Janet Jackson’s ‘Scream’ Outfit Sold for $125,000 at Auction
Janet Jackson’s charitable efforts to celebrate her 55th birthday just earned $125K from her “Scream” music video outfit at auction.
Earlier this month the Grammy Award-winning singer announced her plans to auction off 1,500 of her personal items to donate to a children’s charity. Now following the three-day event hosted by Julien’s Auctions, the black “bubble” shirt she wore in the iconic “Scream” video with her brother Michael Jackson sold for $125,000, Rolling Stone reports.
Many of the items that were on sale sold for much more than was originally expected. Among the highest selling items include her “Scream” outfit that had a pre-auction estimate for $4,000 to $6,000.
Other items that exceeded auction expectations include Jackson’s Rhythm Nation tour jacket that sold for $81,250 with a pre-auction estimate of $4,000 to $6,000, her 1956 Chevrolet pickup truck that sold for $112,000 but had a $70,000 pre-auction estimate, and her 6X platinum plaque for Rhythm Nation 1814 that sold for $30,000 with a pre-auction estimate of $800 to $1200.
Her “Pervert 2” t-shirt sold well over the pre-auction estimate of $1,000 to $1,500 for an astounding $19,200. The key earring that Jackson wore while performing at the Soul Train Awards in 1987 and on her 1990 Rhythm Nation Tour sold for $43,750, well over the $4,000 to $6,000 estimate.
Other items that had nothing to do with the singer’s music career also sold well over the pre-auction estimates including dolls and stuffed teddy bears that sold for $500 instead of the $100 – $150 they were estimated for. A drawing Jackson made of her older sister LeToya Jackson sold for $3,520 though it was estimated to sell for $400 to $600.
A portion of the auction proceeds went to the children’s advocacy group Compassion International. Ahead of the auction, the “All For You” singer displayed 20 pieces from the auction collection at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, Pix 11 reports.
For her birthday, the singer shared a photo of a chocolate cake that had a photo of her key earring displayed on the top. “I Luv It,” she captioned the pic while tagging Julien’s Auctions. What a meaningful way to celebrate a milestone birthday by giving back to those in need.
Walmart, Target, Walt Disney World, Starbucks and Others Are Dropping Mandatory Face Masks Policy After CDC COVID-19 Update
The announcement from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) stating that people who have received the full vaccination are not required to wear face masks has the world returning back to some type of normalcy. And with that normalcy, the general public is anxious to find out which retailers have already decided to relax the requirements of their face covering policies.
According to Yahoo Finance, these retailers have put out statements pertaining to their most recent face-covering policies:
Target said Monday that it “will no longer require fully vaccinated guests and team members to wear face coverings in its stores, except where it’s required by local ordinances.”
Walmart stated, “Unvaccinated associates must still wear face coverings, per CDC guidance. We are also reviewing whether masks may still be required for certain job codes for health and sanitation purposes and will share additional guidance soon. Some associates may choose to continue to wear masks, and as part of our value of respect for the individual we should all support their right to do so.”
Starbucks stated: “It is our responsibility to protect our partners and customers, and we are committed to meeting or exceeding all public health mandates. With widespread vaccine availability and the ongoing progress against COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is now recommending that fully vaccinated people can resume indoor activities without wearing a mask, except where required by local regulations or law. As such, facial coverings will be optional for vaccinated customers beginning Monday, May 17, unless local regulations require them by law. As we continue to ensure the health and well-being of our partners and customers, our restrooms generally remain temporarily closed to the public in stores where the café or café seating is unavailable.”
Costco: In Costco locations where the state or local jurisdiction does not have a mask mandate, we will allow members and guests who are fully vaccinated to enter Costco without a face mask or face shield. We will not require proof of vaccination, but we ask for members’ responsible and respectful cooperation with this revised policy. Face coverings will still be required in health care settings, including Pharmacy, Optical, Hearing Aid. Costco continues to recommend that all members and guests, especially those who are at higher risk, wear a mask or shield.”
According to Fox Business:
Trader Joe’s stated, “We will trust our customers and not request or require proof of vaccination.”
Walt Disney World Resort: “Please bring your own face coverings and wear them in all indoor locations, except when actively eating or drinking while stationary and maintaining appropriate physical distancing,” Disney World’s updated COVID-19 guidelines read. “Face coverings are optional in outdoor common areas at Walt Disney World Resort, but are still required upon entering and throughout all attractions, theaters, and transportation.”
