Hemelmal Abate is one of several Ethiopians giving up their properties to help the pandemic response.
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Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
On Earth Day, lessons from Covid-19 pandemic offer hope
If humanity can take the right lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, we will be better equipped to galvanize action on climate change, MIT President L. Rafael Reif writes in an op-ed published today in The Boston Globe.
Marking the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the article notes that despite decades of research and increasingly dire warnings, societies still aren’t prepared to respond robustly to climate change. They were likewise unprepared during the early stages of the Covid-19 outbreak, but several insights have emerged since then.
“The first lesson is that our deepest well of practical hope is in science and the people who practice it,” Reif writes, citing health care workers, public health experts, and the engineers and scientists working on solutions for protective equipment, ventilators, testing, contact tracing, therapeutic drugs, and possible vaccines for Covid-19.
“Similarly, in the fight to slow and adapt to climate change, I believe we must actively build on this implicit respect for the power of science,” he adds. “Science is also our best warning system — if we can force ourselves to listen.”
Addressing the challenges of climate change will require major technological advancement and shifts in collective human behavior. Responses to the current pandemic indicate that societies are up to the task, Reif writes: “Every emergency reveals that “impossible” things are actually doable. In this case, our society just demonstrated that it can choose to change more and faster than we ever imagined.”
In addition to taking action together, people can also use this moment to look forward and seek ways to make society more equitable and resilient. This is a time to “reassess business as usual in every dimension, including those that drive climate change,” according to Reif.
The final lesson is about leadership, he writes. Just as governors, mayors, and others across the country have demonstrated the importance of coordinating the actions of individuals, institutions, and industries, and of cities, states and regions, “curing the climate change crisis will demand a Covid-style combination of ambitious new policies and rapid advances in technology — coordinated through farsighted, humane, science-centered national leadership, in concert with other countries around the globe.”
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Kentucky sees highest spike in coronavirus cases after protests
Kentucky residents who believe the coronavirus pandemic is just a political ploy to undermine the efforts of President Donald Trump took to the streets in protest this month and as a result, the state is now experiencing its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases.
According to local outlet WCPO, Sunday, Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed that after protests broke out in the state to lift lockdown, there were 273 new cases reported, bringing the total to 2,960.
READ MORE:Three Southern states are easing coronavirus lockdowns
“We are still in the midst of this fight against a deadly and highly contagious virus,” Beshear said. “Let’s make sure, as much as we’re looking at those benchmarks and we’re looking at the future, that we are acting in the present and we are doing the things that it takes to protect one another.”
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Wednesday, approximately 100 protesters convened on the lawn of the Capitol building in Frankfort during Democrat Beshear’s coronavirus briefing while shouting “Open up Kentucky!” and “King Beshear.”
When the same group returned o the Capitol building on Friday, they were met by barricades, and opted to circle the area in their vehicles and stage an impromptu drive-through protest of Beshear’s coronavirus restrictions.
“We’re not in the 14 days of decreasing under the White House guidelines to do certain things,” Beshear said to the newspaper, insisted he wouldn’t budge yet on the lockdown restrictions despite the community outcry.
Kentucky sees highest spike in coronavirus cases after protests against lockdown https://t.co/wKLuB6OQyb pic.twitter.com/iPYKg0zIxy
— The Hill (@thehill) April 21, 2020
Protests have also taken place in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Colorado. Governors in Texas, Georgia and Tennessee are easing restrictions due to the pressure to reopen economies.
However, the consortium of Democratic Northeastern governors, which includes Gov. Wolf iin Pennsylvania, Gov. Cuomo in New York and Gov. Murphy in New Jersey, all among states hit hard by the virus, have opted to wait. Massachusetts’ Republican governor, Charlie Baker, has issued more mandated closings, due to surge of deaths in his state.
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Drug touted by Trump leads to more coronavirus deaths, study reveals
A malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in U.S. veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported.
The nationwide study was not a rigorous experiment. But with 368 patients, it’s the largest look so far of hydroxychloroquine with or without the antibiotic azithromycin for COVID-19, which has killed more than 171,000 people as of Tuesday.
