Betty Wright, a Grammy Award-winning soul singer, has passed away at the age of 66.
The news of her passing was confirmed by the hitmaker’s niece, according to Heavy.com. Wright, whose music was celebrated for telling stories that were mature and about learning hard lessons, is best known for “Clean Up Woman,” “Tonight is the Night” and “No Pain, No Gain.”
While the cause of her death has yet to made public, singer Chaka Khan had posted to her social media roughly a week ago that Wright was “in need of all your prays.”
Calling all my #PrayWarriors | My beloved sister, Betty Wright @MsBettyWright, is now in need of all your prays.
“Que Sera, Sera | Whatever Will Be, Will Be”
In Jesus Name We Pray for Sister Betty
All My Love Chaka pic.twitter.com/krQcfWFl5r
Wright was born Bessie Regina Norris on December 21, 1953, in Miami. She began her career as a teenager.
The first of a string of Billboard-charting songs came at age 15 when “Girls Can’t Do What The Guys Do” broke into the Top 40 in 1968. She scored her first gold hit with “Clean Up Woman,” which reached the Top 10 in 1972, before her 18th birthday.
Betty Wright attends the GRAMMY U Conference at Gibson Guitar Showroom on April 7, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by John Parra/WireImage)
She continued with a run of R&B hits throughout the 1970s, including “Tonight is the Night,” “Let Me Be Your Love Maker,” and the Grammy-winning “Where is the Love,” a collaboration with KC and the Sunshine Band.
After a dry spell through most of the 1980s, Wright closed out the decade with the hit single “No Pain, No Gain.” She remained active for the balance of her career, becoming one of the music industry’s most in-demand vocal coaches for stars like Jennifer Lopez and Angie Stone.
In 2012, she won another Grammy for her collaborative album with The Roots, Betty Wright: The Movie. She was a collaborator and mentor to many hip-hop acts, most from her native Florida, such as Rick Ross, DJ Khaled and Trick Daddy.
This piece isn’t for those who will spend Mother’s Day at least talking to their moms in the physical. Each and every year we get to celebrate our moms is a gift and a blessing from the Lord above, even if that celebration is a virtual one this year.
But for those, like me, who lost our moms, Mother’s Day will be a struggle. This is especially so for those who lost their mom after last year’s Mother’s Day and will experience their first one without them.
With the COVID-19 pandemic hitting Black communities with ferocity, this will be the first Mother’s Day without mom for tens of thousands. This is for you. theGrio spoke to individuals who have experienced grieving the loss of a mom to share some tips for how to cope, as well as a mental health professional about the importance of utilizing those services.
An older black woman mournfully looks out her window (Photo: Adobe Stock)
Elena Romero, daughter of Aida Luz Romero, professor, journalist and mother of three, says talking about her mom to family and friends helps. “We comfort each other, smiling, laughing and even crying at moments,” Romero tells theGrio.
“The loss of a mom is an extremely difficult thing to process and deal with at any age or time,” Romero says. “There are really no words to fully capture the emotion or sense of loss one feels when it happens.”
Romero shares more advice about moving forward in the grieving process. “Allow yourself time to mourn,” she says. “That looks differently for different people. There is no specific timeframe that will make it alright. Surround yourself with love and above all, focus on the positive memories you shared. I also share memories of mom with my children. We often discuss ‘what would momma say or think?'”
To ensure the spirit of her mom lives on, Romero says she buried her mom close to my home to “allow myself the ability to visit her grave frequently (pre-COVID-19),” Romero shares. “I created and dedicated my garden in her honor. I planted hydrangeas and colorful flowers because she loved them so much. I placed a dedication stone to thank her. Spending time in my garden reminds me of her and provides me tranquility.”
(Photo: Adobe Stock)
Daniel Janey, son of Sue Janey and restaurant manager, shares that the firsts will be difficult. “The first holidays, birthdays, and special occasions are the hardest,” Janey tells theGrio.
