theroot--2020-06-26--John Legend Discusses Hollywood's Social and Moral Responsibilities (and His Verzuz Two-Step) With T

John Legend Discusses Hollywood's Social and Moral Responsibilities (and His Verzuz Two-Step) With The Root

Ahead of Sunday ’ s 2020 BET Awards , the network ’ s annual ceremony celebrating the best in Black culture , nominee John Legend sat down with The Root to discuss some hot-button topics .
The EGOT winner is up for “ Best Collaboration ” and “ Video of the Year ” honors for “ Higher , ” his song with DJ Khaled and the late Nipsey Hussle .
During the conversation , Legend discussed the music industry ’ s responsibility to appropriately address and protect survivors of sexual assault .
He praises the bravery of former A & @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sexual harassment and eventual assault by music mogul Russell Simmons are the focal point of the HBO Max documentary On The Record .
As Dixon recounts , she later helped to audition both Legend and Kanye West for record deals at Arista Records in the early-2000s , but was unsuccessful , which she perceived as a slight for not returning label head L.A. Reid ’ s alleged sexual advances .
( In later years , Reid would step down as chairman and CEO Epic amid allegations of sexual harassment from a female @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make every environment safe for women , ” says Legend , who has previously spoken out in support of R. Kelly ’ s alleged sexual assault victims .
“ I was unaware at the time of what [ Dixon ] was going through ... that ’ s just not the way any person should have to deal with their career ... it ’ s just not fair to her .
[ A person ’ s ] career should be determined by their skill , their ability , and not being treated like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been far too many stories like [ Dixon ’ s ] in our business.
” Much like his “ Higher ” collaborator Nipsey Hussle worked tirelessly to uplift his hometown of Los Angeles and the Black community as a whole , Legend has been hands-on with supporting social justice movements throughout his years in the spotlight .
These philanthropic efforts have been amplified by average citizens and public figures alike in the midst of ongoing protests calling for racial equality and the end of police brutality .
Legend discussed the importance of celebrities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take center stage .
“ We have to be humble about what we know and what we don ’ t know , what we can do and what we can ’ t do , and we have to listen , ” he explains .
“ I try my best to listen to organizers and activists who spend every day thinking about these issues , and I try not to talk about anything unless I ’ ve read about it from people I trust and respect.
” In a lighthearted turn , Legend discussed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he told us earlier this month is a “ celebration of love , joy , hope and resilience.
” While music is not the end-all and be-all of social or racial unrest , it certainly makes rough times a bit easier to bear .
Legend says his go-to song that encapsulates Black joy is Marvin Gaye ’ s classic “ Got To Give It Up , ” and jokes that he hits his ( much-discussed ) two-step every time he hears it .
Check out the full interview above .

J'na Jefferson on The Grapevine, shared by J'na Jefferson to The Root


theroot--2020-06-26--Jayson Tatum's Next Contract Could Be an Unexpected Casualty of the Coronavirus

When last we left the Boston Celtics , Jayson Tatum was ballin ’ .
The Duke product , who spent his summer under the tutelage of Kobe Bryant in 2018 , had finally blossomed into the superstar we all knew he had in him .
He was a dual-threat who could score with ease and just so happened to be one of the best defenders in the league .
Then the coronavirus happened and suddenly the NBA had far more questions than answers .
In the months since , the league has answered a lot of those questions : W @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a part of the experience ?
But one question that remains—as teams are expected to take some major financial Ls in both this season and the next—is what happens to players like Tatum who were expected to sign massive , max contracts ?
League profit margins and team salary caps have a symbiotic relationship .
If your dad gets laid off , you think you ’ d still be collecting an allowance ?
The salary cap works the same way .
The league is hemorrhaging hundreds of millions of dollars and will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
So as a result , the salary cap will unquestionably drop after this season .
That means teams will have less money to sign players , and consequently , the value of max contracts will take a hit too .
And guess who was about to be offered a max contract this offseason ?
Mr. Jayson Tatum .
Will the Celtics still offer him a max deal ?
Hell yeah , they will .
Prior to the pandemic , the max was worth between $ 181.25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back when Dad still had a job .
So if you ’ re expecting your dad to give you $ 10 on Friday , and instead he ’ s like , “ I ’ m sorry , but all I can afford is $ 7 a week until I get back on my feet , ” do you take the $ 7 upfront or wait on that $ 10 ?
That ’ s the exact predicament that Tatum is in .
Because if he signs his deal now at the lower rate now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the league gets back on his feet , his deal could look insanely cheap in comparison to others in the future .
If I ’ m the Celtics , I ’ m offering him the $ 7 and treating him to ice cream afterward .
Because anytime you can increase your financial flexibility aaaaand get a player of Tatum ’ s caliber on the cheap—relatively speaking—it ’ s a win .
But if I ’ m Tatum , do I really want $ 7 when I deserve $ 10 ?
“ Tatum ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston said on the Celtics Talk podcast .
“ Do I sign for your four or five-year extension ?
Or do I play it out and just become a restricted free agent and hope that the cap goes up afterwards so then I can sign a max still for more money ?
From what I ’ m being told , Jayson at this point is leaning towards signing [ a ] max deal when he ’ s eligible and going from there.
” I think it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will have a lot more on his mind than just an NBA championship when the season resumes on July 30 .

When last we left the Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum was ballin’.
The Duke product, who spent his summer under the tutelage of Kobe Bryant in 2018, had finally blossomed into the superstar we all knew he had in him. He was a dual-threat who could score with ease and just so happened to be one of the best defenders in the league.
Then the coronavirus happened and suddenly the NBA had far more questions than answers.
Advertisement
In the months since, the league has answered a lot of those questions: W ill the season resume? Will fans be a part of the experience? But one question that remains—as teams are expected to take some major financial Ls in both this season and the next—is what happens to players like Tatum who were expected to sign massive, max contracts?
Advertisement Advertisement
League profit margins and team salary caps have a symbiotic relationship. If your dad gets laid off, you think you’d still be collecting an allowance? The salary cap works the same way.
The league is hemorrhaging hundreds of millions of dollars and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So as a result, the salary cap will unquestionably drop after this season. That means teams will have less money to sign players, and consequently, the value of max contracts will take a hit too. And guess who was about to be offered a max contract this offseason? Mr. Jayson Tatum.
Advertisement
Will the Celtics still offer him a max deal? Hell yeah, they will. Prior to the pandemic, the max was worth between $181.25 million and $217.5 million—but that was back when Dad still had a job. So if you’re expecting your dad to give you $10 on Friday, and instead he’s like, “I’m sorry, but all I can afford is $7 a week until I get back on my feet,” do you take the $7 upfront or wait on that $10? That’s the exact predicament that Tatum is in.
Because if he signs his deal now at the lower rate now, once a vaccine is mass-produced and the league gets back on his feet, his deal could look insanely cheap in comparison to others in the future.
Advertisement
If I’m the Celtics, I’m offering him the $7 and treating him to ice cream afterward. Because anytime you can increase your financial flexibility aaaaand get a player of Tatum’s caliber on the cheap—relatively speaking—it’s a win. But if I’m Tatum, do I really want $7 when I deserve $10?
“Tatum’s got to make some decisions,” A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston said on the Celtics Talk podcast. “Do I sign for your four or five-year extension? Or do I play it out and just become a restricted free agent and hope that the cap goes up afterwards so then I can sign a max still for more money? From what I’m being told, Jayson at this point is leaning towards signing [a] max deal when he’s eligible and going from there.”
Advertisement
I think it’s safe to say that Tatum will have a lot more on his mind than just an NBA championship when the season resumes on July 30.


theroot--2020-06-26--6 Months After Kneeling on a Black Woman’s Neck and Tasing Her Belly, Miami-Area Officer Faces Batte

6 Months After Kneeling on a Black Woman’s Neck and Tasing Her Belly, Miami-Area Officer Faces Battery Charges

A former Miami Gardens police officer has been charged with four counts of official misconduct and two counts of battery stemming from a January incident where he knelt on a Black woman ’ s neck and stunned her twice with a Taser during an unlawful arrest .
As NBC News reports , Jordy Yanes Martel turned himself in on Thursday after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement found he violated a number of protocols , including lying on a police report and using excessive force on Safiya Satchell .
Martel confronted the 33-year-old Satchell on January 14 outside of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Miami Herald , Satchell attempted to leave the club after being unsatisfied with the service there .
The manager of the club approached Martel and another officer , Sgt .
Arther King , and asked that Satchell be given a trespassing warning “ to prevent her from coming back to the club , ” writes the Herald .
Both officers were working off-duty security for the establishment that night ; Martel was still wearing his police uniform .
Satchell was in her SUV preparing to drive off when a security guard stood in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from leaving .
In the passenger seat was her friend , Raheam Staats-Fleming .
Video taken by Staats-Fleming shows Martel approaching Satchell on her driver ’ s side door and ordering her to walk to his patrol vehicle so he can issue her a trespassing warning .
Satchell asked if she could drive to his car because she had already taken off her shoes .
At that point , Martel tells her she can walk to the vehicle or he ’ ll get her out of the car .
After Satchell tells Martel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ car , ” Martel reaches in through her driver ’ s side window and wrestles her out of her SUV .
Once outside , he swept his leg behind her to get her on the ground , kneeling on her neck as she lay on her back .
As if that weren ’ t enough , Martel then takes out his Taser and stuns her twice on her stomach , causing Satchel to scream out in pain .
As Staats-Fleming continues to record his friend getting brutalized—questioning the entire time why she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him to delete his video .
Had it not been for the video , it ’ s unclear whether anything would have happened to Martel .
He , along with another Miami Gardens officer , Javier Castano , were fired from the Miami Gardens Police Department earlier this month over an incident in March , in which they arrested and beat a Black man , Miguel McKay .
As the Herald reports , Martel arrested Satchel on charges of battery on a cop and resisting with violence ; those charges have been dropped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s actions , Ms. Satchel suffered abrasions to her stomach from the Tasers , bruises and abrasions on her arms and bruises on her legs , ” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle said Thursday afternoon when the charges against Martel were announced .
“ By filing these criminal charges today against former Miami Gardens officer Jordy Yanes Martel , we are saying that these actions are just plain wrong.
” Satchel ’ s attorney , Jonathan Jordan , connected Satchel ’ s case to other incidents of police brutality that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are finally seeing some accountability and attention , thanks to nearly a month of nationwide Black Lives Matter protests .
“ It is long overdue for civilian oversight of our cities ’ police departments to ensure our officers are not just serving but protecting our community , ” Jordan said .
“ If you ’ re an officer that has broken policy or acted under color of law with a belief that Black Lives don ’ t Matter , you ought to be looking over your shoulder because the chickens have finally come @ @ @ @ @

