Tag: jessicajohnson

Census Bureau data released earlier this month showed an increase in the number of Americans who are living in poverty, and one of the most disturbing findings is that the percentage of children living in households that struggle to provide their essential needs doubled.

When Coco Gauff won this year’s U.S. Open women’s singles title at just 19 years of age, there were immediate comparisons to Serena Williams, who took home her first U.S. Open trophy when she 17 in 1999. With Gauff’s star soaring in women’s tennis, we can view her triumph as a passing of the mantle since Williams retired last year. Also, looking back at Gauff’s first Grand Slam match victory at Wimbledon four years ago against Venus Williams, Gauff getting to championship status was, as tennis great Chris Evert recently stated, “(N)ot a matter of if, but when.”

National Suicide Prevention Week will be observed from Sept. 10 to 16, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention designates September as National Suicide Prevention Month. In August, many news reports highlighted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s findings that close to 50,000 Americans died by suicide in 2022, which included an alarming increase of senior citizens.

The recent tragic shooting at a Jacksonville, Florida Dollar General store that left three Black people dead brought back harrowing memories of the Tops Friendly Market slayings last year in Buffalo, New York. I remember Erie County Sheriff John Garcia calling the deadly Tops shooting “pure evil,” and there really isn’t a better way to describe the recurrence of the horrific acts of gun violence plaguing the nation.

This year, Aug. 28 will mark the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his eminent “I Have a Dream” speech. The large black-and-white signs carried by the marchers are dominant images that have always stood out to me. There was an array of bold messages being paraded around the National Mall that included “We Demand Voting Rights Now,” “End Segregated Rules in Public Schools” and “Civil Rights Plus Full Employment Equals Freedom.” When looking at the historic photos of other iconic leaders who spoke that day — John Lewis, Daisy Bates, A. Phillip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Walter Reuther, Floyd McKissick and Whitney Young — it is powerfully clear that a mighty declaration was being made against the evils of racial hatred and discrimination that still hardened the hearts of many in our nation. Bates was the only woman who spoke on the March’s program as she gave the “Tribute to Negro Women Fighters for Freedom.” Myrlie Evers had previously been appointed for this task but could not attend.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published some alarming statistics on the nation’s suicides. According to the CDC press release titled “Provisional Suicide Deaths in the United States, 2022,” the number of Americans who took their lives increased by nearly 2.6%, rising from 48,183 in 2021 to 49,449 last year. Many more men killed themselves than women. Men totaled 39,255 provisional deaths in 2022 compared to 10,194 for women, although women had a 3.8% suicide increase. The CDC report quoted U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who pointed out with grave concern that “[m]ental health has become the defining public health and societal challenge of our time. Far too many people and their families are suffering and feeling alone.”

The viral video of the Montgomery, Alabama riverboat brawl on Aug. 5 has led to numerous internet memes highlighting this violent confrontation between the Black riverboat co-captain who was on duty and the group of White people who assaulted him. Many of the memes have referenced Jason Aldean’s country hit “Try That in a Small Town,” whose lyrics have been interpreted by critics as promoting racial discord steeped in longstanding Southern hostility.

Jason Aldean’s controversial country hit “Try That in a Small Town” climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s all-genre singles chart this week. If you’ve been following the headlines of what many critics and academics have said about the lyrics, you know that Aldean has been in the middle of a heated culture wars debate since mid-July. The song was taken off Country Music Television, which prompted many of Aldean’s supporters to claim it was an attempt to “silence” him. While the initial war of words on social media has quelled somewhat, Aldean’s track remains the focus of a contested discussion regarding what encompasses an authentic American identity.

During the middle of July, a tragic homicide story rocked the Ohio State University football team as the mother of freshman wide receiver Carnell Tate was killed in a drive-by shooting in Chicago’s Garfield Park neighborhood. The hearts of Buckeye fans were broken for Tate, who is only 18 and is expected to see some playing time this year. His mother, Ashley Griggs, won’t be cheering in the stands to see her son in his scarlet and gray debut.

Most of the time when you read stories about the ongoing mental health crisis in our nation, pastors may not be the first group of people that come to mind.