North Carolina Brothers Awarded $75 Million for Wrongful Conviction in Girl’s Murder
The wheels of justice sometimes spin in the right direction. Two Black men, half-brothers, who spent several decades in prison due to being wrongfully convicted in the 1983 rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl, have been awarded $75 million.
I wrote about the Henry McCollum/Leon Brown case, and the effort to reach this point, in a lengthy story that ran in March. It’s a story of how difficult it is to hold law enforcement to account, even in the most egregious cases of miscarried justice: https://t.co/NPvXnuboFC
According to The News & Observer, a jury in North Carolina has awarded $75 million to two Black brothers who are intellectually disabled who spent decades behind bars after they were wrongfully convicted in the 1983 rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl.
The eight-person jury on Friday awarded Henry McCollum and Leon Brown $31 million each in compensatory damages, $1 million for each year that they spent in prison. They were both wrongfully convicted twice for the 1983 rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in Red Springs after signing confessions they stated that they didn’t understand. The brothers are both intellectually disabled with IQs in the 50s.
The jury also awarded the half-brothers $13 million in punitive damages after the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, one of the defendants named in the civil suit, settled its part of the case earlier that day for $9 million.
“The first jury to hear all of the evidence—including the wrongly suppressed evidence—found Henry and Leon to be innocent, found them to have been demonstrably and excruciatingly wronged, and has done what the law can do to make it right at this late date,” Elliot Abrams, a Raleigh attorney who was part of the brothers’ legal team.
“For more than 37 years, Henry McCollum and Leon Brown have waited for recognition of the grave injustice that law enforcement inflicted upon them,” the brothers’ attorneys said in a collective statement after the trial. “Today, a jury did just that, and have finally given Henry and Leon the ability to close this horrific chapter in their lives.”
4-year-old Inspires Legislator to Introduce a Bill to End Hair Discrimination
One legislator in Illinois wants policies in the state banning certain hairstyles in schools to be updated.
WSIL-TV reported that State Senator Mike Simmons’ (D-Chicago) legislation to end discriminating against students’ hairstyles in schools passed in the Illinois Senate and now awaits consideration in the House of Representatives. According to the legislation, schools cannot “prohibit hairstyles historically associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture.” Protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists are specifically included.
WSIL-TV also said that Senate Bill 817 applies to all public, private, and charter schools in Illinois.
“We can’t praise the creativity and individuality of students out of one side of our mouths, and then humiliate them for their hairstyle out of the other,” Simmons said, according to WSIL-TV.
State Senator Mike Simmons’ (D-Chicago) introduced Senate bill 817 to ban hair discrimination in Ill. schools. Photo credit- Twitter- @MikeSimmonsChi
ABC7 said that Simmons’ bill was inspired by a 4-year-old boy named Jett Hawkins. The news report explained that Jett was made to take down his braids by his Illinois-based school, Providence St. Mel. Simmons stepped in from a legislative angle, after reaching out to the child’s mother.
“It’s got a lot of support,” Simmons reportedly said in ABC7’s interview. “I think a lot of my colleagues want to be on the right side of history on this one.”
State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-3rd District) is Simmons’ colleague who stated that she wholeheartedly supports Simmons’ bill. ABC7 also noted that Hunter is a champion for addressing hair discrimination issues. She sponsored a similar bill called the Crown Act. It would make hair discrimination illegal in the workplace, so Hunter and Simmons are on complementary legislative paths. However, Simmons tweeted that he has been targeted by schools himself. In an interview with Illinois Newsroom, Simmons remarked that he does not want the next generation to have to go through this.
Photo credit- Twitter- @MikeSimmonsChi
On May 11, Simmons also tweeted that he was glad to join journalist Anna Davlantes on WGN Radio to talk about his bill to end hair discrimination in schools.
“I’m proud of my African-American and Ethiopian heritage and my hair is a reflection of me and my ancestors. No student should have to compromise their identity — period.”
City of Asheville Set to Remove Confederate Monument of Former Slave Owner
The city of Asheville, North Carolina, will be busy this week demolishing a monument that honored Confederate military official Zebulon Vance.
The 75-foot-tall Vance Monument will be removed after Asheville City Council members voted 6-1 in March for its withdrawal, WLOS reports. The yearlong decision-making process started after nationwide Black Lives Matter protests following the police killing of George Floyd.
The statue has been a fixture in the city since 1897. It was built in remembrance of Zebulon Vance, a former slave owner who wrote that a “putrid stream of African barbarism” ran through the veins of Black people.” He was also a North Carolina governor, a US senator, and a Confederate military official. The city has also said the monument is located on a site where slaves were once bought and sold US News reports.
