Gulf Coast Urban Spectrum July/August 2018

Volume 1 Number 7

July/August 2018

South Mississippi’s Dynamic Diversity

"Mississippi Bred...

Governorship Bound?"

STACEY ABRAMS

After her history-making win in the Georgia gubernatorial Democratic Primary, Stacey Abrams is ready to complete the task to be the United States’ first black female governor...4

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Volume 1 Number 7

July/August 2018

PUBLISHER Rosalind J. Harris

GENERAL MANAGER Lawrence A. James MANAGING EDITOR Gordon Jackson

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Alfonzo Porter COLUMNISTS Kim Farmer Allison Kugel FILM CRITIC BlackFlix.Com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Gordon Jackson Thomas Holt Russell ART DIRECTOR Bee Harris

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jody Gilbert Kolor Graphix

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Melovy Melvin

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Gordon Jackson

The Gulf Coast Urban Spectrum is a monthly online publication dedicated to spreading the news about people of color along the coastline states of the United States including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Contents of the Gulf Coast Urban Spectrum are copyright 2018 by Bizzy Bee Enterprise. No portion may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

The Gulf Coast Urban Spectrum welcomes all letters, but reserves the right to edit for space, libelous material, grammar, and length. All letters must include name, address, and phone number. We will withhold author’s name on request. Unsolicited articles are accepted without guarantee of publication or payment.

Write to the Gulf Goast Urban Spectrum c/o Denver Urban Spectrum at P.O. Box 31001, Aurora, CO 80041.

For advertising, subscriptions, or other information, call 303-292-6446 or fax 303-292-6543 or visit the Web site at www.gulfcoasturbanspectrum.com or www.denverurbanspectrum.com.

FOR THE SOUL OF THE NATION

Vote This November Like Your Life Depends On It – Because It Most Likely Will

I write to you less than two weeks removed from participating in the National NAACP Convention, held in San Antonio, Texas, as a delegate for the Biloxi, Mississippi branch. Strong indelible messages were sent out to the approximately 2,500 attendees, but none stronger than the convention’s and the organization’s 2018 theme:

DEFEAT HATE! VOTE!

There were several amazing activities that developed at the convention. They included: •The Environmental and Climate Justice Committee’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance; •Willie Brown, former San Francisco Mayor and California State Assembly Speaker, receiving the prestigious Spingarn Medal Award from former President Bill Clinton; •A special welcomed visit from Ricardo Rossello, governor of embattled U.S. territory Puerto Rico, with whom the NAACP not only pledged to help the area receive more timely aid for its continuing recovery from Hurricane Maria, but also support for Puerto Rico to succeed in its long quest for full statehood.

•Riveting discussions and speeches on Voter Registration Mobilization and removing the stigma from Mental Health; •The NAACP establishing a formal relationship with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, better known as Mormons; •The exciting development of the Next Generation (aka NextGen) Young Professional Leadership Training Program; and many others.

But, whatever the nature of the activity, it all was channeled to the convention’s main focus:

DEFEAT HATE! VOTE!

At the release of this edition of the Gulf Coast Urban Spectrum, America will be roughly 100 days away from the November 6 Mid-Term Elections. While this election does not involve deciding on a president, it’s regarded by many to be the most important election possibly in the history of our nation. The last 600 days or so, under the current administration has shocked many, angered many more and sickened even more.

Outlined by who many people are referring as “45,” this president, “The Mad Tweeter,” is sending the country to uncertain and dark historic stages it has not seen in several decades in several areas.

Yet, we, the American voter – or apathetic non-voter – must take some onus through an agonizing lesson that elections have consequences. During the Obama years, we had a golden opportunity: for the grassroots community to bring hope and change from the bottom up while President Obama worked to bring hope and change from the top down, so that everyone could meet somewhere in the middle.

However someone failed miserably on their end; and it wasn’t President Obama.

Whatever positive results that came with the high Black voter turnout in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, it was wasted and decimated partially by our horribly poor voter turnout in the mid-term election and local elections, triggering a seismic strong shift of power to the right. This was further exasperated by the decline of Black voter turnout in the 2016 elections and its horrifying results.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

On a political perspective, oppressive and hate-based elected officials cannot drive out oppressive and hate-based elective officials. Only democratic-minded, inclusive, visionary and humane elected officials can do that.

Or… A swamp cannot drain a swamp. Only fresh water can do that.

You get the picture.

Malcolm X said prophetically in his famous speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet?”: “It is time now for you and me to become more politically mature and realize what the ballot is for.”

The next time you are approached by someone asking if you are registered to vote, look at it as a blessed reminder.

Register; educate yourself on all of the candidates, then go to the polls on Nov. 6.

Vote for the soul of the nation.

DEFEAT HATE! VOTE!

Gulf Coast Urban Spectrum — www.gulfcoasturbanspectrum.com – July/August 2018

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Gordon Jackson Editor Gulf Coast Urban Spectrum

From Gulfport... ...to Georgia

Stacey Abrams’ South Mississippi Roots Run Deep in Historic Quest for Georgia Governor Will be Keynote Speaker at Gulfport NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet August 26

Out of the volatile, stormy and

chaotic political climate raging the

nation under the current presidential

administration, an inspiring breath of

fresh air has breezed through the state

of Georgia, via Mississippi’s own Gulfport.

By Gordon Jackson

Abrams’ quest to be the nation’s first Black female governor will not be easy, but a look at her past accomplishments has demonstrated more than enough of the intestinal fortitude needed to succeed. The city of Gulfport is a witness to such qualities from Abrams, since much of them were honed and developed during her adolescent years there.

Abrams will return to the location of the heart of those growing years that helped define her. On August 26, she is slated to be the keynote speaker for the Gulfport NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet. She will likely reunite with her parents, Robert and Carolyn, who returned to Mississippi from

Stacey Abrams is making national headlines as she focuses on a potential history-making achievement. She already made history and raised eyebrows of many in the political arena, all who are watching closely.

When the 44-year old former minority leader of the Georgia House of Representative won the Democratic primary for Governor of Georgia in May, she became the first black female major party gubernatorial nominee, not only in her state, but in the history of the United States. On Nov. 6, Abrams will run against Secretary of State Brian Kemp in the general midterm elections.

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Georgia, now living in Hattiesburg, along with other former acquaintances.

Abrams, one of six children, had already strived for history-making endeavors. Living in Gulfport through the 10th grade — before her family moved to Georgia – she became the first African-American to represent Mississippi in applying for the prestigious Rhodes scholarship (she was unsuccessful).

In an interview the Mississippi Today, Abrams described her upbringing in Gulfport, living where her family was part of what her mother called “the genteel poor,” which meant that “we had no money, but we watched PBS and read books. When

Previously, Abrams – just two years removed from leaving Gulfport – became the first African-American valedictorian at Avondale High School, outside Atlanta. She went on to attain her B.A. degree at Spelman College, earn her Master’s in Public Affairs at the University Texas and got her J.D. from Yale Law School.

When Abrams won the Democratic Primary in May, she received a call from Mississippi Rep. Sonya WilliamsBarnes (D-Gulfport). Williams-Barnes’ and Abrams’ parents were friends for many years. With Abrams’ parents going on to be ordained ministers, Carolyn did the eulogy for WilliamsBarnes’ mother’s funeral.

“She is excited,” Williams-Barnes told Mississippi Today. “We have a lot of hard work ahead of us to ensure she is elected governor of Georgia.”

Indeed, President Trump did win Georgia by 5 percent in the 2016 elections and it’s been nearly 20 years since the state has had a Democratic governor.

Yet, Abrams is one of several political women from throughout the country who have made instrumental strides in hopefully injecting muchneeded energy into the progressive and Democratic base still reeling from Donald Trump’s major upset presidential win in 2016 and working feverishly to regain momentum in what many feel are chaotic times in the Trump era.

Last April, LaTosha Brown was the keynote speaker at the Biloxi NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet. Last December, she and her organization, Black Voters Matter conducted strong campaigns in Alabama that resulted in a high black voter turnout, which was highly instrumental in the state’s special Senator’s race, where Democrat Doug Jones pulled a major upset over

Stacey Abrams (2nd from Left) was one of six siblings and grew up mostly in Gulfport, Misssissippi.

the family’s water was cut off, her mother would call the resulting situation ‘urban camping.”

Abrams’s mother worked as a librarian; her father was employed as a dockworker.

In a radio interview with Amy Goodman of “Democracy Now!” Abrams said: “My parents grew up in abject poverty. My dad’s joke is that he was from the wrong side of the tracks, and my mom’s from the wrong side of the wrong side of the tracks.

