Go with the Flo

FLO

ANTHONY

The entire world is still in shock after watching Will Smith walk on the stage at the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, and smack Chris Rock in the face, after the comedian joked about seeing Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, in a possible “G.I. Jane 2.” Jada suffers from alopecia, which attacks hair follicles resulting in bald spots and hair loss. When Smith sat back down, he yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth” at Rock. A source told People that Smith was still angry about Rock’s joke about Jada at the Oscars in 2016. “When Chris hosted the Oscars in 2016, Jada was boycotting because of #OscarsSoWhite. In his opening monologue, he made fun of her, saying she can’t boycott something she wasn’t invited to,” explained the insider. Chris said, “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited.” Meanwhile, following the slap, Bradley Cooper, Tyler Perry and Denzel Washington could all be seen talking to Will. The shocking incident didn’t stop Will from celebrating his win for Best Actor for his role as Venus and Serena Williams’ father, Richard Williams, in “King Richard.” He was later spotted dancing with the Oscar statuette to “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” at the Vanity Fair Oscar party. The former “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” also posted on Instagram, “You can’t take people from Philadelphia [his hometown] and Baltimore [Jada’s hometown] anywhere,” and told sources Washington advised him, “Remember the devil calls when you are at your highest point.” Rock is not pressing charges against Smith. The comedian “declined to file a police report,” said the LAPD. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a statement: “The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.” In other Oscars news, Questlove also won Best Documentary for his directorial debut of “Summer of Soul,” the Hulu film about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.

A much calmer Will Smith presented an award to his “King Richard” costar Aunjanue Ellis at the 15th annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards Luncheon at the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel, on March 24 in Beverly Hills. Other honorees included Nia Long, Quinta Brunson and Chante Adams.

Marvel actor Anthony Mackie, who plays Sam Wilson, a Louisianaborn Air Force veteran who doubles as superhero the Falcon, recently closed a deal to purchase 20 acres on the Interstate 10 Service Road in his hometown of New Orleans. According to multiple reports, Mackie plans to create a full-fledged movie studio, called East Studios LLC, at the site as well as on adjoining land he hopes to purchase. Mackie’s newest venture could be a huge boost to revitalize New Orleans East, which has been in economic decline since the 1970s.

The American Sports Accountability Project (ASAP) released a series of radio advertisements featuring the voice of Al B. Sure! The ads echo ASAP’s calls for the NBA to hold Phoenix Suns majority owner Robert Sarver accountable for reports that he has fostered an abusive and toxic workplace environment spanning nearly two decades, including numerous accounts of racist and misogynistic language. Says Al B. Sure!: “We believe the accounts of his victims, and that hate has no home in America’s sports. It’s time for the NBA to hold Robert Sarver accountable for his shameless actions.”

Hazel Dukes: 90 and not slowing down

Dr. Marcella Maxwell and Hazel Dukes. (Elinor Tatum photo)

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER

Amsterdam News Staff

Activist and NAACP New York State Conference President Hazel N. Dukes turned 90 on March 17. The longtime local leader has built a legacy of fighting for civil rights spanning more than 70 years and continues to improve conditions for the Black community.

A native of Montgomery, Ala., Dukes moved to New York in the mid-’50s becoming a community organizer in Nassau County. She is a member of the NAACP National Board of Directors, a member of the NAACP Executive Committee as well as an active member of various NAACP board sub-committees.

Along with her dedicated work with the NAACP, Dukes is a former president of the Metro-Manhattan Links Chapter, in 2010 was appointed the National Links NGO Representative and is a former trustee of the State University of New York and Stillman College. She is a member of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc., and National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, INC. Dukes is also a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Northern Manhattan Alumnae Chapter.

In an interview with the AmNews, Dukes says that even though she’s 90, what keeps her feeling less than her age is spending time with youth.

“I feel like I’m 26,” she said enthusiastically. “I really love interacting with young people to see what their thinking is of this world we’re living in and tell them the story of who they are and what they have inherited as a legacy. That keeps me going and I feel great.”

Dukes credits her late father, who was a Pullman porter, along with civil rights leader and union organizer E.D. Nixon with getting her involved in activism. The two men were close friends and Dukes would listen as they discussed how Pullman porters were treated and issues impacting African Americans at the time.

However, it was an incident she remembers vividly when she was a child involving her grandmother when a white man referred to her as “auntie” that had a lasting impact.

“He said, ‘Hey auntie, how are you doing today?’ and my grandmother said, ‘Don’t you dare call me auntie. I don’t look like your auntie and I’m not your auntie, get on away from her,’” Dukes said. “I came from a family that didn’t take any disrespect. Although they knew they were ‘negroes,’ they didn’t let people disrespect them.”

Her family moved to New York to Nassau County, Long Island in 1955. While history highlights rampant segregation and racism in the South at the time, Dukes faced racism in the North. She recalls seeing an apartment and being denied due to her race and having her money sent back to her. There was also discrimination in the community of Levittown at the time, which did not allow Blacks to move in. Dukes became the first African Americans to live in Roslyn Gardens apartments in Nassau County. Soon after, other Blacks moved into the complex creating a solid population of middle class African Americans living in the area.

Not only getting a front row to history, Dukes has also played a significant role in shaping history. From participating in the Civil Rights Movement, to seeing America inaugurate its first Black president and first Black women U.S. vice president to now witnessing the nomination of the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, Dukes said her role is one of the things she’s most proud of.

“There are several highlights for me,” she said. “I cast Electoral College votes here in New York for Presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. I’ve been the NGO representative at the United Nations. I was on the committee with Bill Lynch and Mayor David Dinkins that brought Nelson and Winnie Mandela to New York City.”

Dukes’ name is synonymous with the NAACP. She was introduced to the civil rights organization during her first year of college at Alabama State University. Dukes was elected president of the NAACP New York State Conference in 1975 and served almost 50 years. She was mentored by the late politician and activist C. Delores Tucker and former NAACP President Magnolia Macmillan.