“You just yearn to have your mom on special days like Mother’s Day. I choose to celebrate and remember my mother on this day rather than be sad and lonely. I have an urn with her ashes in it. This Mother’s Day I will ‘talk’ to her and thank her for being the best mom for 24 years of my life.”
“I did not lose my mom yet to death but I have lost her mind to Alzheimer’s Disease,” says Maysa Akbar, daughter of Olga Namias and PhD, ABPP.
“She is currently in a nursing home, which was a very tough decision we made late last year. As a person of color, it is not a traditional route for managing an aging parent. We usually take care of our parents no matter the toll it takes on us and our family. I got a lot of backlash from my family about my decision.”
Dr. Anita Phillips, minister and therapist, and daughter of Mrs. Shirley Graham expressed the importance of professional mental health services.
“I believe every single human being should spend some time in the therapy room at some point in our lives,” Dr. Phillips tells theGrio. “Therapy isn’t for mentally ill people; therapy is for people! That being said, structural, institutional, and interpersonal racism pose unique threats to Black people’s mental health while simultaneously reducing access to mental health care that is financially attainable, geographically accessible, and culturally competent.”
This is my ninth Mother’s Day without my Mom in the physical and I remember Mother’s Day 2012. I ventured to Atlantic City, New Jersey, because it was a place where I spent time with my mom, and it was a place where I could be alone with my thoughts.
I cried a lot, but I also thought of the countless memories we shared, and it helped. For all of those suffering like me, I hope this piece not only finds you, but provides some measure of comfort on this painful day. Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms in heaven, from Brenda Victoria Johnson‘s son Derrel.
Video footage of the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery by two white men as he was jogging in a southeast Georgia neighborhood has widely circulated the web, leading to grief, outrage and the delayed arrest of the suspects.
While the incident happened in late February, the suspects were not arrested until after the footage was seen by the general public last week in a curious attempt by a criminal defense lawyer to clear the air about the men who targeted the then 25-year-old in the court of public opinion.
The lawyer is Alan Tucker, and he leaked the video of Travis McMichael, 34, and his father Gregory McMichael, 64, confronting Arbery, who was as attempting to run past a white truck, to WGIG, a local radio station in Brunswick, Ga. He obtained the footage from Roddie Bryan, the man who trailed Arbery and recorded the deadly episode on his cellphone, according to The New York Times.
Tucker had informally consulted the McMichaels on the issue prior to leaking the video, the report said. He told the paper that his intentions were to dispel rumors about the characters of the McMichaels.
“It wasn’t two men with a Confederate flag in the back of a truck going down the road and shooting a jogger in the back,” Mr. Tucker said.
“It got the truth out there as to what you could see,” he continued. “My purpose was not to exonerate them or convict them.”
Bryan had recorded the incident from his vehicle with a camera phone, revealing Arbery jogging down the road until he got to a white pick-up truck with the McMichaels inside. The video shows Arbery wrestling with Travis until three gunshots are heard. Within seconds, Arbery fell to his death as the three men watch. The 36-second video cuts off afterward.
The footage was captured by Bryan on Feb. 23. However, according to Bryan’s lawyer, Kevin Gough, he gave the video to the police prior to the leak and was cooperating with authorities. Bryan will also be investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, USA Today reports.
“Mr. Bryan has never tried to hide anything from anybody,” Gough stated. “If anybody wanted a copy of the video, he would give it to them.”
Arbery would have turned 26 on Friday. Many people have commemorated his tragic death by running 2.23 miles to represent the day that he died.
The National Action Network along with civil rights and faith leaders across the country have penned a letter to Congress calling for swift passage of state and local aid in the next stimulus bill.
The letter is signed by Rev. Al Sharpton, president and founder of the NAN, and 13 civil rights organizations and religious leaders.
