theroot--2020-09-30--Reebok Names Kerby Jean-Raymond Its Global Creative Director

A legacy sportswear brand just made a major investment in Black creativity : on Wednesday morning , Reebok announced that longtime collaborator , Pyer Moss founder Kerby Jean-Raymond , is its new Vice President of Creative Direction , effectively making him the brand ’ s global creative director , according to the designer ’ s publicist .
“ I am thrilled to be evolving my role at Reebok and joining the leadership team as the head of Creative Direction , ” said Jean-Raymond in a statement by Reebok .
The designer has been in collaboration with the brand for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Reebok capsule and launched a division as a new artistic director for the brand last year .
“ I welcome this opportunity to help invigorate the brand with new ideas , while also focusing on instilling a sense of social purpose into our work , ” Jean-Raymond added .
Jean-Raymond has certainly been doing the work amid the crisis brought on by the pandemic .
He was among the first American designers to launch a COVID-19 relief initiative under his label , making his studio a donation center for PPE equipment and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and women-owned small creative businesses .
This , while still producing collections that recently earned the 2019 The Root 100 honoree this year ’ s CFDA Award for American Menswear Designer of the Year as well as Harlem ’ s Fashion Row ‘ Designer of the Year.
’ Additionally , the label produced a documentary on the creation of its groundbreaking Spring-Summer 2020 presentation and recently announced a partnership with luxury conglomerate Kering on Jean-Raymond ’ s ‘ Your Friends in New York , ’ “ a groundbreaking platform that will merge fashion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form an eco-system of creativity that reimagines how consumers discover and interact with brands , ” says his reps .
In this role , Jean-Raymond will provide creative leadership across all design disciplines for Reebok .
He will work closely with Reebok ’ s Product , Global Marketing and Development organizations to ensure his design strategy is consistently implemented across all brand touchpoints .
Jean-Raymond will serve on the Reebok senior leadership team , and report to President Matt O ’ Toole .
... Jean-Raymond will be at the forefront of Reebok ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as part of the brand ’ s United Against Racism commitments , which will launch in 2021 .
The first products under Jean-Raymond ’ s creative direction will release starting in 2022 .
“ Kerby is a fashion visionary with a bold approach who has established himself as a leader and a passionate activist , ” said O ’ Toole .
“ We are incredibly excited about the impact he will have on Reebok from a design and brand purpose perspective and for him to bring his unique voice and direction to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is certainly a big opportunity for both Reebok and for Kerby , ” O ’ Toole continued .
“ He understands the value of our rich heritage and iconic silhouettes and how he can build on that and take Reebok in an exciting and evolved direction .
”

A legacy sportswear brand just made a major investment in Black creativity: on Wednesday morning, Reebok announced that longtime collaborator, Pyer Moss founder Kerby Jean-Raymond, is its new Vice President of Creative Direction, effectively making him the brand’s global creative director, according to the designer’s publicist.
“I am thrilled to be evolving my role at Reebok and joining the leadership team as the head of Creative Direction,” said Jean-Raymond in a statement by Reebok. The designer has been in collaboration with the brand for the past for years on his Pyer Moss by Reebok capsule and launched a division as a new artistic director for the brand last year. “I welcome this opportunity to help invigorate the brand with new ideas, while also focusing on instilling a sense of social purpose into our work,” Jean-Raymond added.
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Jean-Raymond has certainly been doing the work amid the crisis brought on by the pandemic. He was among the first American designers to launch a COVID-19 relief initiative under his label, making his studio a donation center for PPE equipment and creating a financial assistance program for minority and women-owned small creative businesses. This, while still producing collections that recently earned the 2019 The Root 100 honoree this year’s CFDA Award for American Menswear Designer of the Year as well as Harlem’s Fashion Row ‘Designer of the Year.’ Additionally, the label produced a documentary on the creation of its groundbreaking Spring-Summer 2020 presentation and recently announced a partnership with luxury conglomerate Kering on Jean-Raymond’s ‘Your Friends in New York,’ “a groundbreaking platform that will merge fashion, culture, philanthropy and wellness to form an eco-system of creativity that reimagines how consumers discover and interact with brands,” says his reps.
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Further explaining his newest role, Reebok’s statement read:
In this role, Jean-Raymond will provide creative leadership across all design disciplines for Reebok. He will work closely with Reebok’s Product, Global Marketing and Development organizations to ensure his design strategy is consistently implemented across all brand touchpoints. Jean-Raymond will serve on the Reebok senior leadership team, and report to President Matt O’Toole. ... Jean-Raymond will be at the forefront of Reebok’s ‘Product with Purpose’ program as part of the brand’s United Against Racism commitments, which will launch in 2021. The first products under Jean-Raymond’s creative direction will release starting in 2022.
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“Kerby is a fashion visionary with a bold approach who has established himself as a leader and a passionate activist,” said O’Toole. “We are incredibly excited about the impact he will have on Reebok from a design and brand purpose perspective and for him to bring his unique voice and direction to the Reebok brand more broadly.”
“This is certainly a big opportunity for both Reebok and for Kerby,” O’Toole continued. “He understands the value of our rich heritage and iconic silhouettes and how he can build on that and take Reebok in an exciting and evolved direction.”


