By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on August 27, 2019 In recent years, I have published articles on some extraordinary African-American families who have achieved remarkable success since the end of the Civil War, despite 154 years of living and working in a harsh environment of racial prejudice and discrimination. These articles featured: (a) Olivia and William Carmichael, (b) Sallie and Adam Watkins, (c) Mary and Juderson Leslie, (d) Jeraldine and Paul D. Lehman, Jr., and (e) Lucy and William Gainey, Sr., along with a host of other noteworthy African-American families. I have been studying African-American families for years. In a time when blacks are portrayed in the mainstream media as modern-day minstrels, these families embody the real strengths and values of wholesome, respected, and well-educated African-American families. While pimps, drug dealers, rappers, gang members, athletes, entertainers, effeminate black men, and Uncle Toms have been pushed to the forefront as the new role models for black America, the families I profiled truly define who African-Americans really are. I have been thinking about how little progress we have made with racial equity since the end of legally enforced racial segregation, particularly in Birmingham, Alabama (and cities like Baltimore and Chicago with predominantly black populations). Yes, we have a black mayor, a predominantly black city council, and a black congresswoman. We even had a black U.S. president for eight years. Certainly, there are more black professionals in families like the ones I profiled in my articles than there were a century ago. Overall, however, the daily lives of black Birmingham residents have shown little progress. While many observers connect the lack of progress to continued racial prejudice and/or a rise in white supremacy, the links between these attitudes and outcomes are not clear. I think other pertinent factors are at play, as well. These factors include: (a) the collapse of the Birmingham city school system from 70,000 students in the 1960s to 23,000 students as multiple suburban school districts opened in the aftermath of Brown v. Board of Education, (b) the disappearance of Birmingham’s steel industry and union jobs, (c) the rise and expansion of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, with jobs requiring technical skills, (d) the deterioration of social cohesion in black inner-city neighborhoods, (e) growing urban blight, (f) rising violence and crime, (g) single motherhood, and (h) the existence of poverty programs that provide money, food, and housing, but not real economic opportunity. As an ethnic group, African-Americans are falling behind in many aspects of American society because we no longer place a huge value on a solid educational foundation. Additionally, we are no longer driven by the need to excel in goal-setting and high levels of achievement (beyond sports and entertainment). Somehow, we have fallen into a permanent state of low expectations and low outcomes. The key to upward mobility for every immigrant group in America has been education, hard work, a competitive and fighting spirit, an expectation to excel, and strong family support. That strategy is the only way for African-Americans to achieve the American Dream and attain their proper place in our society. The family members I featured in my articles supported each other, without hesitation or reservation. They also exercised a “no excuse” and “no bullshit” approach to life and success (i.e. there is no one to blame for failure other than yourself). Some people have suggested that the children of Sallie and Adam Watkins, or Lucy and William Gainey, or Mary and Juderson Leslie, or Jeraldine and Paul Lehman, Jr. were simply gifted and talented. There is no doubt that is true. However, the reason the children in these families were successful is because they were all educated, they all worked hard, they all set high goals for themselves, and they all fought hard every day to attain their collective goals in life. A new version of prejudice and paternalism from the federal government, mainstream media, and some in the academic community provides a narrative of racial discrimination that excuses low expectations and low outcomes. This narrative portrays African-Americans as hopeless victims of perennial racial prejudice and discrimination. The media’s proffered pathway out of this deteriorating socio-economic condition is for a thousand or so blacks to become glorified minstrels who entertain Americans by singing, rapping, dancing, telling jokes, or by running, throwing, or dribbling a ball. As for the masses of African-Americans, we will continue to be isolated in urban ghettos, warehoused in prison systems across America, and/or subjected to an official policy of “benign neglect,” unless we change our ways as an ethic group. Sadly, African-Americans are the only race on the globe whose role models and leaders come from the ranks of rappers, entertainers, athletes, politicians, mega-church preachers, and Uncle Toms. While there is nobility in all work and these African-Americans are recognized as celebrities when walking through shopping malls, they do not wield any real power in America. While there is still pervasive and hardcore racial discrimination in America, as well as a rise in white nationalism, the short-term answer for the African-American community is to fight this racism with the tools of education, hard work, entrepreneurship, and perseverance. The long-term solution for African-Americans is to work with all Americans of interracial goodwill to lower the barriers to achievement by raising the educational level and socio-economic conditions in which we live, study, and work. This can and must be done. However, African-Americans must lead the way by striving toward educational excellence first. PHOTO: In the end, we all need each other. We must push ourselves to achieve and join with others to lower barriers and enhance opportunities.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on August 26, 2019 There was a Ku Klux Klan rally Saturday in Hillsborough, North Carolina in front of the local courthouse. Members of the KKK prominently displayed President Donald Trump’s infamous “Make America Great Again” slogan on their banner. Their “Yesterday, Today, Forever!” mantra reminds me of former Alabama Governor George Wallace’s “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever” political tagline. Out of curiosity, I visited the KKK website listed on the banner. I found a smorgasbord of racially derogatory statements. Among them were these profoundly ignorant and hateful expressions: 1. “Jews are Not the chosen people; Fuckin Jews, after 2,000 years, you still won’t admit you murdered Jesus” (accompanied by a caricature that is too despicable to describe in this article). 2. "If it ain't white, it ain't right." 3. “Say ‘No’ to race mixing” (accompanied by a photo of a black man talking to a white woman). 4. “Support your police: putting niggers back where they belong” (accompanied by the photo below depicting black women and men being arrested and jailed). 5. “The only thing we have found that blacks have truly created was the ‘EXCUSE’ and “let’s point the finger at the white man”; they need to look at their own people first. The ones who sold them to the Jewish slave traders of Europe who then turned around and brought them here. They should thank the whites every day for saving them from the hell that is Africa. Most would not be here today because they would have been ate by their own ancestors. They should do away with Martin Lucifer King day and black history month. And just have a let’s praise WHITEY DAY for saving them from themselves.” [Editor’s note: The grammar in this quote was corrected slightly to make it somewhat comprehensible.] Making Sense of the Revival of Racism A week ago, Jim Paloucek, a North Platte, Nebraska attorney and the former president of the North Platte school board, publicly addressed the revival in white racism by making these insightful observations: 1. When Bull Connor turned fire hoses and attack dogs on civil rights activists in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963, some aimed the hoses and urged on the dogs, some suffered the brunt of the violence, but most Americans were silent. 2. When civil rights demonstrators were brutally beaten and tear-gassed on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in 1965, some swung the billy clubs and fired the gas, some suffered the blows and choked on the smoke, but most Americans were silent. 3. History records the violence perpetrated by the villains and the courage displayed by the heroes in each of these episodes. But history also remembers the brutal truth that many, many citizens stood on the sidelines for far too long in silent complicity with that era’s betrayal of America’s creed. 4. Donald Trump has long poured racial poison into the already toxic political mire. For years, Trump questioned the nationality of America’s first black president. Trump announced his presidential campaign by labeling Mexicans crossing our nation’s southern border rapists and criminals. He proclaimed that all Muslims should be banned from entering the country. When his candidacy attracted the support of David Duke, former grand wizard of the KKK, Trump disingenuously feigned a lack of knowledge of Duke or white supremacy groups. During the campaign, Trump attacked the mother and father of a Muslim soldier who had given his life in service of this country, and he suggested that an Indiana-born federal judge could not fairly preside over Trump University litigation because of the judge’s Hispanic heritage. 