Dear Progressive Reader,
The sentencing of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd last year in Minneapolis was handed down yesterday afternoon and Chauvin immediately began his twenty-two-and-one-half years in prison. But as Kassidy Tarala points out, “Chauvin’s sentence is not justice—it is punishment. It is not accountability, as he has yet to accept responsibility for the murder he committed and make reparations to the Floyd family and the community at large. True justice would be abolishing the system that allowed George Floyd to be murdered in the first place.”
Tiffany Crutcher, a descendant of Tulsa massacre survivors, met with President Joe Biden earlier this month when he became the first U.S. President to visit the site of that hundred-year-old manifestation of white supremacy. But, as Crutcher writes, “If we are ever to have racial justice in this country, the U.S. government cannot treat the national crisis of systemic racism as a local problem. My sole motivation in meeting with President Biden was to make sure that the descendants of the Tulsa Race Massacre, the victims of racially biased policing, and everyone else who has suffered under structural racism get the repair and respect that they deserve.”
Also this week, Paul Von Blum reviews the new graphic biography of the legendary Paul Robeson; Kent Hull remembers the late Justice Jack Weinstein who ruled against the Reagan Administration when it attempted to deny rights to people with disabilities; and Tina Gerhardt examines the myth of “Net Zero” as a tool to fight the climate crisis. Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies look at the future of U.S. reentry into the Iran Nuclear Deal, and Katie Wills Evans chronicles the importance of mutual aid during the pandemic—especially among teachers. “As we begin to enter a vaccinated world,” she notes, “I hope we will pause to reflect on the ways we could not have made it through the last year without the ingenuity, generosity, and aid of our teachers. If we want to figure out how to build more equitable systems and better support our communities, it behooves us to listen to those who have been doing so for their entire careers: our educators.”
According to our Hidden History of the United States calendar, next week marks the 116th anniversary of the founding of the Industrial Workers of the World (June 27), the 52nd anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in New York City (June 28), and the 55th anniversary of the founding to the National Organization for Women (June 30)—all critical moments in the ongoing struggles for rights and justice.
The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. said on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Now, more than ever, as we attempt to emerge from the twin ravages of a global pandemic and the presidency of Donald Trump, and move forward to confront the ever growing dangers of the climate crisis and the threats of nuclear weapons, it is time say we won’t go back to the old idea of “normal.” We must move forward and, as King said, “cash this check—a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”
Keep reading, and we will keep bringing you important articles on these and other issues of our time.
Sincerely,
Norman Stockwell
Publisher
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