• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 18, 2022

Ne-Yo Says Women Shouldn’t Dance to ‘Misogynistic’ Music If They Don’t Want Men Calling Them Bad Names

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Chart-topping crooner Ne-Yo has riled up social media with his recent comments on misogyny in music.

According to the “Miss Independent” singer, women shouldn’t dance to certain types of music if they don’t want to be labeled with “misogynistic” terms. Ne-Yo recently appeared on The Cruz Show on Real 92.3 in Los Angeles and called out the “super misogynistic” music he feels gets too easily embraced by female listeners.

Arguing why he feels men can only be “halfway” blamed for this, Ne-Yo explained how a woman’s seemingly submissive response to a song referring to women as “bitches” can confuse a man.

 

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“It’s gotten super misogynistic, which I don’t understand,” the singer said. “And, mind you, I can only blame us men halfway for that. Because as a woman, if a man sings the word ‘bitch’ to you and you smile at him, then he’s probably going to do it again.”

“The more misogynistic the lyrics get, the more y’all accept it, the more it’s gonna happen,” Ne-Yo added.

“That’s just kinda what that is. So, ladies, I love y’all to death but if y’all want men to stop calling you ‘bitches,’ stop dancing to them records.”

Ne-Yo’s misogyny debate received mixed reactions from viewers, with some telling the singer to focus on himself and many others sharing their support.

“It’s true tho…. If we allow it by singing along and dancing to the shit how can we ever expect it to stop/change?” one user wrote.

“Facts! Us women need to do better, we are such hypocrites,” another user said. “Do people like Cardi B really expect to get the same level of respect as Michelle Obama??”

“Finally someone says it! Sadly women allow that treatment because it gets them to the next level or many other reasons,” added someone else. “And also sadly it’s men raised by women that treat women that way.”

There were others who opted to defend women and aim the accountability at the men.

“Society will always find a way to constantly blame women, never no accountability from men,” one person wrote.

• News

by Atiya Jordan

February 18, 2022

Illinois Educator’s TikTok Highlights Black History-Makers Who Fought Racism

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Ernest Crim III, an educator, speaker, and activist, and his wife were targeted in one of the most widely publicized hate crimes in the Trump era. Since then, he has spoken openly about how the incident led to his realization of how Black history saved his life.

These days, the high school teacher has become a TikTok educator to more than 250,000 followers. His Black history TikTok series has explored ties between Rosa Parks and Little Caesars, Denny’s and Jim Crow laws, and segregated cemeteries in Texas.

“I just wanted to go around the middleman,” he told TheGrio regarding his TikTok lessons. “I didn’t have to worry about supervisors or the government. I don’t want to have to worry about a racist school board—and I wanted to get directly to the people.”

In the summer of 2016, Crim recorded a disturbing YouTube video called “Jessica Lynn Sanders Chicago Racist”, in which he and his wife, Cassie, were repeatedly called the N-word at the Chicago Margarita Festival.

Sanders, the woman caught on video, was found guilty of misdemeanor battery but acquitted of felony hate-crime counts and one count of aggravated battery, the Chicagoist reported. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail and one year of probation in 2017.

This incident for Crim, ignited a spark in him to leverage his battles with racism and served as a catalyst for his purpose behind teaching Black history. In his 2020 autobiography,  Black History Saved My Life: How My Viral Hate Crime Led to an Awakening, Crim chronicles his experiences throughout his childhood and adulthood in the 90s and 2000s, leading up to the 2016 incident. He also gives insight into how he managed to remain persistent in fighting for justice in the case against Sanders.

Crim, currently a social science teacher at Joliet Township High School, has taught for 12 years. He teaches U.S. History to 11th graders and an elective on African and Latin History.

Additionally, Crim holds a virtual Black History class for elementary school students. He told that TheGrio that his class has been intentionally split down the middle with half of the class made up of white students and the other Black.

