PHILLY SKYLINE SHINES as Philadelphia Celebrates JUNETEENTH 2021 - Lighting Up Philadelphia!! Sunday June 13 thru Saturday June 19th

By Gloria DULAN-Wilson

Hello All:

When I was a kid in Oklahoma City, OK, I remember getting ready to the highlight of summer - JUNETEENTH!! My mom, all my neighbors, relatives, and friends would begin planning weeks in advance  for JUNETEENTH - what we were going to cook, where were were going to do the cook out - usually at Lake TenKiller, who was bringing what.

 

As a little person, I remember gorging myself on fried chicken, cakes, pies, and anything any of my relatives and my mom cooked - and then running up and down the park with my sister and cousins playing games - jacks, tag, dodge ball, hide and seek - a day of fun.  

 

It was not until I was in the 6th grade that I, and my classmates, were told the real story behind Juneteenth.  Mr. Hancock, our 6th grade teacher, told us that Juneteenth came about because a dirty trick was played on Black people in Texas to keep them as slaves for an additional two years.  We each had to write an essay about what we would do if we found out that we had been kept in slavery while everybody else was free. I don't think any of us thought about holding a celebration.  

 

Thank goodness our brothers and sisters saw fit to celebrate the end of slavery in the US.  And we've now been keeping up the the tradition for 156 years!  And nobody does it like Philadelphia on the East Coast.

Philadelphia Celebrates JUNETEENTH 2021 - Lighting Up Philadelphia!!

Hello Philly!! Are you ready!  Philadelphia Skyline Shines for JUNETEENTH Launches on Sunday, June 13th

Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection is making history once again!!

It's the 156th Anniversary of JUNETEENTH, and the Philadelphia Juneteenth Family is lighting up the sky for the next seven nights, from June 13 through June 19, leading up to the most spectacular JUNETEENTH CEREMONY EVER!! 

So have your cameras ready as we gather to light up the City's skyline each evening at dusk.   Try to get as many of them as possible because they are scattered throughout Philadelphia on our most iconic buildings - see the list below.

 

PHILLY SKYLINE SHINES is not only a beacon for Black People, but for people the world over  who may have faced oppression, and are now celebrating their own JUNETEENTH.  Named in honor of the great exponent for Black autonomy and liberation, the Hon. Marcus Garvey, the Garvey Freedom Lights, is an inspiration to maintain that spark of unity, freedom, progress and liberation he engendered in more than 12 million African Americans nearly 100 years ago, in 1923.  It's a celebration of the progress we've made as a people and what we are doing moving forward. 

Philadelphia has led the field in JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION on the East Coast for more than 30 years.  

 

The history of JUNETEENTH stems from the fact that during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves beginning on January 1, 1863.   However, enslaved Black people in Texas did not find out about being free until two years later when, on June 19th 1865, Col. Granger made the announcement at a plantation in Galveston, TX.  Thousands of Black people continued being enslaved until that day.  The news was received with extreme jubilation and celebration - and immediately became known as JUNETEENTH - a conflation of June and the number 19.   

Traditionally, JUNETEENTH was originally celebrated in the South and Southwest - Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, etc. -  and other parts of the United States with parades, picnics, family reunions, entertainment, and other ceremonies.  Three years ago JUNETEENTH became a state holiday in Pennsylvania; and in Philadelphia it is observed with businesses closing, and with those employees taking it as a paid holiday.  This year the 19th on a Saturday,  so the holiday can be taken on Friday, June 18th.   Look for announcements about  additional events and celebrations around the City - both live and virtual.

Below is a partial list of locales where you can see the Juneteenth Light Up The Sky Buildings:

 

BoatHouse Row                  Independence Blue Cross

Ben Franklin Bridge           North Broad Street

Airport Tower                      Parx Casino

Live!  Casino                       FMC Tower

PECO Crown Lights           Cira Centre

Rivers Casino                     Liberty Place One & Two

Live! Casino                       Pennsylvania Convention Center

Lincoln Financial Field      Citizen Bank Park

Wells Fargo Center

While JUNETEENTH is a celebration about Black liberation, all are invited to participate and celebrate with us.  

The best time to see PHILLY SKYLINES SHINE is dusk - around 8:30 PM, starting today, Sunday June 13th!!