My mom’s family was incredibly poor, so much so that she actually dropped out of elementary school because they couldn’t afford the segregated school bus. And it took a neighbor and some really good friends at the school to get my mom back to school. And she became the only one of her seven siblings to finish high school. My dad is dyslexic. And he grew up in an age where dyslexia wasn’t understood, and if you were a young black man with a learning disability, they just wrote you off as stupid. My father overcame that, and he became the first man in his family to go to college. My parents went off to college. They went to—my mom went

to grad school…They had moved out of abject poverty into working poverty, because even though they had good jobs, my mom sometimes made less money than the janitor, and my dad couldn’t get a job in an office because of his learning disability.”

Undaunted, the one thing Abrams’ parent made sure that their entire family was rich on was pure ambition and the will to achieve. She also saw them very active in community and ministry service, something that became embedded in her.

“My parents raised us to believe that our economic circumstances were not going to dictate our capacity,” Abrams told Goodman. “And so, you know, fast-forward. I get to college. I went to Spelman, had an extraordinary opportunity there and became the nominee from the state of Mississippi, one of two nominees, for the Rhodes scholarship, which I didn’t win. And I begin my story talking about that failure, because often that becomes the end of the story for so many of us. And my point was that not winning the Rhodes didn’t diminish my ambition.”

embattled Republican Roy Moore.

In New York City, 28-year old Alexandria Ocasio-Lopez shocked the political world last month when he defeated longtime incumbent Joe Crowley for the Democratic bid in the city’s 14th congressional district.

She is likely to win in the heavily Democratic district in November.

In one Mississippi Senate race, Democratic state representative David Baria is running against incumbent Roger Wicker (also running against Independent Danny Bedwell and Reform Party Shawn O-Hara).

Former Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy is vying for the other Senate seat that was vacated by the retiring Thad Cochran. He will go against interim Senator Cindy HydeSmith and conservative Chris McDaniel.

State Representative Jeramey Anderson is running against incumbent Steve Palazzo and Reform Party candidate Lajena Sheets for the 4th congressional district seat.

While considered highly unlikely by most political pundits, early projections suggest that a heavy voter turnout among African Americans, women and millennials could be enough to elect two Democratic Mississippi senators and a Democratic South Mississippi congressman.

The same scenario could push Abrams to a historic win in Georgia.

Political activists may be hoping that Abrams’ revisit to Gulfport will serve more than just a delightful reunion. Thus the question: Will Abrams’ current success, national notoriety and electric persona rub off on the South Mississippi progressive community, enough to help spark record high voter turnout for at least the three aforementioned very key elections in the state.

To turn around the current political climate, Abrams, with her Gulfport roots, serves as one of the bright beacons of hope. .

Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams poses with actress Gabrielle Union (left) and movie producer Will Packer and takes time with two young supporters Gulf Coast Urban Spectrum — www.gulfcoasturbanspectrum.com – July/August 2018

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Shuckers Take First Half Season Title, Works To Improve While Preparing For Playoffs

By Gordon Jackson

The Biloxi Shuckers don’t really

mind playing the remainder of their

2018 regular season with an important issue hanging in the back of their

minds. That’s because that critical

issue involves getting ready for the

playoffs and a predestined quest for

the Southern League championship.

When the Shuckers – the Double-A minor league baseball team under the Milwaukee Brewers franchise – defeated the Mississippi Braves 5-0 on June 15, they clinched the First Half Season Championship in the Southern Division of the Southern League, assuring them of a playoff spot at the end of the regular season. The team jubilantly responded to the win with a joyous dog pile celebration in the center of the field, before a roaring crown at MGM Park. Top ace pitcher Zack Brown missed earning a perfect game by just a field error in the eighth inning and a blooper base hit with just one out left in the ninth.

They team sent nine players to the Southern League All-Star Game in Birmingham, AL the next week before proceeding on with the Second Half season. Currently, they’re tied for 3rd in the Southern Division, 3.5 games behind the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

Individual performers with the Shuckers continue to shine. Pitcher Zack Brown remains undefeated with an 8-0 record, but is bested by Thomas Jankins on the team with 9 wins.

Reliever Nate Griep has compiled 24 saves.

Outfielder Tory Stokes Jr. leads the team with a .250 batting average and 55 runs scored. First Baseman Jake Gatewood and outfielder Corey Ray leads the team in home runs with 16 apiece.

Ray, who hit three home runs in one game on July 11 against the Jackson Generals, also leads the Shuckers with 51 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.

The Shuckers are scheduled to have the first two home games of the first round of the playoffs to begin Sept. 5 and 6, following the Labor Day weekend. .

Above: The jubilant Biloxi Shuckers walk off the field after their championship-clinching win.

Below: Shucker’s outfielder Corey Ray celebrates his team clinching the First Half Season Championship with his Photos by Gordon Jackson wife and son.

Gulf Coast Urban Spectrum — www.gulfcoasturbanspectrum.com – July/August 2018

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Biloxi’s MGM Park Hosts Well-Attended C-USA Baseball Tournament For Another Year

F

By Gordon Jackson

or the second consecutive year,

Overtime Sports and Conference USA

came together to host another success-

forced some game postponements.

While strong organizing helped get the rest of the tournament rescheduled and complete, it affected the total crowd attendance, which, while substantial, did not beat last year’s recordsetting achievements.

The tournament is slated to return to Biloxi in 2019..

ful Conference USA baseball tournament at Biloxi’s MGM Park. The 8team double elimination tourney

ended with the Southern Mississippi Eagles dominating Florida Atlantic

University 12-3 in the championship

game.

Southern Mississippi earned an automatic spot into the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.

Overtime Sports is headed by Tim Bennett, the sports and entertainment promoting guru responsible for getting MGM Park built in Biloxi four years ago and bringing in the Biloxi Shuckers minor league baseball team.

This year was the second of a threeyear agreement with Conference USA. Leading the way for Conference USA was Senior Associate Commission Merton Hanks, a former

Above: Southern Mississippi rejoices after winning the Conference USA Baseball tournament.

Left: Tim Bennett (right) of Overtime Sports spent some time with Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant.

Below: Tim Bennett of Overtime Sports (left) and Merton Hanks, Sr. Associate Commissioner for Conference USA prepare to present awards for tournament top honors.

Photos by Gordon Jackson.

NFL defensive back with the San Francisco 49ers and a recent inductee into the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame.

Threats of rain and lightning during the early stages of the tournament www.denverurbanspectrum.com • www.gulfcoasturbanspectrum.com • baltimoreurbanspectrum.com

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Gulf Coast Urban Spectrum — www.gulfcoasturbanspectrum.com – July/August 2018

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Legendary Mississippi Record Label Celebrates Five Decades of Musical Greatness In June, Black America observed

the annual Black Music Month. In July, one of Mississippi’s most famous record labels celebrated five decades of Black Music Excellence.

On July 12, a festive and star-studded Gospel Celebration concert earmarked Malaco Record’s 50th Anniversary. The glitter and glamour event took place in Malaco’s home base of Jackson, MS, at the Thalia Mara Hall.

The Gospel Celebration featured the most iconic acts in the gospel industry. It was co-hosted by the eminent Dr. Bobby Jones and the illustrious Dorinda Clark-Cole inside the 2,000-plus concert hall. Top stars that appeared and performed included Tina Campbell, Fred Hammond, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Luther Barnes, Tasha Page Lockhart and the Mississippi Mass Choir Others serving as honorees or making special appearances included Milton Biggham, Byron Cage, LaShun Pace, Paul Porter, Luther Barnes, Keith Wonderboy Johnson, Ann Nesby, Earnest Pugh and others.

Although it was a gospel-oriented event, the people at Malaco assured that they were celebrating all of the many genres and styles of music the record label had touched over its 50year life span. Malaco dubs itself as “The Last Soul Company,” but they did not necessarily start that way.

Malaco started as a pocket-change enterprise in the early 1960s with

By Gordon Jackson

Above: Mississippi Mass Choir Below: Stanley Roy Ladson Jr Keith Wonderboy Johnson - Photos by Anissa Photography

white college students Tommy Couch and Wolf Stephenson booking bands for fraternity dances at the University of Mississippi.

After Couch graduated, he opened a record shop and recording studio in Jackson, Mississippi as Malaco Attractions with brother-in-law Mitchell Malouf (Malouf + Couch = Malaco). Stephenson joined them in promoting concerts with British Invasion rock bands Herman’s Hermits, the Who, the Animals, and others.

But, from 1967 to 1970, the company struggled and needed a change.

That came when they made an agreement with New Orleans producer Wardell Quezergue to house his artists in exchange for studio time and use of their musicians. Among Quezergue’s

clients: Fats Domino, King Floyd, Jean Knight and others. Malaco made distribution agreements with Memphisbased Stax Records and established their own Chimneyville label.

