Top Ten Stories Black News Stories of 2020

(Baltimore, MD) – What a year! As you look back a number of events impacted all us, including the Covid-19 Pandemic, the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of police and its protest aftermath, and the awakening of a sleeping electorate. Those are the easy ones. There were a lot more nuanced stories within the Black community in the US and across the globe. I got to write a lot about it this year,  and some you will see in 2021.

How I do what I do (report) has changed. Yes, I’m doing everything from Zoom to StreamYard.

As always, this is my list. You don’t have to agree. In fact, you can make up your own. I’m not confined by politics. I take in popular culture, history, Africa, literature, technology and so much more. FYI, it isn’t always serious so if you find yourself laughing…it’s by design. Please be advised it’s tough to keep it to ten items.

10. Africa and its Strongmen – When colonial rule ended on the Africa continent several types of leaders emerged. Those who embraced democratic principles weren’t always accepted and “the spear and the gun” seemed logical. Failure to pay attention will leave your global perspective lacking. I am going to point to several areas – Ethiopia and Tigray region.  I praised Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed when he settled a long running border war with Eritrea. This new uprising is occurring in the Tigray. There have been simmering tensions that has resulted in a fighting war. Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) lost favor with the ruling majority and wanted autonomy. Things went south when the TPLF attacked the Ethiopian Army.

Things are going from bad to worse in these countries: Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mali, Morocco and many more.

9. So What Am I Supposed To Do? I’m a Performer. – In April, I was scheduled to see Maxwell perform with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Yes, I was excited, bought a new tuxedo jacket, and was going to splurge on a limo. Canceled. For any kind of performer, this was not good year. Unlike a nine to five, any kind of a performer was caught in a bind. My good friend, Maysa, allowed me to talk to her about her unfortunate circumstances. "I had twelve to thirteen shows canceled at one time, some postponed and others outright canceled. It's difficult." It wasn’t just national acts which lost income. There were venues, comedians, dancers, and those who use "Live" audiences. Many, of course, turned to Zoom and other platforms to keep the music/dancing/reading going, and yes, get paid considerably less than their normal fees. Let me also include in this list my favorite Black restaurants who continue to scramble.

8. McKenzie Scott and HBCUs. Scott was married to Jeff Bezo’s (worth roughly $182 billion as of September 2020) and helped him create Amazon. The two divorced. So she could have easily stood on the sidelines, instead she gave $4.2 billion to 384 organizations, no strings attached. What surprised many was the major donations she gave to several HBCUs around the country. 

It caught my attention when four of these schools (University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Bowie State University, Morgan State University, and Howard University) were recipients of her largeness.

7. “You Know I’m a Rapper” – I know what I know and I don’t try and do things I don’t. For all the advisers to those who “spit knowledge,” let the people you’re represent in on some simple ideas. A rhyme scheme is not a PhD. A “dope track” does not grant you a  masters degree. Your work with varied artist is not a substitute for being conferred a degree from an accredited university. Jumping into politics is not a license to condense years of  political science into what looks good on an album cover/or a slogan that can be repeated at a concert. (Here’s hoping – your music career has more life).

Kayne West “showed-out” with his embrace of Donald Trump’s MAGA. What made it obscene was he launched a presidential campaign/record promotion in year where elections were consequential. His benefactors for underwriting the entire endeavor, were known Republican operatives. The idea that was hatched, use Wests celebrity to syphon young Black voters away from Vice President Joe Biden.

Honorable mention included in this category includes “Ice Cube.” The LA based Rapper put forward a “Platinum Plan“ (branding seems more important) as a part of a so-called  “Contract for Black America” he also shared with the Trump Organization. I don’t remember voting for Ice Cube for anything.

In a moment reminiscent of Elvis, Lil Wayne endorses Trump in a photo. FYI, Wayne was arrested on his private jet with drugs and weapons. He has pleaded guilty. Now would be a good time to see if there is a pardon coming.

The one thing I do know is Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion killed it on WAP, which is one of the few things that spoke the truth.

6.  The Stories We Tell – The pandemic has me watching a number of movies and series online.  I am excited to see different story lines with nontraditional roles for African-Americans in front of and behind the scenes. Things which caught my attention include and are not limited to the following: Woke (series), The Boys (series), and The Mandalorin (series). The small screen has also allowed me to see things I found enjoyable: High Note – Featuring Traci Ellis Ross as an aging singer. She likely took notes from her mother, Diana Ross. The Weekend -  featuring Sasheer Zamata is a surprising find.

A newcomer to my list for this year is Sylvie’s Love – featuring Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha. A Black love story with jazz as a backdrop.

If you’re looking for something to read, The Dead are Arising - Tamara Payne. Ms. Payne is the daughter of my late friend and founder of NABJ, Les Payne. She completed her father’s groundbreaking work.

Lastly, we lost one of the great actors of our time, Chadwick Boseman. His work lives on in several posthumous releases, Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. RIP.

5. The Reckoning – As an African-American man there has always been a sense your knowledge could save you from indignities, fear, and harm. This year proved deadly on some accounts. The cellphone has become the truth serum. Some members of the majority community have unfortunately been emboldened and found it easy to suggest  “You’re threatening me.”  Another refrain includes, “Your actions to defend yourself from harm are malicious.”