5. After his election, President Trump declared that there were “fine people” among the neo-Nazis and white supremacists parading at Charlottesville in 2017. He has instituted family separations and mass imprisonment at our southern border and characterized Hispanic immigrants as “invaders” bringing infestation to our country. Trump has recently attacked four young Congresswomen of color, all of whom are American citizens. The President insists they should “go back ... to the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came.” 6. Trump’s appeals to fear and grievance, his scaremongering on immigration, and his ever-present sorting of people into groups of “us” and “them” will sooner or later settle into their well-deserved place in the dustbin of history occupied by George Wallace’s “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever” movement. What About Us? How will history record our stance during this rise in white nationalism and revival of violent white supremacy during the age of Trumpism? Will we be among the modern-day equivalent to the wielders of fire hoses and billy clubs, or the targets of those attacks, or with the cowering multitude of quiet observers too timid to speak up for America’s principles? As for me, I survived Alabama’s racial hatred and violence of the 1950s and 60s. Sadly, I am experiencing this orchestrated hatred and ugliness again. I have the skills necessary to survive this revival in racism. In the 1950s and 60s, the KKK infiltrated federal, state and local law enforcement agencies for the sole purpose of abusing African-Americans, Jews, and other people of color. Today, the KKK is using the same nefarious tactic with law enforcement agencies, with an unexpected measure of success. I have never been in the group that “turned fire hoses and attack dogs on civil rights activists.” I have never been with the “cowering multitude of quiet observers too timid to speak up for America’s principles.” I have always been among those who were on the front line and those who were targeted for our civil rights activism. Whether we admit it or not, Donald Trump has opened the floodgates for racial hatred. It is fashionable again. This time around, it is not the words of the KKK that bother me; it is the silence of my white friends that I find most troubling. PHOTO: Ku Klux Klan members staged a rally Saturday in Hillsborough, North Carolina in front of the local courthouse.

By: Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on August 25, 2019; Updated on September 3, 2022 Brigadier General Andrew C. Gainey (far left), retired Army captain William J. Gainey, Jr. (second from left), the late family matriarch, Lucy Hall Gainey (third from left), Major General Sean. A. Gainey (center), Seth Eaddy (the son of Lisa Dyanne Gainey, deceased), and Nichelle Gainey (right) attended the promotion ceremony for Gen. Sean A. Gainey in the Pentagon’s Flag Room in April of 2019. [Author's Note: Lucy Hall Gainey, the matriarch of the Gainey family, passed on August 20, 2021. As a tribute to Ms. Gainey's lifetime of outstanding achievement and positive impact on American society, I am republishing this article. As you will see below, the Gainey family is one of America's most prestigious and patriotic families. Enjoy the article.] The late William Jewell Gainey, Sr. and his wife, Lucy Hall Gainey, are not considered celebrity figures in an African-American world that glamorizes rappers, athletes, and entertainers. Within the halls of the Pentagon and international business circles, world leaders know exactly who they are. This low-key but proud couple from Columbia, South Carolina has produced a positive and lasting impact with respect to America’s national security, cultural values, and business success. William and Lucy Gainey lived a military life. William was a sergeant first class in the U.S. Army and a Vietnam War veteran. He also owned a catering business and restaurant. Lucy, a Huntsville, Alabama native who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960s, attended Spelman College in Atlanta and graduated from Columbia College in South Carolina. In high school, Lucy was valedictorian of her graduating class. William and Lucy had five children -- William J. Gainey, Jr., Sean A. Gainey, Gainey, Nichelle Gainey, Andrew C. Gainey, and Lisa Dyanne Gainey. They groomed all five children to become respected leaders in the international arena. They encouraged their children to pursue and achieve the American Dream through education and hard work. They instilled high moral character and decency in each one of them. They also taught their children how to become responsible, serious, tough, and resilient adults who stand up for what is right and just. Two of these children -- Sean and Andrew -- are generals in the U.S. Army. William and Lucy Gainey represent an impressive case study in parenting talented and gifted children for greatness in a global society. The fact that they are African-American makes me extremely proud of them. William J. Gainey, Jr. William J. Gainey, Jr. is a principal owner of JW Affinity, a premier information technology based in Marietta, Georgia. William, Jr. is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years of Information Technology (IT) and Program Management experience. His core competencies cover operations, infrastructure, and IT lifecycle management, with a demonstrated track record of being on time, within budget, and delivering results that exceed customer expectations. William, Jr. attended Alabama A&M University on a football scholarship. He was an honor student and All-America football player. Upon graduation, William, Jr. became a lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He was a top ROTC cadet in college. During William, Jr.'s military career, he was promoted to the rank of captain. He retired from the Army to pursue a career as an entrepreneur. In business, William, Jr. has earned a reputation as a creative problem solver who is adept at implementing proactive and cost-effective solutions. Whether working as an independent direct report or as a member of a team, his history of establishing and maintaining positive relationships with customers, managers, subordinates and peers has provided longevity in a sometimes-volatile IT marketplace. William Jr.’s passion originates from his success in the high-tech sector, running company-wide operational functions and leading large-scale projects, from inception to successful completion, while making/executing sound strategic decisions. As a co-owner of JW Affinity (along with his business partner Justina Casias), William, Jr. provides unparalleled IT expertise to a diverse portfolio of clients. Sean A. Gainey Sean A. Gainey is a Major General in the U.S. Army. Gen. Gainey serves as the Director of the Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office/Direct of Fires, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army in Washington, D.C. Prior to his current assignment, Gen. Gainey served as deputy director of Force Protection, J-8, at the Joint Staff in Washington. Before this assignment, Gen. Gainey was this commanding general of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Fort Shafter. He also served at Fort Bragg as the commander of the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. Gen. Sean A. Gainey graduated from Georgia Southern University in 1990 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Defense Artillery. His professional military education includes the Air Defense Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Command and General Staff College (CGSC), and Senior Service College at the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security. He holds a Bachelors in Business Administration, an MS in Personnel Management from Central Michigan University and an Master’s of Science Degree in National Security and Resource Strategy from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security. Gen. Gainey's first duty assignment was in 5th Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery, Bamberg, Germany where he served as a Chaparral/Stinger Platoon Leader, Avenger Battery Executive Officer and Assistant Operations Officer. He was then assigned to 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, Fort Bliss, Texas, where he served as an Assistant Operations Officer and Commander of Charlie Battery. While in command, he deployed his battery to Bahrain in support of Operation Southern Watch. He was then assigned to the Combat Maneuver Training Center, Hohenfels, Germany where he served as an Air Defense Artillery Observer Controller and G3 Plans Officer. He was later assigned to 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery where he served as the Battalion Executive Officer and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Gen. Gainey then served as the Brigade Operations Officer for 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. Gen. Gainey was then assigned to the United States Army Human Resources Command, Alexandria, Virginia, where he served as the Lieutenant Colonel Assignment Officer and Executive Officer to the Director of Officer Personnel Management Directorate. He commanded 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery, Kaiserslautern, Germany. While in command, he deployed his battalion in support of Joint Task Force East. Following command, he served as the Chief of Air and Missile Defense Division, United States Army Europe. Gen. Gainey commanded the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Bragg, NC. During his command, Sean Gainey deployed his brigade in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Following