South African photojournalist Shiraaz Mohamed was kidnapped in 2017 while working for a charity.
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Friday, January 3, 2020
Thursday, January 2, 2020
Travis Scott, Frank Ocean and more to headline Coachella 2020… see the full list
Coachella has announced the lineup for their 2020 Festival and it’s full of hip hop’s biggest names.
Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, and Rage Against The Machine will headline the annual event that spans two weekends at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
DaBaby, Lil Uzi Vert, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Nas X, City Girls, Big Sean, and Swae Lee are among the other acts that will take the stage. Lana Del Rey, FKA Twigs, Daniel Caesar, and 21 Savage will also join the long list of performers at the event that’s sure to draw music fans and celebrities from across the country.
Megan Thee Stallion lands first major high fashion campaign!
Last year’s festival featured performances from Ariana Grande and Childish Gambino, who unveiled his film Guava Island, starring Rihanna. Kanye West performed his Sunday Service on Easter.
Coachella 2020 goes down April 10-12 and April 17-19. Weekend 1 is sold out but tickets for Weekend 2 will goo on sale on January 6.
Real reason why Solange pulled out of this year’s Coachella
Weekend 1 is sold out 🌴 Register for Weekend 2 presale at https://t.co/x8PRTb12Eh. Presale starts Monday 1/6 at 12pm PT pic.twitter.com/QPRYnJVe9P
— Coachella (@coachella) January 3, 2020
Check out the full line up:
(Sandy) Alex G
100 gecs
21 Savage
88rising’s Double Happiness
Adam Port
Alec Benjamin
Ali Gatie
Altın Gün
Amber Mark
Amyl and the Sniffers
Anitta
ANNA
Anna Calvi
Ari Lennox
Aya Nakamura
BADBADNOTGOOD
Banda MS
beabadoobee
Beach Bunny
Beach Goons
Bedouin
Big Sean
Big Wild
BIGBANG
Bishop Briggs
black midi
Black Pumas
Black Coffee
BROCKHAMPTON
Calvin Harris
Caribou
Cariño
Carly Rae Jepsen
Cashmere Cat
Channel Tres
Charli XCX
Chelsea Cutler
Chicano Batman
Chris Liebing
City Girls
Code Orange
Conan Gray
Crumb
Cuco
DaBaby
Damian Lazarus
Daniel Caesar
Danny Elfman
Daphni
Dave
Denzel Curry
Detlef
Disclosure
Dixon
DJ Koze
DJ Lord
Doja Cat
Dom Dolla
Duck Sauce
Duke Dumont
Ed Maverick
ela minus
Ellen Allien
Emo Nite
Emotional Oranges
Epik High
Erick Morillo
Ezra Collective
Fatboy Slim
FKA twigs
Floating Points
Flume
Fontaines D.C.
Frank Ocean
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib
Friendly Fires
GG Magree
girl in red
Giselle Woo & the Night Owls
GRiZ
Guy Laliberté
Hatsune Miku
Hayden James
Hot Chip
IDLES
Inner Wave
J.I.D
Jai Wolf
Jayda G
Jessie Reyez
Joji
Kim Petras
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Koffee
Kruder & Dorfmeister
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
Kyle Watson
Kynda Black
L’Impératrice
Lana Del Rey
Lane 8
Lauren Daigle
Ленинград (Leningrad)
Lewis Capaldi
Lil Nas X
Lil Uzi Vert
Lost Kings
Louis the Child
Luttrell
Madeon
Malaa
Mannequin Pussy
Mariah the Scientist
Marina
Masego
Matoma
Megan Thee Stallion
Melé
MIKA
Monolink
Mura Masa
NIKI
Nilüfer Yanya
Noname
Olivia O’Brien
Omar Apollo
ONYVAA
Orville Peck
Pabllo Vittar
Paco Osuna
Peggy Gou
Pink Sweat$
Princess Nokia
PUP
Rage Against the Machine
Raveena
Rex Orange County
Rich Brian
Roddy Ricch
Run the Jewels
Sahar Z
Sama’
Sampa the Great
Sara Landry
Sasha Sloan
Satori
SebastiAn
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
Skegss
SLANDER
Sleaford Mods
slowthai
Snail Mail
Steve Lacy
Summer Walker
Swae Lee
Tchami
Testpilot
The Chats
The Comet Is Coming
The HU
The Martinez Brothers
The Murder Capital
The Regrettes
Thom Yorke | Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes
Tiga
TNGHT
TOKiMONSTA
Travis Scott
Viagra Boys
VNSSA
Weyes Blood
Whipped Cream
Yaeji
YBN Cordae
YUNGBLUD
The post Travis Scott, Frank Ocean and more to headline Coachella 2020… see the full list appeared first on theGrio.
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Kansas City Councilwoman says she’s humiliated after Walmart employee racially profiled her
Kansas City Councilwoman Melissa Robinson alleges that she has the most “humiliating experience” after being racially profiled by a white employee while shopping at a Walmart over the holidays.
The incident allegedly happened at Walmart on U.S. Highway 40 in Kansas City. Robinson, who represents the 3rd District, said when she went to the self-checkout, a white employee asked her about an $8 throw blanket that she was in the process of purchasing for her grandmother, according to The Kansas City Star. The employee allegedly went on to tell Robinson that she would need to verify the price, which Robinson took as an implication that the employee was accusing her of altering the tag to avoid paying the full cost.
The incident evoked painful memories for Robinson, of times when Black people weren’t permitted to shop in the same stores as whites. Robinson said she decided to speak up about the potentially damaging and racist message that the store employee sent her way.
READ MORE: Store clerk in Sante Fe called police on student because he is ‘arrogant and black’
In an interview with The Kansas City Star, Robinson questioned the employee’s motive for stopping her purchase.
“Never have I been in Walmart and went through a line and they said when it rung up, ‘Let me price check that before I let you go,’” Robinson told the paper.
On Twitter, she further added that it boiled down to “Black people being targeted and treated like thieves.”
“Very disappointed #WalmartBecky would not let me leave until she found my items to price match. You can keep it!” Robinson tweeted.
Racism: Black people being targeted and treated like thieves @Walmart self-check out #JimCrow Perhaps blatant white-only signs are making a comeback. Very disappointed #WalmartBecky would not let me leave until she found my items to price match. You can keep it!
— Melissa Robinson (@Robinson4kc) December 29, 2019
In a statement, Walmart said it was investigating the situation and does not “tolerate discrimination of any kind.”
“We take these allegations seriously and are looking into this matter,” the statement said, according to The Kansas City Star. “We value our customers and want everyone to be treated with respect while shopping in our stores.”
Robinson informed the white employee, who went to price check the item, that she felt like she was being discriminated against because of her race. “I’m not a thief, so I need you to figure out how to take this off because I’m not paying for this,” Robinson told the newspaper of her response to the white employee.
Robinson said she also spoke with a Black female manager, who apologized and referred her to a corporate hotline, which instructed her on how to file an ethics complaint.
She says that the white employee became defensive and never apologized. In fact, the clerk is said to have used the defense that since she has biracial grandchildren, she couldn’t possibly be guilty of racial profiling anyone.
READ MORE: Kansas City Chiefs player rewards homeless man who helped move car before playoff game
“It was a bit of a scene,” Robinson added to the newspaper.
In the end, it looks like Walmart may have lost a customer. Robinson contends she will not shop at that location again, which may be especially difficult since it’s the only location in the area.
Grio fam, do you feel like the Councilwoman was right in her ire or overly sensitive to a possibly overly helpful employee? Tell us your thoughts below.
The post Kansas City Councilwoman says she’s humiliated after Walmart employee racially profiled her appeared first on theGrio.
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FIRST LOOK: Octavia Spencer as Madame C.J. Walker in Netflix series ‘Self Made’
Netflix just unveiled the first look at Self Made: Inspired By The Life Of Madame C.J. Walker. In it, Octavia Spencer stars as the trailblazing African American haircare entrepreneur who was America’s first female self-made millionaire. Inspired by the book, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, written by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles, the Netflix original series brings the uplifting story of this cultural icon to the screen for the first time.
Against all odds, Walker overcame post-slavery racial and gender biases, personal betrayals, and business rivalries to build a ground-breaking brand that revolutionized black haircare, as she simultaneously fought for social change.
The four-part limited series boasts a long list of talent including Blair Underwood as her husband C.J. Walker, Tiffany Haddish as her daughter Lelia, Carmen Ejogo as Walker’s business rival Addie Munroe, Garrett Morris as Walker’s father-in-law, Kevin Carroll as her longtime lawyer Freeman Ransom and Bill Bellamy as Ransom’s cousin Sweetness.
Octavia Spencer to be honored with Producers Guild Visionary Award
Check out the photos:
Produced by SpringHill Entertainment and Wonder Street in association with Warner Bros. Television is helmed by co-showrunners Elle Johnson & Janine Sherman Barrois, along with writer and co-executive producer Nicole Jefferson Asher, directed by Kasi Lemmons and DeMane Davis, and executive produced by Janine Sherman Barrois, Elle Johnson, Maverick Carter, LeBron James, Octavia Spencer, Mark Holder, Christine Holder, Kasi Lemmons, and Jamal Henderson.
The four-part limited series is set to debut on March 20, 2020 on Netflix.
The post FIRST LOOK: Octavia Spencer as Madame C.J. Walker in Netflix series ‘Self Made’ appeared first on theGrio.
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Toy Company Hasbro Officially Owns Death Row Records
Can you make fun-filled and enjoyable toys for children AND own the catalog to hip-hop’s most notorious label? Well, this just happened when Hasbro, the world’s largest toymaker, became the new owner of Death Row Records.
By virtue of Hasbro completing the purchase of Entertainment One (eOne), Hasbro now owns eOne music subsidiary Dualtone as well as the catalog of Death Row Records, which it purchased in 2013.
“We are excited about what we can do together and see tremendous opportunity for shareholder value creation through this acquisition,” said Brian Goldner, Hasbro chairman and chief executive officer through a press release. “Our businesses are highly complementary with substantial synergies and a great cultural fit. The addition of eOne accelerates our blueprint strategy by expanding our brand portfolio with eOne’s beloved global preschool brands, adding proven TV and film expertise, and creating additional opportunities for long-term profitable growth. We are pleased to welcome the incredibly talented eOne team to our Company.”
The total cash consideration was approximately $3.8 billion. The company placed an announcement on its Instagram account, “We are excited to announce that we are One Hasbro.”
Death Row Records was started by Marion “Suge” Knight and Andre “Dr. Dre” Young in 1991. The label was once a home for artists Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg. Michel’le, Tupac, Nate Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, and MC Hammer. Soundtracks for the movies Above The Rim, Gridlock’d, and Gang Related were also distributed by Death Row Records. Death Row Records had filed for bankruptcy back in 2006. WIDEawake Entertainment initially bought the label in 2009 for $18 million before selling it to Entertainment One for approximately $280 million for the full catalog in 2013.
Hasbro is “a global play and entertainment company committed to Creating the World’s Best Play and Entertainment Experiences. From toys and games to television, movies, digital gaming and consumer products, Hasbro offers a variety of ways for audiences to experience its iconic brands, including NERF, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, BABY ALIVE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and POWER RANGERS, as well as premier partner brands. Through its entertainment labels, Allspark Pictures and Allspark Animation, the Company is building its brands globally through great storytelling and content on all screens.”
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Danielle Outlaw Becomes Philadelphia’s First Black Woman Police Commissioner
Philadelphia has hired Danielle Outlaw, making her the first black woman police commissioner hired to lead the city, according to ABC News.
Outlaw was previously the police chief of Portland, Oregon, where she was also the first black woman to hold that position. She had been Portland’s chief of police since 2017. She was appointed to the latest position this week by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.
In a press release, Mayor Kenney said, “I think constantly about what it takes to be a police officer. Our men and women in blue leave home each day knowing they are about to put their lives at risk to protect our community, and that even on a good day they are likely to encounter extremely challenging and disturbing situations. I know officers take on this sworn duty, first and foremost, to help Philadelphians. Their devotion to public service is never forgotten.”
“But make no mistake: while I have tremendous respect for our officers, the Philadelphia Police Department needs reform. I am appointing Danielle Outlaw because I am convinced she has the conviction, courage, and compassion needed to bring long-overdue reform to the Department. After meeting and speaking with her at length, I came away confident that Danielle Outlaw possesses the strength, integrity, and empathy vital to the tasks ahead.
Outlaw is taking over the department four months after former police commissioner Richard Ross resigned amidst allegations that his department had engaged in sexual harassment and racial and gender discrimination amongst its ranks.
“I am honored by the faith that Mayor Kenney is placing in me to lead the Philadelphia Police Department. While I am new to Philadelphia, I am not new to the challenges of big-city, 21st century policing,” Outlaw said. “I encountered and dealt with the issues of employee health and wellness, equity, contemporary training, crime, fair and just prosecution, community trust, homelessness, substance abuse, police accountability, and innovation and technology—just to name a few—as I worked various assignments and rose through the ranks in Oakland, California. And I directly addressed these issues while leading the police force in Portland, Oregon.
