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VOLUME 97 - NUMBER 39
Wisconsin Democrat Says Trump
Wants to Create A 'Superior Race’
By Scott Bauer
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -
The Democratic candidate
for lieutenant governor in
Wisconsin suggested in
a podcast interview that
President Donald Trump’s
administration wants to
create a “superior race.”
The Wisconsin Repub
lican Party said the candi
date, Mandela Barnes, was
comparing Trump to Na
zis, an accusation Barnes
strongly rejected Sept. 21.
Arthur Mitchell, Founder of Dance Theatre of Harlem, Grand Marshal 2018
African American Day Parade (Source: YouTube)
Arthur Mitchell: Ballet Legend
And Pioneer Dies at 84
By Nsenga Burton Ph.D., NNPA Newswire Contributor
@Ntellecutal
The world is mourning the loss of legendary choreographer Arthur Mitchell. Mitchell, who danced
with the New York City Ballet from 1956-1968 and founded the groundbreaking and world renown Dance
Theater of Harlem died Wednesday of heart failure. Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times writes:
“Mr. Mitchell, the first black ballet dancer to achieve international stardom, was one of the most popu
lar dancers with New York City Ballet, where he danced from 1956 to 1968 and displayed a dazzling
presence, superlative artistry and powerful sense of self.
That charisma served him well as the director of Dance Theater of Harlem, the nation’s first major
black classical company, as it navigated its way through severe financial problems in recent decades and
complex aesthetic questions about the relationship of black contemporary dancers to an 18th-century
European art form.”
Social media tributes have been pouring in for the game changer.
Mitchell attended the School of American Ballet in New York City, eventually joining the City Ballet
where he would study with world famous dancer George Balanchine. Mitchell performed with acclaimed
dancer Diana Adams in what would be a groundbreaking performance of Agon Pas de Deux, breaking ra
cial barriers in ballet. Mitchell performed with City Ballet in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” for which
he is greatly remembered. Mitchell also performed in Balanchine’s “Requiem Canticles,” which was a
tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Following his assassination in 1968. It was this critically-acclaimed
performance that inspired him to co-found the Dance Theater of Harlem with mentor Karel Shook in
1969, proving to the world that ballet is for everyone.
Mitchell was 84.
Barnes, running mate
to Democratic gubernato
rial candidate Tony Evers,
made the comment on the
Millennial Politics podcast
posted online Sept. 20.
Barnes, a former state rep
resentative who is African-
American, has been out
spoken against Trump. At a
candidate forum last week,
Barnes said he wasn’t inter
ested in people who voted
for Barack Obama and then
switched to Trump, if they
still support the president.
On the podcast, inter
viewer Jordan Valerie
quizzed Barnes about the
Trump administration’s de
cision not to ask a question
on the 2020 Census about a
person’s sexual orientation,
but to inquire about their
citizenship status.
“The Trump administra
tion has shown that they
have this over-willingness
to make people feel less
than human,” Barnes said.
“This is another way. It
speaks to the same, way
they treat people at the bor
der. It speaks to the whole
concept of building a wall.
It’s like a race to create a
superior race in many as
pects.”
Wisconsin Republican
Party spokesman Alec Zim
merman accused Barnes of
comparing Trump to Nazis,
an allegation Barnes called
“grossly absurd and offen
sive.”
“My point was and re
mains that the policies .of
the Trump administration
have often been actively
hostile towards minorities
and have moved us back
wards on the issues of race
relations,” Barnes said in a
statement Sept. 21. “With
the type of divisive polices
coming from Washington,
states will have to work to
ensure we treat everyone
with respect and dignity.
Our culture of acceptance
is what makes Wisconsin
special.”
But Zimmerman, the
Republican Party spokes
man, said Barnes was “un
hinged” and showing a
“disregard for a majority of
voters in Wisconsin.”
Trump won Wisconsin
by less than 23,000 votes
in 2016. Democrats have
been trying not to alienate
independent voters who
supported him, but who
may now be disgruntled
and would consider voting
for Democrats this year.
The race for governor
between Evers and Gov.
Scott Walker is expected to
be close, with independent
voters most likely the ones
who will determine the out
come. A Marquette Univer
sity Law School poll out
this week showed Evers up
by 5 points, just beyond the
survey’s 4.4-point margin
of error.
In the podcast interview,
after suggesting the Trump
administration was in “a
race to create a superior
race,” Barnes said, “It can
seem very extreme, but that
is the direction we’re head
ed. We have to do every
thing we that we can to stop
it. I think a lot of that starts
at the state level. State level
resistance is necessary.”
Valerie, the interviewer,
complimented Barnes for
his comment, saying, “I’m
really glad to hear you say
this is about, essentially
about ethnic cleansing. We
don’t see politicians will
ing to admit that very of
ten.”
Barnes continued,
“That’s the thing. It doesn’t
just happen right away,
right? These things just
aren’t so apparent, there’s a
buildup over time and you
get to that place and the
next thing you know we be
come the kind of state that
we would be compelled to
go to war with.”
Former First Lady Michelle Obama is among cel-
ebraties calling on of citizens to register and vote. Reg
ister to vote and volunteer at www.whenweallvote.org.
(Photo: Screen capture/YouTube)
Michelle Obama
Co-Chairs ‘When
We All Vote’
New Ad Campaign Announces 2,000 Events
By Lauren Victoria Burke
When We All Vote, a non-partisan organization inspir
ing voter turnout in the run up to Election Day in Novem
ber, is working on a National Week of Action. Former
First Lady Michelle Obama is serving as a co-chair.
“When We All Vote, we get new ideas and new energy.
We get leaders that share our values” says Mrs. Obama
in a new commercial running on prominent digital plat
forms and on radio across the U.S.
The commercial will air over the 14 days before voter
registration deadlines. On September 20, When We All
Vote launched a text message campaign allowing people
to text WeAllVote to 97779 for voter registration informa
tion.
The 2018 cycle has been propelled by two elements:
Dislike of President Donald Trump and a record number
of women running for office. According to NBC News,
there were 53 female Senate candidates, previous record
was 40 in 2016, and 476 female House candidates, with
the previous record being 298 in 2012. Among the 476
women who ran for a seat in the U.S. House, about 75
percent were Democrats.
Over 52 percent of Democratic House female can
didates won their primary races. There percentage was
higher than for Democratic men or Republican women.
The 2018 election cycle is expected to be a record one
for female candidates. Backlash to Trump’s presidency is
widely seen as one of the main reasons as his disapprov
als climb higher.
When We All Vote is planning a Week of Action in
which volunteers will host nearly 2000 events across the
U.S. The purpose of the events will be to register voters
and recruit volunteers. When We All Vote previously an
nounced that Michelle Obama will headline events dur
ing a Week of Action in Las Vegas on Sept. 23 and Miami
on Sept. 28.
Along with the former First Lady, other Co-Chairs:
Janelle Monae, Chris Paul, Tom Hanks and Faith Hill,
will lead flagship events along with Loni Love, Keegan-
Michael Key and Shonda Rhimes.
When We All Vote arrives as part of several efforts to spike voter
turnout in a crucial “off-year” election at a time when voting numbers
have increased dramatically when compared to the previous off-year
cycle.
Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and writer for
NNPA as well as a political analyst and communications strategist.
She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at (a),
LVBurke
Register Now
To Vote
In 2018