this command, he served as the Chief, Global Force Management Division, Joint Staff, J3, Joint Operations Division. General Gainey's previous assignment was as the Deputy Commanding General for the United States Army Cadet Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky. Gen. Gainey’s awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (w/4 OLCs), Army Commendation Medal (w/3 OLCs), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal (w/1 OLC), Air Force Achievement Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation, and Parachutist Badge. Nichelle Gainey Nichelle Gainey is a well-known international businesswoman. She has an extensive background in electronic media, multimedia platforms, international professional sports, and artificial intelligence and sports biometrics. Nichelle is the founder, chairman and chief executive office of SilverStone International, LLC, a global sports management and entertainment consulting firm. SilverStone integrates an unrivaled level of experience, leadership, infrastructure, innovation, and dedication to global sports in multimedia platforms. Nichelle was raised in Europe and is fluent in German. She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from AA&MU and an advanced degree in chemistry from Florida State University. Nichelle now serves as a trustee at AA&MU, which is one of the largest producers of STEM cell research in the United States. In 2009, Nichelle was ranked top “20 of Most Influential Business Women in America.” Nichelle serves as a strategic advisor to the physicians at Comprehensive Orthopaedic Global (COG), which has innovative patents in Sports Biometrics. She is a former member of the Candidature Board of Directors for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and Paralympics Summer Games. Nichelle is a former chemistry professor, academic researcher, and pioneer in entrepreneurship for women of color. Her interdisciplinary skills and multimedia experience have produced dynamic economic value for several Fortune 500 companies. Andrew C. Gainey Andrew C. Gainey is a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army. He is the Deputy Commanding General-Operations - 3rd French Division in France, a position Gen. Gainey has held since July 2022. Prior this his current assignment, Gen. Gainey served as a Special Assistant to the Director of the Army Staff (Student) from February to July 2022 and Deputy Commanding General -Maneuver, 1st Infantry Division, from June 2020 to July 2022. From June 2019 to June 2020, Gen. Gainey served as the executive officer for the 37th Vice Chief of Staff for the Army. Prior to this assignment, Gen. Gainey was a Senior Military Assistant in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense, the Brigade Commander for the 17th Field Artillery Brigade, a Military Assistant in the Immediate Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Battalion Commander for the 1-7 Field Artillery, 2BCT, 1st Infantry Division. While commanding the 17th Field Artillery Brigade, Gen. Andrew Gainey served in a dual capacity as the commander for 17th FA Bde and the I Corps Fires Support Coordinator. He led the integration of the 17th FA Bde staff with the fire support staff of "America's Corps" formalizing the relationship for the first time. He also led the Brigade and I Corps fire support cell through combined, joint exercises Yama Sakura 69 and 71, Talisman Saber 15 and 17, and Ulchi Freedom Guardian 15 and 16. These exercises were paramount to increasing interoperability with key allies in Australia, Japan, and Korea. Also, Gen. Gainey oversaw the execution of the Reduced Range Practice Rocket noise test; the first training event in which rockets were fired on Joint-Base Lewis McChord. He also deployed both HIMARS Battalions in support of Central Command operations. Thunderbolt troopers fired over 600 precision munitions, eliminating numerous enemy facilities, vehicles, and equipment Gen. Gainey graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1992. He graduated from the Marines Corps War College in 2015 with a Master’s Degree in Military Strategic Studies. He also received a Master’s Degree in Adult and Continuing Administration Education from Kansas State University in 2004. Lisa Dyanne Gainey Lisa Dyanne Gainey, who died from great cancer on March 1, 2012, was born in Frankfurt, Germany. Lisa was a graduate of Richland Northeast High School in Columbia, South Carolina. She later graduated with a degree in Business Management from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and received a Master’s Degree in Human Resources from Webster University. At the time of her passing, Lisa was employed as a Senior Human Resources Manager for The Home Depot Corporation in Atlanta, Georgia. Lisa had a mastery of business and finance. When she gave gifts to family members, it was usually valuable stock certificates in growing businesses. She was a wonderful asset to her entire family. Lisa is survived by her husband, Charlie J. Eaddy, Jr. and their son, Seth William Eaddy. On March 1, 2015, exactly three years after Lisa' death, the Gainey family started the Lisa Gainey Eaddy Endowed Scholarship, which is managed by Florida A&M University. The endowment has been added to the FAMU Foundation online scholarship listing and is tax deductible. Epilogue The Gainey family’s collective body of achievements in America goes far beyond what I have written in this article. They have always put America first. This family is America’s flagbearer all over the world. Through dedicated and dignified service to the nation in the military arena and international business world, the Gainey family keeps us safe and serves America's national interests. This family has earned the respect and admiration of a grateful nation. The Gainey family is filled with genuine America heroes who lead us on the world stage. I salute and thank each member of this family. They are true American patriots. RELATED PHOTOS: The late Lucy Hall Gainey (center), with son William J. Gainey, Jr. (far left), daughter Nichelle Gainey (left), and General Sean A. Gainey (second from right), and Gen. Andrew C. Gainey (right). Former United States Secretary of State and four-star general Colin Powell (center) introduced Major General Sean A. Gainey (left) at a recent military event. In August of 2016, Major General Sean Gainey took command of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Fort Shafter in Hawaii. U.S. Army Brigadier General Andrew C. Gainey, left, and Lt. Col. Jeffery Ramsey, right, share a laugh during security talks with Iraqi police Maj. Gen. Emad Faris, at Joint Security Station Loyalty, Iraq, July 12, 2011. Gainey was commander and Ramsey was a stability transition team chief, both with 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division-Center, and Maj. Gen. Faris was commander of the 1st Iraqi Federal Police Division.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on August 19, 2019 Those who know me on a personal level fully understand my admiration for truly great men and women. It is a product of my childhood, as my father (Dr. Levi Watkins, Sr.) and mother (Mrs. Lillian Bernice Varnado Watkins) were my best friends, personal heroes, and the yardstick by which I measure every man and woman. In an age of guided missiles and misguided men, I never thought I would meet another man whom I admired and respected as much as my own father and paternal grandfather. That view changed in June of 2015 when I met Mr. Juderson Leslie. He is the father of my girlfriend, Angela Leslie. Prior to meeting Mr. Leslie, my father and his father, Adam Watkins, were the giants among a select class of men whom I admired and respected the most. Daddy took great care of my mother and their six children. Granddaddy Watkins took care of his wife Sallie Emma and their eight children. He also showed my father how to be a strong and independent man. These two men protected their large families and provided for their needs during the sweltering heat of suffocating racial prejudice and discrimination in the Deep South. Juderson Leslie has now joined this select class of giants among African-American men. His story is simply incredible. I first wrote about Mr. Leslie in a November 26, 2017 article titled, “My Trip to Dawes Road: The Incredible Story of Mary and Juderson Leslie.” Since then, I have learned so much more about this remarkable man. Juderson Leslie has taken fatherhood and manhood to a whole new level. Juderson Leslie, who is 93-years-old today, was the eleventh of twelve children born to Eliza Jane Robinson and Roy Leslie in Monroeville, Alabama. He attended the “colored” schools in Monroeville and progressed to the tenth grade in his formal education. Juderson Leslie joined the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and served America overseas in a racially segregated military unit. After the war ended, Mr. Leslie returned home to Monroeville. He then met and wooed a beautiful young woman named Mary Charles, who was also a Monroeville native. After a short courtship, the couple became engaged and later married. During the course of their marriage, Juderson and Mary Leslie had eleven children. They raised and educated each one of them to become highly successful and productive members of society. What places Juderson Leslie in the same class as my daddy and granddaddy Adam Watkins is this important factor: He took great care of his large family and raised his eleven children to become leaders in society at a time when racial prejudice and discrimination against African-Americans ruled the national landscape. My daddy accomplished