Rev. Ralph Abernathy and demonstrators at the Poor People’s Campaign
The Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) was created on December 4, 1967, by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to address the issues of unemployment, housing shortages for the poor, and the impact of poverty on the lives of millions of Americans. Unlike earlier efforts directed toward helping African Americans gain civil rights and voting rights, SCLC and its leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., now addressed issues that impacted all who were poor regardless of racial background. Their immediate aim was to secure Federal legislation ensuring full employment and promoting the construction of low-income housing to raise the quality of life of the nation’s impoverished citizens.
The SCLC planned a nationwide march on Washington on April 22, 1968, to focus the nation’s attention on this issue and particularly to pressure Congress to pass legislation to address the employment and housing issues. Unlike earlier marches, SCLC leaders planned the creation of Resurrection City, a giant tent city on the Mall in Washington, D.C., where demonstrators would remain until their demands were met. When Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968, movement leaders debated whether to go forward with the planned demonstration. They chose to continue the march with King’s lieutenant, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, as its new leader. The march date was postponed to May 12, 1968, though a few hundred people arrived in Washington on the original date. The first week, May 12-29, brought a wave of nearly 5,000 demonstrators. During the second week Resurrection City was completed.
The protestors, people from a wide range of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds—Native Americans from reservations, Latinos from the Southwest, impoverished whites from West Virginia, as well as rural and urban blacks—came together and spread the message of the campaign to various Federal agencies. They also disrupted life in Washington to try and force the government to respond. At its peak, the number of protestors reached nearly 7,000 but still far short of the expectation of 50,000 people.
The march was also marred by weather and leadership divisions. An unusual downpour of rain made the ground turn to mud causing the tents to weaken, and eventually forcing people to leave. Tension among the demonstrators themselves caused violent outbreaks and undermined the effectiveness of PPC leadership. The assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy, a presidential aspirant and one of the PPC’s principal supporters in Congress, on June 5, 1968, sealed the fate of the campaign. Resurrection City closed two weeks later on June 19, 1968.

Most of us recognize music genres like metal, rock, hip-hop, pop, garage, folk, ballads, and traditional or culturally based music. ARIRANG took listeners to a whole different level, specifically Hooligan. I have to say, for me, listening to the album was and still is an innovative back-to-the-future event.

The phrase “drop it lower than chopped and screwed” captures the essence of a hip-hop genre that has shaped musical culture.

For BTS listeners, this was their first experience with a unique sound rooted in a region with deep historical roots in the South. So, the idea to reintroduce a regional Black Southern hip-hop technique to a global audience was an amazing decision.

BTS’s “Hooligan” is a creative and innovative venture — musically, visually, and lyrically. It deliberately breaks structure, bends genre, and weaponizes chaos as an artistic identity. ~ poplyrics

The Fusion we experience in the Hooligan track connects Houston’s rich legacy with K-pop’s expansive reach, creating a powerful cultural narrative. The chopped and screwed technique involves slowing down a song’s tempo to craft a hypnotic, extended rhythmic foundation, enhancing the lyrics and storytelling. Pioneered by DJ Screw in Houston, who tragically passed away in 2000, this style has become a cornerstone of the hip-hop scene, echoing with Southern influences.

While BTS doesn’t use DJ Screw’s traditional method—like a full 60 BPM slowdown or extensive chopping—they clearly draw from the aesthetic. Their work features: Slowed vocals, Lowered pitch, Echoing repeats, and Dragged-out transitions. For many younger fans, BTS is their first experience with anything resembling chopped and screwed music.

In Houston, it’s a whole culture

Chopped and Screwed is everywhere —

• mixtapes
• car culture
• local radio
• DJ Screw’s legacy
• The Screwed Up Click

If you were in Houston, it wasn’t a trend; it was daily life.

Thank you, DJ Screw, for influencing both local and global music!

Connecting Houston’s legacy to K‑pop’s global reach. That’s a huge cultural loop.

