Book Review: Between the World & Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of those rare books that grab you by the core of your soul, refusing to let go. So I will start our with…

Wow. Simply wow.

This book was so powerful I had to put it down at times, to let this reality sink in. This book is eloquently written in the fashion of a letter; preparing him for life as a Black man in the country his ancestors built, the slavery and racism still felt today, the history and culture denied, along with justice in the legal system. What is it like to live your life in fear?

I challenge everyone to read this book; but above all I call on anyone who is not Black to read and let the reality so foreign come over you. Walk in his shoes through his childhood and his lessons, his fears, his love and pains. But this book doesn’t stop with racism against Blacks by non-Blacks, but being also part memoir, he delves into his childhood. Gangs, fear, thick fear, trying to act fearless; looking back and seeing who was the most afraid of all. He takes us to Howard University, where he for the first time gets to experience what he calls, “Black Mecca” for all the different nationalities and cultures among the beautiful Black men and women he saw around him. Police brutality hits him personally, and the tone is felt through out all of the book. Fatherless and/or broken homes, drug dealers and those lurking with guns -be it the local gangs or the police- the death and trauma he had experienced he doesn’t want for his son. That much is clear and no good father would; so he speaks of all different memories, and the moments behind each where, despite the good and joy, the weight of “his body” was ever present.

By that same note, however, he also doesn’t want to give his son false hope or false comfort. So, like his grandparents did to him, during more recent and actually televised police brutalities and murders, he describes what it feels like to be a father that cannot make the world safe for his son, and his son, indeed will grow up in, and already lives in, a dangerous world where he has to consider things, at times life or death choices, simple choices; choices he is only being tested on due to the color of his skin… These burdens fall down upon the Black youth as well as Mr. Coates son, and though cynical with the world he wants so painfully badly to believe things will be okay; so painfully it made me cry.

At times his pain, the pain he felt for his child, the realities they both face -along with my loved ones and friends, along with countless people alive right now I don’t know and never will, they all have the same fear… And it’s not one that spreads itself equally among the people. This is a fear that has locked on, for damn well good reasons, to so many.

This heartbreaking reality of being at a ‘privilege’ was never something I didn’t both see and hate growing up; but hearing a man speak out on how it is to live the side my friends and others live, cuts me deep and the guilt I feel for having pigmentation I don’t even want is very painful. But what would be worse would be to turn away; to pretend it isn’t there. To not fight it but abuse it.

I do not believe a white person who has compassion and wants to understand can ever again deny the fact of double standards- I saw these growing up and hated it then as I do now. It hurts realizing because you have light skin you’re likely not to be shot, beat, harassed, have the cops called on you for your dog playfully runs up to a white woman (that was in the news today)- Blacks and whites have different social worries; I’m not sure what whites have to fear nor why they are in denial of white privilege; especially after reading this book. 

HIGHLY recommended!

All I can say is beyond mind blowing. Everyone needs to be required to read this.. I will write a better review later, I must go now, but please, GO GET THIS BOOK!

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Random page with random knowledge on it. He

 

On a Historical Note… CIA, Iran… What’s It Mean Today?

(No video is not upside now lol)

Just curious… how many people know of the CIA coup in 1953 that toppled Iran’s government & created a base for where we are now?

I have been studying the Cold War era CIA for over a decade… if it truly is as sadly unheard of as I fear and as the above clip shows I think I’m going to start doing a more broad range of research pieces.

Not that I have tons of viewers lol but I love learning and sharing… would anyone be interested?

The Politics of Hate- Documentary Review

And for now, my review on a very crucial documentary, in my opinion…

The Politics of Hate – A documentary review… 

First I must say, the only reason anyone could hate on this documentary is if they are against proven facts, love and compassion. The documentary is very needed all over the world, as we see, but especially in America, where much of their hatefilled lies are first created and then accepted by those afraid to ask questions as well as those who simply, and sadly, don’t care.

