Kofi Siriboe explains how his heavy ‘Queen Sugar’ storyline caused him to crash

The American Black Film Festival went down in Miami this week and one of the sexiest celebs at the festival was Queen Sugar star, Kofi Siriboe. 

TheGrio sat down with the actor who is currently starring on Season 4 of the hit OWN series to find out how he’s dealing with the rough road his character, Ralph Angel, is on.

EXCLUSIVE: Kofi Siriboe on facing his own mental health and empowering others to do the same with ‘JUMP’

In case you’re not all caught up, the biggest hardship facing Ralph Angel is the fact that this doting dad recently learned the son he has dedicated his life to raising is not biologically his.

When we asked him how playing the role of this devastated dad affects his own mental health, Kofi Siriboe was candid about how paying attention to his own emotions was a lesson he had to learn the hard way.

“To be honest, sometimes it’s blurry.  The lines definitely get blurred because I care so much,” he says about the weight of his character’s storyline. “It’s more about us than it is abut me. I feel like that’s why God put me in this position.”

While he may have four seasons of the series created by Ava DuVernay under his belt,  the actor admits he struggled at first.

“At the beginning of this journey, I was oblivious to the weight that I was carrying which kind of made me crash. Once I realized how much was being channeled through me, even just as the vessel, I realized you have to take care of the vessel. What’s a Ferrari with no gas? It’s just going to sit there. It can’t go anywhere,” he explains.

Kofi Siriboe, Rutina Wesley, and Dawn-Lyen Gardner discuss pain & healing of ‘Queen Sugar’

“It has been an education process to learn how to really take care of myself and learning how to pray for the expansion. We can only do so much with our intellect. I didn’t get here by being smart or being intellectual. I was fully on a spiritual journey. I was brought here. I can’t use intellect or my human resources to sustain me. There’s something bigger happening. It’s about clearing enough space and it’s about blocking out the noise to tune in to that.”

Kofi Siriboe credits Queen Sugar for creating a safe space that inspires viewers to discuss issues they’re contending with in real life.

“There’s a lack of  safe spaces for us to reveal our trauma and transform and talk about what we’ve been through and just get to a place of peace. I feel like if there were more spaces that were curated for us and if we had more access to resources you wouldn’t feel the need to internalize everything and live with that weight and that baggage. The few of us who have the privilege and platform and the resources to share access to those spaces,  I challenge us to do that,” he said ahead of the Season 4 premiere.

Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Omari Hardwick and more stars takeover Miami for ABFF

“I believe that is what Ava is doing with Queen Sugar. It’s a safe space that we even get to sit here and talk about these things and broadcast it to our communities and hopefully find healing through that. So I just think we need more space the safe spaces that are specific to us. The more we create the space for it the more the more room there is for expansion.” 

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FIH Series Final: Egypt come from behind to beat Ireland 2-1

Ireland's bid to advance to the next stage of Olympic qualification falters with a 2-1 defeat by Egypt at the FIH International Series in France.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2wXYJjQ
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Ousted Sudan leader Bashir makes first appearance since coup

Wearing a traditional white robe, Omar al-Bashir was taken from jail to the prosecutor's office.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2Zw3JZ9
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South African teens attempt Cape-to-Cairo in homemade plane

It will take six weeks to cover the 12,000km route in a four-seater they assembled in three weeks.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/31BLMdK
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World Cup 2019: Nigeria on 'changing mentality' of women's football in Africa

Nigeria players Francisca Ordega and Asisat Oshoala on their personal struggles, inspirations and responsibilities going into this summer's World Cup.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2WOnnTq
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What a Cliche!: The 5 Most Overused Resume Phrases

Just because something sounds good, doesn’t mean you should put it on your resume. A million other people probably have used the same phrase time and time again in their cover letter and during their interview. In today’s competitive job market, your resume needs to be innovative, unique, and eye-catching. This can’t be accomplished by using the same tired phrases that recruiters and hiring managers see and hear just about every day. Career strategist Jodi Brockington, founder & president of Niara Consulting talks about the most overused resume phrases and how we can put them to rest for ultimate job seeking success.

5 Most Overused Resume Phrases

‘I’m a team player’

This phrase is used far too often because job seekers know that every employer wants a team player. However, it’s best to demonstrate how you’ve been a team player rather than just saying that you are one. “‘Team player’ can also be misleading because it can suggest that you are a follower rather than a leader,” Brockington says. Consider phrases like “played various roles,”  “worked with multiple departments,” “thrived in diverse work environments,” or “handled a variety of tasks.”

“The team player thing is kind of played out,” she adds.

 

‘I have extensive experience in…’

People love to use this phrase, whether they’ve been working for 10 days or 10 years. Extensive is a very vague word that doesn’t tell an employer much about the actual experience you have, Brockington says. “[Extensive experience] can imply that you’ve been stagnant or that you’re older.” There was a time when this phrase was more acceptable because employers sought out individuals who had been doing the same thing for a long time. “Nowadays people are looking to hire that ‘master of many,'” Brockington says. Employers are more impressed by job seekers who have advanced and have multiple areas of expertise.

More specific phrases such as “five years progressive experience in project management and staff leadership” are a better option.

‘I’m a multitasker’

The fact that you can surf the Web while talking on the phone doesn’t make you a multitasker. In addition, multi-tasking isn’t necessarily a good trait if it isn’t done effectively. Brockington says that if not used in the proper context, “multitasker” can lead employers to believe that you aren’t detail-oriented or able to pay adequate attention to specific tasks.

It may be better to include that you are “able to prioritize and efficiently manage multiple assignments” rather than just saying that you’re a multi-tasker.

‘I am entrepreneurial-minded’

This word can be particularly damaging if it’s not something that the position calls for. Most job seekers refer to themselves as “entrepreneurial” in order to show independence and leadership skills. However, the term often implies that you “lack work experience or want to do things your own way,” Brockington says.

She suggests that a better approach would be to highlight your skills in strategic planning, leadership, understanding corporate vision and culture, risk-taking, and out-of-the-box thinking.

‘I work well in a fast-paced environment’

 It’s not very likely that an employer will refer to their company as slow-paced. So, it really isn’t necessary to indicate that you can “work in a fast-paced environment.” The term is too general and doesn’t tell the employer about the specific settings in which you’re most experienced, Brockington says.

She suggests that you provide more valuable phrases that talk about competency and completion of tasks such as “implement key time-management skills in high-demand settings” or “able to exceed company expectations by prioritizing tasks and completing assignments ahead of schedule.”

While these phrases might be cliche, Brockington says they can work for or against a job seeker. While there are no set rules on what phrases should and should not be used, it’s important to research the company and the role to see what might work and what should be avoided. Whenever possible, stay away from generic and general terms and always quantify or quality your experience with specific numbers and tangible evidence of your accomplishments.

-Editors’ Note: This article has been updated from its original publish date in 2012

from Black Enterprise http://bit.ly/2KUi79y
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Audi Recall, Shifting Alliances, and More Car News This Week

Audi issued a voluntary recall of its E-Tron SUV; self-driving tech startup Aurora broke up with VW and joined up with Fiat Chrysler.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2L1swAH
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Justin Bieber's Challenge to Tom Cruise Tops This Week's Internet News Roundup

The pop star later claimed he was kidding—but he still inspired a lot of people with his, um, bravery.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2Fd9Fyu
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Ethiopia anger over texting and internet blackouts

No explanation has been given for the shut downs but they coincide with nationwide exams.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2MMGzwe
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Cricket World Cup: South Africa beat Afghanistan for first win

Imran Tahir takes 4-29 as South Africa win their first match at the World Cup with a nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan in Cardiff.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2KrcX5R
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Cosmologists Clash Over the Beginning of the Universe

What happened before the Big Bang? And what happened before that? Stephen Hawking's answer—there was no beginning—is now the subject of intense debate.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2INNOyF
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In Praise of Dadfluencers

All those fathers out there posting about #dadlife on social media are changing the face of fatherhood.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2MQdu2W
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Snow Peak’s Fire Pit Makes Me Like Camping Again

The simple, durable, and well-made fire pit helped me recalibrate my relationship to the outdoors.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2KkPBOZ
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It's Time to Switch to a Privacy Browser

Ad trackers are out of control. Use a browser that reins them in.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2WMEmpd
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REVIEW: Anthony Anderson, Uzo Aduba and Khalil Everage shine bright in ‘BEATS’

The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is going down in Miami and one of the highlights of the 5-day festival was the world premiere of BEATS. The Netflix film that stars Anthony Anderson, Khalil Everage, and Uzo Aduba is certainly worth watching, as it shines a light on the mental effects of gun violence.

Anthony Anderson plays ex-music manager who can’t let go of hip-hop in Netflix film ‘Beats’

Check out the official synopsis:

In this coming-of-age drama, a reclusive teenage musical prodigy (Khalil Everage) forms an unlikely friendship with a down-on-his-luck high school security guard (Anthony Anderson). United by their mutual love of hip-hop, they try to free each other from the demons of their past and break into the city’s music scene. Directed by Chris Robinson BEATS features Everage in his feature film debut and co-stars Uzo Aduba and Emayatzy Corinealdi. BEATS is the ultimate ode to Chicago’s South Side, and its long history of creating music that forms the city’s beating heart.

Set in Chicago, the film directed by Chris Robinson (The New Edition Story) follows August; a teenager traumatized after witnessing a devastating tragedy. While we won’t give too much of the plot away, we will say that the strength of the ensemble cast carries this film that also benefits from its hip-hop backdrop. Anthony Anderson pulls off the dramatic role in a way we haven’t seen before, proving his talents extend beyond the realms of comedy.

Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Omari Hardwick and more stars takeover Miami for ABFF

His character is not a likable guy. In fact, he’s a washed up music manager who is barely holding on to his gig as a security guard at the high school where his estranged wife is the principal. Still, he’s a complex character whose intentions aren’t always pure but somehow, he remains empathetic, even when his self-serving decisions are questionable.

Everage’s feature film debut is a strong one, and he manages to tap into what happens to a young mind when it’s pushed passed its limits by trauma. Uzo Aduba is impressive as always; this time as a mother struggling to protect her son from a city that is no longer safe.

Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Anthony Anderson and Chris Robinson. Until then, check out the official trailer:

BEATS hits Netflix on June 19.

 

The post REVIEW: Anthony Anderson, Uzo Aduba and Khalil Everage shine bright in ‘BEATS’ appeared first on theGrio.

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Still the Most Ignored Demographic: Single, Black Fathers

One of the first articles I ever had published was a feature story I wrote many years ago on growing up with a single, black father. “Oprah doesn’t do stories on single, black dads,” I wrote. I complained about them being an ignored demographic.

To my surprise, I received several letters from black women angered by my article. I recall one stating that the single, black father was the exception, not the norm and why take focus off of black women who so often pull double duty as mother and father while working full time?

Those women deserve support and admiration. Yet, I said then as I say now: Black men with sole custody of their kids, comprise a small yet mighty group that deserves far more attention than received.

A look at the statistics: From the Pew Research center’s data from 2017; 36% of black children under 18-years-old live with married parents; 47% live with single mothers; 7% live with cohabitating partners; and 4% live with single fathers.

I was part of that scant percentage. My father had little-to-no resources when my mother just upped and left him with two pre-teen kids. He worked two, sometimes three jobs to keep paying the mortgage on the house he and my mother had just bought; and to provide for us. Although there was no time or money for vacations I cannot remember ever doing without lights, heat, air conditioning, school supplies, clothes—without any of the basic needs, really.

My father would come home from a two-hour commute every night just in time to make sure we were OK—fed, homework done—and then was back out the door two hours later—on yet another grueling two-hour train ride to his second job. Our lives ran that way for years until we kids were grown.

Still, I think my then-over-taxed father could have benefited with some support. In her book, “The Best Kept Secret: Single Black Fathers,” associate professor of sociology at Marquette University Roberta L. Coles writes that “monies, scholarly research, and public debate have nearly entirely focused on non-custodial fathers or so-called ‘irresponsible fathers’ for which black fathers have become the poster child.”

In her research, which included interviews of single, black fathers, Coles discovered, “African American fathers struggle to extricate themselves from the negative and restrictive cultural baggage that attends the ‘black male’ identity in American society.”

As a child, and even today as an adult, I get defensive about the persistently negative portrayals of black men as fathers as I remember my own and how he did so much to raise us.

So, what is my point? Well, I guess I wish there were more single, black fathers highlighted in media. I wish there were more policies and organizations that advocated for fathers’ rights when the father is the more fit custodial parent.

But, my point is also to highlight the single, black fathers out there this Father’s Day. I remember so well when my father removed the drop leaf that extended our dining room table after my mother left, shrinking it down into a small, encompassing circle. “We were a family of four, now we are a family of three,” he said.

He was right then, and we still are a strong family of three. And Happy Father’s Day to all of the single, black fathers.

CHECK OUT THE 2019 LIST OF BE MODERN MEN —an integrative program that honors the essence, image, and accomplishments of today’s man of color.

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The ideas and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author’s and not necessarily the opinion of Black Enterprise.

 

from Black Enterprise http://bit.ly/2XQKqtc
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Nigerian weddings: Glitz, glamour but mind the cost

Why are some couples are having multiple weddings? Leah and Echina explain why they did.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/31KR3Qm
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10 Thoughtful (And Free) Father’s Day Gift Ideas

As Father’s Day quickly approaches, many of us are wondering what gift to get dad this year. Barbecue grills, TVs, and golf clubs are great, but sometimes all it takes is a message of appreciation, straight from the heart.While you can purchase a really cool gift (check out the Ultimate Buy Black Father’s Day Gift Guide for some ideas) there are other ways to honor fathers and father figures. These free Father’s Day gift ideas are some creative ways to honor dad.

 

Use your camera to film a short documentary. Ask siblings, kids, and extended family members to share their favorite stories and the best advice they’ve ever received from dad.

Host a Father’s Day Cook-off Competition. Invite family and friends over to recreate some or your dad’s favorite meals. Of course, dad is the judge and chooses the winner.

Create a customized coffee table book. Include family events such as weddings, graduations, and father-daughter-son moments from your childhood.

Sign Dad up for a class. If he’s been talking about learning how to fly a helicopter or paint, find a class and sign him up.

Write a short personal essay or poem. Talk about key events in your childhood or the influence your dad has had on your life. (E.g., 10 Life Lessons I Learned From Dad.)

Build something. Whether it’s a birdhouse, shed, or backyard deck, if your dad loves spending his free time making things, these are all great bonding experiences.

Make a playlist. Pick some of dad’s favorite songs and create a playlist for him. As an added touch, include a few songs that remind you of him and save them to a USB flash drive.

Volunteer in the community.While honoring your dad on Fathers Day, donate your time to helping others who are less fortunate.

Plan a Father’s Day Olympics. If your dad loves sports, a day of competitive activities, such as swimming, a relay race, or even basketball, will make his day.

Spend quality time. Nothing beats quality time with family. Whether it’s spending the day watching movies or barbecuing in the backyard, the memories made are priceless!

 

from Black Enterprise http://bit.ly/2Rh0NNr
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6 Steps to Take If a Debt Collector Tries to Sue You

One minute you’re going about your day, not a care in the world. The next, you get a call from a debt collector about a debt you long forgot about. But the nightmare doesn’t end there. Soon after, you discover you’re being sued for the debt.

“Typically, a creditor or collector is going to sue when a debt is very delinquent. Usually it’s when you’re falling at least 120 days, 180 days, or even as long as 190 days behind,” says Gerri Detweiler, personal finance expert for Credit.com, and author of the book Debt Collection Answers.

If you owe a large amount, like several thousand dollars to an individual debt collector, that makes it more likely they’ll want to invest in suing you. They also might choose to sue if the debt is reaching its statute of limitations. “Once the statute of limitations on a debt has expired, depending on state law, they either can’t sue you, or if they sue you, you can show up to court and tell the court that the debt is outside the statute of limitations or it’s too old, and they would lose the lawsuit,” says Detweiler. Sometimes a collector might sue right before the statute of limitations expires, so if they get a judgment against you, they can still collect.

What Should You Do If a Debt Collector Tries to Sue You?

Don’t panic. Stay calm if you receive a legal notice from a debt collector. But don’t ignore the notice and toss it to the side. You have to address the problem because it won’t go away on its own. Without the proper response, the situation will get worse as the collector will try more drastic measures to get their money.

Consult an attorney. You could benefit from consulting a consumer law attorney.  Many attorneys will provide an initial consultation for free, or they might be able to help you prepare for the lawsuit or answer your questions about the lawsuit for a reduced fee. “Bankruptcy attorneys are also familiar with the debt collection lawsuit process. They understand what happens if a collector gets a judgment against you. They’ll also know what property is safe from creditors and what’s not. They can help you understand what the consequences would be if you don’t respond to the lawsuit and you get a judgment,” says Detweiler. The National Association of Consumer Attorneys website allows you to search by area of expertise as well as location.

Be careful about how you respond to debt collectors. Although it’s your right under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to write a letter to a debt collector stating you don’t wish to be contacted, this could potentially cause more harm than good. “Sometimes you’ll hear people say you should send a letter to the debt collector stating you don’t want to be contacted anymore. But sometimes sending that letter leaves them with no other option but to sue you because they can’t call you, talk to you, or try to work something out. At that point, especially if the amount is large, the collector will file a lawsuit in order to protect their interest in collecting that debt.” So unless you know for sure you don’t owe the debt and there’s nothing they can go after, use caution when sending this type of letter.

Organize your documents. In order to prove that your debt is past the statute of limitations, if this is the case, have at least your last six months of payment statements before you stopped paying available. “This will show where the statute of limitations should be calculated from,” says Sonya Smith-Valentine, a consumer rights attorney and author of the forthcoming book How to Have a Love Affair with Your Credit Report. Smith-Valentine notes that a credit report by itself is not enough to prove that a debt is past the statute of limitations because the information is not reliable. “The court will also say that the information was prepared by a third party. You need to have information that was provided directly from the creditor, not a third party. A credit report may help as far as throwing the statute of limitations in question, but it might not be enough to automatically win your case.”

Show up for court. “If you don’t show up, the court will probably issue a judgment against you for the amount that the debt collector is suing you for. Consequently, the debt collector can attempt to find out where you work and garnish your wages. They can also attempt to find out where you bank and freeze your bank account,” says Smith-Valentine. Furthermore, the judgment will end up on your credit report for seven years. Even if you pay off the judgment, it doesn’t remove the judgment from the credit report, it just changes how it is reported. Before you pay, the judgment is reported as unsatisfied and unpaid, but even after you pay it, the judgment is reported as paid. “It doesn’t come off just because you paid it,” says Smith-Valentine.

Pay attention to your credit reports. You’ll know if a collector has gotten a judgment against you because it will usually appear on your credit reports. “If you discover you have a judgment against you, that would be the time to talk to a consumer law attorney to see whether you might have some rights in terms of getting that judgment vacated,” says Detweiler.

-Editors’ Note: This article has been updated since its original publish date in 2011

from Black Enterprise http://bit.ly/2WMiJVT
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Why I Hate ‘The Hookup’

The hookup. Are you always looking for it?

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Richard, a black comedian calls his white friend: “Hey, Chad. Just wanted to let you know: I’ll be in town next week to do a show. Hope you can make it.”

Chad: “Really? That’s great! What night is it? I’ll call all of my friends and we’ll pack the house! It’ll be a blast!”

“Thanks, Chad!,” says Richard. “It’s on Thursday night. I’ll see you then!”

Richard hangs up, excited about the prospect of a big night at the comedy club, which means more gigs. He then he calls his boy, Lamont. (What? You know he’s black. How many white, Asian or Latino guys named Lamont do you know? Try to keep up, okay? Anyway…)

Richard: “Monty-Mont! Whassup? It’s ya boy, Richy-Rich! Just hollerin’ atcha to let you know that I got a gig in town next Thursday. You coming, right?”

Lamont: “Hell, yes, I’m coming! You funny as a mug! Shoot, I’ll bring my girl, and tell her to bring her girls, and I’ll get Antonio and Big Rob and Lisa to come and get the word out to their peeps, too!”

“Cool!,” says Richard. He holds his breath. He knows it’s coming.

“You gonna hook us all up, right?,” says Lamont.

One of the biggest drags on black entrepreneurial growth and profitability is the hookup: black people expecting other black people to provide them with free goods and services just because they’re black. We need to stop it. Today. NOW.

No, she can’t hook you up with a few press releases and some public relations for your event.

No, he can’t hook you up with a few signed copies of his book.

No, he can’t hook you up with a quick shape-up so you can look fly at the club tonight.

No, she can’t hook you and your momma and aunties up with free tickets to the fashion show.

No, she can’t hook up a business plan for you real quick.

No, she can’t deliver the dinner keynote without an honorarium, in return for two tickets at the head table for food she won’t get to eat. Because she’ll be speaking during the dinner.

No, they can’t wash your car, pull your teeth, do your hair, fix your computer, edit your manuscript, paint your house, build your Website, etc. for free! Discount? Maybe. Complimentary services for referring new–paying–customers? Okay. An occasional freebie for long-time, loyal customers who always pay? Sure. Barter my goods or services for yours? We might be able to work something out. But, FREE? NO!

Hello? The point of being in business is to make money! How can entrepreneurs, and black business owners in particular, make money, if they’re expected to give their products and services–which costs them money to create, develop, market and deliver–away for free? How can they proper if everyone wants the hookup?

If you don’t spend money with them, they can’t spend their money with you. If you won’t pay for your haircut, your barber can’t pay to eat at your restaurant. If Leslie the auto dealer won’t pay a competitive rate for wedding planning, Lisa the wedding planner can’t afford to buy a car from Leslie. Money has to circulate in order for economic empowerment to happen and for black entrepreneurs to have a chance to compete and thrive. You don’t support black entrepreneurs by showing up for the hookup. You support black business by paying up.

When I find a black entrepreneur or professional who provides goods and services I like, I pay for those goods and services–period. I know that there are costs associated with providing a service and making a product, a cost they can only recoup by selling at a profit. I don’t want them to hook me up with free stuff. I want to hook them up with my spending, because then they can really hook me up, by creating jobs, growing the local tax base, supporting community organizations, doing business with other black entrepreneurs and professionals–or just having enough money and a predisposition to reciprocate, to buy goods and services (such as a registration for a Black Enterprise event) from me and mine. I want black enterpreneurs to make money. I want them to succeed. I want them to get more than rich. I want to see as many wealthy black entrepreneurs, families and communities as possible. So if I like what they’re selling, I’m more than happy–I’m thrilled–to pay for it, and to tell all of my family, friends and associates how great they are. That’s the hookup we should all be striving for.

Do you really want to support black entrepreneurs and black professionals? Stop hitting them up for the hookup. If you believe in their products and services, pay for them, as you would for the products and services of any other business. If what they’re selling doesn’t merit that, why are you patronizing them in the first place? Do you really think you’re doing them–or yourself–a favor?

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The ideas and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author’s and not necessarily the opinion of Black Enterprise.

from Black Enterprise http://bit.ly/2XRyojm
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Trump’s White House hires new director of African American outreach

Family viciously harassed by officers after 4-year-old leaves discount store with a doll

A couple by the names of Iesha Harper and Dravon Ames are suing the city of Phoenix, AZ after footage has emerged of police officers drawing a gun and threatening to shoot them, after their four-your-old daughter allegedly left a store with a 99 cent doll.

In the video, which has since went viral, an overzealous officer is seen screaming and yelling at Harper, who not only has a child in her hand, but also reveals to officials that she is pregnant. The officer prompts and threatens Harper to put her hands up, despite her own protest that she is carrying a child in her arms, and can not do so. Both Ames and Harper can be seen attempting to comply with officers as best as possible, while being yelled at, threatened and physically attacked.

BREAKING: New video shows a deranged cop threatening to shoot a Black mother dead because her 4-year-old toddler “stole” a 99 cent Barbie from a dollar store. UNBELIEVABLE! THIS IS AMERICA… #Racism #PhoenixPD #BlackLivesMAtter #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/bFZ1jcj9cE

— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) June 14, 2019

READ MORE: Bodies of couple who died in Dominican Republic return to Maryland

In a statement to CNN, Ames and his fiancè Harper told the news outlet that they hadn’t realized their daughter walked out with the Barbie. Not long after leaving the Family Dollar store, Ames said that he and his partner arrived at a nearby apartment complex to drop the little girl off with a babysitter. Ames claims that not long after they pulled into the lot of the complex, an officer came over to their car window, yelling and threatening to kill them.

“Our hands are up, we’re just trying not to get shot, trying to stay calm. He had a gun drawn,”Ames told CNN. Ames also adds that there were no sirens to indicate they were being pulled over, nor did the officer pointing the firearm identify himself immediately as an cop.

“I really thought he was gonna shoot me in front of the kids,” Harper told CNN. She also states that, in the moment, she handed her two children off to a “complete stranger” because she did not trust the police to have them.

READ MORE:Mississippi restaurant employee fired for serving up a racist receipt to Black woman

The incident took place on May 29, however, police claim to have only been made aware of the video on June 11, and are investigating the matter.

“The Phoenix Police Department takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and for this reason, this incident is currently being investigated by the Professional Standards Bureau,” the department said in a follow-up statement to the news station.

Ames and Harper are suing the city for $10 million.

 

The post Family viciously harassed by officers after 4-year-old leaves discount store with a doll appeared first on theGrio.

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OPINION: Black fathers need to do all we can to prepare the next generation despite how much money is in the bank

Women's World Cup: Netherlands beat Cameroon 3-1 to reach last 16

European champions the Netherlands defeat Cameroon in Group E to confirm their place in the World Cup last 16.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2RjgDao
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Africa Cup of Nations: Sadio Mane suspended for Senegal's opening match

Senegal coach Aliou Cisse confirms that his Liverpool forward Sadio Mane is suspended for their Africa Cup of Nations opener against Tanzania.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2XdwOLv
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Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Omari Hardwick and more stars takeover Miami for ABFF

The American Black Film Festival is going down in Miami and TheGrio is front and center for all the festivities. Tons of famous faces headed down to the beach this week to mix and mingle with fans, creatives, and journalists as they premiered their projects and participated in panels about navigating the entertainment industry. ABFF welcomed stars like Omari Hardwick, Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Robin Givens, Jemele Hill, Larenz Tate, Jacob Latimore, and more.

ABFF kicked off with the world premiere of Shaft, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Richard Roundtree, and Jessie T. Usher on Wednesday evening. The next day was filled with tons of screenings, master classes, and panels including a conversation with LisaRaye McCoy, who sat down with TheGrio’s Entertainment Director, Cortney Wills at the Capital One Cafe to discuss everything from Black beauty standards to fighting fear to pursue your dreams.

Netflix presented their incredible documentary, The Black Godfather while TVOne treated attendees to an early screening of The Bobby DeBarge Story. Netflix premiered its upcoming film, BEATS on Thursday night, followed by a private, star-studded soiree where guests dined on a gorgeous sushi spread and danced the night away.

On Friday morning, Tracy Oliver presented a first look at her highly-anticipated series First Wives Club while Kofi Siriboe, Nafeesa Williams, and D. Harris-Lawrence discussed representation at the “See Yourself In The Work We Do” panel.

Later, Karen Huger, Porsha Williams, and Dr. Jackie Walters discussed living out their personal lives on the small screen during the “Black Love & Families” panel before Porsha (sans engagement ring) started filming what looked like a scene for RHOA, (or an unspecified reality project).

TheGrio’s Cortney Wills moderated an intimate conversation with The Chi star, Jacob Latimore and discussed the award-winning series, mastering your craft, and pursuing your passions.

Meanwhile, Jemele Hill, Lala Anthony, Iyanla Vanzant, Tracy Oliver, and BET EVP, Connie Orlando shared words of wisdom about gender inequity in Tinseltown at the “About Women” panel. Next, POWER stars, Omari Hardwick, Naturi Naughton, and Larenz Tate hit the stage to discuss their hit series at the “Dream in Black” panel. The night concluded with the world premiere of OWN’s sexy new series Ambitions, starring Robin Givens and Essence Atkins, followed by a Q&A with the whole cast and the show’s creator, Jamey Giddens, moderated by TheGrio.

The 5-day festival is still in full swing, so check back for more details about ABFF throughout the weekend.

The post Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Omari Hardwick and more stars takeover Miami for ABFF appeared first on theGrio.

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The Marathon Continues: Nipsey Hussle to be honored at 2019 BET Awards

On Thursday (June 13) it was announced that the late, great Nipsey Hussle would be honored posthumously at the 2019 BET Awards.

In a statement made on the company’s official website from Connie Orlando, the network’s Executive Vice-President, Head of Programming, Orlando stated, “As a prolific artist and leader, Nipsey Hussle was zealous about driving change for the betterment of his community, empowering and employing those in need and being an influential and highly respected leader,” Orlando said in regards to the slain rapper and hip hop philanthropist. Nipsey is also nominated for Best Male Hip-Hop Artist.

READ MORE: BREAKING: Nipsey Hussle’s alleged killer indicted by grand jury for murder

She continued, “His passing was a tremendous loss to the entertainment industry and to the culture. We will continue to remember his advocacy and be inspired by the groundwork he set forth and his dire commitment to social change.”

Nipsey, real name Ermias Asghedom, was killed back in March outside of his Marathon Clothing store in LA. The influential artist was well known for his ardent efforts to help educate and rehabilitate low income communities, especially his own in the Los Angeles area. Prior to his untimely passing, the Nipsey was making great strides to influence others, and invest in Black businesses and neighborhoods.

READ MORE: The Crips, now making business moves, file to trademark Nipsey Hussle’s slogan

“We are forever grateful, humbled and honored to have experienced his presence and we are invested in doing our part to ensure that the marathon will indeed continue. It is an immense honor for us to recognize him with this year’s Humanitarian Award,” the statement concluded.

According to BET, the ceremony is set to include an A-list tribute in the 33-year-old’s honor, which will star DJ Khaled, singer John Legend, and rapper and friend, YG.

This year’s ceremony will be hosted by actress Regina Hall. The 2019 BET Awards is set to air on Sunday, June 23, at 8:00 p.m. ET.

The post The Marathon Continues: Nipsey Hussle to be honored at 2019 BET Awards appeared first on theGrio.

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21 Savage ups immigration reform efforts with $25K donation

21 Savage is keeping his immigration reform efforts going, as the rapper recently donated $25,000 to the Southern Poverty Law Center- the same nonprofit legal advocacy organization that helped him earlier this year when he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

According to the 26-year-old rapper’s attorney, Charles Kuck, the donation will go towards aiding immigrants currently held in detention centers in the deep South, by helping them to obtain legal counsel.

“21 Savage is making this donation public because everyday Americans need to know that ICE is using civil immigration detention as a weapon against immigrants, many of whom, like 21 Savage, have relief from deportation and are able to fix their immigration status,” Kuck said in a statement, obtained by NBC News.

READ MORE: In new interview, 21 Savage opens up about immigration issues that seemed insurmountable

Willemijn Keizer, the organization’s director of institutional giving, told NBC that the the rapper’s donation will provide “vital resources,” for detainees.

“Only one in six immigrants detained in the Southeast has access to an attorney in removal proceedings. For an immigrant in detention, that legal representation can mean the difference between winning or losing their case — between staying with their family or being forced to return to a place that is no longer home,” Keizer said in a statement.

Back in February, the Britain-born Savage, real name She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was arrested and detained by ICE after officials said he overstayed his visa.

READ MORE: 21 Savage arrested again in Southern Georgia shortly after release from ICE custody

Although the British national was brought to the United States legally back in 2005, ICE officials claimed the rapper’s visa expired the following year, and has since been left without legal status. Legal representatives for the rapper claim that Savage has an application pending for a US visa “as a victim of a crime,” but not much has been revealed as to the circumstances surrounding his application.

On February 12th, the rapper was was released on bond from a Georgia detention center, just a little more than a week after his arrest. According to NBC News, his case is still pending with the immigration court.

 

The post 21 Savage ups immigration reform efforts with $25K donation appeared first on theGrio.

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Chris Brown is expecting baby number 2!

Space Photos of the Week: Salt of the Jupiter Moon

Plus: gamma rays, InSight’s claw, and the Milky Way’s chill black hole.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2INXvgR
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Keep It Classy: Diddy responds to Cassie’s pregnancy announcement

Security News This Week: Telegram Says China Is Behind DDoS

Voting machine security gets a boost, Have I Been Pwned is for sale, and more of the week's top security news.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2WHu6K1
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Mariam Namukasa: Uganda 'Miss Curvy' contestant's journey

Follow 34-year-old Mariam Namukasa on her journey through the Miss Curvy Uganda 2019 pageant.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2XLqTdz
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Sudan: Friends pay tribute to victim of Sudan protests

Social media profiles have been turning blue in tribute to Mohammad Mattar who was shot dead during protests in Sudan.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2KgACpe
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Analogue Mega SG Review: The Sega Genesis Reborn

Analogue's Mega SG is an easy way to play old Sega Genesis game cartridges on a modern TV, no-fuss and no-frills.

from Wired http://bit.ly/31Be34c
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Caster Semenya rejects Rabat Diamond League 800m invitation

Caster Semenya declines a late invitation to race in the 800m at Sunday's Diamond League Meeting in Rabat, Morocco.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2MMOBFt
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‘Sign In With Apple’ Earns Mixed Reactions From App Makers

Soon, you'll be able to log into third-party apps using your Apple ID. The move has its fans, but also its critics.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2IJLNnn
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Lamborghini Huracán EVO Sees the Future, Makes You Look Great

The super smart supercar predicts what you'll do next—and helps you make it happen.

from Wired http://bit.ly/31zbS11
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New York City Flexes Again, Extending Cap on Uber and Lyft

Officials want to extend the city's limit on the number of for-hire vehicles, and may consider a congestion charge.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2IF8rgA
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Gadget Lab Podcast: The Biggest News From E3

Peter Rubin joins the show this week to tell us about the major announcements made at the videogame industry’s big conference.

from Wired http://bit.ly/31AuqxW
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Kim Kardashian visits White House and announces partnership with Lyft ride-share program for ex-prisoners

Kim Kardashian West who’s become a hands-on advocate in the fight for criminal justice reform joined the Trump administration for an event at the White House and was welcomed with open arms for her newfound activism.

—Van Jones credits Kim Kardashian for prison reform bill’s landslide passage—

On Thursday Trump praised the reality TV star who has been pivotal in facilitating the release of former inmates, as a “great friend.”

“It’s really is such an honor to be here,” she said, after a standing ovation, ABC News reports.

Kardashian West explained that she was inspired to be an advocate for prisoners after visiting jails and hearing multiple stories from inmates.

“My heart just completely opened up and I wanted to do more. So, I started studying law.”

“I’d gotten to the place in my life where I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to do the right thing,” she said.

 

Kim Kardashian West speaks at White House event: “It really is such an honor to be here today, so thank you. My whole journey with criminal justice reform started about a year ago when I came to see the president” https://t.co/iCt3nF3csg pic.twitter.com/i0O26rhifA

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 13, 2019

She also announced that she has teamed up with the ride-sharing company Lyft to give former inmates gift cards to help them get to job interviews.

“I’m so happy to announce today we have a rideshare partnership where formerly incarcerated people will be gifted gift cards,” she said.

“I just wanted to thank the president for standing behind this issue,” she said.

Trump discussed the First Step Act, and how it has changed the landscape, especially for Black men. Since the First Step Act was signed into law last December, more than 1,000 incarcerated people in federal prisons have already been granted sentence reductions.

—Sarah Huckabee Sanders steps down as White House Press Secretary—

“To realize America’s full potential, we must unlock the talents of every single citizen. We want to lift every American family out of poverty and into a future of hope and opportunity,” Trump said.”

In 2018, Kardashian West made headlines for her work in helping Alice Marie Johnson to become a free woman after a series of meetings with President Donald Trump.

 

Proud to partner on this initiative with @Lyft, a company with a history of taking bold action to do what’s right for our community. Thank you for providing ride share credits to formally incarcerated people when they come home.

— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) June 13, 2019

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Thousands in Haiti renew protests, clash with police

 

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Thousands of protesters demanding the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse clashed with police Thursday as some tried to storm barriers outside the National Palace while others sought shelter as heavy gunfire echoed in nearby streets.

The demonstration came a day after Moïse broke his silence over the country’s recent unrest and rejected demands that he step down over allegations of officials misusing funds from subsidized oil shipments from Venezuela under the Petrocaribe program. He denied any wrongdoing.

Among those who joined the protest, which began peacefully, was 39-year-old Carl-Henry Janvière, who recently lost his job as a delivery man after his company laid people off amid record inflation.

READ MORE: After coup, Sudan protest leaders wish to dismantle the ‘deep state’

“I’m supporting these young kids to see if we can have a change in this country,” he said. “People are corrupt and are not providing any service to the population. I’m tired of it. I don’t know what I’m going to do in the next few months to feed my family.”

Violence also broke out last week during protests in a number of Haitian cities. The latest protest followed a strike Monday and Tuesday that shuttered schools, businesses and government offices, shut down public transportation and caused a Parliament session to be suspended. Businesses and schools were slowly reopening by Thursday, but burning tires still blocked some streets and it was difficult to reach some towns outside Port-au-Prince.
The crowd initially drew hundreds of people then slowly grew throughout the day, with people like Marie Saint-Louis, a 29-year-old mother of two, joining in.

READ MORE: Sudan: Rapes took place amid the deadly attacks in Khartoum, doctors say

“My husband passed away,” she said. “I’m not getting any help from this country. Life is extremely hard around here. … You hear money is coming into this country and you don’t know what the hell they’re doing with the money. We’re getting aid from different countries, but if you look at Haiti, it looks like it never received any aid at all: garbage, no electricity, no water, no real medical center or hospital.”

A Senate investigation has said at least 14 former government officials allegedly misused $3.8 billion under the administration of former President Michel Martelly. A report that was recently released leveled new accusations against government officials.

A second protest was planned for Friday despite Moïse calling for people to stay calm in a brief speech Wednesday as he celebrated the anniversary of Haiti’s police force.

“I am not going to allow anyone to commit chaos under any pretext,” the president said. “I am asking you to stay calm.”

The post Thousands in Haiti renew protests, clash with police appeared first on theGrio.

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Maryland has created a truth commission on lynchings – can it deliver?

Anita Hill says she could vote for Joe Biden if he becomes the nominee in 2020

Anita Hill has finally warmed up and could be ready to jump on the Joe Biden 2020 bandwagon and says she could now vote for him if he becomes the Democratic nominee.

—Sudan: Rapes took place amid the deadly attacks in Khartoum, doctors say—

Earlier this year, Hill, a law professor, was slow to give her endorsement to the former vice president because of his handling of the then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas confirmation hearing where she testified about sexual harassment. Hill was critical of Biden who was head of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991.

She said previously if Biden and the government worked back then the way it should have, more attention would have been called to sexual harassment and assault.

Hill also previously said she couldn’t support Biden for president until he fully admits his wrongdoing and takes responsibility for his conduct. That includes admitting his failure to call witnesses, other women, who were willing to testify before the Judiciary Committee and offer validation to her claims.

In a recent NBC News interview, Hill has seemingly has come around on her opinion of him.

“Of course, I could,” Hill said when asked if she could vote for Biden.

Hill said she’s more interested in knowing about Biden’s agenda for the future of this country and she’s rather focused on that rather than past apologies.

“I don’t think it’s a matter of what he could say,” Hill said. “For me it’s a matter of what we want all of our leaders to say; that is, after almost three decades now of having discovered the problem of sexual harassment, more people understanding it is a serious problem and so prevalent. I really want our leaders to stand up and say what happened in 1991 will never happen again.”

—Sarah Huckabee Sanders steps down as White House Press Secretary—

She continued: “stand up and say that ‘I understand this is a serious problem, that women are not safe in the workplace, they’re not safe in our schools, they’re not safe on our streets.'” She added that she wants leaders to “use the government’s resources to eliminate the problems.”

Biden has been on the campaign trail and is leading in the polls against other Democrats hoping to secure the nomination to run against Donald Trump in 2020.

When the Anita Hill controversy resurfaced he addressed it head-on earlier this year on The View.

Biden said, “I’m sorry she was treated the way she was treated.” But he also said, “I don’t think I treated her badly.”

Hill didn’t quite confirm who her favorite candidate is, but it’s apparent she’s open to forgiveness as part of her healing.

The post Anita Hill says she could vote for Joe Biden if he becomes the nominee in 2020 appeared first on theGrio.

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Exclusive – Elizabeth Warren: Level the Playing Field for Black Entrepreneurs

In an exclusive op-ed piece for Black Enterprise, Sen. Elizabeth Warren outlines her plan to create economic justice and to assist black entrepreneurs. 

If you work hard and have a good idea, you should be able to start a small business and build something solid — a life you and your family can be proud of. There’s just one problem with that promise: the government helped create a wealth gap with decades of sanctioned discrimination, tilting the playing field against Black and Brown communities for generations.

As a result, Black, Latinx, and Native American households have a lot less wealth than white households. That means less money for entrepreneurs of color to put into their businesses to get them going. On average, Black entrepreneurs start a business with $35,000 in capital. That’s a third of the startup capital for the typical white entrepreneur.

It’s no surprise that this disparity in startup money is the single biggest reason that promising Black-owned businesses on average are less profitable and bring on fewer employees than white-owned businesses. It’s partly why entrepreneurs of color own less than 20% of businesses with paid employees despite making up almost 40% of the population. And it’s contributing to a small business gap that costs all of us  millions of jobs and billions in economic growth.

This weekend, I will be attending the Black Economic Alliance (BEA) Forum in Charleston, South Carolina to discuss the steep challenges facing Black businesses in America, and how as President, I would remain committed to the fight for social, racial, and economic justice.

Black businesses face an uphill battle in our country; this is a fight we must all see as our own because the challenges facing Black businesses are rooted in big, structural problems. So the question is, what do we do about it?

The way I see it, there is only one way to make progress and that’s by fighting for big structural changes across the board. We have to take this problem head on and that’s why today I am proposing a new plan to help close the startup capital gap for Black and Brown entrepreneurs: a Small Business Equity Fund, run by my new Department of Economic Development,

This Fund will be equipped with $7 billion to provide grants — not loans — to entrepreneurs for startup capital so their businesses can thrive from the beginning without having to worry about ongoing interest payments or the risk of default.

The funds will be administered locally — through states, cities, and towns — but the state and local partners will need to meet federal requirements, including partnering with private parties to make investment decisions, instituting strict conflict of interest rules, and collecting data on outcomes. That way we can ensure taxpayer money is generating a strong return.

In addition to creating this new fund, we must take steps to address the lack of diversity among investors. The average Black-owned business only gets three percent of what a similar white-owned business typically receives in outside investments shortly after founding. A big reason for this disparity is the startling lack of diversity among investors: 86% of venture capitalists are white, and women and minority-owned firms make up less than 10% of the asset management industry. This hamstrings entrepreneurs of color: studies show that investors are more likely to partner with entrepreneurs that share their gender or race.

To address diversity among investment managers, I’m proposing three steps. First, states and cities will be required to partner with Black, minority, and women-owned investment managers to administer the money from my new Equity Fund. Second, on day one of my presidency, I will direct all federal pension and retirement funds to seek out a more diverse set of investment managers. And third, I will triple the budget for the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) — an organization dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs of color with access to funding networks and business advice — so it can expand on its good work.

This entire plan is paid for by my ultra-millionaire tax — a small 2% tax on giant fortunes over $50 million.

My new plan embraces the fundamental truth that we can never achieve racial justice without economic justice. We must do everything within our power to close the ever-widening racial wealth gap in America. I’ve proposed an expansion of the Community Reinvestment Act that will ensure mortgage lenders in communities of color lend to everyone on an equal basis, a student debt plan that cancels student loan debt for more than 80% of Black borrowers and invests $50 billion in HBCUs, and a new down payment assistance program that will help people in formerly redlined areas buy a home.

My plan helps level the playing field for Black, minority, and women entrepreneurs. We need to give every American the opportunity to build wealth and a bright future for themselves and their loved ones.

 

 

from Black Enterprise http://bit.ly/2KQMMVo
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Chicago mom files lawsuit alleging teachers bullied son before attempted suicide

A Chicago mother has filed a lawsuit against two elementary school teachers after her special needs son was allegedly harassed and physically assaulted by them, causing him to try to commit suicide, her lawsuit says.

—Whoopi Goldberg fires back at her ‘View’ co-host Meghan McCain who snaps, ‘So, I don’t get to talk’—

On Tuesday, Teirra Black said during a press conference that her 11-year-old son Jamari Dent was bullied by teachers and his classmates for at least a year at two different schools, Medgar Evers and Carter Woodson. Jamari, she said had tolerated abusive treatment for at least a year before he tried to hang himself in his bedroom, ABC News reports.

Black said her son was called derogatory names like “stupid,” “dumb” and “retarded.”

The lawsuit which names the Chicago Board of Education and the teachers as defendants makes some several shocking claims by a teacher at Evers Elementary who allegedly called the boy, who is Black “dirty” and “nappy-headed.”

The teacher then allegedly asked if his “brillo hair was the reason he couldn’t read,” followed by laughter from the teacher and his classmates, the lawsuit claims.

According to the suit, In February 2018, the same teacher allegedly assaulted and injured Jamari.

Black then took matters into her own hands and transferred her son to Woodson Elementary however the bullied continued there, she claims.

Reportedly three teachers at Woodson assaulted Jamari, resulting in injuries on different occasions. The concerned mom said she cried to administrators for help but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

—Boston museum hires firm to investigate racism reports from Black students—

In Feb. 18, Black said Jamari tried to hang himself with a sheet in his bedroom. His little 9-year-old sister found him, she said. Black said doctors expect him to remain on a ventilator for the rest of his life.

Her attorney Michael Oppenheimer is also preparing to file a federal civil-rights lawsuit against Chicago Public Schools, ABC30 reported. Black lawsuit adds to two others filed by other parents of special needs students who are suing the school district over alleged bullying.

Oppenheimer has asked for the help of Chicago District Attorney Kim Foxx and the city’s new Mayor Lori Lightfoot to conduct various criminal investigations.

The school district released a statement about the lawsuit.

“The district has no tolerance for adults who harm or fail to protect students,” it read in part. “All allegations of bullying and student harm are taken seriously by the district, and we are fully committed to ensuring all students are supported and adults are held accountable.”

The post Chicago mom files lawsuit alleging teachers bullied son before attempted suicide appeared first on theGrio.

