A spokesperson for Bill Cosby is big mad after Eddie Murphy took aim at the disgraced comedian’s incarceration in his Saturday Night Live monologue.
On Saturday, Murphy finally took the stage on SNL for the first time in 35 years to one of the most anticipated episodes in the show’s history. During his opening monologue. which is customary on the sketch comedy show, Murphy decided to use Cosby’s recent legal troubles as a punchline.
“But if you would have told me 30 years ago that I would be this boring, stay-at-home … house dad and Bill Cosby would be in jail,” Murphy said, “even I would have took that bet.”
The father of 10 then posed this question to the audience and at-home viewers alike in a hilarious impersonation of Cosby,“Who is America’s Dad now?”
In April 2018, Cosby was found guilty on three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home in 2004, CNN reported. He is currently serving a three to 10-year sentence.
Murphy’s joke was a hit to many, but there was one person in particular that did not find it funny at all; Cosby spokesperson Andrew Wyatt released a statement on Sunday condemning Murphy’s comments.
“One would think that Mr. Murphy was given his freedom to leave the plantation, so that he could make his own decisions; but he decided to sell himself back to being a Hollywood Slave.”
Wyatt also credited Cosby for paving the way for Murphy and other Black comedians and accused the SNL vet of “cooning.”
“Remember, Mr. Murphy, that Bill Cosby became legendary because he used comedy to humanize all races, religions, and genders; but your attacking Mr. Cosby helps you embark on just becoming clickbait,” Wyatt’s statement said. “Hopefully, you will be amenable to having a meeting of the minds conversation in order to discuss how we can use our collective platforms to enhance Black people rather than bringing all of us down together.”
A messaging app called ToTok had scores of positive reviews, particularly from users in the UAE. US intelligent officials say it may be spying for that government instead.
A wrongly convicted man who had a murder conviction hanging over his head, can now apply for a certificate of innocence after a judge threw out his murder conviction.
On Friday, Demetrius Johnson, 44, left the criminal courthouse smiling broadly after attending a hearing to have a wrongful murder conviction removed from his record, The Chicago Sun-Times reports. He was released from prison in 2004 but served 12 years for a crime that he said he never committed.
A judge agreed and Johnson has now become the 20th person to have his murder conviction exonerated, after more than 50 people accused disgraced retired Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara of framing them for murders, the report says.
In November, a Cook County judge vacated his conviction. The State’s Attorney’s Office decided against pursuing a retrial and subsequently dropped all charges.
“It’s an out-of-body experience,” Johnson said after the hearing. “I felt like I had a gorilla on my back.”
Johnson, who was 15, was charged with a 1991 murder in Wicker Park. But earlier this year, it was revealed facts related to the case from an eyewitness who fingered another suspect, had been withheld from prosecutors and defense attorneys.
Now the freed man and father of four can apply for a certificate of innocence. The conviction had haunted Johnson and recently he couldn’t even pass a background check to coach his 10-year-old son’s basketball team.
“We were preparing for a re-trial,” Johnson’s attorney Joshua Tepfer said. “We appreciate the state’s attorney making this decision before the holidays.”
“I feel awesome because really for my whole life I thought my dad was guilty of this crime, and the whole time he was innocent and it messed up my life a lot,” said his son, Demetrius Johnson Jr., 28.
Earlier this year a man was award $21 million after serving 11 ½ years of a 30-year prison sentence based on claims that Detective Guevara coerced witnesses to implicate him in a murder.
The internet is collectively saying sorry to Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live’s longest-tenured cast member after he was cut out of an iconic photo that circulated widely on the internet featuring Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Tracy Morgan and Chris Rock.
It all started when Murphy made his long-awaited debut Saturday on the SNL stage after a 35-year hiatus to host the show. He also conjured up some of his most memorable characters.
So, to kick off his comeback, the comedy legend was joined on stage during his monologue Morgan, Rock, and Chappelle.
