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  • Politics Is Like Hiring A Hitman
    by Scott Woods inPolitical on2020-08-13

    For me, politics is like hiring a hitman. I have values and things I care about. I care enough about them to at least bother voting for 5 minutes every year for one issue or another. And because I care at least that much, I vote for people who align with the ability to realize the things I care about.

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  • Punching Above Our Weight
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-07-24

    I believe our vote is the punctuation of our voice. Without that resounding exclamation mark, I believe our voices are just incoherent noise.

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  • BLACK PROGRESS AMIDST SOCIAL CHAOS
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-06-16

    Recent events have raised the profile of historical injustice and inequities here in the USA. The entire world has taken note of the fact that BLACK LIVES MATTER.   We invite all of our friends to engage in actions that result in the greatest movement for change in our history. It is imperative that we take advantage of this opportunity to affect a positive change by ACTING IN OUR SELF-INTERESTS.

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  • Living in a Black No-Man's Land
    by Roger Madison Jr. inOur Community on2019-10-28

    There are many narratives that define the Black experience in America in this 2nd decade of the 21st century. Our striving over the centuries of our sojourn in this nation is a tapestry of every human experience -- oppression, enslavement, forced assimilation, dehumanization, exclusion, segregation, isolation, struggle, perseverance, achievement, excellence, celebration, mourning, despair, progress, setbacks, lynching, assassination, genocide, terror, self-hatred, low esteem, pride,...

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  • Fighting Racism
    by Scott Woods inOur Community on2018-10-25

    I had a boss who was racist. Not an outright bigot, of course; her toolbox was more subtle than most. We bumped heads a lot over inconsequential things. She frequently couldn’t keep my name out her mouth. Lot of gaslighting. You know…2018 style. I tried a lot of ways to combat or navigate her issues. None of them worked, and that’s saying a lot because I’m really good at fighting racism. But at the end of the day – every day – she was my boss, I had to deal with her, and that was that. Finally I...

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Journey to the Land of Ubuntu -- Day 6

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Today, our travelers saw the dual faces of Apartheid in South Africa.  The morning started with a tour of the capital city of Pretoria, which is now the greater metropolitan city of Tshwane - incorporating the White inner City with 13 outlying Black and Colored townships in to one metropolitan government council.  This political reconciliation bears the slogan "We are the same."

                         Dr Gwen  Union Building  Voortrekker Monument

The centerpiece of the tour of the central city of Pretoria is the Union Buildings, which house the offices of the President and Vice President.  Nearby, stands a monument to the journey of the Afrikaners to the region - the Voortrekker Monument.  These symbols of the former Apartheid rule stand in stark contrast to the reality of today's progressive society that celebrates all cultures with national holidays  and other cultural celebrations.  The current Executive mayor of the municipality is a Black woman, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa.

 

                         Lesedi-2  Lesedi-3  Lesedi-1

In contrast to this Afrikaner heritage is nearby Lesedi Cultural Village, which recreates the cultural experience of the native cultures of the region.  This experience includes a guided tour of four homesteads - Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho and Pedi.  The tour includes a dance celebration and a pan African feast featuring a variety of local native dishes. This day was a moving and enlightening experience.  Our travelers moved emotionally from feelings of anger , celebration, and reconciliation -- as the significance these symbols of the past and future were placed in the frame of reference of our experience in the Township of Atteridgeville on Tuesday evening.

 Tomorrow , we travel to see the Good, The Bad, and Ugly of Soweto.