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Golf's Longest Drives Are Creeping Up and Changing the Sport

The average distance of PGA drives has been rising steadily due to changes in equipment and training. But it's still almost impossible to hit 450 yards.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2Fa7gEX
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Serena Williams shares intimate moment braiding daughter’s hair and warms everyone’s heart

Tanzania row over wig and hair extension tax

Supporters of the levy say it will help women keep their hair natural, but others express outrage.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2XcU7VM
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Women's World Cup: Li Ying scores brilliant volley as China beat South Africa

Li Ying's brilliant volley earns China victory over debutants South Africa, who face elimination from the Women's World Cup.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2RgD3J3
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Sarah Huckabee Sanders steps down as White House Press Secretary

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has announced her departure from the White House and may be gearing up to run for governor of Arkansas.

—Lock HIM up? Democrats weigh in on what to do about Trump’s ‘dirty’ deeds—

On Thursday, President Donald Trump first broadcast Sanders’ decision to leave her post on Twitter.

“After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas,” Trump. “She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas – she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!”

 

After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2019

Sanders replied to Trump’s tweet with heartfelt sentiments about serving under him, CBS News reports.

“I am blessed and forever grateful to @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to serve and proud of everything he’s accomplished,” Sanders said in a tweet. “I love the President and my job. The most important job I’ll ever have is being a mom to my kids and it’s time for us to go home. Thank you Mr. President!”

 

I am blessed and forever grateful to @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to serve and proud of everything he’s accomplished. I love the President and my job. The most important job I’ll ever have is being a mom to my kids and it’s time for us to go home. Thank you Mr. President! https://t.co/wHNnq06AMg

— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) June 13, 2019

Sanders called her tenure at the White House an “opportunity of a lifetime” during an event Thursday evening.

She vowed to not let up on her support of the President outside of the political realm.

“I’ll try not to get emotional because I know that crying can make us look weak sometimes right?” Sanders said. “This has been the honor of a lifetime, the opportunity of a lifetime. I couldn’t be prouder to have had the opportunity to serve my country and particularly to work for this president. He has accomplished so much in these two and a half years and it’s truly been something I will treasure forever.

“It’s one of the greatest jobs I could ever have, I’ve loved every minute. Even the hard minutes, I have loved it,” she added.

—After Oprah’s Central Park Five interview, you realize that a $41 million settlement will never be enough—

Rumors have circulated for the past year that Sanders was planning to exit from her post and had long told friends of her intentions.

Sanders assumed the role as press secretary after Sean Spicer left.

The President said that he has been encouraging Sanders to make a run for governor in Arkansas and she has hinted at the possibility.

“She did an incredible job defending the president with an often hostile press corps. And everybody who worked with her found her to be incredibly humble and she was an incredible friend, and mentor to me. She was the best boss I ever had,” said former Raj Shah principal deputy press secretary said.

No word on who will replace her but her departure from the White House is scheduled to leave at the end of this month.

The post Sarah Huckabee Sanders steps down as White House Press Secretary appeared first on theGrio.

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Female Representation in Videogames Isn't Getting Any Better

The number of female protagonists in games showcased at E3 has remained low for years.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2IfgPnT
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What Is Ray Tracing? The Latest Gaming Buzzword Explained

If you're still in the dark about the latest advancement in videogame graphics, we're here to show you the light.

from Wired http://bit.ly/31wvlPI
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YouTube Testimonials Lure Patients to Shady Stem Cell Clinics

Emotional videos, often paid for by clinics, are attracting desperate patients to unproven stem cell treatments that can be dangerous—or even deadly.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2WJxJEi
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Niecy Nash reveals what makes her and her ‘Claws’ character “a boss”

If it was up to actress Niecy Nash, she wouldn’t be 25 years in the game and still have to, as she calls it, “reintroduce herself” to get better opportunities. But now that she finally has everyone’s attention with award-worthy performances in director Ava DuVernay’s series, When They See Us, and on the hit TNT show, Claws, she’s seizing the moment to show off her wide-ranging talent. That’s why she was quick to step behind the camera to direct an upcoming episode of the outrageous dramedy that follows Desna Simms (Nash) and her squad of nail stylists-turned-money-launderers-turned-queen-bees. 

“I would have directed back when I was playing Cedric the Entertainer’s wife on The Soul Man,” Nash said at a recent roundtable lunch in New York City. “Time and circumstance and the Most High were like, ‘Now is the time.’ I wasn’t ever going to be ready if I wasn’t ready now.”

In fact, her preparedness inspired her to get T-shirts made for the Claws cast and crew with the words “Who’s Not Ready?” on them, because she’s not playing around and demands that everyone around her be on that same level. “No department wants to be the one who’s not ready.” Nash said. “Because then I’ll ask, ‘Well, what’s preventing you?’” But of course when you’re on a show like Claws, where elaborate custom-made press-on nails often go missing in action when characters like Desna is getting her back blown out on a table by her criminal boytoy Roller (Jack Kesy), it’s obviously a little harder to keep perspective. 

VIDEO: Niecy Nash launches hotline for racist white people who call police on Black people 1-844-WYT-FEAR

“Roller is just my baby,” Niecy Nash said about Desna and Roller’s situationship this season. “This season, you get to see her decide whether or not she’s going to really give him a chance or just shut the whole thing down. He really wants to dress to impress, so he’s going to try to make a move to see if she’ll like him a little more.” 

As devoted Claws fans know, it was Roller who first put Desna and her crew on to the criminal underbelly of Palmetto, Florida, but now that she’s gotten a whiff of that power and intimidation from new enemies like crime boss Uncle Daddy (Dean Norris), she can’t get enough of it—even if it means putting her friendships on the line. Though after taking her no-good husband Dr. Ruval (Jimmy Jean-Louis) out last season, Desna discovers that she not only inherited his casino but a bunch of other drama.  

“Desna has wanted to boss up for a hot minute, but now that she has this casino it’s mo’ money, mo’ problems,” Nash revealed. “It tests the relationships with these women because you find out [through her storyline] that power corrupts. You always want to say, ‘I’m doing this for a good reason. I’m trying to help everybody.’ But is she? We’ll see that struggle and how it affects her relationships with the women.”

But even as things get more complicated between Desna and her friends, they are always by her side whenever she needs someone to take a bullet for her (like Karrueche Tran’s Virginia did last season) or get in formation and drop it low during one of the show’s signature dance interludes. “We call those Clawsier moments that are surreal and a little heightened,” Niecy Nash explained. Though she admitted they’re “exhausting” to shoot, she was quick to say that her time on a certain dance competition series gave her confidence to impress both herself and her castmates. 

Niecy Nash says she had to reintroduce herself in an effort to land better roles

“This is not me bragging, but only one of these girls was on Dancing with the Stars [points to herself].” Nash recalled missing rehearsals for a recent sequence because she was working out of town, then coming back at the 11^th hour and slaying her co-stars. “By the time I got to the rehearsal, there was very little time left. Everybody was worn out and sweating and giving me the side eye like, ‘Oh my god, we have to go through this all over again for her to get it.’ Baby, I came in there and was like [snaps fingers], ‘One, two.’ Honey, my five, six, seven, eight let them have it. I was proud of myself.”

Niecy Nash continues to defy expectations both as a multitalented star and a woman of color on TV who has sexual agency and is not a 25-year-old wearing a size 2. “That is one of the things I love about Desna, that my girlfriends in real life can identify with her” Nash said. “She’s on the south side of 40, not married, no kids, having sex for her own pleasure. She’s not the object of a man’s anything and she’s doing what she wants to do and how she wants to do it.”

While the actress may not be single like her alter ego (she’s been married to husband Jay Tucker for the last eight years), she cherishes that same sense of power and influence in her own life, which got her to where she is today. But even though she’s at the top of her game, she remembers to pay it forward. For example, she cast veteran actor Glynn Turman to play Desna and her brother Dean’s (Harold Perrineau) dad in the episode she directed.  “I’ve never gotten a job and not gotten somebody else a job,” Nash said. “I don’t play that game. If I’m eating, then somebody else I know is going to eat. When it comes to your sexuality, owning the truth of what you are and what you want to do and are willing to do is what makes you a boss.”

