An ex-Police Officer Charged in George Floyd’s Death, J. Alexander Kueng, Questioned by Angry Shopper (Video)
After being charged in the police killing of George Floyd and posting bail, one of the four ex-police officers was discovered shopping freely by an angry shopper. Recognizing that he was one of the officers involved in the Floyd killing, the shopper chastised him while filming his reaction on her mobile phone and posted it on social media.
J. Alexander Kueng, who was just freed after posting $750,000 bail, was allowed to leave the Hennepin County Jail on Friday night on “bond and conditional release.” He was seen shopping at Cub Foods in Plymouth, Minnesota, on Saturday. The encounter was posted by a Twitter user named Josiah, who claims his sister caught Kueng at the supermarket.
look who my sister caught at Cub Foods in Plymouth. J. Alexander Keung, one of the officers who lynched #GeorgeFloyd in cold blood. pic.twitter.com/PVX4pFijab
Thomas Plunkett, who is representing Kueng, has issued a statement to NewsweekSunday: “Mr. Kueng is following all of the rules related to his release. He is trusting in the process and fully cooperating as this case moves forward.”
Kueng, 26, who was only working his third shift as a rookie police officer, was arrested and charged with aiding and abetting murder and aiding and abetting manslaughter for not stopping police officer Derek Chauvin from killing Floyd. Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, leading to his death.
Fellow ex-police officer Thomas Lane was released on bail on June 10. Both ex-officers Chauvin, who has been charged with second-degree murder, and Tou Thao, the police officer seen on video holding back civilians who were trying to stop Chauvin from killing Floyd, remain in custody.
All four ex-cops are expected to make their next court appearance on June 29.
Dept. of Commerce Names David Byrd New National Director of Minority Business Development Agency
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has announced that David J. Byrd has been appointed the new National Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). With this appointment, Byrd becomes the 18th national director of the agency.
“David’s vast experience in public service and as an entrepreneur are true assets to MBDA and the Department of Commerce,” said Secretary Ross in a press release. “In his new role, I fully expect him to continue to provide the type of leadership that will lay the foundation to usher in the next 50 years of opportunities and growth for minorities as well as the country as a whole.”
Byrd joined the MBDA in October 2019 as the National Deputy Director. He was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day departmental operations and establishing a streamlined information portal to track agency milestones and program execution. As the National Director, Byrd will oversee the development and implementation of agency initiatives, policy agenda, and federal grant programs.
“I am honored to be selected by Secretary Ross to lead the Minority Business Development Agency,” said Byrd. “I am proud to take the helm as the National Director following several of my career mentors who were instrumental in shaping the mission and strategic direction of MBDA since its founding in 1969. I look forward to continuing the Agency’s work ensuring the resiliency and growth of America’s minority-owned firms today, tomorrow, and for future generations of minority entrepreneurs.”
Before he accepted the fourth presidential appointment of his career at MBDA, Byrd had served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy Development, at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He has served more than 28 years in public service and has held various executive positions at the county, state, and federal levels. Byrd is also an experienced entrepreneur who owned and operated a consulting firm specializing in government relations, political consulting, executive and life skills coaching.
“MBDA was created during a Republican administration as the brainchild of famed Black Republican, Robert J. Brown. Today, his legacy lives on in the capable hands of David Byrd leading MBDA. David has been supporting President Trump from day one as a member of the Trump Transition team. His resume is vast, dedication is unmatched and there is no doubt he will play a major role in ensuring Black-owned businesses and all minority-owned businesses have the tools, and resources they need to develop, grow and thrive in this inclusive Trump economy,” said Paris Dennard, RNC Senior Communications Advisor for Black Media Affairs.
Great-Grandson of ‘Aunt Jemima’ Calls Attempt To Abandon Brand A Great ‘Injustice’
Several descendants of women who played “Aunt Jemima” are speaking out against the Quaker Oats food company’s decision to rebrand its Aunt Jemima breakfast line.
According to The Blaze, Larnell Evans Sr. believes Quaker Oats, which owns the brand, is trying to rewrite history. Quaker Oats announced last week that it will rename and rebrand the line due to the “racial stereotypes” it portrays.
“This is an injustice for me and my family. This is part of my history, sir,” Evans said. “The racism they talk about, using images from slavery, that comes from the other side — white people.”
“This company profits off images of our slavery. And their answer is to erase my great-grandmother’s history. A Black female,” Evans added. “It hurts.”
Evans’ great-grandmother, Anna Short Harrington, replaced the original Aunt Jemima, Nancy Green, a former enslaved woman, as the face of the Aunt Jemima brand in the early 1920s.
“She worked for that Quaker Oats for 20 years. She traveled all the way around the United States and Canada making pancakes as Aunt Jemima for them,” Evans explained.
“This woman served all those people, and it was after slavery. She worked as Aunt Jemima. That was her job,” he continued. “How do you think I feel as a Black man sitting here telling you about my family history they’re trying to erase?”
Evans is not the only descendant of a woman who played Aunt Jemima that was upset by the news. According to a New York Postarticle, Vera Harris said her family takes pride in Quaker Oats scouting her second cousin Lillian Richard to be a representative of the brand in 1925.
Harris added Richard worked for the company for 23 years, traveling the U.S. as Aunt Jemima to serve pancakes until she had a stroke.
“She was considered a hero in [her hometown of] Hawkins, and we are proud of that. We do not want that history erased,” Harris told the Post. “She made an honest living out of it for a number of years. She toured around Texas,” Harris added, noting there “wasn’t a lot of jobs, especially for Black women back in that time.”
The news of the change by Quaker Oats has led to other brands, including Uncle Ben’s Rice, to review changing their names.
12-Year-old Protest Singer Keedron Bryant Lands Recording Contract With Warner Records
Keedron Bryant amazed the world on social media with his beautiful singing in response to the recent protests occurring all over the country against police brutality and racial injustice. The 12-year-old gospel singer has since received over 3 million views on his Instagram post with various celebrities and commenters praising his vocal talents. Now, Bryant will be able to pursue his musical career dreams with a new record deal with Warner Records.
According to the Associated Press, not only has Bryant landed a new record deal but he has released his inspiring song as his first single. In the song, Bryant sings: “I’m a young black man, doing all that I can to stand. Oh, but when I look around and I see what’s being done to my kind every day, I’m being hunted as prey.” Warner Records also announced that they will be donating 100% of the profits from the single to the NAACP from its Amazon Music streams in addition to another $50,000 donation, $1 for every stream garnered in the first 24 hours of the song’s release.
“It’s very exciting because this is what God’s called me to do,” Bryant told The Associated Press, adding that “it’s just been an exciting experience to work with my mom.”
His mother, Johnnetta Bryant, told the publication that she was touched by her son’s song as a mother to a young black son.
“I needed his wisdom. I went into prayer. He gave me those words so clearly,” said Johnnetta. “I shared it with Keedron … and I told him, ‘…I want you to take these words and I want you to pray over them. Meditate on them. Whenever you’re done with them, come out and we’ll record it.’ He did just that.”
Mike Pence Refuses To Say the Phrase “Black Lives Matter” During Interview About Police Brutality
Vice President Mike Pence refused to acknowledge the value of black lives during a recent interview about George Floyd, police brutality, and Juneteenth.
According to CNN, when Pence was pressed to say the term during an interview with an ABC affiliate in Pennsylvania on Friday, he refused, instead saying, “All Lives Matter.”
“Let me just say that what happened to George Floyd was a tragedy,” Pence told 6ABC Action News in Philadelphia. “And in this nation, especially on Juneteenth, we celebrate the fact that from the founding of this nation we’ve cherished the ideal that all, all of us are created equal, and endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights. And so all lives matter in a very real sense.”
The term All Lives Matter is a rebuttal to Black Lives Matter meant to downplay or ignore the health, economic, and racial issues African Americans face every day.
Anchor Brian Taft continued to push Pence on the situation.
“Forgive me for pressing you on this, sir,” Taff said to Pence, “but I will note you did not say those words, ‘Black Lives Matter,’ and there is an important distinction. People are saying, of course all lives matter, but to say the words is an acknowledgment that Black lives also matter at a time in this country when it appears that there’s a segment of our society that doesn’t agree. So why will you not say those words?”
Again, Pence danced around the question.
“Well, I don’t accept the fact, Brian, that there’s a segment of American society that disagrees, in the preciousness and importance of every human life,” Pence said. “And it’s one of the reasons why as we advance important reforms in law enforcement, as we look for ways to strengthen and improve our public safety in our cities, that we’re not going to stop there.”
Pence went on to tout the Black unemployment rate pre-pandemic and said the Trump the administration is “absolutely determined to improve” the lives of African Americans.
“And yet, one final time, you won’t say the words and we understand your explanation,” Taff responded.
Brett Favre Comparing Colin Kaepernick to Pat Tillman: ‘I’d Assume That Hero Status Will Be Stamped As Well’
Former Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre says he believes NFL free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick will eventually be viewed as a hero in the same vein as the late NFL player Pat Tillman.
Favre, speaking to TMZ Sports, was asked if he thinks Kaepernick had reached the status of Jackie Robinson or Muhammad Ali by taking a stand against racial injustice and police brutality when he took a knee during the singing of the national anthem.
“I can only think of, right off the top of my head, Pat Tillman, another guy who did something similar, and we regard him as a hero,” Favre said. “So I’d assume that hero status will be stamped with Kaepernick as well.”
Tillman, who was a 25-year-old safety for the Arizona Cardinals, enlisted in the Army after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Tillman was offered and turned down a $3.6 million contract offer from the Cardinals. After the 2001 season, he left his NFL career to fight for his country and after serving combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was killed in 2004 as the result of friendly fire in Afghanistan. Tillman was awarded both the Silver Star and Purple Heart posthumously.
“It’s not easy for a guy his age—black or white, Hispanic, whatever—to stop something that you’ve always dreamed of doing and put it on hold, maybe forever, for something that you believe in,” Favre said of the still unsigned Kaepernick.
“I think from a football sense, I can’t imagine him being that far out of shape or that far out of touch with football that he doesn’t deserve a shot. He’s still young and hasn’t been hit in several years, so there’s no reason to think that he’s lost that much of a step.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently admitted that the NFL was wrong for not allowing players to take a knee on the field. “We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People. We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter. #InspireChange ”
But, according to a recent poll, a majority of Americans believe NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell owes former quarterback Colin Kaepernick an apology.
Legendary Music Producer Dallas Austin Takes Aim at New Heights With Relaunch of Rowdy Records
When you are a Grammy-award winning producer/songwriter/keyboardist/remixer and your credits include the likes of Michael Jackson, TLC, Monica, Madonna, Will Smith, Brandy, Rihanna, Kanye West, Gwen Stefani, and many others, you might be satisfied with these accomplishments. Not so. Dallas Austin wants more and has recently relaunched the label that allowed him to be successful within the music industry. Rowdy Records is making a return that will have past and current industry heads watching.
BLACK ENTERPRISE was able to speak to the Atlanta legend about his foray into education and how he aims to continue adding to the legacy of Rowdy Records.
You’re relaunching Rowdy Records after so many years, what motivated you to do so and what can we anticipate this time around?
I wanted to be back in control of my brand and the music and after going inside and being a senior VP at Island Def Jam a few years ago, I could see where the footprint of Atlanta music was heading from a corporate standpoint and how disconnected it was to what was really happening in the culture of music from the start. This time you can expect the brand to be the difference in music and in culture.
We are in a totally different era due to advances in technology and with the capacity of artists to reach out directly to their audience. How do these changes alter the way you do business?