But now the statue is surrounded by security fencing as workers prepare to dismantle the obelisk block by block. The decision was a community effort that included the Asheville City Council, the Asheville-Buncombe Vance Monument Task Force, and The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners who voted to accept the task force’s recommendation for removal.
Confederate statues became the center of backlash last year as angry protestors started vandalizing monuments across the country.
“Last year at this time I was down here photographing the Black Lives movement many protests and I feel like this is sort of the bookend to what began a year ago and it’s a big deal,” said Asheville resident Nadeen Rolfe.
On May 4, a lawsuit to stop the removal of the monument was dismissed, Citizen-Times reports.
Temporary restoration on the site is set to be completed by a local Black-owned business while community organizers work to decide on what will be done with the site.
The monument’s demolition will be for the “removal of the scaffolding, demolition of the monument this spring/summer and installation of landscaping in its place while the City conducts a community visioning process to consider what might go in its place,” a press release said.
Andre Hill’s Family Awarded $10 Million Settlement; Gym To Be Named In His Honor
The family of Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man who was killed the day before Christmas, has reached a settlement with the city of Columbus, Ohio, for $10 million.
On May 14, Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein announced that the city has admitted wrongdoing after now-former Columbus Police Department officer Adam Coy shot Hill, The New York Times reported.
Related stories:
“We understand that because of this former officer’s actions, the Hill family will never be whole,” Klein said in a statement. “No amount of money will ever bring Andre Hill back to his family, but we believe this is an important and necessary step in the right direction.”
The Hill family, represented by attorney Ben Crump, won a historic settlement—the largest settlement paid by the city.
Coy shot and killed 47-year-old Hill on sight in response to a non-emergency call about someone turning a vehicle on and off in a neighborhood, inside an open garage. Hill only had his phone out.
Coy was fired for not immediately turning on his body camera when the incident occurred and for not providing medical assistance to Hill either. Later in February, Coy was charged with the murder of Hill with felonious assault and two counts of dereliction of duty.
Coy pleaded not guilty and was released after posting a $1 million bond.
The Brentnell Community Center in Columbus will be renamed the Andre Hill Gymnasium as part of the settlement by the end of the year. Hill used to play basketball in the reaction center when he was growing up.
“That was a place that he spent a lot of time and a place that is very meaningful to their family,” Michael Wright, a member of the Hill family legal team, said. “To have that done makes them very happy.
The Hill family’s legal team, Attorney’s Richard Schulte, Wright, and Crump, thanked the city for “doing the right thing” with the settlement and renaming the gymnasium.
However, the family is still seeking justice.
“From their perspective, they are still hopeful for justice,” Wright said. “A conviction. That’s what they’re waiting for.”
Jail Nurse Says She ‘Witnessed a Murder’, Presses FBI to Investigate Detainee’s Death
A jail nurse’s persistence after she claims to have “witnessed a murder” led to an FBI investigation into the death of Hardell Sherrell.
Minneapolis Nurse Practitioner Stephanie Lundblad was the only reason Sherrell received any type of medical attention ahead of his death inside Beltrami County Jail in August 2018, KARE 11 reports. Jail personnel was under the impression that Sherrell was faking the state of paralysis he endured inside the jail after walking in a healthy man.
“He couldn’t even stand up. He could barely talk. He could still cry,” Lundblad said of Sherrell’s ailing health. “It looked like a man who was suffering, that was sick. That was dying.”
She continued. “We treat animals in kennels better than he was being treated,” she said. “I knew that if he didn’t receive medical care immediately that he probably wouldn’t make it.”
After pressuring jail staff to send him to the emergency room, doctors returned him to authorities after determining he was just fatigued. The next day, Sherrell was found dead inside of his jail cell.
“I felt like I had witnessed a murder,” Lundblad said. “I want justice for Hardel. I want what happened to Hardel to never ever happen to anyone again. I want accountability.”
The neglect leading to Sherrell’s death was first reported in the letters Lundblad sent to the state Department of Corrections (DOC), Minnesota Board of Medical Practice, and the state Board of Nursing. However, DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell later admitted that the department received Lundblad’s complaint, but it somehow managed to slip through the cracks.
Over two years later, the DOC decided to finally review Lundblad’s letter after Sherrell’s mother, Del Shea Perry, publicly raised questions about the investigation.
“Hardel Sherrell walked into the Beltrami jail, and let me put emphasis on ‘he walked,’” she said. “Nine days later he left in a body bag.”
