Year: 2019

Jay-Z dedicated a portion of his performance at a concert in New York City on Friday to Nipsey Hussle, by honoring the slain rapper’s legacy and commitment to his community. 

Hussle’s efforts to revitalize the South LA neighborhood he grew up in inspired Jay-Z to remember Hussle during the music mogul’s performance at Webster Hall located in the East Village:

“Gentrify your own hood, before these people do it/ Claim eminent domain and have your people move in/ That’s a small glimpse into what Nipsey was doing/ For anybody still confused as to what he was doing,” a BET video showed Jay-Z rapping.

Hussle, who founded brand and clothing store called The Marathon Clothing, nestled in a strip mall near Crenshaw Boulevard, has been widely recognized for his efforts to redevelop the Crenshaw neighborhood. 

Los Angeles City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson has publicly celebrated Hussle for his leadership with Destination Crenshaw, a project aimed at honoring black culture, history and art in the Crenshaw community.

Harris-Dawson entered a motion earlier this month to have the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard named after Hussle. On April 12, he announced on social media that the LA City Council voted unanimously to name the intersection “Nipsey Hussle Square.”

The Grammy-nominated rapper, born Ermias Asghedom, was fatally shot outside his clothing store on March 31. Hussle’s fans, loved ones and a number of public figures have since publicly mourned his death. 

During Jay-Z’s freestyle, which he segued into after performing his 2002 song “Some How, Some Way,” he referenced Hussle being killed in his own community. 

“I told Neighborhood Nip stay close/ There’s a hundred million dollars on your schedule, lay low… I never dreamed he’d get killed in a place that he called home.” 

In 2013, Hussle told MTV News that Jay-Z had reached out to purchase 100 copies of the independent rapper’s mixtape priced at $100 a piece. 

“I got a DM on Twitter from a respected hip-hop journalist, and he was just like, ‘Hov respects the move, salute,’” Hussle told the publication.

He added, “A little while later, I got an email from my team – that came through my team and it just was like, ‘Roc Nation, on behalf of Jay Z wants to buy 100 units.’”

Original post was published here.

Damian Lillard may have created an unforgettable moment in NBA history with an impressive buzzer-beater last week ― but now he’s getting praise for the insight and perspective he showed in a recently resurfaced 2017 interview.

Speaking to Sporting News that year, Lillard was asked whether expectations from the previous year were creating “pressure” for him and his team.

“Pressure, nah. Fam, this is just playing ball,” the Portland Trail Blazers point guard replied. “Pressure is the homeless man, who doesn’t know where his next meal is coming from. Pressure is the single mom, who is trying to scuffle and pay her rent.”

“We get paid a lot of money to play a game,” he went on. “Don’t get me wrong ― there are challenges. But to call it pressure is almost an insult to regular people.”

Lillard, 28, noted on Twitter Monday that “people who aren’t in the position we are” might have been a better choice of words than “regular people.” But many on social media assured the NBA star they’d received his message clearly.

Original post was published here.

Lena Waithe recently shared some of what it was like working as an assistant in her early career days, with one major takeaway from the experience: Make connections with “somebody that knows what it means to be black and with a dream.”

During a segment on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Tuesday night, “The Chi” creator recounted the time she worked as an assistant for “Love & Basketball” director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who once tasked her with getting “Whoopi Goldberg on the phone.”

“It was like the black version of ‘Devil Wears Prada,’” Waithe said, after calling Prince-Bythewood her “hero” and “role model.” 

Waithe then recounted the long series of events that she said took place after her initial attempt to get in touch with Goldberg.

The “Boomerang” executive producer said she was hung up on by a few phone operators at various companies throughout the entire ordeal until she made connections with people who she believed to be African-American.

Waithe said she was able to relate to black representatives by sharing that she worked for the director for 2000 “Love & Basketball” film, which starred Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps. She was ultimately successful in getting Goldberg on the phone after connecting with a representative at “The View,” she said. 

“Can you connect me to a black person that works at ‘The View’?” Waithe recalled saying on the phone at one point. 

“Now what is the lesson that we learn from this story?” host Jimmy Kimmel asked. 