The post Niecy Nash reveals what makes her and her ‘Claws’ character “a boss” appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2FaCwnr
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Eric Garner’s mother pens powerful essay about the failure of the criminal justice system

Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, wrote an op/ed piece that painfully examines injustice at the hands of a system that has dragged its feet nearly five years on prosecuting her son’s killer, officer Daniel Pantaleo.

—Police officer admits he falsified Eric Garner’s charges after fatal chokehold during trial—

“I don’t want the death of Eric Garner, my son, to be just another news story to people. I know that, many times, we hear something on the news and we sympathize with the family. But we need to empathize with the victims, to advocate for justice because otherwise, it’ll just keep happening,” she wrote in her NBC News essay for THINK.

Carr explained that she thought the case would be open and shut since video showed him getting choked while yelling “I can’t breathe” 11 times. But since Garner’s controversial death there has been no one held accountable for the unarmed man’s killing.

“After my son’s horrific death five years ago, I thought, since we had a video and everything was wide open for the world to see, that there would be no question about getting justice” Carr explained.

“I thought after Eric’s death was ruled a homicide that the police officer involved, Daniel Pantaleo, would be indicted and he would be held accountable for his wrongdoing. But that didn’t happen. The grand jury refused to indict him; police investigators determined that he used a chokehold but took no action against him other than leaving him on desk duty. The Department of Justice announced in 2014 that it was investigating but hasn’t done anything even as the statute of limitations will expire next month; the city blamed the ongoing federal investigation for their failure to hold a Civilian Complaint Review Board hearing until this year,” she said.

Carr recalled how painful it was for her to sit through a review board hearing she referred to as “horrible.” She also said it was unsettling to hear Pantaleo’s lawyer “bash my son” by calling Garner a “ticking time bomb”.

—U.S. Army has yet to officially honor murdered Black ROTC student—

“They denied that what Pantaleo did to Eric was a chokehold, even after other police officers and the medical examiner got on the stand and said it was a chokehold. And then there was the medical examiner from St. Louis that they paid as an expert witness but who never examined him, who said his death had nothing to do with what the police did to him.

“And then, at the end of each day, Pantaleo got to go home to his family. Eric doesn’t get to do that.”

Read more of Carr’s story here.

The post Eric Garner’s mother pens powerful essay about the failure of the criminal justice system appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2MIGWI3
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How Amazon Cloned a Neighborhood to Test Its Delivery Robots

Amazon used cameras, lidar, and aerial photography to build a highly detailed digital map of a Seattle suburb, where it is testing Scout, its delivery robot.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2WLbzBm
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Why You Can't Look Away From #CursedImages

Cursed images, a meme genre that began on Tumblr, don't just titillate us in an ew-lol way. They also bind us together.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2Ie64lH
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Blame Utilities for Wildfires. But Blame Everyone Else Too

California is built to burn—explosively. Given we can’t depopulate the entire state, what has made the wildfire problem so bad, and how do we fix it?

from Wired http://bit.ly/2MP5EXp
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The Highly Dangerous 'Triton' Hackers Have Probed the US Grid

The same hackers behind a potentially lethal 2017 oil refinery cyberattack are now sniffing at US electrical utility targets.

from Wired http://bit.ly/2WEAth6
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Caster Semenya: Swiss court rejects IAAF request to re-impose testosterone rules

South Africa's Caster Semenya can continue to compete pending her appeal, after a Swiss court rejects an IAAF request to re-impose its new rules.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2XbkD1M
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A scholar and teacher re-examines moments in the history of STEM

When Clare Kim began her fall 2017 semester as the teaching assistant for 21H.S01, the inaugural “MIT and Slavery” course, she didn’t know she and her students would be creating a historical moment of their own at the Institute.

Along with Craig Steven Wilder, the Barton L. Weller Professor of History, and Nora Murphy, an archivist for researcher services in the MIT Libraries, Kim helped a team of students use archival materials to examine the Institute’s ties to slavery and how that legacy has impacted the modern structure of scientific institutions. The findings that came to light through the class thrust Kim and her students onto a prominent stage. They spoke about their research in media interviews and at a standing-room-only community forum, and helped bring MIT into a national conversation about universities and the institution of slavery in the United States.

For Kim, a PhD student in MIT’s Program in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology, and Society (HASTS), it was especially rewarding to help the students to think critically about their own scientific work through a historical context. She enjoyed seeing how the course challenged conventional ideas that had been presented to them about their various fields of study.

“I think people tend to think too much about history as a series of true facts where the narrative that gets constructed is stabilized. Conducting historical research is fun because you have a chance to re-examine evidence, examine archival materials, reinterpret some of what has already been written, and craft a new narrative as a result,” Kim says.

This year, Kim was awarded the prestigious Goodwin Medal for her work as a TA for several MIT courses. The award recognizes graduate teaching assistants that have gone the extra mile in the classroom. Faculty, colleagues, and former students praised Kim for her compassionate, supportive, and individual approach to teaching.

“I love teaching,” she says. “I like to have conversations with my students about what I’m thinking about. It’s not that I’m just imparting knowledge, but I want them to develop a critical way of thinking. I want them to be able to challenge whatever analyses I introduce to them.”

Kim also applies this critical-thinking lens to her own scholarship in the history of mathematics. She is particularly interested in studying math this way because the field is often perceived as “all-stable” and contained, when in fact its boundaries have been much more fluid.

Mathematics and creativity

Kim’s own work re-examines the history of mathematical thought and how it has impacted nonscientific and technical fields in U.S. intellectual life. Her dissertation focuses on the history of mathematics and the ways that mathematicians interacted with artists, humanists, and philosophers throughout the 20th century. She looks at the dialogue and negotiations between different scholars, exploring how they reconfigured the boundaries between academic disciplines.

Kim says that this moment in history is particularly interesting because it reframes mathematics as a field that hasn’t operated autonomously, but rather has engaged with humanistic and artistic practices. This creative perspective, she says, suggests an ongoing, historical relationship between mathematics and the arts and humanities that may come as a surprise to those more likely to associate mathematics with technical and military applications, at least in terms of practical uses.

“Accepting this clean divide between mathematics and the arts occludes all of these fascinating interactions and conversations between mathematicians and nonmathematicians about what it meant to be modern and creative,” Kim says. One such moment of interaction she explores is between mathematicians and design theorists in the 1930s, who worked together in an attempt to develop and teach a mathematical theory of “aesthetic measure,” a way of ascribing judgments of beauty and taste.  

Building the foundation

With an engineering professor father and a mathematician mother, Kim has long been interested in science and mathematics. However, she says influences from her family, which includes a twin sister who is a classicist and an older sister who studied structural biology, ensured that she would also develop a strong background in the humanities and literature.

Kim entered college thinking that she would pursue a technical field, though likely not math itself — she jokes that her math career peaked during her time competing in MATHCOUNTS as a kid. But during her undergraduate years at Brown University, she took a course on the history of science taught by Joan Richards, a professor specializing in the history of mathematics. There, she discovered her interest in studying not just scientific knowledge, but the people who pursue it.

After earning a bachelor’s in history at Brown, with a focus in mathematics and science, Kim decided to pursue a doctoral degree. MIT’s HASTS program appealed to her because of its interdisciplinary approach to studying the social and political components of science and technology.

“In addition to receiving more formal training in the history of science itself, HASTS trained me in anthropological inquiry, political theory, and all these different kinds of methods that could be brought to bear on the social sciences and humanities more generally,” Kim says.

After defending her thesis, Kim will begin a postdoc at Washington University in St. Louis, where she will continue her research and begin converting her dissertation into a book manuscript. She will also be teaching a course she has developed called “Code and Craft,” a course that explores, in a variety of historical contexts, the artful and artisanal components of AI, computing, and otherwise “technical” domains.

In her free time, Kim practices taekwondo (she has a first-degree black belt) and enjoys taking long walks through Cambridge, which she says is how she gets some of her best thinking done.

from MIT News http://bit.ly/2MPQKQK
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Africa's week in pictures: 7-13 June 2019

A selection of the week's best photos from across the continent and beyond.

from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2X5LV9W
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