Jay-Z and Beyoncé did not stand for the National Anthem during Super Bowl

Did Jay-Z and Beyoncé take a knee at the Super Bowl?

Not literally, but in essence, they may have. As everyone stood while Demi Lovato belted out the National Anthem at Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the Carters along with their baby girl, Blue Ivy, remained seated. This comes even after Jay-Z’s now six-month partnership with the NFL went into effect.

READ MORE: NFL coach says he supports player protest movement ‘I’ve been stopped because I fit the description’

On Sunday, Jay and Bey sat a few rows from the field and remained seated even while everyone around them stood, including their bodyguard, according to TMZ. DJ Khaled came by and dapped up the fam while the pair were seated.

Talk about a statement.

Yet for all the optics, and the new PSAs rolled out by the NFL that spotlight police brutality, racism, the criminal justice system and other important causes, Colin Kaepernick still hasn’t been signed to a team.

In November, Kap had a practice session just outside of Atlanta and his reps sent his combine footage to 25 NFL franchises. Initially, sources told ESPN that some teams were interested in pursuing Kaepernick, 32, and that it may take weeks for a contract to materialize, but that it was coming. This hasn’t happened, and now sources speculate that it won’t. The quarterback has been out of work for over three years, ever since he started taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem, in protest of police brutality and social justice inequities. Kaepernick’s last NFL job was as quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, who happened to be playing in the big game Sunday night, which he took to the Super Bowl in 2013.

The NFL would contend that they have tried to work with Kaepernick, but he is not cooperative.

The league blames Kaepernick for switching up on his NFL scheduled workout in Atlanta and moving the session to Riverdale, which is roughly an hour away. Twenty-five NFL teams showed up at the Atlanta Falcons’ practice facility, but when Kaepernick moved it to Riverdale after potential problems with a liability waiver, only seven teams showed up.

Jay-Z took some flack from Kap’s girlfriend when he partnered with the NFL.

The rapper countered that he would bring issues important to Black America to the league’s leadership.

READ MORE: The Kaepernick Effect: Is Jay-Z’s new deal with the NFL a conflict of interests?

However, this is not all activism for the billionaire emcee from Brooklyn. He is also spearheading entertainment for the league and his Roc Nation partnered with the NFL and Pepsi to bring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira to co-headline a high-energy Super Bowl Halftime Show.

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15 Top Civil Rights Songs That Promote Freedom and Justice for Black History Month

During Black History Month it is important to reflect and think about how much change is still needed since the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. To get inspired to continue to make a difference, take a look at these top civil rights songs you should have on your playlist rotation.

15 Top Civil Rights Songs 

1.Glory – Common ft. John Legend

‘Glory’ is a collaborative track by John Legend along with rapper Common from the soundtrack of the 2014 film Selma.The song contains powerful and meaningful lyrics, such as, “Freedom is like religion to us, justice is juxtaposition in us.”

 

2. Freedom – Various Artists

This 90s classic, featuring top music stars across several genres, including TLC, SWV, En Vogue, Queen Latifah, Patra, Michelle Ndegeocello, Aaliyah, and Vanessa Williams, was a major girl-power moment during the time. It is included on the soundtrack for “Panther” a 1995 Mario Van Peebles film about the controversial political group.

 

3. Harder Than You Think – Public Enemy

‘Harder Than You Think’ is the first single off of Public Enemy’s 20th anniversary album, which was released in 2007. The song was also selected by NBC to debut on their Super Bowl XLIX commercial. Public Enemy’s ‘Say It Like It Is’ is the backdrop for the Selma trailer. This song is definitely empowering.

 

4. One Love – Elle Varner

“I know it’s crazy to think of this daily; imagine no one needing guns, only once impossible maybe…” These lyrics are the opening words to this song, which revolves around the idea that one day we can change and have a peaceful world.

 

5. Black Rage – Lauryn Hill

This song was dedicated by the artist to Ferguson, to help promote peace and support those fighting for racial equality in Mississippi. There are sounds of children in the background of the song, and shares the factors she believes that inspires “black rage.”

