Faced with persecution, LGBT members in Africa are often left with no choice but to seek asylum in other countries.
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Monday, September 14, 2020
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to be stationary due to COVID-19
The event will be taped over two days, with 75% fewer participants.
For the first time in its more than 90-year history, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be a “television only special presentation.”
The retail giant announced on Monday that the change in the traditional 2.5-mile parade route is an effort to “avoid gathering millions of spectators in person.” A majority of the show will be live but some segments will be prerecorded, as “part of our plan to socially distance our participants.”
The parade will be taped over two days, with 75% fewer participants. Masks and social distancing will be enforced, bloomberg.com reports. Local bands will perform instead of regional high-school and college marching bands. All parade participants will be 18 years of age or older.
Read More: ‘Black Parade’ is Beyoncé’s new single and Black-owned business initiative
Additionally, “Macy’s signature giant character balloons will be flown without the traditional 80-100 handlers and instead employ an innovative, specially rigged anchor vehicle framework of five specialty vehicles tested and approved by the NYCDOT and NYPD,” the release states.
“It will not be the same parade we’re used to. It will be a different kind of event,” New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio said during a Monday press conference. “They’re reinventing the event for this moment in history.”
“While it will certainly look different in execution, this year’s Macy’s Parade celebration will once again serve its historical purpose – to bring joy into the hearts of millions across the nation,” said Susan Tercero, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“Under the unique challenges of these unparalleled times, we felt it was important to continue this cherished holiday tradition that has been the opening act to the holiday season for generations of families,” said Tercero.
“New York City is always proud to join Macy’s to ring in the holiday season with New Yorkers and viewers around the world. We’ve worked closely with the Macy’s team on a safe and creative plan this year, and we look forward to keeping this tradition going on Thanksgiving Day,” said Bill de Blasio in the announcement.
The 94th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air on NBC-TV, Thursday, November 26, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. to Noon, in all time zones.
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Some airlines are introducing 'flights to nowhere' — and people are paying to take them
Media reports in Asia have buzzed about what they label "flights to nowhere," with some airlines already flying them and others potentially about to start them.
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Netflix acquires Zendaya, John David Washington romance ‘Malcolm & Marie’
‘Malcolm & Marie’ is the first film shot after coronavirus quarantine
While many of us are being frugal with our coins during the pandemic, Netflix is saying ‘carpe diem.’ The streaming service recently wrapped up a deal acquiring the rights to Malcolm & Marie, a love story staring Zendaya Coleman and John David Washington for a $30M.
It is the largest amount paid for a film acquisition out of a film festival, according to the Daily Mail. In this case, it was the Toronto Film Festival, which was largely virtual this year.
Read More: ‘Tenet’ looks to the future but remains stuck in the past with familiar trope
The romantic drama is directed by Sam Levinson who is also behind Zendaya’s HBO series Euphoria. In a statement, the director boasted about Netflix and pulling off a movie production in strange times.
“I am so grateful to this cast and crew, many of whom are my Euphoria family, for coming together during such uncertain times,” says Levinson. “We felt privileged to be able to make this film together and we did so with a lot of love. We are all thrilled that it has ended up with Netflix which is unparalleled in allowing filmmakers the freedom to tell their stories that reach audiences all over the world.”
In the film, Washington plays a filmmaker and Zendaya is his girlfriend. The couple begins their evening at a big movie premiere but things quickly turn left on their ride home when the couple starts discussing their past relationships. The conversation becomes more intense than either expected challenging their union.
The black and white film was shot in the midst of the pandemic and is the first film completed after the coronavirus lockdown. According to Harper’s Bazaar the film took extreme precautions due to the pandemic.
Cast and crew were quarantined two weeks before shooting and once on location at the eco-friendly Caterpillar House in Carmel, California, they could not leave the premises. There were daily temperature checks and social distancing was enforced as much as possible.
Read More: Zendaya, adorned in all Black designers, stuns on InStyle magazine cover
The film is being compared to Marriage Story and supposedly covers many current social issues. Specific details are still oh the hush and it’s unclear when the movie will be available for streaming on Netflix.
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Michael Cohen says Trump’s dislike of Obama ‘purely racial’
The president’s former attorney describes him as ‘an Archie Bunker racist.’