“Modern policing is data-driven, but the paramount factor is not so easily quantified: trust—the trust residents have that their police force will keep them safe and treat them with respect. I am convinced that trust can be restored, here and across the nation. I am convinced community-police relations can be rebuilt and fortified through dialogue, transparency, and accountability.
“It will be a privilege to serve as Philadelphia Police Commissioner and to serve all who live and work in this great city. I will work relentlessly to reduce crime in Philadelphia—particularly the insidious gun violence that plagues too many communities. And I will do so in a way that ensures all people are treated equitably regardless of their gender identity, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. I am convinced there can be humanity in authority; they are not mutually exclusive. That was true in Oakland and in Portland, and I know it is true here in Philadelphia.”
Outlaw is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Human and Civil Rights Committee, as well as the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.
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Foxy Brown rips DJ Envy for insinuating she fell off
Foxy Brown is big mad at DJ Envy and the Breakfast Club.
The Breakfast Club had Don Pooh on as a guest recently and Envy asked him a ton of questions, including what happened to Foxy, whom he managed early in her career. “Whatever happened with Foxy? She had an… album and she had another album that came out and then it seemed like she just dwindled off,” Envy says to Pooh.
READ MORE: Killer Mike spars with DJ Envy about sending his kids to private schools
Pooh responded: “She was doing her thing for a while. She actually put out three albums. She’s a mom now and she just fell back a little bit. She had an issue with her hearing so she just kind of fell back so hopefully we will hear from her soon,” Pooh responded to Envy, Angela Yee and Charlamagne tha God during the broadcast, according to Complex.
Pooh is said to have discovered Foxy and the rapper, Shyne.
Apparently, the Ill Na Na rapper was listening and she didn’t like Envy’s insinuation that she fell off. Foxy, whose birth name is Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand, fired off a since-deleted Instagram post letting him know as much.
“FISH ASS ENVY @djenvy Act stupid if u want! Damn near broke ur BACK carrying MY RECORDS & CHANEL LUGGAGE Til’ DEF JAM sent u back to the HOOD!!!” Foxy wrote in the post, according to Complex. “4 MULTI PLATINUM ALBUMS F–K BOY!!! PLAY NICE! GAVE YOU LIFE! She purposely LOW B—ch! Got injured, bussed back, BIRTHED A GORGEOUS A– BABY GIRL Cocks—– 2020 the POP OFF!!!!! AGGY cuz we ain’t do Breakfast Club! D-CKRIDER, let KING B–ch leave your mouth Dem #BROOKLYNBOYZ outside! #LIL’DJCLUE”
READ MORE: ICE denies Foxy Brown’s father re-entry into U.S. from Trinidad
Nearly 15 years ago, Brown told her fans she was struggling to hear in both ears. She did have a risky surgical procedure done and it restored her hearing.
“It was really hard. I was deaf for an entire year. Completely deaf. The surgery was iffy,” Foxy told MTV News in 2006. “They didn’t know if it would be a success, and it was.”
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Pardons Over 11,000 Marijuana Convictions
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has pardoned low-level marijuana convictions for more than 11,000 people, according to CNN.
Now that Illinois has become the 11th state in the nation to legalize adult-use cannabis, Gov. Pritzker has granted 11,017 pardons for people with low-level marijuana convictions.
On New Year’s Eve, in a statement released by the governor, “Tomorrow when adult-use cannabis becomes legal, pay attention to the fact that we are beginning to accomplish four very important things: We are ending the 50-year-long war on cannabis. We are restoring rights to many tens of thousands of Illinoisans. We are bringing regulation and safety to a previously unsafe and illegal market. And we are creating a new industry that puts equity at its very core.”
“Every state that has legalized cannabis has seen high demand and long lines in its earliest weeks, and to be sure, our state will too. But unlike other states, in Illinois, we purposely built a system where the market has room to grow, so that entrepreneurs, including especially those from the communities devastated by the war on drugs, will have real opportunities in this industry.”
The bipartisan Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act provides multiple avenues to expunge convictions and arrest records for minor cannabis offenses. There are more than 700,000 records that will be eligible statewide for relief because of the new law.
