Civics ed overhaul
Recently, a Gen X friend of mine asked a younger brother had he voted in the current election. He had. As the conversation continued, my friend mentioned Jasmine Crockett. And to my homegirl’s dismay, the young brother said, “Jasmine Crockett? Who’s that?” When she told me this story, my first thought was, “How does any Black person in the U.S. not know Jasmine Crockett?” I mean, Soul Sister has been in the headlines non-stop for the past few years as the only Democrat matching Republican anti-Blackness and anti-democracy nonsense with some “I’m not the one or the two” energy. Even folks who aren’t “into” politics know who gave us the bars “bleach blonde, bad built, butch body.” Or so I thought. The fact that any voting-age Black person who is that politically unplugged is an indictment on us all. We’ve got to step up our political/civics education game big time. The Defender has been consciously providing weekly (darn near daily) articles educating readers about the Nov. 2026 elections. But, truth be told, we’ve been providing regular, consistent political education to our readers for 95 years. We’re calling on faith communities, barbershops, beauty salons, sports bars, corner stores, Black-owned eateries, K-through-college schools, civic clubs, Greek organizations, etc., to step up your civics/political education game—informal conversations or organized events surrounding politics. We must. Because it doesn’t matter whether you’re “into” politics or not. Politics (the process of choosing who will distribute limited resources to which community) impacts the quality of your life (or lack thereof) from the rotter to the tooter.
Captain Durag
By now, you’ve probably heard that Disney Jr.’s show Hey A.J. has a character named Captain Durag. First off, I had no idea that d-u-r-a-g was the proper way to spell durag. I assumed it was “doo-rag.” But more importantly, Blackfolk nationwide, rightly so, are taking offense to this. And what’s worse, Captain Durag was created by a sister (Camille Corbett). In response to the overwhelming backlash, Corbett responded, “I created the character… Captain Durag… and I’m just finding out people are finding it problematic? I just wanted our culture to have a superhero of its own!” The fact that one of our own could think our culture could best be represented by a durag is more troubling than a mere cartoon. Hey Disney, here are some better superhero suggestions. Music Man: Since the world revolves around the music we created. Soul Sister: Because our essence is the soul of so much greatness. Origins: A team of Black superheroes, each representing some aspect of what our ancestors gave the world (art, science, religion, etc.). How about the dynamic duo, Coco & Butter: two Black super-powered beings on a mission to end the evil reign of Ash? There are a million positive options Disney/Corbett could have used for a new Black superhero. Captain Durag is not one.
Project 2275
Many in Blackworld are screaming foul regarding former NFL QB Cam Newton’s assertion that a woman’s value diminishes with each child she has. They are criticizing Newton for equating the sum total of a woman’s worth to the number of children she does or does not give birth to. But Blackworld is sleeping on the Heritage Foundation’s (The Project 2025 creators) new insidious scheme that is even more demeaning to women because they want to make second-class citizenship the law of the land. We slept on Project 2025. Now, we’re living in its gruesome destruction. This “new” plan, “Saving America by Saving the Family: A Foundation for the Next 250 Years,” is already being implemented. The SAVE Act, which could remove nearly 70 million women from voter rolls, is just one aspect. They literally wrote down plans to ensure that women don’t go to college, don’t work, and don’t vote. Heritage Foundation members seek to lower the “age of consent” to 13 or 14 years old (making child “brides” legal). This is The Handmaid’s Tale on steroids—and legal. We slept on Project 2025. Let’s not sleep on this too.
On the web
- Smart ways to bounce back financially after a job loss.
- The soundtrack of Black History: 10 songs that celebrate us.
- Hastings Maricha Tisdell’s breakout season.
