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The grand finale/closing of Chad Coopers Black Lives Matter All Lives Matter

*On April 22nd, 2017 Chad Cooper premiered his much-anticipated play, Black Lives Matter Too at Medgar Evers College.

In a noticeable departure from his previous plays that focus largely on church centered themes, Cooper has chosen to focus on a popular social movement, namely Black Lives Matter.

Cooper felt compelled to change up the script after hearing about the death of an African American man who was gunned down by the police while with his wife and child. At that moment, he realized that he could be next, and was prompted to write a play that reflected his sentiments.

The play places the Black Lives Matter movement in a historical context. In Black Lives Matter Too we go back in time to transformative historical moments such as the murder of Emmet Till in 1955, the murder of Medgar Evers in 1963, and the sacrifice of Harriet Tubman in freeing hundreds of slaves in the late 1800s. Each narrative is used by the lawyers of the play to help substantiate their claims that black people are owed 6.4 trillion dollars in reparations. To further illustrate their point, the prosecutors refer to instances where other marginalized groups have received reparations for wrong doings perpetrated by the United States. They highlighted that Japanese Americans and Native Americans received millions, or possibly billions of dollars in reparations.

Throughout the play, we are forced to contemplate that if all lives truly matter, then black lives should as well. In theory, this is a very true statement, but in practice it seems time and time again that the Black experience is vastly different from any other racial experience. The actors constantly speak about the many ways that Black lives have proven to matter less than other lives. Blacks, they insist, have been killed for minor offenses such as selling cigarettes or even the completely legal act of walking with a hoodie and a bag of skittles.

Alicia Cooper, wife to play writer Chad Cooper, and actor (Harriet Tubman) in Black Lives Matter Too All Lives Matter sings towards the plays end

One of the most poignant moments of the play is when the playwright has deceased victims of racial discrimination and injustice take the stand. We hear from Emmet Till, Harriet Tubman, and Medgar Evers. Their testimony serves to buttress the prosecutors claims that African Americans are owed reparations. This had me thinking about how powerful of a case for reparations Black people could have if actual victims of racial intolerance got to tell their truth. It was especially difficult to watch the recreation of Emmet Till as a 14-year-old, badly beaten young man. Of course, we all know that Emmet Till was in fact beaten to death, but for the plays sake he was merely badly beaten.

When Harriet Tubman takes the stand, she has visibly blackened eyes which are likely meant to portray the fact that in real life, Tubman had head injuries due to beatings at the hands of her slave owner. Tubman sings and emotionally explains to the court that, contrary to the defenses accusations, she is not a criminal for leading countless slaves to freedom. A consistent tactic of the defense was to portray the African-American heroes of the play as criminals. When Medgar Evers testifies, he explains how he was killed for trying to encourage African-Americans to be conscious of where they spend their hard-earned money. Evers, was well ahead of his time in advocating that Blacks support their own businesses. Finally, towards the end of the play, after a somewhat contentious jury deliberation, the plaintiffs win their case and African Americans are awarded their long overdue reparations. A good ending to an equally good play.

Black Lives Matter Too was launched at 7pm in Medgar Evers College located at 1650 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11225. For ticket information call 1.888 977.2282 ext.100. The production moves to Manhattan on June 28-July 1st, 2017 at a location to be announced. Productions media marketing partners of Black Lives Matter Too are DBG Media and BG Legacy Ventures.

Priscilla Mensah is an avid reader and scholar whose passions include community development and empowerment. She can be reached at [emailprotected]

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Thumbs Up for Chad Cooper's 'Black Lives Matter Too' - EURweb.com - Eurweb.com

Associated Press

Following the election of Donald Trump, groups affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement set out to expand their focus beyond criminal justice issues and build partnerships with outside advocacy groups. May Day will be the first big test. On May 1, International Workers' Day, a coalition of nearly 40advocacy groups, is holding actions across the nation related to workers' rights, police brutality and incarceration, immigrants' rights, environmental justice, indigenous sovereignty, and LGBT issuesand more broadly railing against a Trump agenda organizers say puts them all at risk.

"We understand that it's going to take all of our movements in order to fight and win right now."

This massive effort, dubbed Beyond the Moment, is led by a collective of racial-justice groups known as the Movement for Black Lives. Monday's actions will include protests, marches, and strikes in more than 50 cities, adding to the efforts of the labor organizers who are leading the usual May Day protests.