“Today we took another step toward justice, as we continue to address the failed war on drugs and the disproportionate impact it had on communities of color,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. “Clearing records under this revolutionary new law will not only open doors for thousands of families but will create stronger, safer communities as well. I’m proud to work alongside Governor Pritzker and other leaders as we make criminal justice reform a top priority in Cook County and across Illinois.”
The first phase of the adult-use cannabis market started on Jan.1. Interested cannabis entrepreneurs were able to enter the next phase of the adult-use market by applying for a license through Jan. 2. An additional 75 dispensary licenses are available, and social equity applicants are encouraged to apply here: http://bit.ly/CannabisIL.
“Illinois is going where no other state has before, admitting the unjust errors of the war on drugs and giving so many Illinoisans greater opportunities to build good lives for themselves and the people they love,” said Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. “Our Restore, Reinvest and Renew program will direct 25% of the state’s cannabis revenue right back into the communities hit the hardest by decades of over-policing, disinvestment, disenfranchisement, and violence. In that effort, we’re lifting up the voices of the people who actually live in these neighborhoods, who know these blocks and exactly where our dollars will make a real difference.”
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Michelle Obama is Once Again ‘Most Admired Woman’ in 2019 Gallup Poll
In another election, Obama wins again! According to ABC News, former first lady Michelle Obama has been named the “most admired woman” in the world for the second time in as many years.
In the annual Gallup Poll, Obama earned that title with 10% of the votes and was the only woman on the list to compile a double-digit percentage. She has been named as the most admired woman the past two years after 25 years that saw Hillary Clinton finish first 22 times. Obama has had a higher percentage of the votes the past two years than during her eight years as first lady, never earning more than 8% of Americans voting for her.
Although she finished in the top spot this year with 10%, it was down from 15% last year. Current first lady Melania Trump received 5%, which lands her in second place with the queen of talk Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, and teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg—each named by 3% of U.S. adults who placed votes. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley rounded out the rest of the top 10.
In the same poll, former President Barack Obama, for the 12th time (a record he shares with former President Dwight Eisenhower), was named most admired man, which was a tie with the current president, who appears at the top for the very first time, Donald Trump. Obama’s 18% is in line with his 2018 (19%) and 2017 (17%) numbers, all of which are high for a former president. Eisenhower is the only other former president who received double-digit mentions at any point after leaving office.
As it has been with recent bipartisan politics, the results of the poll are sharply divided along party lines: 41% of Democrats named President Obama, while 45% of Republicans chose Trump. The former president also picked up 3% of Republicans and 12% of Independents while Trump drew 2% of Democrats and 10% of Independents.
Michelle Obama’s most recent book, Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice, was released on Nov. 19. It is a companion piece to her critically acclaimed memoir, Becoming.
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Rapper YG apologizes to LGBTQ community for past offensive posts
California rapper YG hasn’t wasted any time so far this year apologizing to the LGBTQ community he once offended.
Early New Year’s Day, YG, whose birth name is Keenon Daequan Ray Jackson, took to Twitter to apologize for his “ignorant” past views on LGBTQ people, saying he’s particularly sorry for anything that was not “respectful” or “accepting.” YG signed off on the Tweet: “Live. Love. Ya Life. Gang!”
READ MORE: GLAAD taps ‘Pose’ star Angelica Ross to host presidential candidate forum on LGBTQ Issues
What prompted the apology is unknown, but some fans wrote in their support for his willingness to change direction.
it’s been brought to my attention that my old views on life was ignorant. i apologize to the LGBTQ kommunity for ever komin across like i was anything but respectful and accepting.
Live. Love. Ya Life. Gang!— STAY DANGEROUS (@YG) January 1, 2020
“Great way to start a year by acknowledging wrongs as you also indirectly teaching all these millions following you,” wrote @kuliroberts. “Don’t know u but proud of u. Don’t stop exposing all you learn too and help make the world a safer place for everyone.”
🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿Hercules, Hercules!
Great way to start a year by acknowledging wrongs as you also indirectly teaching all these millions following u.Don’t know u, but proud of you. Don’t stop exposing all you learn too and help make the world a safer place for everyone
😘😘😘😘😘— STOP ALBINISM KILLINGS (@kuliroberts) January 1, 2020
“You know what that is? Growth,” added another user.