theroot--2020-09-30--Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron Requests Delay in Releasing Breonna Taylor Grand Jury Recor

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron Requests Delay in Releasing Breonna Taylor Grand Jury Recordings, Citing Privacy Issues

Earlier this week , Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said he would not interfere with a judge ’ s order to release recordings of the grand jury proceedings in Breonna Taylor ’ s case to the court , as part of former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison ’ s case file .
But according to a motion filed on Tuesday , Cameron is now seeking a one-week delay in releasing the grand jury recordings , arguing that it was necessary for his office to edit the recording to protect witnesses , reports CNN .
Cameron said his office wants to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person and to redact both names and personal identifiers of any private citizen ” from the recording , which allegedly is more than 20 hours long .
In a statement given to CNN on Wednesday , the attorney general ’ s office said it needed the additional time to strike addresses and phone numbers from recordings .
The tapes were originally scheduled to be released to the court by noon Wednesday .
The recordings have been the source of great interest since last week when a grand jury charged Hankison with wanton endangerment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s apartment that could have hit her neighbors .
The two officers responsible for shooting and killing Taylor , Sgt .
Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove , were not charged with any crimes .
They remain on the Louisville Metro Police force .
But since the indictments , which were announced last Wednesday , one juror has come forward to dispute Cameron ’ s public comments about the proceedings .
On Monday , the anonymous juror filed a notice asking that grand jury recordings and transcripts be released and that jurors be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the process and what evidence they were presented .
In his public remarks last week , Cameron , the special prosecutor appointed in Taylor ’ s case , implied that his office and the grand jury were aligned in their decision that Cosgrove and Mattingly were justified in their actions the night they killed Taylor , a 26-year-old emergency medical technician , in her home .
On Tuesday , a lawyer for the juror said this didn ’ t represent his client ’ s experience .
As the New York Times reports , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bothered by Cameron ’ s remarks because the grand jury was not given the option of charging the two officers .
Instead , they were given only possible charges for former detective Brett Hankison .
Cameron addressed the juror ’ s comments last night , talking with local Fox affiliate WDRB ( h/t Reuters ) about the grand jury ’ s decision .
He confirmed that his office had not recommended charging Mattingly and Cosgrove , but suggested that the grand jury could have decided to press charges anyway .
“ They are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make an assessment about different charges , they could have done that .
But our recommendation was that Mattingly and Cosgrove were justified in their acts and their conduct , ” he said .
The attorney general , a rising star within the GOP , also made explicit that the only charges his office recommended were wanton endangerment related to Hankison ’ s actions .
“ Ultimately our judgment is that the charge that we could prove at trial beyond a reasonable doubt was for wanton endangerment against Mr. Hankison , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the grand jury could have disagreed with his office and brought forward additional charges , a CNN analyst noted such instances are rare .
“ Normally the grand jury is simply voting on the statutes presented to the grand jury , they are not combing through the criminal code to see if prosecutors could pursue criminal charges , ” said CNN ’ s Senior Legal Analyst Laura Coates .
“ They are far more reactive to facts that are presented to them than they are seeking criminal statutes to charge a defendant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questioned what narrative—and what evidence—Cameron presented to the jurors as part of the state ’ s case against the three officers involved in Taylor ’ s killing .
Among the disputes are whether witnesses heard Louisville police announce themselves as they were serving the “ no-knock ” warrant at Taylor ’ s home .
Taylor ’ s lawyers say they spoke to at least 11 people who said they did not hear police announce their presence before barging into Taylor ’ s apartment .
But one witness who originally told investigators he did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before raiding the home reversed his story before the grand jury , testifying that he had , in fact , heard LMPD make their presence known before forcibly entering the apartment .
Taylor ’ s boyfriend Kenneth Walker , who was at Taylor ’ s apartment at the time of the raid , survived the shooting .
While he initially told investigators he fired shots at the plainclothes officers , believing them to be intruders , his lawyers now dispute that he actually hit anyone .
The one officer who sustained any injuries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by friendly fire , they say .
Cameron responded to those claims during his Tuesday interview , saying Walker ’ s claim was “ silly.
” “ To believe that idea is to suggest that somehow bullets that were fired from outside of the apartment , down the side of the apartment unit—somehow , it made a sharp turn left to hit Mattingly in order to match up with the entry wound , ” he said .
It ’ s unclear how soon after the grand jury tapes are turned over to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public .
The grand juror ’ s lawyer noted that many of the proceedings may not have actually been recorded , so it ’ s important jurors be allowed to speak publicly in order for there to be full transparency and accountability about the indictment process .
“ I think the point of the whole action is to get more into the narrative , ” attorney Glogower said .
“ It ’ s not really about changing the narrative , it ’ s about opening it up to a more full truth for @ @ @ @ @