this remarkable feat while serving as a principal at a junior high school for “colored students” in Parsons, Kansas during the 1940s and as a college president at universities in Tennessee, Alabama and Texas from the 1950s to the 1980s. During this period, daddy (along with my mother) provided my siblings and me with the safest and most conducive home environment for learning and our personal growth as human beings. Granddaddy Adam Watkins owned a plumbing company in Clarksville, Tennessee during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. He also performed steam fitting and carpentry work. Adam Watkins used his skilled hands, strong work ethic, keen mind, entrepreneurial spirit, and devotion to his family to provide the household income necessary to feed, clothed, educate, and provide a loving home for his eight children (one of whom died in infancy). In the early 1960s, Juderson Leslie started a home construction and renovation business in the Dawes community of Mobile County, Alabama. Mr. Leslie took manhood a leap further than Levi Watkins, Sr. and Adam Watkins by providing his eleven children with a wholesome environment for nurturing their personal growth and educating their brilliant minds. This endeavor ramped up in 1964 when Juderson Leslie built an elegant home for his family on Dawes Road on a scenic, multi-acre site that was adjacent to his brother Nelson Leslie’s 10-acre horse farm. Juderson Leslie built this immaculate, five-bedroom home with his own hands. It was a labor of love for the family he adored. The Leslie family home is just as beautiful and structurally sound today as it was when Juderson Leslie built it five decades ago. A large garden is also located on the property where Mr. Leslie grew fruits and vegetables for his family. Additionally, Mr. Leslie owned a plot of land directly across the street from his home where he raised cattle for his family’s needs and to sell to local meat buyers. The Leslie family home was a remarkable incubator for the development of class and character for a little-known but highly successful and truly inspirational African-American family. Even though Juderson Leslie worked from sunrise to sundown to feed, clothed, educate, and provide a loving home for his eleven children, he found time to nurture his parental relationship with each one of them. All of them adore him. The family values that Juderson and Mary Leslie instilled in their eleven children have been successfully passed down to their grandchildren, who are engineers, lawyers, corporate executives, educators, entrepreneurs, senior management government employees, insurance and finance executives, and post-doctoral interns. I salute Mr. Juderson Leslie for being a giant among men and a wonderful father to his eleven children. The positive impact of what he accomplished on Dawes Road will live in the hearts and minds of Americans forever. PHOTO: Mr. Juderson Leslie, with daughters Angela (left) and Tyra (right). PHOTO: The Leslie Family Portrait (circa 1988). Juderson Leslie (second row, center) proudly stands with his wife Mary (second row, third from the left) and their eleven children. This is manhood at its best.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on August 10, 2019 On April 15, 2019, the New Jersey Department of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP) released an analysis of domestic terrorism in the United States for 2018. This information was shared with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies across the country. There were 32 domestic terrorist attacks, disrupted plots, threats of violence, and weapons stockpiling by individuals with a radical political or social agenda who lack direction or influence from foreign terrorist organizations in 2018. NJOHSP defines domestic terrorism as violence committed by individuals or groups—including anti-government, race-based, religious, and single-issue extremist ideologies—associated primarily with US-based movements. As expected, white supremacists were responsible for all race-based domestic terrorism incidents in 2018. They account for 25 of the 46 individuals involved in 32 different domestic terrorism incidents. Check out the analysis. It is extremely disturbing, especially in light of last week's targeting and execution of 22 Mexicans and Hispanic-Americans in El Paso, Texas by a white supremacist. PHOTO: The New Jersey Department of Homeland Security and Preparedness's analysis of domestic terrorism in the United States for 2018. The analysis was released to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies on April 15, 2019. As expected, white supremacists were responsible for all race-based domestic terrorism incidents in 2018.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on August 9, 2019 This photo breaks my heart. The little girl in the photo broke down crying at school after her parents were arrested Wednesday by ICE officials while working at a chicken processing plant in Mississippi. No government or national leader should ever inflict this kind of emotional pain and suffering upon an innocent child. I know one thing from the history of "evil" in the world -- God has a way of dealing with powerful despots who trample humanity in the name of building a "great" empire. I wrote about this subject on October 14, 2018 in an article titled, “Despots Don’t Last Long.” I highlighted the end of three of history’s most famous despots. On April 30, 1945, German Führer Adolf Hitler died after taking cyanide pills and shooting himself in the head. On April 28, 1945, Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini was shot by a firing squad and then publicly hung by his feet in a suburban square in Milan, Italy. On December 30, 2006, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging. All three men were despots who rose to power by standing on the necks of people they demonized and persecuted. All three men maintained their grip on power through a non-stop campaign of fear, hatred, and terror. To many of their countrymen/women, these three despots seemed invincible during their reign of power. Most of their citizens turned a blind eye to the brutality and mayhem these men inflicted upon the innocent men, women, and children who were targeted for persecution and death. A cult of diehard followers actively supported their narrow-minded agendas of fascism, white supremacy, sexism, homophobic behavior, and/or religious intolerance. Nobody working on the inside of their administrations dared to criticize these despots for fear of reprisals, or worse. In public, everybody bowed down to these men. In cabinet meetings, government ministers regularly and lavishly praised them. As is always the case with despots, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Saddam Hussein overreached in their quest to cement their stranglehold on power. They made enemies out of people and countries that had been allies. They lied to their countrymen/women with impunity. They undermined institutions of government that once enjoyed popular support. Their inhumanity to perceived “enemies of the state” knew no bounds. Finally, their arrogance, narcissism, and ruthlessness became unbearable to friends and foes alike. Soon, these despots could trust no one. When they reached this tipping point, it was the beginning of the end for each man. I Predict Divine Intervention Will Stop Donald Trump's Madness In 2015, I predicted Donald Trump’s election as the 45th President of the United States two weeks after he announced his candidacy for the job. I was right. After Trump became President, a majority of Americans began to see him for who and what he is -- a self-centered, narcissistic, chauvinistic, xenophobic, homophobic, TV hungry, love-starved, paranoid bully and despot who spews hatred toward women, Muslims, gays, undocumented immigrants and their children, physically-challenged Americans, Gold Star military families, Vietnam war heroes, former cabinet members and White House staffers, media organizations, and people of color with a vengeance unbefitting of an American president. After last Sunday's racially motivated massacre of 22 Mexicans and Hispanic Americans in El Paso, Texas, Nebraska State Senator John S. McCollister, a lifelong Republican, posted this statement about President Trump on his Facebook page, "We have a Republican president who continually stokes racist fears in his base. He calls certain countries 'sh*tholes,' tells women of color to 'go back' to where they came from and lies more than he tells the truth." When it comes to spewing racial hatred, Donald Trump is today’s version of former Alabama Governor George Wallace. Yes, the 1963 version of Wallace has finally made it to the White House with his much touted white supremacy agenda intact. In 1963, I watched George Wallace stand in the door to Foster Auditorium on the campus of The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa to block the admission of two African-American students. I also watched the aftermath of the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham that killed four little girls during the Sunday School hour. During this dark period in American history, the political crowds in Alabama cheered Wallace’s hate speech. Today, way too many of Donald Trump’s supporters cheer the President’s denigration of people of color, whether American citizens or migrants. In 1963, Wallace basked in his popularity among segregationists. Today, Trump is basking in his popularity among right-wing conservatives and white nationalist groups. During his first term as governor, Wallace was revered by white nationalists. Trump is revered by them today. Wallace’s hate