It all began to come together by 1971. Floyd exploded with two hits, “Groove Me” and “Let Me Kiss You Baby,” that finished #1 and #5 respectively on the R&B charts. That was followed by Knight’s now classic “Mr. Big Stuff,” that sold two million copies and peaked at #1 R&B, #2 Pop. Such hits put Malaco on the recording map and they went on to work with the Pointer Sisters, Rufus Thomas and Paul Simon. But they reached another struggling point financially in 1974 and needed another musical savior.

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After rejections by other labels, they took a desperate chance and released Dorothy Moore’s “Misty Blue” in 1975. “Misty Blue” earned gold records around the world, peaking at #2 R&B and #3 pop in the USA, and #5 in England. This was followed by thirteen chart records and five Grammy nominations for Moore by 1980.

With Black music clearly their niche, Malaco went full speed into Gospel, signing the Jackson Southernaires, The Williams Brothers, The Truthettes and others.

Delving into the disco genre, they scored with Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell.”

Malaco then stopped trying to compete with mainstream labels and fell back on what it did so well – down home black music, old-time blues, soul and gospel. They revived the career of former Stax star Johnny Taylor and enjoyed long term success with artists like Z.Z Hill, Denise LaSalle, Benny Latimore, Little Milton Campbell, Bobby Blue Bland and others.

Malaco’s gospel label Savoy, would dominate the Billboard Gospel charts, achieving #1 ranking by Keith Pringle, Walter Hawkins, Rev. James Moore, Mississippi Mass Choir, Rev. Clay Evans, Dorothy Norwood, and the Rev. James Cleveland.

As they celebrate 50 years in business, Malaco looks to earn it moniker as “The Last Soul Company” for another half century. .

How to Lose Belly Fat M

By Kim Farmer

illions of people would like to lose excess belly fat, and unfortunately, belly fat is often the most resistant to dietary changes and harder to lose than other areas for some. Excess fat around your mid-section affects your aesthetics when you want to look good in a bikini at the beach or fit into a form fitting outfit. In addition, belly fat also carries a risk of developing heart disease and stroke.

Most men claim that next to a head full of hair, they would love to have a firm and toned waistline. The waistline is also the area that women would love to minimize the most, second only to hips and thighs.

So can you get rid of belly fat? Yes! But you should understand that it won’t happen overnight. You will have to put in an extra effort to have your belly look trim, toned and sexy.

planks, side planks, pushups, reverse crunches, and ab-roller exercises.

Another great exercise is to walkout from a push up position. This is a difficult exercise but is very effective.

Try doing 10 reps of three sets of three different types of exercises at a minimum. You can progress by adding other types of lightweight training by using a fit ball, exercise tubing and doing various exercises using a weight bench or step. Add variety and take a yoga or Pilate’s class (or DVD) on the weekends.

and whole grain foods. Drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise. Reduce your alcohol intake to one1 drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men, and also get adequate sleep. Studies show that people who get less than six hours of sleep tend to over eat junk foods to keep their energy levels elevated.

Eating Right

The other aspect of losing belly fat is to eat the right foods in the right portions. Try to minimize your sugar intake from cakes, cookies and other junk foods and of course avoid eating fried foods. Focus instead on eating a large variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts,

Conclusion

In order to lose belly fat, you need to be consistent in your physical activity.

Just going for a walk once a week or

Cardiovascular Exercise

Next to proper nutrition, cardiovascular exercise is the most important thing to incorporate into your daily life. Keep in mind that any exercise is better than no exercise. While there have been hundreds of exercises developed for people who want to lose belly fat, there is no one exercise that is better than the other. It all depends on your lifestyle, the time you have available and your health. If you don’t ‘exercise at all, the easiest thing to do is to start walking. Walk at least 1 hour a day 4-6 days a week, building up the intensity as your fitness level improves. Other options for cardiovascular exercise include jogging, biking, rowing, and swimming to name a few.

If you do not feel like doing structured exercise, rake the leaves, shovel the snow, play soccer with your kids or perform some other household duty that gets your heart rate up.

Remember that you do not necessarily have to join a gym to lose weight (and more specifically belly fat).

Strength Training

Strength training that target your midsection will help builds the muscle underneath any excess fat. Start with exercises that target your abdomen including basic exercises like crunches, and full sit ups. To add variety, try

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doing one set of push-ups is not going to do it. More importantly once you have achieved some success, you will still need to continue exercising regularly and eat the right types (and amounts) of food. Unfortunately we tend to gain weight as we age with slower metabolisms, so you’re eating habits may need to change as you get older.

Finally, try and minimize and control your stress levels. One of the best ways to lower your stress is to exercise – it is much cheaper than counseling.

If you remain dedicated to exercise and proper nutrition, then you could lose the belly fat within three to six months so be patient. .

Editor’s note: Contributor: Kim Farmer of Mile High Fitness & Wellness offers inhome personal training and corporate wellness solutions. For more information, visit www.milehighfitness.com or email inquiries@milehighfitness.com

Presumed Guilty The Ease of Criminalizing African Americans

By Alfonzo Porter

I

t’s been my greatest fear as a

black man living in America – that of fitting the profile, looking like some-

one else; someone who may have

committed a crime and followed by

being railroaded through the criminal

deadly for black people over the course of our history in the US. It continues to inform our presuppositions that simply being black is enough to be questioned, and in some cases detained by law enforcement.

justice system, convicted of an offense

that I did not commit. If that sounds a bit irrational, then perhaps talk to the

tens of thousands of black men who, over the years, have fallen victim to

this absurd actuality in a country that

feigns to view us all as innocent until

proven guilty.

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, in 2016 more than 150 men, who were wrongly convicted, were released after spending an average of 15 years in prison. Even though the system was to blame for this egregious error, these black men will forever be stigmatized as a convicted felon. Their ability to take advantage of the rights and privileges guaranteed to each citizen in this nation is effectively rendered null.

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution guarantees every person, even immigrants, equal protection under the law. However, it is Article 11 of the United Nation’s Declaration of Human Rights that establishes that “everyone charged with any offense has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty and that no one will be held guilty of any offense on account of any act or omission which does not constitute an offense under national or international law.”

Although it seems pretty straight forward that the burden of proof must rest with the one bringing the charge, it leaves many of us wondering why this simple statement appears to evade people of color; particularly African Americans. Essentially, it occurs when some random white person for whatever reason, feels threatened.

However, it does very little to defuse the lies and suspicions prompted by a thoughtless, mean-spirited assertion of guilt.

These petty, unfounded apprehensions can and indeed have proven

We are well acquainted with the infamous case of Emmett Till, the 14year-old Chicago elementary school student, who while visiting a relative in Money, Mississippi, in 1955, encountered 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant, a white woman accused the teenager of whistling at her in a grocery store and the rest is history. He was brutally beaten, murdered and discarded to the bottom of the Tallahatchie River with a 75 pound iron device tied to his body. The white men who killed the child were acquitted and the woman would later admit that she lied. It didn’t matter whether he did it or not—he was presumed guilty.

Many of us are also familiar with the case of the so-called Black Wall Street of the early 21st century; nearly 100 years ago. It was Memorial Day weekend in 1921 in the all black community of Greenwood, Oklahoma when a young African American male shoe shine boy allegedly brushed up against a 17-year-old white female elevator operator –she screamed and it

was automatically assumed that he had assaulted her in some way. A mob of white men quickly gathered with blood in their eyes but not before a group of black WWI veterans confronted them to avoid a lynching and insisting that the boy be given a proper hearing because he had the right to the presumption of innocence. A shot was fired and a riot broke out. It ended with more than a dozen white men and two black men dead.

Greenwood was, at that time, the wealthiest black community in America. It is paradoxical that in a Jim Crow reality, African American communities flourished. The black citizens owned a bank, movie theatre, grocery stores, hotels, lawyers’ offices, doctor’s clinics, pharmacies, auto shops, furriers, restaurants and every manner of enterprise created to largely serve African Americans.

Over the next days it would all be burned to the ground leaving nearly 200 hundred businesses destroyed, 39 black people dead, more than 800 admitted to hospitals and an estimated 10,000 black residents homeless— all because a black child was presumed guilty with zero evidence to substantiate his guilt.

Yet, the Till case and the plight of Black Wall Street, are not the only exemplifications of the type of mania that surrounds the mere presence of black folks to this very day. The horror visited upon unwitting, innocent African Americans resulting from the cruel misrepresentations by some arbitrary white person is not a matter of either historical or contemporary lore but a deep seeded belief that black people are inherently guilty of something.

