 emergency boarding and glass replacement services will not be available in my section of Baltimore. The property is located on West North Avenue, in Reservoir Hill.

The “riots” the technician referenced were mostly peaceful demonstrations taking place in Downtown Baltimore since early afternoon. True, some minor looting had occurred on Saturday night, but Sunday had been peaceful and as of 9:30 p.m. on Monday, when I spoke to the glass technician, the non-violent confrontations between the police and the protestors had not even begun. Monday had witnessed a substantially larger number of protestors who, at one point, had shut down I-83, the Inner Harbor and the public transportation systems in Downtown Baltimore. But all actions had been peaceful and mostly non-violent.

I was now listening to a terrified male— likely Caucasian given he said he was calling from Essex— who feared for his personal safety in Baltimore City during a night of peaceful protests against the murder of George Floyd one week earlier by a brutal, criminal, white police officer in Minneapolis. I wondered what did this white technician know about fear?

Neither he nor the homeless, drug addicted, white men and women who take shelter in my cul-de-sac will ever know the fear experienced by George Floyd as he begged for his life in the eight minutes and 46 seconds before his murder. The technician and my cul-de-sac visitors will never know the fear black men experience living their lives in the United States or whenever encountering a police officer. They will never know the fear I carry when I turn that corner into the cul-de-sac. Yes, I fear someone in the cul-de-sac may try to attack me but what I really fear is that some police officer, who sees me enter the courtyard of the property I have been hired to manage, follows me into the cul-de-sac, draws his gun and kills me when I turn around startled to learn I have been followed.

They will not know my fear as I am pulled over while driving away from the property after completing my inspection routine. The officer will only see me exit the courtyard of an office complex at dusk. He will see me jump into my car, do something for a few minutes, and then pull off. After he stops me, and after asking for my license and registration, he will observe all manner of “dangerous” tools in my minivan, will draw his gun, and will fire when he believes I am reaching for a tool rather than the registration card he requested.

However like most of the black men I know, I carry my fear hidden beneath a proud, tough exterior. I try not to let that fear consume me or alter my optimistic outlook but I do keep my hands visible when stopped by the police. And today, I salute the diverse group of men and women around the country who peacefully protest the murder of George Floyd.

Count them—three executions in the last three months took place. The cops executed George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. Two right-wing vigilantes murdered Ahmaud Aubrey in Satilla Shores, Georgia. Who knows those killed and brutalized at the hands of the cops not counted as victims?

Malcolm X once said, “The chickens have come home to roost,” after the assassination of President Kohn F. Kennedy. Both nations, the United States and the Nation of Islam, ostracized him. They distorted his message but that is another story. Well, the chickens once again came home to roost in the way of a mass march and protest at City Hall this past Monday.

The murder of George Floyd at the hands of four white Minneapolis cops triggered the rally of an estimated several thousand people. The people attending were black, white, and many young. Demonstrators, waived signs in the air from black lives matter to white silence.

COVID-19 continues to ravage black folks disproportionately across the U.S. A horrific number of black essential, low-paid workers face life-changing decisions. Should they remain on the job, forced to return too many times to unsafe workplaces facing death. Countless numbers of us stand in unemployment lines.

Hundreds of thousands of us never have found jobs or have not met the levels of being part of the civilian workforce. Our seniors in nursing homes continue to die like swatted flies around a garbage can.

Remember the Freddie Gray killing. The people in those zip codes— 21215, 21216, and 21217 still wait for some modicum of improvement. Don’t forget the other zip codes where black folks live.

Guess what? The usual social oppression of black people continues to take place. We continue to face inequalities wrapped in racism. Most blacks, especially the working class, continue to carry these inequalities wrapped in economic and social oppression— tied with racism’s bow. No pity party resides here.

History tells us that black people’s economic and social gains accrued from protests, demonstrations, rallies and the like. We remember dynamic groups and

famous spokespersons. The groups and spokespersons rest on the shoulders of the people or the masses. Over 200,000 blacks fought for the North in the American Civil War, not counting those that walked off plantations. Who can forget the different black migrations or the black toilers that plowed the fields?

What about the unsung heroes such as Lucy Parsons; Hubert Harrison; Cyril Briggs; Mary Terrell; Harry Haywood; Claudia Jones; Queen Mother Moore; and Ella Baker, who helped to stir the black masses?

We need more of what took place at Baltimore City Hall with the voices that must be heard and the bodies that must be actively involved. Even though, what started out as peaceful, protests were hijacked by agitators creating chaos, breaking windows looting stores and burning buildings, we know the truth. We have known it for 400 years.

