Mr Hirschhorn : And Senator, this of course starts to stray into policy. As I sometimes say, we at ATO are just the bricklayers, not the architects. The policy agency for us is Treasury.
Senate Covid Hearings 30 July 2020
Barack Obama’s Eulogy for John Lewis
At John Lewis’s funeral yesterday, Barack Obama delivered a eulogy for his friend and mentor, praising him for his achievements in the struggle for civil rights. He also took the opportunity to suggest what politicians might do to honor Lewis and to continue his struggle, beyond just words. From the text of his speech:
If politicians want to honor John, and I’m so grateful for the legacy of work of all the Congressional leaders who are here, but there’s a better way than a statement calling him a hero. You want to honor John? Let’s honor him by revitalizing the law that he was willing to die for. And by the way, naming it the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, that is a fine tribute. But John wouldn’t want us to stop there, trying to get back to where we already were. Once we pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, we should keep marching to make it even better.
By making sure every American is automatically registered to vote, including former inmates who’ve earned their second chance.
By adding polling places, and expanding early voting, and making Election Day a national holiday, so if you are someone who is working in a factory, or you are a single mom who has got to go to her job and doesn’t get time off, you can still cast your ballot.
By guaranteeing that every American citizen has equal representation in our government, including the American citizens who live in Washington, D.C. and in Puerto Rico. They are Americans.
By ending some of the partisan gerrymandering — so that all voters have the power to choose their politicians, not the other way around.
And if all this takes eliminating the filibuster — another Jim Crow relic — in order to secure the God-given rights of every American, then that’s what we should do.
*CNN’s Brian Stelter points out that Fox News’ viewership dropped significantly when the network aired John Lewis’ funeral last week. Nearly 1.9 million were tuned into Fox in the 9 a.m. Eastern hour, but that number dropped once the funeral began. Fox News had 825,000 viewers in the 11 a.m. hour and only 540,000 in the 1 p.m. hour. CNN and MSNBC gained audience during that time.
When the funeral was over, Fox News’ viewership went up again, going over a million in the 3 p.m. hour and 1.4 million an hour after that.
John Lewis – Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation
John Lewis asked the New York Times to publish his last essay on the day of his funeral – please take a few minutes to read – to share – to reference – to heed – and always – to continue to travel the distance that lies ahead – together.
“The brief essay that Representative John Lewis sent me [Acting editorial page editor] two days before his death — to be published today, on the occasion of his funeral — expresses the hope for national healing and reconciliation that guided his life’s work For too many Americans, the civil rights movement is visible only in the rearview mirror of memory.
Breonna Taylor on the Cover of Oprah Magazine
Ever since O, The Oprah Magazinelaunched back in 2000, founder Oprah Winfrey has been featured on every single cover. Until now. For the September issue, the magazine is featuring an illustration of Breonna Taylor, who was murdered in her apartment in March by three Louisville police officers.
Winfrey writes in an introduction to the issue:
I think about Breonna Taylor often. She was the same age as the two daughter-girls from my school in South Africa who’ve been quarantining with Stedman and me since March. In all their conversations I feel the promise of possibilities.
Their whole lives shine with the light of hopefulness. That was taken away from Breonna in such a horrifying manner.
Imagine if three unidentified men burst into your home while you were sleeping. And your partner fired a gun to protect you. And then mayhem.
What I know for sure: We can’t be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice.
And that is why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of O magazine.
I cry for justice in her name.
The illustration of Taylor is by Dallas digital artist Alexis Franklin.
UPDATEFranklin wrote about the process of working on Taylor’s portrait.
Working as a digital portrait artist, I reimagine an existing image and can quickly switch moods or colors. The original photo is one Breonna took herself and has been featured in the news many times. Looking at it, I see an innocence, simple but powerful. It was critical for me to retain that. And there was a sparkle in Breonna’s eyes-a young Black woman posing in her Louisville EMS shirt, happy to be alive.