It's just one more thing to feel bad about at a time when nothing feels particularly good.
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Saturday, April 4, 2020
Friday, April 3, 2020
Netflix shows ‘Nailed It’ and ‘#blackAF’ worth binging in April
Netflix has been a saving grace in more ways than once ever since the coronavirus pandemic brought Hollywood (and the world) to an abrupt stop. We can’t wait to help pass the time with some of the new content coming to the streamer in April.
Aside from new projects, Netflix will also be bringing a few classics into the mix this month. Let yourself laugh at Player’s Club, revisit BeyoncĂ© playing Etta James in Cadillac Records, relive your college days with School Daze, and see how Snoop Dogg has changed since Soul Plane.
READ MORE: Ava DuVernay and Netflix win dismissal of ‘When They See Us’ defamation lawsuit
Nailed It! (Season 4)
Premiere Date: April 1
Description: The hosts you love, the hot messes you crave. Welcome back to the Nailed It! kitchens, where anyone — like, literally, anyone — can win. This series is especially entertaining while we have all the time in the world to try out our own skills in the kitchen.
Coffee & Kareem
Premiere Date: April 3
Description: While police officer James Coffee (Ed Helms) enjoys his new relationship with Vanessa Manning (Taraji P. Henson), her beloved 12-year-old son Kareem (Terrence Little Gardenhigh) plots their break-up. Attempting to scare away his mom’s boyfriend for good, Kareem tries to hire criminal fugitives to take him out but accidentally exposes a secret network of criminal activity, making his family its latest target. To protect Vanessa, Kareem teams up with Coffee — the partner he never wanted — for a dangerous chase across Detroit. From director Michael Dowse, this film is an action-comedy about forging unexpected bonds, one four-letter insult at a time.
LA Originals
Premiere Date: April 10
Description: An exploration of the culture and landmarks of the Chicano and street art movement that cemented Mister Cartoon and Estevan Oriol’s status as behind-the-scenes hip hop legends.
Sprinter
Premiere date: April 15
Description: Another can’t miss flick is 2018 ABFF favorite, Sprinter. Produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, it’s an inspiring story set in Jamaica that’s about an athlete with tons of heart. The all-star cast includes Lorraine Toussaint and David Alan Grier and directed by Storm Saulter.
READ MORE: Kelis announces new cannabis cooking show on Netflix
#blackAF
Premiere date: April 17
Description: From Kenya Barris, the Emmy nominated creator of black-ish, comes #blackAF. Loosely inspired by Barris’ irreverent, highly flawed, unbelievably honest approach to parenting, relationships, race, and culture, #blackAF flips the script on what we’ve come to expect a family comedy series to be.
Pulling back the curtain, #blackAF uncovers the messy, unfiltered and often hilarious world of what it means to be a “new money” black family trying to get it right in a modern world where “right” is no longer a fixed concept.
The Netflix original series stars Barris as a fictionalized version of himself and Rashida Jones (Angie Tribeca) as his wife Joya. Kenya and Joya’s children are played by Genneya Walton (Xtant), Iman Benson (Suits), Scarlet Spencer (Bright), Justin Claiborne (Reverie), Ravi Cabot-Conyers (The Resident) and Richard Gardenhire Jr. #blackAF is executive produced by Barris, Jones, and Hale Rothstein.
The Innocence Files
Premiere date: April 15
Description: The Innocence Files shines a light on the untold personal stories behind eight cases of wrongful conviction that the nonprofit organization the Innocence Project and organizations within the Innocence Network have uncovered and worked tirelessly to overturn.
The nine-episode series is composed of three compelling parts – The Evidence, The Witness and The Prosecution. These stories expose difficult truths about the state of America’s deeply flawed criminal justice system while showing when the innocent are convicted, it is not just one life that is irreparably damaged forever: families, victims of crime and trust in the system are also broken in the process.
The post Netflix shows ‘Nailed It’ and ‘#blackAF’ worth binging in April appeared first on TheGrio.
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‘Gossip Girl’ reboot casts newcomer Savannah Smith in HBO Max series
When HBO Max announced it was working on a reboot of Gossip Girl, we didn’t have high hopes for diversity considering the original was seriously lacking in that department. It turns out, the lead in the reboot will be played by a lovely new actress named Savannah Smith.
The brown-skinned beauty is currently a student at NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts and the reboot will be her big break into Hollywood. She has been excitedly been posting about her new gig on Instagram.
According to Shadow and Act, Smith will play a lead role as part of the school’s in-crowd. She’s not the only Black face we’ll see when the series hits HBO Max because Whitney Peak has nabbed a role as well.
READ MORE: HBO sets release date for fourth season of ‘Insecure’ and drops trailer
Other confirmed cast members include Emily Alyn Lind, Tavi Gevinson, Eli Brown, Johnathan Fernandez, Jason Gotay. Thomas Doherty, Adam Chanler-Berat and Zion Moreno.
“This time around the leads are nonwhite,” the show’s executive producer, Joshua Safran said in a statement.
“There will also be a lot of queer content on this show. It is very much dealing with the way the world looks now, where wealth and privilege come from, and how you handle that.”
The original Gossip Girl was a huge hit for the CW from 2007-2012 and followed the lives of super spoiled teenagers wreaking havoc on the Upper East Side of NYC. The new iteration will pick up focus on this new diverse generation and how technology has changed how they interact and of course, gossip according to the teaser:
Eight years after the original website went dark, a new generation of New York private school teens are introduced to the social surveillance of Gossip Girl. The prestige series will address just how much social media — and the landscape of New York itself — has changed in the intervening years.
The debut is set for May with Kristen Bell reprising her role as the narrator of the series.
The post ‘Gossip Girl’ reboot casts newcomer Savannah Smith in HBO Max series appeared first on TheGrio.
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Amazon To Deploy Face Masks, Temperature Checks By Next Week
The retail giant Amazon has announced that it will roll out temperature checks and face masks for staff at all its U.S. and European warehouses plus Whole Foods stores by early next week.
According to Reuters, Amazon said it would start testing hundreds of thousands of employees a day for fevers using forehead thermometers. Anyone registering more than 100.4 Fahrenheit will be sent home. Additionally, all locations will have surgical masks available by early next week.
Amazon said the mask rollout and temperature scans have begun at facilities near its Seattle headquarters and in New York. Workers from at least 19 warehouses have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since the outbreak began. Employees also held walkouts in New York and near Detroit this week.
The company will also use machine-learning software to monitor building cameras and determine whether employees are staying at safe distances during their shifts.
Workers who record a high temperature will be forced to stay home for three days without a fever before they can return. Unions and elected officials have criticized Amazon’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, with some even saying the retail company should close.
Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, said the company has changed more than 150 processes to promote social distancing. Clark added Amazon has begun to stagger warehouse work start times and ended stand-up meetings during shifts.
“Nothing is more important to us than making sure that we protect the health of our teams,” Clark said.
Walmart also announced it would begin taking temperature checks and providing masks to its employees. Both companies have increased their hiring process during the coronavirus outbreak as online orders have skyrocketed due to quarantine orders across the country. Amazon has announced that it has hired 80,000 workers across the country and reported a full and part-time workforce of 798,000 as of Dec. 31.
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NYC landlord cancels April rent on 80 apartments due to coronavirus
One landlord in New York – which has widely been called the epicenter of the coronavirus in this country – has decided to forego the rent of the 80 apartments he owns for the month of April.
According to a local NBC affiliate, on March 30, Mario Salerno made the announcement to his Brooklyn tenants by posting a notice on the front doors of all his buildings.
READ MORE: Oprah donates a hefty $10 mil to coronavirus relief
“Due to the recent pandemic of Coronavirus COVID-19 affecting all of us, please note I am waiving rent for the month for April,” the message read. “STAY SAFE, HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS & WASH YOUR HANDS!!!”
The 59-year-old whose approximately 80 apartments house between 200 to 300 tenants in total in the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods said he came to the decision after a number of tenants reported they were having a hard time making ends meet during the pandemic.
“I want everybody to be healthy,” he told NBC New York. “That’s the whole thing.”
READ MORE: Steph and Ayesha Curry help to donate 1M meals to students
READ MORE: Lizzo thanks ER staff nationwide with lunch for hard work amid coronavirus
“For me, it was more important for people’s health and worrying about who could put food on whose table,” continued Salerno, who was born in Williamsburg. “ I say don’t worry about paying me, worry about your neighbor and worry about your family.”
Kaitlyn Guteski is a tenant and owns a hair salon that was shut down due to the national health crisis. She has been out of work ever since and admitted that this was an unexpected kind gesture.
Guteski had no idea how she would make rent and is floored by her landlord’s generosity.
“He’s Superman,” she said. “He’s a wonderful man.”
The post NYC landlord cancels April rent on 80 apartments due to coronavirus appeared first on TheGrio.
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Chris Cuomo draws almost 3 million viewers battling COVID-19 on air
Chris Cuomo shocked fans when he announced testing positive for COVID-19 and millions of viewers proceeded to tune in and watch him broadcast from his basement.
During Wednesday evening’s installment of Cuomo Prime Time, the anchor emotionally described his battle with the virus that has effectively brought the U.S. economy to a standstill. According to Mediaite, almost 3 million viewers tuned into CNN to hear his firsthand account about the scariest moments of his health scare.
READ MORE: CNN’s Chris Cuomo diagnosed with coronavirus, will broadcast from home
During the candid segment, he described bouts of hallucinations where he had conversations with his late father, the immense pain that he likened to feeling like he was being beaten in the chest “like a piñata.” He also shivered so violently he actually chipped a tooth.
That episode of his show which airs on CNN at 9 p.m., drew an astounding 938,000 in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 demo, and in total drew in 2.89 million viewers. That’s almost triple what the top-rated CNN show was drawing on average in the last few months
READ MORE: Chris Cuomo hosts first show while quarantined in his basement
Chris Cuomo’s Covid-19 experience sounds brutal pic.twitter.com/l31SPqX97q
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 2, 2020
“I want you to be thinking about everybody who’s not as lucky as I am. Who are dealing with the same that I am in 10 times worse,” he explained to his audience.
“Especially after what I learned last night. This virus came at me, I’ve never seen anything like it. Okay? So yeah I’ve had a fever, you’ve had a fever, but 102, 103, 103 plus, that wouldn’t quit, and it was like somebody was beating me like a piñata, and I was shivering so much that, Sanjay’s right, I chipped my tooth. These are not cheap.”
.@ChrisCuomo shares the details of his symptoms and some good news as he fights coronavirus from his basement. pic.twitter.com/wF6zlN9Yay
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) April 2, 2020
READ MORE: Don Lemon cries while discussing Chris Cuomo’s COVID-19 diagnosis
“And they call them the rigors, so the sun comes up, I’m awake, I was up all night, I’m telling you I was hallucinating, my dad was talking to me, I was seeing people from college, people I haven’t seen forever, it was freaky what I lived through last night. And it may happen again tonight. Doctor says it may happen like 5, 8 times,” continued the 49-year-old.
Cuomo shared that his symptoms allowed him to fully understand how others were feeling in this moment of crisis.
“You know, I get it now, and if you match that with chest constriction of people can’t breathe, I totally get why we’re losing so many people and why are hospitals are so crowded,” he said.
“So here’s the message: don’t be me, but more importantly be better than we’re being right now. Care enough not just to stay home but to stay on our leaders, to make sure that they’re doing everything they can to limit this. I’m telling you this is the part of our lives we will live through and remember the most. How do you want to be remembered during this time?”
The post Chris Cuomo draws almost 3 million viewers battling COVID-19 on air appeared first on TheGrio.
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Susan Rice Defends Yamiche Alcindor Against Trump on Twitter
Former National Security Advisor Susan Rice is the latest to go at President Trump. The president was recently criticized for how he attacked and berated PBS correspondent Yamiche Alcindor in a White House coronavirus media briefing. President Trump told Alcindor at the meeting to “be nice” and to not be “threatening” in response to a question about Trump’s claim that state governors were requesting supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic that they didn’t actually need. In a firestorm of tweets, Rice condemned Trump over his inappropriate behavior and defended Alcindor.
“President Trump today at the White House said to me: ‘Be nice. Don’t be threatening.’ I’m not the first human being, woman, black person or journalist to be told that while doing a job,” Alcindor wrote on Twitter and later retweeted by Rice. “My take: Be steady. Stay focused. Remember your purpose. And, always press forward.” Rice accused Trump of feeling insecure in the face of an intelligent black woman as this comes in a repeated pattern of the president attacking black female journalists.
“He has a particular problem, it seems, with black women, but as was pointed out in your earlier segment, it’s a problem that applies to women with strong personalities and a willingness to stand up for themselves and their beliefs across the board, said Rice to MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell.
The White House has not responded to a request for comment.
“It’s a sad thing. It’s a reflection of one’s own insecurity. It’s not a reflection of the talent or the capacities of the women we’re talking about,” she continued. “And I hope very much that we can move beyond that. It’s so unbecoming in the context of a national crisis for the president to lash out at individuals, whether the governor of Michigan or the speaker of the House or a reporter who asked a very fair, tough question.”
You go, girl. Pathetic when insecure men can’t stomach strong black women. https://t.co/ExjC9z5p1J
— Susan Rice (@AmbassadorRice) March 30, 2020
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T.C. Carson Explains the Reason for Being Fired From ‘Living Single’
Having an issue with Friends may end up with you Living Single. Actor T.C. Carson, who you may know as Kyle Barker from the Living Single series, says he was fired from the TV show after accusing Warner Bros. of neglecting the show in favor of Friends, according to Essence.
In a recent interview with Comedy Hype, Carson shared that he was fired from the show because he vocalized that Warner Bros started to neglect Living Single for another Warner Bros series, Friends. His firing came because he constantly spoke up about their show not getting the attention that was being given to Friends. “I got fired,” he said.
“We would come to them as a cast but I would be the spokesperson for it,” he continued. “So, that last season before I left, they called me in and they basically said, ‘Well, all these problems we’ve been having, they listen to you. You’re the person they listen to. So if you said something else, then they would do that.’ I looked at them and said, ‘Well, first of all, we’re dealing with five grown people, and they have their own mindset and own ideas about what we’re doing. Everything we come to you with is a group decision, not my decision. But if you think I have that much power, then I need to have a different job.’ I don’t think they liked that.”
There have been recent discussions about the television series Friends being a ripoff of Living Single due to Friends co-star David Schwimmer saying he’d like to see a reboot of Friends but with an all-black cast. Fellow Living Single co-star Erika Alexander had to remind him—and the world—that Friends was actually a ripoff of Living Single.
Carson also reiterated the expectation that blacks should be happy that they have a job and to stay in their place when dealing with being employed with a white company.
“Part of it is, even now, if you’re African American, you shut your mouth and do your job,” he added. “Don’t ask questions. Be happy that you have a job.”
“My whole time on Living Single, I was happy I had a job, but I understood the importance of the job I had. I understood the importance of what these characters meant to my community. And so when I come to you with a problem, it’s because of that, not because of ego. They looked at it as ego.”
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Rev. Jesse Jackson Organizes Diverse Ministers To Ensure Fair Distribution of Stimulus Funds
As the process begins on April 3 to access forgivable loans from the $2 trillion stimulus package, Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, one of the nation’s leading civil rights organizations, has organized a group of ministers nationwide to ensure communities of color gain their fair share.
In a press call on Thursday, Jackson announced that scores of clergy leaders of all denominations have held a series of conference calls to voice grave concerns about the federal oversight of deployment of relief funds tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The stimulus doesn’t address the most vulnerable. Historically, recovery programs tend to miss us,” asserts Jackson, who cited the alarming rate of black business failures and the massive decimation of black wealth during the Great Recession roughly a decade ago. This time around, he maintains, the devastation is expected to be worse as recent news reports revealed that a staggering 10 million workers have filed for unemployment benefits in the past two weeks.
“The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security] Act has been signed by the President but not implemented,” Rainbow PUSH Senior Vice President Rev. S. Todd Yeary said on the call, maintaining that a range of execution issues had yet to be resolved by the Trump administration—especially given its inconsistent management of the publichealth crisis over the past month. He says they include:
— The approval and distribution process of the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program in which institutional lenders will make available $350 billion in guaranteed-government loans to cover payroll and other expenses. They will also focus on the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. Yeary said coalition members have raised concerns about black entrepreneurs as well as church-based organizations, which serve as “anchors of our communities,” will gain speedy access to funds or any financial assistance at all.
— The U.S. Treasury Department’s engagement in the regulation of mortgage forbearance during the crisis instead of leaving it up to the discretion of individual financial institutions. “We are facing another mortgage crisis,” Yeary says, making reference to the 2008 meltdown of the housing market.
Beyond financial concerns, Rainbow PUSH officials believe with governors taking jurisdictional control of measures to address the crisis that “a states rights agenda” will emerge with the potential for more pernicious forms of voter suppression during the 2020 presidential election as well as greater racial disparities in healthcare and education. In fact, Yeary believes “with the shutting down of society and the school system” driving online education large numbers of students in urban communities will be placed at a disadvantage due to lack of access to computers and broadband. He asserts: “The result will be further widening of the achievement gap.”
Participants on the call also cited the need to address the containment of the coronavirus among the prison population, impact on the crisis on the 2020 census count and rise of anti-Asian sentiment due to harmful, xenophobic rhetoric like President Trump characterizing the COVID-19 pandemic as the “Chinese virus.”
Jackson, who has talked with President Trump about crisis relief over the past week, has stressed next steps include outreach to legislators, including the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about independent oversight of relief efforts. Moreover, he is calling on SBA officials to join coalition conference calls to spell out program details and provide much-needed education to members of their congregations.
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Employers Could Drop 401(k) Matches As Companies Look To Save Money
As the coronavirus outbreak wreaks havoc on financial markets across the world, employers are searching for ways to cut expenses and one target is 401(k) obligations.
Almost 95% of employers offer either a company match or another type of contribution. The average amount employers kick in is 4.3% of a participant’s salary.
According to CNBC, employers are searching for ways to legally trim their 401(k) obligations. Sponsors “have been calling regarding how they might legally reduce their contributions to plans to preserve their cash positions,” said Marcia Wagner, founder of The Wagner Law Group
Wagner added that since the outbreak started she has heard from both privately held and publicly traded companies. La-Z-Boy, Amtrak, and Marriott International have already begun scaling back 401(k) contributions, though they won’t go into effect until later this year.
During the 2008 housing crisis, nearly 20% of companies that offered a match pulled back, either through suspending or reducing the amount, according to a report from the Plan Sponsor Council of America. Some companies that offered non-matching 401(k) contributions suspended or lowered those amounts.
However, 4.5% of companies actually increased the amount they contributed. Experts are now concerned this economic situation could lead to more companies cutting their contributions.
“The crisis we have now is different … there’s been a rapid pace of layoffs and furloughs, and companies have had to suddenly shut down,” Will Hansen, executive director of the PSCA told CNBC.
Hansen added that in places such as Seattle and New York where the outbreak has been a presence for more than a month, companies have already sought to cut contributions. The good news is the plans seeking relief are safe harbor plans, in which an employer agrees to certain contribution requirements in order to escape others.
Financial advisers are recommending employees who can afford to continue to make contributions do so even if the company stops making contributions.
“In times like these … it’s okay to temporarily suspend your 401(k) contributions if you’re feeling really insecure about the amount of cash you have available,” said Doug Boneparth, president of Bone Fide Wealth in New York. “During bad times, cash is lifeblood. It puts food on the table. If the worst doesn’t happen and you don’t lose your job, you could make up contributions later in the year.”
According to the Federal Reserve, 47 million people are expected to lose their job.
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Tekashi 6ix9ine granted early release from prison due to coronavirus fears
Tekashi 6ix9ine has been released from prison.
The controversial rapper (Daniel Hernandez) who was serving a two-year sentence for racketeering convictions while under protective custody at a private prison in Queens, NY was released because his asthma puts him at high risk for contracting COVID-19.
“The judge granted the motion basically because of the virus that’s ravaging our nation,” an attorney for the Brooklyn-born emcee told the LA Times. “In prison, you can’t practice isolation or containment; it’s just not feasible.”
READ MORE: Tekashi 6ix9ine, sullen and sorry in court, handed two-year sentence on multiple charges
The 23-year-old will serve the remaining four months of his sentence from home and will wear an ankle monitoring device.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is extraordinary and unprecedented in modern times in this nation. It presents a clear and present danger to free society for reasons that need no elaboration. COVID-19 presents a heightened risk for incarcerated defendants like Mr. Hernandez with respiratory ailments such as asthma,” Judge Engelmayer wrote of his decision.
READ MORE: Tekashi 6ix9ine to stay locked up, judge denies home confinement request
“The Centers for Disease Control warns that persons with asthma are at high risk of serious illness if they contract the disease. Further, the crowded nature of municipal jails such as the facility in which Mr. Hernandez is housed present an outsize risk that the COVID-19 contagion, once it gains entry, will spread. And, realistically, a high-risk inmate who contracts the virus while in prison will face challenges in caring for himself.”
In January, the same judge denied the Tekashi’s request for home confinement and ruled that it is “necessary in this case” for the rapper to remain behind bars to “reflect the seriousness of his crimes.”
At the time, attorneys fro Tekashi 6ix9ine insisted he was in danger and feared for his life after testifying against several known gang members.
The post Tekashi 6ix9ine granted early release from prison due to coronavirus fears appeared first on TheGrio.
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Thursday, April 2, 2020
Spike Lee releases script of scrapped Jackie Robinson biopic
With Hollywood completely shut down amid the coronavirus crisis, celebrities are finding new ways to entertain the masses while quarantined and Spike Lee is no exception.
The prolific writer/director decided to release the full script for an unproduced biopic on the first Black pro baseball player, Jackie Robinson. Lee took to Instagram over the weekend to drop the script to the project based on the 1972 autobiography titled, I Never Had It Made.
READ MORE: Spike Lee’s classic film, ‘Do The Right Thing’ makes its return to theaters
“Good Sunday Afternoon From Da Corona Epicenter Of The USA-NYC
I Dug Deep Into Da 40 Acres Vault And Pulled Out This Script From One Of My EPIC Dream (Never Got Made) Projects-JACKIE ROBINSON. You Do Not Have To Be A Baseball Fan To Enjoy. This Script Is A Great American Story. Be Safe. Peace,Light And Love. And Dat’s Da “Brooklyn Dodger”Truth, Ruth. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF [click the link in the bio],” he posted along with a video of himself.
READ MORE: Spike Lee and the Obamas to drop projects on Netflix in 2020
“Hope you enjoy it,” he said. “If not, that’s alright, too. It’s never getting made, but I wanted to share this script with you. Be safe! Be safe! Social distancing! Peace.”
The award-winning director revealed that he originally had Denzel Washington in mind to play the iconic athlete, but worried he was too old to play the part by the time the script was finished in 1996.
According to AV Club, the script appears to cover Robinson’s life in full including his college career at UCLA, military service, his legendary baseball career and life after.
The 155-page script can be found via a dropbox link on Lee’s Instagram page. If you’re in the mood for a lesson from a master, check it out.
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Facebook diversity recruiter files $100M discrimination suit against company
A former Facebook diversity recruiter has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the social media platform, alleging she was discriminated against based on her race and disability.
Anastasia Boone Talton, a senior talent acquisition specialist who was reportedly hired to diversify Facebook, filed the lawsuit on March 17 in California’s San Mateo Superior Court. She’s suing her former employer for discrimination and harassment, failure to accommodate her disability, retaliation, wrongful termination and breach of contract. She is also requesting a jury trial.
READ MORE: People of color at Facebook pen open letter about racial discrimination at company
In a video posted on Facebook, Boone Talton appears beside her attorney as her lawyer details some alleged issues Talton had while working as a diversity recruiter for Facebook. The lawyer says Facebook talks a good game about diversity but in reality, it’s just “lip service.”
The Daily Mail obtained the court filings submitted by Boone Talton.
“(Facebook) would simply fly out a candidate just to make the quota of saying that they interviewed at least one diverse candidate, but nine times out of ten, that person was not hired,” her lawyer said, according to The Daily Mail.
$100 Million Lawsuit Against Facebook, Inc. pic.twitter.com/JhdV2EtATq
— Anastasia Boone Talton (@ABooneRecruit) March 30, 2020
When Boone Talton complained to Facebook about what she was seeing, the company began treating her differently, the lawsuit alleges. She was left out of company events and was also allegedly told she was not a ‘cultural fit’ when she asked for medical accommodations to help support her medical issues.
READ MORE: Lebron James sued for $150K over Facebook post
“When Ms. Boone Talton complained to management, she was shunned, she was kept out of diversity planning meetings, she wasn’t given her Facebook anniversary balloon, and she was kept away from extracurricular activities that other employers were able to do, such as go to happy hours and outings as a team,” her lawyer said in the video.
The last straw for Boone Talton was when she watched a male co-worker, who was hired at the same time she was, be given preferential treatment and climb the managerial ladder while Facebook failed to promote her. She said she was doing the same work but earning less money.
Posted by Anastasia Boone Talton on Monday, March 30, 2020
READ MORE: Facebook to nominate first African-American woman to its board of directors
Facebook denied these claims in a statement to Business Insider.
“We don’t tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind at Facebook and absolutely disagree with the account presented in this claim,” Facebook spokesperson Bertie Thomson said in the statement.
“We are proud of our efforts to find, grow and keep diverse talent, and of the support we provide to our employees with disabilities.”
Facebook has come under increased scrutiny in recent years for its culture. A gender and discrimination and racial discrimination was filed by Chia Hong in 2015 and eventually settled. Employees also detailed racist incidents of minorities being sabotaged in an open letter.
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Alicia Keys claims she was ‘manipulated’ into posing topless
Alicia Keys is sharing her story in her book “More Myself,” and in it, she reveals that she found herself in some pretty precarious situations early on in her career.
The Grammy-winning singer and songwriter detailed an uncomfortable incident with a photographer who insisted on having total privacy while he took her picture in 2000 when she was just 19.
READ MORE: Alicia Keys and Boys II Men deliver touching tributes to Kobe Bryant
“When I emerge from the dressing room, there’s just the two of us on set. ‘Open up your shirt a little,’ he directs while firing off a flurry of camera snaps. My spirit is screaming that something is wrong, that this feels sleazy. But my protests, lodged in the back of my throat, can’t make their way out,” she writes in the memoir, according to the Daily Mail.
Alicia Keys on the infamous Dazed Magazine cover back in 2001 pic.twitter.com/KC1MJjSOB6
— đź—ť (@DiaryOfKeysus) March 25, 2020
“‘Pull the top of your jeans down a bit in the front,’ he urges. If I say no, what doors will be closed to me? I swallow my misgivings, tuck my thumb between the denim and my skin, and obey.”
READ MORE: Alicia Keys opens up about absent father in new book: ‘It left a hole in me’
The mother of two didn’t name the photographer she described but admitted she was humiliated by the experience.
“This isn’t about me showing some skin, which I’ll do on my own terms, for my own purposes, in the coming years. It’s about feeling manipulated. It’s about being objectified,” she writes.
“I am beyond embarrassed, ashamed that I’ve sold part of myself … Had Jeff [Keys’ manager] been in there, he would’ve voiced what I couldn’t at the time: ‘Hell no. Close that shirt. Take your hand off your tit. And you’re not going to yank down your jeans’.”
Alicia Keys continues to inspire fans across the country through her work and her candor and “More Myself” is sure to give us a glimpse of what her journey has been like.
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Netflix drops trailer for crime docuseries, ‘The Innocence Files’
Netflix is taking a deep dive into the criminal justice system in its upcoming docuseries, The Innocence Files.
The streamer just dropped the first official trailer for the project directed by Liz Garbus, Alex Gibney, Roger Ross Williams, Jed Rothstein, Andy Grieve, and Sarah Dowland.
The nine-episode documentary series examines the work of The Innocence Project, the nonprofit legal organization that is committed to exonerating wrongly convicted people through the use of DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.
