The plight of Black and Indian refugees from Ukraine
The Tuesday Talking Points!
"It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell!"—quote by General William T. Sherman, Union Civil War hero
The color of refuge
As the world remains vigilant about a war in Ukraine that's due to Russia's imperialistic aggression, amid the chaos and destruction an age-old problem has reared its head once more—racism!
Stories of race impacting who Ukrainian security forces allow to leave the country first started circulating on social media last week; the mainstream media are now picking up on the ugly truth that while the world shows concern and compassion for Ukrainians, that some Ukrainians are showing zero compassion for non-Ukrainians who are seeking to escape Russian bombs, bullets, and missiles, too!
Per CNN this morning, "Rachel Onyegbule, a Nigerian first-year medical student in Lviv was left stranded at the border town of Shehyni, some 400 miles from Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. She said, 'More than 10 buses came and we were watching everyone leave. We thought after they took all the Ukrainians they would take us, but they told us we had to walk, that there were no more buses and told us to walk. My body was numb from the cold and we haven't slept in about four days now. Ukrainians have been prioritized over Africans -- men and women -- at every point. There's no need for us to ask why. We know why. I just want to get home...'"
Indians have felt the brunt of Ukraine security discrimination as well, as Saakshi Ijantkar, a medical student from India, told CNN, "There are three checkposts we need to go through to get to the border. A lot of people are stranded there. They don't allow Indians to go through..."
After viewing footage of an African woman being pushed from a train at the depot, I condemn such racist acts in the strongest terms possible. I also remind that while these despicably racist acts must cease, that there is still a "both-and" analysis, which means that Ukraine must be supported in its fight against Russian, while Ukraine must also ensure that all within its borders are treated fairly and with respect regardless of their race or ethnic backgrounds.
War escalating
Six days into combat, the supposedly powerful Russian Army has stalled across Ukraine. Below is a photo of a convoy about forty miles long that is stuck in a combat traffic jam of immense proportions.
Looking at that convoy just sitting idly, the bellicose side of Ol' Hobbs has surely considered the idea that American air power could swoop in and light them up like shooting fish in a barrel. But the pacifist side of Hobbs also knows that such American/NATO aggression would heighten the possibility that Russian Dictator Vladimir Putin uses nuclear missiles to hit targets in Europe, which is why direct intervention would not be a good idea.
Neither would a "No-Fly Zone," the latest military request from Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelensky. In the past 24 hours, Ukraine has also asked to be annexed into the European Union, an overdue request, but a quixotic one considering current events—and one that also risks the war’s escalation into global nuclear conflict.
Can sanctions save Ukraine
Cognizant that direct NATO engagement is highly unlikely, the logical question that is being asked is: "how can the West best help Ukraine defend itself?"
Before addressing economic sanctions, there is still time (and paths) to deliver weapons, food, and supplies to Ukraine. Those allocations should be a given and should remain steady both during the current iteration of the war, and in the likelihood that guerilla warfare will be the next stage should Russia capture Kyiv and other major cities.
But it is also important to note that the sanctions that have been levied over the past six days are already hitting the Russian people hard! The value of the Russian Ruble has dropped exponentially, Russia's Central Bank is frozen out from its Western counterparts, and yesterday, Russians were running to pull their funds from ATM's and banks in a frenzied fashion.
How long, then, will it be before the Russian people rebel against Putin's foolish war? Not long, if the inability to buy food, medicine, supplies, or access money continues to be directly impacted by the sanctions currently in place.
What about the Belarus peace talks?
Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine stalled yesterday, but will resume today. Thus far, Putin continues to demand his dubious "Russian security" guarantees despite absolutely no evidence that Russia's security was ever threatened by Ukraine. Conversely, Ukraine remains steadfast in its demand that Russia pulls out immediately.
The gap between these expectations is so wide that it's doubtful that terms will be met— but hopes springs eternal…
Grambling coaching blues
Former NFL (and new Grambling State University) football coach Hue Jackson has made headlines during his short tenure for attracting top tier athletes to play for a school that remains among college football royalty due to the late Eddie Robinson, a legendary coach who placed hundreds of Tigers into the NFL during his storied career.
Coach Jackson made headlines of a controversial sort last week when he hired Art Briles, 67, to serve as his offensive coordinator. Briles, considered an offensive genius by his coaching peers, is the former coach at Baylor University who lost his job in 2015 after an investigation revealed a disturbing culture of rape among his players. While Briles was not cited for manipulating events in his players favor, he was criticized for failing to have sufficient control of his program.
Since losing his job, Briles has coached a pro team in Italy and on the high school level, but no NCAA team has been willing to touch him due to the cloud of that rape scandal on his watch. That was until Grambling's Jackson hired him last week, a move that was roasted by sports media and pundits non-stop, and drew the ire of the most famous living Grambling NFL alum, Doug Williams, the quarterback who won MVP honors after he led the then Washington Redskins to a 42-10 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII.
Yesterday, Briles decided to step down after only four days on the job, stating that he did not wish to “be a distraction.”
But the question that begs asking is why Coach Jackson would create such a distraction in the first place? What signal did Jackson send to the young women at Grambling, and their parents, by hiring an assistant coach who allegedly took a “hear no evil, see no evil” approach about rape at his prior school?
In the days ahead, perhaps Coach Jackson will give a glimpse into the “why,” but in the meantime, there are calls that Jackson resign, too, for showing what many deem to be poor judgment that has sullied the Grambling brand.
Stay tuned…
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