Donald Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, claims the president’s hatred of Barack Obama is based purely on racism and has little to do with policy.
“Why he despises him to the extent that he does, I believe it’s purely racial,” Cohen said Monday on ABC’s The View, while promoting his new book, “Disloyal, A Memoir,” available now in print and audio from Skyhorse Publishing.
In his book, Cohen recounts the time Trump allegedly hired an Obama impersonator for a video in which he “ritualistically belittled the first Black president and then fired him,” The Hill reports.
Read More: Trump to resign, request pardon if he loses election: Cohen
“One of the things that I tried to do was change his mindset,” Cohen said. “And that’s one of the reasons I advocated for him to the extent that I did.”
In his book, Cohen describes his years working for Trump as “a cult leader and I was in this cult,” he wrote, adding “And while I was in the cult I was really refusing to acknowledge that the actions I was performing for my boss were really morally wrong.”
The White House has called Cohen’s book “fan fiction.”
“About the only way a person is able to write a book on me is if they agree that it will contain as much bad ‘stuff’ as possible, much of which is lies,” Trump tweeted about Cohen late last month. “It’s like getting a job with CNN or MSDNC and saying that ‘President Trump is great.’ You have ZERO chance. FAKE NEWS!”
Cohen was sentenced to three years in federal prison, but is currently serving his remaining time under house arrest due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Michael Cohen is a disgraced felon and disbarred lawyer, who lied to Congress. He has lost all credibility, and it’s unsurprising to see his latest attempt to profit off of lies,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement, theGRIO previously reported.
Cohen describes Trump “an Archie Bunker racist” but admits he still has a fond place in his heart for him even though he finds him to be a “cheat,”, “liar,” and “bully.”
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Ray J files for divorce from Princess Love after 4 years of marriage
The singer is asking for joint custody of their two children, 9-month-old son Epik and two-year-old daughter Melody.
Ray J has filed for divorce from wife Princess Love, less than two months after she asked a court to dismiss her own filing to end their marriage.
The couple tied the knot in 2016 and are parents to 9-month-old son Epik Ray, and two-year-old daughter Melody Love. Ray J is asking for joint custody of the children, PEOPLE reports.
Love originally filed for divorce in May, six months after she publicly stated that her husband left her and their daughter alone in Las Vegas after an argument. The Love and Hip Hop star was pregnant with Epik at the time.
“It’s a very difficult time for both Princess and Ray J and we are asking that we just let them have their privacy as they work through and deal with this very trying situation,” a rep for the couple told PEOPLE in May.
Read More: Princess Love requests dismissal of divorce from Ray J
Last November, Love told her social media followers that she didn’t “want to be married anymore.”
“I don’t have time for this. This is not love. And I’m done,” she said on Instagram, following the Las Vegas incident.
theGRIO previously reported, Princess Love said Ray J left her and Melody to go “party with escorts and strippers,” with no way to get home and while blocking her from calling. In a comment on Ray J’s Instagram, she said, “Left me and Melody stranded in Las Vegas and blocked me from calling… now you wanna post family photos. #ByeUgly.” This caption has since been deleted.
Ray J later appeared on The Wendy Williams Show to tell his side of the story, saying he was ready to commit to being a better husband and father.
“Princess made it pretty much clear enough, so at the end of the day, I’ve got to compromise,” he said. “I have to do better as a husband. I’ve got to do better. I’ve got to do better and I have to understand my wife is pregnant and I have to think a little more wiser when I’m making decisions.”
Weeks after Love filed for divorce, Ray J praised her for being a “supermom,” and gushed about being able to spend time with the kids amid their separation.
“We’re taking it one day at a time,” he said during a virtual press conference.
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Roy Jones Jr. says he may have ‘made a mistake’ agreeing to fight with Mike Tyson
It seems that Jones has had a change of heart about heading to the ring to fight Tyson
Two months ahead of their scheduled head-to-head, boxer Roy Jones Jr. is admitting he may have “made a mistake” when he agreed to fight in an exhibition with former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson.
Read More: A record 10 Black quarterbacks started this NFL season
According to reports, Jones and Tyson were originally supposed to fight this month, but promoters pushed the exhibition back to attract a larger audience.
Now the duo is set to compete in an unofficial bout on Nov. 28 in Carson, California.
