The Wentzville school board in St. Louis backpedaled on its decision to ban the novel The Bluest Eye by the late author Toni Morrison, The Guardian reports.The Missouri school board's initial vote to ban the book, which occurred in January with a 4-3 vote, was reversed Thursday after a federal class-action lawsuit was filed by two students,...
It was filled to the brim with a multitude of our favorite public figures who spared no expense as they luxuriously swarmed the Hollywood Roosevelt for the event’s red carpet.
On Saturday, Black excellence got a whole lot more stylish thanks to the many celebrities who showed up and out. The 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards took place in Los Angeles, and it was filled to the brim with a multitude of our favorite public figures who spared no expense as they luxuriously swarmed the Hollywood Roosevelt for the event’s red carpet. From Shoniqua Shandai channeling the iconic Diana Ross to social media personality La’Ron Hines dripped in 50 shades of slay, the fashions were one for the books.Check out our list of the best-dressed celebrities at the 53rd annual NAACP Image...
"He loved you guys, Jared made music for you guys and he spoke to you through his music. He helped you through his music. My son touched your lives and he's still touching lives," Carmella Wallace, Juice WRLD's mother said.
There was once a young Black kid from Chicago, Illinois, who posted some of his most touching music on SoundCloud. He wasn't sure how to promote himself or even reach out to the world, but he knew his music would reach out to those who needed it most.Juice WRLD was on a mission to find other like-minded people and to feel a part of something meaningful. And he did. He found solace in his thoughts and pain with the one thing most musicians have come to depend on. Drugs.Though Juice is no longer with us, his songs have left a lasting impression on all who have fallen in love with them. He continues to break records and accomplish things most won't. This Black History Month, as well as every day, we honor him. Here is the life and times of Juice...
Aretha Franklin's granddaughter, Grace Franklin, is following in her legendary grandmother's footsteps by pursuing a singing career of her own. The "Respect" artist's relative made her official singing debut by appearing on a recent episode of American Idol in front of judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan."Stop right there. That is your grandma?" Richie said, according to People. View this post on Instagram
A post shared by grace franklin✨ (@gfranklin61)He continued, speaking highly about his friendship with the 15-year-old's grandmother, revealing he still has some of the voicemails she left him. The "Queen of Soul" died of pancreatic cancer in 2018 at the age of 76.After Grace performed her rendition of Aretha's "Ain't No Way" and Lauryn Hill's "Killing Me Softly," she, unfortunately, received some disappointing results. Richie and Bryan delivered a no, but she received one yes from Perry. Richie left Grace with some advice, however."Grace Franklin, I love you and I think the best thing for you in life is to take a shot at going backwards. Go back and get a running start and come at this again," he said.Perry pushed her fellow judges to "give her a shot.""Give her a chance. I am sure Aretha wasn't Aretha when she walked in the room, but somebody said, 'Yes, I want to work with you. I want to develop you. You got something,'" she said.But Richie didn't budge on his decision, telling her again to "go back and put the shyness behind you and the voice in front of you, you are going to be something...
Jada Pinkett Smith was overcome with emotion while discussing her experience in the 1996 movie Set It Off.In the movie, Smith plays Lida “Stony” Newsom, a woman who escapes to Mexico after attempting a bank robbery with her three friends. Lida becomes the lone survivor when all her friends are killed after the robbery. She then cuts her hair when she escapes to Mexico, Atlanta Black Star reports.“That particular scene, I had already had so much loss and I had already, like, lost so many friends, and so I really reflected on those that I loved that I had lost, you know, and how everybody doesn’t make it and how you can be sitting with great fortune and have so much loss, have so much pain,” the actress said while looking back at her character's emotional...
Will Smith delivered an emotional speech after taking the honor for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role at the SAG Awards, a recognition he received for starring in King Richard. Accepting the award in front of Venus Williams, the tennis superstar who is portrayed in the King Richard biopic, along with her sister, Smith described the honor as "one of the greatest moments of his career." “Thank you. That may have been one of the greatest moments of my career just now. Because my name was called for King Richard, sitting next to Venus Williams,” the actor who played Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena, said.Smith described Richard as a "dreamer like no one you have ever known."“He has a power of belief that borders on insanity and sometimes tips over the border, which is absolutely necessary to take something from impossible to possible,” the actor...
Maybach Music Group founder, rapper and businessman Rick Ross understands the value of a dollar and chooses not to spend his coins frivolously.Over the weekend, Ross posted a story to his Instagram page defending his decision not to hire a contractor to cut down some trees on his property. When he received the estimate to chop down 10 trees, the rapper balked at the quote of $1,000 per tree and decided to cut his trees himself,...