Crim has noticed a lot of positive feedback from parents who prefer their children taking a class from a Black teacher.

“I think the summer of 2020 made a lot of people want to do better and be better,” Crim said.

• News

by Atiya Jordan

February 18, 2022

Mo’Nique Talks Secretly Recording Tyler Perry’s Apology, Agrees To Meet With Her Under Two Conditions

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In a new episode of FOX Soul’s new show Turnt Out with TS Madison, comedian and actress Mo’Nique updated where she stands with Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, both of whom she claims were behind the demise of her career.

During the show, Mo’Nique told Madison that Perry agreed to meet with her under certain conditions. She’d have to come without her husband and manager, Sydney Hicks, and apologize for accusing him and Winfrey of “blackballing” her.

The long-time friction came after Mo’Nique’s Oscar-winning role in the 2009 film Precious, for which Perry and Winfrey were the executive directors.

She said Perry asked her to do things that she was not “contractually obligated to do,” including promoting the film at a festival for free.

“I don’t care who it is, it’s not fair for you to want me to work for free just because it’s you…so now, here comes the blackball,” she told Madison, according to Radar Online. This is what started the accusations that Mo’Nique is “difficult.”

The Academy Award winner added that Winfrey didn’t speak up against the allegations, which is why she took an issue with her. Instead, she sided with Perry, who supposedly told another director named David Talbert how difficult she was to work with.

“Well, Tyler Perry you’ve never worked with me. We never worked together,” she continued. “When we did ‘Precious,’ [he] came on after we said ‘Cut; that’s a wrap and it’s over.’”

According to Mo’Nique, Perry recently called her and her husband to apologize. She secretly recorded the phone conversation, where he admitted what he did to her was wrong, she told Madison, who confirmed hearing the recording.

She told Madison that several mutual friends, including Rev. Al Sharpton and Kevin Hart, reached out to Perry directly after hearing the recording. But he did not want to “revisit” the conversation.

But now, after all that, Perry has agreed to meet with her.

Watch the full video below:

• Entertainment

by Wendy Medina

February 18, 2022

Viola Davis Astounds As Michelle Obama In First Look For ‘The First Lady’

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A trailer for Showtime’s star-studded The First Lady, depicting the life of previous presidential couples throughout American history, dropped yesterday.

Oscar, Emmy, and Tony winner Viola Davis takes center stage as former first lady Michelle Obama, alongside The Handmaid’s Tale star O-T Fagbenle as Barack Obama.

The First Lady follows the lives of three iconic White House matriarchs behind closed doors, the personal and political struggles each one faced, and how they navigated their “controversial” contributions to the nation, Variety reported.

“In four years I don’t want to look back and think ‘What did I become living in that house?’” starts the two-minute trailer with Davis contemplating on Fagbenle’s lap.

The drama series finds Betty Ford as Michelle Pfeiffer and Aaron Eckhart as Gerald Ford, Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, and Kiefer Sutherland portraying Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The trailer depicts the first ladies as a force to be reckoned with, as Anderson’s Roosevelt reminds FDR: “You are the husband of a wife who has a mind and a life of her own,” while Pfeiffer’s Ford emphasizes to her husband, “I will be here for you, but I’m going to be myself.”

According to Showtime’s website, The First Lady seeks to recount modern U.S. history through the lens of these powerful women behind the scenes.

“Throughout our history, presidents’ spouses have wielded remarkable influence, not only on the nation’s leaders but on the country itself,” said Jana Winograde, president of entertainment at Showtime Networks Inc. in a press release. “

The series, Winograde added, ” its perfectly within the Showtime wheelhouse of drama and politics, revealing how much personal relationships impact both domestic and global events.”

“Playing the extraordinary @MichelleObama was no small task but an honor of a lifetime,” Davis posted on her Instagram, along with the trailer of the show.

The 10-episode anthology premieres April 17.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 18, 2022

Shocking Video Shows Woman Jump Overboard Carnival Cruise Ship into Gulf of Mexico

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The Coast Guard has reportedly suspended the search for a woman who jumped from the 10th floor of a Carnival cruise ship into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Carnival Valor was docked in New Orleans after a 32-year-old woman was seen in video footage jumping overboard into an open body of water, Fox 8 Live reports. The incident occurred around 2:28 p.m. on Wed., Feb. 16, approximately 150 miles offshore Southwest Pass, Louisiana.

Cell phone video of the incident obtained shows three security guards holding the woman’s arms behind her back as she gets up and screams the name “Alicia.” Guards are seen helping the woman up a flight of stairs and off the pool deck before the following clip shows guards throwing down life preserver tubes after the woman apparently jumped off the ship.

https://twitter.com/FOX8NOLA/status/1494405682627596289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1494405682627596289%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Femilycottontop.com%2Fa-32-year-old-woman-jumped-off-carnival-valor-cruise-ship-into-gulf-of-mexico-coast-guard-has-called-off-search%2F

It remains unclear when precisely the woman jumped and from what location on the boat. Eyewitnesses say the woman hit the side of the ship before hitting the water face first. Passengers say the woman disappeared soon after the life preservers and a flare marking her position were tossed into the water.

Photos show an empty life preserver floating in the water off the ship’s side. The ship remained in the area and circled for hours, trying to locate the woman. Around 5:37 p.m., the Coast Guard suspended the search.

“The decision to suspend a search-and-rescue case is never one we come to lightly,” said Chief Warrant Officer Tricia Eldredge, Command Duty Officer at Sector New Orleans. “We offer our deepest sympathies to the family during this difficult time.”

A Carnival Cruise Line spokesperson confirmed that the woman jumped from her balcony and was not in handcuffs when going overboard, KKTV reports.

Carnival’s Care team is working with the woman’s husband and family as they mourn her disappearance.

• News

by Atiya Jordan

February 18, 2022

Former ‘9-1-1’ Actor Rockmond Dunbar Sues Disney, 20th Television For Discrimination Over Vaccine-Related Firing

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Rockmond Dunbar, a former 9-1-1 actor, is accusing Disney and 20th Television of discriminating against him based on his race and religion after being fired from the Fox drama.

Reportedly, Dunbar, who played Michael Grant for five seasons, declined the COVID-19 vaccine, and filed paperwork to the studios seeking a religious and medical exemption.

The actor, who has also appeared in Sons of Anarchy and Prison Break, has filed a lawsuit claiming that the show dismissed his requests despite assuring him that they could adjust his schedule to avoid obtaining the vaccine.

“The administrators who work for [the studios] never took Mr. Dunbar’s requests for accommodations seriously,” the lawsuit states, according to Variety. “They openly mocked his beliefs and proceeded to deny Mr. Dunbar his accommodations based on nothing more than rank hearsay and assumptions. Defendants refused to believe Mr. Dunbar’s doctor’s recommendation, and they refused to engage with Mr. Dunbar in any meaningful interactive communication regarding his religious beliefs.”

The complaint points out that Dunbar was the only Black male lead actor on the show. It alleges that other unvaccinated 9-1-1 cast and crew members were allowed exemptions, though “none sought a religious exemption and none were Black.”

According to Dunbar, he was fired and barred from the set shortly after filing his request. The actor also claims that the studios “wrongfully leaked negative information” about his termination to the media to “deliberately make it sound” like he’s against all vaccines. As a result, Dunbar’s dismissal has made him “persona non grata” in Hollywood.

Per TMZ, Dunbar is seeking “hundreds of thousands of dollars” that he claims he is owed from the studios, as well as an injunction to keep the studios from discriminating against race or religion in the vaccination mandates.

In response to the lawsuit, 20th Television submitted a statement to TMZ.

“To ensure safe working environments at our productions we have implemented a mandatory vaccination confirmation process. While we will not comment on any one individual, each request for exemption is given a thorough review and we grant accommodations consistent with our legal obligations. There are no differences in our process or decision-making based on an employee’s race.”