Washington, D.C.— The NAACP, the nation’s foremost social justice organization, has launched a campaign entitled #WeAreDoneDying, aimed at exposing the inequities embedded into the American healthcare system and the country at large. From COVID-19 to running while Black in America, the abuse faced by people of color, particularly African Americans is devastating.

The campaign is a Call-to-Action and highlights the NAACP’s policy interests and supported legislation for African Americans and people of color, a large demographic that is often left out of recovery effort conversations. The integrated and interactive content will create actionable steps for people to feel empowered by demanding action from their state’s elected officials on issues such as healthcare, education, criminal justice, economic justice, and voting rights.

“With crumbling economic infrastructure, our community members face tough choices as access to food, good jobs, and a quality education slips further away,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, NAACP. “These issues are compounded by the lack of strong leadership from the White House. In the absence of adequate guidance, Black lives are adversely affected. We will no longer stand idle as our people suffer discrimination, marginalization, and are offered as disposable for poor decisions by this Administration.”

As the incidence of COVID-19 cases and deaths rise, the black community is experiencing the worst outcomes. With more confirmed cases and deaths than any other country, African Americans are facing the brunt of this virus. The numbers continue to rise each day while states reopen non-essential businesses with little to no evidence that the country is ready.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the deep-seated racial disparity in America embedded in all aspects of life,” said Leon W. Russell, Chairman, NAACP Board of Directors. “The NAACP Empowerment Programs’ 111 years of advocacy and fighting for the rights of Black people positions us to lead the fight for our community’s interest during this time of uncertainty.”

To learn how you can join and get involved with the campaign, visit: NAACP.org.

“History is bound to repeat itself. Look at what went wrong in 1918 (Spanish Flu). Then do the opposite,” says the History Channel.

President Woodrow Wilson was the American President in 1918, when 675,000 Americans died as a result of the Spanish Flu and over 20 to 50 million people died around the world. This pandemic happened 100 years ago, and a lack of leadership from the federal government helped the flu spread like wildfire. President Woodrow Wilson took no decisive measures with a coordinated federal plan and gaps were filled at the state and local level. There was a general lack of preparedness and the public health infrastructure was inadequate with no leadership and organization. Public officials lied, made up facts and 25 percent of the military personnel who had the flu, infected the citizens around the country.

The flu started in March 1918 and the second wave came in the fall, when the majority of Americans died. This mysterious strain of the flu happened during the end of World War I and moving lots of men and materials in crowded conditions contributed to the spread of the virus. America and nations around the globe refused to lockdown their countries and the flu spread rapidly.

“The chaotic culture of the Trump White House contributed to the crisis. A lack of planning and a failure to execute, combined with the president’s focus on the news cycle and his preference for following his gut rather than the data cost time and perhaps lives,” said Eric Lipton of the NY Times. The 1918 pandemic lasted one year and there were three different waves where the majority of people died.

In order for the 2020 pandemic to end in America, the entire country must be shutdown in every state and the president must place large-scale orders for masks, protective equipment, critical hospital equipment, ventilators and community leaders educating their constituents. This is not a time for “happy talk.” The Coronavirus Task Force must enforce the quarantine with military forces and local police.

China started its lockdown on January 23, 2020 and by the beginning of March, the country was starting to open back up. They were able to get infected cases to low levels, and the United States must follow the same course of action. The population practiced social distancing and the government was able to test on a wide scale.

At this point, America’s testing process has failed, with testing of less than one percent of the population completed. There is no vaccine and more healthcare workers are getting infected with the virus with no time off. Before the country can be opened, there must be widespread testing and a national database of cases to prevent the spread of the virus.

With over 500,000 thousand Americans infected with the virus, and the most citizens to die in any country — over 20,000 — the political and healthcare system is broken. Instead of the pandemic slowing down, it is speeding up and rapidly growing.

In the African American community, the coronavirus is exposing systemic racism with frightening numbers. In Chicago, the black population is 29 percent but 70 percent of the people dying from the virus are black. In Louisiana, the black population is 32 percent but 70 percent of the people dying from the virus are black. In other cities, like Washington, DC, Baltimore, Detroit and Dallas, there are alarming numbers that indicate health disparities are killing more blacks.

No one will save blacks but us. However, black leaders must sound the alarm. When America gets a cold, African American get pneumonia. There is a failure of leadership with President Donald Trump and his Vice President Mike Pence managing and running the Coronavirus Task Force. They have done a terrible job, lying to Americans, with a general lack of preparedness.

There is glaring incompetency in Trump’s handling of the crisis, and the failure of testing has spread the virus.

As our president continues to fabricate the truth at every daily briefing, don’t believe anything President Trump promises.