Jan. 3, 2024

Claudine Gay is Out as Harvard's President

Dr. Claudine Gay

Dr. Claudine Gay

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from BlackMansStreet.Today

Claudine Gay, the first Black president of Harvard, has resigned. Gay resigned Tuesday after being accused of plagiarizing others’ work and offering an equivocal view of antisemitic demonstrations on Harvard’s campus during a Congressional hearing on December 5, leading to her downfall.
 
“It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president,” Gay wrote in a letter to the Harvard community. “After consultation with members of the (Harvard) Corporation, it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.”

Gay did not say when she plans to step down formally, but she described the decision as “difficult beyond words.” She will remain at Harvard as a professor.

In December, the Harvard Board, which governs the university, gave Gay its full backing and ordered her to clear up allegations of plagiarism and remain as Harvard’s president.

Elise Stefanik, the Republican congresswoman whose combative questioning of Gay and two other prominent university administrators about antisemitism at a committee hearing went viral, is taking credit for Gay’s resignation in a television interview.

Major donors decided to withdraw their support for Harvard if she stayed. Billionaire Bill Ackman said he would withdraw funds from Harvard if Gay remained in place.

Gay also was fighting other Blacks.

Dr. Carol Swain, a retired political science and law professor at Vanderbilt University, accused Gay of plagiarizing her work. 

Swain, who is Black, accused Gay of using sections of a book she published in 1993 and an article she published in 1997 without giving her proper credit. 

Gay is Harvard’s first Black president and the school’s second woman president. She was named Harvard's 30th president on December 15th.

Alan M. Garber, a physician and economist, Harvard's provost, chief academic officer, and Jewish, has been named Harvard’s interim president.

Dec. 26, 2023

NEWS ANALYSIS

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Many of us go through the useless ritual of making New Year's resolutions and proclaiming "out with the old."  Maybe that works for your eating habits or exercise routine, but 2023 news will be with us into 2024. From my perspective, these are the things we'll be paying attention to in 2024.

1.    I’m an economist, so my top news carryover is The economy: Inflation is slowing, and unemployment rates are low. Good news, right? Some economists are still predicting a recession in 2024 and a "sharp hit," not a "soft landing."  Either way, economic news will dominate in 2024, and the fact that it's an election year means there will be "alternate facts" and interpretations. Bottom line – stack your money. Recession hits Black folks harder, and recovery helps us more slowly than it helps others. And don't believe the hype that Biden didn't help the economy. He did!

2.    Congressional gridlock: won't go away until the election of 2024. Republicans have a narrow majority and can't seem to get much done. A budget has to be passed in January, but neither side appears willing to compromise on immigration reform and border control, aid to Ukraine and Israel, and more.   I don't think Republicans are eager to shut the government down, especially in an election year, but their brinksmanship has left their party in tatters (who knew who Mike Johnson (R-LA) was a year ago)? 

3.    While I hate to elevate the narcissistic former President:  He dominates the news, and unfortunately, too many cover him uncritically. Look – he lost the 2020 election and inspired an insurrection. He's been indicted 91 times and is unfit for public office, but his hard-right supporters, including many Congressional Republicans, are too afraid of his influence to speak up. Can he win in 2024? Unless we invest in record turnout, very possibly. 

4.    Anti-blackness in education and legislation: While the mainstream media won't cover this much, it is alarming that 44 states have introduced legislation to restrict teaching about race. More than 1600 books have been banned, including works by luminaries like Toni Morrison and Alice Walker. Couple this with the efforts of Edward Blum to dismantle affirmative action, going so far as to sue the government, the private sector, and even African American women who have developed race-specific efforts. This effort isn't going away. Conservative foundations fund Blum's efforts. These very predatory capitalists used racism to build their fortunes and now want to eliminate the use of race in repairing the racial wealth gap.

5.    Additionally, there have been constant attacks on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion): Efforts at universities, government organizations, and private companies. Anti-blackness is alive and well. The struggle continues.

6.    Police violence: Nobody covers police violence better than Roland Martin, who very frequently highlights incidents of police violence that don't make the national headlines. Just because it isn't on the front page of the New York Times doesn't mean it isn't happening. Kudos to Roland for constantly lifting this up and to attorney Ben Crump for working with the families of those massacred at the hands of rabid police officers. Justice delayed is not always justice denied. Thanks to Assistant Attorney General Kristin Clark, many of these massacres are being aggressively investigated.

7.    Immigration reform and border control: Have been unfinished business since 1986, but the former President has denigrated and misrepresented immigrants. There's no easy solution to immigration. How do we deport millions who are now part of the fabric of our lives? How do we absorb the people at our borders who are only looking for a better way of life? How do we balance the needs of those coming in with those already here? Cities like Chicago and New York struggle to accommodate those whose putrid governors (like Texas' Greg Abbott) are shipping people to those states. Jingoistic rhetoric doesn't help a pressing issue. With Orange Man acolytes running the Congress, any solution seems grim, if not impossible.