A former Miami Gardens police officer has been charged with four counts of official misconduct and two counts of battery stemming from a January incident where he knelt on a Black woman’s neck and stunned her twice with a Taser during an unlawful arrest.
As NBC News reports, Jordy Yanes Martel turned himself in on Thursday after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement found he violated a number of protocols, including lying on a police report and using excessive force on Safiya Satchell.
Advertisement
Martel confronted the 33-year-old Satchell on January 14 outside of a Miami strip club. According to the Miami Herald, Satchell attempted to leave the club after being unsatisfied with the service there. The manager of the club approached Martel and another officer, Sgt. Arther King, and asked that Satchell be given a trespassing warning “to prevent her from coming back to the club,” writes the Herald. Both officers were working off-duty security for the establishment that night; Martel was still wearing his police uniform.
Satchell was in her SUV preparing to drive off when a security guard stood in front of her vehicle, blocking her from leaving. In the passenger seat was her friend, Raheam Staats-Fleming.
Advertisement Advertisement
Video taken by Staats-Fleming shows Martel approaching Satchell on her driver’s side door and ordering her to walk to his patrol vehicle so he can issue her a trespassing warning. Satchell asked if she could drive to his car because she had already taken off her shoes. At that point, Martel tells her she can walk to the vehicle or he’ll get her out of the car.
After Satchell tells Martel, “pull me out of the car,” Martel reaches in through her driver’s side window and wrestles her out of her SUV. Once outside, he swept his leg behind her to get her on the ground, kneeling on her neck as she lay on her back. As if that weren’t enough, Martel then takes out his Taser and stuns her twice on her stomach, causing Satchel to scream out in pain.
Advertisement
As Staats-Fleming continues to record his friend getting brutalized—questioning the entire time why she was being attacked that way—a security guard tells him to delete his video.
Had it not been for the video, it’s unclear whether anything would have happened to Martel. He, along with another Miami Gardens officer, Javier Castano, were fired from the Miami Gardens Police Department earlier this month over an incident in March, in which they arrested and beat a Black man, Miguel McKay. As the Herald reports, Martel arrested Satchel on charges of battery on a cop and resisting with violence; those charges have been dropped.
Advertisement
“As a result of Martel’s actions, Ms. Satchel suffered abrasions to her stomach from the Tasers, bruises and abrasions on her arms and bruises on her legs,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle said Thursday afternoon when the charges against Martel were announced. “By filing these criminal charges today against former Miami Gardens officer Jordy Yanes Martel, we are saying that these actions are just plain wrong.”
Satchel’s attorney, Jonathan Jordan, connected Satchel’s case to other incidents of police brutality that, after months or years of inaction, are finally seeing some accountability and attention, thanks to nearly a month of nationwide Black Lives Matter protests.
Advertisement
“It is long overdue for civilian oversight of our cities’ police departments to ensure our officers are not just serving but protecting our community,” Jordan said. “If you’re an officer that has broken policy or acted under color of law with a belief that Black Lives don’t Matter, you ought to be looking over your shoulder because the chickens have finally come home to roost.”


theroot--2020-06-26--No, Symone Sanders Won't Shut Up—and She Doesn't Think We Should, Either

Later this summer , Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden will announce his running mate—and it ’ s widely presumed he will choose one of the many dynamic Black women who have risen to the top of the political sphere ( and its adjacent headlines ) in recent years .
But as anyone watching the Biden camp knows , he already has a dynamic Black woman in his ear : Senior Adviser Symone Sanders , who made headlines of her own in March when she , along with Dr. Jill Biden , preempted security in wrestling protesters off the stage during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Those familiar with Sanders ’ seemingly fearless brand of dynamism , her instinct to spring to action came as little surprise .
The political wunderkind rose to national prominence at age 26 during her work on Bernie Sanders ’ 2016 presidential run as the youngest National Press Secretary in U.S. history .
Now 30 , the CNN commentator is not known for backing down in a confrontation .
In fact , the title of her first book , No , You Shut Up : Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took place on CNN ’ s New Day in August 2017 , as Sanders appeared opposite former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in the aftermath of the white supremacist uprisings in Charlottesville that resulted in the death of protester Heather Heyer .
Cuccinelli , a Republican and currently acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security in the Trump administration , predictably attempted to place the blame on “ an individual organizer ’ s plot to disrupt what was billed as an innocent protest , ” rather than white supremacy itself—despite host Chris Cuomo ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what the khaki-clad , tiki torch-bearing protesters meant by defending the legacy of Confederate General Robert E. Lee .
As Sanders writes : “ The debate got heated , and we began talking over each other , ” when Cuccinelli countered : The very public “ othering ” and attempt to silence Sanders was all too familiar to Black Americans—and the incident , along with Sanders ’ growing political influence , proved pivotal when she inked her book deal in the fall of 2018 , well before Biden ’ s April 2019 announcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential race with the surprise addition of the former Bernie staffer to his team .
Around the same time , Sanders began teaching a course at the University of Southern California ’ s Center for the Political Future , where she is a resident fellow ( as she also is at Harvard ’ s Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School ) .
In fact , even as No , You Shut Up !
was published in mid-May , less than a week before the murder of George Floyd under the knee of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no idea how prescient her call to action would prove to be .
“ I really feel like this book is an analysis of the intersection of the political and the cultural moment we find ourselves in , and then how we can navigate through that moment , ” Sanders told The Glow Up in the days following Floyd ’ s death , as both a pandemic and protests raged around the country .
“ I talk a lot about power , and I talk about the concept of “ we ” [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : ‘ We the people , in order to form a more perfect union ... ’ When that was written , the ‘ we ’ meant rich white men .
Not even just white men ; you had to be rich , white , and a man .
And then , over the course of time , that ‘ we ’ has expanded but the ‘ we ’ still is not all-encompassing .
So how can we expand that ‘ we ’ ?
How can we truly take the reins of power in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tagline is “ Speaking truth to power , reclaiming America ” : the reclaiming America part is about the ‘ we.
’ “ We ” are well past fed up ; that much has been abundantly clear in recent weeks , as both local and federal governments and countless industries have been forced to reexamine their racial biases and divides .
And whether taking to the streets or confronting the inequities in their communities or workplaces , Sanders is urging us to leverage that frustration into long-overdue structural change .
While No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own journey into politics and civic engagement , she hopes it equally emboldens readers to activate their own power in dismantling an unjust system .
“ What I hope that people take from the book [ is ] 1 ) how to infiltrate the apparatus of power and 2 ) how to expand that ‘ we , ’ regardless of what you do or where you are in the world , ” she continued .
“ So if you ’ re a student ; if you are a stay-at-home mom ; if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ somebody who ’ s in politics ; if you ’ re an executive ; if you ’ re a writer ; we can all be radical revolutionaries in our own spaces and places—and at this moment in time , we have to , regardless of where we sit on the ideological spectrum.
” Obviously , having occupied primary roles in both Bernie Sanders ’ campaign and now Biden ’ s , Sanders knows a thing or two about the ideological differences that have divided the Democratic base in recent years .
Now “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States , ” Sanders says the campaign ’ s priority is to earn the votes of “ actual real people , not the ‘ Twitterati , ’ ” specifically referencing “ Beltway reporters who only report on and talk about what they see on Twitter.
” Nevertheless , we , of course , raised the issue of her candidate ’ s tendency toward off-the-cuff ( and occasionally off-putting ) remarks—as in the now-infamous The Breakfast Club interview in which a careless quip about the pragmatism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden presumed our votes were already his to lose .
A now-seasoned strategic communications specialist ( she is principal of the 360 Group LLC ) , Sanders proved defter at addressing the gaffe than Biden himself .
“ Things are bound to happen .
Anybody who has a microphone on them 24 hours a day , 7 days a week , you do enough interviews , you ’ re bound to say something that later you ’ re like , ‘ I need to clarify , ” she said , before adding , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ‘ Let me just be really clear : I have never and am not taking the African-American vote for granted.
’ He has been very clear and was clear , in that moment , that Black voters were key to his winning the Democratic primary and will be critical to him winning the presidency.
” And with Biden the only Democratic candidate left to potentially unseat Donald Trump in November , Sanders implores us to stay focused .
“ Because Donald Trump is gon na be Donald Trump ; he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she stated flatly , referencing the series of mistruths and outright mishandling that were partly responsible for the unchecked spread of COVID-19 , which has now caused well past 100,000 deaths in the U.S.—with Black and Latinx people most affected .
For many , Biden is far from a flawless candidate .
A side from historically being more moderate than some feel the current moment requires , the elder statesman has maintained a relatively low profile during the pandemic ; an anomaly for an already radically different campaign year .
Nevertheless , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paying off , especially as Trump spins even further out of control .
In the past week , Biden surged past Trump in the polls ( yes , even a Fox poll ) , while New York magazine ’ s Intelligencer published an article titled , “ What If I Told You Joe Biden Is Actually Running a Great Campaign ?
” “ We ’ re going to continue to call out the lies when we see them [ and ] when we hear them .
Vice President Biden is going to continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Sanders declared .
“ He ’ s gon na give you facts , but talk about his plan for the American people , his plan for Black voters in America—and that is how we ’ re going to connect with folks and that ’ s how we ’ re going to win this election.
” And who will presumably be at Biden ’ s side for that hopeful win ?
While acknowledging the former vice president ’ s promise to choose a woman as his running mate , which he has said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Sanders remained coy about whether it will be a Black woman .
( Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar recently bowed out of consideration , reportedly telling Biden “ this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket , ” according to CNN . )
“ What I ’ ll say is that we have heard the concerns of voters across the country—specifically the concerns of Black women and Black people who have said they would like to see a Black woman on the ticket , ” Sanders shared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the concerns of Latino voters and operatives and organizations who say they ’ d like to see a Latina on the ticket .
And what I say to that is we hear you , there is a process , and the process is underway .
We have to let the process play out.
” “ But at the end of the day , that person will be someone who can mirror the relationship that he and President Obama had ; someone that he could designate presidential authority to like Obama gave to him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the task before a Biden administration—especially given this pandemic—it ’ s gon na be a humongous undertaking and he ’ s gon na need a governing partner .
A number of Black women could potentially be that governing partner ; will it be a Black woman ?
We will just have to wait and see.
” What Sanders is firm on is the need for young people to be as engaged at the ballot box as they have been in the protests already inspiring transformative changes .
“ We need young people now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , paraphrasing the words of former South Bend , Ind.
, mayor turned presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg as she noted : “ Young people have actually been a key part of every piece of change that has gone on and happened in this country .
Every movement , every monumental thing ; it has been young people that have been the lynchpin helping make it happen , and that is no different than right now .
And it is going to take young people—specifically young Black folks—to not only get Donald Trump out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but to help enact this bold progressive vision to create a Justice Department that is truly about justice and is the people ’ s lawyer , not the president ’ s lawyer…To ensure that we have a recovery effort that speaks directly to Black People , to women , to young people , to young Black folks , especially ; to entrepreneurs , to young people who have lived through now two financially devastating financial crises… “ We have to talk about the power of young people and that ’ s something Vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she added , reminding us that the veteran politician was only 29 years old and running against an incumbent when he entered federal government .
“ He knows what it ’ s like to be a young person that wants to have their voice heard and exercise their power ; he did it .
And now we need young people across the board—young Black folks , especially—to exercise that power.
” In analyzing what many have perceived to be the apathy of the younger voting base and others identify as frustration , Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first able to vote for the 2008 Obama/Biden ticket , hers was perhaps the last generation of Democrats to see their electoral participation translate into change .
“ There is a generation of young people who have not seen that , ” she conceded .
“ There are young people who say , ‘ We have been voting , we have been participating , but Black people are still losing their lives in the custody of police officers .
There still viral videos of our deaths on the internet , on the news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued .
“ And so , for a generation of young people , they don ’ t feel their power at the ballot box .
They feel like there are other ways to go about it .
And I would say for parents and anybody that has a young person in their lives , and to young people themselves : We have to understand that while the ballot box is not the only tool in the toolbox for social justice , it is a very important tool ; a tool that if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the advocacy , and the ballot initiatives , they won ’ t make a difference .
Because who is in elected office—the people who are the governors , and the mayors , and the presidents , and the city council folks—and who those people appoint , they matter .
I just think that ’ s never been more clear and more viscerally true than now .
We can see it ; we can absolutely see it , ” Sanders concluded , her urgency echoing the epilogue to No , You Shut Up !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been edited and condensed for clarity .
Symone Sanders ’ No , You Shut Up : Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America is available at booksellers now .

Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai to The Root

Later this summer, Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden will announce his running mate—and it’s widely presumed he will choose one of the many dynamic Black women who have risen to the top of the political sphere (and its adjacent headlines) in recent years. But as anyone watching the Biden camp knows, he already has a dynamic Black woman in his ear: Senior Adviser Symone Sanders, who made headlines of her own in March when she, along with Dr. Jill Biden, preempted security in wrestling protesters off the stage during a Biden campaign event in Los Angeles.
Advertisement
Those familiar with Sanders’ seemingly fearless brand of dynamism, her instinct to spring to action came as little surprise. The political wunderkind rose to national prominence at age 26 during her work on Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential run as the youngest National Press Secretary in U.S. history. Now 30, the CNN commentator is not known for backing down in a confrontation. In fact, the title of her first book, No, You Shut Up: Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America, references to another well-publicized political standoff that took place on CNN’s New Day in August 2017, as Sanders appeared opposite former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in the aftermath of the white supremacist uprisings in Charlottesville that resulted in the death of protester Heather Heyer.
Cuccinelli, a Republican and currently acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security in the Trump administration, predictably attempted to place the blame on “an individual organizer’s plot to disrupt what was billed as an innocent protest,” rather than white supremacy itself—despite host Chris Cuomo’s correct assertion that it was clear what the khaki-clad, tiki torch-bearing protesters meant by defending the legacy of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. As Sanders writes: “The debate got heated, and we began talking over each other,” when Cuccinelli countered:
“Can I finish, Symone? Will you just shut up for a minute and let me finish?” “Pardon me, sir,” I began, my voice getting louder. (He was no match for me on that front.) “You don’t get to tell me to shut up on national television.” Cuomo agreed, and he said so. “Then how do you make them stop talking when they keep interrupting you?” Cuccinelli continued. “‘Them’? ‘They’?” I said. “I’m sitting right here!”
The very public “othering” and attempt to silence Sanders was all too familiar to Black Americans—and the incident, along with Sanders’ growing political influence, proved pivotal when she inked her book deal in the fall of 2018, well before Biden’s April 2019 announcement that he’d be joining the presidential race with the surprise addition of the former Bernie staffer to his team. Around the same time, Sanders began teaching a course at the University of Southern California’s Center for the Political Future, where she is a resident fellow (as she also is at Harvard’s Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School). In fact, even as No, You Shut Up! was published in mid-May, less than a week before the murder of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, Sanders had no idea how prescient her call to action would prove to be.
Advertisement Advertisement
“I really feel like this book is an analysis of the intersection of the political and the cultural moment we find ourselves in, and then how we can navigate through that moment,” Sanders told The Glow Up in the days following Floyd’s death, as both a pandemic and protests raged around the country. “I talk a lot about power, and I talk about the concept of “we” [in] the preamble to the Constitution: ‘We the people, in order to form a more perfect union...’ When that was written, the ‘we’ meant rich white men. Not even just white men; you had to be rich, white, and a man. And then, over the course of time, that ‘we’ has expanded but the ‘we’ still is not all-encompassing. So how can we expand that ‘we’? How can we truly take the reins of power in this country? That’s why the tagline is “Speaking truth to power, reclaiming America”: the reclaiming America part is about the ‘we.’
“We” are well past fed up; that much has been abundantly clear in recent weeks, as both local and federal governments and countless industries have been forced to reexamine their racial biases and divides. And whether taking to the streets or confronting the inequities in their communities or workplaces, Sanders is urging us to leverage that frustration into long-overdue structural change. While No, You Shut Up! chronicles her own journey into politics and civic engagement, she hopes it equally emboldens readers to activate their own power in dismantling an unjust system.
Advertisement
“What I hope that people take from the book [is] 1) how to infiltrate the apparatus of power and 2) how to expand that ‘we,’ regardless of what you do or where you are in the world,” she continued. “So if you’re a student; if you are a stay-at-home mom; if you are an environmentalist; if you are somebody who’s in politics; if you’re an executive; if you’re a writer; we can all be radical revolutionaries in our own spaces and places—and at this moment in time, we have to, regardless of where we sit on the ideological spectrum.”
Advertisement
Obviously, having occupied primary roles in both Bernie Sanders’ campaign and now Biden’s, Sanders knows a thing or two about the ideological differences that have divided the Democratic base in recent years. Now “actively working to help make sure Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States,” Sanders says the campaign’s priority is to earn the votes of “actual real people, not the ‘Twitterati,’” specifically referencing “Beltway reporters who only report on and talk about what they see on Twitter.”
Nevertheless, we, of course, raised the issue of her candidate’s tendency toward off-the-cuff (and occasionally off-putting) remarks—as in the now-infamous The Breakfast Club interview in which a careless quip about the pragmatism of Black voters led many to believe Biden presumed our votes were already his to lose. A now-seasoned strategic communications specialist (she is principal of the 360 Group LLC), Sanders proved defter at addressing the gaffe than Biden himself.
Advertisement
“Things are bound to happen. Anybody who has a microphone on them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you do enough interviews, you’re bound to say something that later you’re like, ‘I need to clarify,” she said, before adding, “He came out immediately and said, ‘Let me just be really clear: I have never and am not taking the African-American vote for granted.’ He has been very clear and was clear, in that moment, that Black voters were key to his winning the Democratic primary and will be critical to him winning the presidency.”
And with Biden the only Democratic candidate left to potentially unseat Donald Trump in November, Sanders implores us to stay focused. “Because Donald Trump is gonna be Donald Trump; he’s going to be a liar,” she stated flatly, referencing the series of mistruths and outright mishandling that were partly responsible for the unchecked spread of COVID-19, which has now caused well past 100,000 deaths in the U.S.—with Black and Latinx people most affected.
Advertisement
For many, Biden is far from a flawless candidate. A side from historically being more moderate than some feel the current moment requires, the elder statesman has maintained a relatively low profile during the pandemic; an anomaly for an already radically different campaign year. Nevertheless, his slow and steady approach to campaigning is paying off, especially as Trump spins even further out of control. In the past week, Biden surged past Trump in the polls (yes, even a Fox poll), while New York magazine’s Intelligencer published an article titled, “What If I Told You Joe Biden Is Actually Running a Great Campaign?”
“We’re going to continue to call out the lies when we see them [and] when we hear them. Vice President Biden is going to continue to speak the truth over lies,” Sanders declared. “He’s gonna give you facts, but talk about his plan for the American people, his plan for Black voters in America—and that is how we’re going to connect with folks and that’s how we’re going to win this election.”
Advertisement
“We have to understand that while the ballot box is not the only tool in the toolbox for social justice, it is a very important tool; a tool that if we do not use, the protests and the advocacy, and the ballot initiatives, they won’t make a difference.”
And who will presumably be at Biden’s side for that hopeful win? While acknowledging the former vice president’s promise to choose a woman as his running mate, which he has said he will announce “around August 1,” Sanders remained coy about whether it will be a Black woman. (Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar recently bowed out of consideration, reportedly telling Biden “this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket,” according to CNN.)
Advertisement
“What I’ll say is that we have heard the concerns of voters across the country—specifically the concerns of Black women and Black people who have said they would like to see a Black woman on the ticket,” Sanders shared. “We’ve also heard the concerns of Latino voters and operatives and organizations who say they’d like to see a Latina on the ticket. And what I say to that is we hear you, there is a process, and the process is underway. We have to let the process play out.”
“But at the end of the day, that person will be someone who can mirror the relationship that he and President Obama had; someone that he could designate presidential authority to like Obama gave to him,” she added. “Because the task before a Biden administration—especially given this pandemic—it’s gonna be a humongous undertaking and he’s gonna need a governing partner. A number of Black women could potentially be that governing partner; will it be a Black woman? We will just have to wait and see.”
Advertisement
What Sanders is firm on is the need for young people to be as engaged at the ballot box as they have been in the protests already inspiring transformative changes.
“We need young people now more than ever,” she said, paraphrasing the words of former South Bend, Ind., mayor turned presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg as she noted: “Young people have actually been a key part of every piece of change that has gone on and happened in this country. Every movement, every monumental thing; it has been young people that have been the lynchpin helping make it happen, and that is no different than right now. And it is going to take young people—specifically young Black folks—to not only get Donald Trump out of office and elect Joe Biden, but to help enact this bold progressive vision to create a Justice Department that is truly about justice and is the people’s lawyer, not the president’s lawyer…To ensure that we have a recovery effort that speaks directly to Black People, to women, to young people, to young Black folks, especially; to entrepreneurs, to young people who have lived through now two financially devastating financial crises…
Advertisement
“We have to talk about the power of young people and that’s something Vice President Biden often talks about,” she added, reminding us that the veteran politician was only 29 years old and running against an incumbent when he entered federal government. “He knows what it’s like to be a young person that wants to have their voice heard and exercise their power; he did it. And now we need young people across the board—young Black folks, especially—to exercise that power.”
In analyzing what many have perceived to be the apathy of the younger voting base and others identify as frustration, Sanders acknowledged that as a millennial who was first able to vote for the 2008 Obama/Biden ticket, hers was perhaps the last generation of Democrats to see their electoral participation translate into change. “There is a generation of young people who have not seen that,” she conceded.
Advertisement
“There are young people who say, ‘We have been voting, we have been participating, but Black people are still losing their lives in the custody of police officers. There still viral videos of our deaths on the internet, on the news. It is harrowing,” she continued. “And so, for a generation of young people, they don’t feel their power at the ballot box. They feel like there are other ways to go about it. And I would say for parents and anybody that has a young person in their lives, and to young people themselves: We have to understand that while the ballot box is not the only tool in the toolbox for social justice, it is a very important tool; a tool that if we do not use, the protests and the advocacy, and the ballot initiatives, they won’t make a difference. Because who is in elected office—the people who are the governors, and the mayors, and the presidents, and the city council folks—and who those people appoint, they matter. I just think that’s never been more clear and more viscerally true than now. We can see it; we can absolutely see it,” Sanders concluded, her urgency echoing the epilogue to No, You Shut Up!, where she writes:
It may not feel like it every day, but I promise you, we have the power. We can do this. From the office to the classroom, to the ballot box and the strike line, we have the power. Whether you live in a rural community or an urban center, our voices can and do change things. Find your place, ladies and gentlemen. Rise up. This is our country and our participation is mandatory for change. It is our engagement that is the source of the gains we have made and can continue to make in our country toward a more equitable, safe, healthy, and hopeful future for us all.
Advertisement
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Symone Sanders’ No, You Shut Up: Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America is available at booksellers now.