READ MORE: Man dies after taking drug promoted by Trump to treat COVID-19
The study was posted on an online site for researchers and has not been reviewed by other scientists. Grants from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Virginia paid for the work.
Researchers analyzed medical records of 368 male veterans hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infection at Veterans Health Administration medical centers who died or were discharged by April 11.
About 28% who were given hydroxychloroquine plus usual care died, versus 11% of those getting routine care alone. About 22% of those getting the drug plus azithromycin died too, but the difference between that group and usual care was not considered large enough to rule out other factors that could have affected survival.
Hydroxychloroquine made no difference in the need for a breathing machine, either.
READ MORE: Trump has ‘small financial interest’ in hydroxychloroquine manufacturer
Researchers did not track side effects, but noted a hint that hydroxychloroquine might have damaged other organs. The drug has long been known to have potentially serious side effects, including altering the heartbeat in a way that could lead to sudden death.
Earlier this month, scientists in Brazil stopped part of a study testing chloroquine, an older drug similar to hydroxychloroquine, after heart rhythm problems developed in one-quarter of people given the higher of two doses being tested.
On Tuesday, NIH issued new treatment guidelines from a panel of experts, saying there was not enough evidence to recommend for or against chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19. But it also advised against using hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin because of the potential side effects.
Many doctors have been leery of the drug.
At the University of Wisconsin, Madison, “I think we’re all rather underwhelmed” at what’s been seen among the few patients there who’ve tried it, said Dr. Nasia Safdar, medical director of infection control and prevention.
Patients asked about it soon after Trump started promoting its use, “but now I think that people have realized we don’t know if it works or not” and needs more study, said Safdar, who had no role in the VA analysis.
The NIH and others have more rigorous tests underway.
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Texas nurse creates face masks that protect against COVID-19 better than N-95 model
N-95 model face masks have been in high demand during the coronavirus pandemic, but thanks to a Black chief executive nurse at the University of Texas Health System, a new and even more efficient model is now on the horizon.
According to a local ABC affiliate, when nurse Tommye Austin saw on the news how COVID-19 was infecting communities all over the country, she made the decision to proactively create masks for her own colleagues.
READ MORE: Are black people negatively impacted by coronavirus overload?
Austin joined the San Antonio hospital in May 2017, teaming up with the Southwest Research Institute to make the first 600 masks. She hopes to ultimately produce 6,500 more but unintentionally ended up crafting something quite extraordinary in the process.
When she hit up a Lowe’s Hardware store in search of AC filters, she had two priorities: make masks that could be easily mass-produced and that provided decent filtration.
“We had this AC filter material we purchased from Houston, Texas,” Austin explains. She previously helped organize the University Hospital’s response to the Sutherland Springs church shooting.
“We started creating a mask that would fit like an N-95, that would have that whole seal across the face so that if you put it on, you would have a seal similar to the current N-95 we use.”
In the event that we get a surge of COVID-19 patients in San Antonio, which is predicted to happen in May, we are making sure we have adequate and sufficient equipment for employees,” she continued.
“Once we learned that the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] had given us the ability to create masks, rather than using a bandana or a handkerchief, we decided to look at creating our own N-95.”
But when they tested their design, they were stunned to find out the new masks’ filtration rates were at a stunning 99.5 percent with one material and 97.8 percent filtration with another. Both were more efficient than the current model which eliminates 95 percent of the virus or bacteria that tries to get through.
READ MORE: These three southern states will start easing coronavirus lockdowns
“We have been working with the Southwest Research Institute in making sure that we just not develop something we think is a good product but something that we know is a good product by using science,” she said. “It doesn’t have what we call carbon dioxide buildup, which could make you dizzy or [give you] a headache. It is comfortable, and you can wear it for long periods of time.”
“Hearing the stories from the nurses in New York and other hot spots, it was just heartbreaking. As a nurse, we are to be advocates for people, so my primary goal was not to make money off this mask or anything. The main purpose of this mask was to keep people safe,” Austin said.
She and her colleagues now plan to share their design with other facilities interested in creating an in-house supply of their own.
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California teen, 15, may have committed suicide over stay-at-home order
A talented California softball player has become a tragic victim of the coronavirus epidemic but she didn’t die of the virus. Jo’Vianni “Jo” Smith, 15, instead succumbed to the fear, stress, and uncertainty that the virus has wrought.
Her mother says she died by suicide, despite showing no warning signs.
READ MORE: 7 ways to protect your energy and mental health while social distancing
The talented athlete also starred in track and field and basketball, reports Extra Inning Softball, one of the first to report the story.
Her Smith’s mother, Danielle Hunt, told Sacramento’s Fox 40: “We can’t think that our kids are OK just because … I felt that I was doing all that I could as a parent to leave the communication open.”
Smith played both catcher and second baseman for Northern California’s Easton Preps travel team. Her former coach, Bill Fletcher, was devastated and shared his feelings on the softball forum, Fastpitch.
I received some devastating news at midnight last night from a mom of a player who played for me in the fall and made a decision to play for a team closer to her home for the summer. Mom simply said Jo passed away yesterday and didn’t know if I had heard yet but wanted me to know. I was devastated.
She was 15 years old.
Her name is Jo’Vianni “Jo” Smith
Jo was a great athlete.
She excelled at softball, basketball and track.
She had blazing speed. Jo was a bright star with a great personality and a huge heart. and a bright future.
She loved Softball.
Smith’s team has set up a GoFundMe to help with memorial expenses. Hunt is a single mother with a catering business, according to Fletcher, which means she’s likely having some financial challenges given the lack of work in that sector. However, anything raised after the $18,000 goal which has almost been reached will be used to establish a college scholarship for a female athlete.
The Lodi school district released a statement sharing their condolences.
We were deeply saddened to learn of Jo’vianni Smith’s passing. Jo’vianni was well loved by the Bear Creek High community. She participated in band, played basketball and softball, and was known for her joyful spirit on campus.
She will be dearly missed by those who knew her. Our hearts go out to the students, families, and staff impacted by this tragedy. We are providing remote counseling and bereavement services to those who need support right now.
READ MORE: Are Black people negatively impacted by coronavirus overload?
Hunt further told Fox 40 that she will continue to tell her daughter’s story and encourage other parents to be mindful of their children’s emotional states as the pandemic goes on.
“Sometimes we may need to stop and worry about the kids that we don’t think we need to worry about,” Hunt said.
If you are in need of help or believe someone else is you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. You can also use their chat option.
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CDC chief warns of second, more severe coronavirus outbreak this winter
The current coronavirus outbreak has no end in sight, yet the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is already sounding the alarm for a potential second wave this winter.
“There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through,” CDC Director Robert Redfield told the Washington Post on Tuesday.
“And when I’ve said this to others, they kind of put their head back, they don’t understand what I mean.”
READ MORE: Are Black people negatively impacted by coronavirus overload?
The reality of America grappling with a still incurable infectious disease at the same time as the flu poses a great public health threat and could strain an already challenged healthcare system, Redfield cautioned.
Thinking ahead, Redfield urged Americans to plan months in advance to get the flu shot. Doing so, he said, “may allow there to be a hospital bed available for your mother or grandmother that may get coronavirus.”
Redfield’s recommendation flies in the face of recent moves by the governors of Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee to either lift or significantly undo lockdown orders in an effort to open back up their local economies. This despite that the fact that COVID-19 infections continue to climb with no vaccine for the virus.
The decisions made by Republican leaders mirror President Donald Trump‘s public comments expressing his desire to reopen businesses, including tweets urging that states be “liberated” from restrictions. Trump also released guidelines on how states could loosen stay-at-home orders.
READ MORE: These three southern states will start easing coronavirus lockdowns
Redfield said that protests calling for the reopening of states “not helpful.”
Georgia governor, Brian Kemp will allow indoor facilities like bowling alleys, gyms, and hair salons to start opening on Friday. Restaurants will open next week with new safety standards. All businesses are expected to continue to practice social distancing.
The governor admitted that “we’re probably going to have to see our cases continue to go up,” but said the state was better equipped to address new outbreaks.
The reopening came as a surprise to Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms, who in an interview with CNN, stated that she had not talked to the governor prior to his announcement.