But over the weekend the former four-weight world-champion boxer expressed reservations about the fighting the now 54-year-old former heavyweight champion, who he knows won’t take it easy on him.
“When it comes time to fight, we’re going to fight,” Jones said. “If it comes down to bite, we’re going to bite. Whatever has to happen is going to happen. That’s just what it is.”
He added: “He’s still Mike Tyson. He’s still one of the strongest, most explosive people who ever touched a boxing ring. If anything, I made a mistake going in with him. He’s the bigger guy. He’s the explosive guy.”
“He’s going to have all the first-round fireworks, not me,” the 51-year-old predicted. “I do have first-round fireworks, but he’s known for more first-round fireworks than anybody to ever touch boxing, other than maybe George Foreman.”
“With him having the first-round fireworks, he’ll be against a guy smaller than him, maybe 40-50 pounds smaller than him.”
Considering Tyson’s recent comments about the event, Jones’ concerns may be well deserved.
Read More: New Patriots QB Cam Newton honors Chadwick Boseman with touchdown salute
“We’re throwing punches at each other. This is going to be my definition of fun … broken eye sockets, broken jaw, broken rib. That’s fun to me,” Tyson recently said during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show.
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Black Husband, Wife and Son Launch Online Course on Investing in the Stock Market
Kevon Chisolm, Esq. founder and president of Black Wallstreeter Consultation Services, is teaming up with his wife, Kim, and their 13-year old son, Kamari, to launch a weekend series that teaches African American families financial literacy skills and how to invest in the stock market. The weekend series is geared towards encouraging families and individuals to build generational wealth together while also learning about African American history and culture.
The goal is to continue the success that they had with the Junior Wallstreeters Summer Camps. One parent wrote: “I just wanted to thank you for the educational and impactful experiences you provided through the Jr Wall Street camp. I appreciate the tools used to empower our children through the convergence of African American history while teaching strategies and the importance of building future wealth.”
Kevon comments, “In addition to topics like budgeting, establishing and maintaining good credit, banking, and investing in the stock market, the weekend series teaches generational wealth building through investment clubs.”
Saturday’s series is titled: Empowering Youth & Parents with Financial Wellness. The Sunday’s series is titled: Empowering Youth & Parents with Financial Wellness and African American History and Culture. Both sessions will provide life-long financial education and resources, which can be applied to address the lack of generational wealth in the African American community.
“Our goal is to teach financial knowledge to eliminate the wealth gap by showing young people and their parents how to properly use money as a tool,” he adds. The online series will primarily be taught by Stanley Anderson and Isaiah Cromwell, a high school teacher who helped Kevon develop the curriculum.
The weekend series will be held every other Saturday (11am-1pm EST) and Sunday (1pm-4pm EST), starting on October 3rd and 4th. All ages are encouraged to attend the series, but youth under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants must have a computer with Internet access. The cost of the Saturday series is just $250. While the cost for Sunday’s series is $350 because it is an hour longer and includes additional materials. This fee includes course materials such as an electronic student handbook, Junior Wallstreeters Envelope Budgeting System with tracking sheets, and a Stock Tracker Lite Notebook.
Limited spaces are available.
Register online for the SATURDAY series at:
www.theblackwallstreeter.com/shop/weekend-series-saturday
Register online for the SUNDAY series at:
www.theblackwallstreeter.com/shop/weekend-series-sunday
This article was originally published by BlackNews.com.
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At least 115 people suffered head injuries from rubber bullets this summer: study
Data finds that at least 115 people have suffered head injuries from rubber bullets over the course of the summer.
A summer of protests has resulted in over 100 people receiving head injuries from rubber bullets shot by police.
Read More: Detroit officer charged, accused of shooting journalists with rubber bullets
Physicians for Human Rights collected data using information from social media with verified photo and video proof, lawsuits, locally reported news, and other publicly available and credible sources to confirm the number. PHR identified at least 115 people shot in the head by rubber bullets and other kinetic impact projectiles (KIPs) from May through August in various cities.
KIPs are defined by the organization as including projectiles used for crowd control worldwide counting various bullets, baton rounds, and tear gas canisters, that are fired into crowds from a gun, rifle, or other launchers.