speech incited racial violence in Alabama. Trump’s hate speech is far more incendiary than Wallace’s expression of hatred and it incites violence throughout America. Innocent men, women, and children died in Alabama as a result of Wallace’s hate speech. They are dying across America because of Trump’s hate speech. Wallace believed he could incite violence with his hate speech and later wash his hands of the death and violence that ensued when some of his deranged supporters inflicted unimaginable pain and suffering upon innocent people. Trump shares the same warped belief. In 1968, I watched God transform George Wallace from the powerful man who stood in the schoolhouse door into a wheelchair-bound paraplegic who suffered excruciating pain every day for the rest of his life. God never allowed George Wallace to stand up again. Wallace’s suffering was so great that medication did not provide him any measure of relief. Today, I am predicting that Divine Intervention will stop Donald Trump from continuing to inflict needless pain and suffering upon hundreds of innocent young children in Mississippi like the girl in this photo and the thousands of children who have been separated from their parents and placed in detention camps along the Southern border. I do not think God will be interested in Trump’s political explanation for his infliction of pain and suffering upon these innocent children. Whatever God has in store for Trump will be far greater than the agony Trump has inflected upon these innocent children. Like George Wallace, Donald Trump will beg God for mercy. God will remind Trump of this passage in Matthew 25:40: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Then God will say to Trump: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” With that, Donald J. Trump will join the ranks of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Saddam Hussein, and the world’s other disgraced despots who found a permanent home in Hell. They all wind up there. Like George Wallace, Trump has placed a badge of shame on his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren for generations to come. Nothing will wash away this shame. PHOTO: The little girl in this photo cried as she waited at school for her parents, who were arrested Wednesday by ICE officials while working at a chicken processing plant in Mississippi.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on August 7, 2019 On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously declared America’s independence from Great Britain in the Declaration of Independence. On that day, Congress declared: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…..”. Among the grievances the Colonies lodged against the King of England was this one: “He has excited domestic Insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Destruction, of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions.” To be clear, the European settlers in the Continental Congress formally designated Native Americans as “merciless Indian Savages.” Between the late 1500s and 1880, the Native American population of 60 million people was reduced to less than 306,000 by slaughtering these “Savages” and starving millions of them to death. Eleven years after the Declaration of Independence, Congress pronounced that enslaved blacks in a state would be counted as three-fifths of the number of white inhabitants of that state for purposes of representation in Congress. This provision is found in Article I, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution of 1787. It declared that the slavery states would get extra representation in Congress for their slaves, even though those states treated slaves purely as “property.” Even cherished patriots like Thomas Jefferson owned hundreds of slaves and spoke of the need to “eliminate” or “extirpate” Native Americans. In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford that blacks in America – whether freed or slaves – "had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.” In short, America’s early settlers and European colonists denied and seized the rights, property and lives of tens of millions of persons of color. Racism in America’s Early Immigration and Naturalization Laws America’s immigration policies have been laced with racism since the Naturalization Act of 1790, which limited citizenship in America to "any alien, being a free white person.” In effect, the Act left out indentured servants, slaves, and most women. The Naturalization Act of 1870, which was enacted by Congress during the Post-Civil War Reconstruction Era, extended the naturalization process to "aliens of African nativity and to persons of African descent." Other non-whites, including Native Americans, remained excluded from naturalization, as mandated in the Naturalization Act of 1790. The Page Act of 1875 was the first federal law that prohibited the entry of immigrants who were deemed to be “undesirable.” These “undesirables” included migrants or contract workers from Asia (i.e., China, Japan, and any oriental country). The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 restricted immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years, prohibited Chinese naturalization, and provided deportation procedures for illegal Chinese. This law was race-based on its face. The Geary Act of 1892 extended and strengthened the Chinese Exclusion Act. The Immigration Act of 1917 further restricted immigration from countries in the Asia-Pacific Zone (i.e., the "Asiatic Barred Zone") and introduced a reading test for all immigrants over sixteen years of age, with certain exceptions for children, wives, and elderly family members. The Emergency Quota Act of 1921limited the number of immigrants a year from any country to 3% of those already in the United States from that country, as per the 1910 census. Many white Europeans were able to fleece this system by simply migrating to Canada or Mexico and subsequently slipping into the United States illegally from these bordering countries. The Immigration Act of 1924 established permanent numerical limits on immigration and began a national-original quota system. Immigrants from non-quota nations, notably those contiguous to the United States, only had to prove their residence in that country of origin for at least two years prior to emigration to the United States. Migrants from Asian nations were still excluded but exceptions existed for professionals, clergy, and students to obtain visas. In the 1930s, federal immigration officials reportedly rounded up and deported more than 400,000 native born Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, many of whom were children and U.S. citizens. The Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943 repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and permitted Chinese nationals already in the country to become naturalized citizens. However, only 105 new Chinese immigrants were allowed into America each year. In 1954, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service implemented “Operation Wetback” to roundup and deport undocumented immigrants in selected areas of California, Arizona, and Texas along the border. The U.S. Border Patrol later reported that more than 1.3 million people were deported or had left the United States voluntarily under the threat of deportation in 1954. Of course, “Wetback” is a racially derogatory term for a person of Hispanic descent. Undocumented white Europeans who entered the United States from Mexico were not targeted for roundup and deportation in “Operation Wetback.” The Hart-Celler Act of 1965 repealed the national-origin quotas. The Act also (a) initiated a visa system for family reunification and skills, (b) set a quota for Western Hemisphere immigration, and (c) set a 20,000-immigrant country limit for Eastern Hemisphere migrants. The Vestiges of Embedded Racism Are Present in American Society Today Designating Native Americans as “merciless Indian Savages” in the Declaration of Independence cleared the way for white Americans to demean, degrade, and annihilate tens of millions of indigenous Americans between the late 1500s and 1880. Counting black slaves as three-fifths of a man in the U.S. Constitution of 1787 reinforced the notion that slaves were the “property” of white men. In 1857, the Dred Scott case made it clear that blacks in America "had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.” From the Naturalization Act of 1790 to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, to the Emergency Quota Act of 1921, U.S. immigration laws and policies have shaped white America’s view of who is and who is not supposed to reside in the country and/or become an American citizen. Today, America is open to white European immigrants and is essentially closed to migrants of color. Throughout his campaign and presidency, Donald Trump painted migrants of color -- men, women and children -- as “thugs," “drug-dealers," “rapists,” “murderers,” and “gang members.” He has labeled their places of national origin as “shithole countries.” Last month, President Trump told four U.S. Congresswomen of color to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which [you] came." All four women are U.S. citizens. Three of them were born in the United States. The fourth one is a naturalized citizen just like Trump's paternal grand parents, mother, wife and her parents. America’s perpetual demonization and dehumanization of Native Americans, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and migrants of color have made them “undesirables” for hundreds of years. Unfortunately, the vestiges of official racism still drive government policies, particularly with