Even the president of the U.S a dignified, honorable, globally respected African American figure could not escape the twisted delusions of those who opposed him. In fact, it was the

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current occupant of the White House that disseminated the false notion that Barack Obama was somehow an illegal alien—that he was not born an American citizen. However, any elementary school civics student can tell you that a child born to an American citizen, regardless of where they are born, is an American citizen. But millions of white Americans bought it. It harkens backs to the days when freed slaves were expected to present proof of their freedom. In other words, the message to President Obama was, “show me your papers, boy!”

He was forced to endure being called a liar in the well of the US Capitol during a worldwide State of the Union Address.

Heretofore, it was unimaginable for anyone to assault the president in such a manner.

But in the minds of many, a black president is clearly not due the same respect as a result of being presumed guilty. Juxtaposed against the consistent, blatant, habitual stream of untruths stemming from mouth of our current president, it extends conjecture of the presumption of guilt to the realm of the ridiculous.

Indeed, it is difficult to think of a single scandal surrounding the Obama Administration over the course of its eight years. Apparently, irony and hypocrisy fails to register that a dishonest, thoroughly corrupt, disrespectful, cruel, treasonous, racist, sexist, misogynistic, ignorant, demagogic, con artist of a white man asserting that a law-abiding, trustworthy black man is anything but honorable is totally overlooked; and many in America’s white population accept his mendacity as truth. This is at the root of why it is so easy to indict black Americans with little more than a sheer contention of wrongdoing.

And the lies didn’t stop there.

Since then, Mr. Trump has alleged that President Obama gave away

Ukraine and Crimea to Russia; that he bugged Trump Tower and placed FBI agents in the Trump campaign. He has asserted that Obama instituted the policy of removing children from their families at our southern border with Mexico. He circulated the lie that during an Obama speech in Chicago, two people in the crowd were shot and killed. He claimed that his inaugural crowd was larger even though aerial photographic evidence clearly confirmed the opposite. Trump also declared that very few people were eve covered under Obama-Care—in fact, 22 million Americans were covered under the Affordable Care Act. What is so remarkable is that millions actually swallow these blatant, outlandish lies because it is easy to believe the worst about African Americans; even the most honorable among us.

These incidents occur every day in the lives of black people in this country in the ordinary course of simply existing. This treatment has also, of course, hit close to home. I, like the vast majority of us, have not been able to escape this “guilty syndrome.”

While meeting a student at the Aurora, CO library for a tutoring session, I noticed a white woman in one of the study rooms packing up appearing to be prepping to leave. I quietly peeked in and asked if she was packing up. To my surprise, she rudely quipped, “I’ll be here for a while.”

Five minutes later a security guard appeared informing me that the

woman alleged that I had threatened her. I don’t mind admitting that I was infuriated to have been lied on. The worst part is that the coward left the premises before she could be confronted with her barefaced, deliberate fabrication. I felt disgraced at being force to explain myself in the face of her deceit.

What is so acute is that these falsehoods have very real consequences for black people. We’ve tolerated violence, incarceration and even death as a result. The larger question is why are well trained law enforcement officers still so gullible and susceptible to these ridiculous and apparently racist

More recently, two black men, Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson were arrested for trespassing at a Philadelphia Starbucks because they asked to use the restroom while awaiting a meeting. This is a stark illustration that we are presumed guilty on sight. What crime did they commit?

They were guilty of not making a purchase. They were placed in handcuffs, humiliated and carted off like common criminals.

When Lolade Siyonbola, a black graduate student at Yale University, had the nerve to fall asleep while writing a paper in a common area on campus, a white woman called the police.

Miss Siyonbola was reportedly questioned for more than 15 minutes before producing her student identification and using a key to open her dorm room door to prove that she was a student at the Ivy League school.

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accusations? And why are there no penalties for those bringing such hateful, bigoted indictments of innocent people?

It is exhausting to live as a suspect—having to continually prove your blamelessness. It turns out that my long-held fears are the same trepidations held by most people who look like me. Racial bias has not been an aberration but a dangerous reality.

Perhaps the worst part is that the detestable, repulsive and irresponsible rhetoric emanating from the White House promises more of the same moving forward. .

Finally,

Technology Will Enable Black Men to Catch a Taxi!

(Maybe) But at what cost to the community?

By Thomas Russell

When Cornell Belcher was a

young college graduate in the ‘90s, he often worked late hours as a waiter in an upscale Washington D.C. restaurant. When his shift ended at midnight, city buses were no longer running and rail service did not exist. This would normally not be a problem because taxis were still providing service. However, it was a huge problem; taxis would not stop for him.

Taxis would swerve around him and “pick up white patrons, or my white colleagues.”

Cornell, now a political contributor of CNN and president of Brilliant Corners, an international democratic polling firm, would lament, “I came face-to-face with overt discrimination in a way that, even as a child of the South, I frankly never experienced in such a direct way.”

In the fall of 1999, actor Danny Glover, his daughter Mandisa, then a senior at New York University, and her college roommate, stood at 116th and Seventh Avenue trying to hail a taxi. Five yellow taxis passed them by.

He filed a complaint with the City Taxi and Limousine Commission, charging discrimination. Glover made a comment that revealed the type of acquiesce many Black men experience when he stated; “I don’t expect to have a taxi. I’ve been conditioned to

think that someone is not going to stop for me.”

A decade later, Christopher Darden (remember him?) tried to hail a taxi while the Good Morning America cameras were on. He was successful in the daytime, but after the sun went down, his luck changed, finally getting a ride when a Black driver stopped for him after two taxis passed him by.

This is a well-known and common experience for African American men.

The fact that the chances of a Black man hailing a taxi is much lower than that of his white peers, is a reminder that African Americans still have plenty of reasons to be conscious of being Black, even in the most innocuous of situations. When a Black man tries to hail a taxi, he is wondering if his color will be the deciding factor on whether he’s successful or not. That is an experience totally foreign to a white person.

This problem is not your common Black and white racism. Very few taxi drivers in New York are white.

According to a recent study conducted

by Bruce Schaller, a taxi industry consultant based in Brooklyn, 84 percent of the over 99,000 taxi drivers in New York City are immigrants. They come from places such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, the West Indies, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It does not take them long to learn the New

York City landscape, and apparently, it does not take them long to learn the racisms and prejudices of America.

Even the Black immigrant taxi drivers hold this same view of African American males.

The problem is not limited to the traditional taxis. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research stated that Black Uber and Lyft users waited 35 percent longer and received higher cancellations rates than their white counterparts. Also, according to this research, having an African American sounding name could also get their ride cancelled. Names such a Todd, Allison and Brad would get fast and reliable service, but if your name is Aisha, Darnell or Rasheed, you may have a very long wait, if you get a ride at all.

Uber and Lyft blame this on the individual drivers and say this is not a reflection of their companies. Lyft drivers can see their passengers name and profile picture before they accept a passenger.

This information is available for Uber only after they hit accept. Presently, the revamped taxi industry is still not stamping out racism, even though the element of money is totally eliminated.

To look at this problem from a wider lens, Black men who have trouble catching a taxi is part of a broader anxiety directed towards them. Law abiding teenager Travon Martin was killed for simply defending himself against an armed adult stranger who

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confronted him. His killer’s intrinsic fear of Black males found an understanding audience and that was enough to set him free, even though he was the one who actually created the incident. When a taxi driver passes a young Black man, regardless of the time or circumstances, no one should be surprised. It’s part of the American biography. Is anyone surprised about this problem?

However, there’s a chance technology will help solve this problem.

Autonomous cars are in our future.

The transition will not be overnight, but the testing is already being done in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Pittsburg.

The accepted scenario goes something like this; Uber (and other ridesharing apps) are on the rise and Yellow Cab use is on the decline.

Eventually, Yellow Cabs will be replaced by Uber drivers. After Uber drivers are in place, they will be replaced with self-driving cars, effectively eliminating the need for human taxi drivers. The transportation landscape of New York City, as well as the rest of the country, will be changed forever.

Of course, this change will not be that simple, but there are some facts that can’t be ignored. Uber plans on replacing their human drivers with autonomous cars. They announced in February of 2015 that they will build a fleet of automated cars. These cars are equipped with about two dozen cameras, radar and lidar technology, GPS and technology that use lasers to “see” and interpret their environment.

Machine learning algorithms enable the car to traverse its surroundings.

The cars know the difference between a fire hydrant, a stop sign, and a traffic light. Transportation Institute claimed that self-driving cars were involved in fewer accidents than cars driven by humans, even though a human was killed by a self-driving car a while back.

On the surface, this technology is good news for Black customers. Taxis will be able to pick up and transport anyone to anyplace at any time.

