“Dispatch from Amerikka” l  Dr. Tommy J. Curry l  LIVE  l Detroit , the Border and the Gaza 

"Dispatch from Amerikka" l  Dr. Tommy J. Curry l  LIVE  l Detroit , the Border and the Gaza 

ABOUT Dr. Tommy J. Curry

Professor of Philosophy, Texas A&M University

Tommy J. Curry’s work spans across the various fields of philosophy, jurisprudence, Africana Studies, and Gender Studies. Though trained in American and Continental philosophical traditions, Curry’s primary research interests are in Critical Race Theory and Africana Philosophy. In Critical Race Theory, Curry looks at the work of Derrick Bell and his theory of racial realism as an antidote to the proliferating discourses of racial idealism that continue to uncritically embrace liberalism through the appropriation of European thinkers as the basis of racial reconciliation in the United States. In Africana philosophy, Curry’s work turns an eye towards the conceptual genealogy (intellectual history) of African American thought from 1800 to the present, with particular attention towards the scholars of the American Negro Academy and the Negro Society for Historical Research.

In Biomedical ethics, Curry is primarily interested government regulation, the ethical limits of government intervention in the practice of medicine, and democratic potentialities that arise from collaborative doctor-patient diagnoses and regenerative medicine like stem cells. Currently his research focuses on the linking the conceptualization of ethics found in the Belmont Report to Civil Rights and social justice paradigms.

Despite the fact that non-American born Black people (who may not go by “Black” until they actually live in the States, if at all; complex varying cultural, colonial and imperialistic histories impact…

Source: www.gradientlair.com

"When people think that I am Jamaican, they treat me with a different respect at times. They make jokes about “stupid” Black Americans while consuming literally everything that Black Americans create. They make insults about Black American people or erase the impact of that peculiar institution on Black American life today. And though I experienced some bullying from Black American children growing up (which was admittedly very rough and painful) because they didn’t like how my parents spoke or the food I ate at times, I also had long-term friendships with Black American girls. In fact, none of my closest friends now in adulthood are Jamaican women (though of course I love them too). They’re Black American women. We still share so much because we are all Black women though, wiling to learn and celebrate our differences and navigate the spaces of our multiple similarities.

"At the same time, when people think that I am American, other Black immigrants (and most certainly Whites) have insulted me. Called me “stupid” or “lazy.” Some have even suggested that Black Americans do not work hard. They completely ignore the intricacies and unique experiences of Black Americans here, especially the impact of the legacy of slavery on Black women here and how some colleges will gladly open their arms to foreign-born Black students while allowing their White students to publish “research” on the inferiority of Black Americans. Worse, some really think to be Black in America is to be Mitt Romney. In a past essay, Black In The 99%, I laid out why these myths of the “great” socioeconomic experience of Black people in America are myths."

A federal judge in Alabama says local school board has failed to meet legal mandate to integrate.

Source: www.propublica.org

"Huntsville’s schools had been under court order since 1965. Though the district itself is racially balanced, most of the district’s schools are either heavily white or heavily black. A new zoning plan proposed by the board in 2013 would have increased segregation for many black students.

The U.S. Department of Justice, a party to the case, objected to the assignment plan and in February the dispute landed before Haikala, who’d been appointed to the bench by President Obama in 2012."

A reporter goes to Mississippi and encounters the echoes of family and the struggle for civil rights.

by Nikole Hannah-Jones July 8, 2014

Source: www.propublica.org

" . . . It was dusk and the Delta heat settled about my shoulders like a wool blanket. Heavy and uncomfortable, it made my notebook paper fall limp and my ink stop flowing. Gnats and mosquitoes swarmed my legs. Aunt Charlotte, wrapped in a memory, paused to listen to an owl hooting a melancholy warning."

Some run dry—and others pay $30 for plumbers to illegally turn the taps back on. 

Source: m.theatlantic.com

" When the water trucks arrived near Arlyssa Heard’s home on the west side of Detroit at the end of June, the 42-year-old single mother of two said it felt like the entire neighborhood was being taken over. “There were water trucks literally circling up and down blocks. I’d never seen so many in my life,” she says. “It’s like they were the police hunting down a criminal.”

It may not have been a police crackdown, but what she witnessed was definitely a crackdown of a sort. Since last year, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has been turning off water at the homes of customers behind on their bills. The shut-off campaign comes at a time of crisis and hastened recovery for Detroit, which becamethe largest American city to ever file for bankruptcy last summer. The value of the bonds associated with the water department’s debt comes to $5.7 billion, which constitutes almost one-third of the amount estimated to have pushed Detroit into bankruptcy.

The campaign to crack down on overdue bills—which is aimed at customers who are more than two months behind on their bills or who owe more than $150—has been described by activists and scholars alike as an effort, pushed by the city’s emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, to get rid of the bad debt associated with the water department and prep the public entity for privatization.

In a city where the median household income is less than half the national average, 38 percent of residents live below the poverty line and 23 percent are unemployed, it comes as no surprise that at least 40 percent of customers are delinquent on their bills. "

Detroit Water Oppression Charter Schools and the not so finished Housing Crisis.

The ALFO Show

Advanced Urbran Progressive Talk Radio

“Serving Hot Grits with his politics.”

TruthWorks Network

Tonight LIVE ALFO talks Detroit Water Oppression; Charter Schools and the Housing Crisis.

Listen Live Here: http://bit.ly/1mpfsNN

Far from being a horror from our medieval past, vigilante violence against those accused of witchcraft is very much still with us.

Source: www.nytimes.com

From OUR COMMON GROUND Voice, Luisah Teish 

"Alafia good people: Please take action against the witch craze, the murder of women and children by madcap ministers and their connections to land grabbing, oil, and blood diamonds. Read this article and spread the word. Use the power you have. " Yeye Teish

A letter to the editor from another single parent who lost her children to state custody—and her account of what it took to get them back.

Source: www.theatlantic.com

Overreach by child welfare officials is an unfortunate and troubling phenomenon.

Although there has been no public announcement, many of you are no doubt aware that Dr. Julia Hare has been living with Alzheimer’s for several years and was diagnosed with the End Stage of the condition during the Christmas/Kwanzaa holidays. However, she subsequently served notice that rumors of…

Let Freedom Ring Fund for Drs. Julia and Nathan Hare.

http://www.gofundme.com/bl1sig

Source: www.gofundme.com

My dear friend and OUR COMMON GROUND Voice Dr. Julia Hare has been living with Alzheimer’s for several years and was diagnosed with the End Stage of the condition during the Christmas/Kwanzaa holidays. However, she subsequently served notice that rumors of her demise are just a bit premature. 

Her first appearance on OUR COMMON GROUND was in 1985.

 Drs. Julia and Nathan Hare need our help.  They have been on the frontline for us.  We must now have their back.

Please make donations to help preserve the freedom and dignity of the proud and inimitable lady, Dr. Julia Hare, that her husband, Dr. Nathan Hare promised, fifty-seven years ago, to protect and “To Love and to Cherish” (Essence magazine).

Give generously because they have without questioned earned the right to receive our help.  http://www.gofundme.com/bl1sig

Please post and share. #LETFREEDOMRING

The companies that create the most important state and national exams also publish textbooks that contain many of the answers. Unfortunately, low-income school districts can’t afford to buy them.

Source: www.theatlantic.com

This is because standardized tests are not based on general knowledge. As I learned in the course of my investigation, they are based on specific knowledge contained in specific sets of books: the textbooks created by the test makers.