by B. R. GOWANI
Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was issued on 9/22/1862
“That on the first day of January in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free….”
Civil War ended in 1865; slaves in Texas came to know of EP on 6/19/1865
the former slaves were promised “40 acres and a mule” to start anew
but Lincoln’s successor Andrew Johnson overturned that order
blacks were freed but the white racist policies hindered their progress
the world’s most incarcerated people are in the United States
blacks, 12% of the general population, make up 33% of the prisoners
(compare to their population, the whites have less than 50% in prison)
Biden, not much better than Trump, is as bad as Obama and Clinton
he doesn’t want to offer anything substantial to the common people
so he goes for symbolic gestures which don’t cost a penny
he, like others, doesn’t talk of reparations to the relatives of the slaves
Although, US was prominent in getting money for Jewish victims of Hitler
Biden declared Juneteenth, i.e., June 19, a federal holiday
which means everyone but federal workers will be working on that day
others working for corporations & small businesses won’t have a day off
politicians have to pay nothing for emitting words from their mouths
“I have to say to you, I’ve only been president for several months, but I think this will go down, for me, as one of the greatest honors I will have as president.
the above words would carry weight if Biden was also offering reparations
or was releasing non-dangerous black people from prisons
or was asking corporations to hire more blacks and other minorities
or was offering development and investment in inner city neighborhoods
and so on …
the way Biden is carrying out policies favoring big corporations
he’ll go down as one of the worst presidents
the minorities voted for him overwhelmingly
but he continues to ignore their needs …
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com