When Russia invaded Ukraine, it was beautiful to see folks post the Ukrainian colors of blue and gold on their Facebook pages. It was also heartwarming to see Ukrainian Americans in Chicago USA set up schools for Ukrainian immigrants.
Meanwhile, asylum claims by Haitians in Mexico attempting to cross the border into the United States remain on track to hit a record above 50,000 this year. Consequently, where is the blue and red? Who is setting up schools in Haitian Creole or French?
Then, Ukraine was pushed off the American dance floor by, as some would say, “our corrupt, evil capitalist system and its enabling media.” And, with the masses, many American Blacks followed suit with another rendezvous with Israel-Palestine. This new flirtation with the latest popular cause left even less potential admirers for West Papua, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, or even the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Some have told me, but did you see how “evil Israel” destroyed that hospital in Gaza? My response: in many African American communities there was once a hospital, but now there are no hospitals to even bomb and as Sojourner Truth might had added, ain’t we human?
The conversation can turn worse when I am gleefully told how awful President Obama was and how dreadful President Biden and the Democrats continue to be. I shake my head wondering if they know it is Obamacare that continues to keep many hospitals open in Black communities including Methodist Hospital in my most beloved hometown, Gary.
Then, I thought about one Port of Harlem reader on Africa’s Smiling Coast, Yankuba Kunta. He has been asking for help to get their hospital in the position to adequately serve the people in Basori, Kombo Western Region, The Gambia. Again, as in many African American communities, there isn’t much of a medical center in Basori to destroy.
I chatted with Kunta as American news detailed the movement of Palestinian babies from one hospital where the incubator was not working to another, I asked Kunta do they have incubators. He responded, “No, we don’t have that here.” He continued, “Right now our hospital needs ceiling fans, hospital beds, medicines, and residence for the doctors.”
The hourly contrasting the differences between Israel and Palestine does not tell us that Kunta lives in The Gambia where the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in 2022 was $2,510 compared to $49,509 in Israel. Nor does it sensitive us to The Gambia receiving $5.6 million ($5,600,593) in 2022 in American tax dollar funded foreign assistance, compared to 3.3 billion ($3,311,114,063) to America’s number one foreign aid recipient, Israel. (However large it may appear, US foreign assistance typically makes up less than 1% of US federal spending.)
In America, we often speak of Blacks being last, especially darker-skinned Blacks. We often talk about all the excuses non-Blacks invoke when trying to pass laws dealing with reparations for descendants of enslaved Africans and slavery’s breathing legacy, college loan forgiveness, etc.
Yet, here we are coming up with reasons why we cannot show the same concern that we show for Ukraine, Israel, Palestine, and the next cause of the day for West Papua, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Hammond (Indiana-which recently lost its only hospital), and Basori.
It’s like being at the world dance and Uncle Sam, whether in Black or White face, buys new dresses for and dances with everyone, but the darkest guests.
If you know Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu and/or Ismail Haniyeh, then you may want to know Benny Wenda:
Benny Wenda speaks at Peace and Justice conference in London
If you know the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) or the Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action), then you may want to know Constituency for Africa.
Wayne Young is the publisher of Port of Harlem magazine. Founded by Young in 1995, the magazine is inclusive, diverse, and Pan-African. He is also president of the Port of Harlem Gambian Education Partnership, which funds and manages small projects centering around culture, education, and community.
Wayne A. Young
Gary native Wayne Young is the publisher of Port of Harlem magazine. Founded by Young in 1995, the magazine is inclusive, diverse, and Pan-African. He is also president of the Port of Harlem Gambian Education Partnership, which funds and manages small projects centering around culture, education, and community in the West African nation. He recently repurposed his parents’ home in Gary into a short-term rental.
Ukraine, now Palestine: Are American Blacks neglecting their own?
When Russia invaded Ukraine, it was beautiful to see folks post the Ukrainian colors of blue and gold on their Facebook pages. It was also heartwarming to see Ukrainian Americans in Chicago USA set up schools for Ukrainian immigrants.
Meanwhile, asylum claims by Haitians in Mexico attempting to cross the border into the United States remain on track to hit a record above 50,000 this year. Consequently, where is the blue and red? Who is setting up schools in Haitian Creole or French?
Then, Ukraine was pushed off the American dance floor by, as some would say, “our corrupt, evil capitalist system and its enabling media.” And, with the masses, many American Blacks followed suit with another rendezvous with Israel-Palestine. This new flirtation with the latest popular cause left even less potential admirers for West Papua, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, or even the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Some have told me, but did you see how “evil Israel” destroyed that hospital in Gaza? My response: in many African American communities there was once a hospital, but now there are no hospitals to even bomb and as Sojourner Truth might had added, ain’t we human?
The conversation can turn worse when I am gleefully told how awful President Obama was and how dreadful President Biden and the Democrats continue to be. I shake my head wondering if they know it is Obamacare that continues to keep many hospitals open in Black communities including Methodist Hospital in my most beloved hometown, Gary.
Then, I thought about one Port of Harlem reader on Africa’s Smiling Coast, Yankuba Kunta. He has been asking for help to get their hospital in the position to adequately serve the people in Basori, Kombo Western Region, The Gambia. Again, as in many African American communities, there isn’t much of a medical center in Basori to destroy.
I chatted with Kunta as American news detailed the movement of Palestinian babies from one hospital where the incubator was not working to another, I asked Kunta do they have incubators. He responded, “No, we don’t have that here.” He continued, “Right now our hospital needs ceiling fans, hospital beds, medicines, and residence for the doctors.”
The hourly contrasting the differences between Israel and Palestine does not tell us that Kunta lives in The Gambia where the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in 2022 was $2,510 compared to $49,509 in Israel. Nor does it sensitive us to The Gambia receiving $5.6 million ($5,600,593) in 2022 in American tax dollar funded foreign assistance, compared to 3.3 billion ($3,311,114,063) to America’s number one foreign aid recipient, Israel. (However large it may appear, US foreign assistance typically makes up less than 1% of US federal spending.)
In America, we often speak of Blacks being last, especially darker-skinned Blacks. We often talk about all the excuses non-Blacks invoke when trying to pass laws dealing with reparations for descendants of enslaved Africans and slavery’s breathing legacy, college loan forgiveness, etc.
Yet, here we are coming up with reasons why we cannot show the same concern that we show for Ukraine, Israel, Palestine, and the next cause of the day for West Papua, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Hammond (Indiana-which recently lost its only hospital), and Basori.
It’s like being at the world dance and Uncle Sam, whether in Black or White face, buys new dresses for and dances with everyone, but the darkest guests.
If you know Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu and/or Ismail Haniyeh, then you may want to know Benny Wenda:
Benny Wenda speaks at Peace and Justice conference in London
If you know the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) or the Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action), then you may want to know Constituency for Africa.
Wayne Young is the publisher of Port of Harlem magazine. Founded by Young in 1995, the magazine is inclusive, diverse, and Pan-African. He is also president of the Port of Harlem Gambian Education Partnership, which funds and manages small projects centering around culture, education, and community.
Wayne A. Young
Gary native Wayne Young is the publisher of Port of Harlem magazine. Founded by Young in 1995, the magazine is inclusive, diverse, and Pan-African. He is also president of the Port of Harlem Gambian Education Partnership, which funds and manages small projects centering around culture, education, and community in the West African nation. He recently repurposed his parents’ home in Gary into a short-term rental.
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