Tag: BlackLivesMatters

A Death Sentence in America: Black Skin

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By Michael May 27, 2020 Off

It’s a hard world out there for Black people in America. Especially hard for Black men. When a Black man gets up in the morning, looks in the mirror as he grooms his face, teeth, and hair, he does not know if the executioner will carry out the unspoken death warrant on his life that day.

It is not easy to muster up the strength to walk out the door at the beginning of a new day, even before COVID-2019 arrived in the fall of 2019. The horrors inflicted on Black men in the full light of any given day on any given street in any given park in America sadden my soul. read more

Nothing Short of Lethal Injection Is Justice in Ahmaud Arbrey Matter

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By Michael May 8, 2020 Off

BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA

Ahmaud Arbrey, a peace-loving Black man, should be alive today, May 8, 2020, to celebrate his 25th birthday. But he will not reach a quarter-century of life because of two Georgia Crackers, Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael.

This trashy white father and son duo decided Arbrey was a thief and deserved the death penalty three months before his birthday. The McMichael’s were the arresting officers, the judge, jurors, and executioners of Mr. Arbrey, all without legal authority of any kind, except some illusion of white privilege wrapped in racial hatred and lurking in the murky still waters of the “Marshes of Glynn.” read more

Russians Trolling Black Voters -Appropriating Words of Malcolm X

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By Michael October 20, 2018 Off

 

Just 18 days before voters hit the booths in the 2018 midterm election and Russian

trolls (for lack of a better definition) have launched a vigorous attack on Black voters with an old Malcolm X Speech.

In the early 1960s Malcolm X broke down the Democratic Party as the northern wolves and the southern Dixiecrats. During this period of American history, Blacks were prohibited from voting in the Democratic Party Primaries in the South. These primaries were termed as the White Primary by southern Blacks. The White Primary determined the white Democrat who would represent the Democrats on the ballot in November. Blacks usually voted Republican during this period of time without any suggestion from Russian trolls. read more

Harold Michael Harvey’s Media Kit

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By Michael April 23, 2015 Off

Today, I am releasing the attached media kit on my new book Justice in the Round: Essays on the American Jury System. Kindly access it by clicking the Download File link below.

 

Darren Richardson, Editor of The Pundit Project at Allvoices says that “Harold Michael Harvey’s columns have a way of getting to the heart of the matter…”

Richardson has edited my work for four years. He has a good grasp of  my writing style and methods used in communicating to my readers.

I am releasing this media kit for obvious reasons. I am seeking media attention. However, beyond the obvious, I believe that it is time for my voice to be heard.

The editorial team at Allvoices,  once wrote that I “bring a can-do-spirit to … reporting and fresh intriguing perspectives to his opinion and commentary.” They went on the say that my “background in law helps readers broaden their horizons and frame the news in ways that have the potential of promoting constructive solutions to contentious issues.”

In a nutshell, I think the editors at Allvoices hit the nail on the head. I believe in my ability to promote “constructive solutions to contentious issues.” If there is one thing the world is in need of today, it is “constructive solutions to contentious issues.”

Justice in the Round, in my mind, is a facilitator for dialogue in resolving the tension in the streets today in the wake of  recent violent public encounters with law enforcement personnel.

In the words of Rev. C. T. Vivian, 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient, “In these essays, he [Harvey] gently nudges America to see herself from the Constitutional 3/5th s of a human vantage point.”

 

 

Dyson-West Thrilla in Ivy Towers

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By Michael April 22, 2015 Off

 

The Dyson-West Thrilla in the Ivy Towers is in full throttle. Michael Eric Dyson and Cornel West are embroiled in a public spat. It is one I would prefer to ignore. Brothers, it seems are always in a spat over who is the king of the hill or some other desultory issue that has nothing to do with closing the racial divide, or eliminating violence against women, or closing the economic gap between the races in this country.

