Rashie Barnett’s Post

Excerpts from the forthcoming book “The Unseen Truth: How Race Changed Sight in America” by the brilliant and soulfully beautiful Dr. Sarah Lewis, the John L. Loeb associate professor of the humanities and associate professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. “How do we tell the full story of who we are? How can we define the trajectory of a country founded on the tension between slavery and freedom? It is nearly impossible to put into one sentence. As soon as we try, we have left something out. To tell the history has required a way to articulate the unimaginable and the extraordinary at once, and this has required the arts to state what may never be said.” “We are in the midst of a crisis of regard in the United States, amid our triumphs. Our persistent unwillingness to see one another has put pressure on the operation of vision itself. We have shaped our own self-portrait through omissions and negations.” “To examine this history is to expose how we have learned not to see the fictions that legitimate racial injustice and inequity. The work of revision — of re-seeing — must continue. For where we once blocked our rightful view of one another, we now have the means to build windows. We can see the story tied to the representation all around us. The question is whether we still have the will.”

Check out this dope article written my mentor Samuel Betances His premise that King is a founding father is one that I believe is very valid. “They fought without muskets, without money, without political power.” #restorativepractices #restorativejustice #MLK

https://lnkd.in/dRcUjEnw us history trivia Certainly! Here are some U.S. history trivia questions along with their answers: Question: Who was the first President of the United States? Answer: George Washington. Question: In what year did Christopher Columbus first reach the Americas? Answer: 1492. Question: Which document begins with the words "We the People"? Answer: The United States Constitution. Question: What was the nickname for the period of intense economic growth in the U.S. during the late 19th century? Answer: The Gilded Age. Question: Who is known as the "Father of the Constitution" for his role in drafting the U.S. Constitution? Answer: James Madison. Question: Which Civil War battle is often considered the turning point in favor of the Union? Answer: The Battle of Gettysburg. Question: Who was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence? Answer: Thomas Jefferson. Question: Which U.S. state was the last to join the Union? Answer: Hawaii. Question: Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, religion, and the press? Answer: The First Amendment. Question: Who was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement and is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience? Answer: Martin Luther King Jr. Question: What event marked the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929? Answer: The stock market crash. Question: In what year did the United States declare its independence from Great Britain?

We’re taught MLK’s “I have a dream” speech by age 6. What we’re not taught: that it was improvised. 4 astonishing facts: 1️⃣ “I have a dream” was never written, never planned and completely improvised on the spot. 2️⃣ The speech was prompted by MLK’s dear friend, Mahalia Jackson: “Tell ‘em about the dream, Martin!” 3️⃣ Delivered to 250,000 people then, listened to by billions to date. 4️⃣ Today it’s valued at $25,000,000 and owned as an heir by the King family. I gave a TEDx talk last year that was inspired by the story of MLK’s speech. It moved me every day for 5 months as I wrote my talk and infused it with all I got. I talked about how YOU can possess a similar power to captivate and move an audience with your own message. I talked about exactly how to do that in the micro moments when people ask you, “What do you do?” I talked about the value of having people in your life who prompt you to show up. Fully. Today’s not just a “day off.” Today’s the celebration of a man who changed the course of history with a message that turned into a movement and still impacts us today. And it’s a reminder more than ever that we need to be leaders like he was… we need learn to speak like he did. Here’s my full talk where my sole (and soul’s) mission is to teach you how to do that. I hope it moves you today of all days. https://lnkd.in/gSa5gHFB If you’re curious to learn more about the story behind Martin Luther King Junior’s speech, buy the book or audio book “Behind the Dream.” It was written by his speech writer, Clarence Jones and it will blow you away. https://lnkd.in/gsyYa7sh And if you want the ultimate inspiration, watch and study MLK’s speech knowing what you know now. You will never hear it quite the same. https://lnkd.in/g55WPpR6 #communication #sales #strategy #leadership #entrepreneurship

"Hellhound On His Trail" by Hampton Sides is an essential read for those in the security and investigation fields. The book covers the intense manhunt for Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassin, with a focus on the FBI's role. It's received great feedback for its thorough research and compelling narrative. Discover more: #investigations #lawenforcement #FBI #history #ad

Enhance your understanding of investigative history with "Hellhound On His Trail" by Hampton Sides. This book provides a detailed account of the events leading up to and following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. It's a powerful read with excellent reviews praising its detailed research and engaging style. Learn more about this pivotal event here: #security #investigations #FBI #history #ad