“That you need to get connected to the black person,” Waithe responded with a laugh. “Get me somebody that knows what it means to be black and with a dream trying to find your way to freedom.” 

Waithe, who was recently named an agent of change by The Hollywood Reporter, is the creator and writer of a forthcoming TV series titled “Twenties,” which recently received an eight-episode order on BET.

Original post was published here.

“The Lion King” director Jon Favreau says the “power” of Beyoncé’s performances inspired his approach to the character Nala in the upcoming remake of the 1994 animated classic.

In an interview with The Associated Press this week, Favreau explained how he filmed voice-recording sessions with the cast members, who include Donald Glover as Simba, Billy Eichner as Timon, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar and the Queen Bey herself as Nala. 

Favreau said the idea was to capture and then convey the actors’ emotions through their characters in the new animated remake, which he said “should feel like a live-action movie.”

Specifically for Nala, the director told the AP that Beyoncé’s real-life stage presence also served as inspiration for the character’s movements.

“Nala is a very powerful character who’s a warrior and also has a big heart and encapsulates a lot of different archetypes,” Favreau said.

He continued, “I wanted the way she was choreographed and with lions and the fight scenes to have a resonance with the power with which [Beyoncé] choreographs her stage show.”

Although Beyoncé’s voice isn’t featured in Disney’s official trailer for the film, Eichner said on Crooked Media’s “Keep It” podcast in March that he heard Beyoncé sing on a “rough cut,” and that it made him cry.

“The Lion King” hits theaters on July 19.

Original post published here.

Original post was published here.

Omarosa Manigault Newman, former senior White House official and frequent thorn in President Donald Trump’s side, has accused the administration of destroying several boxes of evidence that she said should have been turned over to special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of investigators. 

Speaking to Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC on Saturday, Manigault Newman said she was told to leave boxes of documents pertaining to Trump’s campaign and his transition into office when she was fired in December 2017 by John Kelly, the then-White House chief of staff. The order, she said, was despite a “clear directive” that she and other White House staff had received to preserve all documents potentially related to Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and the Trump campaign’s ties to Russian officials.

“I think it’s important to realize that very early on in the administration, we got letters directing us to preserve all information related to the Mueller investigation ― all investigations, any information, any emails, any correspondence,” Manigault Newman said.

“So I thought it was very interesting that after my discussion with … Kelly in the [White House] Situation Room when I went to take my things, I was instructed that I had to leave seven boxes of documents that came from the campaign, the inauguration, the transition, and they would not allow me to get them,” she continued.

Manigault Newman said she has not seen these boxes again and believed the Trump administration had not handed them over to the special counsel, as her legal team would’ve had to be informed if they had been. 

The former contestant of “The Apprentice” added that, based on emails she’d received from administration officials about the documents, it appeared that at least five of the seven boxes had been destroyed. 

“What’s very curious to me is that, as I stated, it was seven boxes of documents, and in my emails, they only referenced two, which leads me to believe that they’ve destroyed the other five,” Manigault Newman said. 

She added that she believes she’s “not the only one who’s been subjected to this type of treatment, and I believe that there are more documents that have been destroyed by this administration.”

In an April interview with MSNBC’s Craig Melvin about the Mueller probe, Manigault Newman referenced the two boxes of documents that she said the White House had refused to hand over to the investigators.  

“We should really not just focus on what [Trump] is telling people to do or say, but how he’s asked people to destroy documents, to destroy e-mails ― in my case, two boxes of campaign-related materials the White House still has in their possession that they claim they don’t have or don’t know what happened to it,” Manigault Newman said at that time.

When asked by Melvin whether the Trump administration had directed her to destroy evidence, Manigault Newman explained that while she had not been told directly to do so, “they were very clear about not wanting us to share those things.”

“Right after the campaign, the day after, they took our e-mails down and told us we had no access to it … They were certainly working to try to hide the things we now know are involved with this investigation,” she alleged.

Cheslie Kryst contributed to pageant history when she was crowned Miss USA on Thursday: For the first time, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss America are all black women.

Kryst, who represented North Carolina in the pageant, is a lawyer who practices civil litigation and does pro bono work to help get reduced sentences for incarcerated people.