Update:

So, after listening to others discuss tracks from ARIRANG… I had to dive deeper into the

Glitch`trap is a cross‑continental hybrid fusion from

• Southern U.S. trap rhythms

• Japanese/German glitch sound design

• Modern global pop production

We recognize the sound: it’s familiar (trap) but also broken, warped, and digital (glitch).

Glitch‑trap production — The track fuses aggressive trap percussion with distorted basslines and glitch-hop textures. Music Analysts describe it as “organized sonic mayhem” built to feel unruly but engineered with precision.

Did you know that while K‑pop didn’t invent glitch‑trap, it turned it into a recognizable, polished, mainstream style — something the U.S. never did, and has been using the G/Trap sound for over a decade. It didn’t become a recognizable sound until the mid-2010s, and it didn’t become mainstream until the late 2000s

For many younger listeners, including myself, this is our first exposure to anything resembling Glitch-trap and Chopped and Screwed genres!

In fact, ARIRANG not only symbolizes the journey of BTS, but also an amalgamation of several genres, a puzzle, a different piece of Korean identity, global influence, and personal storytelling. But the magic is that the pieces interlock — they don’t clash.

Thanks to BTS!

June is recognized as World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, highlighting the prevention of elder abuse and promoting the rights and well-being of older adults.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Month is observed throughout June, with the focal day being June 15, known as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD)

The observance was launched in 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) in collaboration with the World Health Organization, and formally recognized by the United Nations in 2011

The month-long awareness campaign aims to educate communities, policymakers, and caregivers about the prevalence, forms, and consequences of elder abuse, while promoting prevention and intervention strategies 

usc.edu, awarenessdays.com

The Issue

Bryce Jones ~ Petition Starter

For many of us living on the southwest side of Chicago, the daily challenges we face are growing. We are grappling with increased living costs and punitive policies. Under the current administration, I, like many others, felt the harsh realities of life under stringent immigration policies, with ICE raids affecting our community deeply. And now, with rising gas prices because of a failed vanity war, making ends meet is more challenging than ever. We propose to launch a winning vanity war.

We propose a tribute to a figure who stands for hope and change, Barack Hussein Obama. By renaming Wabash Ave in Chicago to Barack Hussein Obama Ave, we would honor him at the time of his presidential center’s opening. This move resonates with hope and progress, uniting us in the pursuit of a brighter tomorrow.

But more importantly, the renaming carries symbolic weight, as it alters the official address of Trump Tower to Obama Ave. This would send a small message about the values we uphold as a city, those of inclusivity, resilience, and forward-thinking change, and fighting back in any way possible.

We call on Mayor Brandon Johnson and all city council members to consider this proposal seriously, reflecting the community’s voice and aspirations. Please sign this petition to show your support for renaming Wabash Ave to Barack Hussein Obama Ave, and let us immortalize hope, progress, and small acts of resistance in our cityscape.

Follow the progress with us @401NorthObama everywhere 

Bryce Jones~ Petition Starter

“The historical record shows that European colonial powers, Zionist leadership, the UN, the US, and NATO-aligned states each pursued political agendas that converged into the destruction of Palestinian society. Many members of Congress — across parties and religions — have supported policies that enabled this outcome.”

NATO as an institution did not design the displacement of Palestinians, but NATO member states (the US, UK, France, Italy, Germany, etc.) have been central to the military, diplomatic, and economic power structure that protected Israel from accountability.

They armed Israel

funded Israel

vetoed UN resolutions

provided diplomatic protection

blocked sanctions

framed Israel as a Western strategic asset

treated Palestinian resistance as a “security threat”

Britain created the system.

The UN legitimized it.

Zionist institutions carried out the displacement.

The US protected it.

France and Germany financed and reinforced it as a moral obligation.

This was not a single coordinated plan — but multiple state agendas converging into the same outcome.

6–8 NATO countries consistently take positions critical of Israeli policy.

These include: Turkey, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, and sometimes Portugal.

Source: The internet and ai research for information