Lastly, Thompson took the stage and it was a rare moment to see all of the comedy icons in one snap. Thompson, who as we mentioned is the longest running SNL cast member, is the youngest of the comedic crew, but he has surely earned his right to join them on the stage.
But the internet did what it does and someone circulated a photo that omitted Thompson, depicting only the first four comedic giants.
Eddie Murphy
Chris Rock
Dave Chappelle
Tracy Morgan
Some took it as a slight at Thompson and started sending tweets of support his way to let him know that he’s not an afterthought and has earned his stripes to stand on stage next to the greats. The virtual hug did not go unnoticed by Thompson.
It’s so very nice to see the love that’s being shown here today!!! I really needed that!! Glad y’all see me!!! Last night was legendary and I’m glad y’all feel I deserved to be in it!!!
Oh, you were in the right place last night — you belong with the greats!
— AltCivilServant ✊🏼🇺🇸✊🏼🌊🙄🌲🐶🐔🐺🐝✌🏼 (@AltCivilServant) December 22, 2019
Was there even a debate you didn’t deserve it? You absolutely do! I was literally waiting for it as each of the others appeared in the monologue. “How’s Kenan gonna enter in this?” And you cracked me up, as usual. 😂❤️
Thompson been in the comedy business for years, making his TV debut back in 1994.
He is a former cast member of the kid-comedy All That sketch show on Nickelodeon and later Kenan & Kel. He’s been on SNL for 16 years and NBC recently greenlit a half-hour comedy, The Kenan Show.
The rapper, along with other REFORM Alliance co-founders Michael Rubin, Clara Wu Tsai and Robert Kraft, on Saturday hosted a shopping spree for the children in Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey, at the NBA Store in Manhattan. They were joined by DJ Khaled and Brooklyn Nets player Caris LeVert.
A warm welcome from @MeekMill to dozens of children being treated to the shopping spree in time for Christmas. All of the kids invited have a parent impacted by the justice system and incarceration. @6abc@REFORM@MichaelGRubinpic.twitter.com/GkTELhnByZ
The kids were chosen because their lives have been negatively impacted by the broken probation system. Some children have a parent incarcerated for technical violations of their probation, similar to Meek Mill’s experience. Others have a parent who is locked up, or whose probation was extended due to a technical probation violation, according to a press release.
“I respect them! Anybody can do it but they doing it… these kids are from my hood and just got a experience of a lifetime that they will never forget!!!” Mill wrote on Twitter.
I respect them! Anybody can do it but they doing it… these kids are from my hood and just got a experience of a lifetime that they will never forget!!! https://t.co/2ZCfCxexvd
The participants played games at the NBA store and we able to buy sports apparel. The whirlwind experience didn’t stop there. Next the group boarded Rubin’s private plane and were flown to New England to attend the New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills AFC East division title game on Saturday afternoon.
They also rubbed elbows with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and quarterback Tom Brady on the field at Gillette Stadium.
The alliance formed after Mill was handed a controversial two-to-four-year prison sentence for technical probation violations. Rubin and Mill joined forced earlier this year and introduced plans for a bipartisan bill proposal to address issues with technical probation violations. They also endeavored to revise some of the unforgiving penalties that people in Pennsylvania are sometimes dealt while on probation.
Although he goes by 50 Cent, he’s surely got enough dollars to shut down one of the few remaining Toys “R” Us just so his seven-year-old son could go on a Christmas shopping spree.
The rapper, known for his petty social media fisticuffs with celebrities, gave his son, Sire Jackson, a Christmas gift of epic proportions with a private shopping spree after he rented out the whole toy store, Billboard reports.
And Sire, the son he shares with Daphne Joy, got to choose whatever he wanted to go under the Christmas tree.
That move is probably every kid’s dream to run through a toy store and score everything on their Christmas list.
“When I asked my Dad for the ‘WHOLE Toys R Us Store’ for Christmas I didn’t think he would actually do it, but he did,” the 7-year-old in a caption on his Instagram page Saturday.