 

6. Don’t Shoot – The Game ft. Various Artists

This song is also a tribute to Michael Brown. Purchases on iTunes go directly to the Michael Brown Charity. The heartfelt song brings together all your favorite rappers for an unforgettable hit.

 

 

7. We Gotta Pray – Alicia Keys

This song is inspiring for anybody, where the superstar sings, “Sirens everywhere, singing that street song. Violence everywhere, barely holding on…” The song was produced immediately after the grand jury’s decision not to indict the officer involved in the death of Eric Garner. The three-minute long song begs for strength and peaceful protests. At the end of the video, Eric Garner’s face is shown.

 

 

8. We Shall Overcome

This song was made as a protest song, and became a staple song during the Civil Rights Movement. The song derived from a previous gospel song by Charles Albert Tindley. ‘We Will Overcome’ was published in 1948. Joan Baez performed the song live at the White House for President Obama.

 

 

9. Lift Every Voice and Sing- James Weldon Johnson

Also known as the “Black American National Anthem”, the song was first performed as part of a poem in 1900 in a segregated school in Jacksonville, Fla. Principal of the Stanton School, James Johnson, wrote the poem to honor guest speaker Booker T. Washington. The song has been redone by various artists including Ray Charles (his rendition below), Bebe Winans, Maya Angelou and Melba Moore. When Rene Marie was asked to perform the national anthem in 2008 at a civic event in Colorado, she caused massive controversy by swapping the words for the lyrics of Lift Every Voice and Sing. The Rev. Joseph Lowery also used lyrics from the song at President Obama’s inauguration ceremony in 2009.

10. Pride (In the Name of Love) – U2

A major hit for international sensations U2, this song become an anthem for peace, freedom and human rights. It was inspired by the civil rights movement and celebrates the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

 

11. Say it Loud, I’m Black and Proud – James Brown

The lyrics of this song focus on prejudice blacks in America have faced. It was released in two separate singles but both held the No. 1 spot on the R&B singles chart for six weeks. It also peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song quickly became a black power anthem.

 

 

12. I’ll Take You There – The Staple Singers

‘I’ll Take You There’ was on the Hot 100 for 15 straight weeks, and eventually reached the number one spot. The song is also looked at as a “call-and-response” type of song. While it was released in 1972, it still remains one of the most recognized and successful songs of the century.

 

13. When the Revolution Comes- The Last Poets

Released in 1970, right in the heart of the civil rights movement, after the death of Martin Luther King Jr. The song was extremely fitting, and definitely caused a frenzy.

 

14. Get Up, Stand Up- Bob Marley and Peter Tosh

Marley created this song during his Haitian tour, after seeing the poverty stricken country. The song is symbolic for standing against oppression, and is a international Bob Marley legendary hit.

 

15. The Times They Are A’ Changin – Bob Dylan

In 1964, Bob Dylan produced the album: The Times They Are A’ Changin, and the first song had the same title. The album consists of songs that address racism, poverty, and plead for social reform and positive change. One of his most famous songs is this one, and Dylan says it was a song with purpose.

 

Don’t see one of your favorite empowering songs on this list? Let us know a few more in the comment box below or give a shout out to and follow @BlackEnterprise on Twitter or Instagram.)

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Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on February 1, 2019

 

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Alphabet Flirts With $1 Trillion but Needs a Second Act

Google's parent company is cruising toward a financial milestone, but where does it go from there?

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The Internet Is a Toxic Hellscape—But We Can Fix It

The first step to cleaning up the smog of disinformation? Embrace your anxiety.

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Black History Month: The Son of a Slave Who Ran for President, George Edwin Taylor

Almost a century before Barack Obama made history as the first African American to become president of the United States in 2008, a black man by the name of George Edwin Taylor set his eyes on the White House in 1904.

Born in 1857 as the son of a free woman and an African American slave, Taylor worked as a professional journalist before getting involved in politics. However, he discovered that neither the Democratic nor the Republican Party represented the interests of people of color.

In 1904, an all-black independent party called The National Liberty Party nominated Taylor to run for president on a third-party ticket. Taylor’s candidacy was largely ridiculed as a joke and his name was left off the ballot in most states. Nevertheless, Theodore Roosevelt was re-elected as president. Still, Taylor’s run symbolized the growth of political power that black Americans acquired following the Reconstruction Era.