Although they are frequently referred to as less-lethal, an injury from many KIPs can result in life-threatening injury, permanent disability, and death PHR finds. The fired rounds commonly grouped together as rubber bullets can be made from combinations of rubber, wood, various metals, and more. They are not intended for head shots, PHR reports.
This, however, did not stop police officers from targeting protesters from the neck up during a season of protests sparked by the violent death of George Floyd.
“Protests calling for justice and accountability for police violence have often been met with more police violence,” said PHR research leader Rohini Haar in a statement, according to The Hill.
She continues “from Los Angeles, CA to Little Rock, AR, demonstrators, and bystanders suffered fractured skulls, broken jaws, traumatic brain injuries and permanent vision loss from these inherently indiscriminate weapons.”
Los Angeles, Portland Oregon, and Austin, Texas are identified in the research as locations where head injuries happened more frequently resulting from KIPs. TheGrio reports Insecure actor Kendrick Sampson described being shot at point-blank range with a rubber bullet by law enforcement while participating in a peaceful protest near Beverly Hills.
“Imma just let y’all know right now. None of these police cars were touched until they started hurting people,” Sampson said of the May 30 protests cited in PHR data.
PHR finds at least 12 people were hit in the head with KIPs in Los Angeles on May 30, six on May 31 in Austin, and at least 14 by the end of July in Portland. The organization also documents multiple head injuries in Michigan, Florida, and Colorado.
Haar says the use of KIPs by police officers in the United States indicates a larger problem.
“The sheer scale and scope of the head injuries caused by kinetic impact projectiles across the country suggests that U.S. law enforcement has a systemic problem when it comes to abusing crowd-control weapons during protests,” she said, according to The Hill.
Read More: Police use tear gas, rubber bullets on Compton protesters
The group, which shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, finds that police use of rubber bullets only escalates situations rather than controlling the crowd and suggests “we must ban the use of KIPs in crowd-control situations.”
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A record 10 Black quarterbacks started this NFL season
A record was achieved this first week of the NFL season due to some of the league’s top Black talents at QB
While social justice remained at the forefront of pro sports through symbolism, messaging and peaceful protests, the NFL made one big stride in the season’s opening week.
For the first time in NFL history, reports Touchdownwire, the league started 10 Black NFL quarterbacks.
Read More: New Patriots QB Cam Newton honors Chadwick Boseman with touchdown salute
Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson, 31; New England Patriots’ Cam Newton, 31; Los Angeles Chargers’ Tyrod Taylor, 31; Carolina Panthers’ Teddy Bridgewater, 27; Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, 27; Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson, 25; City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, 24; Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, 23; Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray, 23; and the Washington Football Team’s Dwayne Haskins, 23; all started under center to kick off the 2020-21 season.
Among the group are the league’s reigning MVP in Jackson and the league’s Super Bowl champion (and last year’s MVP) in Mahomes. Wilson and Newton, along with former NFL QB’s Colin Kaepernick, Steve McNair, Donovan McNabb, and Doug Williams, who was the first for the then Washington Redskins, have all started a Super Bowl. Wilson is the only one to start twice and he, Williams, and Mahomes are the only Black QB’s to take home the Lombardi trophy.
As Mahomes and Watson are now the #1 and #2 highest-paid players at the position, you can say that despite a checkered history and that Kaepernick will likely never play again, that the league has evolved in its treatment and view of Black players at the position.
Read More: Biden campaign to run ad during every NFL game until Election Day
So in this new era, which looks like the future of the league given the age of the group, how did they all do on a historical day? Here’s the summary and what it looks like for them this season.
RUSSELL WILSON – W, 38-25 vs. the Atlanta Falcons
Russell and his Seahawks team made some great offseason movies acquiring safety Jamal Adams from the New York Jets, among others. This year, expect Wilson to continue his dominance of the QB position. But can his team follow his lead?
CAM NEWTON – W, 21-11 vs. the Miami Dolphins
Newton looked sharp coming off the shoulder and foot surgery that led to his being unceremoniously dumped by the Carolina Panthers, who he took to Super Bowl 50 in 2016. As Tom Brady‘s ‘replacement,’ in New England, expectations are beyond high, but he’s already won a fan in Bill Belichick who’s had nothing but praise for Newton thus far. Should Newton’s surgically repaired body parts hold up, it will be an interesting season in New England.