And Fif looked like a proud papa as he posed with Sire and Geoffrey the Giraffe after the big shopping day. According to reports, 50 Cent spent a whopping $100,000 to rent out the store so Sire could shop. No word on how much he spent on toys, though.
The Power EP posted a short clip of Sire’s Toys R Us toy grab. And 50 had a little fun himself shooting off what appeared to be a Nerf gun while Sire chose from an array of toys and placed them in a basket.
Earlier this year, the toy retailer announced that it was closing a majority of its 735 stores. Toys “R” Us was founded in 1948, but recently found itself struggling against big box retailers like Walmart and online distributors like Amazon, failing to turn a profit since 2012.
Eddie Murphy made his much-anticipated comeback on the Saturday Night Live stage as host for the first time in 35 years and surprisingly some of his old comedy friends who he influenced crashed the party to show their support.
Murphy’s triumphant return didn’t disappoint either, and the gut-busting laughs were reminiscent of his early SNL years.
And like the comedic champion he is with a breadth of work that spans decades, Murphy walked out onto the stage to chants of “Eddie! Eddie!” as if he were Muhammad Ali getting ready to rumble.
The 58-year-old dust off some of his most celebrated comedy characters like Buckwheat, Gumby, Velvet Jones and even the brought back Mr. Robinson but this time from a gentrified neighborhood.
The former SNL cast member was in his element and in full old-school mode and dug right in with the comedic jabs.
“This is the last episode of 2019,” he said, “but if you’re black, it’s the first episode since I left in 1984,” he said to the cheerful audience members.
Murphy then showed the audience a throwback photo of himself saying: “You know what they say: Money don’t crack.”
The father of 10 was in raw form and even made a slip of the tongue that included a curse word during the “Holiday Baking Championship,” skit when he said, “We can still win this sh–“. It was the ‘oops’ heard on live TV because for some reason there was no delay.
Some of the most iconic skits he performed for the night included Mr. Robinson’s not-so-beautiful neighborhood with a dose of reality about gentrification.
Murphy’s skit got real about how once minority-owned neighborhoods have been turned cushy multi-million dollar neighborhoods. He explained: “It’s like a magic trick. White people pay a lot of money, and then poof, all the black people are gone,” he narrates. “But where do they go, boys and girls? Back to where they come from, of course. Atlanta,” he joked.
And how has Mr. Robinson been able to afford his same digs all these years? He says: “Squatter’s rights. It’s like finders-keepers, but for other people’s houses.”
It was a funny, not-so-funny moment because it’s actually true to life about what’s been occurring across America.
But one of the biggest stingers came during his opening monologue when he took a stab at Bill Cosby, and impersonated him. Murphy has previously said Cosby treated him mean when he was on the come-up as a new comic back in the 80s.
Once known as ‘America’s Dad’ Cosby now sits in a jail cell after he was convicted of raping and drugging a woman. Murphy made mention of the irony of the situation saying that he would have never thought 35 years later Cosby, a once-beloved TV father figure, would be on the outskirts in America.
“If you would have told me 30 years ago that I would be this boring, stay-at-home house dad and Bill Cosby would be in jail … I would have took that bet,” Murphy said.
“Who is America’s dad now!” he quipped, crowning himself the treasured title.
The love for Murphy was crystal clear on Saturday as Murphy was not only joined by his 10 kids at Studio 8H, but comedic legends Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, and Tracy Morgan as well as Kenan Thompson, appeared on on stage during the opening monologue.
The comedy icons spoke about how much Murphy influenced their comedy careers.
For the record, it was Murphy who gave Rock a shot in the movie Boomerang, and he enlisted Chappelle as a crude comic for Nutty Professor and Morgan was an SNL cast member who followed in Murphy’s footsteps as well.
“When I got hired, Lorne told me, ‘You’re going to be the next Eddie Murphy,” Rock said. “And then a year later he said, ‘No, you’re not.’”
