Month: July 2019

By Tweety Elitou

On September 14, political activist and educator Dr. Angela Davis will be honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame for her historic achievements.

Joining over 266 women that have been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame since its creation in 1969, the honor is well deserved. 

Born in 1944, Dr. Davis has become a household name in the Black community. Besides being listed on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted List” in 1970, the former member of the Black Panther Party has always been on a mission to help marginalized communities.

The 75-year-old’s accolades includes being a faculty member at UC Santa Cruz for 15 years as a Distinguished Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies, writing 10 books, and being an activist known for bringing awareness to the struggles of incarceration and criminalization in the Black community.

The ceremony for the National Women’s Hall of Fame will be held in New York and will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote.

Other 2019 class inductees include attorney and activist Gloria Allred, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Native American lawyer and professor Sarah Deer, actress and activist Jane Fonda, United States Air Force officer Nicole Malachowski, former member of U.S. Congress Louise Slaughter, composer Laurie Spiegel, biologist Flossie Wong-Staal, and artist/activist Rose O’Neill.

All inductees are nominated by the public, judged by an interdisciplinary team of experts, and selected for their invaluable contributions to American Society in the areas of the arts, athletics, business, education, government, humanities, philanthropy, and science.

“We are pleased to add these American women to the ranks of inductees whose leadership and achievements have changed the course of American history,” shared Betty Bayer, president of The National Women’s Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to Dr. Angela Davis and all the other amazing women who are making a difference in the world.

Original article was published here.

By Minyvonne Burke

The creators behind the new Netflix limited series “When They See Us” have a lot to celebrate after receiving 16 Emmy nominations — the most for the streaming giant this year.

Nominations for the 71st annual Emmy Awards were announced Tuesday morning. “When They See Us” is up for a slew of awards, including outstanding limited series, outstanding supporting actor and actress in a limited series, and outstanding writing for a limited series.

The series, which debuted in May, tells the true story of Korey Wise, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray and Kevin Richardson, five black and Hispanic teenagers, who were wrongfully convicted of raping a white female jogger in 1989.

The youths, dubbed the “Central Park Five” by the media at the time of the case, were eventually exonerated in 2002. They have now adopted the name “The Exonerated Five.”

Director and filmmaker Ava DuVernay received an Emmy nomination for outstanding directing. In a tweet Tuesday, she thanked The Exonerated Five.

“Thank you to the real men for inviting me to tell their story,” she wrote. “Thank you to @TelevisionAcad for honoring the work. Saluting every single crew and cast member. And saluting Raymond, Korey, Antron, Yusef and Kevin. Love you, brothers.”

Actor Jharrel Jerome, 21, who plays Korey in the series, also received a nomination for outstanding lead actor in a limited series. This was his first Emmy nod.

“Blessed, honored, bewildered, shocked,” Jerome wrote on Instagram. “Ill have better words to say a little later but right now i cant breathe, I LOVE YOU FAM.”

Actresses Niecy Nash and Aunjanue Ellis are both up for outstanding lead actress in a limited series.

“SEATED, at a different table,” Nash tweeted. “They told me I could only do broad comedy…. I invited them to think differently! Thank you @Ava @TelevisionAcad for seeing me and thank you all for seeing the Exonerated Five! Justice is fought for ~ Love Wins #dramaticActress.”

The 71st Emmy Awards airs Sept. 22 on Fox.

Original article was published here.

By David Moye

Donald Trump presumably doesn’t question his wife’s right to criticize her adopted country.

President Donald Trump is once again ignoring the truth with his racist attacks on four progressive congresswomen. He’s also ignoring the parallels with his own family’s immigrant history.

The president launched a Twitter tirade that urged the four lawmakers to “go back” to countries “they originally came from.” As many have pointed out, three of his targets ― Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts ― were born in the U.S.

CNN’s Jake Tapper noted an interesting comparison in relation to the fourth congresswoman, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who immigrated to America as a child from Somalia and became a U.S. citizen as a teenager.

“Longer than the first lady,” Tapper noted.

Omar became a citizen in 2000 at the age of 17, while Melania Trump became a citizen six years later at the age of 36, a year after she married the future president.

Original article was published here.

By Tyler O’neil

Robert Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and America’s first black billionaire, praised President Donald Trump for the roaring economy and criticized Democrats for moving “too far left.”

“The party in my opinion, for me personally, has moved too far to the left,” Johnson told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble. “And for that reason, I don’t have a particular candidate (I’m supporting) in the party at this time. I think at the end of the day, if a Democrat is going to beat Trump, then that person, he or she, will have to move to the center and you can’t wait too long to do that.”

A self-described centrist and Democrat, Johnson supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, but he has expressed admiration for many of Trump’s policies after that election.

“I think the economy is doing great, and it’s reaching populations that heretofore had very bad problems in terms of jobs and employments and the opportunities that come with employment … so African-American unemployment is at its lowest level,” Johnson explained.

In June, the black unemployment rate stood at 6.0 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, merely 0.1 percent above its lowest point last year. Sadly, Democrats refused to applaud for the historic lows in black unemployment during Trump’s State of the Union speech in February.

“I give the president a lot of credit for moving the economy in a positive direction that’s benefiting a large amount of Americans,” Johnson added. “I think the tax cuts clearly helped stimulate the economy. I think business people have more confidence in the way the economy is going.”

“Overall, if you look at the U.S. economy … you got to give the president an A+ for that.”

Last December, Johnson joined Trump for a ceremony involving the signing of an executive order establishing the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.

Johnson also warned that America’s increasingly bitter political partisanship is bad for business.

“If business people are concerned about anything, it’s the clear, clear partisan politics that’s become very wicked and very mean. And that’s not helping the American people, and it’s not helping America as a global nation,” he told CNBC.

While he encouraged Trump to “step back a little bit from some of his showmanship,” the first black billionaire insisted that the president deserves credit for the economy — and that will bolster his chances in 2020.

“At the end of the day, the American people are looking for someone who can deliver economically and deliver on opportunities,” Johnson concluded.

Original article was published here.

By Leslie Josephs

American Airlines has removed the Boeing 737 Max from its schedule through early November as the worldwide grounding of the jets after two fatal crashes disrupts air travel far longer than originally expected.

American and its competitors that have the Max jets in their fleets like United and Southwest have canceled thousands of flights during the summer travel season, the busiest time of year for airlines, with no end in sight to the grounding.

Aviation regulators around the world grounded the planes in mid-March after two deadly crashes — one in Indonesia in October followed by another in Ethiopia in March, claimed a total of 346 lives.

United, which has 14 Max jets in its fleet, announced Friday it was removing the jets from its schedule and has canceled thousands of Max flights since the grounding through Nov. 3.

Boeing developed a software fix for the planes after an anti-stall system on board was implicated in both crashes. But Officials have not indicated when they expect they will allow the planes to fly again, sending airlines scrambling to meet strong travel demand by consolidating some flights.

American said the removal of the planes from its schedule through Nov. 2 would lead to approximately 115 flights canceled flights a day. The Fort Worth-based airline previously planned for the planes to return in early September but CEO Doug Parker told employees last month that it was prepared for the impact of the grounding to last longer.

Even when Boeing gets clearance to fly the plane again, American will need about 30 to 45 days to provide its more than 4,000 Boeing 737 pilots with the additional required training.

American, which reports earnings on July 25, said Wednesdaythe grounding cost it $185 million in pre-tax income in the second quarter.

At least one U.S. airline that doesn’t fly the 737 Max —Delta — said that it’s benefited as its rivals that do have the grounded aircraft grapple with hamstrung fleets.

American has 24 Boeing 737 Max planes in its fleet of more than 900 aircraft and has another 76 on order.

Original article was published here.

By DJ Self Born

Turn us up in your headphones.  It’s time to bring multiple generations of the family together for one big outdoor dance party.  And let’s face it:  At least half the fun of meeting up once a year is having the young folks teach you the latest moves while the older relatives share how they used to get down back in the day.

But you’ll need a nice long list of songs to groove to, and they need to transcend time, plus inspire you up off that picnic bench after a day of grilling and dining.

That’s why our Miami-based celebrity mixmaster, Deejay Self Born, put together this 20-song playlist for your Coolest Black Family Reunion.  We even have a Spotify version so you can have your own auto-play deejay.

D Low – “Do It Like Me” Get all of the youngster dances out of the way in one fell swoop with this song that covers the milly rock, nae nae, and the quan.

V.I.C. – “Wobble” –This song starts the party up proper-like regardless of the age group and is perfect for bringing together family members of all generations. Plus, it’s simple to do so you won’t need a YouTube tutorial to get it going.

Cupid – “Cupid Shuffle” –Just like the Wobble this slightly older classic gets even greatmama on the dance floor.

Mr. C – “Cha Cha Slide” –Once everyone is up and moving, slide this into the mix.  It’s a great group dance and allows for lots of innovation.  (We see you out there making it your own, Uncle!)

Ghosttown DJs – “My Boo” -Always a favorite for the 30-plus contingent, this song has been given a whole new relevancy, thanks to the NEW “Running Man” dance. Don’t be surprised if the tweens try to crowd you off the dance floor when it comes on.

Beyoncé – “Single Ladies” -This song speaks directly to the ladies, as ‘Yonce intended.  Leave plenty of room for hand gestures and hip bouncing.

Jay – “I Just Wanna Love Ya” –This is one of the best hip-hop songs to get those feet moving.  Go for the clean version and drag your reluctant boo on the floor.  This will make up for dragging them to your family’s reunion.  Again.