Earlier this week, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said he would not interfere with a judge’s order to release recordings of the grand jury proceedings in Breonna Taylor’s case to the court, as part of former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison’s case file.
But according to a motion filed on Tuesday, Cameron is now seeking a one-week delay in releasing the grand jury recordings, arguing that it was necessary for his office to edit the recording to protect witnesses, reports CNN.
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Cameron said his office wants to “redact personal identifiers of any named person and to redact both names and personal identifiers of any private citizen” from the recording, which allegedly is more than 20 hours long.
In a statement given to CNN on Wednesday, the attorney general’s office said it needed the additional time to strike addresses and phone numbers from recordings. The tapes were originally scheduled to be released to the court by noon Wednesday.
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The recordings have been the source of great interest since last week when a grand jury charged Hankison with wanton endangerment for shots he fired at Taylor’s apartment that could have hit her neighbors. The two officers responsible for shooting and killing Taylor, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove, were not charged with any crimes. They remain on the Louisville Metro Police force.
But since the indictments, which were announced last Wednesday, one juror has come forward to dispute Cameron’s public comments about the proceedings. On Monday, the anonymous juror filed a notice asking that grand jury recordings and transcripts be released and that jurors be granted explicit permission to speak freely about the process and what evidence they were presented.
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In his public remarks last week, Cameron, the special prosecutor appointed in Taylor’s case, implied that his office and the grand jury were aligned in their decision that Cosgrove and Mattingly were justified in their actions the night they killed Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, in her home.
On Tuesday, a lawyer for the juror said this didn’t represent his client’s experience. As the New York Times reports, attorney Kevin Glogower said the juror was bothered by Cameron’s remarks because the grand jury was not given the option of charging the two officers. Instead, they were given only possible charges for former detective Brett Hankison.
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Cameron addressed the juror’s comments last night, talking with local Fox affiliate WDRB (h/t Reuters) about the grand jury’s decision. He confirmed that his office had not recommended charging Mattingly and Cosgrove, but suggested that the grand jury could have decided to press charges anyway.
“They are an independent body. If they wanted to make an assessment about different charges, they could have done that. But our recommendation was that Mattingly and Cosgrove were justified in their acts and their conduct,” he said.
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The attorney general, a rising star within the GOP, also made explicit that the only charges his office recommended were wanton endangerment related to Hankison’s actions.
“Ultimately our judgment is that the charge that we could prove at trial beyond a reasonable doubt was for wanton endangerment against Mr. Hankison,” said Cameron.
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But while Cameron suggested that the grand jury could have disagreed with his office and brought forward additional charges, a CNN analyst noted such instances are rare.
“Normally the grand jury is simply voting on the statutes presented to the grand jury, they are not combing through the criminal code to see if prosecutors could pursue criminal charges,” said CNN’s Senior Legal Analyst Laura Coates. “They are far more reactive to facts that are presented to them than they are seeking criminal statutes to charge a defendant under.”
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Taylor’s family has questioned what narrative—and what evidence—Cameron presented to the jurors as part of the state’s case against the three officers involved in Taylor’s killing. Among the disputes are whether witnesses heard Louisville police announce themselves as they were serving the “no-knock” warrant at Taylor’s home. Taylor’s lawyers say they spoke to at least 11 people who said they did not hear police announce their presence before barging into Taylor’s apartment. But one witness who originally told investigators he did not hear police state who they were before raiding the home reversed his story before the grand jury, testifying that he had, in fact, heard LMPD make their presence known before forcibly entering the apartment.
Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker, who was at Taylor’s apartment at the time of the raid, survived the shooting. While he initially told investigators he fired shots at the plainclothes officers, believing them to be intruders, his lawyers now dispute that he actually hit anyone. The one officer who sustained any injuries, Sgt. Mattingly, was hit by friendly fire, they say.
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Cameron responded to those claims during his Tuesday interview, saying Walker’s claim was “silly.”
“To believe that idea is to suggest that somehow bullets that were fired from outside of the apartment, down the side of the apartment unit—somehow, it made a sharp turn left to hit Mattingly in order to match up with the entry wound,” he said.
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It’s unclear how soon after the grand jury tapes are turned over to the court that they’ll be made public. The grand juror’s lawyer noted that many of the proceedings may not have actually been recorded, so it’s important jurors be allowed to speak publicly in order for there to be full transparency and accountability about the indictment process.
“I think the point of the whole action is to get more into the narrative,” attorney Glogower said. “It’s not really about changing the narrative, it’s about opening it up to a more full truth for everybody to see.”
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Updated: Thursday, 10/1/20 at 7:58 am, ET: A judge ruled on Wednesday that Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron will have two additional days to release audio from the grand jury proceedings related to the Breonna Taylor case, according to the Washington Post. Elizabeth Kuhn, a spokeswoman for the attorney general, said his office has until Friday at noon to redact private information from the audio and release it to the court.


