Tag Archives: Coronavirus

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I Guess That We All Get A Turn: The Unfortunate Saga of Dr. Armen Henderson and What It Means About the Relationship of Black Men to White Police Officer’s (We’ve Seen This Many Times Before)

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There comes a moment when one has to call “a spade, a spade.” I doubt that it’s possible to find a single African-American man who has a personal story that relates the tenuous nature and unsettled feelings that seem to naturally flow from interaction with law enforcement officers. Every Black man that I know of can inform you of the moment that they came to the realization that the one life that they spent decades developing can be snatched away at a moment’s notice by a rogue law enforcement officer due to no fault of their own.

This unfortunate reality was reiterated yet again by the experience of Dr. Armen Henderson this past week. Dr. Henderson, a medical doctor whose service to the homeless community in Miami, Florida, during the global pandemic was feted by the Miami Herald newspaper has made national news as a result of it being his turn to be in the wrong place, this time it happens to be in front of his house, at the wrong time. Dr. Henderson’s character is best reflected in his taking charge of much of the Coronavirus testing of the homeless in this uncertain time.

If they are being truthful, most Blacks, regardless of gender or socioeconomic status, can tell you that they understand that their life can be ended due to circumstances far beyond their control. For Dr. Henderson, the context was his loading of makeshift tents that he intended for the homeless. This good nearly cost him his freedom, if not his life.   

Dr. Armen Henderson was in front of his home loading up his vehicle with supplies to continue his outreach efforts for the less fortunate in his community when IT occurred. The IT that I refer to is an unwanted and unnecessary conflict with a police officer. A video camera captured the officer’s arrival and a subsequent brief discussion between the law enforcement officer and Dr. Henderson. Video footage also captured the officer placing the famed medical doctor in handcuffs for no apparent reason. In a scene that reminds one of the fugitive slave laws of yesteryear, Dr. Henderson screamed for his wife’s assistance. Fortunately, she was aware enough to rush outside with identification confirming that this harassment was occurring in front of their residence. It is deplorably that this pillar of the community was not released until the officer reviewed the identification in a manner that reminds me of the deplorable antics of slave catchers reviewing manumission papers that identified persons of African descent as free men or women. As expected, Miami’s Chief of police, Jorge Colina, backed his officer’s actions and attempted to explain away the issue as a misunderstanding that flowed from the officer investigating repeated complaints of illegal dumping.

As mentioned above, there comes a time when we must call “a spade, a spade.” For African-Americans who did not already realize that they must be on high-alert every moment of the day, even inside the comfy confines of their homes, this is yet another lesson that you are always only a moment away from a contentious conflict with a rogue element of some law enforcement agency that has convinced themselves that they have the power to be judge, jury, and executioner of any Black person they encounter.

If nothing else, the historical record indicates that we must each understand that we are only a single interaction from having our life and the lives of those that we love permanently disrupted by the unwise decisions of a bigoted officer “following procedures.” Such a context mandates that African-Americans pledge to be careful out there today, tomorrow, and forever because your life is the best thing that you have going for you. Survive conflict with rogue officers and anyone else seeking to harm you “by any means necessary.”

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture 2020.

I thank you and appreciate you visiting Manhood, Race, and Culture.

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Where’s Huey P. Newton When You Need Him?: How Would The Black Panther Party Have Reacted to the Coronavirus

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Over fifty years after its genesis, the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense reigns as Black America’s most memorable revolutionary group. For most, the Panther’s longevity flows from iconic imagery that never-fails to escape the limits of time. For an oppressed people starving for strong images, photos and footage of Black men resisting White oppression were intoxicating. There was no doubt that Panther co-founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale had issued a direct challenge to marauding Whites seeking to extend Black America’s misery and suffering.

Although the referenced iconic imagery ensures the Panthers omnipresent importance, it is proving to be a double-edged sword in the following manner. The admiration that Panther guns engender among supporters who continually reconstruct the organization in their minds has led to a cavernous hole in their understanding of Panther history. Such populations are quick to miss the crucial fact that the vaunted “Panther Patrols” — a program of Panther members patrolling police officers as they patrolled black communities — was only one of a series of community service activities. Panther Party community service activities ranged from free breakfast for children and grocery programs to the creation of sickle cell anemia testing/treatment centers.

There is no need to rehash the plentiful data regarding the disproportionate impact that the Coronavirus global pandemic is having on Black America. Ironically, the potential “hotspots” for future outbreaks are the same locations where many of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense’s local chapters were located. An understanding of Panther history leads my belief that it is time for Black America to follow the revolutionary example provided by Newton, Seale, Hutton, Pratt, Rush, and Hampton by ‘Seizing the Time’ and showing the power of the people by taking definitive steps to address this pandemic.

Just as Newton and Seale addressed Black America’s most pressing problems in an organized manner during the volatile 60’s protest era, contemporary Black Nationalists must take similar steps by educating and enforcing guidelines to prevent the Coronavirus spread among our community. Although such community service efforts are neither sensational nor lauded as the “Panther Patrols”, they are as integral to Black survival in this time of crisis as the Free Breakfast for Children, Ambulance service, Sickle-Cell Anemia Centers, and assisting the elderly within our community. According to Huey P. Newton, the Revolutionary’s sole objective is to serve the people.   