Miss Teen USA 2019, Kaliegh Garris, was crowned Sunday. The high school senior from Connecticut plans to attend college and pursue a degree in nursing. Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin, who won her competition in September, hailed from New York.

Both Kryst and Garris were applauded for wearing their natural hair during their pageants.

“There were a few naysayers saying, ‘You look better with straight hair,’ or ‘You should put in extensions and straighten your natural hair,’” Garris told Refinery 29, later adding, “I feel more confident and comfortable with my natural hair.”

Both Miss USA, Nana Meriweather, and Miss Teen USA, Logan West, were black in 2012. But Miss America that year, Laura Kaeppeler, was not.

At Thursday’s final Miss USA event, Kryst expertly answered a question on whether the Me Too and Time’s Up movements against sexual harassment and assault had “gone too far.”

“I don’t think these movements have gone too far,” she said. “What Me Too and Time’s Up are about are making sure that we foster safe and inclusive workplaces in our country.”  

“As an attorney, that’s exactly what I want to hear,” she added. “That’s exactly what I want for this country.”

Original post was published here.

Original post was published here.

On the campaign trail, 2020 presidential hopefuls, Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are highlighting the disproportionately high rates of pregnancy-related deaths among black women — an issue health care providers and lawmakers increasingly are flagging as a crisis.

Warren says she plans to strategically apply the lessons learned from reforms enabled by the Affordable Care Act and set one price for the care a mother needs.

“I support these efforts, and I have another idea: hold health systems accountable for protecting black moms,” she wrote in an Essence Magazine op-ed Tuesday.

Harris introduced a resolution to designate April 11-17 as Black Maternal Health Week, in an effort to raise awareness of the issues pregnant black women face in this country.

According to a study conducted by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, “considerable racial disparities in pregnancy-related mortality exist.” In the most recent data retrieved by the CDC, during 2011-2014, the pregnancy-related mortality ratios were 12.4 deaths per 100,000 live births for white women compared to the 40 deaths per 100,000 live births for black women.

Gaining public awareness

“This issue really started gaining public awareness over a year ago when Serena Williams shared her own challenges accessing postpartum care to address a health complication she experiences just days after giving birth to her daughter,” Dr. Jamila Taylor, senior fellow and director of women’s health and rights for the Center of American Progress told ABC News. “Serena went to her health care provider and expressed pain and discomfort, and initially she was ignored.”

Williams revealed in an interview with Vogue magazine in January 2018 that she underwent multiple operations after sustaining a pulmonary embolism the day after her emergency cesarean section.

Williams told ABC News that she “dealt with a lot of issues” with her health in the past, including “blood clots in my lungs” and “everywhere in my body.”

“Even Serena Williams — a world-class tennis champion — was invisible in that moment. And this is a common theme throughout the stories we see of black women who have died from maternal complications,” Taylor added.

The root of the cause?

Warren and Harris blame it on “racism” and disparities in how health care is offered. So do some researchers.

“The data shows that Black women are three to four times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes,” Warren wrote in her column. “This trend persists even after adjusting for income and education. One major reason? Racism.”

At a CNN town hall, Harris detailed her own initiative to address black maternal mortality rates.

It is “a matter of racial bias in the health care delivery system,” Harris said. “Those women are not taken as seriously when they show up at the clinic or the doctor’s office or the hospital.”

A number of African Americans also lack access to quality health care, according to federal statistics.

According to the CDC, In 2017, 27.2% of Hispanic and 14.1% of non-Hispanic black people aged 18-64 were uninsured.

“Three out of four black women give birth at low-quality hospitals,” Taylor said. “The postpartum period is a sensitive time for new moms and access to health care is extremely important.”

The solution

According to a study published in 2016 by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. has not released an official maternal mortality rate since 2007.

The Center of American Progress suggests the country improve its data collection by ensuring states “standardize and improve the quality of their birth and death certificate data and committees that help states identify and review cases of fetal and infant mortality.”

The organization also recommends diverse stakeholders serve on maternal/fetal and infant mortality review committees.

Improving the quality of care, enhancing support for mothers before and after birth and providing access to critical maternal services could also help improve outcomes, the report noted.

Warren suggests looking at what she sees as the root cause.