After reading Danielle C. Belton’s article in The Root , an account of Dyson’s story in the New Republic, The Ghost of Cornel West, I was content that I knew everything I ever wanted to know about the relationship of these two giants in the arena of black thought and struggle. Belton, I believed had covered the highlights of Dyson’s critique without injecting her own editorial opinion. Thus, I did not have to wade into Dyson’s prose to read it for myself.

After all, four years ago, August 5, 2011, at the height of West’s and Tavis Smiley’s bus tour across America touting the Obama presidency as the worst one ever, I posted on my blog “An Open Letter to Cornel West.” I pretty much said all that I had to say about brother West and his criticism of President Obama at a time when cynicism over the Obama presidency was relevant. I have never found it helpful to beat a dead horse. I closed my open letter with this suggestion: “Get off the bus. Go home. Read some good old books. Then do what philosophers do: develop a vision to propel us into the 21st century.”

Then, I came across a discussion at Your Black World between Boyce Watkins, another Ivy League Scholar, and Yvette Carnell, the founder of Breaking Brown.  They appeared to dumb down the controversial essay by Dyson. Their discussion of the squabble was reminiscent of W. E. B. DuBois taking sides with Monroe Trotter in Trotter’s dispute with Booker T. Washington, which led DuBois to pen his Essay on the “Tuskegee Machine”, Of Mr. Washington and Others.

Watkins and Carnell did manage to posit a very good question: “Why now?”

Why this sudden scholarly critique of West, who after all, has done about as much damage as he can do to the Presidency of Barack Obama? Especially, considering that two years hence, Obama will be history, relegated to the history books. The approach of Watkins and Carnell shed a paucity of clarity on their own question. I left their video confused, but still not having the time to tackle Dyson’s piece, I resolved to leave the bickering to the Ivy League savants.

Later, I received a request via my Facebook page from Rick Mosley, a social media friend, who seldom if ever has commented on any of my posts. He was referred to me several years ago, by a mutual friend, who knew that we shared a love of baseball and had a Tuskegee connection. He posted a link to the New Republic article on my page and postulated: “We would welcome your insights into this article.”

Mosley made it easy for me. Conceivably

 there is an allure when a person, who reads your work from a distance, thinks enough of your knotted and twisted mind to request your thoughts on a pungent topic.   read more

Starbucks Talks Race over Coffee

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By Michael March 19, 2015 Off

Starbucks just added a jolt to a morning cup of java. The jolt is not from some exotic Central American  or African brew. This bounce is not due to an extravagant aromatic coffee bean. The added sway does not come from what is in the cup. It’s what is written on the cup and what the Starbuck’s server says to you when you pick up your cup of java that is jerking Americans awake.

This week, Starbucks introduced it’s “Race Together” cup and encouraged its employees to begin a discussion with its customers on race.

Finally, someone has joined President Obama’s call for a national discussion on race.  It was seven years ago this week that President Obama first called for a national conversation on race. This speech was delivered in Philadelphia and is credited with securing him the Democratic nomination and ultimately the presidency. However, few Americans heeded his plea for honest racial discussions.  

Following the jury verdict in the Trayvon Martin murder trial, Obama again renewed his call for a national discussion on race in a Friday afternoon news conference. As I wrote in “Justice in the Round,” President Obama did not call this news conference to announce that black people should engage in a national discussion on race, but that white Americans should begin these painful discussions.

Few did.

The President again asked the nation to begin this important dialogue following the turmoil in Ferguson.

Starbucks has launched a campaign to start this conversation over a cup of coffee. The idea has met with skepticism in the first few hours . The last thing a caffeine addict wants in the early morning before that first cup of coffee is a serious conversation on any topic.  And racial discussions are way, way down the list.

Yet Starbucks and kitchen tables across America are precisely the places where this racial discussion must begin.

Wake-up America! Have a cup of java and a frank discussion on why you feel the way you feel about people in a  racial group different than your own. Hopefully, your discussion will change how you view people who are not members of your ethnic, religious, political or social groups.

