Free Republic

Candidate Donald Trump got to the highest office in the land with a line that inspired millions of Americans: Make America Great Again. Those four words, Trump once said, came to him as he pondered our nation’s problems. He trademarked it. He put it on hats. He ran on it. And among his supporters, it sparked a hope that our country could return to a time when life was better for them. But among some of his detractors, that phrase felt like a shot across the bow. It roused no sentimentality, nor hope for a better future. Because the last...

It appears Jamele Hill gave more Americans than she hope an idea when she urged protesters to - 'hit them in the wallet' - but this time it is a Louisiana sheriff's office that is boycotting Ford over the automaker's decision to support NFL players' right to peacefully protest during the national anthem. As a reminder, earlier in the week NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell flip-flopped from his original anti-Trump stance, issuing a statement that: "We believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem... We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social...

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick expressed his appreciation for Eminem's fiery four-and-a-half-minute freestyle takedown of President Trump. "I appreciate you," Kaepernick said in a tweet that also had the video, which aired at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards on Tuesday. Kaepernick led a movement beginning last season when he took a knee during the national anthem to protest the treatment of African Americans and other minorities in the U.S. Eminem dedicated a portion of his freestyle to supporting Kaepernick and other NFL players who have recently come under attack by the president for those demonstrations. "Now, if...

David Comissiong, chairman of the Caribbean Pan-African Network, has penned a 12-point explainer outlining the campaign for reparations for the legacy of crimes against humanity perpetrated against the sons and daughters of Africa by European nations, the United States and other North American governments. During the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent from 2015-2024, the 12 points read as follows: No impunity; validation of our humanity; knowledge of our history; completion of the emancipation process; compensation must be proportionate to the crime; reparations must produce the just society; we Africans must exercise autonomy throughout the process; we...

In the absence of police participation- robberies, shootings and homicides have soared in these cities and other similar cities BLM and Liberal Press Bashing of American Cops Lead to Greater Gun Violence Mitch Wolfe October 4, 2017 The latest FBI report on gun violence in American cities, especially in specific liberal Democratic-controlled cities- discloses a very inconvenient truth. The relentless bashing and public criticism of urban cops by the activist BLM (Black Lives Matter), the liberal press+ liberal civic leaders have had the unintended consequence of producing a huge increase in black on black killings in certain visible minority cities....

One of the recurring ideas of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s new book, We Were Eight Years in Power, is that he hates being asked to offer white people hope of a better future in which America might become a post-racial utopia. But when Coates appeared on The Late Show Monday night, Stephen Colbert asked him to offer that hope — and appeared to be almost offended when Coates refused. In his book, Coates writes that he hates being asked to talk about a future he doesn’t believe in, and he simply does not believe that America is going to “get over” racism....

*WE tv’s popular docu-series “Mary Mary” retuned for its sixth and final season on September 28, picking up where the fifth season left off — with high tensions between sisters/gospel singers Erica and Tina Campbell. Last season reached 12.7 million total viewers and was the #1 cable program in its time slot among African-American Women 25-54. The series overall is a big part of why WE tv is a #1 cable network for African-American adults and women on Thursday nights. Mary Mary have sold over 8 million albums worldwide and have also received four Grammys, among other awards. When Tina...

The American flag, drenched in the blood of American Indians and enslaved Africans, has been romanticized as a symbol of guardianship for all citizens of this nation. One of the main centerpieces of patriotism encapsulated in the flag’s meaning is military service. Be it the Revolutionary or Civil War, World War I or II, or any other battle in which America has fought, the argument is that the men and women who fought for this country took on a sacred sacrifice to protect American liberty and freedom from foreign enemies that would dare to endanger it. That the American flag...

I have often wondered how I missed the coming tragedy. It is not so much that I should have predicted that Americans would elect Donald Trump. It’s just that I shouldn’t have put it past us. It was tough to keep track of the currents of politics and pageantry swirling at once. All my life I had seen myself, and my people, backed into a corner. Had I been wrong? Watching the crowds at county fairs cheer for Michelle Obama in 2008, or flipping through the enchanting photo spreads of the glamorous incoming administration, it was easy to believe that...

Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall says he appreciates NFL teams supporting the rights of their players to protest during the national anthem. He also suggests they show it by giving Colin Kaepernick a job . "The dude, he's in shape, he's yoked, actually," said Marshall, who saw his ex-college teammate on a TMZ video recently. "He's so strong. He's ready to go. He told me he's been working out when I last talked to him. He said he's just waiting for a call. That's the next step." Marshall is among many players who believe Kaepernick is being blackballed by NFL...

Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) on Wednesday harshly criticized Donald Trump, writing a letter to express his “utter disgust” with how the president has handled race relations in the United States. In an acerbic letter to Trump, Richmond—who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)—slammed the president’s attack on NFL players, his “use of profane, sexually derogatory language in addressing American citizens” and his employment of “racist dog whistles” in everyday speech. “I write today to express my utter disgust with your handling of race relations in America in general and, more specifically, your calculated, divisive response to nationwide demonstrations against police...

Three days after NFL players locked arms to protest President Trump's criticisms of those who kneel during the National Anthem, the topic remained on the minds of many around the league. Players and coaches took podiums during the NFL's weekly media day to field questions about the protests and whether they'll demonstrate again this weekend. Trump, meanwhile, continued to hammer the league for its handling of the protests. "The NFL is in a very bad box. You cannot have people disrespecting our national anthem, our flag, our country. And in my opinion, the NFL has to change or you know...

This is the problem of privilege. It skews our ability to grasp what the world looks like outside our view. The absence of white athletes kneeling for the anthem Sunday was a particularly illustrative moment in white privilege. See, for white athletes the anthem and American flag do represent freedom, liberty and whatever other amorphous American values one might ascribe these symbols. So, from their view, kneeling would be disrespectful to the privileges a white supremacist nation affords them. We’ve all heard the typical argument against kneeling. “Kneeling during the anthem disrespects the flag and the soldiers who fought for...

The chaos of an incredible NBA offseason behind him, LeBron James returned to center stage. As usual, he didn’t disappoint. Speaking for the first time since losing in the NBA Finals, James discussed topics ranging from his future in Cleveland to a possible reunion with Dwayne Wade to a deep distaste for President Donald Trump on Monday during a free-wheeling, 45-minute news conference that served as the three-time champion’s State of the Game address....

Hillary Clinton weighed in on President Trump's controversial comments about NFL players kneeling for the national anthem. Clinton said it is "quite telling" that Trump is "willing to attack black athletes" but not white supremacists, the Klan, or Putin. "He attacks black athletes as he did starting with his rally in Alabama. Continued on Twitter. And he attacks them for protesting peacefully for equality, for standing up for what they believe. And he does it once again to dog whistle to his base and to try to detract attention from other things that are going on. But it's quite telling...

Chicago Police Officers Discplined for Taking a Knee in Solidarity With Colin Kaepernick By Tom Porter On 9/26/17 at 5:25 AM Two Chicago police officers who kneeled alongside an activist in a social media photograph that went viral will face disciplinary action for making a political statement while in uniform, a department spokesman said. Activist Aleta Clarke posted the photo on Instagram Sunday, showing two police officers kneeling alongside her, with all three raising their fists. In her caption to the photo with the officers, Clarke, who posts on Instagram under the name @englewoodbarbie, wrote “That Moment when you walk...

Rev. Jesse Jackson said President Trump’s criticism of NFL players kneeling during the national anthem were an example of the “slave-master-servant mentality" in a interview with The New York Times. “They should all kneel, not against the flag, but against the interference by Mr. Trump with their First Amendment rights,” Jackson said. “If the cotton pickers don’t pick cotton, the industry doesn’t move; the N.F.L. and N.B.A. players don’t play the game, it doesn’t move.” Jackson’s comments follow Trump’s weekend criticism of NFL players who choose to kneel during “The Star-Spangled Banner," a protest started by quarterback Colin Kaepernick as...

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) kneeled on the House floor Monday night to show solidarity with NFL players defying President Trump to protest police brutality. Jackson Lee, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, blasted Trump for attacking NFL players who kneel during the national anthem at games to draw attention to the treatment of African Americans by law enforcement. Then she took a knee herself. "I kneel in honor of them. I kneel in front of the flag and on this floor," Jackson Lee declared. "I kneel in honor of the First Amendment. I kneel because the flag is...

Make no mistake, President Donald Trump's spat with some of the most prominent sporting stars in America is not about patriotism, or even sport. Despite his protestations, it is about race. American football is essentially a game played by black men for the entertainment of white men: 70 per cent of the top tier NFL players are African-American, 83 per cent of NFL fans are white and two-thirds of them are men. None of the multi-millionaires and billionaires who own NFL franchises are black. And while most of those black NFL players are paid handsomely, it is becoming increasingly clear...

A message for white people: I know how jarring it may be to hear a non-white person, or maybe anyone, even say the words “white people,” as it can take on a pejorative connotation. That’s fine. This isn’t always comfortable to have to say, but that doesn’t make it any less true, necessary, or timely. Before I get started, I want to be clear, this is for all white Americans. To my friend, to my foe. To my colleagues, my contemporaries, and my competitors. To the professional athlete and the pee-wee league coach. To my family members. From late night...