If provided the opportunity, I would advise those seeking to walk in the footsteps of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense to abandon their fascination with the gun and paramilitary displays of machismo in favor of developing community service activities specifically designed to aid the community through this trying time. We can no longer afford to waste another moment mesmerized by romantic notions of a by-gone era. It is time that we recalibrate our strategies, tactics, and goals to fit this moment.

All Power to the People!!!!!!!!!

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture 2020.

I thank you and appreciate you visiting Manhood, Race, and Culture.

If you enjoy the content that you find here at Manhood, Race, and Culture.

It would be greatly appreciated if you would consider purchasing one of the following books.

  • “Foolish” Floyd: The Life & Times of an African-American Contrarian.
  • Creating Revolution as They Advance: A Narrative History of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense
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A True Picture of My Countrymen as Painted by the Coronavirus

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For my money, James Baldwin is this nation’s most poignant social critic. The famed writer was poignant, powerful, and disruptive in a nation that has always needed such prodding. Much of Baldwin’s power flowed from the realization that matters such as racial identity, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status were major determinants in how a person would be treated in America. From Baldwin’s perspective, American powerbrokers’ adherence to the Golden Rule of he who owns the gold makes the rules made his countrymen monster-men imprisoned within lives that were not worth living. James Baldwin detailed such individuals in the following commentary.

People pay for what they do, and still more so for what they have allowed themselves to become, and they pay for it very simply by the lives they lead.

Unfortunately for humanity’s sake, there appears to be no shortage of such fools.

One needs to look no further than the recent death of a 17-year-old teen in Lancaster, California from Covid-19 related complications. Although it is notable that he is the first minor to die during the pandemic, the circumstances of his death are not only shocking but also revealing. The absence of insurance, a yoke that is currently secured around the necks of millions of Americans, led health care providers to deny this teen desperately needed medical treatment. Where they could have aided, they denied treatment, a decision that guaranteed this youth would never reach his eighteenth birthday.

I have never been one to ask questions that I did not want the answers to, however, this tragic occasion forces me to divert from that well-worn pattern.

The question pricking my soul is the following.

Is this who we are as Americans? Do we have this little concern for our fellow country-men?

As you well know, the preponderance of the evidence points to an affirmative answer. This is exactly who so many Americans have become. If nothing else, Covid-19 has once again exposed a sizable population of Americans who are

  • Greedy
  • Inconsiderate of others
  • Selfish
  • Narcissistic
  • Incapable of understanding that we are all inextricably linked together as countrymen

This is who many Americans have unfortunately become during their never-ending pursuit of politico-economic power and ascension up an invisible, yet very real, social ladder that promises fame and fortune for those who reach its highest rung, regardless of the methods they took to arrive there.

Even in the midst of the pandemic, many Americans have yet to realize that neither wealth nor political connections are capable of protecting oneself from Covid-19; if nothing else, this virus appears to be the great equalizer sent to remind all that we are inextricably linked together for eternity. The failure to recognize this reality dooms my countrymen in a host of ways that they do not understand. I guess that James Baldwin was correct in his assertion that

People pay for what they do, and still more so for what they have allowed themselves to become, and they pay for it very simply by the lives they lead.

It is frightening that this is who my countrymen have become.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture 2020.

I thank you and appreciate you visiting Manhood, Race, and Culture.

If you enjoy the content that you find here at Manhood, Race, and Culture.

It would be greatly appreciated if you would consider purchasing one of the following books.

  • “Foolish” Floyd: The Life & Times of an African-American Contrarian.
  • Creating Revolution as They Advance: A Narrative History of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense
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When Fools Rush In: An Examination of Why Black America is Being Disproportionately Impacted by the Coronavirus

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I guess that when you write about never-ending race matters in a nation that has been shadowed by the daunting specter since its creation, it should be expected that familiar themes will arise. There may be no more consistent theme regarding Blacks and Race in America than the following one, they have always received a heaping portion of the pain, misery, and suffering that freely flows from this nation. Put simply; when it comes to pain, misery, and suffering, Blacks have been America’s pack-mule.

This understanding of the peculiar plight of Blacks guides my belief that Black America will find itself on the receiving end of a heaping portion of the negative effects of the Coronavirus. In some ways it is understandable that many Blacks reach for conspiracy theories to explain the voluminous misery and suffering that is once again falling upon their community. At their very best, the alluded to conspiracy theories rob Blacks of the very agency they have used to maintain their existence.

It is this unfortunate reality that guides me toward a relatively simple question of “Why has Black America been disproportionately affected by Coronavirus?” as well as a more important question of “What can Black America do about being disproportionately affected by Coronavirus?” Of course, both questions are crucial, yet, the latter is much more weighty.