 

Harold Michael Harvey, is the author of the legal thriller “Paper Puzzle,” and “Justice in the Round: Essays on the American Jury System,” available at Amazon and at haroldmichaelharvey.com. He can be contacted at hmharvey@haroldmichaelharvey.com

Obama connect dots

Article
By Michael March 8, 2015 Off

Obama connect dots. Standing at the apex of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, President Barack Obama connect  dots. He made the case for restoring the 1965 Voting Rights Act. This bridge, which bears the name of a Confederate General made the perfect backdrop for President Obama to connect these dots.

“This speech,” my 86 year-old mother called to say to me, “will be repeated for years to come by the children, just like Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, ‘I have a dream’ speech.”

Undoubtedly, this speech will. By connecting these dots, Obama freed Selma from the burden of shame, her segregated past has carried the  past 50 years.

Indeed the whole nation carries this shame, drenched in the blood of Lewis, Williams, Boynton, and nameless-faceless others.

While President Obama connected these dots, he wove every constituent part of America into the rich fabric of the expanding American dream. He implored conservatives in the nation to make room for the immigrant, the former Negroes, the women, the Gays, the Muslims; in short, every living breathing human being, who was not part of the equation when the framers drafted the Constitution of the United States of America.

He did it with a flare and a style unmatched by any president in the history of the country. At times, he spoke presidential. At other times, he spoke like he was sitting in my family knook, chatting over morning coffee while discussing the issues of the day.

Then there were times his speech was reminiscent of a political stump speech, as he urged the 100 congress men and women in the audience,  to go back to congress and get 400 other members to restore the Voting Rights Act.

There were times he spoke like a parent, chiding the young people for not voting after so much blood had been shed to gain them the right to vote.

Finally, he spoke like a brother on the corner telling the brothers, that they give away their power. He concluded his speech in the tradition of the great ministers of the Gospel, quoting Isaiah, in the cadence of Jesse Jackson, to the roar of the crowd, connecting dots, making the case that black lives matter and we too are Americans.

Harold Michael Harvey, JD, is the author of the legal thriller “Paper Puzzle,” and “Justice in the Round: Essays on the American Jury System,” available at Amazon and at haroldmichaelharvey.com. He can be contacted at hmharvey@haroldmichaelharvey.com

Justice in the Round On Sale

Article
By Michael March 7, 2015 Off

Justice in the Round is on sale! I am so excited. I have to say it again. Justice in the Round is on sale! Indulge me once again: Justice in the Round is on sale! If you don’t believe me, just click the Add To Cart Button to the right of this blog post. Go ahead, do it now, =&0=&! I’ll be here when you return to finish reading this post.

It is priced right. It sells for $16.99. It is suitable for ages 15 through 103 and beyond. There are only 32,500 words packed onto 165 pages, but the power and impact of those words are priceless. They cannot be measured.

It has been a long time coming. A circuitous path no less. But this day finally arrived.  Many of you know the story, Justice in the Round, was scheduled to go on sale last summer. I had put it to bed so to speak and was preparing the final stages of the publishing process. Then a well established university press heared about my project and expressed an interest in publishing it.

I was smitten by the “grass is greener on the other side” bug. I had thoughts of newfound prestige dancing in my head. Forget the advance, a university press could just be the thing needed to propel my prose to the next level. So I gave it a try.

In the meantime, the violent world of citizen confrontations with the police and their backers rocked on. Young men continued to die in the streets of America senselessly. I could not wait. Simply could not sit on the sidelines a second more, no; not while my youthful teammates are gunned down in the middle of the street and on the sidewalk in broad daylight. And nothing is done. No justice in the streets of America.

I took my dilemma to God in prayer. For a while it seem that either I was not clear in what I was seeking or the Great Spirit was not listening. Suddenly, my dungeon shook. The mental fog was lifted. Prestige be danged. The word must be delivered. It must be delivered now. “God knows,” as Stevie Wonder sang, “exactly where He wanted you to be placed.”

Read up! My name is Justice-Justice in the round.