The group sent the letter to Congress noting the government’s reluctance to help African American communities. The group says the lack of funds to these communities will do even more harm to the people in these areas that have been broken by the pandemic.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control, African-Americans constitute 20 percent of all U.S. coronavirus deaths,” the letter states. “Although we are only 12 percent of the U.S. population … The economic harm that communities of color will suffer, if the federal government fails to act, will also be devastating.”
The letter is signed by representatives from the Conference of National Black Churches, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., the Black Women’s Roundtable Human Rights
Public Policy Network, the National Urban League, and others.
The letter urges Congress to inject funds into the public sector, which “has been one of the nation’s most
dependable employers of African-Americans, lifting generations of black families into the middle class.”
Additionally, the group condemned Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for suggesting that states go bankrupt.
“When the Majority Leader of the United States Senate casually says we should let states go bankrupt or that he will not provide support for state and local governments without also providing a liability shield for corporations, that is a slap in the face to the hardworking public sector employees,” the letter states. “From nurses to corrections officers to school custodians – who are putting their lives on the line to keep their neighbors safe.”
The letter also cites a New York Times article from March that states that the coronavirus relief package in March included “a small change to tax policy [that] could hand $170 billion in tax savings to real estate tycoons.”
The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant effect on African Americans. Unemployment among African Americans has more than doubled to 16.7%.
A Pew Research Center survey shows 48% of African Americans say they “cannot pay some bills or can only make partial payments on some of them in April.
Atlanta-based entrepreneur Patricia Thompson Terry is one of the many entrepreneurs who has had to adapt to the new realities brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic. She has been forced to close down her beauty school due to mandatory stay-at-home orders issued by the state.
Instead of keeping her doors closed, the beauty entrepreneur has decided to take her courses online so students can continue their studies in quarantine.
Terry is the founder of Touched by An Angel Beauty School and Salons, which has two locations in Jonesboro and College Park, Georgia. Since the lockdown, the school has introduced a dual online training program where all incoming students can start their introductory classes and current students can finish the second half of the program online.
While hands-on training cannot be offered right now, students can complete online courses in hair theory—and not just in Georgia. The school recently became certified to teach students in Virginia.
Terry is also the founder of a non-profit organization called TBA Helping Hands “A Pathway to Success,” which awarded full scholarships to 30 students for immediate attendance to her beauty school. Her goal is to give men and women the opportunity to attend, learn, and receive their cosmetology license from an accredited beauty school. The scholarships can be used to cover their tuition through graduation.
In honor of International Women’s Day, the foundation issued 15 scholarships along with free bus passes and free daycare for mothers who were displaced and victims of domestic violence.
“Nothing is more important to me than giving back,” Terry told Eurweb. “Yes, my schools are the most affordable in comparison. But, I know there are some people who can’t afford it. I want to give them a chance.”
Controversial right-wing commentator Candace Owens is known to draw outrage for her public comments, and her recent statements on the shooting death of unarmed Ahmaud Arbery were certainly on brand.
Owens, who was locked out of Twitter a week ago for encouraging a political revolt in Michigan over its shelter-in-place orders, returned to the social media platform to slam the media and protesters decrying the role of racism in Arbery’s murder.
On Saturday, Owens tweeted, “Ahmaud Arbery was caught on camera breaking into an unfinished property that was owned by Larry English. His mother has confirmed it is him in the video. Please stop with the “just a jogger” bullshit narrative. Avid joggers don’t wear khaki shorts & stop to break into homes.”
Ahmaud Arbery was caught on camera breaking into an unfinished property that was owned by Larry English.
His mother has confirmed it is him in the video.
Please stop with the “just a jogger” bullshit narrative.
Avid joggers don’t wear khaki shorts & stop to break into homes.
While jogging in a predominantly white neighborhood of Brunswick, Georgia, Arbery was fatally shot while jogging on Feb. 23 by Travis McMichael, 34, who along with his father Gregory McMichael, 64, was charged with murder and aggravated assault on May 7.