Make sure you share this info with your friends and family - support the JUNETEENTH ACTIVITIES around the city - this is a wonderful part of our heritage and our history. 

NOW THAT YOU KNOW

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

Stay Blessed & 

ECLECTICALLY BLACK 

Gloria DULAN-Wilson

NAACP Victorious in Overturning Voter ID in Texas

by Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Kudos to the NAACP for having won a major victory in Texas in the ongoing fight against the rep-ugh-blicans efforts to drag us backwards into the 19th century: the federal court struck down the Texas Voter ID law, stating it unfairly discriminated against “communities of color and was, therefore, in vioilation of Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.”

Hopefully this will send a clear signal to other states that are trying to disenfranchise Black voters – including South Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania and other states, which are covered by the Voting Rights Act. Section 5 spells out specific states that have a history of discriminatory practices. These states come under special scrutiny whenever they attempt to make any changes to their voting laws. Caution in making sure they do not reinstate racially discriminatory policies has to be exercised.

In order to make sure the other states and their judicial jurisdictions get the message and follow the example of Texas, the NAACP is circulating a petition, which I am enclosing below. Sign it, pass it on to all your friends and colleagues and have them sign and do likewise.

For those who question the efficacy of the NAACP, I think it sufficient to say that their place in our culture, history and future is secured. Make no mistake, they did not make it through 103 years by not taking care of business. Do they make mistakes? Of course. But their successes far outweigh their failures. And their perseverance still far outreaches that of any of their contemporary detractors, who have yet to show any results other than their penchant for criticism.

That said, there is still time for the rest of us to do our part by not only signing and forwarding the petition below, but also joining forces with your local Obama For President Campaign Headquarters, and Organizing for America, and helping those of your family, friends and acquaintances in battle ground states register and vote; as well as ensuring they have the appropriate I.D.

Now that the Mitt-twits convention has ended, and we're moving forward to the real deal, the DNC in Charlotte, NC, it's time to really get down to serious business: that of staying on message, staying on point, consolidating our efforts, and building the links and unity that we need to effect a decisive victory on November 6th.
So make sure you sign this petition, supporting the work of the Department of Justice, advocating against discriminatory voting laws:
 
http://action.naacp.org/page/s/voting-is-not-a-privilege-it-is-a-right-
 
Per Jotaka L. Eaddy, NAACP Senior Director, Voting Rights Initiative of the NAACP: “This summer has been a showdown between those who support equality and those who would suppress our right to vote. But the tide is turning. Across the U.S., the NAACP and our partners are working with key state officials and the Department of Justice to fight laws that deny some voters a voice in our democracy.  And slowly, battles are being won. The Michigan State Conference and the national NAACP advocated against Michigan’s proposed restrictive voting law changes—paving the way for Governor Rick Snyder to veto three measures that would have potentially impacted tens of thousands of Michigan citizens. In Florida, we had a victory when the courts permanently removed harsh restrictions on voter registration drives. In a separate court decision, we stopped Florida’s attempt to shorten early voting days from 12 to 8 – including eliminating voting on the Sunday before Election Day, a day when our Souls to the Polls program moves voters from the pews to the ballot to the box.   We can win this fight.  The law is on our side.  Together we can make it known to all Americans that this is not just an NAACP fight—it is a fight for our very democracy.  Click this link, or copy and paste this link, and sign our petition today: 
 
http://action.naacp.org/page/s/voting-is-not-a-privilege-it-is-a-right-
 
You know the responsibility to vote and the history of our movement protecting the right to vote—so let’s push back on this attack on our voting rights and work to strike down all discriminatory voting laws across the nation.  Help us clear the way for our community to be heard on Election Day!”
 
“It's on,” as they say, and “we're in!”

The reports about being out-contributed, out-financed mean nothing, if we all remember that We The People have the final say in everything – and as long as we're not out-voted the outcome will be the way we out pictured it from the beginning.

Remember make it your business to say, write, read and share something positive about President Barack Obama every day, from this point forward – because an Obama-A-Day keeps the Mitt-twits away.

Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson 

Social Security- An Entitlement??!?? Repughblicans: Public Enemy #1

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

The following was sent to me by a dear friend of mine. As a rule I don't use profanity in my blog - but, given this particular situation, I let it slide - just this once - primarily because I totally agree with everything this person said. It's good to know that, contrary to the meanstream press, there are really other people out there who are not buying to the tea-party or the rep-ugh-blicans line of garbage.

I would be interested in your feedback on the following communique.

“Social Security is an entitlement!?”

These are some preliminary comments already received):
"A little truth being spoken. Sent with much love and hope. All I can say to this is...WOW! I hope this is a real letter." "I really like the guy who wrote the letter below." " THIS SENIOR CITIZEN NAILED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

“Social Security is an entitlement!?”>
>
> "Alan Simpson, (REP-UGH-BLICAN) Senator from Wyoming , Co-Chair of Obama's deficit commission, calls senior citizens the Greediest Generation as he compared "Social Security" to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats.
> > Here's a response in a letter from a unknown fellow in Montana ... I think he is a little ticked off! He also tells it like it is!
>> "Hey Alan, let's get a few things straight..
> 1. As a career politician, you have been on the public dole for FIFTY YEARS.
> 2. I have been paying Social Security taxes for 48 YEARS (since I was 15 years old. I am now 63).
> 3. My Social Security payments, and those of millions of other Americans, were safely tucked away in an interest bearing account for decades until you political pukes decided to raid the account and give OUR money to a bunch of zero ambition losers in return for votes, thus bankrupting the system and turning Social Security into a Ponzi scheme that would have made Bernie Madoff proud.
> 4. Recently, just like Lucy & Charlie Brown , you and your ilk pulled the proverbial football away from millions of American seniors nearing retirement and moved the goalposts for full retirement from age 65 to age 67. NOW, you and your shill commission is proposing to move the goalposts YET AGAIN.
> 5. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying into Medicare from Day One, and now you morons propose to change the rules of the game. Why? Because you idiots mismanaged other parts of the economy to such an extent that you need to steal money from Medicare to pay the bills.
> 6. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying income taxes our entire lives, and now you propose to increase our taxes yet again. Why? Because you incompetent bastards spent our money so profligately that you just kept on spending even after you ran out of money. Now, you come to the American taxpayers and say you need more to pay off YOUR debt.
> To add insult to injury, you label us "greedy" for calling "bullsh-t" on your incompetence. Well, Captain Bullsh-t, I have a few questions for YOU.
1. How much money have you earned from the American taxpayers during your pathetic 50-year political career?
> 2. At what age did you retire from your pathetic political career, and how much are you receiving in annual retirement benefits from the American taxpayers?
> 3. How much do you pay for YOUR government provided health insurance?
> 4. What cuts in YOUR retirement and healthcare benefits are you proposing in your disgusting deficit reduction proposal, or, as usual, have you exempted yourself and your political cronies?
> It is you, Captain Bullsh-t, and your political co-conspirators called Congress who are the "greedy" ones. It is you and your fellow nutcases who have bankrupted America and stolen the American dream from millions of loyal, patriotic taxpayers. And for what? Votes. That's right, sir. You and yours have bankrupted America for the sole purpose of advancing your pathetic political careers. You know it, we know it, and you know that we know it.
>
> And you can take that to the bank, you miserable son of a b---h."
> ------------------------------------------------
> >If you like the way things are in America, delete this. If you agree with what a fellow Montana citizen says, PASS IT ON!!!!

Well I'm passing it on -

I totally agree with what he said and then some. In fact, I'm sure there are many who could add even more. I just want to put my two cents worth in for those who don't yet get the big picture - the next time you guys in Montana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma and other states think about voting rep-ugh-blican - DON'T. Just remember who got you into this mess called the economic down turn; remember who is trying to drag you deeper into the swill while they continue to suck the blood out of you ( I guess that's why Vampire stories are so popular in the US, in honor of the blood suckers among us that now permeate congress going under the guise of representatives - but they don't represent you or me. They represent their fellow blood suckers. They are now getting a massive transfusion from our tax dollars and social security.
So, I am co-signing what the fellow said in Montana - and telling you to pass it on to two friends; and have them do the same, and so on and so on; I'd like to see us get a little (read whole lot) more outraged a'la Wisconsin and start pulling them back out of these positions that they now hold before they can do any further damage.
Can you say recall and impeach, boys and girls? It's like the sign of the cross, or sun light - you know Vampires can't stand either of them. So let's shed some light on their true nature, and cross them out of office forever.

