Now let's get to the NAACP.
In two headlines linked to the civil rights organization, the first involves President Donald Trump, the organization announced they will not invite the president to their national convention next month in Charlotte, North Carolina.
This would mark the first time.
The NAACP has opted to exclude a sitting president in its one hundred and sixteen year history. NAACP president Derek Johnson announced the move during a press conference, accusing Trump of working against its mission. Here's a portion of what Johnson had to say. Quote this has nothing to do with political party. Our mission is to advance civil rights, and the current president has made clear that his mission is to eliminate civil rights end quote.
The NAACP has filed.
Multiple lawsuits against Trump in the last few months, including to stop the Department of Education from withholding federal money for schools that did not end DEI programs, arguing the department was prohibiting legal efforts to provide equal opportunity to black students. First things, First, respect to Derek Johnston. Dereck Johnson, I understand where you're coming from. I just don't agree, respectfully. I don't agree that this was the right decision to make.
Number One, let's stop associating DEI with black people when you talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion. We all know that the biggest beneficiaries of DEI has been white women.
And we all know.
That folks associate DEI with individuals who weren't qualified but were just giving an opportunity so a place could be diverse. And that's not what I would classify us as, and I'm certainly I'm certain that you wouldn't either, mister Johnson.
So that's number one.
Number two, here's where my reticence really really comes in. Why not let the forty seventh President of the United States come and address the NAACP convention. Why not give Donald Trump a chance to sit before your audience, your constituents, and explain exactly what he's doing.
And why why not let him do that?
Why not let him stand before the very people whose lives he's purported to have had a profound effect upon with some of his decisions, and let him explain what is it that he's doing and why. When we talk about the Department of Education again, we all understand that our students need all the help that we can get, especially in the public schools.
There's no question about that.
Federal funding is essential and we understand that. But at some point in time don't we have an obligation to look at exactly what the Education Department has done and whether or not it has served to benefit our commun unity as in the black community, along with various communities throughout the country, throughout this country, the United States of America. Do we just write a check and automatically give it to people, taxpayer dollars to people without deciphering how well they do their jobs?
Are we not allowed to probe.
And a look at them and to say, what exactly are you doing with the American dollars? With the taxpayer dollars from the American citizens. I don't know the answer. I'm not proclaiming to know the answer. I'm simply saying I want to hear if the president is taking this strong position, and he's campaigned on eradicating the Department of Education for years, why does he feel that way? What
evidence does he have to validate his assertions? And if indeed there is profound evidence to support such a position, who are those that are supporting it? We need to ask those questions, and I think that standing before members of the NAACP at your very own convention. I think that that would serve well to invite him and let him come before you all and try to explain what he's doing, so you'll have him on a record, not just sound bites that airs on CNN or MSNBC or
Fox News or ABC, CBS, NBC or whatever. No, let him sit before you and explain and defend his position. Most importantly, you could try to ignore the President of the United States, but you know what can't be ignored his actions until twenty twenty eight. Mister Derrick Johnson. He's not going away. He's not going away. By the way, the NAACP did sue him, and remember sue him with a civil suit successfully, I might add, as it pretends to the insurrection.
In twenty twenty one on January.
Sixth, Did that stop him from becoming president again? He's been sued, He's been convicted thirty four felony council. Whatever did its end up the jail. Didn't he still run for reelection? Didn't he still skate right through the GOP. Didn't he win the popular vote and the electoral College vote and every swing state you don't get to ignore him. As my point, he has been the most powerful, the most influential member of the GOP since two thy and fifteen.
How does you refusing to.
Invite him, ostracizing him, not wanting to hear what he has to say to you all? How does that help you? How I'm not saying to agree with him. I'm not saying side with him. I'm not saying befriend him. I'm not saying any of those things. But ignoring him ain't gonna get it done. None of you truly want to be about the business of helping folks, particularly the disolate and disenfranchise in our country, the urban communities throughout America.
Not that that's all the NAACP does, because I'm certainly not implying that. All I'm saying is that clearly is who you're interested in helping. Ignoring him and not even inviting him to come and speak at your convention, what's that going to accomplish.