This documentary should have been advertised and promoted across the world and shown in a “prime time” manner although it still can be…

Schools need to show this to students; there is not a place in which the people who see it will come away worse off…except in places where the viewers don’t want to hear truth spoken. Those who are active with hate as well as those who support those who do wrong will definitely not like this documentary.

With the exposure of truth regarding hate groups from history up til the present, it is definitely a reality check and an answer to the question of what America is being turned back into. We must not repeat history and this serves as a wonderful but horrifying and tragic visual reminder for those who need it or for those who want to understand more of what is going on in the White House as well as on the streets. Highly recommended!

Hate Crimes At Disgustingly High Peak

According to the Anti Defamation League, the 1,564 religion-based hate crimes reported in 2017 are the second-highest ever. The highest number of such crimes were reported in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, according to the ADL.

Let us not forget it is white men who make up for the most domestic terrorist attacks here in America, though Trump has decided these “men” are no longer a threat… This should scare you. It scares me.

Though this isn’t national news, it seems pretty news worthy to me. As I continue research on larger projects which will be posted here, I can’t help but feel this is something I should share, despite not writing it… Please read, share and check out some of the links below… We can make a difference; we just have to unite…

This is heartbreaking to read but not surprising, sadly… I suppose there isn’t much more for me to say, the following vileness speaks for itself.

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The FBI documented a sharp increase in hate crimes in 2017 compared to 2016 – particularly in New Jersey, where the number of incidents have nearly doubled. The FBI also released a town-by-town list that shows where the crimes occurred.

In New Jersey, 518 law enforcement agencies provided information to the FBI but only 155 agencies actually reported hate crimes in 2017, the most recent year available. Collectively, the agencies reported 495 hate crimes to the FBI, a 75 increase from the number of documented hate crimes in 2016.

Here were the towns that had hate crimes in 2017, from the most to least:

• Woodbury 33
• East Brunswick 24
• Lakewood 22
• Evesham Township 18
• Princeton 15
• Howell 11
• Edison 10
• Keansburg 10
• Englewood 9
• Hackensack 9
• Vineland 9
• Manalapan Township 8
• Randolph Township 8
• Medford Township 7
• Neptune Township 7
• Aberdeen Township 6
• Cinnaminson Township 6
• Franklin Lakes 6
• Hoboken 6
• Ocean Township, Monmouth County 6
• South Orange Village 6
• Hamilton Township, Mercer County 5
• Hanover Township 5
• Lodi 5
• Moorestown Township 5
• Highland Park 4
• Hillsborough Township 4
• Ridgewood 4
• South Brunswick Township 4
• Toms River Township 4
• East Hanover Township 3
• Freehold Township 3
• Hopewell Township 3
• Livingston Township 3
• Madison 3
• Maple Shade Township 3
• Monroe Township, Middlesex County 3
• New Brunswick 3
• Passaic 3
• Robbinsville Township 3
• Teaneck Township 3
• Bergenfield 2
• Bradley Beach 2
• Brick Township 2
• Colts Neck Township 2
• Deal 2
• Delanco Township 2
• Dover 2
• East Orange 2
• Fort Lee 2
• Haddon Township 2
• Haworth 2
• Hightstown 2
• Lawrence Township, Mercer County 2
• Magnolia 2
• Manasquan 2
• Medford Lakes 2
• Middlesex Borough 2
• Montclair 2
• Mount Olive Township 2
• Newton 2
• Old Bridge Township 2
• Oradell 2
• Palmyra 2
• Paramus 2
• Ramsey 2
• Stone Harbor 2
• Washington Township, Gloucester County 2
• Waterford Township 2
• Weehawken Township 2
• Westampton Township 2
• West Long Branch 2
• West Windsor Township 2
• Willingboro Township 2
• Woodbridge Township 2
• Belmar 1
• Belvidere 1
• Berkeley Heights Township 1
• Berkeley Township 1
• Boonton 1
• Bridgeton 1
• Bridgewater Township 1
• Brigantine 1
• Burlington Township 1
• Carteret 1
• Chatham 1
• Chatham Township 1
• Collingswood 1
• Eastampton Township 1
• East Windsor Township 1
• Eatontown 1
• Egg Harbor Township 1
• Elizabeth 1
• Elmwood Park 1
• Emerson 1
• Fair Lawn 1
• Franklin Township, Somerset County 1
• Freehold Borough 1
• Hackettstown 1
• Haddonfield 1
• Harrison Township 1
• High Bridge 1
• Interlaken 1
• Jefferson Township 1
• Jersey City 1
• Kinnelon 1
• Lindenwold 1
• Lopatcong Township 1
• Lumberton Township 1
• Manchester Township 1
• Mansfield Township, Warren County 1
• Mantua Township 1
• Maplewood Township 1
• Metuchen 1
• Millburn Township 1
• Monmouth Beach 1
• Montvale 1
• Mount Laurel Township 1
• Mullica Township 1
• North Bergen Township 1
• Northfield 1
• Oakland 1
• Old Tappan 1
• Paulsboro 1
• Pennsville Township 1
• Pequannock Township 1
• Piscataway Township 1
• Plainfield 1
• Point Pleasant 1
• Pompton Lakes 1
• River Edge 1
• Roselle Park 1
• Shrewsbury 1
• South Plainfield 1
• South River 1
• Springfield Township, Union County 1
• Summit 1
• Tenafly 1
• Trenton 1
• Union City 1
• Union Township 1
• Verona 1
• Voorhees Township 1
• Washington Township, Warren County 1
• West New York 1
• Wildwood 1