We have a lot at STAKE - "STAKE!" GET IT??? Oh, well - so much for vampire folklore.

I, also would be totally remiss if I didn't include this additional piece I received from my friend Judy of Eduadvocate. It seems as if Eric Wattree is also reading my mind. I totally concur with his conclusions. What do you think? Read the following and give me your feedback:

Is the GOP Really America’s Domestic Enemy?
- by Eric Wattree (of course my answer to that question is YES)

"Many of my conservative friends are advising me that by implying that the GOP is a domestic enemy of America that I’m being unnecessarily divisive, and I’m doing myself a disservice. One particularly good friend said, “Contrary to what you and Gordon love to espouse, the GOP is not the 'devil incarnate.' It may be politically convenient and divisive for you to call it that, but it is just not true.”

"Sorry Tom, but I beg to disagree. The fact is, I’m neither implying, espousing, nor equivocating. I’m stating a demonstrable fact. The GOP leadership is un-American, period. And they specialize in holding the American people hostage. Their total disregard for America is made quite evident by the fact that every time the GOP wants to push one of their unpopular initiatives they begin to strangle a segment of the American people for leverage.
Two of the most recent examples of that are the way they held unemployed Americans and first responders hostage in order to push through the extension of the Bush tax cuts to benefit the wealthiest 2% of the population. Thereafter, they threatened to shut down the entire government in an attempt to push through initiatives that would have brought severe hardships upon the poor and middle class.

"Both the methods and propaganda of the GOP are not only un-American, but right out of the Nazi playbook. The GOP leadership has calculated that the more miserable they can keep the American people, the better chance they have of regaining power. That, in turn, would allow them to get on with the business of totally enslaving the American people. So they routinely employ tactics from right out of Joseph Gobbels’ handbook on the effective use of propaganda to keep us so angry and divided that we’re blind to their concerted effort to keep America ignorant, distracted, and miserable."
http://wattree.blogspot.com/2011/04/is-gop-really-americas-domestic-enemy.html
Eric L. Wattree Http://wattree.blogspot.com Ewattree@Gmail.com Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)

I dare say I couldn't have said it better myself. And I truly hope Americans are now beginning to wake up to the truth. Those who voted for the Rep-ugh-blicans for the racist reasons of thwarting President Obama, may find that their plans have backfired and are now coming back to bite them in the butt in more ways than one. Also consider everytime the rep-ugh-blicans have had their hands on the US government, they have screwed things up big time - Watergate; the Savings and Loan debacle; the Oil debacle; the silver debacle; mortgage, foreclosure, economic downturn debacle (all by Bushes by the way). And when someone - i.e. President Obama, shows a humane face, and tries to restore - no elevate - America to its purported greatness, you actually allow yourselves to be seduced by these miscreants who have appealed to your baser natures, and let the very Vampires back in that he had gotten rid of.

I could say that you deserve every bit of hell you are about to face; but I live here too, and I'm really not up to going through four years of their crap. So, a word to the wise should be sufficient. The people in Wisconsin should be the beginning of correcting the biggest mid-term election mistake ever in the history of the US. And while we're at it, let's change the Rep-ugh-blican symbol to Snake instead of Elephant. Elephants all over the world have to be really insulted to be hijacked as their symbol. They have done nothing to deserve that. They are loyal, family oriented creatures. Better yet, let's change the symbol to Vulture - more befitting the real nature of their party and their outlook.

Anywaaaay, regardless of the symbol you chose to use for them - let's stop being their victims and have some victories of our own. If your kid, or a neighbor's kid is turning 18, take them personally to register to vote. Make sure all your family members, neighbors and friends are registered. We are going to be dealing with some interim elections prior to Obama's re-election. We have to make sure we stay in the majority from now on. We cannot leave the President hanging and then expect him to make miracles with no back up. We have to be about it 25/8!!!!! Cause when it comes to the Rep-ugh-blicans, 24/7 is not enough!

Take care and
STAY BLESSED &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson
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