• Black History Month

by Derek Major

February 18, 2022

Nike Announces New Partners As Part Of $140 Million To Its Black Community Commitment For Black History Month

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In 2020, sports apparel giant NIKE, Inc. committed a combined $140 million over 10 years to invest in and support organizations focused on economic empowerment, education and social justice to address racial inequality for Black Americans.

Nike’s Black Community Commitment will invest the money over the next 10 years to national and local organizations, including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Black Girls Code, Black Girl Ventures, and Black Voters Matter.

Nike will also invest an additional $2.75 million to support 44 local organizations in seven U.S. cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Boston, St. Louis and Memphis as part of its commitment.

“NIKE, Inc.’s purpose is to move the world forward, breaking barriers and building community to change the game for all,” Karol Collymore, senior director of Inclusive Community for Social & Community Impact, said in a statement. “Our Black Community Commitment embodies this belief and drives how we are showing up to advance racial equality for Black people.”

Over the past 20 months, Nike has invested $16 million to 90 local and national organizations geared toward innovative solutions to boost economic empowerment, social justice, and education innovation. The investments will work toward securing a better, stronger future by meeting communities where they live, work, and play and building frameworks that will set the stage for national change.

This month, NIKE, Inc. is announcing new investments totaling $5 million to support 10 national organizations, including four new grantees: Son of a Saint, All Star Code and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in the education innovation space, as well as the Equal Justice Initiative,

Danny Rojas, the executive director of All-Star Code, said Nike’s commitment would help thousands of children learn tech skills and training that would have otherwise been out of reach.

“Through our grant from Nike, the single-largest investment we’ve received to date, we’re able to expand and grow our network to 100,000 Black and Brown boys for whom these opportunities may have been out of reach. There’s an urgency to changing the face of tech, and we need to be part of it, because having the faces, ideas, and voices of Black and Brown leaders in the design rooms, and someday the boardrooms, is the biggest transformation that we imagine.”

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 18, 2022

Kim Potter Receives Light Two Year Sentence For Killing Daunte Wright After Mistaking Gun For a Taser

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Former cop Kim Potter was sentenced on Friday to two years following her December conviction of first-degree manslaughter for the April 11 killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright.

Court documents filed earlier this week show that prosecutors seemingly changed their tune and instead sought a sentence of slightly more than seven years, PBS reports.

While the presumed penalty falls under the state’s guidelines for a penalty ranging from slightly more than six years to about 8 1/2 years, prosecutors initially argued that aggravating factors against Potter warranted a sentence above the guideline range.

“The presumptive sentence takes into account the main elements of the conviction: the death of Daunte Wright and Defendant’s recklessness,” prosecutor Matt Frank wrote.

“The State recognizes that this is a unique case given the context in which Defendant Potter recklessly handled her firearm.”

Wright was killed after being pulled over by Brooklyn Center officers for having expired license plate tags and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror, HuffPost reports. His death prompted protests and backlash after Potter killed the young motorist claiming she confused her handgun for a Taser.

Frank notes that prosecutors disagree with the defense as Potter’s attorneys attempted to get her sentence reduced down to only probation.

“No prison sentence can bring Daunte Wright back to life. A prison sentence is just a number, and that number cannot undo this tragedy or bring Daunte Wright back to his family,” Frank wrote. “Fostering healing and community restoration is valuable too.”

Under Minnesota law, Potter will be sentenced only on the most serious conviction of first-degree manslaughter — which is how she was handed the two-year sentence. While the sentencing policies are advisory, judges can’t go above or below them unless they find a compelling reason.

Frank was hopeful that in the event a judge didn’t sentence Potter to prison, he argued that the ex-cop should get 10 years of probation, be required to spend a year in jail, speak to law enforcement about the dangers of weapons confusion, and sit down with Wright’s family to speak about their loss if they agree to the meeting.