theroot--2020-09-30--Urbanworld Film Festival 2020 Braved a New (Virtual) World, Winners Announced

Another year , another Urbanworld Film Festival wrapped !
This year marked the 24th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival and this year ’ s theme was , “ A Brave New ( Virtual ) World.
” This year ’ s Urbanworld festival ambassador was show creator and director Justin Simien ( Dear White People , Bad Hair ) , and this five-day virtual event featured other major names such as Stacey Abrams , Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley , Ava DuVernay , David Oyelewo , Rosario Dawson , Lena Waithe , Luis A. Miranda , Jr. , Nia DaCosta , Teyonah Parris , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Townsend , Alice Smith , Radha Blank , David E. Talbert , Jahi Di ’ Allo Winston , Will Catlett , DeRay McKesson , Chino Braxton , Pearl Thusi , Amy Schumer , Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Chief Operating Officer Christine Simmons and MGM ’ s Orion Pictures President Alana Mayo .
Notable films screened at the fest include David Oyelowo ’ s feature directorial debut , The Water Man , which was the big opener .
All-In : The Fight for Democracy also screened for virtual audiences .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other fests such as Charm City Kings , Bad Hair and The Forty-Year-Old Version .
Now , as with any competitive film festival , we have some winners !
The winners of the 24th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival are : BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE ( U.S. CINEMA ) – The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain – Directed by David Midell BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE ( WORLD CINEMA ) – Salvation –Directed by Carmen Sangion Honorable Mention - Hoy - Directed by Ricardo B ’ atz ’ BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – The Donut King – Directed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Father The Mover - Directed by Julia Jansch BEST NARRATIVE SHORT – White Eye – Directed by Tomer Shushan Presented by WarnerMedia— $ 5,000 Prize Honorable Mention – Elephant – Directed by Gladys San Juan BEST WEB ORIGINAL – East of LaBrea – Directed by Sam Bailey BEST SCREENPLAY – If You Seek Britney – Written by Ama Quao Presented by BET Networks— $ 5,000 Prize THE JURY : Connie Orlando , EVP & Head , Specials , Music Programming & Music Strategy , BET Joshua Sanchez , Writer/Director and WGAE Member Tracey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Spirited Actor Podcast and Celebrity Acting Coach VIMEO STAFF PICK – Eagle – Directed by Jose Acevedo Presented by Vimeo— $ 2,500 Prize and inclusion on Vimeo Staff Pick list If you missed the Spotlight Conversations ( which includes Robert Townsend interviewing The Forty-Year-Old Version director Radha Blank , Urbanworld Founder , Stacy Spikes in conversation with David Oyelowo and Keira Chansa and more ) and would like to view them , you ’ re in luck !
They ’ re all currently available on Urbanworld ’ s Vimeo page .