For the first time in a one hundred.
And sixteen year history, you're not inviting your president. Are you trying to tell me that there's no president that has been as offensive to the NAACP as Donald Trump? In one hundred and sixteen years, Are you really making that argument that, no matter what you think about Donald Trump, that's the only person that's the only president of the United States that you've been able to say that about in a one hundred and sixteen year history of the NAACP.
One hundred and sixteen years, doing the math that goes back to nineteen oh nine. Since nineteen o nine, there's no president that has ever been.
More offensive to the NAACP than Donald Trump. Is that your argument, Let's say, for the sake of arugument, that it is for the moment. Other than the progressive left, who's going to definitively agree with your position. You might have folks out there that want to contribute to the courses of the NAACP that are center left and center right. They may not agree with Donald Trump either, but they recognize the importance of being able to work with the
President of the United States. Just think about it. I don't think this is the right move.
If all of us had to like the people we had.
To deal with and do business with, how would business ever get done in this country if not this world? It's a rhetorical question. Mister Derek Johnson, I know you know the answer. Let me move on to a second headline involving the NAACP, and this is pertaining the Elon Musk in the city of Memphis. The NAACP, along with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said they intend to sue Elon Musks artificial intelligence company.
Called x AI.
They have major concerns about air pollution generated by a supercomputer facility located near predominantly black communities in Memphis. The XAI data center began operating last year, powered in part by pollution emitting gas turbines, without first applying for a permit.
Officials have said an exemption.
Allowed them to operate for up to three hundred and sixty four days without a permit. However, Southern Environmental Law Center says there is no such exemption for turbines and that it's now been more than a year. They also say the use of the turbines violates the Clean Air Act and that residents who lived near the facility already face cancer risk at four times the next average. That last sentence is all that matters to me, no doubt. This is in South Memphis. From what I've read that
it's a poor and impoverished neighborhood. Now Elon Musk and his company will tell you that it's generating billions for the local economy, if not at least hundreds of millions of dollars.
They're talking about.
Plants that are being built, one that's cost over thirty five million dollars and something else, and that's going to generate jobs. We certainly understand the importance of generating jobs, generating revenue, stimulating an economy, making sure that folks within
the Memphis community, specifically the Memphis community are benefiting. As mere Poor Young pointed out, they're trying to make sure that the revenue generated, at least twenty five percent of that revenue is allocated for folks within a five mile radius of this plant. I respect that, I understand it. I understand the importance of economics. I understand the importance of a flourishing local economy.
I understand about jobs.
I get it because you want to pay your bills and what have you. But air pollution, risk of cancer four times greater than it normally is. What good is everything I mentioned? If you're dead, we can't have that. We can't have that. So the NAACP, according to law is obligated. I you're gonna follow this lawsuit, you gotta give them sixty days notice. And that is what has happened. So this lawsuit essentially is forthcoming and we'll know the facts.
And in fairness to Elon Musk and Xai, they've essentially said that they they violated no laws. They followed all the protocols and the rules and regulations necessary to justify doing this project.
And this is what they're doing.
But if people, if their health is endangered at four times the normal rate of what it normally would be, ladies and gentlemen, we got ourselves a problem. And there's nobody on this planet, especially nobody in the United States of America, especially nobody in Memphis, who should sit silent about this. We're as strong as our weakest link. And those impoverished living in impoverished neighborhoods need our voice.
They need our help.
So we need to keep a watchful eye on this and to make sure all the odds are dotted and teased across to ensure that while revenue is being generated, that corners aren't being cut to potentially compromise the well being of the impoverished, amongst us. They matter just as much as the rest of us, just as much as the rest of us, and there's no way in hell that we should sit outly, buy and be quiet off something like this. It's potentially going on.
So while I.
Disagreed with the NAACP's position about inviting Trump to their convention to speak, I applaud the NAACP for bringing attention to this by announcing that they're gonna follow this lawsuit to get this matter addressed. Good looking out, mister Johnson, Good looking out.