Whether more hate crimes were reported to police in 2017 than in 2016 is difficult to ascertain because there were an additional 1,000 law enforcement agencies that participated in the program compared to the previous year. Such stark increases, though, indicate more and more people and institutions are being targeted because of religion.

According to the Anti Defamation League, the 1,564 religion-based hate crimes reported in 2017 are the second-highest ever. The highest number of such crimes were reported in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, according to the ADL.

Here were towns with hate crimes based on race in New Jersey:

• Woodbury 27
• East Brunswick 11
• Evesham Township 10
• Englewood 8
• Keansburg 8
• Princeton 8
• Vineland 8
• Howell 7
• Lakewood 7
• Edison Township 6
• Neptune Township 6
• Hamilton Township, Mercer County 5
• Hackensack 4
• Manalapan Township 4
• Moorestown Township 4
• Randolph Township 4
• South Orange Village 4
• Hillsborough Township 3
• Hoboken 3
• Medford Township 3
• Ocean Township, Monmouth County 3
• Robbinsville Township 3
• Aberdeen Township 2
• Cinnaminson Township 2
• Colts Neck Township 2
• Delanco Township 2
• East Hanover Township 2
• Freehold Township 2
• Haddon Township 2
• Highland Park 2
• Hightstown 2
• Livingston Township 2
• Lodi 2
• Magnolia 2
• Manasquan 2
• Montclair 2
• Old Bridge Township 2
• Teaneck Township 2
• Waterford Township 2
• Weehawken Township 2
• Westampton Township 2
• Belvidere 1
• Berkeley Heights Township 1
• Bradley Beach 1
• Bridgeton 1
• Burlington Township 1
• Carteret 1
• Chatham Township 1
• Collingswood 1
• Dover 1
• Eastampton Township 1
• East Orange 1
• East Windsor Township 1
• Egg Harbor Township 1
• Elmwood Park 1
• Fort Lee 1
• Franklin Lakes 1
• Franklin Township, Somerset County 1
• Freehold Borough 1
• Hackettstown 1
• Haddonfield 1
• Hanover Township 1
• Hopewell Township 1
• Jefferson Township 1
• Kinnelon 1
• Madison 1
• Manchester Township 1
• Mantua Township 1
• Maple Shade Township 1
• Medford Lakes 1
• Middlesex Borough 1
• Mount Olive Township 1
• Mullica Township 1
• New Brunswick 1
• Northfield 1
• Palmyra 1
• Paramus 1
• Passaic 1
• Paulsboro 1
• Pennsville Township 1
• Pompton Lakes 1
• Ramsey 1
• Roselle Park 1
• South Brunswick Township 1
• South Plainfield 1
• South River 1
• Springfield Township, Union County 1
• Toms River Township 1
• Union City 1
• Union Township 1
• Verona 1
• Voorhees Township 1
• Washington Township, Gloucester County 1
• Washington Township, Warren County 1
• West Long Branch 1
• West New York 1
• West Windsor Township 1
• Wildwood 1

