Six years ago today, Eric Garner was brutally murdered by NYPD cops. Many people agree that the murder of Garner and the protests that rose up around the country (and the world) immediately afterwords marks the unofficial start of the modern Black Lives Matter movement. Continue reading BLM at Six Years
By J. Lee Miller, Jr. Every Fourth of July if you are my friend on Facebook you get to endure two things from me. The first is a posting of the Declaration of Independence (the original Brexit) and my “’Murica meme dump.” All throughout the year I collect pro-America memes. I am sure you have seen memes like these: the ones that say “There are … Continue reading I Need to Rethink July 4th
If you are thinking that surely we have seen the the worst that 2020 has to offer, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I ardently believe you are wrong. The November election is taking shape to be a storm that could easily make these other disasters and near-disasters pale in comparison. Continue reading 2020 Will Get Worse: The Election is a Looming Disaster
On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger marched into Galveston, Texas with approximately 20,000 Union soldiers. Upon arriving and taking control of the formerly-Confederate state, Granger read Order No. 3, which declared the freedom of the state’s remaining 250,000 slaves, effective immediately. (The full ext of Order No. 3 can be found at the bottom of this post.) Continue reading Juneteenth: America’s Real Independence Day
This was not a planned part of my series on Jubilee economics, but given the way that systemic racism has once again reared its ugly head in America over the past few weeks, I felt like there was no way for me to ethically avoid discussing the connection between debt and racial injustice. Specifically, I want to take a look at student debt, and the way that it hinders economic progress and reinforces racial wealth inequality. Continue reading The Case for Jubilee Economics | pt. 5
Liturgical services have an officiant, they have acolytes, and they have a congregation. So does racism. Continue reading We, the Congregants: The Liturgy of Racism
In matters of oppression and evil, there is no such thing as “neutrality”. That there could be is a lie pushed by conservatives and moderates (who are effectively nothing but conservatives themselves). Continue reading The Myth of Neutrality
“What do you mean I shouldn’t [say n— / wave a racist flag]? It’s heritage, not hate!” Get over it. Social evolution is a good thing and refusing to memorialize the bad actors of history is not the same as erasing history. Continue reading The South Will Not Rise Again: Good Riddance
The Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) is a complex system that uses police, the courts, and prisons to violently enforce the will of the political and economic elite. The PIC has a mutualistic relationship with racism and classism – the PIC depends on those evils to exist and expand, and the bigots and elites in society (and their enablers) use the PIC as a tool to advance their vile agenda. Continue reading Abolish the Prison Industrial Complex
Compared to the previous decades’ snail-paced policing and criminal justice reforms, the past two weeks have see absolutely sweeping changes. These changes weren’t won through votes – they were won through open, disruptive, and occasionally destructive rebellion in the streets across America. Continue reading Rebellion is Working
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