RIGHT 2 THE CITY Blog

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CHAOS OR COMMUNITY: REFLECTIONS ON MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. AND DONALD TRUMP

By Henry-Louis Taylor, Jr.

NOTE: I wrote this essay four years ago, right after Donald Trump took office. A major national publication requested the piece but decided not to publish it. I suspect that it was too hot for them. After re-reading it a few days ago, I decided that it was as timely as ever, and I decided to publish it in my Blog. The essay proved prophetic and provided insight into Donald Trump. It will also provide clues on what we can expect from Trump after Biden takes office.

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Black Americans face higher COVID-19 risks, are more hesitant to trust medical scientists, get vaccinated

By John Gramlich and Cary Funk

Read the full article from the Pew Research Center here.

“The disparity is particularly wide in some states. In Kansas and Wisconsin, black people account for 6% of each state’s population but 29% and 26% of deaths, respectively – the biggest proportional disparities out of the states for which demographic data on coronavirus deaths is available…Meanwhile, a little over half of black adults (54%) say they would definitely or probably get a coronavirus vaccine if one were available today, while 44% say they would not.”

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The Politics of White Anxiety

By Jonathan M. Metzl

Read the full article from Boston Review here.

“For commentators such as Elie Mystal, writing in The Nation, the spectacle of white sympathies shifting away from Black communities—so-called whitelash—highlighted the mercurial nature of white support for Black communities. ‘And so here we are, barely three months after George Floyd was choked to death, and already white allyship is waning,’ Mystal wrote. ‘A majority of white people were always going to value their own comfort over justice for Black people.'”

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Births of a Nation, Redux

By Robin D. G. Kelley

Read the full article from Boston Review here.

“We keep telling ourselves that Trump was elected as a backlash to a Black president, but really he was elected as a backlash to a Black movement. President Obama presided during the killing of Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Tanisha Anderson, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland—ad infinitum. It was the mass rebellion against the lawlessness of the state—in Ferguson, in Baltimore, in Chicago, in Dallas, in Baton Rouge, in New York, in Los Angeles, and elsewhere—that prompted Trumpian backlash.”

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The Just City Essays

Story by Toni Griffin, Ariella Cohen, and David Maddox

Read the essays on NextCity.org here.

“Over the past decade, there have been numerous conversations about the “livable city,” the “green city,” the “sustainable city” and, most recently, the “resilient city.” At the same time, today’s headlines—from Ferguson to Baltimore, Paris to Johannesburg—resound with the need for frank dialogue about the structures and processes that affect the quality of life and livelihoods of urban residents. Issues of equity, inclusion, race, participation, access and ownership remain unresolved in many communities around the world, even as we begin to address the challenges of affordability, climate change adaptation and resilience. The persistence of injustice in the world’s cities—dramatic inequality, unequal environmental burdens and risks, and uneven access to opportunity—demands a continued and reinvigorated search for ideas and solutions.”

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‘Makes you ask why the hell we even bother.’ Infectious disease experts face disillusionment as COVID-19 pandemic worsens

By Hanna Krueger

Read the full article from Boston Globe here.

“But as the worsening outbreak drags into its ninth month and politics too often prevail over science, many infectious disease experts say they are increasingly disillusioned. The rush of adrenaline and resolve from the pandemic’s early months has given way to frustration and fatigue caused by those government leaders who have ignored scientific data, and a public that has often shrugged off — or been openly hostile to — informed guidance. As cases and deaths surge across the country, some feel they are screaming into the void.”

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The Voice of Black America?

By Rachelle Hampton

Read the full article from Slate here.

“Getting cast as the political spokesman for all Black people requires exactly two qualifications: be Black and have an audience that is primarily Black. Whether or not your audience views you as a serious political thinker is irrelevant. It doesn’t matter whether your opinions are actually widely held in the community you claim to represent. For the politicians looking for campaign pit stops and the media outlets looking for sound bites, the only thing that really matters is a young Black audience.”

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