Joe Mitchell

I’ll be honest, I didn’t pay attention much in high school government class. I did enough to pass the class and eventually graduate. I did start paying attention when I got my first real job and noticed how much less my net or take home pay was compared to gross pay. From that point on I researched, read, and educated myself on the federal government, specifically the when, where, and how of taxes.

Black women have long been undervalued in this racist and misogynistic nation. Often stereotyped as uneducated and loud, while being over-sexualized, Black women have faced an uphill journey. White women were granted the right to vote in the United States in 1920, but Black people, women and men, were not guaranteed that same right until 1965. But none of this stopped Black women from helping organize the civil rights movement and discovering their political potential.

A civil rights expert shared his perspective with DeKalb community members on belonging. This happened Thursday evening during a Zoom conversation.

The conversation was presented by Northern Illinois University and the City of DeKalb. 

Like many other Americans, I suffered through the presidential and vice president debates. In my humble opinion, the presidential debate was a complete debacle and embarrassment to our nation as two men in their seventies argued like children on the playground during recess. The vice president debate was slightly more controlled yet yielded little as questions were dodged and Mike Pence constantly talked over his time and over Kamala Harris.

I’m not bashful about my Christian faith, a belief grounded in love, justice, and equality.  I’ve been truly disheartened by some recent actions that have been deemed acceptable because of Christianity.  Most notable, the statement and reaction of Florida Representative Ted Yoho. A reporter from The Hill, an American political newspaper and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez herself, claim Representative Yoho used a French expletive to describe Ocasio-Cortez as a female dog.  Mr.

The death of George Floyd sparked outrage across the country. Many cities held protests. DeKalb was one of them. A couple of community leaders talked with WNIJ about this weekend’s demonstrations.

Joe Mitchell is the senior pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in DeKalb.

Mitchell said he would normally lead demonstrations within DeKalb’s African American community but he intentionally took a step back this time.

The videotaped attack and murder of Ahmaud Arbery was shocking to some and not others. The 25-year old African-American man, and former football standout, was running near his home on the outskirts of Brunswick, Ga. Two armed white men, a father and son, pursued then shot and killed Arbery, who they claim was a burglar. Two days after the graphic video went public, and 71 days after the actual murder, the father and son were charged with murder and aggravated assault.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a situation most Americans alive today have not experienced. It’s challenged our American freedoms ranging from how we worship, work, educate, congregate, socialize, shop, vacation, and grieve. As a nation we take pride in our capitalistic economic system. Over the last several weeks we’ve witnessed 401K’s lose value, the stock market crash, along with historic joblessness and unemployment applications. I applaud both sides of the aisle for getting the stimulus package out, which includes the CARES act. But it’s not enough.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy. It is one of the highest civilian awards given in the United States.  

The media is one of the most powerful and influential institutions in America. Media outlets have the ability to shape narratives and conversations with limited or an overabundance of information. Conservative, moderate and liberal outlets create storylines through varying perspectives.  

For the first time in seven years, the Chicago Teachers Union is on strike. This work stoppage effects roughly 32,000 educators and 300,000 students. This obviously creates an inconvenience for parents as they scramble to find adequate care for their children while they’re out of the classroom. I feel for the student-athletes whose hard work and dedication may be in jeopardy as the playoffs are approaching. 

Earlier this year the state of Illinois joined California, Colorado, Oregon, and New Jersey when it passed Inclusive Curriculum legislation, which allows LGBT History in Public School Education. The purpose of this law is to ensure that the contributions of members of this often marginalized community would be included in the history curriculum. Needless to say the reaction from people has been mixed.

The recent arrest of Elonte McDowell by DeKalb-area law enforcement has sparked a conversation about racism and fear of police within communities of color. 

McDowell was arrested on a Saturday morning, August 24. Joe Mitchell watched a cell phone video of his arrest on Monday.

On Thursday of last week, this nation celebrated its 243rd year of independence from British rule. This independence was the culmination of an 8-year war, fought on American soil, known as the American Revolution. It was during the American Revolution that the Constitution of the United States was established. The articles of the Constitution would serve as the foundation of how this new autonomous country interpreted the concepts of freedom and liberty, among other things.

A week ago today, this nation stopped to honor and remember fallen members of the Armed Forces.  Those who made the ultimate sacrifice for citizens of this country to live free.

The day is commemorated in many different ways. For example, there were parades, wreaths lain at gravesites, and some service persons were honored with medals or citations. In DeKalb the downtown area raised banners honoring those from this community who served in the military.  