theroot--2020-06-26--All Guys Should Have These Staple Items and They're Still on Sale for Big Style Week

As Amazon ’ s Big Style Sale rolls on this week more and more of the best deals are selling out and lots of discounted items are back to full price .
Gentlemen , you ’ re up today .
This casual American prep ensemble is just basic items you can use in a ton of looks .
Penguin is quintessential prep .
Their fitted button-downs and polos are quality in materials and in structure .
A neutral polo is an easy way to bring the classiness of an outfit up a notch or two .
Pair it with jeans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good to go .
Most Penguin polos are on sale today but I like this navy one for 35 % off .
And a great pair of jeans appeared .
Lucky ’ s slim fit jeans will go perfectly with any polo or tee .
They ’ re 50 % off their original price as mosy Lucky jeans are .
You do however have to play with the sizing which will have the price fluctuate a little bit up or down .
The standard even dark wash is a great pair you should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say this every time I put a fashion list together , white sneakers are sharp and instantly class up whatever you are wearing .
White kicks are somehow both casual and dressy , it ’ s a modern mystery .
Adidas are absolute kings in this realm and these white sneakers with a pop of navy are still available in multiple sizes .
Check back tomorrow for more discounts in this crazy awesome sale and remember there ’ s free shipping on all these items if you ’ re a Prime member .

Sheilah Villari on Kinja Deals, shared by Elizabeth Henges to The Root

The Big Style Sale | Amazon
As Amazon’s Big Style Sale rolls on this week more and more of the best deals are selling out and lots of discounted items are back to full price. Gentlemen, you’re up today. This casual American prep ensemble is just basic items you can use in a ton of looks.
Penguin is quintessential prep. Their fitted button-downs and polos are quality in materials and in structure. A neutral polo is an easy way to bring the classiness of an outfit up a notch or two. Pair it with jeans or golf shorts and you’re good to go. Most Penguin polos are on sale today but I like this navy one for 35% off.
And a great pair of jeans appeared. Lucky’s slim fit jeans will go perfectly with any polo or tee. They’re 50% off their original price as mosy Lucky jeans are. You do however have to play with the sizing which will have the price fluctuate a little bit up or down. The standard even dark wash is a great pair you should have in your closet.
I will say this every time I put a fashion list together, white sneakers are sharp and instantly class up whatever you are wearing. White kicks are somehow both casual and dressy, it’s a modern mystery. Adidas are absolute kings in this realm and these white sneakers with a pop of navy are still available in multiple sizes.
Check back tomorrow for more discounts in this crazy awesome sale and remember there’s free shipping on all these items if you’re a Prime member.


theroot--2020-06-26--Talking Loud and Saying Nothing: Unilever Will Strike ‘Fair’ and ‘Lovely’ From Its Branding—but Will

Talking Loud and Saying Nothing: Unilever Will Strike ‘Fair’ and ‘Lovely’ From Its Branding—but Will Continue to Sell Skin Lightening Products

Spurred by increased attention to racism and racial justice , brands across all industries have scrambled to do the right thing by Black consumers .
Among these companies is Unilever , which recently pledged more than $ 1 million in donations to social justice organizations .
But the multinational conglomerate , which owns Dove , Palmolive , and L ’ Oreal , has made much , much more than that hawking skin whitening products to consumers of color around the globe .
Now , BuzzFeed reports that Unilever has vowed to trike the words “ Fair ” and “ Lovely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We ’ re committed to a skin care portfolio that ’ s inclusive of all skin tones , celebrating the diversity of beauty , ” the company told BuzzFeed in a statement .
“ That ’ s why we ’ re removing the words ‘ fairness ’ , ‘ whitening ’ and ‘ lightening ’ from products , and changing the Fair & Lovely brand name.
” But there ’ s a catch : There are no plans to change the actual formulas of the products themselves , the company told BuzzFeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ literally , in name only .
Beauty standards throughout the world are pegged to skin color ; in many nonwhite countries , women and femmes , in particular , have internalized the idea that whiteness—or proximity to it—is part and parcel with being beautiful .
As BuzzFeed notes , these whitening products are particularly popular in countries like India , Indonesia , China , Nigeria , and Ghana , where high demand has made them ubiquitous .
In all of these countries , the thirst for lighter skin is pegged to white supremacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preference for light skin is also deeply rooted in classism and colonial history , where darker skin tones were a marker of low-paying , agricultural work .
Sunny Jain , president of beauty and personal care at Unilever , addressed the company ’ s culpability in reinforcing toxic , dangerous ideas about beauty and whiteness .
“ We recognize that the use of the words ‘ fair ’ , ‘ white ’ and ‘ light ’ suggest a singular ideal of beauty that we don ’ t think is right , and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ As we ’ re evolving the way that we communicate the skin benefits of our products that deliver radiant and even tone skin , it ’ s also important to change the language we use.
” The focus on language elides the actual , material effects of the “ Fair and Lovely ” products .
Unilever told BuzzFeed that their products didn ’ t use two of the most toxic and common skin lighteners , hydroquinone and bleach ( hydroquinone has been banned by at least three African countries for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
But Jain ’ s statement also omits the stated promise of those products : focusing on the products ’ ability to even skin tone and make it “ radiant , ” without mentioning their whitening effects on the skin .
Here , she ’ s speaking in recognized beauty euphemisms : As the South China Morning Post reported earlier this year , brands will label “ whitening ” products as “ lightening ” or “ brightening.
” Unilever ’ s move is as telling as it is disappointing : As long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stands to make a lot of money .
And if Unilever ’ s products successfully lighten skin , as they have pledged to do for years , then it can continue to capitalize on those sentiments , while publicly posturing that they would never propagate racism or white supremacy .
In this way , their recent move is also fitting : shifting your appearance but doing nothing to change the inside ?
Sounds about white .