Physical money does not need to be exchanged, the thoughts of racist taxi drivers do not need to be considered, and most important, service would be extended to everyone equally.

Computers are not racist. Right?

We are not in the clear yet. The same algorithms that can distinguish between a fire hydrant and a stop sign can also be used to distinguish between a Black person and a white person. Those same algorithms can teach a computer which areas are more likely to be trouble. We have to ask ourselves what type of data will be fed and analyzed for deep learning.

Does data such as income level, crime rates, and ethnicity have a place in autonomous car technology? If that type of data is collected, Blacks will still find it difficult to catch a taxi.

I don’t consider myself to be a Luddite for nothing. I image that technology can also be used in a way that reflects the norms and attitude of society in which it is created. It will not be too far-fetched to see that the Ubers that travel to places like the South Bronx will be ruggedized: Little tank like vehicles, ideal for war-torn areas, creeping throughout the neighborhood. In low income areas, there’s a tendency to make things that could withstand the toughest wear-and-tear.

In the parks, there are designs devoid of aesthetics or finesse. Instead everything is hard. There are cement slabs for tables and benches, stores and banks are fiberglass fortresses, the furniture of national fast food restaurants are designed to be indestructible and uncomfortable (they do not want people hanging around) and bland brick housing projects, devoid of any artistic embellishments beside a place to store people, dot the landscape. These designs are not made to inspire, only to gain security with concrete and steel. The ruggedizing of the self-driving cars will follow this idea. There’s no reason to think that the autonomous cars in the Bronx and Brooklyn neighborhoods will be the same as the cars in Manhattan. We don’t have to look any further for proof of that. Today, if you compare the midtown yellow cabs of Manhattan to the beat-up and wornout taxis that serve the Bronx, you can see where we are going with this.

It can get worse. Suppose security surveillance cameras are attached to these vehicles, or at least some of them. What type of data could law enforcement collect and what will they do with it? At least these are issues we should think about. With the recent data breaches experienced by Facebook, it is not far-fetched to believe all collected data is not is not for benevolent services. Big data analytic companies would salivate at the chance to collect trillions of points of data that these automated vehicles could collect. This data collection will be at the expense people who are the subject of the collection, but who have no control over how the data is going to be used.

Currently, many cities use crime predictive software to help to police troubled areas and predict the types and location of crimes. The majority of this software is used in impoverished areas and most of the people living in these areas are African-American and Hispanic. This predictive software is fed a constant stream of historical

data, such as time and location of crimes as well as “hotspots” of crime such as the locations of convenience stores and ATM machines. The information produces maps which are drawn to identify the places with the highest crime rates and/or the potential for crimes. These are the areas that are highly policed, which results in more arrest, those arrests are feed into the data, and then those areas are marked as high crime rate areas, and those areas are marked for high policing. This creates a cycle that is difficult to break.

Imagine taking the present scenario and adding hundreds of cameras in those same areas. The cameras will feed more data into this digital cauldron and is further stirred with algorithms. It would be naive to think law enforcement would ignore the opportunity and potential for the goldmine of data that will be collected. Each selfdriving cab is equipped with dozens of cameras. There is a very real potential for poor neighborhoods to become places where cameras are a ubiquitous part of the landscape, not unlike those dystopian societies depicted in books and movies and not unlike some cities in China. Mugshots can be fed into the system and suspects will be flagged as they walk the streets. One of the glaring flaws in facial recognition technology is that it does not work well with people with dark skin. This technology will affect criminals as well as law abiding citizens. This is a high price for a cab ride.

There’s a possibility that self-driving taxis could help mitigate the negative effects of the present racism, but as all new technology, it creates a whole new slew of other problems that have to be dealt with. Roadblocks (both legal and technical) abound for Uber, as they try to position themselves in the future. However, the technology will force its way into our society, regardless of the obstacles.

Change is coming, but meanwhile, Black men will consider catching a taxi a sketchy endeavor. Some will have to use their white spouses and friends to act as decoys for them, some will give up and find different transportation, some will continue trying and until a taxi actually stops for them and some will be not try out all; arranging their personal logistics to match more reliable modes of transportation.

I’ll be in New York this summer and I may or may not be in a situation where I have to hail a taxi. But if I do try to hail a cab, like many other African Americans, I’m going to hope and expect for the best experience, but prepare mentally for the worse. And no technology will change that. .

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Ground Rules

Must See............llll It’s Worth A Look.....lll See At Your Own Risk.ll Don’t Bother.....................l

Editor’s note: Samantha Ofole-Prince is an award-winning writer and contributor to many national publications and is Blackflix.com’s Senior Critic-at-Large.

Khaleel Herbert is a journalism student at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Laurence Washington is the creator of BlackFlix.com. Like Blackflix.com on Facebook, follow Blackflix.com on Twitter

A

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

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By Laurence Washington

fter the first two Jurassic Park films, you would think that during an InGen Company board meeting that somebody would raise their hand and say, “Excuse me sir/madam, making dinosaurs is a bad idea. In fact, doubling down and making super dinosaurs is an equally bad idea that always ends badly.”

But no, it was not to be. Jurassic Park scientists keep making enhanced dinosaurs, and Universal Studios keeps making Jurassic Park movies, each one worst than the last. Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom is no exception to this rule. It’s riddled with rehashed scenes from the previous films – especially The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and plot holes big enough a brontosaurus could fall through.

Due to premise, the film centers around rescuing 11 species of dinosaurs from Jurassic World on Isla Nubar. Due to a spending volcanic eruption to aid in the relocation, enter Dino lovers Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) who were almost killed in the last film. What were they thinking?

The operation is bankrolled by Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), a billionaire who had creative differences with Jurassic Park’s

in the film. However, the Jurassic Park franchise has a presold audience, and should do well at the box office. Fans of the films will be glad to lean that the ending lends itself to plenty of sequels to come.

originator Dr. Hammond. Lockwood had bowed out of the Dino business until now. He tells Owen and Claire that he has an island where the dinosaurs can thrive and be free from human interference.

Of course Lockwood’s plan goes sideways and the dinosaurs end up on his huge estate. Once off the island, The Fallen Kingdom digresses into a typical and boring Monster in the House film. All the charm, wonderment, thrills and amazement of the first Jurassic Park are just dusty memo-

W

Skyscraper

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By Khaleel Herbert

ill Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) is a safety assessor for The Pearl - the tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong and the world with 220 floors making the Empire State Building look like a toothpick.

The Pearl, designed by Zhao Long Ji (Chin Han), is a city all in one building with recreational features, a park and living facilities throughout. The mighty tower also holds a small dome at the top where you can see all of Hong Kong. The skyscraper has gadgets, gizmos and self-maintenance features to keep it running smoothly.

Things turn sour when thugs, led by Long Ji’s powerful enemy Botha (Roland Moller), set a floor of the mighty building on fire. Will’s family (Neve Campbell, McKenna Roberts and Noah Cottrell), who reside on a neighboring floor, have to escape the fire. It’s up to Will, who’s a mile away, to save them.

Let’s get the good news out of the way. Skyscraper gets kudos for having an interracial family as the main characters in the film. We get a nod toward the physically impaired community with Will and his prosthetic leg kicking booty and saving his skin on a regular basis. There’s plenty of fire, explosions and epic leaps of doom from Johnson.

Now let’s discuss the flaws. It’s hard to take The Rock as an action hero here. I haven’t seen his earlier work like The Rundown or Walking Tall, but I’m sure it’s waaaaaaaay better than Skyscraper.

ries. To the film’s credit, the dinosaurs look better and better with each film.

However, all the advanced CGI magic cannot save a movie if the plot is extinct.

While watching the film’s impressive volcanic eruption (I must say they got it right after watching Kilauea on YouTube), one might ask, don’t volcanoes make islands instead of sink islands? That’s just a thought to ponder.

However, we wouldn’t have a movie if there were a dormant volcano. Nobody is scared of a dormant volcano. In an effort to protect the box office, the filmmakers had dinosaurs trying to eat anybody in their way during their escape from spewing lava and shooting fireballs into the sky.

Logic dictates that when a volcano erupts, your basic instinct is to haul ass - never mind what’s for dinner.

And will someone please notify the filmmakers that T-Rexs and Raptors do not save the day. In fact, those particular species of Dinos do quite the opposite. By all rights, Barney the blue T-Rex should be eating children. But let’s not go down that rabbit hole.