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

Another year, another Urbanworld Film Festival wrapped! This year marked the 24th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival and this year’s theme was, “A Brave New (Virtual) World.”
This year’s Urbanworld festival ambassador was show creator and director Justin Simien (Dear White People, Bad Hair), and this five-day virtual event featured other major names such as Stacey Abrams, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Ava DuVernay, David Oyelewo, Rosario Dawson, Lena Waithe, Luis A. Miranda, Jr., Nia DaCosta, Teyonah Parris, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Kelly Rowland, Robert Townsend, Alice Smith, Radha Blank, David E. Talbert, Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Will Catlett, DeRay McKesson, Chino Braxton, Pearl Thusi, Amy Schumer, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Chief Operating Officer Christine Simmons and MGM’s Orion Pictures President Alana Mayo.
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Notable films screened at the fest include David Oyelowo’s feature directorial debut, The Water Man, which was the big opener. All-In: The Fight for Democracy also screened for virtual audiences. The fest also screened films that premiered at other fests such as Charm City Kings, Bad Hair and The Forty-Year-Old Version.
Now, as with any competitive film festival, we have some winners!
The winners of the 24th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival are:
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE (U.S. CINEMA) – The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
– Directed by David Midell
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THE JURY:
David Wolkis, SVP & Head, Production, TBS, TNT & TruTV
Mark R. Wright, Director, Development, MACRO
Mercedes Cooper, Director, Programming, ARRAY
Tamir Muhammad, Founder, Populace
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE (WORLD CINEMA) – Salvation
–Directed by Carmen Sangion
Honorable Mention - Hoy - Directed by Ricardo B’atz’
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THE JURY:
Amy Andrieux, Executive Director, MoCADA
Jeniffer Kim, SVP, International Originals, HBO Max
Stacy Spikes, Founder, Urbanworld and Founder, PreShow
Ted Hope, Producer
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – The Donut King – Directed by Alice Gu
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT - My Father The Mover - Directed by Julia Jansch
THE JURY:
Erika Alexander, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Color Farm Media
Jackie Glover, Head, News & Documentary, ABC
Lizzie Fox, SVP, Non-Fiction Programming, HBO Max
Sara Rodriguez, SVP, Documentary Programming, HBO
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BEST YOUNG CREATOR – Nahjum – Directed by Sebastian Torres Greene & Manuel Del Valle
THE JURY:
Eugene Ashe, Writer/Director, Amazon Studios’ Sylvie’s Love
Kesila Childers, VP, Development, Powderkeg
Linda Lowy, EVP, Casting, HBO Max, TBS, TNT & TruTV
Sidra Smith, Head, Essence Studios
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BEST NARRATIVE SHORT – White Eye – Directed by Tomer Shushan
Presented by WarnerMedia—$5,000 Prize
Honorable Mention – Elephant – Directed by Gladys San Juan
THE JURY:
Axel Caballero, Head, WarnerMedia’s 150
Brenda Gilbert, Co-Founder & President, BRON Media Corporation
Marta Fernandez, President, MACRO Television Studios
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BEST ANIMATION SHORT – Windup – Directed by Yibing Jiang
THE JURY:
Billy Wee, SVP, Animation Originals, HBO Max
Jeremiah Loeb, Creative Executive, Sony Animation
Taylor K. Shaw, CEO, BWA Studios
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BEST WEB ORIGINAL – East of LaBrea – Directed by Sam Bailey
THE JURY:
D’Angela Proctor, CEO, Wayfarer Entertainment
Greta Talia Fuentes, Director, Development, MACRO
Kevin Parker, Talent Manager, Artists First
Maurice “Mo” Marable, Director & Executive Producer, Hulu’s Woke
Sam Linsky, SVP & Co-Head, Scripted Original Programming, TNT, TBS & TruTV
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BEST MUSIC VIDEO – Rapsody Feat. Leikeli 47 “Oprah” – Directed by Farah X
THE JURY:
Juliette Jones, EVP, Urban Promotions, Atlantic Records
Trenton Pratt, Music Programmer, BET Networks
Xiaolong Liu, Cinematographer
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BEST SCREENPLAY – If You Seek Britney – Written by Ama Quao
Presented by BET Networks—$5,000 Prize
THE JURY:
Connie Orlando, EVP & Head, Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy, BET
Joshua Sanchez, Writer/Director and WGAE Member
Tracey Moore, Host, iHeartRadio’s The Spirited Actor Podcast and Celebrity Acting Coach
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VIMEO STAFF PICK – Eagle – Directed by Jose Acevedo
Presented by Vimeo—$2,500 Prize and inclusion on Vimeo Staff Pick list
THE JURY:
Ian Durkin, Lead Curator, Vimeo
Ina Pira, Curator, Vimeo
Jeffrey Bowers, Senior Curator, Vimeo
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If you missed the Spotlight Conversations (which includes Robert Townsend interviewing The Forty-Year-Old Version director Radha Blank, Urbanworld Founder, Stacy Spikes in conversation with David Oyelowo and Keira Chansa and more) and would like to view them, you’re in luck! They’re all currently available on Urbanworld’s Vimeo page.


