Desperate White Politicians Seek Black Votes

It is always amazing when White politicians find themselves in jeopardy of not obtaining sufficient votes from the populace will usually begin to assiduously seek the votes of Black citizens even though the causes and concerns of this minority group are generally never previously mentioned by such politicians when times are good. Case in point, Marco Rubio is one of many politicians that is the epitome of this hypocrisy.  Mr. Rubio was born in Miami and has lived in Miami for too many years to not be familiar with the crime issues that have plagued the Black population over the years and even more so now with the recent spate of killings of so many young people. Furthermore, he is aware of the Haitian immigrants issues that have been ongoing for a number of years. However, Mr. Rubio has never shown an interest in the Black population. He has never participated in yearly events, such as MLK parades, attended by other politicians; he has never been seen at a meeting to address the spate of gun violence; he has never visited the opening of a business venture that caters to uplifting education or employment of the Black community; he has never made an effort to get involved in showing a sense of interest in the issues involving the large Black population of Miami Dade. Yet, he expects that the visit of Senator Mia Love, will be a great influence on bringing him Black votes especially from Haitian American since Love's parents are from Haiti. He believes that that Ms. Love, a Republican Utah senator, who is an unknown politician within the South Florida community, will miraculously turn Black voters in his favor. Another politician insulting Black people's intelligence.

Miami International Airport - Customs Still Using Racial Profiling Tactics Two Years Later

4/10/2018

Surprisingly and hard to believe, harassment at the airport is not limited to the racial profiling practices of customs towards Black travellers at Miami International Airport. Over the weekend, Shaun King, a Black activist and member of the Black Lives Matter movement was detained at JFK airport,  New York,  along with his wife and young children after landing from their long, tiring trip back from Egypt. King mentioned that it was clear to him that ICE would have been tracking him since his departure from the United States and awaiting his return.  So, he was advised by his attorney prior to leaving for Egypt on how he should react if it happened This was an experience King said that made him become aware of how people of the Muslim faith feel when they are detained at the airport without cause except for their religious belief. 

Shaun King and Family Detained at US Airport

1/15/2018

After approximately two years, there has been one evident change at Miami International Airport in the Customs procedures. Gone are the days when passengers had to join a long queue to speak to a Customs agent prior to leaving the airport or catching a connecting flight. The queuing process is gone, but the racial profiling remains as agents now congregate in groups and, of course, continue to use the same racial profiling tactics as they observe passengers departing with their luggage. This was quite clear with one agent today who was obviously upset that a Black passenger asked him  why she was being stopped when so many non-Black passengers were leaving without any notice. He angrily demanded in an intimidating demeanor to know why she had an attitude when she was asking a simple question as to why she was singled out by him. So with Miami International Customs, nothing much has changed in their treatment towards Black passengers.

2/12/2016

Is U.S. Customs Racial Profiling Arriving Passengers at Miami International Airport?

Passengers will have an opportunity to always breeze through the Customs check points at Miami International Airport (MIA) without agents ever considering that they could possibly possess items that need to be checked through the luggage scanner. However, such is not the luck of some of the other passengers who do not have any items to declare, state on the form that they have nothing to declare, yet are still directed to the luggage scanner area. It is annoying for these passengers especially when it is evident that this baggage scrutiny area seems to be constantly filled with people of color. No one expects for people of color to be habitually singled out for baggage checks by Customs agents whereas White passengers who are coming from the same Caribbean, Central/South American countries are not considered to be carrying food or any unacceptable items in their luggage.  Further, it would be quite unlikely to see Customs agent directing passengers from Europe to the baggage scanner area. The blatant routine of singling out people of color indicates a mistrust for those people simply because they do not fit the all American standards. MIA Customs must implement a justified system that does not always inconvenience people because of their race, color, or visible religious wear.

UPDATE:- 4/3/2016 -since the writing of this post, it appears that there has been some changes at MIA . Last week, it was surprising to see that no one had to wait in line to speak to a Customs agent to be directed to the luggage check area. Let's see how long this process lasts.

Academy Awards Nomination - Here We Go Again!