Tennessee governor, Bill Lee also announced on Monday that he would not be extending the state’s stay-at-home order beyond April 30. However, he did state that some precautions may need to remain in place especially in the state’s largest cities.
In a dramatic move, South Carolina governor Henry McMaster reopened some retail locations immediately following his Monday announcement. Clothing stores, furniture stores, and florists were able to open at 5 pm yesterday.
“We are still in a very serious situation…we must be sure that we continue to be strict and disciplined with our social distancing,” Gov. McMaster said at the press conference. “Our goal was to cause the most damage possible to the virus while doing the least possible damage to our businesses. South Carolina’s business is business.”
Biba Adams contributed to this report.
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Celebrity Event Planner Courtney Ajinca is Helping Clients Host Virtual Events During the Coronavirus Crisis
Expert event planner, interior designer, and D.I.Y. queen, Courtney Ajinca, is a vibrant entrepreneur who doesn’t take no for an answer.
A few years ago, Ajinca got her foot in the door as an event planner while working with former “Black Ink Crew” cast member Dutchess Lattimore. She has also worked with Cynthia Bailey, Quad Webb, Rasheeda Frost & The Cromarties. And her work has caught the attention of major networks. Now, she is known for her over-the-top events. And sheltering in place isn’t stopping Ajinca from producing high-quality events during the COVID-19 crisis. Instead, she is helping clients create virtual events.
“Believe it or not, the mandate doesn’t have to stop couples from saying ‘I do’ on their intended wedding date,” said Ajinca. “They just have to be more creative and think of ways that they can observe their special day virtually.”
Since shelter-in-place mandates were put into effect across the nation, business owners and clients alike have had to be ingenious about how they celebrate special moments—big and small.
“’Ms. Corona’ has come in and shaken the world up. With events being canceled all over the world, I’ve been directly affected. This was unforeseen but I have found ways to adapt to this time. I now offer virtual weddings and event planning where I completely plan and design your event virtually and in accordance with social distancing,” said Ajinca.
She went on to say, “My heart truly goes out to each bride who has had to postpone or cancel their wedding because of this unfortunate time. So, finding a way to help them celebrate was very important to me.”
As someone who specializes in creating memories for others, Ajinca is now curating digital experiences for her clients using Zoom, Instagram, and other meeting apps. She says “The show must go on, and I will do everything in my power to make it happen.”
In the events space, Ajinca stays on top of her game by creating standards of excellence. “The events industry is ever-changing. And as it changes, I constantly evolve to create trends and push the envelope. I challenge myself with each event to do something different and something that’s never been seen. At each event, I ‘experiment’ with a new technique. I want each client to have unique event elements that are specifically created and designed for them! I’m big on having a WOW factor and pushing the envelope to curate custom event experiences that leave the client wondering ‘How did she do that?’. This is one of the top reasons why my clients keep coming back for more.”
She is also committed to helping other entrepreneurs and business owners stay afloat.
“I now offer an online masterclass and one-on-one mentorship where I give event designers my blueprint to gaining success and attracting luxury clientele in the events industry. Being at home has definitely created a new norm for me. It has enhanced my creativity so much that I feel like I am bursting with new creative ideas that are begging to be let out!” said Ajinca.
During this time, Ajinca seeks to find inspiration from all over and she encourages others to do the same. “There’s a quote by the Dalaï Lama that I’ve been living by and that is helping me to keep a level head during this time. ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength. No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful the experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.’ Here’s to never losing hope and pushing forward through life’s challenging moments!”
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Trump to suspend immigration to ‘protect’ American citizens
President Donald J. Trump tweeted on Monday night that he would be ‘suspending’ immigration into the United States amid health and economic fears during the coronavirus pandemic.
READ MORE: Rihanna debuts new Fenty ‘Immigration’ t-shirt in response to Trump’s ICE Raids
The president did not provide any additional information on how the suspension will take place or what effect it could have on crossings at US borders. The White House and Department of Homeland Security have yet to provide any additional information
In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2020
Since the beginning of the pandemic and social distancing, the suspension of many immigration activities have already been taking place. The president took steps in late January and February to stem refugee resettlement in the country. Visa offices are largely closed. It is unclear what further steps the administration will take during this ‘suspension.’
