Author: Jovi

It’s hard to believe that with the amount of damage that the tobacco industry has inflicted on the Black community, that there are still Black organizations accepting their funding. By doing so, these Black organizations enable the tobacco industry to portray themselves as allies to our community. They help silence our voices and efforts aimed at encouraging policymakers to take specific steps to protect our people, thus becoming complicit in our death and disease.

According to Dr. King, the creation of a beloved community would require the American people to address three great evils of society: racism, poverty, and militarism. My friend and former colleague, the late John R. Lewis, arguably Dr. King’s most ardent disciple, often invoked the concept to buttress his calls for a “just society.” John was committed to the pursuit, but I always wondered if such were possible until recently.

Amerrah Garrison, also known as A.G. Oktoberose, has won Char’Actors Michigan’s Great “AGON” Ultimate Monologue Slam.