Reggie Jackson, Author at Milwaukee Independent

Stupid is as stupid does: The Uncommon Nature of Common Sense

Posted by Reggie Jackson | Oct 26, 2020

COMMON SENSE: “sound practical judgment that is independent of specialized knowledge, training, or the like; normal native intelligence.” “Common sense is not so common.” – Voltaire, French philosopher Is it just me or does common sense appear to be a thing of the past? I am absolutely amazed that people still try to convince me that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed at least 1.1 million people worldwide and more than 220,000 in the United States, is a hoax or a conspiracy. How is this possible? People believe that the entire world has conspired to kill over a...

The danger of denial: Ignoring domestic terrorism and the propaganda that blinds us to its threat

Posted by Reggie Jackson | Oct 16, 2020 |

“A lie told once remains a lie but a lie told a thousand times becomes truth.” – Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda One of the greatest tools we have available to understand the world we live in is looking at the past. Humans are a predictable species. People often say history repeats itself because humanity has not evolved enough to shift away from its ugliest habits. We still kill a ridiculous number of our own species for no good reason. We still exploit the resources of the planet to make a small segment of the species rich, while...

A message to the Democratic Party: Black people will not be the scapegoat if you lose Wisconsin again

Posted by Reggie Jackson | Oct 13, 2020 |

SCAPEGOAT: a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place. I have heard consistently since the 2016 election that Black people in Wisconsin caused the Clinton loss. The narrative has been driven into the consciousness of people here, around the country and around the world. I have been interviewed by reporters from Australia, Canada, London, Belgium and Holland who all asked me questions about how important it is that Black people get out to vote so that Wisconsin does not see a repeat of 2016. I have refused to fall for...

A Hard-Knock Life: Social apathy prevents Blacks from turning “lemons” into “lemonade”

Posted by Reggie Jackson | Oct 12, 2020 |

“But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we’ve come to our...

Reggie Jackson: I can’t find any common ground with racists

Posted by Reggie Jackson | Oct 8, 2020 |

“Most racists have been uninterested in reform…racists have been either of the type who wished to oppress the black directly…or indirectly through avoidance.” – Joel Kovel “Racism is a reflection of personal and collective anxieties lodged deep in the hearts and minds of White Americans.” – Lerone Bennett Jr. I keep hearing this language from people about finding common ground with people on the other side. I’m quite frankly tired of it. Did anyone ask Dr. King to find common ground with Bull Connor? Did anyone ask John Lewis to find common ground with David Duke? Has anyone asked...

Counted but unheard: The paradox of the Black voter in Wisconsin

Posted by Reggie Jackson | Oct 7, 2020 |

“When maps do not represent the people, all Americans lose out because democracy loses out. But, as in so many other areas, it is Black voters who bear the most severe consequences of gerrymandering. In some cases, it is literally a matter of life and death.” – Julie Kirschenbaum, The Brennan Center for Justice Every four years before presidential elections political parties and their supporters summon the courage to reach out to the Black community that they similarly ignore after said elections. We become giants in the narrative of getting out the vote but are summarily dismissed after we...