If health systems are able to reduce the disparities found in maternal death rates for women of color and increase survival rates they will “earn a bonus,” Warren told a gathering of women of color at the She the People forum in Houston. If not, “money will be taken away from them.”

“I want to talk to the hospitals …I want to talk to them in a language they understand: money,” Warren said. “I want to see the hospitals see it as their responsibility to address this problem head-on and make it a first priority. The best way to do that is to use money to make it happen.”

Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker is pitching a sweeping gun control agenda with more than a dozen specific elements, marking his second policy rollout in three weeks as he looks for a breakthrough moment in the crowded 2020 primary.

The New Jersey senator’s plan to curb gun violence centers on the creation of a national license required for all firearm owners, which would include an interview and mandatory completion of safety training. A summary released Monday by Booker’s campaign says among the other elements of the gun control platform are universal background checks for gun buyers and the reinstitution of a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity firearm magazines.

Booker released an environmental justice plan last month. He has struggled to rise from the low single digits in early polls.

Original post published here.

Monty Williams, the highly regarded Philadelphia 76ers top assistant, has agreed to become the next head coach of the Phoenix Suns.

Williams joins a franchise that has some talented young pieces in Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, Josh Jackson and Kelly Oubre, but the franchise, which won only 19 games this season, has been in constant turmoil over the past eight years while employing seven different head coaches. The suns fired Igor Kokoskov last month after just one season.

Over the past six years, the Suns are tied with the Orlando Magic for having the worst record in the league during that span.

“Monty brings a wealth of NBA experience, both as a coach and former player, in addition to being a high-character individual who will infuse basketball wisdom and life lessons into our locker room,” Suns general manager James Jones said in a release announcing the move. “Monty is well respected for his coaching pedigree, leadership and commitment to the community, all of which make him the ideal person to lead our team moving forward.”

Williams was the head coach with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans from 2010-15 and led them to the playoffs twice. He was then the associate head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, but stepped away from coaching in the aftermath of his wife’s tragic death in a car accident in 2016.

He returned to coaching this season as Brett Brown’s top assistant in Philadelphia.

“Anybody who pays attention even a little bit understands he’s elite people,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said. “He’s emerging, relatively young coach who’s incredibly relational and has been studying how to be an NBA coach. He’s been around and I hope he’s taken something from our program.”

Williams was an assistant coach with the United States national team under Mike Krzyzewski along with Jim Boeheim and Tom Thibodeau for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

Williams will stay with the Sixers until their playoff run is complete before assuming his duties in Phoenix.

A native of the Washington, DC area, Williams starred at Potomac High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland prior to attending the University of Notre Dame.

As a senior with the Fighting Irish in 1994, the 6-foot-8 small forward averaged 22.2 points and 8.4 rebounds as an honorable mention All-American. He was a first round pick by the Knicks in the 1994 NBA Draft and played in the league for nine years. In addition to New York, he also suited up for the Spurs, Nuggets, Magic and Sixers.

Williams was also considered to be among the top choices for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching vacancy.

Original post published here.

Back in the not-so-good-old days of cruising, women were considered to be bad luck on ships, a distraction to the crew and an anger to the seas. Until the 1970s, many professional maritime academies didn’t admit women, and there were no woman cruise ship captains until 2007. Things are definitely getting better in the cruise industry: Women now make up 18 to 20% of the workforce. But there’s still a long way to go. Of the more than 300 passenger cruise ships worldwide, fewer than a dozen have woman captains at the helm and it’s still a rarity to find women in the upper echelons of the cruise industry, since they only account for 5.4% of officers.

But those statistics didn’t let Belinda Bennett — the world’s first black woman cruise ship captain— hold her back. Bennett has worked for the small ship line Windstar Cruises for 14 years and sails the MSY Wind Star through the Caribbean in winter and Europe in summer. She recently won the U.K.’s prestigious Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service. With Black History Month coming to a close and International Women’s Day and Women’s History month just around the corner, we caught up with this trailblazing woman who is making history and helping create a sea change in her industry.