Once again, there is dissatisfaction that the nominating committee for the Academy Awards did not take minorities into consideration when making the 2016 selections. Certain African American actors who were expected to be nominated were shut out with the selection of all White nominees. Yet, the all White nominations should not be a surprise since the majority of the committee are White males. But, even more disheartening is the fact that these African American actors continue to accept such unsatisfactory treatment. Similar to last year when they were shut out, these minority actors will once again get glammed up for this upcoming award show. While parading themselves, they will be photographed in the most expensive clothes and accessories as they pose on the red carpet. They will appear on stage gleefully reading the names of the awardees although some of their own names should have appeared on the list. They will attend the after Oscar parties so that they can be seen wining, dining, and dancing even with the same people who did not consider them for any nomination. The vanity that comes with being a "celebrity" will not allow these African-American actors to take a stance and send a message to the Academy Award committee by boycotting the award show.  These self-obsessed actors certainly will not give up being in the limelight of attention on a night when millions are watching the Academy Awards show. Last November, the Missouri University football team, even with their passion for playing football, threatened not to return to playing unless the administration took African American students' concerns seriously. These unselfish football players made a great difference not only for themselves but for an entire minority student population. We can go even farther back as the 1960s with the Montgomery Bus Boycott when African American made such a significant impact that resulted in changes not only in Montgomery but throughout the state and elsewhere. Until minority actors make an effort to demonstrate their opposition to the biases in the Academy Awards selections, then they should expect to continue to be ignored for any Oscar nomination. The public cannot fight these actors' battle. African-American actors must fight the battle themselves if they want to see any changes in the industry.
~ J.Y. Campbell

U.S. Foreign Embassies Making Millions

A report on the front page of a foreign country’s Sunday newspaper indicated that the United States embassy there acquired $25 million U.S. dollars so far this year from visa applications. In general, this information does not only show the massive income that the U.S. embassy has acquired from this particular country, but it is unimaginable how much billions in total visa income each year that the U.S. government must be earning from all their foreign embassies.  The newspaper also included information that 159,000 applicants have visited this U.S. embassy so far during this year. The U.S. Counsel General from this embassy indicated that 65% of applications are approved. However, contrary to his claim, on a good day, the majority of applicants who line up overnight or during the wee hours of the morning will not be successful in their visa bid. A low visa approval quota means that there is money to be made by foreign U.S. embassies in certain countries where so many of the vulnerable applicants, who struggle to gain the application fee, have no chance of getting a U.S. visitors’ visa.  The U.S. embassies come out on top, at the expense of these applicants, since the foreign agencies get to pocket the visa application fees without issuing any visas to so many.  Therefore, the foreign U.S. embassies are running a profitable business at the expense of so many.

Don't Want to Go Back 200 Years

Ancestry.com’s television commercials attract viewers who may be interested in locating their ancestors. Their recent commercial features African-American twins, and this has allowed the company to get their message across to Black viewers that they too have an opportunity to use the services. The twins are vibrant, convincing, and appealing as they talk about their experiences using the service …until one statement is made. The young man says that he would like to go back 200 years to meet his ancestors. A desire to want to meet ancestors is not an unusual wish. However, such a statement would have meant nothing and go unnoticed if these twins were not Black. Apparently, the producers let such a statement pass since they are ignorant that 200 years ago was 1815 during the height of slavery when slave families were being sold causing a separation of families rather than uniting loved ones. The twin, in making such an absurd statement, also seems ignorant that no Black person, who is aware of his/her history, would consider any desire to want to go back in history during a time when his/her ancestors suffered from mental and physical abuses daily. No one wants to go back to a time when they, too, would be considered slaves or free people with no rights. 

Hypocritical Worldwide Reaction

The recent bombing in France was a horrific incident that certainly deserves the overwhelming worldwide support in honor of the victims and country. Yet, where is this overwhelming support of public display for bombing victims and others affected by terrorist attacks in other countries?

Missouri Football Players Stand Up for their Rights!

Finally!!!  It is a pleasure to see young Black brothers standing up not only for what they believe in but representing other students of color on their campus. Protesting in the streets is just not enough to impact change for people of color. The protest of these young men brings hope that more people of color will engage in this type of protest that creates a significant impact not only on major events such as America's favorite sport but also on the bottom line which, in this case, is the loss in millions in revenue to the university if these young men do not play. Great job young men! Hats off to you! Stay the course as Black folks in Alabama did during the 1960s when they refused to ride on public transportation until they were granted the right to sit anywhere they chose instead of being ordered to sit at the back of the bus or give up their seats to the whites. The stance of these young men must be supported by all whose racial discrimination plea has gone unheard for so many years.