Shirley and Diana: History and Legacy

Despite the horrible job America does at teaching black history, I do remember a few names and did my own research as a teen to get to know them better. MLK and Malcolm X for sure, and Harriet Tubman and the biggest moments of the civil rights movement. But most of the most violent and troubling pieces were left out - I guess for fear of upsetting us? For fear that it might turn us into protesters and crusaders for equality? Afraid it might anger KKKers and White Supremacists is probably more likely. Keep it docile, make the whites not look TOO bad. There's some common sense in that I suppose, among nervous educators. But at moments like these, when history starts to close in on the present, it only lays bare the hypocrisy and orthodoxy of the American experiment. 

Somehow though, the name Shirley Chisholm did bust through to my lily education. Why is that? Thinking back now, she must have been a GIANT (albeit petite) to cut through the crap. And indeed she was, and had you lived in Brooklyn circa 1970s she might very well have been your Congresswoman. 

PLEASE SEE THE NOTE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST ABOUT HOW YOU CAN HELP ENSURE SHIRLEY CHISHOLM LIVES ON IN PROSPECT PARK!! (alls ya gotsta do is send an email or so).

And if you doubt the idea of legacy, take a peek at Diana Richardson, who happens to be on your ballot today.

Vote for Diana if you haven't already. She's pure of heart and yes will probably stick her foot in her mouth from time to time. But you know why? She's unbought and unbossed. Like her hero Shirley Chisholm. And if Adem doesn't win the congressional seat from Yvette Clarke, I would go as far as to say Diana is a damn solid candidate for that spot in a couple years. You read it hear first.

Take a peek at Shirley telling it like it is during her 1972 campaign for pres, followed by some classic Diana.

CALL TO ACTION:

And from your buddy Seth Kaplan comes this call to arms - actually, much simpler. A call to email. Will you take the ONE MINUTE it takes to send this? 

If you love Prospect Park, please read on. You probably already know that in 2022 an amazing new monument to Shirley Chisholm will be unveiled in Prospect Park. But did you know we're only halfway to our goal to honor the first black woman in Congress?

We have a chance to add an additional center located at the monument to further educate visitors about Shirley Chisholm and her significant contributions to our history. But we need your help.

The pandemic has strained budgets and resources across the city and state. We need you to tell the City Council that NOW MORE THAN EVER we must commemorate our black heroes.

Here's what YOU can do. Send a message to the City Council members who will vote on this initiative. Repost this on your Facebook page. Tell your friends. Show that we are committed to bringing this history to life!

Send an email with the subject “I support funding for the Shirley Chisholm Center in Prospect Park” to:

Corey Johnson (cjohnson@council.nyc.gov)
Laurie Cumbo (lcumbo@council.nyc.gov)
Brad Lander (blander@council.nyc.gov)
Mathieu Eugene (meugene@council.nyc.gov)

If you'd like a sample form letter please see below. Thank you for helping support Prospect Park. Your input can make a difference!


Dear Council Members,

My name is [fill in the blank].

I would like to express my support of the Prospect Park Alliance’s capital request to the Brooklyn Delegation of the NYC Council to create an additional Shirley Chisholm Center at the new monument.

With these funds, the Alliance and NYC Parks can go beyond just commemoration and educate visitors about Shirley Chisholm and her significant contributions to our history. Now more than ever we must honor our black heroes. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
[fill in the blank]

Could Diana and Zell Lead the Way To Lasting Change?

Assemblywoman Diana Richardson

To put it mildly, elections have consequences. Not since 9/11 (aNOTHER stolen election mind you) has that been so obvious, at the Federal level. But watching dynamic duo Assemblymember Diana Richardson and State Senator Zell Myrie this past weekend in a protest at Grand Army Plaza, I'm beginning to wonder if they might be holding the key to real reform of the police at the STATE level. Both were elected post-Trump. Yes elections have consequences. Sometimes for the very much better.

Here's a concise look at their package of police reforms, smartly wrapped with a bow to make it easy to pass these common sense reforms all in one fell timely swoop. (note that many of these bills were originally sponsored by others, including Kevin Parker). 

THE BIG COP BILL

If you can truly change the cops, there's a lot else that changes. Arrests and incarceration, admissible evidence in court, opportunities to highlight bad behavior, less incentives to criminalize and ticket minor offenses. It all starts with the police, and how they're hired, disciplined, fired and generally held accountable. It's been difficult for white Americans to articulate and embrace this, because the powers-that-be have often assured whites that their quality-of-life depends upon harsh treatment of criminals. Sure some actual criminals look like Nicholas Cage in Raising Arizona. But be honest - usually the conjured image is someone much darker in skin tone. And to American Woman comes the usual refrain "Don't worry, ma'am. We've got this under control." Right?

It's not under control. It's out of control. And you and everyone you know recognizes it. Even when white folks I know have interactions with the cops, there's often a perceived whiff of disdain for the public, white OR black. I can run a few stories by you but I bet you've experience what I've experienced. Assholes. Brutes. Dicks. Bullies. And on social media and the news, you've now seen the true brutality that can be meted out by a man with a baton, badge and bullets. If you've been to some of the recent protests, you may have even experienced it first-hand.

Sure there are some good cops. I've met some. But why should we even have to make note of that fact? It's actually something worth remarking on. It's "remarkable" you might say.

I'd make a deeper argument here, but it's being made better elsewhere. Zell does a great job. Diana says it like it is. Many black elected leaders and activists and writers and poets and filmmakers have put it all out there. Now it's time for the jury to decide. And find the cops "guilty as charged" of making a mockery of decency and civility and justice. I might even go as far as to say "it's not their fault; it's the system." Screw that. Good people know right from wrong. Good people don't actively target black folks, "mistakenly" shoot, harrass and kill them, unless they have made an active choice to use force and intimidation over concern and empathy.

It's time to end the police as we know it. All of those sick wise-ass white supremacist cops need to be given permanent leave. And when they're gone, they can sign up again for a civilian patrol and for the new community-led protection and service corps, or whatever it ends up being. If they have the right stuff - compassion, understanding, patience, tolerance - then they can get a version of their old job back. If they're lacking? Nuts to you. Sadly, I'm sure some will end up beating people up from the back of their pickup trucks. Most, hopefully, will settle for a job without a weapon.

Imagine. A service corps where the "blue code" is about decency, and THAT'S the quality that gets protected by the brother and sisterhood of community police.

The real question is this. If you offer the job of "Civilian Officer" and very, very few of those positions are offered a gun, and none get lifetime protection from actual felonies, and none get a military style uniform and immunity from their peers testifying against them9...

How many of these cops would sign up for that job, even if the pay and perks were the same as now? Or were the gun, badge and uniform the perks they liked the best?

It's not unheard of to dismantle one thing and build it back, better and smarter and kinder. Oh, and those detectives solving murder and rape cases? They never needed guns to begin with. Think about it. All that work happens AFTER the violence.

State sponsored brutality must end. This is the moment. The whole world is watching. Your kids are watching. Maybe worst of all, the COPS are watching.

So what's the verdict going to be?