Tuesday, September 10, 2024
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A View From the Ground
News and information about politics, government, civic participation and engagement from URL Media's network of Black and Brown publishers.
Experts say Vice President Kamala Harris will have to navigate significant double standards that many Black women face in their pursuit of higher office. (Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
In the presidential debate, Harris faces a unique burden as a Black woman: As Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump debate for the first time tonight, Capital B explores the double standards that Harris must navigate to avoid the “Angry Black Woman” trope as well as decipher how to exude power without appearing arrogant. Harris, Capital B notes, is expected to minimize her racial identity in a way that her white male counterparts are not.
“These are unfair requirements to levy on her,” Theodore R. Johnson, a senior adviser at New America, a public policy think tank, tells Capital B, pointing out that Harris’ team is probably telling her not to let Trump get under her skin.
Since Harris became the Democratic nominee, Trump has questioned her racial identity, claiming that she “happened to turn Black” when it became politically convenient. He also reposted a vulgar remark that implied Harris had exchanged sexual favors for political advancement.
“This is an opportunity for Harris to outline her vision for the country and to contrast herself with Trump,” Kimberly Peeler-Allen, a visiting practitioner at the Center for American Women and Politics, told Capital B. “Trump will likely use disinformation to distort her record. She has to defend her policy positions and actions clearly and concisely — and as a former prosecutor, she’ll be prepared — but she has to do that without resorting to the personal attacks Trump is looking for.”Read more at Capital B →
Why are Los Angeles activists organizing against the 2028 Olympics?: The Olympic torch has been passed over, and organizers of the L.A. Games are touting a “no build” and “car-free” Olympics. "LA is an ambitious city of endless possibilities," said Casey Wasserman, chairman of the LA28 organizing committee, last month. The city, he said, "will provide the perfect backdrop to host the biggest cultural, sporting and entertainment event in the world." But not everyone shares that optimism. Prism features anti-Olympics activists, asking, “Who are these projects for?”
NOlympics LA is just one group of many in a loosely affiliated network of anti-Olympic activists in previous host cities. These groups, Prism notes, aim to highlight how hosting a mega event like the Olympics, impacts residents — especially as it relates to housing, homelessness, policing, and the inevitable cost overruns that fall to the public to cover.
But they face obstacles.
“The Olympics is a massive machine that has layered itself in good vibes over the years,” NOlympics LA member Eric Sheehan tells Prism. The sports, the athletes, the merch, the heartbreak, and the triumph — he knows the Olympics are alluring. “So just getting through that layer to people is tough.”
This rings true in Los Angeles, where residents remember fondly the 1984 Olympics the city hosted. But as Prism notes, it’s not just the memories that have shaped the lore. It’s the fact that the 1984 Games were also the first Olympics to make money. But the city is different now, and the conditions that made the 1984 Games so profitable are not quite the same.
The court ruling that guarantees a future of environmental racism: Last month, a Trump-appointed federal judge ruled that the federal government could no longer use the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prevent Louisiana from expanding or building new polluting facilities. For Louisiana’s Black communities, this is significant since most of these polluting facilities are in their neighborhoods, reports Capital B. With this court decision, the state cannot be held responsible for its permitting decisions, which lead to most of these polluting facilities being located in Black communities.
“Louisiana has been abandoned. “We can no longer rely on our state or even our country,” says Jo Banner, of Wallace, Louisiana.
While the ruling applies to Louisiana, activists and lawyers believe it will have national implications. The Biden administration has attempted to work around the courts by creating new, more aggressive pollution regulations, but SCOTUS rulings open the door for states and companies to appeal, according to Capital B.
Patrice Simms, vice president for healthy communities at Earthjustice, said the ruling gives “industrial polluters open license to poison Black and brown communities for generations.”
Port-de-Paix residents cry for help as trash overtakes the city: Once known as Valparaiso or the Valley of Delights, Port-de-Paix — a city designed for 10,000 residents that is now home to 300,000 — is experiencing alarming unsanitary conditions. Debris fills the streets at every corner, and the absence of structured waste disposal has turned the city into a public health hazard and an environmental crisis, reports The Haitian Times.
“I see a city at risk of collapsing due to these unsanitary conditions,” Ygnel Salomon, a university student, tells The Haitian Times.
The city’s rapid population growth, fueled by a rural exodus and an influx of people escaping violence and insecurity in Port-au-Prince, has put immense pressure on the city’s resources and environment. With no dumping site or designated place for garbage storage, many residents are left to dispose of it anywhere.
Port-de-Paix City Hall announced plans to launch an awareness campaign to educate residents on proper waste management practices. Some residents have also borrowed equipment from the Ministry of Public Works, Transport, and Communication, which has made requests to find machinery that could help clean the city. But, as The Haitian Times notes, efforts have been insufficient.
Residents are speaking out. While a city-organized plan for waste management may seem uncertain, residents are hopeful that infrastructure investment and community-led initiatives could help. Waste management, they say, shouldn’t rest on the shoulders of local authorities, but should be a shared responsibility among all.
Hindu diaspora reacts to Bangladesh violence (India Currents)
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