The McMichaels claim they suspected Arbery of burglary before they chased him down in their pickup truck — along with their guns. While there were several calls placed to 911 over Arbery’s presence in the Satilla Shores neighborhood, none such calls indicate Arbery was committing any crime.
Owens continued her Tweetstorm over the Arbery shooting in a series of posts, including one slamming LeBron James for his comments expressing outrage. “@KingJames— who will never be what Kobe and Jordan were off the court because he lacks intellect,” she tweeted.
Lastly, to @KingJames— who will never be what Kobe and Jordan were off the court because he lacks intellect.
Bro. You have multiples homes, white personal chefs, gardeners and housekeepers. If that’s an example of “literally being hunted” by white people, then sign me up ASAP.
“Bro. You have multiples homes, white personal chefs, gardeners and housekeepers. If that’s an example of “literally being hunted” by white people, then sign me up ASAP.”
She went on to use the Arbery shooting as a springboard to bring up black-on-black crime.
“Black America when 9 year old Tyshawn Lee is lured from a basketball court down an alleyway and shot dead by a black gang member: *crickets* Black America when a repeat burglar is shot dead after breaking into a home: RACISM! INJUSTICE! PROTEST! Our culture is a joke,” Owens tweeted, although, again, there is no evidence that Arbery ever committed any crime aside from the McMichaels claiming he did to police after the shooting.
Black America when 9 year old Tyshawn Lee is lured from a basketball court down an alleyway and shot dead by a black gang member:
*crickets*
Black America when a repeat burglar is shot dead after breaking into a home:
Owens continued to argue that racism was not a factor in Arbery’s shooting, using unverified statistics to apparently suggest Black Americans are more violent than whites.
“FACTS: Blacks kill 2x as man(sic) whites as whites kill black, annually. We commit 85% of all violent crimes, 50% of all murders. Over 90% of blacks killed by homicide are killed by other blacks. BUT LET’S KEEP LYING TO BOTH OURSELVES AND THE PUBLIC & KEEP BLAMING RACISM.
FACTS:
Blacks kill 2x as man whites as whites kill black, annually.
We commit 85% of all violent crimes, 50% of all murders.
Over 90% of blacks killed by homicide are killed by other blacks.
BUT LET’S KEEP LYING TO BOTH OURSELVES AND THE PUBLIC & KEEP BLAMING RACISM.
Owens failed to mention that while most Black homicide victims are by the hands of someone of the same race, the same is true for white homicide victims. In fact, FBI data as recent as 2016 reveals there were slightly more white-on-white homicides in the country than there were black-on-black homicides.
It’s also worth noting none of the statistics used by Owens disprove that Arbery, who was unarmed, wasn’t targeted because of his race in the mostly white neighborhood where some fly Confederate flags in front yards.
“2020 definitions: Black man kills a white person= murder Black man kills a black person= murder White person kills a black man= racist lynching indicative of the third coming of the Ku Klux Klansmen, worthy of back to back media coverage, protests and A-list celebrity voices,” she tweeted.
Owens later clarified that her statements did not mean she believed his death was justified, but rather express her resentment that it had anything to do with Arbery’s and the McMichaels’ race.
Candace Owens. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
“Two things can be true at once: -Ahmaud Arbery did not deserve to die. -Ahmaud Arbery was not a jogger gunned down for the crime of being black,” she tweeted.
Later in the evening, Owens tweeted a Daily Mail article about security footage being reviewed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that purportedly shows a man in the neighborhood who they believe is Arbery. In the video, the man enters the garage of private property under construction. A Georgia prosecutor, however, told the AJC that entry of a construction site is not necessarily a crime.
“The national debate SHOULD have been about the legitimacy of citizen’s arrests in light of a tragic outcome. Instead, we went with BLACKS ARE LITERALLY BEING HUNTED WHEN THEY STEP OUT OF THEIR HOMES FOR NO REASON. Race-baiting ALWAYS leaves us looking emotional & foolish,” Owens said.
After she became a number one trending topic for the outrage over her tweets, Owens said “I see I’m trending so let me clarify: I WILL NOT BE A SLAVE TO THE DEMOCRAT RACE NARRATIVE. NOT TODAY. NOT TOMORROW. NOT EVER. I WILL NOT PRETEND TO LIVE IN A SOCIETY WHERE BLACKS ARE HUNTED, TO SATISFY THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA MASTERS. I DO NOT SEEK APPROVAL, I SEEK FREEDOM.”
Owens’ tweets drew outrage online and also drove conservatives to come to her defense. See some of the reactions below.
Candace Owens has over 2 million followers & is promoting a conspiracy theory that there is a video somewhere proving that Ahmaud Arbery was breaking into homes, that his mother confirmed, & that his death is justified
The GBI literally said, "Ahmaud Arbery was out for a jog. He stopped by a property under construction were he engaged in NO illegal activity and only remained for a brief period." https://t.co/uYtsB5vx34
I try not to comment on people like Candace Owens because OBVIOUSLY she’s lost and a troll. It just pissed me off today because her words are so dangerous. The way she is talking about this most recent killing in Georgia is disgusting.
The music industry is known to chew and spit out people who lack the vision and/or staying power needed to ride the ever-changing waves. But, if you have a creative mindset and can adapt to the many trends and flows of the game, you tend to stick around and add to your success. Entrepreneur Chanel Rae Pettaway just happens to fit that mold.
“The Culture Princess” is the co-founder of the Legion Media Group, a full service public relations and branding agency that is based in New York City. Amassing a client base that keeps her busy, she also makes time to co-host a new podcast for the millennial mom, “Our First Time–A Mommy Cast.”
Pettaway spoke to BLACK ENTERPRISE about who she works with, what she does, and how she manages to stay in the game while focusing on her personal goals.
What is the name of your company and how long have you been in business and who are some of the clients you’ve worked with?
The Legion Media Group was formed in July 2009. Current and past clients range in music, media, fashion, and entertainment. My current roster includes Hot 97, Jim Jones, Cam’Ron, Dipset, Cipha Sounds, Peter Rosenberg, Salaam Remi, Joell Ortiz, Chinx (RIP), Embassy Lounge NYC, DJ Juanyto, DJ Drewski, DJ E. Stylez, Fatman Scoop, Iman Nunez, and GiF the Great.
Understanding the inner workings of the music and entertainment industry, how are you able to navigate through this cutthroat game and still be successful?
I believe in staying true to myself. Though it will take me longer to get to the top, when I do, I will bring my morals and values along with me. Though I’m aware of what my peers are doing, I focus on my personal goals and what is ahead of me. My motto is to stay in my lane and mind my business. At the same time, I’m never going to allow someone to bully me. I will always stand my ground.
You were recently a part of a collaboration between Dipset, the NBA, Mitchell and Ness, and Bleacher Report. How did that come about and what was your role in making it happen?
Project Director Justin Dreyfuss of Bleacher Report reached out to myself, Peter Kadin, and Teff Mogus of Empire team (Dipset’s distribution label) and told us about the remix apparel they were doing along with Mitchell and Ness and the NBA. They told us they were possibly interested in a joint collaboration with Dipset but wanted ideas on what the capsule would look like. I expressed to them that we needed more than to just release the product. It’s one thing to do it, but if no one knows about it, what good is it?! I pitched my ideas for the roll out to all parties and it we collectively saw most of them through. Cam’ron and Jim were eager to see it come to fruition.
The design was done by Cade Beaulieu and Cam’ron did the finishing touches regarding the color pattern.
Do you have any advice or suggestions for anyone who wants to take a path similar to yours in this industry?
No matter what you want to do in life, you have to learn your craft before you can master it. Always be kind. My high school coach Carl Hawker would always remind us: Be careful of the toes you step on today as it may be connected to the ass you may have to kiss tomorrow.
What else are you working on that you’d like to discuss?