TYROD TAYLOR – W, 16-13 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals
Taylor has bounced around some in the league but keeps a job and this year he’s the only Black QB also coached by a Black head coach. Taylor and his squad spoiled hometown guy and #1 draft pick Joe Burrows‘ solid NFL debut, but the kicker won the game for the Chargers more than Taylor did, so we’ll have to see which way each team is heading in ensuing weeks.
TEDDY BRIDGEWATER – L, 30-34 vs. the Las Vegas Raiders
Bridgewater, who is now on his third NFL team, took the Saints 5-0 while starter Drew Brees was injured last year. But they clearly didn’t see him as the 41-year-old shot caller’s successor, instead betting on Taysom Hill, who’s three years older and taken far less snaps at QB. Bridgewater takes the L against the newly relocated Raiders, who pulled out the victory on the road.
DAK PRESCOTT – L , 17-20 vs. the Los Angeles Rams
Prescott had a rough offseason that got worse when his older brother Jace, was found dead by suicide in April. You can’t equate a sibling’s death to football but unfortunately, though, that’s Prescott’s profession. So speculation continued about his signing a franchise tag, not a contract extension, for this year. What that means basically is an NFL team gets more time to determine if you’re worth contract extension money. In this first-game loss, despite new coach Mike McCarthy, Prescott didn’t quite answer that question.
PATRICK MAHOMES – W, DESHAUN WATSON – L, 34-20
Not sure if this is the first time two Black QB’s started off the season playing each other (someone may have that stat, if so, let us know) but when you’re Super Bowl champion, you could get overconfident. Unless you’re Mahomes, then you’re just dominant. If you’re Watson, who lost arguably one of the league’s top 5 receivers in Deandre Hopkins, you might be thinking that this is going to be a long year.
LAMAR JACKSON – W vs. the Cleveland Browns 38-6
It’s still early and anything can happen in the NFL, but what it looked like you saw this week were two quarterbacks and two teams going in very different directions. Jackson already promised Ravens fans a Super Bowl – and unless he or key elements of his squad get injured, he looks like he’s worked hard to fulfill that promise and sooner than later.
KYLER MURRAY – W 24-20 vs. the San Francisco 49ers
Kyler Murray and the Cardinals wasted no time getting Deandre Hopkins into the action – he had 14 catches for 151 yards. We’re sure Watson is crying somewhere but Murray is happy as the duo helped spark and season-opening win against a team that was in the Super Bowl last year. Murray ran in a 22-yard-touchdown himself so he and Hopkins are looking like the league’s most watchable duo so far, at least for any QB not named Lamar.
DWAYNE HASKINS – W 27-17 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
It’s a bad day in Philly when a team that won the Super Bowl just two seasons ago has disgruntled fans throwing in their ‘Philly Philly’ towels this fast. However, despite all the pre-season drama with the Washington Football team, including a cancer diagnosis for new head coach Ron Rivera, it looks like Haskins might be that guy as he gave a rousing speech to the locker room when Rivera sought medical treatment at halftime. Pulling out a victory also helps.
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‘Cheer’ star Jerry Harris allegedly solicited minors for sex, under FBI investigation
The famed cheerleader has not yet been charged with a crime but the FBI raided his home on Monday
Cheer star Jerry Harris is under FBI investigation for allegedly soliciting sex from minors.
An official for the FBI confirmed to USA Today on Monday that the 21-year-old actor was the subject of a federal probe. A search warrant was authorized and carried out by agents on his Naperville, Illinois home. According to sources, he allegedly asked minors to send him nude pictures and also wanted sex.
Read More: 6ix9ine compares himself to Tupac in response to sexual assault claim
“The FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity in the area,” Siobhan Johnson, FBI special agent and public affairs officer, told USA TODAY.
Harris came into prominence on Cheer, the Emmy nominated docuseries that followed the Texas’ Navarro College as they attempted to win a national titled and which is streamed on Netflix. Harris became known as “King of the Mat.” He hasn’t been charged yet with a crime and nor has not commented on the allegations against him which came to light after police in Florida and Texas were contacted by Varsity, a private firm that is focused on the cheerleading industry.
Varsity’s chief legal officer, Burton Brillhart, stated in an August letter that the company became aware of “inappropriate sexual conduct” and reported the accusations which is mandated by the law. Some of the evidence offered included Snapchat screenshots where Harris allegedly wrote “Hey btw I found a place for us to do stuff it’s actually pretty good haha.”
The man, whose face is described as Harris’ also enticed a minor with the text, “Would you ever want to ****”.”
Read More: Michigan pastor accused of paying teens for sex a fugitive, police say
Brillhart added that Harris was a former employee of Varisty and was not working with the company at the time of the alleged incidents.
Last May, Harris posted to social media pictures and videos of him coaching athletes at the National Association Cheerleads camp which is a Varsity brand.
“As a result of the recent allegation, we have barred this person from having any affiliation with Varsity Brands or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, now and in the future,” Brillhart declared.
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Louisville anxiously waits for decision in Breonna Taylor case after 6 months
On Sunday, Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, wrote a heartbreaking Instagram post directly to Kentucky Atty. Gen. Daniel Cameron calling again for justice.
Sunday marked six months since 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police in her own home in Louisville, Kentucky.
The emergency medical technician was shot on March 13 by plainclothes Louisville Metropolitan Police serving a no-knock warrant who Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, believed to be burglars. After being hit eight times, Taylor reportedly received no medical intervention by authorities.
Read More: Chloe x Halle sing anthem in Breonna Taylor, George Floyd shirts before NFL kickoff
As of early Sunday, more than 11.1 million people had signed a Change.org petition demanding that any LMPD officers involved in Taylor’s death be fired and charges be filed against them.
The case has garnered international attention. Oprah Winfrey put Taylor on the cover of her O Magazine and erected 26 billboards in Louisville calling for justice. A painting of Taylor by Amy Sherald was also the September cover of Vanity Fair.
READ MORE: Breonna Taylor honored with Vanity Fair cover painted by Black artist Amy Sherald
Two of the three involved officers, Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly, were placed on paid administrative leave in mid-May. The other, detective Brett Hankison, was fired in June.
Still, Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has failed to announce charges.
Read More: Naomi Osaka wears Breonna Taylor mask to match after protest
While rumors spread last week that Cameron had convened a grand jury to hear evidence, the AG released another statement noting that “an investigation, if done properly, cannot follow a specific timeline.”
A report Sunday from WFPL, a Louisville news radio station, interviewed cyclists who organized a ride to Taylor’s apartment from the city’s downtown. One of the riders, Carlos Fish, told the outlet he felt an energy “radiating” from it. The area outside of the young woman’s door is adorned with flowers.
Fish and others believe that Cameron is “just stalling” six months after the shooting.
On Sunday, Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, penned a heartbreaking Instagram post directly to Cameron calling again for justice.
“It’s crunch time and we’re putting our faith and trust in you,” Palmer wrote. “Your mother put everything she had into raising you … If she had the power to make sure this type of injustice would never happen without accountability and consequences, would she make sure of it?”
“Will you make sure of it?” she continued. “Do you have the power and courage to call my child yours, the power to see that my cry and my community’s cry is heard, and the power as part of a village who raises our children to do right by one of our daughters?”
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Retired Harvard B-School Professor to Black People: Own Your Anger and Grief To Combat Brutal, Systemic Racism
In his latest podcast, retired Harvard professor Steven Rogers departed from his usual format to focus on “the business” of helping Black people respond to the alarming number of casualties from police shootings.
“I do not believe there is any value at this time to tell Black people to suppress their anger and hurt until the voting booths open in November,” asserts Rogers, discarding recent statements made by numerous Black politicians and entertainers. “My advice is that Black people should be authentic and own these feelings. Continue to march and protest.”
In dealing with the “multi-step grieving process,” the leading Black business authority and BlackEnterprise.com contributor urges African Americans to “not let any one hoodwink you into trying to skip important steps in the process of grief when a Black man has been lynched by a white cop.”
Rogers usually uses his incisive, witty “Lessons on Black Excellence in Business” podcast to offer advice on areas such as startup financing, operational excellence, and strategic management. A recent episode aptly titled, “Say it Loud, I’m Black And I’m Proud…And I’m Angry And Hurting“—merging the lyrics from R&B legend James Brown’s 1968 classic with a statement from his daughter and co-host, Ariel, that echoes the sentiment of Black people nationwide—was designed to help listeners cope with the painful history of brutal and systemic acts of racism.
