Karen Grigsby Bates, Author at KWOTABLE

‘Rapists’, ‘Huts’: Trump’s Racist Dog Whistles Aren’t New

Posted by Karen Grigsby Bates | Jan 13, 2018 | FEATURED, POLITICS | 0 |

NPR Enlarge this image Mark Wilson/Getty Images “Same insult, different day.” Essentially, that was the reaction of many people of color to news on Thursday that President Trump, in a bipartisan gathering to hammer out an immigration deal, had declared the U.S. shouldn’t consider taking people from “these shithole countries.” The sovereign entities that Trump allegedly reduced to outhouse status were Haiti, El Salvador and most of the African continent. (Trump has since taken to Twitter to deny the claims, saying he “Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country.”...

A Different National Anthem, Before The Nation Was Ready For It

Posted by Karen Grigsby Bates | Nov 2, 2017 | FEATURED, POLITICS | 0 |

NPR Enlarge this image Back in 1968, a rising Puerto Rican pop star, José Feliciano, was asked to sing at Game 5 of the World Series. David Redfern/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption David Redfern/Getty Images Listen to the story here The NFL continues to wrangle with its issue of players taking a knee during the national anthem, but this isn’t the first time The Star Spangled Banner has collided with politics, race and a major sporting event. In 1968, a rising Puerto Rican pop star, José Feliciano, was asked to sing the anthem before Game 5 of the...

After Dallas, Black Gun Owners Take Stock

Posted by Karen Grigsby Bates | Jul 12, 2016 | FEATURED, PERSONAL FREEDOMS, POLITICS | 0 |

The Philadelphia group Black Guns Matter offered firearms education and safety training at Philly Fire Arms Academy in May. Bastiaan Slabbers The deaths last week of three African-American men in encounters with police, along with the killing of five Dallas officers by a black shooter, have left many African-American gun owners with conflicting feelings; those range from shock to anger and defiance. As the debate over gun control heats up, some African-Americans see firearms as critical to their safety, especially in times of racial tension. The Reverend Kenn Blanchard, who’s known on social media as Black Man With A Gun, is an evangelical minister, former federal security officer, and firearms trainer. He’s also a gun-rights advocate and the father of a young man. The police shooting deaths of Delrawn Small in New York City, Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minn. have shaken him deeply. So have the deaths of five Dallas police officers at what had been a peaceful protest march. The Code Switch Podcast, Episode 8: No Words July 9, 2016 • It’s hard to figure out what to say after this week’s horrific violence, which began with two viral videos of police shooting black men and ended with a deadly attack by a gunman on police officers. When Blanchard heard the news from Dallas, he says it catapulted him back to the...