Jeff Goldblum reprises his role as scientist/philosopher Dr. Ian Malcolm, who tells a U.S. Senate hearing that taking dinosaurs off Isla Nubar is a bad idea and to let them die in the volcanic explosion. Too bad Goldblum is only on screen for a cup of coffee. He was the only bright spot

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It’s hard to take Will seriously because in the beginning of the film, there was a catastrophic event that affected him and gave him his prosthetic leg. Although he met his wife, this scene set a dark tone that kept us

intrigued. But that tone didn’t carry throughout the movie like it should have. Flashbacks or PTSD, anyone?

Not to mention he gave up serving his country to become a safety assessor.

How did that happen? There are simple explanations that one could easily miss if they don’t pay attention.

Denzel Washington is one of the best action stars because he makes all of his characters realistic and believable. They all have flaws and regrets that are established early on. In Man on Fire, Creasy is a bodyguard who has to revert back to his old ways as an assassin to save a little girl. The Taking of Pelham 123 has Walter Garber, a man with his own sins, reaching out to a man hijacking a train for money and to point fingers at society.

In Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo franchise, we have a man who struggles with his past as a human killing machine, save prisoners and his own colonel from enemy lines. These ghosts, flaws and checkered pasts make these characters moving and relatable. Some can relate to Will, but not in depth. This whole film lacks depth because the characters and plot are too straightforward and mediocre.

Director Rawson Marshall Thurber should have used the formula he used in Central Intelligence. Both Johnson and Kevin Hart’s characters were meaningful and fun to watch.

The final straw of Skyscraper was the remedial ending. It makes the audience feel like ignorant little children. For people who love Johnson in action, Skyscraper is a hit. But for those who want to chew on substance with their explosions and gunfire, Skyscraper lacks nourishment.

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Whitney

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By Khaleel Herbert

t’s been six years since Whitney Houston’s passing. For some, it seems longer. We’ve lost other AfricanAmerican musical legends from Michael Jackson and Prince to Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., and Fats Domino. But on Feb. 11, 2012, the world lost one of the greatest voices in music.

Before the fame, Whitney was known as Nippy in the slums of Newark, New Jersey. Her mother, Cissy Houston, was out touring as a backup singer for Aretha Franklin and others. She had her own singing career.

Whitney and her brothers lived with various family members while their mother was on tour. As time went on, Whitney discovered she loved to sing, and sung in the church choir. This led to her mother’s mentorship and a record deal with Clive Davis of Arista Records. The world was in awe when they saw her first TV performance on the Merv Griffin Show in 1983 and the music she created soon after.

Kevin Macdonald’s thoughtful documentary covered a lot of ground with interviews of the singers’ relatives, friends and colleagues including Kevin Costner, Bobby Brown and more. There’s plenty of archival footage even some diehard fans may not have seen.

Documentaries celebrate and highlight someone’s life. Macdonald does this to a tee, chronicling the highs and lows of Houston. It’s a film that pierces your heart because Houston suffered from her fame as a drug addict. But this film makes you smile because her voice touched so many

Leslie plays Betty Lou, a staunch preacher’s wife, who is initially skeptical about letting her husband return to basketball with all its temptations.

“She is feisty, fierce, independent and she doesn’t take any mess,” Leslie describes. “She’s bossy and likes to be in control, but she is also very in love with her husband and wants to make sure he stays on a positive path.”

One of the funniest characters is a character the WNBA champion modeled on her grandmother who she says is a devout Christian.

“She is definitely a church lady and she walks kinda hunched over, but on Sundays she would have on her suit head to toe with a blazer and a hat.

She is one of those ladies who has always been in the church.”

For Leslie, a four-time Olympic Gold Medal winner and Basketball Hall of Famer who first started acting while playing basketball in high school, and has starred in movies Love & Basketball and Think like a Man, taking on the task of playing an elderly woman was a challenge she embraced.

“I love acting and I think it’s the closest thing to the feeling that I felt when I played basketball and I really love it and I hope to do more.”

To perfect the look of Betty Lou, layers were added to Leslie’s cheeks, forehead and chin, a daily process which the actress says took a couple of hours.

“When I first saw her in the testing scene, I did not like the way she looked. I didn’t want her to look too ugly as I am out here with these men, and I thought she was too masculine.

It was important for her to look a little more feminine so I showed them a picture of my grandmother as I wanted them to see that Black women age a certain way. They really listened and we took a little bit off and brought it

people, especially after she performed the “Star Spangled Banner” at the 1991 Super Bowl.

There were some things I felt were missing or didn’t get a lot of screentime. For example, Dolly Parton’s thoughts of Houston covering her song, “I Will Always Love You,” making it a great hit. It would have also been nice to mention the alleged “beef” between Houston and Mariah Carey and how they put those rumors to rest with their collabo, “When You Believe.” Even the relationships she had with Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson could have been extended.

Macdonald’s style of Whitney wasn’t Lauren Lazin’s style for Tupac: Resurrection or the recent PBS special Diana: In Her Own Words where the subject described their life in their own words. But Whitney is a living breathing celebration of her devoted life that newbie fans can appreciate.

Lisa Leslie says “Uncle Drew is a light hearted comedy with a really good message behind it”

By Samantha Ofole-Prince Photos courtesy of Lionsgate

“T

o have the opportunity to play someone who is in their 80s, I thought was pretty cool, especially with all of the prosthetics,” says Lisa Leslie of her role in the warm-hearted comedy Uncle Drew, a film which follows an aging team of former ball players who compete in a basketball tournament.

“Initially when I went in for the audition, I actually dressed up as an old lady, talked to everybody like an old lady and was moving slowly with a bible in my hand.”

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down to what I would really look like if I was aged,” she adds.

With humor and a heartwarming message “Uncle Drew” follows Dax (Lil Rel Howery) a shoe salesman who has been dealt a series of unfortunate setbacks, including losing his team and his gold-digging girlfriend (Tiffany Haddish) to his longtime rival (Nick Kroll). Desperate to win the basketball tournament and the cash prize, he stumbles upon the legend Uncle Drew (NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving) and after convincing him to return to the court one more time, they cobble togetherDrew’s old basketball cronies.

The bunch of seniors includes the grumpy Big Fella (Shaquille O’Neal), a sight-impaired gentleman called Lights (Reggie Miller), the charismatic character Boots (Nate Robinson), who is obsessed with his hoop shoes and Preacher (Chris Webber) who after retiring replaced his basketball with the Good Book of the Lord. Dax is initially skeptical of Drew’s elderly squad, but with no other options he’s forced to go along with Drew’s plan that a group of seniors can still win the big league.

“There is that underlying message which is that if you fall you have to get back up,” Leslie continues. “It happens in life and we have a lot of things that we hold on to that happen to us in life and we let that shape us - it can be something that is negative.

Howery’s character was holding on to something that happened that was so traumatic and because it was negative it held him back in so many other areas of his life. It is a comedy and it’s light hearted and it’s fun, but it also has a really good message behind it.”

A predictable, but delightful sports drama directed by Charles Stone III (Drumline), Uncle Drew has a bunch of definable and lovable characters, which exalts the humor. .

D.L. Hughley Shoots Straight on Police, Mark Fuhrman and Racial Profiling

By Allison Kugel

H

ailed as one of the most pro-

lific standup comedians of the past

three decades, D.L. Hughley has never been afraid to dig into ethnic stereotypes, economic disparity, relation-

ships, politics… nothing’s off limits.

His words are explicit and paint an

accurate portrait of societal contradic-

tions and pain in fast forward.

From his legendary standup material and his nationally syndicated radio show, The D.L. Hughley Show, to his upcoming Netflix series, The Fix (a hybrid game show/issues-based panel talk show), D.L.’s platform as an outspoken advocate of civil rights is unconventional and tinged with off-color language. But as he shared with me during our conversation, he believes that to reach people with a heavy message, you’ve got to get them to let their guard down through laughter.

His latest book, How Not To Get Shot: And Other Advice From White People pulls no punches and offers no apologies, as Hughley puts forth his satirical and bitingly sarcastic take on racial profiling, police shootings, President Trump, and the advice that white people often give black people on how to adequately assimilate into American society. Nothing is off limits as he covers topics like black names versus white names, dressing black versus dressing white, how white people advise black people to talk to the police, neighborhood profiling, “the race card,” and a hosts of other hot button, racially charged issues. D.L. goes in. The book doubles down on D.L.’s already controversial public platform. It is filled with humor, sorrow and irony, and it will make you a bit uncomfortable no matter what side of the fence you are on.

Allison Kugel: Did the motivation to write your latest book, “How Not

To Get Shot (And Other Advice From White People),” come from a place of fear, love, hope, anger…?

D.L. Hughley: I think all those things. Fear, frustration, anger… they all kind of mirror each other. When I was writing this book, I realized that society would never take a good look at itself unless you make it feel good; unless you give them something to make their ears tickle a little bit. My overall thought was to be clear enough where it doesn’t seem trite and to be satirical enough where people can’t tell if I’m being serious or not. And I needed it to be angry enough to mirror the people who go through these things all

the time. Watching people of color being slaughtered at the hands of police is nothing new. I grew up in Los Angeles, so it happened quite often.