Anne Branigin on The Glow Up, shared by Anne Branigin to The Root

Spurred by increased attention to racism and racial justice, brands across all industries have scrambled to do the right thing by Black consumers. Among these companies is Unilever, which recently pledged more than $1 million in donations to social justice organizations.
But the multinational conglomerate, which owns Dove, Palmolive, and L’Oreal, has made much, much more than that hawking skin whitening products to consumers of color around the globe. Now, BuzzFeed reports that Unilever has vowed to trike the words “Fair” and “Lovely” from its skin lightening products.
Advertisement
“We’re committed to a skin care portfolio that’s inclusive of all skin tones, celebrating the diversity of beauty,” the company told BuzzFeed in a statement. “That’s why we’re removing the words ‘fairness’, ‘whitening’ and ‘lightening’ from products, and changing the Fair & Lovely brand name.”
But there’s a catch: There are no plans to change the actual formulas of the products themselves, the company told BuzzFeed. The change is exclusively, and literally, in name only.
Advertisement Advertisement
Beauty standards throughout the world are pegged to skin color; in many nonwhite countries, women and femmes, in particular, have internalized the idea that whiteness—or proximity to it—is part and parcel with being beautiful. As BuzzFeed notes, these whitening products are particularly popular in countries like India, Indonesia, China, Nigeria, and Ghana, where high demand has made them ubiquitous. In all of these countries, the thirst for lighter skin is pegged to white supremacy, but in some regions, this preference for light skin is also deeply rooted in classism and colonial history, where darker skin tones were a marker of low-paying, agricultural work.
Advertisement
Sunny Jain, president of beauty and personal care at Unilever, addressed the company’s culpability in reinforcing toxic, dangerous ideas about beauty and whiteness.
“We recognize that the use of the words ‘fair’, ‘white’ and ‘light’ suggest a singular ideal of beauty that we don’t think is right, and we want to address this,” Jain said. “As we’re evolving the way that we communicate the skin benefits of our products that deliver radiant and even tone skin, it’s also important to change the language we use.”
Advertisement
The focus on language elides the actual, material effects of the “Fair and Lovely” products. Unilever told BuzzFeed that their products didn’t use two of the most toxic and common skin lighteners, hydroquinone and bleach (hydroquinone has been banned by at least three African countries for the damage it causes to the body). But Jain’s statement also omits the stated promise of those products: focusing on the products’ ability to even skin tone and make it “radiant,” without mentioning their whitening effects on the skin. Here, she’s speaking in recognized beauty euphemisms: As the South China Morning Post reported earlier this year, brands will label “whitening” products as “lightening” or “brightening.”
Unilever’s move is as telling as it is disappointing: As long as colorism exists, the conglomerate still stands to make a lot of money. And if Unilever’s products successfully lighten skin, as they have pledged to do for years, then it can continue to capitalize on those sentiments, while publicly posturing that they would never propagate racism or white supremacy.
Advertisement
In this way, their recent move is also fitting: shifting your appearance but doing nothing to change the inside? Sounds about white.


theroot--2020-06-26--Now You Can Rep Our Pride Merch While Giving Back to the LGBTQ Community 🌈

Pride may be nearly over , but here at The Inventory , our commitment to human rights is unwavering .
@ @ @ @ @ month , we ’ re donating a portion of each sale from our dedicated merch @ @ @ @ @ to the following charities and nonprofit organizations .
Click the name of your favorite site @ @ @ @ @ catalog .
A couple of our sites have even introduced Pride merch including a “ @ @ @ @ @ from io9 and an embroidered t-shirts from Jalopnik .
However you present or identify , @ @ @ @ @ swag while giving back to a good cause .
• - The National Queer and @ @ @ @ @

The Inventory Staff on News, shared by Elizabeth Henges to The Root

Pride may be nearly over, but here at The Inventory, our commitment to human rights is unwavering. To finish out strong this month, we’re donating a portion of each sale from our dedicated merch stores across the whole network to the following charities and nonprofit organizations. Click the name of your favorite site below to browse the full catalog. A couple of our sites have even introduced Pride merch including a “Gays in Space” sticker from io9 and an embroidered t-shirts from Jalopnik.
However you present or identify, you can proudly sport our swag while giving back to a good cause.


theroot--2020-06-27--Trump Pens Petty Letter to Chicago Officials, Ironically Calls Out Their Lack of Leadership

We ’ ve already established that white people are really concerned about Chicago , and no one pretends to be more concerned than the white-orange President of the U.S. Trump sent an audacious letter to Illinois Governor J.B .
Pritzker and Mayor of Chicago Lori Lightfoot on Friday , calling them out for putting their “ own political interests ahead of the lives , safety , and fortunes of your own citizens.
” A day earlier , the President said in a TV interview that Chicago is “ worse than Afghanistan , Honduras , Guatemala , ” according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s COVID-19 cases ratchet ever higher and police across the country continue to kill citizens with impunity , Trump apparently thought it was important to send a petty missive to Chicago ’ s elected officials offering to help them address violence in the city if they are willing to put partisanship aside .
“ Your lack of leadership on this important issue continues to fail the people you have sworn to protect , ” his letter says .
“ I am concerned it is another example of your lack of commitment to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence and a lack of respect for the men and women in law enforcement.
” “ If you are interested , I am willing to ask members of my cabinet to meet with you to devise a plan to make Chicago safe , since a successful formula has escaped both you and your predecessor , ” Trump added , after detailing statistics of recent violence in the city .
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot dismissed the President ’ s letter in a statement on Twitter : “ As our police officers , street outreach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep our communities safe , he ’ s using the victims of gun violence in our city to score cheap political points , spew racist rhetoric , and ignore the impact of COVID across this country , ” Lightfoot added .
“ I stand with the Governor in providing for the safety and well-being of our residents.
” “ President Trump is a failure who has once again resorted to a press stunt in an attempt to distract from his long list of failures , ” a spokesperson for Governor Pritzker , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the letter .
“ The people of this state and this nation have unfortunately come to expect his unhinged attempts to politicize tragedy with his predictable and worn-out strategy to distract , distract , distract .
”

We’ve already established that white people are really concerned about Chicago, and no one pretends to be more concerned than the white-orange President of the U.S.
Trump sent an audacious letter to Illinois Governor J.B . Pritzker and Mayor of Chicago Lori Lightfoot on Friday, calling them out for putting their “own political interests ahead of the lives, safety, and fortunes of your own citizens.”
Advertisement
A day earlier, the President said in a TV interview that Chicago is “worse than Afghanistan, Honduras, Guatemala,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
While the nation’s COVID-19 cases ratchet ever higher and police across the country continue to kill citizens with impunity, Trump apparently thought it was important to send a petty missive to Chicago’s elected officials offering to help them address violence in the city if they are willing to put partisanship aside.
Advertisement Advertisement
“Your lack of leadership on this important issue continues to fail the people you have sworn to protect,” his letter says. “I am concerned it is another example of your lack of commitment to the vulnerable citizens who are victims of this violence and a lack of respect for the men and women in law enforcement.”
“If you are interested, I am willing to ask members of my cabinet to meet with you to devise a plan to make Chicago safe, since a successful formula has escaped both you and your predecessor,” Trump added, after detailing statistics of recent violence in the city.
Advertisement
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot dismissed the President’s letter in a statement on Twitter:
Advertisement
“As our police officers, street outreach workers and residents continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe, he’s using the victims of gun violence in our city to score cheap political points, spew racist rhetoric, and ignore the impact of COVID across this country,” Lightfoot added. “I stand with the Governor in providing for the safety and well-being of our residents.”
“President Trump is a failure who has once again resorted to a press stunt in an attempt to distract from his long list of failures,” a spokesperson for Governor Pritzker, Jordan Abudayyeh, said in response to the letter. “The people of this state and this nation have unfortunately come to expect his unhinged attempts to politicize tragedy with his predictable and worn-out strategy to distract, distract, distract.”


theroot--2020-06-27--Colorado Police Officers Involved in Elijah McClain's Death Taken Off Streets

Police officers Nathan Woodyard , Jason Rosenblatt , and Randy Roedema of the Aurora Police Department in Colorado have been put to work in a “ non-enforcement capacity ” since interest has renewed in the case surrounding the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain last year .
A police department spokesperson says the decision was “ done in an effort to protect those officers , ” reports NBC News .
The three cops were previously put on administrative leave after McClain ’ s death in August 2019 , but returned to their normal duties earlier this year after being cleared of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ They are now working in a non-enforcement capacity , ” Det .
Faith Goodrich said .
“ This can be in a variety of different assignments but is usually administrative in nature.
” Officers Nathan Woodyard and Jason Rosenblatt were moved to desk duty on June 13 , and officer Randy Roedema was re-assigned on June 20 , officials said .
McClain died in hospital a week after he was approached by the three officers while he was walking and listening to music .
The officers put him in a chokehold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to a police statement at the time .
The 23-year-old was put on life support after he lost consciousness and experienced cardiac arrest .
He was also injected with ketamine by paramedics who arrived on the scene .
On Friday a special prosecutor was appointed to investigate Mcclain ’ s death , in response to widespread protests against police killings and for police accountability .
“ They murdered him .
They are bullies with badges , ” Shaneen McClain said of the officers involved in her son ’ s death .