respect to America’s immigration policies. PHOTO: On December 29, 1890, 300 Sioux Natives were slaughtered at Wounded Knee by the US 7th Cavalry to make way for gold mining in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on August 6, 2019 After just one mass shooting, New Zealand’s Parliament voted 119-1 on April 10, 2019 to ban most semiautomatic weapons and assault rifles in the country. The decisive action was taken one month after a white supremacist killed 50 worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. In America, national and state political leaders react to mass shootings by offering “thoughts and prayers” or “prayers and condolences.” Then, it is back to political business as usual. It does not matter how many people are killed in these mass shootings, or who is killed. Washington will not curb easy access to the military-style assault rifles and semiautomatic weapons used in these mass murders whether the victims are small elementary school children, high school students, university students, movie-goers, night club patrons, concert attendees, church worshippers, synagogue worshippers, Walmart shoppers, military base personnel, workplace employees, or anybody else. The gun lobby in the U.S., particularly the National Rifle Association, completely controls these politicians. State and national politicians profess to be “pro-life” when discussing the protection of a fetus in the mother’s womb. Yet, they are unwilling to take any action to protect innocent lives from the homegrown domestic terrorists who commit mass murders in America on a daily basis. Thirty-one innocent men, women, and children were murdered in acts of domestic terrorism in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio on Saturday and Sunday. Another fifty-one were seriously injured in these shooting incidents. As of Aug. 5, which was the 217th day of the year, there had been 255 mass shootings in the U.S., according to data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which tracks every mass shooting in the country. The GVA defines a mass shooting as any incident in which at least four people were shot, excluding the shooter. Before the El Paso attack, the deadliest mass shooting of 2019 happened in a municipal building in Virginia Beach, where a former city employee killed 12 people and injured four. The last time the mass shooting toll topped days of the year was 2016, which had 382 mass shootings — the most in any year since the Gun Violence Archive started keeping track. The past two years came close, with 346 mass shootings in 2017 and 340 in 2018. The NRA’s Stranglehold on Politicians in Washington The swift reaction to a mass shooting in New Zealand is something that is not possible in the U.S., which has not passed any significant changes to federal gun laws since the 1990s. That’s not because stricter gun policies are unpopular in America. According to Pew Research Center surveys, most people in the U.S. support universal background checks, a federal database to track gun sales, bans on assault-style weapons, and bans on high-capacity magazines. Instead, the fate of gun control legislation in the U.S. is controlled by the NRA, the single most powerful organization in the U.S.’s gun control debate. With a direct link to millions of members, the NRA can rally American gun owners to call members of Congress and protest against any proposal to restrict guns. Politicians often succumb to the NRA's political pressure to kill gun control legislation. Conservative politicians covet their NRA rating on the protection of gun ownership rights. They often appear in campaign ads either carrying a gun, or shooting a gun, and or sitting with a rifle across their lap. As pictured below, Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz posed with an assault rifle in one of his 2018 campaign ads. Cruz's pose is strikingly similar to the one captured on videotape of Patrick Crusius, the El Paso shooter. The only time in American history when the NRA supported strict gun control was in 1967 when about 30 armed members of the Black Panther Party staged a peaceful protest at the California State Capitol. The photos of armed Black Panthers openly carry rifles and other weapons frightened white politicians in California and across America. This event helped to pass the Mulford Act of 1967, a California state law prohibiting the open carry of loaded firearms, along with an addendum prohibiting loaded firearms in the state Capitol. It also gave Congress the impetus it needed to pass the Gun Control Act of 1968, which adopted new laws prohibiting certain people from owning guns, providing for beefed up licensing and inspections of gun dealers and restricting the importation of cheap Saturday night specials [pocket pistols] that were popular in some urban communities. California’s Mulford Act and the Gun Control Act of 1968 were aimed at restricting gun ownership rights in the African-American community amid growing racial tensions in the 1960s. Nothing Will Happen Beyond Offering “Thoughts and Prayers” President Donald Trump will visit El Paso and Dayton to console the families of the shooting victims. He will again offer “thoughts and prayers” in a staged political event. Unlike New Zealand, Trump and his Republican-controlled Senate will take no action to ban the kind of semiautomatic weapons and assault rifles that are used in America’s mass murders of innocent men, women, and children. Instead, more Americans will die in the next mass murder, and the one after that. On this issue, “pro-life” Republicans are self-centered hypocrites and political cowards. In a “do-nothing” political environment, it’s just a matter of time before someone Republicans truly care about becomes the next victim of a mass murder at an elementary school, high school, university, church, synagogue, movie theater, concert, hotel, baseball game, night club, shopping mall, workplace, or another “soft target.” PHOTO: El Paso, Texas mass murderer Patrick Crusius is captured on videotape as he starts his killing spree. PHOTO; Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz poses with an assault rifle in a 2018 campaign ad. The ad is real, but Cruz's courage as a man is fake. Donald Trump proved this point when he openly insulted Cruz's wife during the 2016 Republican Presidential debates and Cruz did nothing to protect her honor or name.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on August 4, 2019 Yesterday, America re-entered the twilight zone of deadly racial hatred. As a nation, we have been here before in the 1910, 20s and 30s. We drifted back again in 2017 and 2018. We are back in this twilight zone, again. The incident in El Paso, Texas took us there. A 21-year-old-white shooter, who said he was leading the fight to reclaim his country from destruction, targeted and killed twenty Hispanic-Americans. His shooting spree injured another twenty-six victims. Yesterday's mass murder of twenty Walmart shoppers in El Paso, Texas has left me numb. It was a hate crime, plain and simple. The shooter posted a manifesto titled, "The Inconvenient Truth," on an extremist website shortly before his killing spree to explain why it is necessary to murder innocent Hispanic-Americans. He views himself as some sort of patriot for summarily executing these victims with an AK47 assault rifle. I have reprinted the killer’s manifesto so you can read it for yourself and decide whether it echoes the messages of hatred that are gushing out of today's toxic political fountain in Washington. Sadly, I believe there are plenty of misguided Americans who think just like this killer and who will likely follow in his footsteps. As a nation, we have learned nothing from Adolf Hitler’s demonization of German Jews, Black Germans, Gays, and Gypsies. The “good” Germans tacitly supported Hitler’s reign of terror largely because he (a) made the trains run on time, (b) ran an efficient national government, and (c) grew the German economy. These "good" German citizens conveniently looked the other way while the Nazi's slaughtered six million fellow human beings in an effort to "purify" Germany. When George Wallace ran for governor of Alabama in 1958, he said, “I want to tell the good people of this state as a judge of the 3rd Judicial Circuit, if I didn’t have what it took to treat a man fair regardless of his color, then I don’t have what it takes to be the governor of your great state.” Wallace was soundly defeated in the election by segregationist John Patterson. After his defeat, Wallace said, “I was out-niggered by John Patterson. And I'll tell you here and now, I will never be out-niggered again.” Wallace made good on his promise. He ran for governor again in 1962, and won. Wallace's campaign was dripping with overt racial themes. During his reign as governor, innocent children were murdered while worshipping in church, civil rights activist were killed while engaging in non-violent demonstrations, and thousands of protesters were senselessly beaten in Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma, Anniston and elsewhere in Alabama for simply asking to be treated with dignity and respect as human beings. Today, the reckless political rhetoric in Washington in the immigration debate has unleashed a bottled-up racial hatred that surpasses anything George Wallace ever fermented during the 1960s. There is a new apostle of hatred and divisiveness in America, and he sits in the White House. Because of the national stature of his public office and his complete lack of character, this man is far more dangerous than George Wallace. Like Wallace, this braggadocious and narcissistic hater revels in the adoration of the