Beyond the Moment kicked off officially on April 4, the 49th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Beyond Vietnam"speech. In that speech, delivered in New York City in 1967, King addressed what he saw as the connection between the war in Vietnam and the racial and economic oppression of black Americans. Both, King argued, were driven by materialism, racism, and militarizationand he called upon the era's diverse social movements to work together to resist them. (Exactly one year later, King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, where he'd traveled to meet with black sanitation workers organizing for higher wages and better conditions.)

Beyond the Moment adopted King's tactics. Organizers intend to build a lasting coalition of marginalized groups that can be brought together for future actions. This past April 4, the Movement for Black Lives collaborated with Fight for $15, a national movement led by low-wage workers, for a series of marches, protests, and educational efforts. On Monday, they will be joined by countless other groups.

"We understand that it's going to take all of our movements in order to fight and win right now," said Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of one of the Black Lives Matter groups involved. Beyond the Moment, she says, is "a reminder to this administration that you're going to have to contend with us" over the long term. In Los Angeles, where Cullors will be on May 1, a march is planned from the city's historic MacArthur Park to City Hall. More than 100 organizations will participate, Cullors says.

"This is a very dangerous time, and we're taking it very seriously."

Black Lives Matter groups have long collaborated with other groups locally, but only fairly recently have they sought to do so at the national level. Last summer, they sent organizers and supplies to assist the Native American protesters at Standing Rock. In January, in advance of Trump's inauguration, the groups led a series of protests and educational efforts highlighting aspects of the Trump agenda that target immigrants, Muslims, and people of color.

Monday's actions will follow a series of national marches defending the value of scientific research and evidence-based policy (a response, in part, to the administration's efforts to gut the Environmental Protection Agency, slash federally funded research, and eliminate science advisers in government.

"We're going to have to undo a lot of the policies that this administration is putting on us. And in four years, we don't want another Trump. We don't want another Jeff Sessions." The organizers are laying the groundwork for a Trump-free world, Cullors said."What you're seeing is natural allies coming together to organize, to grow bigger, to get stronger, and to build powerThis is a very dangerous time, and we're taking it very seriously."

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This Year's May Day Protests Aren't Just About Labor - Mother Jones

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The documents further confirm that the Open Society last year approved $650,000 to invest in technical assistance and support for the groups at the core of the burgeoning #BlackLivesMatter movement.

The information was contained in a detailed 69-page Open Society report on the agenda of an Open Society U.S. Programs board meeting held in New York October 1 to October 2, 2015.

The report directly states the Open Society views the Baltimore unrest last year as a crisis that can be utilized to carry out the organizations agenda.

The document states:

The killing of Freddie Gray in April helped spawn weeks of peaceful protests by Baltimore residents and allies from the #BlackLivesMatter movement that were temporarily interrupted by a period of unrest that lasted less than 48 hours and resulted in some injuries and millions of dollars in property damage to neighborhood businesses. While many lamented the damage done, the overwhelming sentiment is that the uprising has catalyzed a paradigm shift in Baltimore that offers opportunities for major justice reforms.

In particular, recent events offer a unique opportunity to accelerate the dismantling of structural inequality generated and maintained by local law enforcement and to engage residents who have historically been disenfranchised in Baltimore City in shaping and monitoring reform. Building on our existing networks and programs, OSI-Baltimore will focus investments on: 1) creating a culture of accountability for policing in Baltimore, recognizing the pervasive racism, disrespect and lawlessness that gave rise to recent events; and 2) building the capacity of activists in Baltimore to demand and achieve immediate and long-term reforms.

Later on, the document reveals the extent of Soros funding to the Black Lives Matter coalition:

Recognizing the need for strategic assistance, the U.S. Programs Board approved $650,000 in Opportunities Fund support to invest in technical assistance and support for the groups at the core of the burgeoning #BlackLivesMatter movement.

Another section of the document, titled, Report On U.S. Regional Reserves outlines the stated agenda for the $650,000 in funds approved for Black Lives Matter.

#BlackLivesMatter ($650,000) Per Board consensus at our May board meeting, U.S. Programs supported a series of convenings across the country over the summer organized in response to the immediate outrage and the escalating community mobilization to save black lives following the numerous killings of black men, women, and children by police. The largest of these events took place in July, when activists participated in the Movement for Black Lives convening in Cleveland, Ohio. In November, the Funders Collaborative on Youth Organizing will engage younger activists in Durham, North Carolina. In addition to supporting these convenings, US Programs has provided the groups and attendees of the convenings described here with technical assistance.

The investment was well worth it, it seems. A second document on the Open Society U.S. Programs board meeting February 11-12 of this year relates Black Lives Matter worked to influence the 2016 presidential campaign.