Police officers Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt, and Randy Roedema of the Aurora Police Department in Colorado have been put to work in a “non-enforcement capacity” since interest has renewed in the case surrounding the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain last year.
A police department spokesperson says the decision was “done in an effort to protect those officers,” reports NBC News.
Advertisement
The three cops were previously put on administrative leave after McClain’s death in August 2019, but returned to their normal duties earlier this year after being cleared of any wrongdoing by District Attorney Dave Young.
From NBC:
“They are now working in a non-enforcement capacity,” Det. Faith Goodrich said. “This can be in a variety of different assignments but is usually administrative in nature.” Officers Nathan Woodyard and Jason Rosenblatt were moved to desk duty on June 13, and officer Randy Roedema was re-assigned on June 20, officials said.
Advertisement Advertisement
McClain died in hospital a week after he was approached by the three officers while he was walking and listening to music. The officers put him in a chokehold after he “resisted contact,” according to a police statement at the time.
The 23-year-old was put on life support after he lost consciousness and experienced cardiac arrest. He was also injected with ketamine by paramedics who arrived on the scene.
Advertisement
On Friday a special prosecutor was appointed to investigate Mcclain’s death, in response to widespread protests against police killings and for police accountability.
“They murdered him. They are bullies with badges,” Shaneen McClain said of the officers involved in her son’s death.


theroot--2020-06-27--The Last Bomber Convicted in Church Killing of 4 Black Girls in Birmingham, Alabama Has Died

Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. , a former member of the Ku Klux Klan and one of three men convicted of murdering four B lack girls in Alabama by bombing a church in 1963 , has died in prison at 84 years old .
Blanton was serving a life sentence and died of natural causes on Friday , according to a report from CNN .
“ Although his passing will never fully take away the pain or restore the loss of life , I pray on behalf of the loved ones of all involved that our entire state can continue taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for future generations , ” said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey in a statement on the last killer ’ s death .
Blanton spent 38 years free after taking part in the murder of the four girls , and was only convicted in 2001 after a lengthy crusade by then U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama , Doug Jones .
“ No matter what I do in my life , I will always be most proud of achieving justice for those four young girls , ” Jones , now a member of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Twitter on Friday .
“ Blanton never atoned for his sins but his passing at this moment seems fitting.
” Blanton ’ s fellow KKK members Robert Edward Chambliss , Bobby Frank Cherry and Herman Frank Cash , were all implicated in the 1963 church bombing , according to CNN .
Chambliss died in prison in 1978 and Cherry did as well in 2004 .
Cash died in 1993 , having never been convicted for his role in taking the lives of the four girls .
I ’ d never read the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mae Collins , Cynthia Wesley , Carole Robertson and Denise McNair , at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham , Alabama that Sunday morning .
I knew they were little girls—little Black girls whose lives were stolen from them by evil men , in a fiery death they did not deserve , in a place of sanctuary Black people created in a country determined to see them subjugated .
But I couldn ’ t make myself find out more .
Until today , when I read the full story of what happened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as 11 years old , in order to contextualize the death of this man who bombed them in a church lounge they often used to change into choir robes .
I have to say that reporting on Blanton dying at a ripe old age after escaping justice for decades does not give me hope .

Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr., a former member of the Ku Klux Klan and one of three men convicted of murdering four Black girls in Alabama by bombing a church in 1963, has died in prison at 84 years old.
Blanton was serving a life sentence and died of natural causes on Friday, according to a report from CNN.
Advertisement
“Although his passing will never fully take away the pain or restore the loss of life, I pray on behalf of the loved ones of all involved that our entire state can continue taking steps forward to create a better Alabama for future generations,” said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey in a statement on the last killer’s death.
Blanton spent 38 years free after taking part in the murder of the four girls, and was only convicted in 2001 after a lengthy crusade by then U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, Doug Jones.
Advertisement Advertisement
“No matter what I do in my life, I will always be most proud of achieving justice for those four young girls,” Jones, now a member of the U.S. Senate for Alabama, posted on Twitter on Friday. “Blanton never atoned for his sins but his passing at this moment seems fitting.”
Blanton’s fellow KKK members Robert Edward Chambliss, Bobby Frank Cherry and Herman Frank Cash, were all implicated in the 1963 church bombing, according to CNN. Chambliss died in prison in 1978 and Cherry did as well in 2004. Cash died in 1993, having never been convicted for his role in taking the lives of the four girls.
Advertisement
I have a confession to make.
I’d never read the full story about what happened to Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Carol Denise McNair at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama that Sunday morning.
Advertisement
I knew they were little girls—little Black girls whose lives were stolen from them by evil men, in a fiery death they did not deserve, in a place of sanctuary Black people created in a country determined to see them subjugated.
But I couldn’t make myself find out more. Until today, when I read the full story of what happened to those children, one as young as 11 years old, in order to contextualize the death of this man who bombed them in a church lounge they often used to change into choir robes.
Advertisement
I have to say that reporting on Blanton dying at a ripe old age after escaping justice for decades does not give me hope.
I just feel kinda hollow.


theroot--2020-06-28--It's the Last Day of Amazon's Big Style Sale, So Hurry Up and Fill Out Your Wardrobe

All this week , my lovely coworkers have been talking about Amazon ’ s Big Style Sale , a huge sale that the retailer is having on clothing and accessories .
They ’ re not lying about it being big , either—it ’ s downright overwhelming to look at !
The sale has some Prime Day level discounts , and who knows when that is coming back ... so don ’ t sleep on this sale .
Not that you can sleep on it anymore—today ’ s the last day !
But with so much to look through , how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ?
Don ’ t worry , we have you covered .
There are some posts that put together wonderful outfits from what is on sale during the event , for example .
Or , you can pick up some nice sunglasses at a nice price .
As for my recommendations ?
Well , I ’ m in the market for some new workout pants , and these Danskin drawcord pants look super comfy .
It ’ s only $ 25 for the Large size !
You might even save more ( or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are .
Or , you can pick up these tights that mimic skin colors to wear .
They start at $ 9 .
There is all sorts of stuff to look through , but you better make it fast , as the sale ends at the end of the day .

Elizabeth Henges on Kinja Deals, shared by Elizabeth Henges to The Root

Big Style Sale | Amazon
All this week, my lovely coworkers have been talking about Amazon’s Big Style Sale, a huge sale that the retailer is having on clothing and accessories. They’re not lying about it being big, either—it’s downright overwhelming to look at! The sale has some Prime Day level discounts, and who knows when that is coming back... so don’t sleep on this sale.
Not that you can sleep on it anymore—today’s the last day ! But with so much to look through, how will you just the right item for you? Don’t worry, we have you covered. There are some posts that put together wonderful outfits from what is on sale during the event, for example. Or, you can pick up some nice sunglasses at a nice price.
As for my recommendations? Well, I’m in the market for some new workout pants, and these Danskin drawcord pants look super comfy. It’s only $25 for the Large size! You might even save more (or less) depending on what size you are. Or, you can pick up these tights that mimic skin colors to wear. They start at $9.
There is all sorts of stuff to look through, but you better make it fast, as the sale ends at the end of the day.


theroot--2020-06-28--Mississippi Governor Grudgingly Says He'll Sign a Bill to Change the State's Confederate Flag

Lawmakers in Mississippi responded to increased pressure over the state ’ s distasteful flag—which boasts the battle emblem of the treasonous , slavery loving Confederacy—by passing a measure this weekend that makes it possible for the flag to be changed legislatively .
On Saturday , two-thirds of the Mississippi House voted for a resolution to allow lawmakers to consider a bill that would remove and change the state ’ s flag , reported the Washington Post .
Later that day , Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said that he will sign a bill to change the flag if it is sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1894 flag has become as divisive as the flag itself and it ’ s time to end it .
If they send me a bill this weekend , I will sign it , ” he said in a statement on Twitter .
It ’ s a reversal from his position earlier in the week that “ a vote of the people the flag represents , ” is the best way to address the fact that his state proudly identifies itself with a symbol of the belief that Black people are inferior to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an effort underway across the country to erase our nation ’ s history—to pretend that all of us are so much better than our ancestors that we must eliminate their memory , ” Reeves added in a Facebook post on Wednesday , explaining his reluctance to support the legislative effort .
The measure passed by lawmakers on Saturday opens the door for a bill that would create a new flag—one that doesn ’ t celebrate a history of bigotry and failure—which would then go Mississippians for a vote : It calls for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the creation of a commission to design a new one .
The legislation stipulates that the words “ In God We Trust ” be included in the new flag and that it not include the Confederate battle flag .
The new version would go before voters for approval in November .
If voters rejected the proposed flag , the commission would create a new one meeting the same requirements .
In 2001 , Mississippians voted by a landslide keep the state ’ s Confederate flag , which was adopted decades after the civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 seems to be setting the stage for a different outcome—particularly since the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced earlier this month that it will no longer host championship events in states where the confederate flag is flown ( aka Mississippi ) .
The Mississippi Economic Council and the Mississippi Historical Society have also recently come out in support of changing the state ’ s flag .

