BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Digital technologies – the Internet and other tools to collect and share information digitally – are spreading rapidly.

“The battles that we need to be facing are not battles that may be fought in the United States’ elections in November. The battles that we need to be facing are the battles that stop our young girls and young boys from wanting to go and buy bleach and use bleach on their skin as if something wrong with the pigment of the skin in which they’re born”- Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley responds to people demanding she speak out on racial issues in the United States.

There are icons and giants, and then there are great men. Congressman John Lewis was a great Black man by anyone’s standard, and he worked until he took his last breath. As a Black man in America, he never stopped working for racial justice, equality, and non-violence. His mentor was the civil rights Icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his entire life was dedicated to the teaching of nonviolence, and “making good trouble.”

Like many, it was horrifying to watch the life of another black man – George Floyd - squeezed out of his body – literally – by a member of “America’s Finest”. And in a pandemic no less!

What do ladies put on the front burner, love or money?       

There is no better day to celebrate our nation than on Independence Day. It is a day that every citizen should have a sense of belonging wherever they find themselves.

This year, our nation – our world – has been faced with unprecedented challenges. From a global health crisis to civil unrest and the reminder of inequalities for people of color, our strength, our faith and our wills have all been tested. As we enter the eight month of 2020, I gain strength from the opportunities before us. The opportunity to listen. To grow. To mend. And to change.

"Sir Everton (Weekes) was … a most amazing pioneer in West Indies cricket - a gentleman and quite simply a wonderful human being. I got to spend a couple hours with him last year just sitting at his home and talking with him, at a time when he was recovering from a serious illness. I have never known a more humble and gentle human being. I grew to appreciate his sense of humor and his love of people, and witnessed the love and respect that so many held for him in Barbados and across the entire region. I am so privileged to have known this amazing West Indian legend and gentleman.” - Ricky Skerritt, President, Cricket West Indies

With three and a half more months before the presidential election, President Trump will become more desperate and dangerous as he fights to win a second term. As he becomes more arrogant and assertive, the rule of law becomes less significant and important to him. At this point in office corruption is more overt, and not secret or hidden.

To all who have expressed outrage, disgust, anxiety, empathy, or bewilderment at how this crisis in social justice can be our reality in 2020, I ask you to take some time and call a friend, colleague, a mixed race relative-someone who is Black or looks Black-and have a real conversation with them. During this conversation, ask them what it is like for them day to day as a citizen in American society, what their experiences have been as it pertains to racism. This is not likely to be a five-minute conversation. But if you really care to understand, if you really want to fix this problem, if you really want the protests to bring sweeping change, if you really want to make a change in society for the better, you need to start with an understanding of what is it like to be Black in America.

Tallahassee, Fla. — The State of Florida’s 2020-2021 budget was signed by the governor. As COVID-19 cases increase, and the pandemic causes state revenue shortfalls and funding needs for response efforts across the board, $1 billion in cuts was announced from projects for affordable housing, education, social services, and more. Commissioner Nikki Fried offered the following statement:

Most of the time in America, when you break a record, you are congratulated for a job well done. During the reality of Covid-19, breaking a record generally means that the numbers are going in the wrong direction. In the last week over 56,000 Americans on a daily level are being infected by the coronavirus pandemic.