Given certain aspects of the recent past, including and especially the midterm elections in November, it sure seemed like this Black History Month was set to be among the best of all time. And while that might sound like hyperbole to some, just look at what we saw in the first month of the year alone.
Among the highlights was the fact that California Sen. Kamala Harris declared her candidacy for the White House and made the announcement on Martin Luther King Jr.‘s national holiday, for crying out loud. And, even on the pettier side of things, word had it in January after the bombshell docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” that the disgraced accused pedophile was broke (something that was later all but confirmed last month).
Hell, I even wrote a story about how 2019 was shaping up to be one of the most amazing years on record for Black history, period. Forget about just the month, I was looking long-range, thinking well beyond the brief 28 days the country designated to celebrate the history of people who look like me! I was putting forth that New Year’s Resolution-esque positive energy that can many times be quickly sapped before February even arrives.
Alas, the rose-tinted Cartier shades through which I thought I was viewing life turned out to be nothing more than a bootleg pair of generic glasses that are more commonly found on a vendor’s blanket laying on the dusty curb of 125th street.
And so it would be: The Virginia blackface scandal unceremoniously jump-started what would arguably turn out to be quite possibly the very worst Black History Month in modern history. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has continued to flaunt his white privilege while in office while his Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax’s job hangs in the balance after two women accused him of sexually assaulting them years ago.
From Candace Owens to Ben Carson to Paris Dennard, things would only get worse from there. As such, here is the very worst in this year’s very forgettable Black History Month, in as much of chronological order as possible.
Now let’s all raise a glass and toast to not experiencing anything remotely near a repeat of the racist shenanigans of this past month. Cheers!
1. Black unemployment goes back up
After months of taking credit for President Obama‘s handiwork with the economy, the president will need to also start taking credit for the damage he has done to
2. The Jussie Smollett case
Chicago cops give us a glimpse of their shadiness that would come to dominate the unfortunate episode’s narrative.