Mary Jane Girls – “All Night Long” –This song brings together the 20- and 30-somethings.  The smooth beat and belted out vocals will inspire your older cousins to tell you how they used to rule the clubs.

Maze – “Before I Let Go” –This song is pretty much a staple in Black family functions for anyone over 35… Make sure you’re ready to sing the break!

Gap Band – “Outstanding” –This song makes everyone over 40 happy and always brings the couples to the dance floor. Hey, it’s better than arguing over who ate too much of the potato salad.

Bill Withers – “Lovely Day” –This is just a must-have song due to the positive energy emanating from this classic.  Save this one for dusk to have everyone in a happy mood as the festivities reach a close.

Michael Jackson – “Rock With You” –A Black family reunion without Michael Jackson is like… I literally took 5 minutes and couldn’t imagine it… It doesn’t happen and I apologize for even entertaining the notion.

Cameo – “Candy” –This song represents great times in the mid ‘80s for everyone 40 and up. Just put your lemonade down before you spill it, swaying to one of the most groove-inspiring bands in history.

Prince – “When Doves Cry” – We so miss the Purple One.  Play this one loud and no worries if your feet are tired.  It’s great for chair dancing.  Attendees of all ages will appreciate this warbling, wavy-sounding triumph.

Cheryl Lynn – “Got To Be Real”-At this point this song shows the younger generation how great music was for dancing together in a perty… Something the latest generation doesn’t get to see in the club today.

Michael Jackson – “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” -Like I said Michael Jackson comes standard with the cold drinks and the grilled meat.  Spoiler alert: You can never have “enough.”

Earth Wind & Fire – “September” –It may be cliché at this point but songs like this will probably never go out of style.  There will be a Soul Train line.

Sister Sledge – “We Are Family –This song is mandatory for the kids to hear and for the elders to really drive home the day’s theme… FAMILY.

O’Jays – “Family Reunion” –Another themed selection, and this song rounds out about an hour of entertaining and reminiscing.

R. Kelly – “Step In the Name of Love” -This song gets the elegant, upstanding two- steppers on the floor. The slower, yet very danceable melody, is a good time for your auntie to show you how they did it in HER day.

Original article was published here.

By Zahara Hill

On Thursday, TIME released a multimedia documentary titled Firsts which pays homage to 46 trailblazing women through a series of video interviews and photos.

“Our goal with Firsts is for every woman and girl to find someone whose presence in the highest reaches of success says to her that it is safe to climb, come on up, the view is spectacular,” read the project’s homepage.

Among the women honored in the interactive series of videos are 13 black women (coincidentally, the number 13 also happens to represent the percentage of Black women in the United States population). The women’s accomplishments are grouped into categories titled: The Setbacks, The Motivations, The Families, The Histories and The Ceilings.

Black icons Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay, Shonda Rhimes, Serena Williams, Gabby Douglass, Rita Dove, Issa Rae, Ursula Burns, Rita Dove, Mo’ne Davis, Aretha Franklin, Mae Jemison, Ilhan Omar and Loretta Lynch were all featured in the project.

“This is not a power list, this is not most famous women or most wealthy women,” TIME editor in chief Nancy Gibbs said. “This really is women who have stories to tell about breaking barriers that we think are instructive and inspiring across so many different fields. I think when you read their stories and hear them talk about what motivated them, what contributed to their success, what setbacks they faced, everyone will find someone they can identify with.”

In addition to the Friday issue dedicated to the ‘Firsts’ series, the collection of portraits and interviews with the women will also be available as a book which will be released September 19.

Original article was published here.

By Wilson Morales

The film explores when Cassius Clay hung out with Sam Cooke, Malcolm X and Jim Brown.

Deadline is reporting that Oscar-winning actress Regina King is set to direct One Night in Miami, based on the debut play from Kemp Powers, who has adapted it for the screen.

Set on the night of February 25, 1964, the story follows a young Cassius Clay as he emerges from the Miami Beach Convention Center as the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Against all odds, he’s defeated Sonny Liston and shocked the world of boxing. While crowds of people swarm Miami Beach’s hotspots to celebrate the match, Clay — unable to stay on the island because of Jim Crow-era segregation laws — spends the night at the Hampton House Motel in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood celebrating with three of his friends: singer Sam Cooke, activist Malcolm X and football star Jim Brown. The next morning, the men emerge determined to define a new world.

In One Night in Miami, Powers aims to pinpoint exactly what happened during those pivotal hours. Featuring the music of Cooke, including his hit song, “A Change Is Gonna Come,” the film offers a piercing narrative for the evening, which challenges the four men, strips them bare and reveals them for who they were.

The pic is being produced by Snoot Entertainment (Blindspotting, Little Monsters) and ABKCO, with Keith Calder and Jess Wu Calder producing for Snoot and Jody Klein for ABKCO.

