Essay 255

MultiCultClassics Minutes presents monumental stupidity…

• A North Carolina town had a dream of building a statue to honor Martin Luther King Jr., but the project’s now being scrapped. Seems folks couldn’t agree on the works presented by various sculptors. Wonder what the civil rights icon would have thought about this sad scenario.

• A brand new statue of Bruce Lee erected in Bosnia was damaged hours after its unveiling. Vandals ripped the nunchakus from the figure’s hands. Damn, the real Bruce Lee would never have let that happen.

• Walgreens, The Pharmacy America Trusts, does not necessarily trust you — especially if you’re African American. Three former cashiers claim White supervisors ordered them to follow Black customers assumed to be potential thieves. The cashiers and three Black customers filed a federal lawsuit against the Chicago store. A Walgreens spokesperson proclaimed, “We have zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind and we insist on fairness in our employee relations and customer service practices.” Or maybe they just insist on fair skin.

• Sen. Arlen Specter spoke out in support of Philadelphia Eagles’ Terrell Owens, who was suspended and deactivated by the team for negative behavior. “It’s a restraint of trade for them to do that, and the thought crosses my mind, it might be a violation of antitrust laws,” Specter declared, adding that he’s considering taking the matter to the antitrust subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The nation is reeling with issues like immigration, disaster rebuilding, wars and more. Yet our elected leaders want to focus on a whiny wide receiver?

• The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced a new class of inductees. But once again, rap artists were snubbed. Who made it into the Hall of Fame this year? Blondie. ‘Nuff said.