Maurice "Mo" Creek, a Maryland native playing professional basketball in a Ukrainian league, said he's now stuck in the war-torn European country."My mother is crying every day, my father is worried sick, my brothers are calling me nonstop every day," Creek told ABC 7. The 6-foot-5 guard is stranded in the city of Mykolaiv as Russia continues to launch attacks across the country. He said he has been hiding in his apartment or in a bomb shelter, hoping to stay safe from the explosions nearby. While the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine is closed, Creek has been staying in touch with his agent and his family in Maryland. So far, however, he hasn't found a plan to safely cross the border. Creek, who plays for MBC MYKOLAIV of the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague, said the team refused to let him leave when he tried to escape before the conflict escalated. The team, according to Creek, downplayed the war and told him he wouldn't get paid if he left. Hey DMV, this man needs our help!In a story that you first saw on @7NewsDC, Oxon Hill native and @GW_MBB grad @Mo_Creek is stuck in Ukraine.He can't find a way out. His professional basketball team there @mbc_mykolaiv has not helped.More here - https://t.co/QxwFwJkANC
pic.twitter.com/bCdQJAJabE— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) February 25,...
Alexis Ohanian snapped a picture of himself sitting by his wife, 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams, and their daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. while out at the "Exquisite Gucci" fashion show in Milan. The family watched as the designer brand unveiled its fall/winter 2022 collection. View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Alexis Ohanian Sr. (@alexisohanian)"With my girls for @gucci," he captioned the sweet picture, which showed their smiling 4-year-old girl between her proud parents.Ohanian Sr. dressed for the event in a dark suit while Williams donned a mid-length black dress with a matching knee-length feathered coat. Their young daughter sported a red, white and brown plaid coat with gold sandals for the night...
From the direct impact on Black people in Ukraine and around the world to the larger effects of injustice and oppression, Black people have plenty of reasons to pay attention to Ukraine.
After months of tensions in Europe and international diplomacy, this week saw the start of a major international crisis. Troops from Russia have invaded neighboring Ukraine. The two countries, which were once part of the larger Soviet Union during the Cold War, have had tensions for years. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was a spy in the notorious KGB during the Soviet era, has led Russia for 22 years. During this time, he has consistently tried to restore power that was lost when the Soviet Union broke apart in the early 1990s. In 2014, Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula with important access to the sea. Russia has also been supporting and sending troops to back militant separatists in eastern Ukraine. Now, Russia appears to be outright taking control of parts of Ukraine and possibly the entire country. While this is all very dramatic and important for the people of Ukraine, it may not be immediately obvious how this impacts the United States and other countries, or how Black people, in particular, are affected by this crisis. Here are five reasons why we should care about the...
Thousands of African students are stuck in Ukraine as the country finds itself under heavy Russian attack. While Russian tanks, planes and ships continue to bombard several cities in Ukraine, flights have been grounded and African governments have been unable to help their students, Reuters reports. The African students represent various countries, including Morocco, Nigeria, Ghana and Egypt. Many of them are studying medicine, engineering and military affairs. The students went to Ukraine to find a cheaper alternative to studying in Western Europe or the United States. But they now find themselves in a war zone. "In a situation like this, you're on your own. You've got to find the best way to find refuge for yourself," Ghanaian engineering student Percy Ohene-Yeboah told Reuters, speaking by phone from the basement of a church where he was hiding. While some students are trying to find shelter, others are looking to flee. In Kyiv, where Russian bombs have been dropping on the city, a group of Kenyan medical students have been trying to leave. The Kenyan students rushed to Kyiv's train station on Friday, hoping to board a train to the western city of Lviv, then cross the border into Poland from where they can return home."It is really, really bad. Everyone is fleeing the city," said one of the medical students, who is not named.The students said they only brought their documents and left everything else behind."We can't carry luggage. Luggage will make us lag behind," the unnamed student said.Ohene-Yeboah, who has chosen to stay sheltered, said it's too late for him to try to escape."It's now that the reality is really hitting me," he said. "I think for me it's a bit too late for evacuation and all those things."The number of African students in Ukraine amounts to more than 16,000, Reuters reports. Ghanaian students, which have established a union chapter in Ukraine, sent reports about the their current situation to their country's government. But the students said they haven't received help."They confirmed that they received things like that, but we never got any real reply to any of our concerns," Ohene-Yeboah said.As Blavity previously reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine on Thursday after denying for months that he would invade the country. Putin said his goal is to "demilitarize"...