Lawmakers in Mississippi responded to increased pressure over the state’s distasteful flag—which boasts the battle emblem of the treasonous, slavery loving Confederacy—by passing a measure this weekend that makes it possible for the flag to be changed legislatively.
On Saturday, two-thirds of the Mississippi House voted for a resolution to allow lawmakers to consider a bill that would remove and change the state’s flag, reported the Washington Post.
Advertisement
Later that day, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said that he will sign a bill to change the flag if it is sent to him.
“The argument over the 1894 flag has become as divisive as the flag itself and it’s time to end it. If they send me a bill this weekend, I will sign it,” he said in a statement on Twitter.
Advertisement Advertisement
It’s a reversal from his position earlier in the week that “a vote of the people the flag represents,” is the best way to address the fact that his state proudly identifies itself with a symbol of the belief that Black people are inferior to white people.
“There’s an effort underway across the country to erase our nation’s history—to pretend that all of us are so much better than our ancestors that we must eliminate their memory,” Reeves added in a Facebook post on Wednesday, explaining his reluctance to support the legislative effort.
Advertisement
The measure passed by lawmakers on Saturday opens the door for a bill that would create a new flag—one that doesn’t celebrate a history of bigotry and failure—which would then go Mississippians for a vote:
From the Washington Post:
It calls for the immediate removal of the existing flag and the creation of a commission to design a new one. The legislation stipulates that the words “In God We Trust” be included in the new flag and that it not include the Confederate battle flag. The new version would go before voters for approval in November. If voters rejected the proposed flag, the commission would create a new one meeting the same requirements.
Advertisement
In 2001, Mississippians voted by a landslide to keep the state’s Confederate flag, which was adopted decades after the civil war.
The watershed year that is 2020 seems to be setting the stage for a different outcome—particularly since the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced earlier this month that it will no longer host championship events in states where the confederate flag is flown (aka Mississippi).
Advertisement
The Mississippi Economic Council and the Mississippi Historical Society have also recently come out in support of changing the state’s flag.


theroot--2020-06-28--Trans Women of Color File Lawsuit Against Trump Administration for Discriminatory Rule Change

Two transgender women , one of them a Black Army veteran and lung cancer survivor , have filed suit against the Trump Administration challenging a recent rule change which strips away anti-discrimination protections in the Affordable Care Act .
The lawsuit was filed on the behalf of Tanya Asapansa-Johnson Walker and Cecilia Gentili , a Latinx woman and health care advocate , by the Human Rights Campaign on Friday .
The plaintiffs ’ collective experiences offer a small glimpse into the reality that many LGBTQ people , especially transgender women of color , face when seeking health care .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gentili have been routinely met with ridicule , harassment , verbal acts of discrimination such as misgendering and deadnaming , and rough physical handling , when making appointments for routine care , during recovery from surgery , or while accompanying other transgender patients to necessary medical treatments just because they are transgender .
Both live with serious and chronic lung conditions , and they delay or avoid treatment for these and other conditions because of the fear of facing discrimination .
Both live with the trauma and grief of having lost friends and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were treatable but who nonetheless chose to forego medical care due to fear of harassment and discrimination .
“ Every visit to the doctor , whether for my lung cancer or other issues , I have to defend my gender identity to the very people responsible for my care , ” said Walker .
“ We are here to tell the Trump-Pence administration that we matter and will no longer accept being mistreated by health care professionals who should be obligated to treat everyone equally.
” The lawsuit argues that the Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has violated federal law by removing language from the ACA regulations which clarified that discrimination on the basis of gender identity is a form of sex discrimination .
The suit seeks an order that would declare the action as unlawful and prevent Trump ’ s HHS from implementing the regulation .
A day after the Trump Administration reversed the Obama Administration-era guidance regarding sex based discrimination in health care , the Supreme Court ruled that LGBTQ employees qualify for protection from discrimination based on sex under the 1964 Civil Rights Act .

Two transgender women, one of them a Black Army veteran and lung cancer survivor, have filed suit against the Trump Administration challenging a recent rule change which strips away anti-discrimination protections in the Affordable Care Act.
Advertisement
The lawsuit was filed on the behalf of Tanya Asapansa-Johnson Walker and Cecilia Gentili, a Latinx woman and health care advocate, by the Human Rights Campaign on Friday.
From HRC :
The plaintiffs’ collective experiences offer a small glimpse into the reality that many LGBTQ people, especially transgender women of color, face when seeking health care. For years, Tanya Asapansa-Johnson Walker and Cecilia Gentili have been routinely met with ridicule, harassment, verbal acts of discrimination such as misgendering and deadnaming, and rough physical handling, when making appointments for routine care, during recovery from surgery, or while accompanying other transgender patients to necessary medical treatments just because they are transgender. Both live with serious and chronic lung conditions, and they delay or avoid treatment for these and other conditions because of the fear of facing discrimination. Both live with the trauma and grief of having lost friends and chosen family who succumbed to conditions that were treatable but who nonetheless chose to forego medical care due to fear of harassment and discrimination.
Advertisement Advertisement
“ Every visit to the doctor, whether for my lung cancer or other issues, I have to defend my gender identity to the very people responsible for my care,” said Walker. “We are here to tell the Trump-Pence administration that we matter and will no longer accept being mistreated by health care professionals who should be obligated to treat everyone equally.”
The lawsuit argues that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has violated federal law by removing language from the ACA regulations which clarified that discrimination on the basis of gender identity is a form of sex discrimination. The suit seeks an order that would declare the action as unlawful and prevent Trump’s HHS from implementing the regulation.
Advertisement
A day after the Trump Administration reversed the Obama Administration-era guidance regarding sex based discrimination in health care , the Supreme Court ruled that LGBTQ employees qualify for protection from discrimination based on sex under the 1964 Civil Rights Act.


theroot--2020-06-28--1 Person Killed, Another Injured After Shooter Fires on Breonna Taylor Protest in Louisville

Protestors who gathered in Jackson Square Park in Louisville , Kentucky to continue their calls for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor were set upon by gunfire on by an unknown assailant on Saturday night .
A man who was shot died on the scene , while another person was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries , reports AP .
Video posted on social media shows what appears to be a white man purposely aiming and shooting at a crowd of protestors , who are seen running and hiding for cover as multiple shots ring out : Police have not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shooting , or the names of the victims , but statement in a statement said they are trying to gather as much information as possible in order to identify all who were involved in the incident .
According to AP , it ’ s at least the second shooting that has taken place in Jackson Park Square since protests for Breonna Taylor began last month .
Protests there have continued unabated in Louisville for the 26-year-old who was shot and killed by police in her home on March 13 .
No police officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death , though prosecutors initially charged her boyfriend , Kenneth Walker , with attempted murder for firing on the cops who entered their home after midnight on a “ no-knock ” warrant .
The Louisville Metro Council has since passed a law banning such warrants .
Brett Hankinson , an officer who was fired last week for his involvement in the fatal shooting of Taylor , has since filed an appeal to regain his job according to WAVE3 News .

Protestors who gathered in Jackson Square Park in Louisville, Kentucky to continue their calls for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor were set upon by gunfire on by an unknown assailant on Saturday night.
A man who was shot died on the scene, while another person was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, reports AP.
Advertisement
Video posted on social media shows what appears to be a white man purposely aiming and shooting at a crowd of protestors, who are seen running and hiding for cover as multiple shots ring out:
Advertisement Advertisement
This is America in 2020.
Police have not released information about possible suspects in the shooting, or the names of the victims, but statement in a statement said they are trying to gather as much information as possible in order to identify all who were involved in the incident.
Advertisement
According to AP, it’s at least the second shooting that has taken place in Jackson Park Square since protests for Breonna Taylor began last month. Protests there have continued unabated in Louisville for the 26-year-old who was shot and killed by police in her home on March 13.
No police officers have been charged in Taylor’s death, though prosecutors initially charged her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, with attempted murder for firing on the cops who entered their home after midnight on a “no-knock” warrant. The Louisville Metro Council has since passed a law banning such warrants.
Advertisement
Brett Hankinson, an officer who was fired last week for his involvement in the fatal shooting of Taylor, has since filed an appeal to regain his job according to WAVE3 News.


theroot--2020-06-29--I Attended the 2020 BET Awards From the Comfort of My Home...Just Like Everyone Else!

I ’ m pretty sure BET was amongst those of us who wistfully declared , “ 2020 is going to be my year.
” Why BET ?
Well , because this year marks the 20th anniversary of the BET Awards and is the 40th anniversary of the network itself ( the latter of which lent itself to a tribute to BET co-founder Bob Johnson ) .
However , just like it did with our travel and other best-life plans , Da ‘ r ona decided to put a kibosh on what I imagine would ’ ve been an enormous star-studded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles .
We really were “ all in this together ” in the sense that every single one of us ( from press , to celebs , to viewers alike ) attended the ceremony , which was held virtually this year , from the comfort of our homes .
As the network said , “ the culture can ’ t be canceled , ” so the show did , indeed , go on .
The show aired on BET but was also simulcast on CBS this year .
Amanda Seales had the task @ @ @ @ @ @ @ energy without an audience .
She leaned right into the nostalgic feel of BET , making references to oldies such as Rap City , did the typical host costume changes ( and background changes , thanks to green screen ) and threw in some shady jokes .
I have to give a shout out to the elite production design , which really made us all miss seeing music videos on television like back in the day .
Performers included YG , Public Enemy ( yes , with Flava Flav ! )
, Nas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , John Legend , D Smoke , SiR , Megan Thee Stallion ( who gave us “ Mad Thee Max ” energy ) , Da Baby , Jennifer Hudson ( her performance was very American Bandstand-esque and she followed it with the teaser trailer for Respect ) , Wayne Brady ( with a Little Richard tribute ) , Alicia Keys , Chloe x Halle ( who have been given us elite lockdown performances , so they ’ re the prototype , to be honest ! )
, Karen Clark , Kierra Sheard and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kane Brown .
Naturally , the entire show was Black Lives Matter-themed , with advertisement spots , performances , monologues , speeches and everything in between , making sure the message was heard .
Big winners of the night included Roddy Ricc h ( Album of the Year - Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial ) , Megan Thee Stallion ( Best Female Hip Hop Artist and Viewers ’ Choice Award along with Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ ign ) , Da Baby ( Best Male Hip Hop Artist ) , Lizzo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) and Marsai Martin ( who looks adorable with her blonde hair , won the Young Stars Award ) .
DJ Khaled , Nipsey Hussle and John Legend won Video of the Year for “ Higher.
” Michael B. Jordan and Issa Rae took home the Best Actor and Best Actress awards , respectively .
“ I am here to talk about the Queen .
You know the one , ” Michelle “ Forever FLOTUS ” Obama said as she introduced Beyoncé Knowles Carter for the 2020 Humanitarian Award .
Following the introduction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bey ’ s charity , including her philanthropic efforts through BeyGood .
“ Be the change you want to see , ” Bey concluded during her acceptance speech .
Bey also dropped the teaser trailer for her Black Is King film , which is coming exclusively to Disney+ on July 31 .
Black folks often feel like a broken record when we ’ re constantly asking mainstream media to see us and hear our voices , however that same sentiment is true of our LGBTQ+ community members , as well .
We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NAACP Image Awards , but Angelica Ross had to reiterate on Sunday afternoon that black trans voices are constantly erased and silenced .
Not only is the neglect extra apparent when it ’ s done by your own people , but we can ’ t ignore the fact that the ceremony typically happens during Pride Month , so the special spotlight should be a given ... and given in a space where members of the LGBTQ community will feel safe and welcomed .
We really have a lot of work to do internally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we keep our voices loud and heard .
‘ Til next year .
Hopefully , we ’ ll be back to regularly scheduled red carpets and stadium venues .
We ’ ll see !
To view the complete list of winners at the 2020 BET Awards , head to BET.com .