Everybody always wants to say they want to start this conversation, and this book is my contribution to that conversation.

Allison Kugel: Do you feel safe living in the United States?

D.L. Hughley: I don’t think I ever will… black men and safety don’t go together. There are a lot of words that black people use to describe how they feel, but I don’t think “safe” is one of them.

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Allison Kugel: What do you tell your kids when they ask if they’re safe?

D.L. Hughley: That we’re going to do the best we can to make sure we are. I think that America’s never seen a person of color that lost their life where the powers-that-be were compelled to do something about it; where they were actually moved to action.

Whether it was Emmett Till or Trayvon Martin, I think they have a certain kind of distance when it comes to black people dying. The first thing they’ll say is, “Well, if you wouldn’t have done this?” or “You shouldn’t have done that.” The impetus for me writing this book was going on Megyn Kelly’s show (Megyn Kelly TODAY) and we were going to talk about the police and policing, and she had Mark Fuhrman (disgraced detective in the 1995 O.J. Simpson murder trial) on the same show. She didn’t tell me he was going to be on, and he went on before me. They had Mark Fuhrman on to talk about policing. He got fired for lying. He lied so much that he got a murderer off. He got O.J. off! And this is how we start the conversation about policing, and about good police versus bad police? Even other police will tell you that Mark Fuhrman was a bad [cop]. That’s how they decided to start the conversation that day. That’s when I knew I would write this book.

Allison Kugel: Does fame and money insulate you at all from racial profiling and police harassment?

D.L. Hughley: It didn’t insulate Bill Cosby’s son (the late Ennis Cosby). He was still shot down by violence. It didn’t insulate Tupac when he was shot.

There was a member of Earth Wind and Fire who was shot by the Santa Monica Police Department for holding a fireplace holder. I think when you’re black and nobody knows that you’re famous, it doesn’t matter anyway.

Before they see anything else, they see that you’re black.

Allison Kugel: There was one page in the book where you ask the reader, “Who can say the “N”

word?” and then you answer, “Fucking black people, and that’s it.”

Using myself as an example, not only do I not want you to use racial or religious slurs against me as a Jewish person, I have no desire to say them about myself either. Why do you even want to have the right to use the “N” word? Why use it?

D.L. Hughley: I don’t want to have the right. I wish it didn’t exist, but it does so I won’t pretend that it doesn’t.

The most annoying thing is that people will blame the use of the “N” word on black people. They’ll say, “Well, if you didn’t use it, then maybe we wouldn’t use it. You use it in hip hop all the time.” That word has been a part of the American lexicon since the early 1700s.

Hip hop’s been around since 1975.

What came first, the word “nigger” or The Sugarhill Gang? To pretend that black people can stop saying it and then all people will stop feeling that way about us, and that it will go away, is ridiculous. There has never been a word in our lexicon that equates to that word, not one.

Allison Kugel: I’m going to share my perspective at the risk of you getting mad at me…

D.L. Hughley: I won’t get mad at you…

Allison Kugel: To give my perspective as a female, I have always felt that the B word was used to dehumanize women, and I can remember that word stinging from the time I was a little kid. I remember thinking, “Does that word mean that I’m less than human?” So, from where I’m sitting, a de-humanizing word is a de-humanizing word.

Am I way off base with that one?

D.L. Hughley: There is no equating the two. They took a word “bitch,” which means a female dog, and equated it to something else, that is true. But they made up a word to describe us. Bitch is horrible, but it had another meaning.

“Nigger” never had another meaning.

They invented a word just for us. To me, there is no comparison and no other word that equates to our word.

Allison Kugel: What’s your opinion on the song, The Story of O.J. by Jay Z and the music video for the song – brilliant social commentary or offensive imagery?

D.L. Hughley: Brilliant is a word that’s used a lot. I think it was demonstrative. I got it. I wouldn’t call it “brilliant,” because that word is overused. I

think it was clear and interesting, and satirical. But brilliant would be a whole different level or category.

Allison Kugel: I know of some people who thought it made an interesting and accurate social statement, and other people I know were completely offended by it because of the negative stereotypical images it portrayed.

D.L. Hughley: There’s a book called Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do (W.W. Norton and Company). It’s about stereotypes and how they start-

between police officers and the black community?

D.L. Hughley: Here’s the way we have a dialogue; it starts with accountability. The same accountability you demand from us as a community, we should demand from you as [law enforcement] professionals. When a mayor in Los Angeles says we need to teach our children to respect the police, well children are just children and that’s why you have parents. You have to guide them at that age, and in the process they make a lot of mistakes. But is a reasonable solution to a communal problem to say that children need to be more responsible than trained adults? When Megyn Kelly has me on her show to talk about the police and says, “I’m going to talk with Mark Fuhrman first,” or when you tell children to act more responsible than adults who are fully trained by the state, that’s based on a false premise.

Allison Kugel: What do you think the police are afraid of?

D.L. Hughley: I can’t speak for them. I can’t tell you what they’re afraid of. But I can tell you this, that I don’t only teach my children to respect the police, I teach them to fear the police. If the police treated us like the human beings that they say they serve, then we would be okay, but they don’t. What the police do is what they’ve always done to black people, to keep us in our place.

You’re suspicious if you’re somewhere you don’t belong. The reason we have all these policemen getting called is because [black people] are in places where people aren’t used to seeing them or are uncomfortable seeing them. That’s always been their mission. Maybe we should change what their mission is. Maybe it shouldn’t be to just keep us in our place. Maybe it should be to treat us like citizens. If you call the police on somebody for barbequing, for sleeping in a common area at Yale, or walking to a mall, or

ed.

Stereotypes exist because somebody embodied them. I’m not saying most people, but some people did. And it was clear enough where people took that as the majority. I was on a plane one time and it was me and a bunch of other famous comics. A lady came up to us and said, “Are you guys in entertainment?” because we were in first class. They all got offended. I was like, “Motherf*cker, we are in entertainment, and we are sitting in first class, so shut up!” (Laughs). Most black people you know who are wealthy are in entertainment or they’re athletes, so stop pretending like that’s not true. It doesn’t mean that all of us are that, but a lot of people embody that fact.

Allison Kugel: Where is the elusive bridge of communication, for example,

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eating at certain places, what that tells you is the police’s goal is to make society feel safe from us. I got the police called on me in my own neighborhood, and I’ve lived there for seventeen years. My wife has had that happen and my children have had that happen. You can look around Calabasas (a tony suburb in Los Angeles’s northern San Fernando Valley) and you wouldn’t see many people who have lived there longer than me, but I’m the stranger!

Allison Kugel: Have you had some positive interactions with the police?

D.L. Hughley: Sure. Generally, they work for me (laughs). I have three police officers that work for me. But, it’s been ninety percent bullshit and ten percent cool. I think white people would say it’s the other way around.

Allison Kugel: I’ve often heard black men say that if they are too outspoken about racial issues and/or if they’re platform should grow too big and too powerful, they then become a target and the government will now see them as a problem that needs to be dealt with. Do you ever think about that?

D.L. Hughley: I’m going to do what it is I believe. I can’t say how people will respond to it. That’s not my job.

You gotta be doing something when you go. I teach my children to stand up for what they believe in and to be willing to sacrifice for their beliefs.

And I can say that my children know who they are as people, and they know who I am and what I believe. .

Editor’s note: D.L. Hughley’s book, How Not To Get Shot (And Other Advice From White People) is available everywhere books are sold. His radio show, The D.L. Hughley Show, airs weekdays, 3 to 7 p.m. in national syndication.

Editor’s note: Allison Kugel is a syndicated entertainment and pop culture journalist, and author of the book, Journaling Fame: A memoir of a life unhinged and on the record. Follow her on Instagram @theallisonkugel and visit AllisonKugel.com.

Article photo credits: Book Cover Art: William Morrow, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; D.L. Hughley Portraits: Shannon McCollum.

15 Successful Black CEOs to Speak At Upcoming Conference on How to Go “From Local to Global”

Speakers, aged 9 to 50, are all successful Black business owners representing five different countries and will be sharing their valuable knowledge at the 2018 Global Now Conference and Business Impact Forum in Huntsville, Alabama on October 4-7.

BLACK PR NEWS

“We are excited and pleased that so many influential brands have already committed to speak at GNC 2018. The generational diversity of the speakers will allow for critical and insightful discussions at the 2nd Annual Global Now Conference,” commented LeTonya F. Moore, Esq. visionary of 360° Brand Protection Strategies(TM).