We are in the process starting a new weather show for Jim Jones with iOne, The Weatha Show. Initially, it would run across all their platforms and their radio stations and branch out from there.
In an industry where accomplishments are often overlooked, are thereany that you’d like to talk about that people may not be aware of?
Most people don’t know that I was on Cardi B‘s early team along with Shaft. I was the first to get her music media placement (her first XXL music mention).
The travel industry has been brought to its knees due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Many countries around the world have been forced to close their boundaries to non-citizens and restrict leisure travel completely.
Caribbean nations have had unique challenges with dealing with the viral outbreak from low death rates and instituting mandatory stay-at-home orders early to stop the virus from spreading. Now with many countries looking to the future of travel once everything resumes, some countries are requiring returning citizens and tourists to test for COVID-19.
Antigua and Barbuda announced that they will be requiring COVID-19 test certificates to prove their negative results in order to be allowed entry into the country. The island plans for tourists to undergo rapid testing for the virus before boarding the aircraft to visit.
The Bahamas and Haiti joined in announcing their COVID-19 testing requirements earlier this week. This comes after the push for a new COVID-19 “passport” for travelers to prove they are negative in order to fly. Some critics say the action will be difficult to implement.
“Requiring some kind of COVID passport is going to be difficult,” said Carlos Espinal, director of the Global Health Consortium at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health at Florida International University to the Miami Herald.
According to the Miami Herald, in a national address last Sunday, Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis announced that any citizen or legal resident who wanted to return will need to obtain a real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction diagnostic test from an accredited lab, “unless otherwise approved to have the test administered upon arrival.” The test, also known as RT-PCR, is considered the gold standard of testing due to its accuracy for detecting the coronavirus.
“All those returning will be required to be quarantined for 14 days in a government quarantine facility or self-quarantined,” Minnis said. This comes after the Bahamian Health Minister Duane Sands submitted his resignation, taking full responsibility for allowing six permanent residents to return to the country through a private air charter despite the border closure and testing requirement.
Two Sikh brothers in Canada, who are also doctors, have cut their beards in order to wear N95 masks when treating coronavirus patients.
According to Upworthy, both Sanjeet and Rajeet Singh-Saluja sported long breads as part of their Sikh religion.
One of the main pillars of the Sikh religion is sewa meaning selfless service or helping others without reward or personal gain. Another main pillar is kesh, the practice of allowing one’s hair to grow naturally out of respect for the perfection of God’s creation.
The two pillars put the men in a tough situation. The brothers told reporters they consulted leaders of the Sikh faith as well as friends and family. Eventually, the brothers decided their commitment to helping other heal was worth more than their beards.
“We could choose not to work, but in a time when healthcare workers are falling sick, we would be adding stress to an already taxed system,” Sanjeet said in a video posted by the McGill University Health Centre. “We could decide to simply refuse to see COVID-19 patients until viable protection is available to us, but that goes against our oath as physicians and against the principles of sewa,” he continued.
It’s the first time either brother, both in their 40’s, has shaved their beard, so naturally it’s not something they’re used to,
“It’s a decision that has left me with much sadness,” Sanjeet told the Montreal Gazette. “This was something that had been so much part of my identity. I look at myself in the mirror very differently now. Every morning when I see myself, it’s a bit of a shock.
Sanjeet added due to how easily the coronavirus is transmitted from person to person “it just wasn’t feasible anymore.”
The brothers knew they couldn’t sit on the sidelines, knowing ignoring hundreds of people were dying everyday and not helping would go against the Sikh religion. More than 60,000 residents in Canada have been infected with the coronavirus, but only 4,500 have succumbed to the disease.
American is having a much harder time dealing with the virus. More people in America have died than the the number of Canadians have been infected. However, Canada’s unemployment rate of 13% is not far from the 16.7% rate in the U.S.
Shows like Tooning Out the News can be more easily made from home than live-action TV—and going virtual is giving animators lots of opportunities to shine.