Tonja Renée Stidhum on The Grapevine, shared by Tonja Renée Stidhum to The Root

I’m pretty sure BET was amongst those of us who wistfully declared, “2020 is going to be my year.”
Why BET? Well, because this year marks the 20th anniversary of the BET Awards and is the 40th anniversary of the network itself (the latter of which lent itself to a tribute to BET co-founder Bob Johnson). However, just like it did with our travel and other best-life plans, Da ‘rona decided to put a kibosh on what I imagine would’ve been an enormous star-studded event at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Advertisement
We really were “all in this together” in the sense that every single one of us (from the press, to celebs, to viewers alike) attended the ceremony, which was held virtually this year, from the comfort of our homes. As the network said, “the culture can’t be canceled,” so the show did, indeed, go on. The show aired on BET but was also simulcast on CBS this year.
Advertisement Advertisement
Hosting During Lockdown
Amanda Seales had the task of hosting the show and bringing the energy without an audience. She leaned right into the nostalgic feel of BET, making references to oldies such as Rap City, did the typical host costume changes (and background changes, thanks to green screen) and threw in some shady jokes.
Advertisement
Performing During Lockdown
I have to give a shoutout to the elite production design, which really made us all miss seeing music videos on television like back in the day.
Advertisement
Performers included YG, Public Enemy (yes, with Flava Flav!), Nas, Rapsody, Black Thought, Questlove, John Legend, D Smoke, SiR, Megan Thee Stallion (who gave us “Mad Thee Max” energy), Da Baby, Jennifer Hudson (her performance was very American Bandstand-esque and she followed it with the teaser trailer for Respect), Wayne Brady (with a Little Richard tribute), Alicia Keys, Chloe x Halle (who have been given us elite lockdown performances, so they’re the prototype, to be honest!), Karen Clark, Kierra Sheard and we even got a little country with Kane Brown.
Advertisement
Messaging During Lockdown
Naturally, the entire show was Black Lives Matter-themed, with advertisement spots, performances, monologues, speeches and everything in between, making sure the message was heard.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Winning During Lockdown
Big winners of the night included Roddy Ricch (Album of the Year - Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial), Megan Thee Stallion (Best Female Hip Hop Artist and Viewers’ Choice Award along with Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign), Da Baby (Best Male Hip Hop Artist), Lizzo (Best Female R&B/Pop Artist) and Marsai Martin (who looks adorable with her blond hair, won the Young Stars Award).
Advertisement
DJ Khaled, Nipsey Hussle and John Legend won Video of the Year for “Higher.” Michael B. Jordan and Issa Rae took home the Best Actor and Best Actress awards, respectively.
“I am here to talk about the Queen. You know the one,” Michelle “Forever FLOTUS” Obama said as she introduced Beyoncé Knowles Carter for the 2020 Humanitarian Award. Following the introduction spot, BET showed a montage summarizing Bey’s charity, including her philanthropic efforts through BeyGood.
Advertisement
“Be the change you want to see,” Bey concluded during her acceptance speech.
Bey also dropped the teaser trailer for her Black Is King film, which is coming exclusively to Disney+ on July 31.
BLACK IS KING / Walt Disney Studios (YouTube)
Critiquing During Lockdown
Black folks often feel like a broken record when we’re constantly asking mainstream media to see us and hear our voices, however that same sentiment is true of our LGBTQ+ community members, as well. We’ve already seen this happen at the NAACP Image Awards, but Angelica Ross had to reiterate on Sunday afternoon that B lack trans voices are constantly erased and silenced. Not only is the neglect extra apparent when it’s done by your own people, but we can’t ignore the fact that the ceremony typically happens during Pride Month, so the special spotlight should be a given...and given in a space where members of the LGBTQ community will feel safe and welcomed.
Advertisement
Advertisement
We really have a lot of work to do internally, and it will only happen if we keep our voices loud and heard.
‘Til next year. Hopefully, we’ll be back to regularly scheduled red carpets and stadium venues. We’ll see! To view the complete list of winners at the 2020 BET Awards, head to BET.com.


theroot--2020-07-01--New Jersey Karen Harasses and Calls Police on Black Neighbors for Building a Patio on Their Own Prop

New Jersey Karen Harasses and Calls Police on Black Neighbors for Building a Patio on Their Own Property

Maybe it really is time we stop giving white people who seek to weaponize the police against Black people cutesy little nicknames like “ BBQ Becky ” or “ Central Park Karen.
” Perhaps it ’ s time for more fitting monikers like “ Terrorist Tammy ” or “ Killer by Police Kathy.
” In Montclair , N.J. , a white woman has been dubbed “ Permit Karen ” after she confronted her Black neighbors to question them about whether they had a permit to build a patio on their own property .
This , of course , caused a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wife and the white woman who apparently suffers from the common C aucasian condition of being allergic to minding her own business .
At some point during the argument , the white woman accuses the Black man of pushing her and she calls the police .
That ’ s where the video starts .
In a Facebook Live video posted Monday , the Black neighbor—identified as Fareed Nassor Hayat—included a lengthy caption where he denies putting his hands on the woman and said all he did was ask her to leave .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote .
“ White entitlement and black hate embodied in Susan who lives on Marion Road and works at the EPA , called the police to lodge a false report of assault against me when told to leave our property .
Susan , aka ‘ Permit Karen , ’ came onto our property three times within thirty minutes to demand to know if we had the proper permit to install a stone patio in our backyard , on the other side of the fence of her yard .
When asked if a permit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she didn ’ t know , but insisted we answer her questions and submit to her demands , or she would call the police to force us to stop improving our home.
” Hayat goes on to say that he and his wife did the research , consulted with their contractor and “ verified when building and safety arrived ” that they did not need a permit to build “ a stone patio this size ” on their property .
First , let ’ s just acknowledge the degree of caucasity on display @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t even know whether or not a permit is required , why the fuck is Public Menace Patty out here policing her neighbors in the first place ?
Why are white people so often convinced that it ’ s their job to act as officers of the law when they are not officers at all ?
And then , when their self-proclaimed authority is rejected , they call actual police to do their dirty work .
Fortunately , several of the Black couple ’ s neighbors can be seen in the video coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Crime Wendy as the racist harasser that she is .
“ In this climate right now you are , especially , not supporting members of our community here ?
” one neighbor asks her .
Other neighbors simply told her she needed to go the hell away .
According to Montclair Local , Montclair Deputy Police Chief Wilhelm Young released a statement regarding the incident confirming only that police responded to a dispute between neighbors over work being done on the property , that no complaints were signed by either the white woman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the incident is under investigation .
Montclair Local also reported that , on Tuesday , around 30 Montclair residents staged a small protest against what one of the neighbors called “ an act of racial bias by a white neighbor against a Black family .
”

Maybe it really is time we stop giving white people who seek to weaponize the police against Black people cutesy little nicknames like “BBQ Becky” or “Central Park Karen.” Perhaps it’s time for more fitting monikers like “Terrorist Tammy” or “Killer by Police Kathy.”
In Montclair, N.J., a white woman has been dubbed “Permit Karen” after she confronted her Black neighbors to question them about whether they had a permit to build a patio on their own property. This, of course, caused a heated argument between the Black husband and wife and the white woman who apparently suffers from the common Caucasian condition of being allergic to minding her own business. At some point during the argument, the white woman accuses the Black man of pushing her and she calls the police. That’s where the video starts.
Advertisement
In a Facebook Live video posted Monday, the Black neighbor—identified as Fareed Nassor Hayat—included a lengthy caption where he denies putting his hands on the woman and said all he did was ask her to leave.
“It has happened again,” Hayat wrote. “White entitlement and B lack hate embodied in Susan who lives on Marion Road and works at the EPA, called the police to lodge a false report of assault against me when told to leave our property. Susan, aka ‘Permit Karen,’ came onto our property three times within thirty minutes to demand to know if we had the proper permit to install a stone patio in our backyard, on the other side of the fence of her yard. When asked if a permit was required by law, she said she didn’t know, but insisted we answer her questions and submit to her demands, or she would call the police to force us to stop improving our home.”
Advertisement Advertisement
Hayat goes on to say that he and his wife did the research, consulted with their contractor and “verified when building and safety arrived” that they did not need a permit to build “a stone patio this size” on their property.
Advertisement
First, let’s just acknowledge the degree of caucasity on display here…
If this white woman doesn’t even know whether or not a permit is required, why the fuck is Public Menace Patty out here policing her neighbors in the first place? Why are white people so often convinced that it’s their job to act as officers of the law when they are not officers at all? And then, when their self-proclaimed authority is rejected, they call actual police to do their dirty work.
Advertisement
Fortunately, several of the Black couple’s neighbors can be seen in the video coming to their defense and denouncing Walking Hate Crime Wendy as the racist harasser that she is.
“In this climate right now you are, especially, not supporting members of our community here?” one neighbor asks her. Other neighbors simply told her she needed to go the hell away.
Advertisement
According to Montclair Local, Montclair Deputy Police Chief Wilhelm Young released a statement regarding the incident confirming only that police responded to a dispute between neighbors over work being done on the property, that no complaints were signed by either the white woman or the Black couple, and that the incident is under investigation.
Montclair Local also reported that, on Tuesday, around 30 Montclair residents staged a small protest against what one of the neighbors called “an act of racial bias by a white neighbor against a Black family.”