dangerous extremist groups who support him. I fear that those of us who are minorities in American are hopelessly trapped in a twilight zone of hatred that far exceeds anything I ever witnessed or experienced during George Wallace’s heyday of church bombings, the murder of civil rights activists, and the widespread beatings of non-violent protestors by Ku Klux Klan members and police officers alike. This zone of hatred was recently evidenced in 2017 when fascism was on full display in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was confirmed on October 27, 2018 by the massacre of Jewish worshipers at the Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation in Pittsburgh that killed eleven people and injured seven more. This synagogue massacre was the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the United States. Yesterday, this zone of hatred became a tragic fact of life for minorities in El Paso. For the first time in the history of America, minority groups appear to be truly alone, unprotected, and under attack by the political rhetoric coming out of Washington and the violence of white extremists. As a nation, we are in deep trouble. Mass murders committed by white nationalist will likely continue and increase in numbers. The domestic jihad waged by homegrown terrorists who target and kill minorities is spiraling out of controlled. We do not have national leadership that is committed to stopping this violence. PHOTOS: Mass murderer Patrick Crusius' Manifesto, posted on August 3, 2019.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on August 1, 2019 Last week, President Donald J. Trump called Baltimore, Maryland a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" where “no human being would want to live.” The President also accused U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings' Congressional district in Baltimore of stealing or wasting "billions of dollars." Cummings is a Democrat and an African-American. Yesterday, Housing Secretary Ben Carson, the lone African-American Cabinet Secretary compared Baltimore to a cancer patient wearing a "nice suit." He said the city has serious problems, including buildings with mold, lead and rodent infestation, which can cause serious health problems in children. One of the biggest “slumlords” in Baltimore is Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, whose family real estate firm owns 9,000 rental units across 17 complexes in and around the metro-Baltimore area. Many of the Kushner apartment complexes are infested with rats and rodents. The Kushner properties generate at least $90 million in revenue annually. In 2017, the county officials reported some 200 housing code violations in apartments owned by the Kushner family in one year alone. Setting aside the political sparring between Republicans and Democrats on this issue, the debate about Baltimore and similarly-situated predominantly black cities across America has focused the nation’s attention on the enduring failure of local government officials in these municipalities to deliver basic city services to their taxpaying political constituents. These services include: (a) providing a safe and clean water supply, (b) providing reliable and efficient sewage collection, waste disposal, refuse removal, (c) strictly enforcing housing, building, and vacant property code compliance, (d) providing adequate fire and police protection, (e) paving municipal streets and roads, constructing proper curbs and gutters, and managing storm water drainage, (f) providing adequate street lighting, and (g) providing and maintaining clean and safe municipal parks and recreational facilities. The delivery of basic city services is a local government function, not a U.S. Presidential duty or Congressional responsibility. In today’s contentious and racially inflammatory political environment where throwing spitballs filled with hatred is the order of the day, the lines of federal, state, and local government authority and responsibilities often become blurred. I have publicly condemned the failure of local government leadership on many occasions. My criticism of local elected officials is based on a comparison between what's happening today in majority black local governments and what my black colleagues on the Montgomery, Alabama city council were able to accomplish from 1979 to 1983 for our predominantly black council districts in the ultra-conservative, predominantly white political environment where we constituted only four out of nine council members. Remember, Montgomery was then, and is now, the “Cradle of the Confederacy” and “Heart of Dixie.” From a minority political position, we: (a) ended the city’s debtor’s court operation that targeted and imprisoned black citizens who could not afford to pay their traffic tickets; (b) curtailed police brutality; (c) promoted economic empowerment; (d) applied for, received, and deployed millions of dollars in federal and state grant money that was used to revitalize the poorest sections in our council districts; (e) desegregated city boards and agencies; (f) increased school funding, improved facilities, added academic programs, and enhanced accountability in neighborhood schools; (g) passed a fair council redistricting plan after successfully objecting to the Mayor’s gerrymandered redistricting plan; (h) made it possible for ordinary citizens to address the city council without pre-screening barriers and procedural roadblocks that were designed to suppress their participation in the governance process; (i) researched municipal problems and issued written reports to the city government and other agencies; (j) found jobs and contracts for our constituents; and, (k) made sure that basic city services were delivered on an equal basis to all council districts. We accomplished all of these things in the face of massive resistance to the progress we sought. Just imagine what we could have accomplished if my colleagues and I had applied our knowledge of local government, work ethic, and commitment to our political constituents in one of today’s predominantly black urban governments. We would not be talking about slumlords, rats and rodents. We would be talking about: (a) economic empowerment zones, (b) competition for global business relocation opportunities, (c) high school graduation rates that everybody can be proud of, (d) clean and safe neighborhoods in every council district, (e) aggressive and effective community policing, (f) infrastructure improvements in each neighborhood, (g) community reinvestment by banks and regulated financial institutions, and (h) many other quality of life enhancements that revitalize a city. The Uniontown Example Offers Hope If a predominantly black city is dying today, it is because the city’s elected officials are lazy or incompetent, or both. My experience in Uniontown, Alabama (pop.2,133 in 1970 census) explains why. In 1974, I became the city attorney for the small city of Uniontown, which is one the poorest areas in the Black Belt. I served Andrew Hayden, the city’s first black mayor. Hayden was the first African-American elected to the Uniontown city council in 1968. In 1972, Hayden ran for mayor in a hotly contested race and won. The day before Mayor Hayden took his oath of office, all of the city’s white department heads and officials quit. The only white official who stayed on and worked with Mayor Hayden was Larry Tate, the chairman of Uniontown’s Industrial Development Authority and the president of the Central Bank branch in town. Before leaving, these city officials spent every dollar in the city’s bank account and left a note for Mayor Hayden that had one penny taped to it. The note, which was written on a 3” x 5” index card, said the penny belonged to a man who was the town’s well-known “drunk.” From that challenging beginning, Mayor Hayden and his new administration worked hard to rebuild the city through state and federal grants and the attraction of new industries to Uniontown. We applied for and received the first Urban Development Action Grant ever issued in Alabama. We added police officers and expanded the police force; we built a new park with a safe and clean swimming pool; we built a new City Hall; we built a new fire station; we cleaned up all of the city’s neighborhoods; we literally ran violent criminals and gang members out of town; we strictly enforced housing and building codes; we offered “before and after school” care programs for school-age children; we gave a preference on the award of municipal contracts to local businesses; and we instilled and nurtured a spirit of community pride in the city. Andrew Hayden won six terms in office and served as mayor of Uniontown for 24 years. I served as his city attorney until he left the mayor’s office. Hayden also served two terms in the state legislature representing House District 72. His passion for public service and his ability to get things done made him a beloved and respected figure throughout his community and state. Trump's Racism Diverts Attention from the Real Problem in Baltimore I firmly believe that President Donald Trump is a racist. His father was a hardcore racist. His grandfather, who emigrated from Kallstadt, Germany to the United States at age 16 in 1885, came to America with racist views. Racism is all that Donald Trump knows. Last month, Joe Kaeser, the CEO of German industrial giant Siemens, sharply criticized President Donald Trump attacking four Congresswomen of color by telling them to “go back” to where they came from. The women -- Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib -- are American citizens. Kaeser, whose company employs more than 50,000 people in the U.S. and has 60 manufacturing, digital and R & D locations in the country, posted this tweet about the Trump presidency, “It saddens me that the most important political office in the world is becoming the face of racism and exclusion.” My mother always told me, “When people show you who they are, believe them.” Trump has shown me who he is, and I believe him. Even though Donald Trump is "dyed-in-the-wool, unapologetic racist," I will not allow his racism to divert attention from the perennial failure of Baltimore city officials to deliver the basic city services their taxpaying political constituents deserve. There is absolutely no excuse today for the urban blight and decay in Baltimore and other large, predominantly black cities in America. The place to start in cleaning up Baltimore is with a strict enforcement of the city’s housing code for the Kushner rental properties located within the city limits. If city officials take on one of the biggest “slumlords” in town, they will send a powerful message to all of the others. PHOTO: Urban blight in Baltimore, Maryland. Is this the result of President Donald Trump's racism or a failure of leadership in Baltimore's city government?

