CURRENT CULTURE: Trump Links Activists to Bigots, Obama Notches top Tweet, Black-founded town turns 130
Crisis in the Homeland — If you have been following the turmoil happening in Washington D.C., the past week has felt like a year. The week started with President Donald Trump delivering a second speech on Monday on the Charlottesville protests that left one dead and nineteen others hospitalized after a driver plowed his vehicle into a crowd.
Less than twenty-four hours later, Trump gave a political career-imploding impromptu speech in the lobby of the Trump Tower that practically undid all the good will his speech Monday may have had.
In this diatribe, Trump equivocated Neo-Nazis and white-nationalists with liberal protesters, citing that both sides behaved inappropriately. Trump dug his hole deeper with the claim that there were “very fine people” on both sides, with one side encompassing the KKK and white supremacy and the other consisting of people protesting against said bigotry.
Republicans are increasingly speaking out against Trump and his stance. One of the more vocal proponents against Trump has been Ohio governor and former presidential candidate John Kasich.
The tumultuous week ended with Trump firing his chief adviser and former Breitbart executive Steve Bannon.
With Bannon’s firing, the circle of allies in the White House is shrinking for Trump and he may be entering into a lame duck era in his presidency.
Barack Obama Breaks Twitter Record — Former president Barack Obama released a tweet quoting Nelsen Mandela on the protests in Charlottesville. The first of his series of three tweets released on August 12 quickly went viral and became the platform’s most liked tweet ever.
Eatonville — This weekend, residents of Eatonville, Fl. are celebrating the town’s 130th birthday. This birthday holds a special significance as Eatonville was originally founded as a self-governing all-black town by freed slaves. The town regards itself as the “Oldest Incorporated African American Municipality in America.”
Famed writer Zora Neale Hurston is the town’s most renowned resident. Her seminal work, Their Eyes Were Watching God, was set in Eatonville. The novel was later adapted into a film starring Halle Berry and Michael Ealy.
According to the US Census Bureau, today Eatonville has almost 2.300 residents, 85 percent of whom are black.
Prince gets a color — Just as with the unforeseen passing of Michael Jackson, everyone remembers where they were when they heard of the shocking passing of musical and cultural icon Prince when he passed away in 2016 at the age of 57.
In honor of the fallen star, the Pantene Color Institute released a new shade of purple, titled “Love Number 2”.
Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute said: “We are honored to have worked on the development of Love Symbol #2, a distinctive new purple shade created in memory of Prince, ‘the purple one.’ A musical icon known for his artistic brilliance, Love Symbol #2 is emblematic of Prince’s distinctive style. Long associated with the purple family, Love Symbol #2 enables Prince’s unique purple shade to be consistently replicated and maintain the same iconic status as the man himself.”