READ MORE: Netflix’s Madam C.J. Walker series isn’t a bad story — just widely inaccurate
The series will focus on eight actual cases the organization worked to overturn. Subjects include Chester Hollman III, Kenneth Wyniemko, Alfred Dewayne Brown, Thomas Haynesworth, Franky Carrillo, Levon Brooks, Kennedy Brewer, and Keith Harward.
Here’s the official description:
The Innocence Files shines a light on the untold personal stories behind eight cases of wrongful conviction that the nonprofit organization the Innocence Project and organizations within the Innocence Network have uncovered and worked tirelessly to overturn.
The nine-episode series is composed of three compelling parts – The Evidence, The Witness and The Prosecution. These stories expose difficult truths about the state of America’s deeply flawed criminal justice system, while showing when the innocent are convicted, it is not just one life that is irreparably damaged forever: families, victims of crime and trust in the system are also broken in the process.
The Innocence Files is executive produced and directed by Academy Award® nominee Liz Garbus, Academy Award® winner Alex Gibney, Academy Award® winner Roger Ross Williams; with episodes also directed by Academy Award® nominee Jed Rothstein, Emmy Award® winner Andy Grieve and Sarah Dowland.
READ MORE: O.J. Simpson believes ‘Tiger King’ rival Carole Baskin murdered her husband
Watch the official trailer:
The Innocence Files hits Netflix on April 15.
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Luenell’s daughter gets backlash after comedian bans her from home over COVID-19
Luenell is sticking up for her daughter, Da’Nelle, who is on the receiving end of backlash after being put out the house because the 20-something wouldn’t take the coronavirus pandemic seriously.
Last month, Luenell let her fans know that she had made the difficult choice to ban her daughter from her home.
“I have to make the best decision for me and my husband who is already suffering from COPD,” she wrote in the Instagram caption at the time.
“I’m sure most of the millennials think we are dramatic and overreacting because they’re not as ‘woke’ as they think they are … Why am I sharing this publicly? Because maybe some of You might want to think of the activities of Your children outside of your house these days as well. The millennials are not listening and not taking proper precautions. This is our LIVES we are talking about people especially if you are in a certain age category. I’m bummed but it is what it is.”
The funny lady is now speaking on the matter again.
READ MORE: Lizzo thanks ER staff nationwide with lunch for hard work amid coronavirus
“I had no idea that the sh-t was going to go viral. I don’t do things to go viral,” the 61-year-old recently explained while appearing on Claudia Jordan’s Fox Soul show, which is now airing via Instagram Live.
“Then my daughter called me, because I guess when she woke up, people were all over tagging her,” she said. “What had happened was, she got drug really, really badly on social media. ‘How could you do this?’ ‘Tramp a–.’ Yeah, and she didn’t have a problem with the quarantine. She had a problem with the posting.”
READ MORE: Samuel L. Jackson reads his new book ‘Stay the F**k at Home’
Part of my convo with my girl @Luenell who I just adore about how she's dealing with #coronavirus https://t.co/dkM8CkUnVU
— Claudia Jordan (@claudiajordan) April 2, 2020
“She was like, why do you want to always put stuff on there? What do you want likes and stuff?” the outspoken actress continued. “I said ‘Hunty, mommy has half a million followers. I don’t need no likes, I don’t buy no — I don’t need no clicks, likes, I don’t give a f–k about that sh-t.”
Luenell clarified that she posted the message to get through to other stubborn – and perhaps sheltered – young people who were unwittingly making light of the global pandemic because they’d never experienced that sort of hardship before.
“[Nipsey Hussle] was like the biggest thing they’ve been through,” she opined. “Tragedy is not new to our generation.”
READ MORE: Black people who have died from COVID-19
She also points out that the fear of asymptomatic people putting their more immunocompromised loved ones at risk also played a factor.
“I did it so maybe granny might say, ‘You need to get somewhere and sit your a– down,’” she concluded. “I see that, even though NeNe [Leakes] and I are not fans of each other, we agree on one thing. She has decided that maybe she needs to tell her son to sit down somewhere, too.”
The comedian pulled down her Instagram post to protect her daughter, but maintained that her mindset hasn’t changed.
“For it to go to Shaderoom, BallerAlert, JasmineBrand, my daughter ain’t never had nothing like that happen to her, and for that, I’m sorry,” she said. “But she still can’t come here. Sh-t.”
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Upgrade your financial standing with brick and mortar
If adulting still feels as simple as it seemed when you were a kid, money is likely a big part of the equation — and in a good way.
All millennials aren’t broke. A recent study conducted by Coldwell Banker revealed that 618,000 millennials have another “m” in their stat box — and it’s for millionaire. These high earners have different career paths (from entrepreneurs to tech executives), come from varied ethnic and racial backgrounds and are from different parts of the country.
READ MORE: 5 savvy money moves to make when cash is flowing
In fact, there is really only one thing millennial millionaires have in common: all of these “rich” young adults own real estate. On average, 7-figure earning 20-30 somethings own three properties and have a real estate portfolio valued at $1.4 million.