Citing economic concerns in his tweet, the president would essentially seal the United States off from the rest of the world disallowing any foreigners to live and work in the country-regardless of the country of origin.
The move is another xenophobic policy from the president that blames others for the country’s problems.
”This is not about the policy. It is about the message the president wants to send,” Ali Noorani, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum, “He wants people to turn against ‘the other.’ And, regardless of the valuable contributions, immigrants are making to the response and recovery, he sees immigrants as the easiest to blame.”
READ MORE: Trump tweets bizarre campaign video mocking Obama, Biden
Immigration activists also cite that many foreigners who immigrate to this country for specialized roles including medical and scientific jobs which could be of critical importance during the pandemic.
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This Black Woman-Owned Farm is Adapting and Thriving During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Due to the global COVID-19 outbreak, many people around the U.S. and the world have lost their jobs as a result of the public health crisis giving rise to record-breaking numbers filing unemployment claims and small business owners struggling to keep their doors open through the viral outbreak. One entrepreneur, however, has found a way to not only adapt quickly to the pandemic but found a way to make her business thrive.
Samantha Foxx was inspired to get back to nature coupled with a need to build a self-sufficient lifestyle when she founded Mother’s Finest Urban Farms in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 2.5-acre farm has a range of animals from bees, chickens, worms, mushrooms, and specialty items. Foxx, who goes by “farm mother” and is a North Carolina native, used her background in farming and beekeeping to start the local farm to serve the community.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, her business has seen an increase in sales for new and existing customers. “People are investing more into their local farmers and seeing food as a source of wellness and having access to fresh quality produce is becoming more relevant,” Foxx told ShoppeBlack in an interview. “Larger agriculture producers can travel for long periods and produce passes through several hands before it hits store shelves. We also have had more people signing up for CSA shares and investing to help us expand and supply as much produce to our community as possible.”
Despite the fears brought on by the viral outbreak, Foxx remains hopeful using her business as a way to comfort others through a difficult time.”Food is comforting to many people and knowing where their next meal is coming from is so important,” says Foxx. “Seeing the smiles on a family’s face, when we drop off a box to their doorstep is worth all of the hard work.”
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Rapsody’s ‘Eve’ Album Will Be The Focus For A Course At UNC-Chapel Hill
Hip-hop has been uplifting people since the inception of the genre and it continues to do so on an academic level! Marlanna Evans, better known as Rapsody, will have her album as part of a college course at the University of North Carolina, according to BET.
The talented and conscious hip-hop artist will have her latest album, Eve, taught as a class at UNC-Chapel Hill. The course will be headed by Tyler Bunzey, a doctoral student of hip-hop at the school. The class will be offering a song by song breakdown of her latest album as well as readings by Audre Lorde, Angela Davis, Patricia Hill Collins and more. The course will also have teachings of womanist philosophy, hip-hop history, and pop culture.
Tyler Bunzey announced it on his Twitter account. “I’m incredibly pleased to announce that I will be teaching a course at UNC this fall on Rapsody’s magnificent album ‘EVE.’ We will be examining the album track by track with readings and media to accompany each record.”
“In this course, we will explore the critical womanist stance of Rapsody’s 2019 release EVE, which features 16 songs titled with names of famous Black women throughout history. This course reads Rhapsody’s album as emerging from a greater tradition of womanist discourse dating back to the 19th century, and the purpose of this course is to explore that history. Additionally, students will look at hip-hop historical development to engage with albums from femme-identified hip-hoppers throughout the genre’s history.”
I’m VERY pleased to announce that I am teaching a course for @UNCECL in the fall on @rapsody‘s #EVE. Please RT and share, especially if any UNC undergraduates follow you! There WILL be some special guests, and it WILL be an incredible semester. pic.twitter.com/JfWhNBfs3q
— Tyler Bunzey (@t_bunzey) April 14, 2020
Featuring readings from contemporary scholars including @alexispauline, @DrSuad, @milfinainteasy, @ProfessorCrunk, @salamishah, @seminewblack, @KeishaBlain, and Patricia Hill Collins and scholars from the archive like Audre Lorde, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and ZN Hurston!
— Tyler Bunzey (@t_bunzey) April 14, 2020
Rapsody also announced the course from her Instagram page.
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The naval-gazing inception of Kenya Barris’ ‘#BlackAF’
You don’t have to watch beyond the trailer to know that Kenya Barris’ new Netflix show #BlackAF is a reboot of his ABC show black-ish.
Formerly titled #BlackExcellence, black-ish-er is a mockumentary-style series which follows Barris, who plays himself, and a fictionalized version of his family as they deal with various new-money Black people problems.
In December 2019, when Netflix debuted the #BlackExcellence title paired with the cast photo of light-skinned Black people with loose-curl hair patterns — just like the casts of his black–ish, mixed-ish and grown-ish series — Barris was dragged to hell on Twitter. In since-deleted tweets, he defended his hyperfocus on the plight of mixed-race Black people and derided discussions of colorism as “divisive.”
READ MORE: Kenya Barris on facing his fears with Netflix series #blackAF: ‘It was terrifying’
“I really appreciate ur comments & I hardly ever react to social media but this cut me a little,” Barris tweeted of the backlash. “These kids look like my kids. My very Black REAL kids & they face discrimination every [d]ay from others outside our culture and I don’t want them to also see it from US.”
He later changed the show’s name to #BlackAF, which could be seen as a doubling down rather than an engagement with the critique that his multiple shows consistently exclude versions of Blackness that don’t conform to the typical paperbag Hollywood aesthetic for Black people — Black women and girls in particular.
Instead, Barris is knocking down a straw man: that mixed Black people’s Blackness is being questioned. In fact, the consistent critique of Barris’ work is that there is more to Blackness than the struggles of Black people whose mixed-race heritage is apparent, and there is way more to Black storytelling than explaining that version of Blackness to white people.
Which begs the question, who is #BlackAF for? To whom is Barris trying to prove Blackness? And when half the writers’ room is made up of white people, what does “Black AF” even mean?
The series provides conflicting answers to the first two questions, and despite several scenes showing white writers in a writers’ room of the character Kenya’s Black show, the implications of that are never addressed.
But episode five — a microcosm of the entire series — attempts to at least answer what is, for Barris, the ultimate question: what does it mean to be Black?
READ MORE: ‘Insecure’ recap: Issa and Condola’s ‘Sisters Before Misters’ energy
Written by one of the show’s EP’s, Hale Rothstein, the episode follows Kenya, his wife Joya (Rashida Jones) and daughter Drea as they screen a new movie by a Black filmmaker. Kenya and Drea hate it, but everyone else seems to enjoy it. Kenya is asked to moderate a Q&A with the director of the film and he wrestles the entire episode with whether he should do it.
Does being Black in Hollywood mean “rooting for everybody Black,” despite the content, quality and impact of the things they produce? Or does it mean telling Black content creators the truth in order for their work to progress and Black people to progress as a whole?
To answer these questions, Kenya enlists the help of his extended Black family members. He doesn’t usually see his extended family, but Joya forces Kenya to invite them over for a barbecue once she discovers that the Barris kids don’t identify as Black, don’t shoot their NERF guns sideways like in Boyz N the Hood, and, worst of all to Joya, can’t dance.
Because that’s “Blackness.”
This telling B plot continues with Kenya hiding all of his valuables before his extended family arrives. When Joya asks him why he’s hidden laptops in the dryer, he responds with disgust, “You are so mixed.” “Real” Black people know why he needs to take his valuable paintings off the wall when other Black people come over, I guess.
The tropes continue when the family arrives, featuring the drunken auntie (Kym Whitley) and the ex-gang-banger cousin (Melvin Gregg).
“If you haven’t gotten it by now, my dad doesn’t love being around his family,” Drea narrates, and one can’t help but wonder if the family is a stand-in for Black people as a whole.
When the Black family also loves the movie that Kenya hates, he moves on to the opinions of his writers’ room staff. The sole Black woman in the room voices her concerns about letting the white writers, who make up half the room (just like on the real #BlackAF staff), share their opinions on the Black movie.