Note: Today's Perspective was recorded before this weekend's Poway Synagogue shooting.

In the last couple of months there have been horrific acts of hatred. While not as highly publicized as the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, three historically African-American churches in Louisiana were burned within 10 days. A man has been arrested and charged with a hate crime in connection with the fires. Since Reconstruction, black churches across the South have been the target of racists, from arsons and bombings to armed assaults.

March is nationally recognized as Women’s History Month. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on the amazing accomplishments and contributions of women. The church where I pastor has been blessed this month by the preaching of women from DeKalb, St. Louis, Dallas, and Richmond, Va. It’s always refreshing to hear Womanist and Feminist theology through a hermeneutical lens that focuses on equality, justice, and righteousness. 

Last week Donald Trump gave his second State of the Union address. It was the longest such address in almost 20 years. In an 83-minute monologue, Trump talked about the booming economy, low employment, and the historic number of women in the House. Two former drug offenders were highlighted for their excessive prison sentences that a new prison reform bill will address. Yet there was no mention of Jason Van Dyke’s light sentence after being convicted of second-degree murder and sixteen counts aggravated battery with a firearm in the death of Laquan McDonald.

Every fourth Thursday of November, this nation celebrates Thanksgiving.  A holiday centered around a peaceful, but fictional, feast of the native Wampanoag tribe and English Pilgrims fleeing religious persecution. This make-believe communal meal happened only once, before the Pilgrims began to annihilate the natives. 

On May 7, Attorney General Jeff Sessions addressed the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies on the topic of immigration enforcement.

“If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you, and that child will be separated from you as required by law,” he said. “If you don’t like that, then don’t smuggle children over our border.” 

I admire the leadership of Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, the co-founders of The Black Panther Party for Self Defense, in Oakland, California. The organization was started in 1966 to bring awareness to -- and protect Black people from -- police brutality in their communities.

Huey Newton, who earned his PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz, studied the gun laws of California and educated other Panthers about how to arm themselves legally to protect their families and friends from the illegal actions of Oakland police.

As a freshman attending Western Illinois University in 1993, I was introduced to Abraham Maslow -- via textbook, of course -- in my Intro to Sociology class. Mr. Maslow is famous for developing what is commonly referred to as “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.”

This well-recognized pyramid outlines humanity’s basic needs for survival. In the middle of this five-layer pyramid is “Love/being.” As humans, we all have a need to be loved and to be a part of a larger unit. Thus, the importance of family and friends.  

Nationally since 1976, February has been Black History Month. While it’s commendable to set aside time to celebrate African-Americans’ contributions to this country, every month is Black History Month.

Truth be told, the wealth of this nation was built on the backs of African slaves, so a month is not enough. The celebration of Black History Month is a necessary corrective to the exclusive and misrepresentation of blacks in American history. It also serves as affirmation of a bold and beautiful culture passed down from one generation to the next.

Today we honor and reflect on the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a young, charismatic leader during the Civil Rights Movement.

The brilliance of his speeches, sermons, letters, and civil engagement was rooted in the prophetic witness of the Black church -- started as a respite from the inhumane conditions of American Chattel Slavery. It was an institution that subscribed to a Christian theology of liberation versus the so-called Christian theology of oppression of the slave owners.

There has been a rash of shooting incidents in DeKalb the last few weeks. On Halloween night, a woman was shot in the leg while driving in front of University Village. These acts of senseless violence are disturbing and angering at the same time. Thankfully the injuries are concerned non-life-threatening and the victim should recover.

Because of the proximity of the shootings and ethnicity of some of the perpetrators, it’s become common to blame Section 8 and all African-American residents for these acts of violence on social media.

For the last 14 months this nation has been involved in a heated dialogue about protesting and the First Amendment. This stems from now ex-NFL player Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the singing of the national anthem at the beginning of games.

From the beginning he, and other NFL players who have joined him have been clear about their actions. This is not about our military, our nation, or our flag. This is about injustice and inequality systematically perpetrated against people of color in this country.

While the terrorist activities of Charlottesville, Va., were over two weeks ago, I’m still wrestling with it emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

The brazen and cowardly acts of racism, bigotry, and hatred by White Nationalists caused the death of Heather Heyer, Lt. Jay Cullen, Trooper-Pilot Berke Bates, and left DeAndre Harris severely injured. This display of white supremacy was disappointing, but it wasn’t surprising.

The sanitized American history we are taught in school leaves a plethora of important details undiscussed: