Winnie Mutembei, World Cup winner with Kenya, says the young and growing sport is "the real deal".
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Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Louisiana Governor Appoints First Black Female Police Captain In State History
Democratic Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced that Treone Larvadain has been promoted to lead the Protective Services for the Louisiana State Police. This promotion makes Captain Larvadain the first African-American female captain in Louisiana State Police history.
The role of the Protective Services Unit is to ensure the safety of the Governor and the Governor’s immediate family members.
“I am extremely proud of both Captain Larvadain and Captain Chutz and congratulate them on their accomplishments,” said Gov. Edwards. “They have both provided excellent service to the people of our state and exemplify the best of the Louisiana State Police. My family and I are especially grateful for the professional work Captain Chutz has provided to us over the last four years and have the utmost confidence in Captain Larvadain, who has worked alongside him and has now taken over the reins. The longevity of Captain Chutz’s career and the promotion of Captain Larvadain are a direct reflection of their dedication and commitment to the force and our great state.”
Captain Larvadain has been with the force for close to two decades. She started her career in Troop C in March of 2006 and then moved to the Protective Services in 2008. She also held positions as a sergeant in the Bureau of Investigations and was a lieutenant in Internal Affairs. Captain Larvadain also served as an instructor at the training academy.
In 2018, after Captain Larvadain’s daughter, Tiah Larvadain, graduated from cadet training, she became part of the first mother-daughter duo in state police history. The younger Larvadain said she was inspired by her mother to walk in her footsteps.
“It’s very much an honor to be in the same uniform as her,” Trooper Larvadain told WBRZ.com. “Seeing the impact that they had on people… How they would help people, how they would respond to people, how people would respond to her… I just knew I wanted to have that affect on people the same way.”
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Monday, February 3, 2020
Iconic Black feminist who helped coin ‘Identity Politics,’ endorses Bernie Sanders
Barbara Smith, who played a significant role in building the Black Feminism movement, has now come forward to announce her endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) for president.
During an exclusive interview with The Root, the founding member of the Combahee River Collective that coined the term “identity politics,” explained why she had been a proponent of Sanders since the last election.
READ MORE: Cardi B tweets endorsement for Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2020 presidential bid
“Of all of the people who are running, Bernie Sanders is the person whose political commitment most closely reflects and align with political commitments that I’ve had throughout my life,” she said.
“He has a much deeper understanding of what the situation is, why we have injustice and inequality and oppression and discrimination or whatever words you use to describe a society that isn’t functioning the way that it should be functioning,” said Smith. “He [has] the most incisive, sharpest understanding of where all that comes from.”
Sanders’ campaign responded to the endorsement, saying they were “enormously proud to have earned the endorsement of one of the preeminent black feminist activists in American history.”
READ MORE: ‘Insecure’ actor Kendrick Sampson says he’s backing Bernie Sanders for president
READ MORE: Laverne Cox talks #MeToo and intersectionality
They point out that Smith’s work, which seeks to highlight oppressive intersectional realities of “race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and class,” has aided in empowering millions of people. In the “fight for substantive equality,” they say they are “humbled to have earned her support.”
To those who have criticized the outspoken senator for not having a race analysis, Smith pushes back, stating that the way the term “identity politics” has been used in the last few decades is “very different than what we intended.”
“The Combahee River Collective has a race, class, gender, and sexuality platform and analysis. We wrote in our statement that all of the systems of oppression are interlocking,” she clarified.
“When we use the term’ identity politics,’ we are actually asserting that black women had a right to determine our own political agendas. We, as black women, we actually had a right to create political priorities and agendas and actions and solutions based in our experiences in having these simultaneous identities—that included other identities via the working class, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc. So that’s what we meant by it. That didn’t mean we didn’t care about other people’s situations of injustice.”
“We absolutely did not mean that we would work with people who were only identical to ourselves,” she concluded. “We did not mean that.”
The post Iconic Black feminist who helped coin ‘Identity Politics,’ endorses Bernie Sanders appeared first on TheGrio.
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Shaq honors Kobe Bryant at ‘Fun House’ party during Miami Super Bowl weekend
On Super Bowl LIV weekend in Miami, Shaquille O’Neal paid tribute to his former Lakers teammate, Kobe Bryant, while spinning on the ones and twos at one of the biggest pre-game events in town.
“If you love Kobe Bryant put your hands up!” O’Neal yelled to a sea of adrenaline-filled party-goers as they jumped up and down to his ear-piercing techno DJ-mix.
The thousands of people who packed the carnival-themed venue, some sporting O’Neal or Bryant basketball jerseys, forked over at least $200 each to experience Shaq’s Fun House at the Mana Wynwood Convention Center near downtown Miami.
READ MORE: Shaquille O’Neal ‘sick right now’ over Kobe Bryant’s death
All of the proceeds of the star-studded night will be donated to the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation to support the families affected by the helicopter crash that killed Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others.
O’Neal said he debated whether to host the party in the wake of his close friend’s death, but decided to move forward. “Kobe would want us to push through and celebrate life,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I think it’s wonderful,” said Ken Marshall, 27, of Los Angeles. “That’s actually one of the reasons why I chose this event. Not only is this something to do, but the proceeds are going to a good cause.”
But others like Jakeita Days, known as “Flyyy Tatted Sky” on VH1’s Black Ink Crew: Chicago, had no idea the adult-only event held a touching, worthy purpose.
“Are you serious? That just made my heart smile,” she said. “That’s a blessing. God is good. Shaq is an amazing man. This is an amazing event and it’s a pleasure for me to even be a part of it a little bit. Being here means a lot to me.”
READ MORE: Shaquille O’Neal urges Black community to get real about heart health after his son’s health scare
Shaq enlisted a top lineup of performers to take center stage, including Pit Bull, Diddy, DaBaby, Tiesto, Diplo, and Carnage. Diddy produced a rousing video tribute to Kobe featuring “I’ll Be Missing You,” the song he performed with Faith Evans and originally dedicated to his close friend, the late Notorious B.I.G.
“Something or somebody got to inspire me,” Diddy told the audience. “And when I feel like giving up, I swear to God, the only person that pops into my head is Kobe shooting in the gym… is Kobe coming in early, leaving later… is Kobe playing [while] hurt.”
A gold and purple banner bearing the jersey number 8 for Gianna and 24 for Kobe hung from the ceiling in the concert hall, where the audience raised their lighted cell phone in their honor. Meanwhile, on the other side of the venue, the crowd enjoyed unlimited carnival food, games, and rides.
“I think it’s live,” said Dion Sims, 28, a recently retired NFL tight end who started his career with the Miami Dolphins and ended it with the Chicago Bears. “It’s good how Shaq put all this together. It’s all his imagination. This being the Super Bowl, I think it’s a fun experience.”
READ MORE: Shaq slam dunks a new business deal with Papa John’s Pizza
Shaq’s popular event, which has popped up in cities such as Atlanta, attracted tons of sponsors—from luxury vehicles to top-shelf liquor brands to fast-food restaurants. Shaq was on hand to debut a new product that Papa John’s will officially launch the day after the Super Bowl.
“When Shaquille was in our test kitchen and he tried the Papadias, he was like ‘you got to serve this at the Fun House because it’s easy to carry about and eat,’” said Melissa Richards-Person, SVP of Branding for Papa John’s.
DeeDee Sharpton, of Orlando, won tickets to Shaq’s Fun House in a radio contest. She said she was overwhelmed by the entire evening, which provided both joy and comfort to all who attended.
“My prayers go out to Kobe and his family,” said Sharpton. “We got much love for Kobe Bryant. He’s the GOAT. He’s the real GOAT.”
The post Shaq honors Kobe Bryant at ‘Fun House’ party during Miami Super Bowl weekend appeared first on TheGrio.
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