That hacked document states:

Leaders of #BlackLivesMatter and The Movement for Black Lives worked to influence candidate platforms during the 2016 primary season. This came alongside the recent acknowledgement by political strategists that African-American voters may be much more pivotal to the 2016 general election than previously forecasted.

The Open Society meeting last year, meanwhile, called for a discussion on whether it would be appropriate for the Soros group to try to shape Black Lives Matter in the future:

The highest profile events, the #BlackLivesMatter convening in Cleveland and the #Law4BlackLives gathering in New York, yielded a promising critique of efforts to date and a potential blueprint for strengthening the movement going forward.

That support calls into question how we might most appropriately support such efforts; specifically whether we should seek to shape the movement as opposed to facilitate its direct action. How do we confront the reality that such movements frequently flail as they attempt to grow and confront the challenges of institutionalizing themselves sufficiently to extend their reach? To what extent do we believe that we should play a role in helping such movement leaders connect with others that might help deepen policy recommendations or connections to sympathetic, but silent, inside actors? How can we help link such movements to existing grantees and other key actors that provide mutual strengthening?

The 2015 document made clear that the funding to Black Lives Matter followed Soros providing funds to the Occupy movement:

Our support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement follows other investments that have taken very different paths, including the Dreamers and Occupy Wall Street. USP grantee United We Dream (UWD) for example, a youth-led organization formed in 2009 by undocumented students and other advocates, changed the narrative about undocumented people and continues to be a major player in the immigration reform field.

(Note: Emphasis added by this reporter in all citations of the documents).

Aaron Klein is Breitbarts Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, Aaron Klein Investigative Radio. Follow him onTwitter @AaronKleinShow.Follow him onFacebook.

With research by Joshua Klein.

Originally posted here:
Hacked Soros Memo: $650,000 to Black Lives Matter

President Trump is eyeing a Milwaukee sheriff who called Black Lives Matter a "terrorist movement" for a top post at the Department of Homeland Security, Politico reported Thursday.

Sheriff David Clarke Jr., an early Trump endorser, has made headlines in the past for his statements about Black Lives Matter activists, including a 2015 tweet in which he predicted the movement would "join forces with [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria]."

Before long, Black Lies Matter will join forces with ISIS to being down our legal constituted republic. You heard it first here.

While Clarke has made headlines as an outspoken Trump backer, he faces dwindling poll numbers in Milwaukee. A January poll found that Clarke, currently a Democrat, would almost certainly lose both his party's primary and, if he had made it far enough, the general election.

Clarke has also been criticized for the death of a mentally ill man who was denied water in his department's jail.

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Trump considers sheriff who called Black Lives Matter 'terrorists' for DHS post - The Hill (blog)

MINNEAPOLIS The man who shot five Black Lives Matter protesters in 2015 has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, reports CBS Minnesota.

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The decision not to charge two white Minneapolis police officers in the shooting death of Jamar Clark sparked protests and questions about the ca...

Allen Scarsella, 25, and some friends got into an argument with some protesters who were demonstrating outside Minneapolis' 4th Precinct police station after the shooting death of Jamar Clark by one of their officers. He was convicted in February of a dozen felony counts of assault and riot.

The station reports that Hennepin County prosecutors asked the judge for the maximum sentence, while the defense maintained Scarsella has remorse for his actions, and was acting in self-defense.

Defense attorney Laura Heinrich argued Scarsella was "nave" at the time of the shooting, didn't know what life was like for black people on the north side of Minneapolis, and that his brain may not have fully developed, because he was around 22 years old at the time he put on a mask, went to the Fourth Precinct to live stream, and eventually shot five people.

Scarsella, who has been in county jail for nearly 18 months, addressed Judge Hilary Lindell Caligiuri and asked for probation.

"The fact that others were injured because of something I did weighs heavily on my heart every day," Scarsella said. "The incident touched so many lives and everybody who was involved is now worse off for it."

The judge agreed with prosecutors, who said Scarsella was deeply racist as evidenced by months of racist messages he had sent to friends leading up to the shooting, and gave him 15 years in prison out of a possible 20-year maximum.

One of the shooting victims, Cameron Clark, who is the cousin of the late Jamar Clark, said he is still dealing with physical and emotional pain from the shooting.

"I can't do a lot of things with my kids anymore, I can't work," Clark said. "I'm going to be living with this for the rest of my life."

Cameron Clark said he believes initial charges brought forth by the county against Scarsella should have been more severe, but Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said on Wednesday that first-degree assault was the highest charge he could bring, given the evidence the county had.

"All of that was lies and he was just trying to make the judge have some sympathy for him," he Clark.

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Minnesota man gets 15 years for shooting 5 Black Lives Matter protesters - CBS News