When I began writing this piece about fifteen months ago, think back yourself, I wanted to write a snarky piece but that time has passed. Reality plays hard!
Today, 365 days have passed since Geoge Floyd’s murder was videotaped; therefore, the people are here, physically and culturally.
Let me walk us through a social contract: The Great Society, several peoples’ revolutionary movements, and now, what does it take to be anti-colonialist/anti-racist?
Many authors express their perspectives, my thoughts follow, I caution all who follow to be careful there has been a pandemic and economic collapse.
I started writing the article two days after my father, Reverend Doctor Leslie E. Stansbery, passed on February 29, 2020, and nearly two years after my mother, Margaret Dorothy Stansbery (Van der Zee) passed on January 17, 2018. The Trump presidency killed my parents, but more importantly the Great Society is passing as we breathe.
The 1900’s progressive movement has been confronted by a January 6, 2021 whitelash. The corresponding political movements, Nationalism and Neo – Liberalism, base their foundations on settler colonialism, what we call now racism. Rugged individualism and frontier mythology have been the ideology or theology born from unipolar world politics.
After the global community experienced two world wars and two global economic collapse cycles, which might have ended any movement to advance humanity, there are signs of life! Humanity did arise out of the ashes where now many thoughts and political movements express a global awakening. Since 1930’s, the social contract has been Medicare, social security, and other neo-liberal promises of decadence. This year demonstrates the capacity of the people to organize for even larger goals.
While Neo-Liberalism arose out of the President Carter administration, now their proponents claim poverty and imagery that minoritizes whole populations benefit the community, but I humbly ask benefits for whom? Gentrification and urban renewal are out of the same development program. One historic example is the divergent thought that defines community control from the federal anti-poverty programing, as all can attest the anti-poverty organizations won that budget process? But who won the policy reality, I maintain that the community did not.
The 2016 election of Trump highlights the structural, spiritual, and social alienation of the worker and farmer as the Great Society passes. The Neo-Liberalism's imposed military and economic world order allowed global raciaiized economic domination to form the foundation of all social norms.
Coming to this reality, we must accept that we will unlearn several myths such as “frontierism,” “rugged Individualism,” and embrace a political thought that explores a political power structural analysis that helps build community goals, supports policy, and organizes anti-racist neighborhoods.
What is the next Great Society? Can people envision, imagine, realize the capacity to create a society of truth, justice, and participation? The past US regime was “Coup...Coup” on many fronts, but we might not be too far from that thought as a society, when people can’t afford to go back to work without social support, and where health care, education, and housing are 132% of a families’ budget.
The Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism would like to host a Peoples’ Forum to discuss further that future of Columbus, Ohio. The thought is to host a public discussion on paper, blog, video, and in person to promote policy and a peoples’ media that can create media, action, and policy. Historic contribution of the Columbus Free Press to past revolutionary moments are tested, we must live up to our name.
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Peace, Mark D. Stansbery
Write me, not the free press: walk@igc.org