Sounds nice, but this type of investing isn’t limited to those who are already rich.
You don’t have to be a cash money millionaire to be living really well, or to consider investing in real estate — thousandaires (those earning high five to six figures) are perfectly poised to invest.
Financial institutions such as City National Bank offer an array of services, including investment management, mortgage loans, and lines of credit that create the opportunity for high earners the opportunity to jump into any market.
READ MORE: 5 ways to protect your finances during the coronavirus recession
Don’t overthink the move. If your income significantly exceeds your bills and you’re ready to start building your financial stability — meaning you’ve checked off a lot of the debt boxes that can be a financial noose (think student loans and credit cards), and have established a stock investment portfolio, it’s time to start looking at real estate as a means of diversifying your streams of income.
Despite countless studies and articles that tout real estate as a wealth building must, many people with the credit and cash to invest don’t take the leap.
One reason some well-to-do young African Americans are hesitant to invest is the tales and childhood experiences from the foreclosure crisis of the early 2000s, a period when many Black households, well, just lost out. Back then, the market permitted excessive lending on primary residences and investment properties, where mortgages exceeded income and potential rent rolls.
Middle-class Black folks overextended on loans and without the historical financial stability of other communities (read: parents with money to bail you out) many families lost their homes and wealth. Luckily, a lot has changed in a decade, the most important being our community’s access to information and resources.
Savvy, real estate investment moves have long been a staple in building financial stability, and wealth. Looking to join, or solidify your standing in, the millionaires club? There are many ways to get into the real estate investment game.
Single Family Residence. Location is everything when you’re investing in a single residence because your stream of income is dependent on securing a property that leaves renters clamoring. Nowadays, single residences aren’t relegated to one-tenant and a flat rate. Resources such as AirBnB and Craig’s List allow owners to test the market to determine how to maximize their investment.
Multi-Unit Residence. The great thing about having more than one unit is you’re reducing your risk since you’ll have two or more tenants paying monthly. The flip side is that more money means more duties. For example, you have to set up systems to collect rent and handle grievances fairly.
Commercial Property. That strip mall you order your favorite sushi from, someone owns that—ditto on your favorite bar, movie theater and gas station. That someone can be you. Commercial spaces are great investments because the tenant, which will be a business entity v. an individual, is typically responsible for much of the upkeep in their unit and generally signs on for longer-term leases (five years or more).
REITs. If “landlording” is simply not in the cards for you real estate investment trusts give you the benefit of ownership without any of the responsibility. REITs pool your money with other investors to finance property acquisitions. There is a team in place to handle all of the duties: property management, rent collection, etc. Each month investors are paid dividends based on their shares from rental income.
RESOURCES:
618,00 Millennial Millionaires
https://money.com/rich-millennials-how-many-millionaires/
Foreclosure crisis
https://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/10/19/inam.housing.foreclosure.money/index.html
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Texas Gov. Freezes Abortions, Allows Church Services To Continue Amid Coronavirus
Texas governor Greg Abbott has banned all abortion procedures, but will allow church services to be held during the coronavirus outbreak.
According to Forbes, Abbott banned all abortions last week. However, a Federal District Court blocked the ban Monday, after Planned Parenthood and other organizations filed a lawsuit. An appeals court reversed the district court decision Tuesday, allowing the ban to remain in place until the case made its way through the courts.
Hours later, Abbott issued an order limiting social gatherings and in-person contact with the exception of services deemed essential by the federal government and “religious services conducted in churches, congregations, and houses of worship.”
The original executive order outlining healthcare services issued by Abbott on March 22 did not mention abortion at all. The order was designed to preserve the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and hospital capacity during the coronavirus outbreak.
The next day, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement saying he believed the order included “any type of abortion that is not medically necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.”
Abortion services in the state ceased all surgical abortions but continued providing medical ones, until providers learned Friday those must be suspended as well. Paxton is well known for challenging abortion rights in the state.
“Abortion is an essential component of comprehensive health care,” the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a March 18 statement cosigned by seven other medical organizations. Delaying abortion weeks or even days can “increase the risks or potentially make it completely inaccessible,” and the “consequences of being unable to obtain an abortion profoundly impact a person’s life, health, and well-being.”
Pregnancy carries greater health risks to the mother than terminating a pregnancy, particularly in Texas, which ranks sixth in the nation in maternal deaths. Additionally, Dr. Daniel Grossman, professor at the University of California San Francisco, said “a lot more gloves, gowns, and masks” are used for pelvic exams, ultrasounds, and delivery if a woman continues her pregnancy.
For African American women, the inability to get an abortion can have devastating effects. Especially during the coronavirus outbreak where medical care outside of the virus is at a standstill and unemployment is skyrocketing.
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