“GNC 2018 will be the culmination of our mission to create a pathway for small, micro brands to go from local to global and will reflect the focus we have had during this year to raise the global voice of collaboration,” she added.

address the holistic needs of the entrepreneur. It is a combination of business, legal, taxation, and more created from LeTonya’s “7 Step Framework to Expand Your Brand(TM)”. There is a plethora of information online and free resources for business plans, business incorporations, and ways to establish a business presence in your community.

“Research shows that diversity in literacy increases the educational success of minority children,” says Diane Taylor, the publisher. “This book excites, ignites and educates young readers. We wanted to inform and build self-esteem.”

Daddy’s Little Princess has been featured on national mediums including the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, Essence.com, TODAY show online, TheRoot.com, Yahoo News, Teen Vogue, Huffington Post and many more.

Morgan’s motto is “Rock Your

9-year old Morgan E. Taylor and G. Todd Taylor pose with the rest of their family members during a recent appearance at the ESSENCE Music Festival

Crown” and she’s been rocking hers and encouraging others since Daddy’s Little Princess was published. Her website is www.daddyslittleprincess.me. She and her signed books at 11am on Sat. July 7 in the Author Pavilion at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Editor’s note: G. Todd Taylor is a former educator and has authored several Children’s books. He autographed two of his other books Dad, Who Will I Be? and I Don’t See Color at the Author Pavilion as well.

Father and Daughter “Rock the Crown” at Essence Music Festival

LeTonya Moore and the other international speakers that will speak at the 2018 Global Now Conference and Business Impact Forum

Nationwide (BlackNews.com) – The 360° Brand Protection Strategies(TM) is delighted to announce the first lineup of keynote speakers for the 2nd Annual Global Now Conference and Business Impact Forum which will be held in Huntsville, AL on October 4-7, 2018.

Among the growing list of keynote speakers are kid CEOs, Christon “The Truth” Jones, CEO of The TRUTH About Investing, LLC and Kinyah Bean, CEO of Memphis based, BChill Lemonade, LLC, international power players, Vanessa McLean, founder of London-based Speakers’ Institute for Women, Norva Semoy Abiona, relationship change catalyst and global ambassador for family empowerment, Eboni L. Truss, Speak to Get Clients mentor, just to name a few. The theme for GNC 2018 is “From Local to Global,” and it communicates the important aspect of properly positioning your brand for success.

The conference will include speakers addressing the most critical issues facing the global minded entrepreneur. Registration is open now.

For more information about the conference and/or to register, visit www.globalnowconference.com About the Conference: The Global NOW Conference (GNC) is an intergenerational, inter-gender program component of the Women’s Business Impact Forum (WBIF). The GNC serves as an intensive for entrepreneurs, entertainers, speakers, trainers, coaches, and authors seeking to expand their brand into the global marketplace. The GNC features top thought leaders in law, marketing, security, sales, branding, networking, strategic planning, insurance, finance, taxation, brand protection, management & operations, and more.

About 360 Brand Protection Strategies: 360° Brand Protection Strategies(TM) was developed to

New Orleans, LA (BlackNews.com) – For the 3rd consecutive year, 9-year old Morgan E. Taylor and G. Todd Taylor, her father, participated in the Author Pavilion at the 2018 ESSENCE Music Festival. Their repeat participation was based on the popularity of offering books that reflect positive images of African American children.

Morgan’s one of a kind non-fiction picture book Daddy’s Little Princess introduces real Princesses and Queens of color from all around the world.

“Every little girl should believe she\s a Princess,” said Morgan.

“Princesses come in all shades.”

Daddy’s Little Princess derived from a conversation Morgan had with her dad and co-author G. Todd Taylor about the lack of diversity seen in children’s books about royalty.

“My dad always called me his little Princess,” Morgan said. “But I didn’t believe I could be a real one because I didn’t see any that looked like me.”

“It gave me so much joy to see the new Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle,” she added. “So it’s extra special when I have an opportunity to introduce so many others.”

The recent marriage of Duchesses Meghan Markle has sparked a renewed interest in royalty.

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New Book Addresses Alarming Rate of Early Puberty Among Black Girls

Teen Expert Reveals the Truth about Black Girls and Puberty Dallas, TX (BlackNews.com) – In the new book, Understanding My Daughter’s Brown Body, A Mom’s Guide to Raising Body-Confident Black Girls, award-winning author, teen expert and UrbanGirlz.org founder, Trenette Wilson helps parents deal with the onset of early puberty, examines why black girls begin puberty nine months to one year earlier than other races of girls and explores the physical, emotional and mental challenges brown girls face as a result.

BLACK PR NEWS

“Puberty is the cornerstone of reproductive health, yet in a joint study, girls admit to being disappointed by the information they received from their mothers about puberty; therefore, teens felt unprepared, while moms felt ill equipped to fully help their daughters,” states Wilson citing a study conducted by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“The early maturation for some black girls, beginning as early as six years old, puts them at risks of being perceived as older than they are, disciplined and punished more harshly than their peers and susceptible to sexual abuse and exploitation,” continued Wilson.

Her goal is to inform parents about the health challenges and physical risks unique to brown bodies and to equip them with the tools to navigate their daughter’s development.

Chapters include: My Daughter’s Brown Body and Stress, Health,

Mentality and Emotions, and much more all written to help parents communicate more effectively.

Wilson kicked off the release of her new book with a free online chat with parents last month and revealed the top reasons girls start puberty early and review highlights of the new book.

Editor’s note: Trenette Wilson is the founder and CEO of the National Association of Urban Etiquette Professionals (NAUEP), the largest association of debutante and etiquette professionals providing workshops to underserved communities in the nation. NAUEP also provides etiquette and debutante certification and materials to schools, churches and organizations impacting 50,000 youth annually. The organization’s website, www.urbangirlz.org, has gained national attention and accolades for its ability to reach today’s urban girls and teens and the people who serve them. For more information about Understanding My Daughter’s Brown Body or to register for the Parent Chat, contact Miriam Glover at news@urbangirlz.org or call 1-800-2916492.

Breast Cancer Organization for Women Aims to Support, Enlighten and Educate Survivors and Their Families

the public on the importance of breast cancer education; 2) to increase breast cancer education and reduce cultural barriers for underserved, minority women and 3) to increase breast cancer screening rates in the Houston Metropolitan area.

•Angels Network: Provides support, networking and collaboration opportunities for survivors, their families and friends. Within this network,

Members of the Angels Surviving Cancer organization

real life “Angels” provide one-on-one care to those who are undergoing breast cancer treatment as well as a source of support to their families.

Angels UP (Uplifting People): A counseling program that helps breast cancer patients, and their families, with a sense of control over their diagnosis by assisting them with maintaining their quality of life and developing coping mechanisms in the face of cancer. Monthly support group meetings.

•Angels Scholarship Fund: ASC award scholarships to high school seniors whose mothers succumbed to breast cancer.

The Angel Network provides support, networking and collaboration opportunities for survivors, their families and friends. Within this Network, real life “angels” provide one-on-one care to those who are undergoing breast cancer treatment. Angels not only serve the patient but are also a source of support for the families in any way possible. When hearing what the most dreaded news about is perhaps a loved one — “You have cancer” — information, sound, concrete and simple answers to questions can make a world of difference.

Having someone there to provide a shoulder to lean on; or offer a cooked meal; or even to assist with navigating the maze of insurance, financial and medical concerns is, to a grieving and emotionally-distraught family - an angel.

Editor’s note: To join them in their quest to expand their network of Angels Surviving Cancer, Inc., call 281-912-5195, email angelssurvivingcancer@gmail.com or visit www.angelssurvivingcancer.net.

Houston, TX (BlackNews.com) – Angels Surviving Cancer, Inc. (ASC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the Houston, Texas area, was established in 2011 by a group of breast cancer survivors who experience firsthand the gap that exists for survivors and their families. The group recognized the need for support, education, and care extends beyond medical intervention for those diagnosed with the disease.

Their vision is to be a support group that provides support and assistance to breast cancer survivors and their families, and to enlighten, educate and address real needs for those affected by breast cancer.

Here are some of the services and programs they offer to breast cancer patients, their families, and the community: •CARE Program (Cancer Awareness Resource Encouragement): Provides financial assistance to women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and facing financial challenges. This program provides resources and referrals of financial assistance for items including (but not limited to): medical-related lodging, medical co-pays, office visits, and prostheses (as funds are available) based on an application process.

•Angels Education and Outreach Program: Provides opportunities for ASC to raise awareness about breast health. The primary objectives of the ASC’s outreach and educational programs are to: 1) enlighten and educate

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