Kenya — who states the obvious, that he’s “obsessed with the white gaze” — ignores the Black woman’s plea and continues to indulge the white writers as they shit-talk the film. Kenya concludes that white critics are too afraid to honestly critique Black art, and therefore, Black art suffers.
Black critics don’t seem to exist in this world, or, if they do, they’re ignored by Kenya, much like the Black woman in his writers’ room.
To overcome his obsession with white approval, Kenya goes to the man with no writers’ room whom he believes has mastered the art of ignoring white critics: Tyler Perry. Playing himself, Perry gives Kenya advice on “super-serving” his niche Black audience and blocking out the trappings of white Hollywood approval. Perry, whose work has also been heavily criticized by Black critics for years, also has nothing to say about Black critique.
In the most worthwhile scene of the entire series, Kenya assembles what he hopes to be a Black High Council of creatives on a video conference call. His goal is to open up honest communication with other successful Black creatives so that they can all produce better work. After hearing the mildest critique of black-ish, however, Kenya goes into full-on attack mode and the others on the call fire back. The conversation quickly devolves into insults.
The point seems to be that successful Black creatives don’t feel comfortable critiquing their friends, even in private, fearing damage to relationships and career opportunities. Even Drea bleeps out the name of the fictional Black filmmaker they’re criticizing in the episode because she “hopes to work in the industry one day.”
As Barris erases the role Black critics and journalists play in promoting growth and keeping Black Hollywood accountable, he’s accidentally describing our plight.
Black journalists already have to fight to get access to Black entertainers — especially those with gatekeeping white publicists. It’s not hard to imagine that access becoming more limited or cut off altogether if a Black critic produces a less-than-glowing review. The only acceptable version of “rooting for everybody Black,” for some in this industry, is unadulterated praise.
READ MORE: Netflix unveils ‘Hollywood’ trailer starring Laura Harrier
As Black journalists get laid off and Black publications fold — pre-Corona, let alone now —the far more interesting conversation this episode could have explored is how important it is to protect and support Black critics and Black critique as a profession.
In answering the question of what it means to be Black in Hollywood, the episode could have explored how Black creatives can better engage with Black critique and each other without the fear of damage to careers that Drea mentions.
Still, Kenya is on to something: What do Black Hollywood creatives owe to each other? What if every Black creative had a trusted group of Black people who love other Black people and are not afraid to tell them the truth? What if that Black High Council were to have read even the synopsis of #BlackExcellence in its early stages? Hopefully someone could have pointed out the colorist casting pattern, at least.
A Black Council could have read these scripts and told Barris that the series lacks a coherent thesis. It could’ve told him that the constant attacks on Joya as a “terrible mother” in every episode come across as petty and mean, considering his recent in-real-life divorce. It could’ve told him that “obsession with the white gaze” is boring if you never do the work to heal from it. It could’ve told him that most of these issues could be better worked out in therapy rather than on screen.
READ MORE: Netflix shows ‘Nailed It’ and ‘#blackAF’ worth binging in April
But one would also have to be receptive to criticism.
In the series finale, the Barris family goes on vacation to Fiji, where Kenya continues to be awful to Joya. It’s only when he watches an episode of black-ish that he learns the importance of not being a dick to his wife and somewhat changes his behavior. It may be the most incredible example of naval-gazing inception ever filmed.
It seems that the only critique that Kenya can engage with is the one he writes himself.
“Isn’t there a better Black filmmaker that needed their movie to get made but that movie got made [instead]?” Kenya asks his writers’ room. “Am I trash and nobody will tell me?” Kenya asks Joya. “Are we all being trolled?” I ask myself.
But the biggest troll of all might be reserved for Netflix.
After all, each of the episode titles is a variation of “because slavery.” Getting a $100 million Netflix deal to rehash the same tired tropes and ask the same shallow questions for the fourth time, then, might be reparations. So, why not just phone it in? As the #BlackAF theme song proclaims: “Fuck everything else; win, win, win, win.” In that case, congratulations.
Brooke Obie is an award-winning film journalist and author of the Black revolution novel “Book of Addis: Cradled Embers.’
The post The naval-gazing inception of Kenya Barris’ ‘#BlackAF’ appeared first on TheGrio.
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