After looking at 1,000 records and jail videos they determined there were “regular and gross violation of Minnesota Jail standards.” Hardel’s mother has since filed a federal lawsuit against the Beltrami County Jail, MEND Correctional Care, who is responsible for the care of inmates across the country, and Sanford Hospital, where he was discharged back into the care of the jail. All three entities have denied wrongdoing.
However, the lawsuit, Perry’s protests, and Lundblad’s written complaints were enough to launch an FBI investigation into the Beltrami County Jail. There is also a movement to pass statewide reform measures that would require jails to properly care for inmates.
“Hardel should be here today,” Perry said. “Hardel died a senseless death. Egregious. They let that baby lay on that floor, a cold jail floor.”
Conservative Supreme Court To Consider Gutting 1973 Roe v. Wade Ruling Legalizing Abortion
Reuters -The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider gutting the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, taking up Mississippi’s bid to revive a Republican-backed state law that bans the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
By hearing the case in their next term, which starts in October and ends in June 2022, the justices will look at whether to overturn a central part of the landmark ruling, a longstanding goal of religious conservatives.
The ruling by the conservative-majority court, expected next year, could allow states to ban abortions before a fetus is viable outside the womb, upending decades of legal precedent. Lower courts ruled against Mississippi’s law.
In the Roe v. Wade decision, subsequently reaffirmed in 1992, the court said that states could not ban abortion before the viability of the fetus outside the womb, which is generally viewed by doctors as between 24 and 28 weeks. The Mississippi law would ban abortion much earlier than that. Other states have backed laws that would ban the procedure even earlier.
“Alarm bells are ringing loudly about the threat to reproductive rights. The Supreme Court just agreed to review an abortion ban that unquestionably violates nearly 50 years of Supreme Court precedent and is a test case to overturn Roe v. Wade,” said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is among those challenging the law.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, a Republican, said she is committed to defending the law’s constitutionality.
“The Mississippi legislature enacted this law consistent with the will of its constituents to promote women’s health and preserve the dignity and sanctity of life. I remain committed to advocating for women and defending Mississippi’s legal right to protect the unborn,” Fitch said.
The Roe v. Wade ruling recognized that a constitutional right to personal privacy protects a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion. The court in its 1992 decision, coming in the case Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, reaffirmed the ruling and prohibited laws that place an “undue burden” on a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion.
Abortion opponents are hopeful the Supreme Court will narrow or overturn the Roe v. Wade decision. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority following the addition last year of former President Donald Trump’s third appointee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
LOUISIANA RULING
The Supreme Court in a 5-4 June 2020 ruling struck down a Louisiana law that imposed restrictions on doctors who perform abortions. The late liberal Justice Ruth Bader was still on the court at the time, and conservative Chief Justice John Roberts voted with the court’s liberal wing in the ruling. Roberts, however, made it clear that he voted that way because he felt bound by the court’s 2016 ruling striking down a similar Texas law.
The 2018 Mississippi law, like others resembling it passed by Republican-led states, was enacted with full knowledge that was a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade.
After the only abortion clinic in Mississippi, Jackson Women’s Health Organization, sued to block the measure, a federal judge in 2018 ruled against the state. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019 reached the same conclusion.
“States may regulate abortion procedures prior to viability so long as they do not impose an undue burden on the woman’s right, but they may not ban abortions. The law at issue is a ban,” 5th Circuit Judge Patrick Higginbotham wrote.
Abortion remains a divisive issue in the United States, as in many countries. Christian conservatives are among those most opposed to it. U.S. abortion rates have steadily declined since the early 1980s, reaching the lowest levels on record in recent years, according to the nonprofit Guttmacher Institute.
Jeanne Mancini, president of the anti-abortion group March for Life, said a ruling limiting abortion to early pregnancy would be in line with many other countries.
“States should be allowed to craft laws that are in line with both public opinion on this issue as well as basic human compassion, instead of the extreme policy that Roe imposed,” Mancini said.
The Louisiana case ruling marked the court’s first major abortion decision since Trump appointed Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 and Neil Gorsuch in 2017 as justices. Both voted in favor of Louisiana’s restrictions. If Barrett were to vote on similar lines, conservatives could have a majority to curb abortion rights regardless of how Roberts votes. Trump promised during the 2016 presidential race to appoint justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade.