According to Jacksonville.com, a few days after the election, Taylor explained in a newspaper interview why he decided to launch a presidential campaign.

“Yes, I know most white folks take me as a joke … but I want to tell you the colored man is beginning to see a lot of things that the white folks do not give him credit for seeing. He’s beginning to see that he has got to take care of his own interests, and what’s more, that he has the power to do it,” he told the paper.

Eight years later, Taylor moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in late 1912 and worked as the manager of the Promotion Publishing Co., which printed a newspaper aimed at the city’s black residents. Records also show that he worked as the editor of the “colored section” of the Florida Times-Union and later for the Florida Sentinel, a progressive newspaper. He died in 1925. Forty-seven years later, congresswoman Shirley Chisholm launched a presidential campaign under the Democratic ticket, becoming the first African American candidate for a major party.

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Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on February 1, 2019

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Snow and Ice Pose a Vexing Obstacle for Self-Driving Cars

Most testing of autonomous vehicles until now has been in sunny, dry climates. That will have to change before the technology will be useful everywhere.

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Today's Cartoons: Robot Barista

It’s the little things.

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Mbawana Samatta thrilled to be Tanzanian trailblazer

Mbwana Samatta is thrilled to be a Tanzanian trailblazer after scoring on his Premier League debut for Aston Villa.

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Nigeria's women fight back

Women in Lagos are battling the threat of rape and sexual assault with free self-defence classes.

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Confederation Cup: Enyimba, Zanaco clinch quarter-final spots

Nigeria's Enyimba and Zambia's Zanaco clinch the last Confederation Cup quarter-final places.

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Mercenary 'Mad Mike' Hoare dies aged 100

Mike Hoare, a controversial figure, became internationally famous for his campaigns in the Congo.

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Ravens’ star quarterback Lamar Jackson makes history as second unanimous NFL MVP

Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson has just become only the second player in history to be unanimously voted as Most Valuable Player of the National Football League.

The first was Tom Brady of the New England Patriots in 2010.

Jackson received the big award on Saturday during the NFL’s end-of-season Hall of Fame awards. The recognition comes in only Jackson’s second season and his first as a full-time starter, the New York Daily News reports.

READ MORE: Helicopter shot cut from luxe brand Super Bowl ad after Kobe Bryant’s death

The short record of the 22-year-old Baltimore quarterback has been memorable.

He dominated most defenses he came up against in the last year, amounting to more than 3,100 passing yards, 36 passing touchdowns, 1,206 rushing yards, and seven rushing touchdowns, the News reported. He’s had 43 total touchdowns, according to the News.

The recognition comes two years after many doubted Jackson’s abilities in events leading up to the 2018 NFL Draft.

“It feels good when you can make those people eat their words,” ESPN quoted Jackson as saying Saturday.

READ MORE: Roger Goodell confirms NFL will pay tribute Kobe Bryant at Super Bowl

The unanimous vote is not the only milestone Jackson his this weekend. He now joins former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton as the only players to take home the MVP award and the coveted Heisman Trophy, the News reported.

Jackson also became only the third-youngest player to win the award, ESPN reported. Only running back Jim Brown, honored as MVP in 1957 and 1958, was younger, according to the sports news organization.

Despite 21 months of plays that saw sports journalists regularly raving, Jackson expressed humility at his accomplishment.

“I’m still young,” he said. “I’ve still got a lot of work to do. I’m not really trying to dwell on what I just did. If I win a Super Bowl, you’ll probably see a lot more emotion.”

Jackson is the first player for the Ravens to win the MVP award, and the only Baltimore player in 16 years to receive a single vote, ESPN reported.

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Malawi election: Court to rule on 2019 presidential poll

Judges will decide whether to annul 2019's presidential poll result following opposition complaints.

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Sahel crisis: Burkina Faso to arm civilians against militants

The authorities in Burkina Faso are struggling with a growing wave of Islamist militant attacks.

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Video emerges of boxing champion Gervona Davis in physical altercation with woman

Boxer Gervonta Davis is under fire this morning after a video surfaced of him physically assaulting a woman believed to be his daughter’s mother at a public evevnt.

In the 15-second video posted by the @mr_luares Twitter account, Davis is seen at a celebrity basketball game in Miami on Saturday grabbing a seated woman by the collar or throat and lifting her from her seat as both appear to be arguing. Two men at the game walk quickly toward the pair and as soon as a third man who was seated next to the woman moves aside, the four all walk out of the arena.

Gervonta Davis rolled up ready to straight choke slam shorty pic.twitter.com/NLYHwzYI0i

— 🇩🇴RIP Kobe Bryant🇨🇻🇬🇼🅙 (@mr_Iuares) February 1, 2020

Later on in a post to his Instagram stories, Davis, 25, strongly denied harming the young woman. The boxer has since deleted all posts and stories from that personal account.

“I never once hit her,” he posted. “Yea, I was aggressive and told her to come on … that’s the mother of my child I would never hurt her.”

READ MORE: Serena Williams gets boxing lessons from Mike Tyson: ‘She has some power’

Davis’ advisor, Lorin Chvotkin, told the Baltimore Sun he would have no comment on the incident.

Davis, a native of Baltimore, now lives and trains in Atlanta.

This is not Davis’ first skirmish with potential assault.

One year ago, a magistrate in Fairfax, Va., issued an arrest warrant for Davis on a misdemeanor assault charge in connection with an alleged altercation at a mall in Virginia. Davis had been scheduled to appear in court last May on the charge, but he reached a settlement with the other party first and charges were dropped, the Sun reported.

Davis also has faced previous assault charges that were later dropped after allegedly punching a childhood friend in the head back in 2017, as well as engaging in alleged disorderly conducted for a reported street fight in 2018, Yahoo Sports reported.

READ MORE: Kobe Bryant’s sisters issue statement after tragic death: ‘Our lives are forever changed’

On Dec. 29th, Davis won the World Boxing Association lightweight title in Atlanta after a 12th round knockout of Yuriorkis Gamboa. Davis is a two-time Super Featherweight World Champion.

There have been no arrests or police reports filed, TMZ and the Sun are reporting.

TMZ reported that the altercation began with the two yelling at one another until matters turned physical.

 

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FDA approves new drug to combat deadly peanut allergies in kids

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new medication to treat potentially deadly peanut allergies in children.

And while food allergies are growing in prevalence among all children, some research has shown that Black children are at an increased risk for food allergy and its effects, Physician’s Weekly reports.

READ MORE: Ludacris surprises Florida students with $75K worth of music equipment

The drug Palforzia works by helping to increase patients’ tolerance to peanuts, thereby reducing the risk of a dangerous reaction, according to USA Today.

“Peanut allergy affects approximately 1 million children in the U.S., and only one out of five of these children will outgrow their allergy,” Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told the news organization. “Because there is no cure, allergic individuals must strictly avoid exposure to prevent severe and potentially life-threatening reactions.”

Palforzia is approved for youngsters age 4 to 17 who have a confirmed diagnosis of allergy, but the FDA warns that it should not be considered a green light to eating peanuts. Allergy sufferers must still avoid eating peanuts, the federal agency said.

“It’s been a life-changer,” sufferer Nina Nichols, 18, is quoted as saying by USA Today.

The teen took part in a Palforzia research study to provide more guidance on side effects and its effectiveness. The powdered drug is made from peanuts, and patients mix it with small amounts of soft food such as apple sauce or yogurt.

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And while the drug is showing promise, data on children of color and food allergies is lacking, Dr. Mahboobeh Mahdavinia told Physician’s Weekly.

“Nearly all available information is focused on Caucasian children because food allergies are thought to be an issue of affluent societies and higher-income families,” she said.

Another physician, one who works with the federal government, told USA Today that overall, Palforzia is a game changer.

“For so long, we had nothing to offer those patients,” Dr. Pamela Guerrerio of the National Institutes of Health told the news organization.

NIH funds a good portion of food allergy research.

“We finally have a treatment,” Guerrerio said. “That’s a big step.

Palforzia is produced by Aimmune Therapuetics. The company told USA Today that it is hopeful prescriptions may begin in a few weeks.

 

 

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Good news- early spring predicted on Groundhog Day 2020

Celebrity groundhog Punxsutawney Phil failed to see his shadow on Sunday morning, meaning the country will hopefully see an early spring.

The prediction is probably not a surprise to many in the United States who have experienced less snow and cold than usual, but those at the event in Punxsutawney, Penn., at dawn still reacted to the rodent’s failure to see his shadow as an epiphany.

“It’s not very often that Phil predicts an early spring, but the groundhog, my friends, predicted an early spring,” Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean said on Sunday.

The western Pennsylvania groundhog “does not predict spring very often,” Dean said, and Sunday’s phenomenon is likely only the 21st time in the last century that Phil has predicted winter will say an early goodbye, Fox News reported.

READ MORE: Stacey Abrams predicts she’ll be president by 2040

In fact, in the previous five years before Sunday, Punxsutawney Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter three times, according to Fox.

In records going back 122 years, the groundhog has predicted more winter more than 100 years, Fox reported.

“This is epic; this is history right now,” Dean said from Miami, where she planned to report from the Super Bowl. “The groundhog has spoken and we are going to experience an early spring, everybody.”

The Groundhog Day tradition has its roots in a German legend, which dictates that if a furry rodent casts a shadow on Feb. 2, winter will continue, Fox reported.

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While the annual tradition makes for lots of jokes and conversation about the weather, the brutal truth is that Punxsutawney Phil is rarely right in his predictions. His track record is about 39 percent, Dean said.

Last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information reported that the groundhog’s prediction of a short winter was completely wrong, and the country experienced a pretty harsh February and March with below-average temperatures.

 

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High schooler banned from graduation because of dreadlocks invited to Oscars by Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade

Celebrity couple Gabrielle Union and former Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade invited DeAndre Arnold, a Houston-area teen whose high school officials told him he wouldn’t graduate if he did not cut his dreadlocks, to the Oscars.

Union, the award-winning actress, and Wade, invited the young man and his mother, Sandy, to the Feb. 9 Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood. The couple co-produced a short film, Hair Love, with creator Matthew Cherry that celebrates the beauty and uniqueness of Black hair.

READ MORE: Texas school forces Black teen to choose between wearing locs or attending graduation

The couple created a video greeting for DeAndre that Cherry shared on his Twitter feed.

“Hey, DeAndre, I’m Gabrielle Union and I am one of the producers of the Oscar-nominated animated short film Hair Love,” Union states in the video. “When we heard about your story and you just wanting to wear your hair the way you want at school, and all this scrutiny that you faced and how unwavering you have been in standing up for yourself, we also knew that we had to get involved.”

Wade explains in the video that he and Union are big fans of the teen.

“We wanted to do something special for you,” Wade said. “You and your mother, Sandy, are the official guests of the Oscar-nominated team behind Hair Love at the 2020 Academy Awards. Get ready, you going to the Oscars, Bud.”

Cherry said on Twitter that Dove toiletry company will cover the cost of ceremony tickets, wardrobe and glam needs while Union and Wade will pay or the pair’s travel and hotel.

READ MORE: Terry Crews apologizes to Gabrielle Union following ‘AGT’ backlash

Arnold told CBS that he was overwhelmed by the love he is receiving since he first shared that Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, informed him his hair violates the school’s dress code.

“It’s crazy- like, I never thought that people like D. Wade and Gabrielle Union would be on my side,” Arnold told the network. “The film is about hair love, and me and my hair kind of grew up together in a way. It’s like we are best friends. It really just means so much that we get an invite like this. It means the world to us, honestly.”

Earlier in the week on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” DeGeneres and pianist/songstress Alicia Keys awarded Arnold a $20,000 scholarship toward his college education.

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Burkina Faso: Gunmen kill 20 civilians in attack

The attack took place in a village in north-western Burkina Faso late on Saturday.

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Fatma Samoura's mandate not extended by Caf

Caf's Executive Committee votes not to renew the mandate of Fifa's Fatma Samoura who had been working as General Delegate for Africa for the past six months.

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