I want to point to Amy Cooper. Ms. Cooper took it upon herself to call police on a 57-year-old Black birdwatcher, named Christian Cooper (they aren’t related). The female Cooper was walking her dog unleashed. She was asked by the birdwatcher to conform to the rules of Central Park. She refused. The birdwatcher pulled out his phone and recorded her actions including her yelling at a dispatcher “I’m being threatened by an African-American man. Please send a cop immediately.”

Christian Cooper

This simple message brought police to the park where the male Cooper was surrounded by police with guns drawn. The police ascertained he wasn’t a threat and she was in violation of park rules. A viral video of the incident pointed to why white privilege and not so subtle racism is a problem. Ms. Cooper who lives on the Upper Westside of Manhattan would end up losing her job and shamed in a way that became a trend. Oh yes, she apologized.

She is not alone. Sometimes, these encounters prove deadly (I’ll get to this further along). I’m also aware this discounting of race from older white men/women especially in media has left them wondering, “What did I do wrong?”

4. “This Ain’t Supposed to Be Funny” – It’s been difficult in these times to find something to laugh about. Black comedians have used pain for jokes (Richard Pryor).  Here are some of the people and things that brought comic relief.

·       Robin Thede and A Black Lady Sketch Show. Ms. Thede’s brand of comedy is intelligent, sassy, and will have you cracking up. The skits on a Courtroom Kiki , Soul Food Purgatory ,  and On My Own are brilliant.

·       ·       Roy Wood, Jr.  – The Daily Show has launched the careers of so many successful comedians. The Daily Social Distancing Show is bringing it in ways not seen before. Roy Wood, Jr’s wit is unmistakable. 

·       ·       Dulce Sloan channels every Black woman who goes to a department store and is pissed they don’t have a dress/pants/suit in her size. Lane Bryant is a way of life.

·      ·        Dave Chappelle – There is something about Chappelle that speaks to who we are at this moment. I didn’t get the tittle of his latest special 8:46. I won’t give away its meaning. It was taped “Live” in a cornfield near his home, which is just outside of Cincinnati (FYI, I lived in Cincinnati). It will make you uncomfortable, as it should. 

3. Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM) -  If you’re reading this you didn’t need a movement to let you know it was a global movement.  From big cities to small hamlets in the United States, BLM, was crystalized in the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others. It also struck a nerve with people (white folk) who said the police had gone too far. People took to the streets in London, Sydney, Tokyo, Johannesburg,  and many other  places because they too had seen an unequal administration of justice. Some would wish it would go away, but we are here to stay. In Baltimore, it’s expressed in a simple message. “Can you hear me, Yo!” “Say her name!” “I can’t breathe!”

2. Elections are Vital – As a Political Reporter, I know polls are just snapshots of time in an election season. This year records were shattered for voting. According to the Washington Post, nearly 66.7 % of those eligible to vote, participated in the US Presidential election. Those percentages equate to 159,633,396 to be exact (source: Council on Foreign Relations).  Joe Biden received 81,283,098 votes, or 51.3 percent of the vote (first time any candidate has broken the 80 million threshold). Donald Trump received 74,222,957 votes, or 46.8 percent of the vote. 

As you drill down on the numbers, here’s what made the difference. The selection of Senator Kamala Harris as the Vice-Presidential running mate was a motivating factor for Black Women.

It showed itself during the Primary in South Carolina, where Black Women pushed Biden over the finish line. This trend continued to manifest during the general election in the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. While the Black vote only makes up 11% of the population, according to AP VoteCast 9 out of 10 Black voters cast their lot with Biden.

Biden acknowledged on election night, “The African American community stood up again for me.” What makes this more than remarkable is it occurred during the middle of a pandemic.

1. COVID-19 – 300,000 people and counting. The number itself is sobering. Inside those number are African-Americans who didn’t have to die. So many have underlying conditions of high blood pressure, heart disease, and too many other conditions to list. I have been watching the numbers of Blacks in Maryland whose lives were cut short. I’ve also seen too many Zoom funerals/going home ceremonies.

There is a unique continuum in the African-American community that comes with the death of a loved one. It starts with a call to a pastor. Normally, he/she would show up at your home to provide condolences. Then there would be arrangements such as contacting a funeral home, setting up a wake, a funeral service, a repast, and a grave side interment. The personal touch has been lost in this environment and don’t get me started on who is allowed to come and participate.

I am reminded of my Grandmother’s funeral and attending as a little boy. As I arrived with my mother, I asked, “Who are all these people?” My mother responded, “These are the people who loved her.” I imagine all the young people who won’t get a chance to ask this question at the funeral of a loved one, especially behind a mask.

If there is hope, it is a vaccine. It’s being administered to frontline workers first. Many of the people who treat your loved ones infected with Covid-19 are people of color. I know the historical apprehension in the Black community about taking shots and how the medical community has taken advantage of us.  Let us not be blinded by what has happened, but remain hopeful.

 

Person of the Year

Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett

Let’s call it what it is “Black Girl Magic.” Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett was a lead scientist behind one of the vaccines’ developed at NIH. According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, (he calls her Kizzy) she was the lead researcher who developed the Moderna vaccine. The 34-year-old, earned her undergraduate degreee at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (2008). Then received her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology in 2014 at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Corbett appeared on CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the podcast "Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction."

According to her, "Trust, especially when it has been stripped from people, has to be rebuilt in a brick-by-brick fashion," she said.

"And so, what I say to people firstly is that I empathize, and then secondly is that I'm going to do my part in laying those bricks. And I think that if everyone on our side, as physicians and scientists, went about it that way, then the trust would start to be rebuilt."

Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett