TYRE NICHOLS, BLACK & BLUE
The horrific murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Black male police officers should serve as a stark reminder that police culture, more often than not, trumps race. Those handful of sister or brother cops we know who treat us with dignity and respect, do so not by reflecting police culture but by going against the grain of it. Because y’all know as well as I do, that policing in this country was founded upon and rooted in anti-Blackness. So, over the decades, we’ve seen cops of color (Black, Latino, Asian) brutalize Blackfolk just like white cops do… and in a way none of those officers they would ever treat whites. What’s jarring about Tyre’s case is it was five bruhs who beat him to death. Five bruhs. And all of them were about Tyre’s age.
OSCARS NOT BLACK ENOUGH
I know we’re celebrating the Black nominees for this year’s go-round of Oscars. But how in the hell, if Oscars is about movie excellence and impact, did “The Woman King,” “Till,” “Master,” “Kimi,” “A Jazzman’s Blues,” “Nanny,” etc. receive “not-nare” nomination in any category? And did the Oscar-winning director Jordan Peele get nominated for his latest work, “Nope”? Nope. And, sure, you could argue that not all the films I listed here are “Oscar-worthy.” But yo, have you seen some of the stuff that has won Oscars in the past? Apparently, as long as it’s white, a period piece, with big-name stars and a bigger budget, and is boring as hell, it qualifies. But if Danielle Deadwyler, who acts her behind off in everything she’s in, doesn’t deserve to be nominated for Best Actress for her work in “Till,” then the Oscars don’t deserve us.
THE TEXANS’ BLACK HOLE
I have to be honest. I’m not a Texans fan. Especially after they “one-and-done(d)” two brothers—David Culley and Lovie Smith—in back-to-back seasons. They gave neither a real chance to lead the team and the large organization. So, in essence, they were set up to fail. Kinda like the Astro s did with Bo Porter, who was brought on the develop the incredible rookie talent on the roster, and then fired just as that talent began to blossom into what it is today. But back to the Texans. Because they did two brothermen wrong, I was hoping that DeMeco and other top coaching prospects would pass on the H-Town job and look elsewhere. But the way the NFL does Black coaches dirty, choosing retread whiteboys umpteen times before choosing one of the homies, what’s a brother to do? Hopefully, the Texans will let Ryans do his thing. We’ll see.
ON