theroot--2020-09-30--America Ain't Better Than This

America Ain't Better Than This

I forget exactly how old I was .
Maybe 9 .
Maybe 10 .
It was summer .
A Sunday .
Dad and I were preparing to spend the day at the hoop courts behind Reizenstein—him running full on the main court with the rest of the oldheads , and me doing Mikans and playing 33 on side hoops with whichever kids wanted to get clapped .
We each had a thermos .
Dad filled his with ice water .
I thought water was lame and filled mine with the iced tea Mom made the night before .
“ Lukewarm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Dad warned .
“ You sure about that ?
You ’ re gon na get sick.
” By the time we got back home that night , I was sicker than I ’ d ever been .
Sweats , nausea , explosive diarrhea—I felt like hot death .
Mom gave me some water , some medicine and a mop bucket , and I went to bed .
Before I passed out , I could hear my parents talking downstairs .
Anyway , I ain ’ t watch that shit last night .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ or whatever .
I fell asleep after putting my kids to bed at 7:30 and woke up at 11:30 .
I ’ m just old .
Too old now to put iced tea in a thermos on a hot day .
Older than my Dad was when he warned me not to .
And , when people say shit like “ America is better than this , ” old enough—and alive in America long enough—to know it ain ’ t .

Damon Young on Very Smart Brothas, shared by Damon Young to The Root

I forget exactly how old I was. Maybe 9. Maybe 10. It was summer. A Sunday. Dad and I were preparing to spend the day at the hoop courts behind Reizenstein—him running full on the main court with the rest of the oldheads, and me doing Mikans and playing 33 on side hoops with whichever kids wanted to get clapped. We each had a thermos. Dad filled his with ice water. I thought water was lame and filled mine with the iced tea Mom made the night before.
“Lukewarm ice tea in the 90-degree heat?” Dad warned. “You sure about that? You’re gonna get sick.”
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“I’ll be fine.”
“OK.”
By the time we got back home that night, I was sicker than I’d ever been. Sweats, nausea, explosive diarrhea—I felt like hot death. Mom gave me some water, some medicine and a mop bucket, and I went to bed. Before I passed out, I could hear my parents talking downstairs.
Mom: “Why’d you let him do that?” Dad: “He’s hard-headed.”
Anyway, I ain’t watch that shit last night. Not because I’m so righteous or whatever. I fell asleep after putting my kids to bed at 7:30 and woke up at 11:30. I’m just old. Too old now to put iced tea in a thermos on a hot day. Older than my Dad was when he warned me not to. And, when people say shit like “America is better than this,” old enough—and alive in America long enough—to know it ain’t.