I realize I’ll lose any intellectual points by using a quote from a movie to express myself. Still, today, as we celebrate Presidents Day, I am reminded of this passage from Michael Douglas in “The American President”: “…and I can tell you without hesitation: being president of this country is entirely about character.” “America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.” “We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them.” How true. As this year’s presidential primaries spin up – I find myself thinking how much (all) our elected officials could learn from former President Eisenhower – with numerous examples outlined in Susan Eisenhower’s excellent book, “How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhower’s Biggest Decisions.” Eisenhower was responsible for the creation of the Interstate Highway System, played a crucial role in enforcing the desegregation of public schools, facilitated the armistice that ended the Korean War, created what is now the Department of Health and Human Services, signed the act establishing NASA and oversaw a period of economic stability and growth (Ike had balanced the budget and produced a surplus three times—in 1956, 1957, and 1960—all while recalibrating and restructuring the national security apparatus and making monumental strides in the nation’s infrastructure.) Most impressive was his ability to accomplish these things while maintaining quiet humility. His popularity was based on a “relationship of trust and a reputation as a warrior who hated war; a commander with compassion; a leader who prized fairness in the system; and a charismatic figure who had a natural affinity for the common man.” Americans sensed that he would put the country first. Today, we have “serious problems to solve and we need serious people to solve them.”  Our elected officials and our nation would be well served to learn from Eisenhower’s leadership—one of head and heart—projected in the context of a higher cause, one that rests on accountability and humility and the importance of serving something bigger than oneself. (Thanks Joseph Votel for the recommendation!)

The Strange Career of Jim Crow A Commemorative Edition with a new Afterword by William S. McFeely - OA PDF: https://lnkd.in/gacNxqwv C. Vann Woodward, who died in 1999 at the age of 91, was America's most eminent Southern historian, the winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Mary Chestnut's Civil War and a Bancroft Prize for The Origins of the New South. Now, to honor his long and truly distinguished career, Oxford is pleased to publish this special commemorative edition of Woodward's most influential work, The Strange Career of Jim Crow. The Strange Career of Jim Crow is one of the great works of Southern history. Indeed, the book actually helped shape that history. Published in 1955, a year after the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education ordered schools desegregated, Strange Career was cited so often to counter arguments for segregation that Martin Luther King, Jr. called it "the historical Bible of the civil rights movement." The book offers a clear and illuminating analysis of the history of Jim Crow laws, presenting evidence that segregation in the South dated only to the 1890s. Woodward convincingly shows that, even under slavery, the two races had not been divided as they were under the Jim Crow laws of the 1890s. In fact, during Reconstruction, there was considerable economic and political mixing of the races. The segregating of the races was a relative newcomer to the region. #CVanWoodward #JimCrowSouth #SouthernHistory #segregation #Racism #WhiteSupremacy #Discrimination #RacialCasteSystem #JimCrow

And There Was Light 23/2024. Lincoln is, to my mind, the pinnacle of American leadership and maybe the greatest American who ever lived. Not perfect by any shot, but guided by deep convictions and aiming ceaselessly to honor them. Fueled by curiosity, a seeker of wisdom, and a rejector of the status quo, who sought to embody the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. Here, Meacham gives us a gorgeous biography, treading where many have before, but framed in Lincoln’s moral sensitivities, rather than his political or personal activities themselves. Lincoln comes through as a seeker of truth, if also an imperfect embodiment of it. He held on to racist ideas while simultaneously being very progressive for his time; rooted in the promises of the Declaration, he sees the humanity in all people, even if he thought segregation to be a fine status quo. This is of course a framing that we’ve evolved beyond today. It’s also the story of the ongoing divides in America, fundamentally between those that accept oppression of others as a way of life and those that seek equality and equity for all. Lincoln spoke to the soul of the nation when we most needed him. Let’s hope he’s not unique in the story of America. There are echoes today of the same misinformation, election interference, and threats of violent insurrection that Lincoln faced. Lincoln’s sense of humor comes through here, and one gets a very intimate feel for the man’s mind. He was immensely kind and contemplative. The book is well written and well researched, with the source notes and bibliography totaling some 250 pages alone!

The America That Almost Was …And May Yet Be Charles Eisenstein On Healing America and Why He Has Joined the RFK, Jr. Campaign Here is the paradox of our current “bi-polar insanity” and “two-potty” political system. The two political sides seem more intractably polarized than ever, and yet there is a political movement emerging from what Charles Eisenstein calls “the Transcendent Center” that seeks to bring us together around “the common moral agreements, and basic human impulses that actually could unite our country.” You may know Charles as the spiritual-political philosopher whose books The Ascent of Humanity, Sacred Economics, The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible, and Climate—A New Story are about transforming our civilization’s obsolete story of separation, into a unifying “story of interbeing.” This translates into his current work and mission to “heal America” – a “sustained popular movement” to overgrow what we jokingly refer to as the “two-potty system.” At the forefront of this mission, he says, is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s presidential campaign, which he has joined as Communications Director and speech writer. This has been a risky and controversial move, so you’ll want to find out why Charles made it. Until now, Charles contends, we have passively allowed our political choices to be dictated to us – dividing us into “opinion tribes” that serve the current power structure. “We don't have to accept the way the politics has been,” Charles says. “We don't have to accept the choices that are being offered to us.” Find out more and decide for yourself!