— 🎄~Merry Kimmy~🎄 (@queenkimeow) January 1, 2020
But some weren’t buying the Compton native’s sudden change. A man who goes by the Twitter name Oprah’s son @WHOTFIsDaquan said YG’s relationship with Kehlani, who is queer, and his desire to “appease” her is the real reason behind the tweet.
He only saying that to appease to kehlani 😂😂😂
— Oprah’s son (@WHOTFIsdaquan) January 1, 2020
YG and Kehlani reportedly are an item, having confirmed their coupledom last September, according to Complex. But in October, YG was caught on video kissing another woman outside of an LA nightclub. At the time, his team told The Shade Room: “He was drunk, got carried away and it was very regretful for putting himself in that situation and hurting Kehlani. He has no romantic connection to the girl, just a drunken moment carried away.”
READ MORE: ‘This was a HATE CRIME’: Oakland native Kehlani urges BART officials to find Nia Wilson’s murderer
Kehlani also professed her love for YG on her song titled “You Know Wassup.”
“You’re still my love/You’re still my heart/That’s still my dick/ Still wanna be Mrs. Jackson,” she sings. “Waited five years to be on the team/Look damn good f—in’ with me.”
New year. New season.
The post Rapper YG apologizes to LGBTQ community for past offensive posts appeared first on theGrio.
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Democrat Julián Castro drops out of 2020 presidential race
PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Former Obama housing secretary Julián Castro on Thursday ended his run for president that pushed the 2020 field on immigration and swung hard at rivals on the debate stage but never found a foothold to climb from the back of the pack.
“I’m so proud of the campaign we’ve run together. We’ve shaped the conversation on so many important issues in this race, stood up for the most vulnerable people, and given a voice to those who are often forgotten,” Castro said in an online video. “But with only a month until the Iowa caucuses, and given the circumstances of this campaign season, I have determined that it simply isn’t our time.”
The video continues, “So today it’s with a heavy heart and with profound gratitude, that I will suspend my campaign for president. To all who have been inspired by our campaign, especially our young people, keep reaching for your dreams — and keep fighting for what you believe in.” It concludes, “¡Ganaremos un día!” — which translates to “We will win one day!”
Castro, who launched his campaign in January, dropped out after failing to garner enough support in the polls or donations to make recent Democratic debates. A former San Antonio mayor who was the only Latino in the race, Castro had stalled for most of his campaign around 1% in polls and entered October low on money.
Castro, 45, was among the youngest in the running at a moment when the party’s ascendant left wing is demanding generational change. And as the grandson of a Mexican immigrant, Castro said he recognized the meaning of his candidacy in the face of President Donald Trump’s inflammatory anti-immigrant rhetoric and hardline policies on the U.S.-Mexico border.
But he labored not to be pigeonholed as a single-issue candidate. Castro made the attention-getting choice of Puerto Rico as his first campaign stop, recited the names of black victims killed in high-profile police shootings and was the first in the field to call for Trump’s impeachment.
But his sagging poll numbers never budged. He was often eclipsed by another Texan in the race who dropped out this fall, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, and another young former mayor, Pete Buttigieg of South Bend. His campaign and supporters, meanwhile, grumbled that Castro didn’t get due credit for taking out-front positions.
Trying to show he could go to-to-toe with Trump, Castro swung for big moments on debate stages, and flirted with a much-needed breakout in June after confronting O’Rourke over not supporting decriminalization of illegal border crossings.
But turning his sights on Biden on a later stage brought swift backlash. During the September debate in Houston, Castro appeared to touch on concerns about the age of the then-76-year-old former vice president and added a parting shot at him.
“I’m fulfilling the legacy of Barack Obama, and you’re not,” Castro said.
Castro — who was Obama’s housing secretary in his second term — denied taking a personal dig at Biden as others in the field condemned the exchange. Three days later, Castro lost one of his three backers in Congress, Rep. Vicente González of Texas, who switched his endorsement to Biden.
Castro had warned supporters in a fundraising appeal that failing to make the November debate stage would spell the end of his campaign. He needed to hit at least 3 percent polling in four early state or national polls but didn’t get even one.
What is next for Castro is unclear. Back home in Texas, Democrats had long viewed Castro as their biggest star in waiting and some have urged him to run for governor as the state trends more diverse and liberal.
Castro was pegged as a rising Democratic star after being elected as mayor of the nation’s seventh-largest city at age 34, and he was on the short list for Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016. But he swa
___
Follow Paul J. Weber on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pauljweber
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