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Our former SC State Representative talks about poverty and growing up in rural Denmark, the little known Orangeburg Massacre, running for office, equity, equality, the ongoing problem of Black Womxn‘s mortality & morbidity in healthcare, and the continuing legacy of the stain of slavery. He talks about what anll of this is like while being Black, especially in the Deep South. Denmark isn‘t far from where I currently live, and I was never taught⬇️

How many of us have to be murdered before someone does something? And if we wait on older Americans to do something, then the likelihood of it getting done isn‘t high at all. It‘s an undeniable fact that black lives matter, but some people like to say, “All lives matter.” However, that‘s like saying at a breast cancer awareness rally that all cancer matters. It‘s true: all lives matter; but there‘s not a question about the value of police⬇️

I‘d have to write another book to explore the issues surrounding race and religion. But if I did, I‘d argue that one of the more disappointing narratives of this racial divide in our country has been the silence of white, male, Christian evangelicals. People may roll their eyes about this, but I firmly believe that in my relationship with God, I‘m probably going to be in line ahead of Jerry Falwell Jr. and other evangelical heirs like Franklin⬇️

The fact that South Carolina is a deep red state makes it pretty likely that their friends and relatives will vote Republican, and have in the past, and therefore against policies that could help them eat and help them survive. But the legislators whom they choose vote against such policies because some people in certain political and media circles consider those policies to be geared toward helping only poor black people. How do poor whites⬇️

Why does dark skin so offend white people? There‘s no value in skin color itself. It adds nothing to or detracts from a person‘s skills, heart, or humanity, any more than eye or hair color does. So why have people with dark skin been terrorized for centuries, to this very day, and held in such contempt? Why were we enslaved for 250 years?

Rebuilding a white community and a black community are two totally different things. Because black folk were stripped of everything, we have to rebuild our communities mentally, physically, spiritually, and economically.

I know people say we almost pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, but that doesn‘t give value to being poor, black, and isolated in America. In rural segregated areas like Denmark and Orangeburg, black people live similarly to how they lived during the Jim Crow era. Regardless of class, we reside in the same black neighborhoods, often attending the same black schools in the same black churches.The children play and grow up together among the same⬇️

This is an ambitious memoir. Sellers covers a variety of topics and balances broader concepts with small details. His writing style is engaging, but his narration is only okay. He‘s connected to Civil Rights history, but lives with anxiety. He and his wife just celebrated their twins‘ 3rd bday. But it was touch-and-go for a while.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022 #booked2022 #blackcentricimprint #pantone2022 #basil

It's a memoir by CNN commentator Bakari Sellers, and covers some terrific territory in Civil Rights history, social justice, and personal anecdotes. Despite the material, it never really grabbed me. Instead it feels like a politician's memoir, the sort published to help a campaign. Which is fine -- I'd vote for him -- but I was hoping for something different, I guess.

My husband and I have always been fans of Sellers on CNN. We listened to this together and really enjoyed hearing about his upbringing and political life, but the most moving parts were his writing on the Charleston church massacre and his wife‘s near death experience giving birth to their twins. A very good memoir.