It changed the way we do business drastically, but it still boils down to having a gut feeling about the music and the artist. As a producer, the advancements have been amazing because you have way more options. From a songwriter’s side, it hasn’t been so amazing because of the way digital deals are structured. As a label owner and having a new distribution company, I am excited to combine the knowledge of before with the digital platform, as this will be the first time I have had a digital distribution company.
You’re doing a collaboration with Georgia State University. What are the specifics of the partnership and how did it come about?
One day I was speaking to a marketing class at Georgia State and they were using imitation projects instead of real ones for their class assignments. Georgia State had just opened the new media center and through Dr. Kay Beck and Linda Cannon, a business partner of mine, we all came up with a program that allowed the students to work on projects that were really coming out into the marketplace and get credited on their resumes for their work whether it be in marketing, digital, promotions, etc. This is all a spinoff of the Dallas Austin Foundation for music in schools where we put recording studios in inner-city schools and give kids the opportunity to develop that trade. So far, we have done 10 schools and we are looking to expand into the curriculum next school year. We have been working with the Urban League Atlanta and the Entertainment Caucus in developing these programs.
You’ve been involved in the industry for over 30 years, how do you separate the artistic side of Dallas Austin and the business aspect? How has your approach changed over the years?
When I was younger it was more difficult because the creativity always overrode the business decisions and that can be detrimental to your bottom line. As we have grown, we have learned that we are still dealing with a product. Even though you should have an emotional attachment to it, it still has to be sold, marketed, and promoted in the hopes of it being successful not just creatively, but also financially.
To what do you attribute your longevity in the game and what advice would you give someone who wants to to have an extensive and purposeful career like you have?
I attribute it to my ability to always admire and find inspiration in things and people around me. My dream was to always be as great as Quincy Jones. If you want longevity, it is not about the sprint. You always [have to] ask yourself “Where do you want to be five years from now?’ and stay focused working on that goal. If you are excited and passionate about it, you will work on it 24/7; the day never ends until you feel the feeling of accomplishment.
5 Tips to Ask for More Remote Work Days even in a Post-COVID-19 World
Working remotely isn’t an entirely new concept. According to a study by the International Workplace Group, 70% of professionals around the globe work flexibly at least one day each week. It’s also no surprise to hear of someone who’s doing this full time.
So if your company is one of those that have adopted remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, you might be wondering how you can ask for more remote work days when things begin to shift back to normal.
Keep reading to see the current state of remote work, then how you can use this information to help you ask your boss for more remote work days even after social distancing and quarantine becomes a thing of the past.
The Current Remote Work Situation
Employers have to be agile in responding to this pandemic, and one of the solutions to keep their employees working and help their companies stay afloat is by enforcing work from home policies.
Gallup Panel data claims that in just three weeks during the lockdown, the percentage of employees working from home doubled from 31% to 62%.
We can now see the work from home trends take off in a number of companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Square, and Shopify among others.
Jack Dorsey, the CEO of both Twitter and Square, even allowed his employees to work from home “forever.” If anything, this shows us how top executives are preparing for the future of work.Could working from home be a permanent setup for many professionals in the years to come?
We also know how employees themselves feel about working remotely. In a recent study, three in five U.S. workers prefer to continue to work remotely as much as possible once restrictions on business and school closures are lifted.
Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics, estimates that 25% to 30% of the workforce will be working from home multiple days a week by the end of 2021. It is also predicted that the longer people are required to work from home, the more likely they’d be to adopt this new arrangement.
However, even if remote work is increasingly becoming more common nowadays, sometimes it’s still up to the employees to advocate for it. How can you make sure you’re part of that 25% to 30%?
We recommend bringing it up to your employer, so make sure to follow these helpful tips below to make a good case.
5 Tips to Ask for More Remote Work Days after COVID-19 Restrictions are Lifted
Arm yourself with the facts
The most effective thing to help you in your goal to work more remote days are the facts to prove that working remotely is actually good for you as the employee and for the company as a whole. Help build your case to your boss by understanding the landscape of remote work in your industry.