He shares his own unshakeable anguish over examples of inhumanity: “I still hurt and grieve from hearing as an 11-year-old my mother crying in her bedroom 52 years ago when the news reported that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been murdered. I still hurt and grieve from attending a church service at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina, 100 days after a white man murdered nine black parishioners during a prayer service meeting in 2015. And I still hurt and grieve from the photo that I saw of a black family—a father, a mother, and two children—lynched, hanging from a tree by their necks when I visited the lynching museum last year in Montgomery, Alabama.”
In the podcast, Rogers suggests listeners engage in four actions to help African Americans find spiritual upliftment, combat racism, and gain economic empowerment. For instance, he encourages them to “love the Black community” by patronizing those firms that develop products and services that benefit Black consumers and donate to Black causes. “Remember the greatest private sector employer of Black people are Black-owned businesses.”
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Biden campaign to run ad during every NFL game until Election Day
‘We’ve had four years of a president who brings out the worst in America,’ the ad for Joe Biden notes. ‘Isn’t it time we had a president who brought out the best?’
The campaign to elect Democratic candidate Joe Biden to the U.S. presidency is spending big on TV commercial spots during the 2020 NFL season.
The season has officially returned, with strict social distancing and limited crowd sizes in sports arenas due to the coronavirus pandemic. Football fans who can’t attend games in person and are watching from home will get a healthy dose of politics during the broadcasts.
NPR is reporting a Biden campaign aide confirmed that they have reservations to run at least one national ad during each NFL game until Election Day on Nov. 3. According to the report, a tracking firm, Advertising Analytics, places the cost of those prebookings at up to $25 million.
Read More: Trump says he’d ‘negotiate’ a third term as president in 2024
“I’ve never seen that before in a presidential race,” Ad Analytics’ John Link told NPR. “That is the first time we’ve seen something of that magnitude.”
In addition to that national buy, Ad Analytics found Biden’s campaign also aired seven different ads in 18 local media markets during the opening game, for which the Kansas City Chiefs squared off against the Houston Texans.
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Ad Analytics is reporting that the Trump campaign spent $1.1 million in 21 local TV ads in swing states during the season opener.
“This is our chance to put the darkness of the past four years behind us,” the narrator of Biden’s 60-sec ad, “Fresh Start,” says as it begins. “To end the anger, the insults, divisions, the violence. And start fresh in America.”
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“We’ve had four years of a president who brings out the worst in America,” he notes at the end. “Isn’t it time we had a president who brought out the best?”
In addition to the national commercial, Biden aired additional ads in a number of other individual states.
A new Monmouth University poll this week finds that former Vice President Biden is leading President Donald Trump with a 51% to 44% lead among likely voters.
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Trump says he’d ‘negotiate’ a third term as president in 2024
His former ‘fixer’ says unlimited terms in office are one of the things Trump admires about autocrats like Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin.
For over a year, President Donald Trump has been pushing for a third term in office in 2024. The incumbent, who is currently trailing his challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, for the presidency, insisted again that he could “negotiate” a third term.
At a campaign event in Nevada on Saturday night, Trump proclaimed that he would “win Nevada,” a state that he lost in 2016 against Hillary Clinton. He declared that he would win four more years in the White House.
“And then after that,” he said, “we’ll negotiate, right? Because we’re probably—based on the way we were treated—we are probably entitled to another four after that.”
The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1951 after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected to the presidency four times. The amendment limited presidents to two terms in office. There are no provisions or reasons that a president would be able to negotiate.
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Some media pundits have said that the president is “joking” about staying in office for the third time. However, Trump’s former “fixer,” lawyer Michael Cohen, told Don Lemon last week that “Donald Trump does not have a sense of humor.”
“(He) believes that he should be the ruler—the dictator of the United States of America,” Cohen contended on CNN Tonight with Don Lemon. “He actually is looking to change the Constitution.”
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Cohen maintains that unlimited terms in office are one of the things Trump admires about autocrats like Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin.
“So I want you to understand that when he says 12 more years if he wins, he is going to automatically—day number one—start thinking about how to change the Constitution for a third term and then a fourth term,” Cohen said.
In order to change the 22nd Amendment, Trump would need an affirmative vote from two-thirds of the House of Representatives and two-thirds of the U.S. Senate, and given the opposition to his presidency, that is highly unlikely.
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