8.    Israel: People in the United States are firmly divided on how our country deals with the Middle East. It goes without saying that Hamas was wrong in its attack on Israel, which resulted in between 1200 and 1400 deaths and the taking of more than 200 hostages. It should also go without saying that the attack was a function of the apartheid state Palestinians were forced into, the land loss that they experienced, and the desperation that many felt. Wading into this conflict is like touching kryptonite. If you say the wrong thing, you're dead. But while it is essential to condemn Hamas, it is also important to acknowledge their motivation. There must be a cease-fire. The hostages must be released. The United States must be much more measured in our approach.

9.    Labor Power: Organized labor stepped up and showed out with strikes from the United Auto Workers, Los Angeles teachers and ancillary workers, and actors and writers in the entertainment industry. It's essential to black folks because when we are organized, we make about a third more Black folks who aren't organized. Economic issues have radicalized workers who thought they had no power. Now, as the economy tilts against workers, organizing tilts toward them.

Fasten your seat belts, y'all. 2023 left us with much in the trunk for 2024. May we use this election year to struggle for economic and social justice?

Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist and author. The second edition of Surviving and Thriving:  365 Facts in Black Economic History is available through mahoganybooks.com

Jan. 2, 2024

UN Photo

SPECIAL TO THE TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE FROM BLACKMANSTREET.TODAY

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - South Africa has filed charges with the United Nations’ top court, accusing Israel of pursuing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and demanding that Israel halt their attacks.

South Africa filed the complaint in The Hague, Netherlands. Israel rejected the filing.

U.S. news reports regularly show women and children begging for food. Last week, humanitarians warned that more than one in four households in Gaza were enduring “catastrophic” hunger.

The risk of famine occurring within Palestine over the next six months was confirmed by the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, which showed that the entire population of Gaza, some 2.2 million people, is living with “crisis or worse” levels of acute food insecurity. 

Since October 7, when the war began, some 21,672 men, women, and children have been killed by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, reports the Palestinian Health Ministry. That was two days ago.

South Africa’s submission to the International Court of Justice alleges that “acts and omissions by Israel ... are genocidal in character” as they are committed with the intent “to destroy Palestinians in Gaza” as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial, and ethnic group.

South Africa has been a fierce critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

South African President Cyril Ramaphoa has compared Israel’s policies regarding Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank with South Africa’s past apartheid regime of racial segregation.

Dec. 26, 2023

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu issues an apology for two men arrested for the Carol Stuart murder in 1989.

Charles Stuart said that a Black man killed Carol, his wife, and their unborn child and wounded him. The Boston Police ran through Black neighborhoods like stormtroopers, arresting and beating Black men and boys, forcing them to confess to the murders. It was later learned that Charles killed his wife to collect insurance money.

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from BlackMansStreet.Today

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Boston, Mass. Mayor Michelle Wu issued an apology for two Black men who were arrested by police and vilified in the press for the 1989 murder of a White woman, only to learn that the brother of the killer said he murdered his wife for insurance money.

On behalf of the Boston Police Department, the entire City of Boston, the Black Community, and Boston media, Mayor Wu said on Monday: “I am sorry for what you endured; it was racist and wrong.”

Mayor Wu apologized at the same time as the HBO documentary about the murder of Carol Stuart. It is titled "Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reconking." Jason Hehir wrote and directed the documentary.

Charles Stuart claimed that a 6-foot-tall Black man shot him, shot him, and killed his pregnant wife, Carol, during a carjacking; she delivered her baby named Christopher by cesarean section. The baby died 17 days later.

The police ran through the Black community like stormtroopers with pistols drawn in the Mission Hill neighborhood, arresting almost every Black male before settling on Alan Swanson and Willie Bennet. Police eventually ruled out Swanson as the killer after brutally beating him.

But Matthew Stuart told police that the carjacking story was a hoax, and his brother killed his wife for insurance money. Charles Stuart later committed suicide by jumping off the Tobin Bridge into the Mystic River.

Police and the media were surprised by the admission, which may have caused some soul-searching. 

Raymond Flynn was the mayor at the time Carol Stuart was murdered. Francis Roache, Boston’s Police Chief, said excesses may have been taken. Flynn was criticized for the treatment Black men suffered at the hands of the police.

With the end of the grand jury's investigation, Willie Bennett was officially exonerated of the murders of Carol Stuart and her son Christopher. 

But this story does not have a happy ending.

In October 1990, a jury found Bennett guilty of an alleged robbery of a Brookline video store. He was sentenced to 12 to 25 years in prison and was released in 2002.

After a lengthy lawsuit, Bennett's family was awarded $12,500 in damages, according to the Boston Globe. As of 2023, Bennett was reportedly living alone in Boston and suffering from dementia. 

A teary-eyed Willie Bennett’s nephew, Joey Bennett, accepted Wu’s apology Wednesday on behalf of his uncle and the family of Alan Swanson. 

Joey Bennett praised her for not allowing the false arrest to be swept under the rug.