On Sunday, Jacob Blake, an unarmed man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was shot in the back by a police officer as he was walking to his car.
Protests began Sunday evening and the county declared a state of emergency overnight curfew to quell the demonstrations.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers released a statement in which he said Blake was “shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight.”
Reports say he is alive, but fighting for his life. He should survive this to tell his side of the story which is refreshing.
However, just a day before on Saturday, O’Shea Jackson p/k/a Ice Cube took to social media to demand that politicians sign the Contract with Black America before they get the support of the Black vote.
This comes after the Democratic National Convention was held virtually for four days emphasizing the importance of a diverse and inclusive America. Current Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden, and his historic first African American and Southeast Asian Vice Presidential running mate Kamala Harris presented a picture of an empathetic America post-Trump.
However, with police brutality still occurring regularly and Black Americans being disproportionately affected by COVID-19, the sentiment that anything is better than Trump is not enough.
The 13 point contract presents a comprehensive spectrum of issues that are requirements for the Black vote.
- Bill to Guarantee Black Opportunity and Representation.
- Bank Lending Reform.
- Federal Funding of “Baby Bonds”
- Federal Reserve and Government Pensions
- Finance Oversight.
- Personal Data and Credit
- Prison Reform.
- Judicial Reforms
- Police Reform Act
- FCC Licensing of public airwaves
- Confederate Monuments and Institutions
- AJP Program for Education and Jobs
- Black Responsibility
The document also reads:
As citizens and lawmakers both, we are joining to demand the Contract with Black America be addressed immediately to finally create the “more perfect union” all Americans deserve. As such, it is time for a complete paradigm shift in how we run our institutions and operate our country. The problems facing America are too deep and wide to simply reform one area or another. Long-lasting solutions demand a comprehensive thorough “rethink” of America so that each new approach in each area supports the success of the others. This Contract with Black America will provide conceptual approaches in several areas.
Democratic By Proxy?
Ice Cube’s business acumen is legendary and his fight for equality began with his socioeconomic lyrics in the group N.W.A and as a solo artist. His Big 3 Basketball league leveled the basketball playing field for ownership of color and provided opportunities for retired players to make an income.
Still, sans a Political Action Committee (PAC) and a war chest filled with donations to push the Contract, there has been no reception from the two top candidates or the Democratic Party.
There is a fear that Black voters are still disillusioned about a system that was never created for them and assumes their vote comes in kind as the presumptive antithesis to Republicanism.
It was Black women voters that pushed Joe Biden to the top of the 2020 ticket and Black voters whose absence led to Donald Trump’s 2016 electoral win.
Although the majority of Black America is focused on making Donald Trump a one-term President, there has been no excitement over the overtures by the Democratic Party towards Black America, specifically.
Biden has labeled his campaign Build Back Better.
To address the racial wealth gap, the opportunity gap, and the jobs gap for Black and Brown people, Biden’s campaign site says it will launch a historic effort to empower small business creation and expansion in economically disadvantaged areas.
They identify the disadvantaged as Black, Latino, AAPI, and Native American-owned businesses. In addition to providing small businesses with an ambitious “restart package” to survive the current crisis and come out the other side strong, Biden is launching a special, ongoing initiative to empower these entrepreneurs to succeed and grow with a three-prong Small Business Opportunity Plan.
The Biden Plan for Black America will:
- Advance the economic mobility of African Americans and close the racial wealth and income gaps.
- Expand access to high-quality education and tackle racial inequity in our education system.
- Make far-reaching investments in ending health disparities by race.
- Strengthen America’s commitment to justice.
- Make the right to vote and the right to equal protection real for African Americans.
- Address environmental justice.
Time will tell if Black America feels the love from the Biden-Harris plan or if they will sit out the election being frustrated by the continued process of bureaucratic abandonment.