Luckily, there are already a number of sources online that show the benefits of working from home. Gallup and Flexjobs are two resources you could read up on in preparing a negotiation with your employer.
Here are some of the positive outcomes of working remotely:
Increases employee engagement: Engagement is key in driving performance. A study shows that an optimal engagement boost occurs when employees spend 60% to 80% of their time working off-site, which is about three to four days in a five-day workweek.
Positive environmental impact: When more people work from home, fewer greenhouse gases are emitted in the environment and they are more likely to make environmentally sound choices—opting to use less paper and monitoring their air conditioning.
Better work-life balance: When remote work comes with flexible schedules, employees have more control of their time which usually leads to stronger outcomes. With this, they are able to attend to the needs of their personal life.
Less commute stress: According to the United States Census Bureau, people spend about 100 hours commuting and 41 hours stuck in traffic every year. The amount of time wasted on the road is amplified by the increased level of stress and anxiety that comes with spending more than 30 minutes in one-way commuting. Thus, not having to commute when you work remotely has positive impacts on both your physical and mental health.
Increased money savings for the employee and the company: Employees who work from home can save $2,000 up to $6,500 a year. This is because expenses like commute fares, gas, parking fees, lunch outs, and others that are usually required when you have to report to work every single day are eliminated. On the other hand, companies can save around $11,000 per year for every employee as overhead costs, operational costs, transit subsidies, and the like are minimized.
Happier and healthier work life: Overall, working from home has proven to promote a happier and healthier work life as employees are able to control their time according to how they want it.
Having information like this can help show your employer that working remotely has had documented, research-based positive impacts on companies, employees, and even to the environment.
Use yourself as a case study
After showing the facts, you can actually use yourself as an example. How was your performance during the remote work period?
Global Workplace Analytics mentions that one of the biggest holdbacks of remote work is trust—it’s hard for managers to trust their people to work untethered. If your employer doesn’t trust you now, then it could be very difficult to build your case.
You can help build that trust by being a top performer, especially while working remotely. It’s best that you analyze your work performance first before you negotiate with your employer.
Some questions you should consider are the following:
Have you had any remarkable work accomplishments during the remote work period?
Have you received positive feedback from your co-workers?
How productive were you at home/working remotely compared to when you’re in the office?
How were you able to build or sustain your rapport with your co-workers and clients?
If your answers to these questions put you in a good light, then make sure you take note of these when you talk to your boss. However, if you think you still need to improve on your performance, then use this time as an opportunity for the future.
Get colleagues involved
The testimonies of your fellow colleagues can support your request.
If they, too, think that working remotely can both help themselves and the company, then invite them to pitch in to the plan. They might have positive experiences of their own while working from home that could help strengthen your case.
Put together a plan
Ultimately, your goal should be to address any potential challenges of working from home. Given this, it’s best to anticipate any questions or concerns your employer might have.
Put yourself in your employer’s shoes and ask yourself: how can I assure my boss that I could work just as well—if not, better—working remotely?
Here are things to help you flesh out your plan:
1. Proposed remote work schedule
Detail the remote work schedule you prefer. Also, talk about how you’ll be able to attend regular meetings remotely. However, make sure to assure your employer that you’ll be present in-house when needed.
2. Your digital tools for project management and security
Since your boss won’t be there to closely monitor you, assure them that you have the tools to remain in constant communication with your team. Aside from this, you can build up your case by mentioning all the tools you intend to use to support your remote workdays.
Project Management Tools
Slack: Slack is a business communication platform that allows you to chat with your colleagues in channels that you can organize per topic.
Zoom: Zoom is a cloud-based, peer-to-peer software platform that’s used for telecommuting, teleconferencing, distance education, and social relations.
G Suite: G Suite is composed of a variety of collaborative cloud-based tools such as Gmail, Hangouts, Calendar, Drive, and other essentials you need for remote productivity.