The Mississippi appeal had been pending at the court since June 2020. During that time, Ginsburg died and was replaced by Barrett and Trump lost his re-election bid, to be replaced by Democratic President Joe Biden, who supports abortion rights.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)
John Deere Helps Black Farmers Fight Land Grabbers Through LEAP Coalition
Last summer, amid the Black Lives Matter protests and demands for racial equity, John Deere created a coalition focused on improving the livelihoods of Black farmers.
According to AG Daily, LEAP will work with organizations to provide awareness, assistance, and even legal help and advice to help Black and minority farmers gain a clear title to their land. Additionally, LEAP will work to ensure the long-term sustainability of more than 60 million acres of land currently owned by Black and minority farmers.
Tharlyn Fox, who was hired by John Deere in November to implement and manage LEAP’s mission said the agricultural, construction, and forestry machinery company is uniquely positioned to help Black farmers.
John Deere “has a rich history of advocating for and investing in opportunities to advance social and economic change,” Fox told AG Daily. “If you combine that history with the leadership and expertise we have in agriculture, John Deere is uniquely positioned to help address issues such as heir’s property and to further unlock the economic potential of all farmers.”
The coalition has also pledged to fight heirs’ property, which has been used to take property away from Black farmers.
According to the Heirs’ Property Retention Coalition, if a land owner dies without a will or estate plans and has four children, each child will have an undivided interest in the land as “tenants in common.”
Undivided means each child has the right to use and occupy the entire property. if those four children have children the land is split even more between them. This could lead to dozens and potentially hundreds of owners known as fractional ownership, which significantly increases the chances an heir (or a land speculator who has purchased an heir’s share) attempting to force a partition sale, or that the land will be lost to tax default.
The majority of Black farmers (60%) operate on land that falls under heirs’ property and many of them do not have a clear title to their land. The coalition will help fight heirs’ property and help Black and minority farmers keep their most important and valuable asset, their land.
Less than a year ago, the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) called for a boycott of John Deere products, due to the company’s refusal to display its products at the NBFA’s yearly conference.
In recent months, the federal government has joined the effort to help Black farmers. Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) reintroduced the Justice For Black Farmers Act in February. President Joe Biden also earmarked $5 billion in COVID relief funds for Black farmers.
Robert F. Smith’s Philanthropy Has Lasting Impact on Morehouse Students Lives, Sparks Additional Funding
Robert F. Smith gave a commencement address at Atlanta-based Morehouse College, announcing that he would wipe college debt obligations for approximately 400 students of the class of 2019. Morehouse College also reported that the gift became a catalyst to support more students through the Student Freedom Initiative.
“His personal gift of $50 million to help launch The Student Freedom Initiative was one of many that interconnect at the root of Smith’s philanthropic mission to uplift Black communities and provide the education and economic infrastructure to secure a solid future for generations of graduates to come,” Morehouse College said online.
The funding program competes with the current high cost, fixed payment, debt agreements, according to Morehouse College. Smith, who is an engineer, entrepreneur, and investor who founded Vista Equity Partners, added the creation of the Student Freedom Initiative to his list of diverse opportunity-building measures for students.
According to its website, ‘the Student Freedom Initiative is ‘a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring freedom in professional and life choices for students attending Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), with an initial focus on juniors and seniors earning science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees at select Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).’
The website mentioned that the program was expected to launch in the 2021-2022 academic year, while initially focusing on junior and senior STEM majors. Clark Atlanta University, Claflin University, Florida Agricultural Mechanical University, Morehouse College, Hampton University, Tougaloo College, Prairie View A&M University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Tuskegee University were listed among participating HBCUs.
Hampton University described the Student Freedom Initiative funding as “alternative to eligible rising junior and senior students in STEM majors in the form of an income-contingent repayment plan, as well as tutoring and mentoring, paid internship programs open to students of any major before graduation and targeted capacity-building to help schools better support students.”
Smith stays connected with Morehouse College’s class of 2019 by meeting with members on a monthly basis to discuss the best ways to give back, in addition to sharing some of their successes. Elijah Dormeus is paying it forward by building his own nonprofit to help other students from low-income backgrounds.
Photo credit- Twitter- @elijahnesley
Jarvis Mays, who was Morehouse College’s 2019 co-valedictorian, is free of undergraduate student debt. He is reportedly attending medical school at the University of Pennsylvania.
“Additionally, he is seeing some of his friends and classmates doing things they never would have been able to do if they were still overburdened by student debt. They are buying homes, investing and starting to accumulate some wealth, which they can now pass down to future generations,” Smith’s website information also noted.
Smith’s generosity continues to impact and inspire the next generation of leaders.