Here were towns with hate crimes based on religion in New Jersey:

• Lakewood 15
• East Brunswick 13
• Evesham Township 7
• Princeton 7
• Franklin Lakes 5
• Hackensack 4
• Hanover Township 4
• Howell 4
• Manalapan Township 4
• Randolph Township 4
• Ridgewood 4
• Aberdeen Township 3
• Cinnaminson Township 3
• Edison Township 3
• Hoboken 3
• Monroe Township, Middlesex County 3
• Ocean Township, Monmouth County 3
• Toms River Township 3
• Bergenfield 2
• Brick Township 2
• Deal 2
• Haworth 2
• Highland Park 2
• Lawrence Township, Mercer County 2
• Madison 2
• Maple Shade Township 2
• Medford Township 2
• Oradell 2
• South Brunswick Township 2
• Willingboro Township 2
• Woodbridge Township 2
• Berkeley Township 1
• Boonton 1
• Bradley Beach 1
• Bridgewater Township 1
• Brigantine 1
• Chatham 1
• East Hanover Township 1
• East Orange 1
• Elizabeth 1
• Emerson 1
• Englewood 1
• High Bridge 1
• Hillsborough Township 1
• Keansburg 1
• Livingston Township 1
• Lopatcong Township 1
• Lumberton Township 1
• Mansfield Township, Warren County 1
• Maplewood Township 1
• Medford Lakes 1
• Middlesex Borough 1
• Millburn Township 1
• Monmouth Beach 1
• Montvale 1
• Moorestown Township 1
• Newton 1
• North Bergen Township 1
• Oakland 1
• Old Tappan 1
• Paramus 1
• Passaic 1
• Pequannock Township 1
• Piscataway Township 1
• Plainfield 1
• Point Pleasant 1
• Ramsey 1
• River Edge 1
• Shrewsbury 1
• South Orange Village 1
• Summit 1
• Teaneck Township 1
• Tenafly 1
• Trenton 1
• West Windsor Township 1
• Woodbury 1

Part of the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, the agency’s Hate Crime Statistics report is released annually. In 2017, law enforcement agencies reported 7,175 hate crimes to the FBI. While 16,149 agencies participated in 2017, only 2,040 submitted incident reports about hate crimes. The remaining agencies reported 0 hate crimes to the FBI. In 2016, the FBI documented 6,121 hate crimes.

“Two weeks ago, we witnessed the most deadly anti-Semitic hate crime in American history. Today, we have another FBI study showing a big jump in hate crimes against Americans because of their race, religion, ethnicity, and sexual orientation,” Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director, said in a statement. “This report provides further evidence that more must be done to address the divisive climate of hate in America. That begins with leaders from all walks of life and from all sectors of society forcefully condemning anti-Semitism, bigotry, and hate whenever it occurs.”

According to the FBI, a majority of the victims (59.6 percent) were targeted because of a bias towards race, ethnicity or ancestry. The second most common reason a victim was targeted was because of religion (20.6 percent) followed by sexual-orientation (15.8 percent), disability (1.9 percent), gender identity (1.6 percent) and gender (0.6 percent), according to the statistics.

The FBI says 50.7 percent of known offenders were white, 21.3 percent were African-American and other races accounted for the remaining known offenders. According to the FBI, a “known offender” does not imply that a suspect’s identity is known but that “some aspect of the suspect was identified.”

Experts say the annual hate crime statistics report provides an incomplete picture of the number of hate crimes in the country. The ADL noted that in the 2017 report, 91 cities that had a population of 100,000 or more either did not report any data to the FBI or reported 0 instances of hate crimes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Original post found here.  Also check with the anti-hate crime organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center to find ways you can get involved.