Security Tools
Norton: Norton provides individuals and companies with firewalls, which helps keep you and your company safe while working from home. It essentially works by filtering traffic and blocking out external parties or websites from accessing information and data from your work computers.
Surfshark: Surfshark is a secure VPN service that helps protect your online data. To assure your boss that you intend to take remote work seriously and with great caution, you may propose an affordable company VPN plan to make sure you’re accessing even sensitive company data securely.
Customer Service
ZenDesk: ZenDesk is an omnichannel customer experience software that helps you provide more streamlined support for your customers without adding more stress to your team. Especially when you’re unable to solve in-person customer or client concerns, software like this can help your company manage customer support from anywhere.
Weave: Come extra prepared by proposing business texting tools like Weave to ease your employer’s mind about how to manage customer service remotely. Business texting tools allow you to talk to your clients or customers as long as you have your phone with you.
3. Schedule of remote work rotation with colleagues
What’s an effective work rotation that’s best for everyone? Make sure to detail the reasons how and why this schedule can help you and your colleagues be more productive at home.
4. How you can contribute to your company’s culture even remotely.
Discuss plans on how you can still contribute to your company’s culture while working away from the office. How will you apply the core values of your company while working remotely? Give concrete examples of how you can showcase these values even when communicating with colleagues and clients or customers online.
5. Offer a trial run
If working remotely is a new territory for your company, you could offer a trial period to help your employer ease into the idea. A moderate schedule such as working remotely one or two days a week could be a great way to start.
Have a conversation
Once you’ve prepared everything, now’s the time to have that conversation with your employer.
When the time comes, make sure you bring up your request face to face or via video call. Armed with your research and prep work, try to lead the conversation to show your boss that you came equipped.
Begin by sharing your desire to work remotely, which should heavily be supported by the benefits it could give to the company and to yourself.
Talk about successful projects you’ve completed or led during the remote work period. Make sure you state concrete examples that are backed up by numbers, facts, or testimonies from your colleagues.
Lastly, make your request as specific and as clear as possible. Make it a conversation, not a demand.
Key Takeaways
Working remotely can be a permanent or more-frequent reality for you post-pandemic. Don’t be discouraged if your employer denies your requests for more remote work days at first, but be sure to make these requests with as much information and preparation as you can.
Ice Cube Takes Off On U.S: Black America Should Be Exempt From Paying Taxes, Our Bill Is Already Paid
For decades, many in the Black community have felt Black people should not pay taxes. Over the years, some have pushed the so-called “Black Tax Credit.” Some tried it. Of course, the IRS wasn’t in agreement. It was reported as a tax scam. But now hip-hop mogul Ice Cube, 50, wants the IRS to exempt Black people from paying taxes.
“THE HIGH COST OF RACISM: BLACKS in America should be exempt from paying any taxes for 462 years. This would help to start repairing the damage done to us by America. OUR BILL IS PAID BY NOW. No more”, Ice Cube tweeted.
In another tweet, he wrote, “We will ask for board seats, hefty shares of the company and you will pay a heavy-heavy fine for what you’ve done. Or we will ask the believers in justice. To not support your business for 40 days & 40 nights … WE DONT REALLY GIVE A F–K IF WE WE’RE BEING FAIR OR NOT. Hos-style is my style!”
Additionally, Cube shared a video of Michael O’Meara, the president of New York state’s group of Police Benevolent Associations. During a recent news conference, O’Meara said that the media, legislators, and others have been trying to “shame” police officers since Floyd died, and officers are being treated like “animals and thugs,” Atlanta Black Star reported.
Contradicting O’Meara’s claims, Cube added footage of officers assaulting people.
“YOUR TAX PAYER DOLLARS PAY FOR THIS TYPE OF TREATMENT,” he posted. “But the whistle blowers are the bad guys? How? Truth is anti-police?”
Cube has been very vocal on Twitter since George Floyd’s death on May 25 at the hands of Minnesota police. So upset was Cube that he recently opted out of an appearance on “Good Morning America” to promote his new music business comedy, “The High Note.”