 

Harold Michael Harvey, JD, is the author of the legal thriller “Paper Puzzle,” and “Justice in the Round: Essays on the American Jury System,” available at Amazon and at haroldmichaelharvey.com. He can be contacted at hmharvey@haroldmichaelharvey.com

Book Release Date Set

Article
By Michael March 4, 2015 Off

Book Release date set for Justice In The Round. I am not sure if this news excites you, but we are bouncing off the ceiling. We are delighted to finally have a book release date set for Justice In The Round. It has been a long time coming. The book release date is set for April 19, 2015.

Justice In The Round was inspired by the jury verdicts in the George Zimmerman and Michael Dunn trials. It makes the case for reparatory justice in order to repair injustices caused by the racial dichotomies inherent in American jury deliberations.

The Cascade Publishing House, initially scheduled the release date for Independence Day last year. However, in late June, we entered into negotiations with a leading university press for the rights to publish it.

The negotiations have been slow. It is difficult to give up too much editorial control over certain substantive matters that are of extreme importance to our community.

Much has happen in our criminal justice system since the original manuscript was put to bed awaiting it publication date. In light of the fact, I believe that my voice needs to be heard on these issues. It needs to be heard now. Certainly, it needs to be heard before the situation gets much worse.

Moreover, given the Justice Department’s report on the Ferguson Police Department, that was released today, 3 March 2015, which indicated the department has a pattern of racial bias, it became clear to me, that Justice In The Round, needs to be in the public domain for public discussion.

 

Therefore, I have decided to forego the prestige that a university press could lend to my work. The book will be released under the Cascade Publishing House banner.

There is one good thing that has come out of this delay. As a result of the extra time, I was able to go back and expand the book to cover the events in Ferguson and Staten Island. In addition to a discussion on the petite or trial jury system, we were able to explore systemic problems inherent in the grand jury system.

If you are concerned about justice in America, then, Justice In The Round, is a must read.

 

Harold Michael Harvey, JD, is the author of the legal thriller “Paper Puzzle,” available at Amazon and at haroldmichaelharvey.com. He can be contacted at hmharvey@haroldmichaelharvey.com

 

Interview Financial Breeze Show

Article
By Michael March 3, 2015 Off

Harold Michael Harvey beginning interviewed on the Financial Breeze Show

https://soundcloud.com/thepraisehouse7/harold-michael-harvey-financial-breeze-show?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=facebook

 

 

Back in January, I had an interview on the Financial Breeze Show. The Financial Breeze Show is part of the Praise House Network. The Financial Breeze Show presented a  free-style interview format. It allowed me to cover a number of issues. We discussed my forthcoming book, Justice in the Round: Essays on the American Jury System, including Ferguson and Staten Island. I thought this interview on the Financial Breeze Show was important, so I wanted to bring it to the readers of my blog.

I was interviewed by Breezy Gipson and Jay Green. I have found both of them to be very sincere and dedicated broadcasters. They are interested in uplifting the community. They tend not to ask questions   for shock value. They raise questions to get at solutions to the problems that confront our community.

We also talked about my novel Paper Puzzle and how it relate to the problems of Ferguson and Staten Island. I really appreciated this question because it helped me to frame Paper Puzzle in a contemporary light. I believe the public will find that discussion very interesting.

Another issue we covered was race in America. We discussed President Barack Obama’s continuous call for an honest discussion on race in America.

Also, Jay Green wanted to know how to bridge the generation gap between Baby Boomers and the Millennials. A rather profound discussion followed. It may be interesting for listeners. We talked about how the elders can help the younger generation in the struggle for human dignity. Also, we discussed the need to pass the baton to young people. In short, it is time for young people to do their thing.

This free flowing interview on the Financial Breeze Show is for all age groups. It should be used as a facilitator for dialogue between the elders and the young. Hopefully, we can bridge the gap and get the two generations working together in order to bring about justice and human dignity for all.

 

Harold Michael Harvey, JD, is the author of the legal thriller “Paper Puzzle,” available at Amazon and at haroldmichaelharvey.com. He can be contacted at hmharvey@haroldmichaelharvey.com