King next will star in HBO’s Watchmen series from Damon Lindelof.

Original article was published here.

By Todd Haselton

Apple’s new iOS 13 software for iPhones coming this fall will help you stop robocalls. It’ll automatically send the calls to voicemail instead of ringing your phone.

But you might want to leave this feature off since it does this for all numbers that aren’t in your address book, which means you could miss important calls.

iOS 13, which is already available for beta testing ahead of its September launch, will help you ignore those annoying robocalls you keep getting. It doesn’t block the numbers entirely, but it will help you stop your phone from ringing at all if an unknown number calls.

The feature is called “Silence Unknown Callers,” and it’s built into the phone settings app.

Here’s how to use it:

How to stop robocalls in iOS 13

• Open Settings
• Tap “phone”
• Now scroll down and toggle the option to “Silence Unknown Callers”

This automatically sends unknown callers to voicemail. There are times where you might want to leave this off, though.

If you’re expecting a call from a doctor you might not have in your address book, then you should turn the feature off to prevent their call from going to voicemail. Or, if you regularly receive important calls for business that you might not always recognize, then again this feature might not help you much. At least everyone can still leave you a voicemail.

Google has a feature I like even more on its new Pixel phones, which automatically screens calls and uses the Google Assistant to speak with the person on the other end. I don’t see Apple adding something similar soon, but it might not need to if wireless carriers are able to do a bulk of the blocking on their end.

Original article was published here.

By Elyse Wanshel

Serena Williams is serving all kinds of empowerment in the August issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

The 37-year-old tennis superstar not only stuns in untouched photos for the magazine, but she also wrote a candid first-person essay in which she opens up about her controversial championship match at the 2018 U.S. Open against Naomi Osaka.

Osaka, 21, upset Williams in the Grand Slam match last September. But attracting the most media attention was Williams’ on-court confrontation with the match’s chair umpire, Carlos Ramos, who issued her a series of what she considered unfair violations. Ramos ruled that Williams’ coach sent her illegal hand signals from the spectator’s box, and the penalties against her included docking her a game.

An infuriated Williams confronted Ramos and called him a “liar” and a “thief.” In her Harper’s essay, Williams wrote that she believes he was “penalizing me for being a woman” who used her voice to stand up for herself.

She had similarly accused Ramos of sexism during the match, saying “because I’m a woman, you’re going to take this away from me?”

In her essay, she said Osaka deserved to win the match. “My opponent simply played better than me that day,” she said.

Still, the umpire’s treatment toward Williams on that day rocked her to her core.

“I felt defeated and disrespected by a sport that I love — one that I had dedicated my life to and that my family truly changed, not because we were welcomed, but because we wouldn’t stop winning,” Williams wrote.

Williams said she received a lot of backlash afterward and that she felt she was being portrayed as a sore loser. She did receive some backing, including from tennis icon Billie Jean King, who in an op-ed for The Washington Post said Williams “was right to speak her mind, to put a voice to the injustice.”

After therapy and a lot of reflection on the experience, Williams wrote in her magazine piece, that she realized “there was only one way for me to move forward.” She decided to email Osaka and apologize.

Her message to Osaka, as she shared in her essay, read:

“Hey, Naomi! It’s Serena Williams. As I said on the court, I am so proud of you and I am truly sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing in sticking up for myself. But I had no idea the media would pit us against each other. I would love the chance to live that moment over again. I am, was, and will always be happy for you and supportive of you. I would never, ever want the light to shine away from another female, specifically another black female athlete. I can’t wait for your future, and believe me I will always be watching as a big fan! I wish you only success today and in the future. Once again, I am so proud of you. All my love and your fan, Serena.”

Williams said that when she received Osaka’s response, “tears rolled down my face.”

“People can misunderstand anger for strength because they can’t differentiate between the two,” Osaka said in her email. “No one has stood up for themselves the way you have and you need to continue trailblazing.”

Williams said she then realized why the U.S. Open was so hard for her to get over.

“It wasn’t because of the backlash I face,” she wrote. “But rather because of what had happened to the young woman who deserved so much more in her special moment. I had felt that it was my fault and that I should have kept my mouth closed. But now, seeing her text putting everything in perspective, I realized she was right.”

Williams wrote that the situation exemplifies “how thousands of women in every area of the workforce are treated every day.”

“We are not allowed to have emotions, we are not allowed to be passionate,” Williams wrote. “We are told to sit down and be quiet, which frankly is just not something I’m okay with.”

Williams said she will never again second-guess whether she should use her voice.

“I think of the next girl who is going to come along who looks like me, and I hope, ‘Maybe, just maybe, my voice will help her’,” she wrote.

To read Williams’ essay in full essay and to check out her stunning photos, head over to Harper’s Bazaar.

Original article was published here.