He tweeted at 5:37 a.m. the morning of the interview, “I apologize to everyone expecting to see me on Good Morning America today. But after the events in Minnesota with George Floyd I’m in no mood to tell America, good morning.”
Speaking out against police brutality and racism isn’t new for Cube.
“Early records like ‘Straight Outta Compton’, ‘AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted’ and ‘The Predator’ are the sound of a man wrestling for control of the narrative about his own community,” NME reported.
Ice Cube started his acting career with the John Singleton breakthrough film, “Boyz n the Hood.”
“In the early work, it was important to try to convey a message in movies,” Cube told NME. “Then I got to a point where I felt, you know, my music is hardcore. I’m talking about a lot of shit that’s real depressing. People want to laugh, man!”
Cube started screenwriting with the1995 stoner hit comedy “Friday.” Sequels followed. Hollywood seemed to love Cube — and vice versa. In fact, he is the “only actor to have at least five highly-successful movie franchises (‘Friday,’ ‘Barbershop,’ ‘Are We There Yet?,’ ‘Ride Along,’ and ‘21 Jump Street’),” Pride Publishing Group reported.
Cube said he started to lean towards comedies “because people want to escape when they go to the movies.”
In recent years, Cube has become best known as an actor in big-budget “popcorn comedies” such as “21 Jump Street” (2012), “Ride Along” (2014), and “Fist Fight”(2017), but he remained vocal about the issues that plague the Black community.
Prior to the death of Floyd, Ice Cube tweeted about the candidates in the upcoming presidential election. “Hold the Black vote hostage until one of ’em comes with A Black Agenda that we’re satisfied with. It’s not our job to fix the country’s mess until we fix our mess…#fuckyoupayme.”
That tweet was in response to Joe Biden’s comment on The Breakfast Club, when he told Charlamagne tha God, “if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.”
Following the tragic death of Floyd, Cube again turned to Twitter on May 28 to call out the police. He wrote: “How long will we go for Blue on Black Crime before we strike back???”
“Ice Cube continues to represent the best of the genius of hip-hop that transforms the world into a better place for (those) who cry out for freedom and justice,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, Pride Publishing reported.
THE HIGH COST OF RACISM: BLACKS in America should be exempt from paying any taxes for 462 years. This would help to start repairing the damage done to us by America. OUR BILL IS PAID BY NOW. No more.
What scary RACIST don’t know. Treat us fairly and you might not see us to much. Our neighbors will be nice and livable full of excellence and opportunity. The country owes us 400 years of backpay.
Designer George Sully Launches A Platform To Celebrate Black Designers of Canada
Due to the protests over racial injustice and police brutality in the United States, conversations surrounding race relations have not only been occurring in America but on a global scale with different international cities also marching in solidarity. In Canada, one fashion designer is using the momentum to spotlight Black designers in his country that often don’t receive the praise they deserve.
George Sully has made a name for himself in the Canadian fashion world as a famous shoe designer and the co-founder of Sully Wong, House of Hayla, along with other trendy collaborations with various designers. Visitors can see some of his work in the Toronto Bata Show Museum and in the television show Star Trek: Discovery. In an interview with Fashion Magazine, he shared how he made the transition to fashion from working in the music industry.
“I was doing rap and producing songs, then I got into a lot of house and started DJing,” Sully told Fashion Magazine. “After the DJing took off, then I started saying, what’s next? And when I saw Diddy go from music to fashion and make that transition, I thought wow. I can make that transition.”
Now he’s launched a brand new platform dedicated to spotlighting Black Canadian designers called Black Designers of Canada, a unique interactive index of Black designers for consumers to discover. According to Fashion Magazine, Sully was inspired to create the platform because “for far too long the Black community has been marginalized when it comes to fashion and our contribution to it.”
“I wanted to create a platform where we can be found,” said Sully in a press statement “[Because] you didn’t know we ever existed in the first place.”