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on December 5, 2018 A breakthrough of epic proportions occurred in September 2018 for Birmingham, Alabama-based Nabirm Global, LLC, and its Namibian affiliate, Nabirm Energy Services (Pty) Ltd. Nabirm, which engages in oil and gas exploration offshore in Windhoek, Namibia, Southwest Africa, learned that its offshore oil block is located in the epicenter of an oil basin that contains billions of barrels of oil. Nabirm’s Namibian headquarters is adjacent to Royal Dutch Shell plc (LSE: RDSA, RDSB) and in the same building as UK-based Chariot Oil & Gas Limited (CHAR: LSE) in Windhoek. Nabirm’s offshore oil block asset is adjacent to Tullow Oil PLC’s (TLW: LSE), Galp Energia’s (SGPS, S.A.), and Exxon Mobil Corporation’s (NYSE: XOM) blocks. Nabirm is the only privately owned company that is engaged in oil and gas exploration in the Walvis Basin in the same precincts as these publicly listed international oil companies. Nabirm’s shareholders have self-funded all of its exploration activities since the company was founded in August 2011. Independent Resource Estimate Overview Independent consulting firm DeGolyer and MacNaughton (“D&M”) carried out an assessment of the oil and gas potential of the PEL 37 area adjacent to Nabirm’s block. D&M provided estimates for eleven oil leads in the PEL 37 license area of total prospective resources of 8.7 billion barrels of oil – (these volumes were not adjusted for geologic and/or economic risk). D&M is recognized as the leader in resource estimation for the petroleum industry and has extensive international experience with a diverse range of clients in a diverse range of regions, including onshore and offshore East and West Africa. D&M prepared the assessment of license area EL 0037 offshore Namibia in accordance with the Petroleum Resources Management System (PRMS) approved by the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the World Petroleum Council, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, and the Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers. Deemed the Most Prospective Offshore Area for Oil Exploration In a paradigm-shifting development at a September 2018 public oil and gas symposium in Namibia, two renowned German geoscientists, Drs. Martin Neumaier and Ansgar Wanke, concluded that the predicted present day early Aptian source rock maturity model (Bray, et al, 1998) appears to be outdated and incorrect. Neumaier and Wanke suggested that source rock maturity in the Walvis Basin is located to the east in shallower offshore precincts closer to the shore.  As part of the thread of geological evidence to support their findings, they stated that the “over burden,” which is east of oil prospects drilled in 2018, supports the theory of migration of hydrocarbons (oil) to the east especially if the sands stringers are continuous. ExxonMobil, Nabirm and Eco Oil operate the blocks that presently fall within this newly defined, highly prospective, epicenter for oil exploration. Dr. Neumaier, a geologist and honorary Lecturer in the Department of Earth Science & Engineering at Imperial College London, is an expert in PetroMod and Petrel Geoscience workflows. Dr. Wanke is a geologist and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geology at the University of Namibia. He is an expert in Sedimentology and Seismic Stratigraphy. Both geoscientists have heavy experience in oil and gas exploration, engineering, and hydrogeology. Positioned for Success In July 2012, the Namibian Ministry of Mines and Energy awarded Nabirm a twelve-year exploration license (PEL 0058) for Oil Block 2113A, which is located offshore in the Walvis Basin. The license for Oil Block 2113A has been renewed two times, with the latest renewal occurring on September 26, 2018. China-based BGP International, Inc., one of the world’s leading geophysical service companies, completed a successful 2D seismic acquisition campaign on Oil Block 2113A in 2015. U.S.-based Parallel Geoscience Corporation processed the acquired data. Singapore-based Remus Consulting prepared a preliminary interpretation of the 2D seismic data and identified five Leads of oil within Block 2113A. Houston, Texas-based ION Geophysics reprocessed and reinterpreted the acquired data. ION identified six prospects with total Pmean unrisked recoverable resources of 522 million barrels of oil. Stratigraphic Lead #5 is the largest with approximately 231 million barrels of oil. Lead #6 is slightly smaller but exceeds 229 million barrels of oil. In addition to 522 million barrels of recoverable oil resources, ION identified six pockets with total Pmean unrisked recoverable resources of 583 billion cubic feet (“BCF”) of unrisked carbane methane gas within Oil Block 2113A. Following these developments, Nabirm completed the requisite scoping and definition activities for its 3D Controlled Source Electro Magnetics (CSEM) technical work program on Block 2113A. Right Place, Right Time, Right Asset On January 16, 2015, Upstream magazine published an article about the completion of Nabirm’s 2D geotechnical program.  Upstream is a UK-based trade magazine for the global oil and gas industry. The Upstream article called Nabirm a “minnow” in the oil and gas world. The recent Neumaier and Wanke report is expected to favorably impact Nabirm’s prospects for recoverable oil resources. It also enhances the company’s position in the upstream oil and gas industry. This is a new and exciting time for Nabirm. The company’s oil block is surrounded by Exxon, Galp, Tullow, ONGC Videsh, and Eco Atlantic. Other international oil giants like Total and Shell are exploring oil blocks in Namibia in the Orange Basin. Nabirm is situated in the right place, at the right time, with the right asset. PHOTO: Logo for Nabirm, a Birmingham and Namibian based energy services company.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on July 28, 2019 He graduated from high school at age 15. He graduated from college at age 19. He received his graduate degree at age 22. He received his Ph.D. degree at age 26. He became the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama at age 25. He won the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 35. The FBI labeled him as the “most dangerous Negro” in America at age 34 simply because of his “powerful demagogic speech” at the 1963 March on Washington. They called him “filthy," a “colossal fraud,” and an “evil, abnormal beast.” FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover called him the “most notorious liar in the country.” Local and state police agencies in the Deep South called him a "nigger" and a “thug.” He was disliked by nearly 75% of the American public when he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968, according to a Harris Poll in early 1968. He was one of the bravest men in American history. He was under constant threat of harassment by state and federal law enforcement agencies and death by assassination. He was shot at; his home was bombed; he was hit with rocks, bottles, and stones; he was forcefully arrested on numerous occasions; and he was nearly stabbed to death on one occasion. He is revered today. The only Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to a non-President bears this man’s name. This American patriot is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Back to the Future Unfortunately, the derogatory terms used by the FBI and state and local police agencies to describe Dr. King and other people of color 56 years ago, are back in vogue. Today, the “flamethrower-in-chief” of racial hatred in America is the President of the United States. The President is enthusiastic about and proficient in his ability to demonize people of color. Sadly, the President is mentoring a whole new generation of Americans in the art of hating and disrespecting people of color. He is making it fashionable to become a neo-racist. The harassment of people of color is at levels not seen since the 1950s. It is open and notorious, once again. As was the case in the 1950s, the white clergy and their church congregations are sitting on the sidelines in silence. We have made it all the way back to the 1950s, when America was “great” for those who oppressed native Americans, African-Americans, Jewish-Americans, and Spanish-Speaking Americans with impunity. Where do we go from here? PHOTO: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. getting arrested in 1958 by Montgomery, Alabama police officers.