(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Black Kos, Tuesday's: Blues (somewhat) like mine [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-07 Clifford’s Blues begins in 1986 when a Gerald Sanderson writes a letter to author Jayson Jones upon his return from Germany to the U.S. about a diary that was given to him by an old German— a diary “written on every kind of paper that you can imagine—tissue, glazed, schoolkid tablet wrapping, pages of books, in pencil, ink, crayon.” It is the diary of one Clifford Pepperidge, a gay Black jazz and blues pianist that was imprisoned in Dachau; apprehended by the Nazis on April 23, 1933 at the flat of his lover, a (white) American diplomat. Pepperidge is detailed to SS officer Dieter Lange, who he knew as a “hustler, pimp, profiteer” in the Weimar Berlin club scene; someone who had all men lovers and “who’d always wanted to pluck a black chicken because they were so rare in Germany.” Dieter Lange ensures that Clifford receives a uniform with a green triangle (for criminals and kapos) instead of a uniform with a pink triangle. Clifford Pepperidge, thus, becomes the houseboy, musician, and sex slave of the Lange household; Dieter Lange and his wife, Annaliese. The diary begins on May 28, 1933 and ends on April 28, 1945, that is, nearly the entirety of Nazi era and shortly after Dachau was opened. The novel tells us a bit about, for instance, the Rhineland Bastards, noting their arrival in Dachau and the procedures to sterilize them. Clifford befriends one of the so-Called “Rhineland Bastards.’ a 14-year old child who dreams of going to the United States and eventually commits suicide. One disturbing observation is that with all the different classifications of people in Dachau, one would think that they would have some sympathy with Jews but I listen to the prisoners talking about the Jews...as if I would naturally agree with them...They hate Jews, nearly all of the prisoners, even many of the Reds...when the prisoners talked about the Jews just taking over everything, I wondered why the Christians were too lazy to write the books, do well in the retail business, run the banks and schools...It was all a bunch of bullshit...They just wanted to get rid of Jews to make themselves feel more important. I could see that from where I stood in the pecking order back home. (I will note that the prisoners of Dachau don’t hesitate to call Clifford neger, either.) That attitude can sum up nearly everything happening even nowadays from the critical race theory scare to this country’s own past (and maybe future) attempts to dust the fingerprints of Black culture on American culture to the fears (even by a few too many Black people, to be honest) that LGBTQ+ people are taking over and whatnot. The bigot playbook never changes. It doesn’t even matter whether the bigot is marginalized himself (Dieter Lange, for example, taunts prisoners that are as queer as he is). Williams includes a meticulous bibliography of his research of even the smallest details; for example, a long defunct magazine that appeared in the Soviet Union in the 1930’s with pictures of Black authors makes an appearance in a couple of lines. Clifford’s Blues is, as Mr. DeBerry says, “brilliant” and “disturbing.” The “disturbing” part of it is this: I do see so much of what human beings are capable of, even those in my own circles and even some of my family and friends. Ordinary folk. Real Americans. Even myself, if I am honest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Freedmen’s Town is the first historically Black community in Houston founded by formerly enslaved people. The historic homes and redbrick-accented streets are distinct features of the neighborhood, which was established by more than 1,000 formerly enslaved people in 1865. A new initiative to protect and preserve the nationally recognized historic neighborhood has been awarded over a million dollars in support. The Rebirth in Action: Telling the Story of Freedom initiative is a partnership of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy (HFTC), the City of Houston (COH) and artist Theaster Gates. The partnership will promote Freedmen’s Town as a monument of community, agency and heritage through the multi-year Rebirth in Action: Telling the Story of Freedom initiative. The initiative received $1.25 million in support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant. Through education and awareness, HTFC aims to preserve the neighborhood’s legacy. “When you think about the history and the legacy of Black people in Houston, you don’t often know that Freedmen’s Town is the mother ward. You don’t know how important it is to the entire Juneteenth story that the entire country is celebrating,”HFTC Executive Director Zion Escobar tells ESSENCE. “We have people in other countries celebrating the Juneteenth story that really is about something that happened between Galveston and Houston. And that is an incredible gap that needs to be filled,” she adds. x YouTube Video ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Environmentalists and social justice activists have joined together in protesting at the site where the $90 million Atlanta Public Safety Training Center will be built; tensions have risen significantly after police killed a protester there in late January. The Grio: Why are people protesting Atlanta’s ‘Cop City’? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Despite yearlong protests from environmental and anti-police activists in the Atlanta area, and right on the heels of the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Atlanta officials announced the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center — dubbed “Cop City” by activists — will move forward. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond cleared the way for the 85-acre, $90 million complex on city-owned forest land that sits near a predominately Black community. According to the Atlanta Police Foundation — the organization leasing the land and funding two thirds of the facility with Atlanta taxpayers picking up the rest of the tab — the training center promises to “reimagine law enforcement training and Police/Fire Rescue community engagement.” This complex will reportedly contain training facilities for urban warfare tactics, explosive testing sites, firing range, a Black Hawk helicopter landing pad and more. In September 2021, the Atlanta City Council approved a plan to build the facility in a 10-4 vote. Then-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms supported the plan, calling the council vote “courageous” and rejecting the idea that we must “defund the police” as Black Lives Matter protesters have advocated. “What I’ve said repeatedly over the last year is that holding the men and women who serve us in a public safety capacity accountable is not mutually exclusive from supporting them,” Bottoms said, suggesting the only way to abolish police is to abolish crime. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Legal marijuana sales in Maryland to begin July 1 Associated Press: Maryland marijuana measure prioritizes social equity ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maryland is working toward creating a recreational marijuana industry with greater social equity, lawmakers said Friday, with more licenses for minority-owned businesses and proceeds directed to areas adversely impacted by the war on drugs. The measure before the General Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats, will enable the state’s existing medical marijuana businesses to sell recreational cannabis as well — if they pay a new fee based on the size of the business. Those businesses could begin selling recreational marijuana as soon as July 1, the soonest recreational cannabis can legally be sold in the state. Supporters stressed that the bill was based on creating a safe market that could help communities and ensure minorities would have the opportunity to enter the industry. “The goal in Maryland wasn’t to get our Marylanders high,” Del. C.T. Wilson, a Democrat who chairs the Maryland House Economic Matters Committee, said Friday. “It was to take cannabis out of the criminal stream of commerce, protect young Black men from being arrested and dying and, additionally, give back to the communities that were most disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For people living in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, foreign soldiers generally come in two types, the larcenous and the feckless. Neighbouring armies have mostly been responsible for the larceny, periodically plundering eastern Congo’s vast mineral riches ever since Rwanda and Uganda first invaded in 1996. By contrast, the fecklessness has worn a blue helmet: the un mission in Congo, one of the most expensive ever mounted, has proved singularly ineffective at stanching the anarchy that has forced 5m people from their homes and is impoverishing a region of more than 100m people. Many Congolese cheered when the East African Community (eac), a regional economic bloc, announced plans in June to deploy an intervention force. True, Uganda and Burundi, both past invaders with less-than-cuddly reputations, are contributing men. But Kenya, untainted by such grubbiness, was to lead the force. Here, at last, was an honest broker with sufficient diplomatic and economic heft to make a difference, with a genuine belief that stability will make the region richer. Better still, the force had a robust mandate to “contain, defeat and eradicate negative forces”. With eastern Congo facing its gravest crisis in a decade, a Kenyan show of leadership could not have been more timely. Congo in green and Kenya in orange. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Three candidates still have real hopes of victory. The Economist: Nigeria’s presidential race goes down to the wire ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If presidential elections were won by advertising, Bola Tinubu of the incumbent All Progressives Congress (apc) party would win Nigeria’s by a landslide. His face grins relentlessly over all corners of the country (pictured). “Posters don’t vote,” quips a member of the campaign team for Peter Obi, the candidate of a rival minor party who unexpectedly leads the polls in what is usually a two-horse race. The contest is close, chaotic and crucial to the future of Africa’s most populous country and biggest economy. Nigerians, who will vote on February 25th, are poorer today than eight years ago. Much of the blame falls on the outgoing president, Muhammadu Buhari, who has governed badly during his eight years in office. Fully 89% of Nigerians think the country is heading in the wrong direction, according to Afrobarometer, a pollster. On his watch the economy has stagnated and violence has spread: last year at least 10,000 people were killed by criminal gangs, terrorists or the army. A country that once exported security through peacekeeping missions now exports trouble, destabilising neighbours. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Haitians claimed soup joumou as their own in 1804 when they staged one of the biggest and most successful slave rebellions in the Western Hemisphere. The Grio: Amid crisis, Haitians find solace in an unlikely place: soup ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Seated on plastic chairs next to a street food stand tucked in an alleyway, the 47-year-old Haitian slurps orange-colored soup out of a metal bowl next to his 9-year-old son. Haitians mill past them cradling larger plastic containers, each eager to get a giant spoonful of the stew boiling in two human-sized pots behind them. Made of pumpkin, beef, carrots, cabbage – ingredients produced on the island – soup joumou is a cultural staple in Haiti. And in a moment of deepening crisis in the Caribbean nation, it’s one of the few points of enduring national pride. To this day, when you mention the soup, Haitians are quick to crack a smile. “It’s our tradition, our culture. It makes people proud. No matter what happens (in Haiti), the soup is going to stay around,” said Cadet. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WELCOME TO THE TUESDAY PORCH [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/7/2151077/-Black-Kos-Tuesday-s-Blues-somewhat-like-mine Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/