National
Ken Burns Tells Wash U Grads that ‘Black Lives Matter’
Koran Addo, THE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
ST. LOUIS (The St. Louis Post-Dispatch) — Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns invoked the Black Lives Matter slogan in Washington University’s graduation ceremony Friday morning, calling continued struggles with racism the country’s greatest shame.
Much of his keynote address centered on race as he spoke about the need to collectively work on our imperfect nature. He reminded the crowd that state-sanctioned racism lives on past slavery’s abolishment, and he chastised politicians for shying away from meaningful conversations on race.
“Four centuries of discrimination, but politicians insist on this hypocritical color-blindness,” he said.
Slavery has given way to Jim Crow and sharecropping, he said, which has transformed into today’s prison system and corrupt municipalities.
“Our towns and our suburbs … cannot become the new plantations,” he said.
Burns received a number of standing ovations during his speech, with perhaps the most sustained when he told graduates: “Always remember: black lives matter … all lives matter.”
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
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Barbara Lee
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza
On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.
By California Black Media
On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12).
“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.
The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.
“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.
The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.
Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.
“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.
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