“To impose anything less would fail to take into account Daunte Wright’s death and the jury’s finding that Defendant Potter committed first-degree manslaughter,” Frank wrote.

She walked away with two years and will likely served a minor portion of that.

• News

by Atiya Jordan

February 18, 2022

13-Year-Old Florida Student Arrested Over False Threat Accusations, Family Sues

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Nia Whims, a 13-year-old from Florida, was arrested for 14 days over a false accusation of making threats of violence against her school in November 2021.

“At first, I felt really lost about the situation. It was a terrifying experience,” Whims told ABC News Live Prime in an interview Tuesday.

Whims was detained after a fellow student impersonated her on Instagram and made threats against Renaissance Charter School. According to a press release, the Pembroke Pines Police Department confirmed that the student was charged and arrested after further investigation, thanks to the cooperation of Whims’ mother, Lezlie-Ann Davis.

The investigation found headway after police requested a subpoena for the IP addresses linked to the threatening messages. Police discovered that the other student had created email addresses and Instagram accounts using Whims’ name, then made threats against students and staff at the Charter School.

“Nobody looked into what damage it did,” Davis told the news outlet. “Emotionally, mentally, you know, and she’s still growing. She’s young and she’s growing. So as adults, a lot of things in our past affect us and I think it’s something that will affect her.”

In response, Whims and her family have announced that they are filing a lawsuit against several parties responsible for the defamatory incident, including the school, Instagram, and its parent company, Meta. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants violated Whims’ civil rights and intentionally inflicted emotional distress.

According to Davis, her daughter suffered so much from bullying at school that she had to pull her out of school days before the November arrest. The complaint alleges that the school “failed to investigate or otherwise respond” after the bullying incident was reported.

The suit also makes a claim of Instagram’s negligence for allowing the other student to create fake accounts with the intent to impersonate Whims.

In addition, the Whims family intends to sue the Pembroke Pines Police Department.

Whims’ family is seeking a minimum of $30,000 as well as costs and attorney’s fees, ABC reports.

“When it comes to our children, law enforcement and our school officials must make sure they do their homework before they put our kids in handcuffs,” Marwan Porter, the family’s attorney, told ABC News Live.

“And we know that, yes, there has been situations that have ended in tragedy where these types of threats need to be taken seriously,” Porter added. “But it cannot come at the expense of our children.”

Coming right off a widely viewed Super Bowl halftime performance this past weekend, Snoop Dogg announced he would be converting Death Row Records into the first NFT record label.

According to Fortune, the “What’s My Name?” rapper announced the plan during a discussion on Clubhouse. Snoop began his music career recording for Death Row Records, started by Dr. Dre and Suge Knight.

“Death Row will be an NFT label,” said Snoop.

“We will be putting out artists through the metaverse. Just like we broke the industry when we was the first independent to be major, we want to be the first major in the metaverse.”

Snoop is no stranger to the NFT game. In September, he disclosed that he had been compiling the digital tokens under the alias Cozomo de’ Medici. Snoop amassed approximately $17 million in NFT holdings.

In March 2021, Snoop released his own NFT collection that included an original song called “NFT” and “Snoop Dogge Coins.”

On Apr. 20, 2021, the rapper revealed a collaboration with the digital artist behind the Nyan Cat meme and released a “Nyan Dogg” NFT.

Then in November 2021, Snoop minted a rate NFT that sold for nearly $750,000.

Last week, global investment firm Blackstone announced the iconic “Gin & Juice” rapper acquired the Death Row Records brand and name from MNRK Music Group. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Snoop’s latest project, “B.O.D.R. (Bacc on Death Row),” was just released on Feb. 11, 2022.

Thanks to his partnership with Gala Games, a successful blockchain gaming platform, fans can also purchase his new album on the blockchain as a Stash Box of NFTs through the new Gala Music store.

Snoop was featured last weekend at the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, and Anderson Paak.