Recently released data reveals that Black America is once again the pack-mule for American suffering in places such as Michigan where their population is a paltry 14%, yet that decidedly minority population makes up 35% of all Coronavirus cases and 40% of the deaths from the global pandemic. Health experts have pointed to the “Motor City” as being the next hotspot for infections and deaths that are bound to disproportionately impact Blacks. The city of New Orleans has likewise been cited as a looming hotspot for Coronavirus infections and deaths. Medical professionals have highlighted that the predominantly Black, Orleans Parish is the location of 40% of Louisiana’s deaths.

Black America should be asking itself innumerable questions that begin with the simple word of “Why?”

  • Why has our community been disproportionately impacted?
  • Why has nothing been done to slow infections in our midst?
  • Why has Black leadership not stepped forward more prominently?

One thing is for certain, the admonishment that scholar John Henrik Clarke hurled at Black America years ago that “you have no friends” should be the North Star that guides it through this terrible time.

As this nation’s leaders stumble and bumble their way through this moment, Black Americans must refuse to travel down that clunky path in favor of taking definitive steps to protect themselves “by any means necessary.” At a time like this, Blacks must reject a well-worn pattern of skepticism regarding science in favor of the sage advice of medical professionals to stay home and take every precaution if they must leave the confines of their homes. This is not a time for Black America to reject the words of medical experts. Failure to heed that advice will invariably result in an avoidable reminder that “we have no friends” via a phenomenal death toll.

There is honestly no other way that this can be stated. Protect yourself and all that you love from this killer virus, failure to do such guarantees that you will join a growing list of Blacks who have fallen victim to the Coronavirus in a nation where politico-economic realities long ago determined that Blacks would receive a King’s ransom of misery and suffering.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III  

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Why the Introduction of Conspiracy Theories Amplifies the Dangers of Covid-19 for Black America

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The moment that Idris Elba, a phenomenal actor I was initially introduced to as Stringer Bell on The Wire, was afflicted with the Coronavirus (Covid-19), my mind immediately reverted to Marcus Mosiah Garvey’s most poignant observations revealed about his prodigious travels abroad. According to the famed Pan-Africanist,

I don’t care where you go or what type of society you view. Our people are always the least educated, the poorest, own the least amount of land, and die the soonest.

When it became clear that the Coronavirus was going to have an unprecedented impact on this nation, I feared that Black America would receive at least a double-portion of the pain and misery flowing from this unexpected intruder.

My fears are buoyed by the information presented by medical professionals that the chronic medical issues affecting Black America lessen its chances of surviving Covid-19. Additionally, the members of our community are the most likely to be uninsured or possess the multiple variables needed to “shelter in place” for a significant period. I am saddened to write that it appears that Black Americans are perfectly positioned to receive a heaping portion of the negativity promised by the Coronavirus.   

Reasonable-minded African-Americans understand that Blacks are no different from other American populations in that we were devoid of a reliable defense against the looming pandemic. Unfortunately for reasonable-minded Blacks, their grounded understanding of such matters neither removed nor muted the ascension of a cadre of boastful, loud-mouth, and ill-informed Negroes who continued a well-worn pattern of propagating dim-witted statements that comfortably pass the threshold of outlandish conspiracy theories. Not even the following statement by Idris Elba served as a sufficient deterrent to the hair-brained conspiracy theories of a rambunctious few. According to Elba,

Black people, please, please, please understand that coronavirus, you can get it. There are so many stupid, ridiculous conspiracy theories about black people not being able to get it. That’s dumb, stupid. All right? That is the quickest way to get more black people killed.”

I intuitively realized that not even the pleadings of Stringer Bell were sufficient to beat back the tide of conspiracy theories whose replication mirrored that of Covid-19.

While Black medical professionals issued repeated warnings to our community, conspiracy theorists countered scientific advice via the internet to a frightened and unknowing community. A familiar refrain that authoritatively stated that Blacks could not contract Covid-19 due to melanin or a litany of other racial signifiers. Such advice worsened the survival chances of a community marred by a host of issues ranging from compromised housing, marginal economic status, and the usual challenges inextricably linked to Black socioeconomic marginality.

Instead of working to provide life-saving information to a frightened Black populace, the conspiracy theorists in our midst grasped for a few fleeting moments of semi-importance. It seems that every tragedy that befalls Black America is considered an opportunity by the least of us to stoke the embers of confusion and darkness. In many ways, it is inexcusable that at the very moment where light is desperately needed, conspiracy theorists flood our community with darkness. The time has come for conspiracy theorists to abandon ridiculous constructs and intricate lies that make them little more than conmen seeking to not only exploit others but also muting the voices of medical professionals who hold the keys to lessening the portion of misery and suffering befalling Black America.

I am sure that you are much like me in that I have had my fill of unnecessary pain, misery, and suffering. It is time that the conspiracy theorists in our midst are shunned and silenced “by any means necessary.”  

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture 2020.

I thank you and appreciate you visiting Manhood, Race, and Culture.

If you enjoy the content that you find here at Manhood, Race, and Culture.

It would be greatly appreciated if you would consider purchasing my book, “Foolish” Floyd: The Life & Times of an African-American Contrarian.