Starting Out: I originally came from a small island called St. Helena, which is in the South Atlantic Ocean between South America and South Africa, smack bang in the middle of the Atlantic, miles from anywhere. Growing up on a small island, from the age that I could walk I was in the water. I loved the ocean. It used to be that the only way off the island was by ship. So when I was 17, I took a job on the RMS St. Helena, the ship that supported the island. That’s when my adventures started.

Overcoming Challenges: Unfortunately, I had a rough start. When I was training as a cadet, I sailed with chief officers who made me work harder than the other guys. During your cadetship you’re starting out as a sailor, so you do every job that they do. I had a chief officer, unfortunately, who made me work later than the sailors, so they would knock off for the day, and I would be left outside continuing to work until it got dark. It really was a make-or-break-you time, and me being me, I refused to be broken.

Breaking Barriers: After working on a private yacht off of Monaco for over two years, I did a stint on the Isle of Man Steam Packet ferries. Then I went back to school for my masters. After that, I tried to go back into yachts, but I was unsuccessful. The yachting industry wasn’t quite ready for me at that time. I remember being sat down by an agent in Antibes and being told that finding a job in the yachting industry would be very hard because of three things: 1) I had a higher education than most captains at the time; 2) I was a woman; 3) I was black. So I had to reevaluate my options, and Windstar, here I came. I got a job with Windstar Cruises in 2005.

Rising Through The Ranks: I came to Windstar as a second officer. Eventually, I went to chief officer. And then in January 2016, I was made captain of the MSY Wind Star, a four-masted sailing ship with 148 guests and 101 crew.

On Success: I had goals in life, which I’ve succeeded at, and I’m a very strong woman. Being a woman, you have to work extra hard to prove yourself — even more than a man. Some men might not like that, but that’s the way it is. I’m driven. I wanted to be captain, and so, I am.

Meeting Guests: TheWind Star is a small ship, and we have an open bridge policy, which means you can stop by at almost any time and visit me on the bridge. This is a rarity in the cruise industry. The hotel manager and I also like to greet our guests on the gangway when they arrive. Some people say to the hotel manager, “You’re the captain?” And the hotel manager loves to say, “No, she is.” You get all different reactions. It’s quite fun to watch. I think the women love it. Some men are in awe, and some are slightly “What, you’re the captain?”

Role Model: I like to think that I’m a role model for other women. When I first came to sea, there were only five of us in a class of seventy-something. Over 20 years later, out of the five of us, I’m the only one still at sea. I do like to encourage women to come to sea.  There’s been an increase in women working at sea, but it’s not happening fast enough — or as fast as I’d like to see it, anyway.

Inspiring Women Staffers: To the women on my staff, I tell them, “When you put your mind to something and you really want something, you will work for it. And if you really really want it, no matter what obstacles come in your way, you can overcome those obstacles.”

Being A Woman Leader: As a woman, you can get away with a little more. You can be more direct and you can pretty much tell the guys how it is. If I don’t like something, I’m going to say it. I think men-to-men can be more confrontational. I never have that situation. Whenever I have constructive feedback to give, I like to end on a high note. Open communication is key in this job. If you can talk to your team and get them to talk to you, life is a lot easier.

Favorite Places: Any Italian port with leather bags and leather shoes, I am there. Bequia — a tiny island in the Caribbean — has the best lobster pizza in the world. The best gelato is in Portoferraio on the Italian island of Elba. I’ve been lucky enough to transit the Panama Canal, and the ingenuity is amazing. I recommend you see it at least once in your lifetime.

Inspiring The Next Generation: Every time I go back to St. Helena, I go to a high school and I talk to the kids. I tell them, “Look, I was once in your chair. I was schooling just like you, and then after so many years, I am now captain on a cruise ship that travels throughout the world. I love traveling. Being paid to travel? Bonus! “

On Determination: When I first came to sea, the more someone said, “You will never make it,” the more determined I was to make it. I’m very headstrong. My parents will definitely agree with that. You need to be determined, you have to be a strong person. You will have a lot of challenges along the way. Doing this job, you will meet people who will not accept you being a woman. But the world is changing, it’s getting better.

Advice For Other Women Who Want To Do This: Work hard, be strong and don’t let anything deter you. I’ve done it. You can do it, too.

Post originally published on this site.