Chappelle said: “I followed your blueprint for my entire career,” Chappelle said. “I became the biggest star on television and then I quit.”
The powerhouse legends stood together on stage in a rare moment for all the world to see. And they didn’t let it go unsaid about just how much collective power they hold in their pockets.
“Right now you’re looking at half of Netflix’s budget, right here onstage,” Chappelle said.
It was a night to remember and singer Lizzo who had an extraordinary year, rounded out the night with two musical performances of her hits.
Griofam, what were your favorite Murphy skits? Let us know in comments.
The running shoe is the latest example of Reebok’s commitment to reduce the use of petroleum-based plastics in footwear by making products with plants. The Forever Floatride GROW follows the success of the brand’s successful Cotton + Corn lifestyle collection of footwear.
“With Forever Floatride GROW, we’re replacing oil-based plastic with plants,” said Bill McInnis, vice president of Reebok Future in a statement. “The biggest challenge in making a shoe like this was developing plant-based materials that could meet the high-performance needs of runners. During the three years we spent developing this product, we heard loud and clear that the idea of a plant-based running shoe resonates strongly with serious runners. But those same runners felt just as emphatically that they would never compromise on performance. The Forever Floatride GROW is the result. Plant-based performance—with no compromise.”
The shoe’s highly cushioned, responsive midsole is built from sustainably grown castor beans, and the eucalyptus tree upper is naturally biodegradable, sustainably sourced, strong, and breathable. The sock liner utilizes BLOOM algae foam. And the flexible, durable, and responsive natural rubber outsole is sustainably sourced from real rubber trees, as opposed to the petroleum-based rubber featured in other performance products.
“The earth is a runner’s arena, and we have a responsibility to help detox the world for the athletes who run in it,” said Reebok Brand President Matt O’Toole. “Our Cotton + Corn collection was the first step in making shoes from things that grow. Now, we have taken an award-winning running shoe, the Forever Floatride Energy, and reinvented it using natural materials to create what we feel is the most sustainable performance running shoe on the market.”
“Our consumers have told us they want more sustainable products, and the running community has been the most vocal and passionate on this issue,” said O’Toole. “We want to help runners perform at their best, while also feeling good about the products they wear.”
Consumers can sign up to learn more about the Forever Floatride GROW here. The Reebok NPC UK Cotton + Corn is available now.
Nigeria lose their bid to stage the Women's Under-20 World Cup after Costa Rica and Panama are chosen by Fifa as joint hosts for next year's tournament.
The firing of Timothy Loehmann, the former Cleveland cop who killed Tamir Rice, was justified, a Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas decided.
The Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association has been fighting on behalf of Loehmann to get his job back after he was dismissed from the department for failing to reveal facts about his job history, and lying on his employment application, Cleveland 19 reports.
Loehmann dodged any possibility of being held criminally liable for Rice’s death after shooting the 12-year-old youth in November 2014. But he was terminated from his job as a Cleveland police officer in May 2017 for other matters unrelated to Rice’s death. However, he claims it was a wrongful termination.
Loehmann, however, was forced out by a suburban Cleveland police department, yet never revealed that fact on his job application. After the Rice shooting, Cleveland police learned Loehmann was not forthcoming about being forced to resign from a previous job with the police department in Independence, Ohio. Ultimately the rookie cop was declared unfit to work in law enforcement.
According to a 2012 police memo, Loehmann also had an “emotional breakdown” during a firearms exam.
The Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas ruled that the city of Cleveland was within its rights to fire Loehmann.
On Friday, Jeff Follmer, CPPA President expressed disappointment in the decision.
“We think it’s clear cut he didn’t lie on his application and this is another political decision,” Follmer said.
Union attorney Henry Hilow said they are still deciding whether to appeal the decision.
The city of Cleveland said in a statement on Friday that it was satisfied.
“The city has consistently maintained throughout the process that Loehmann’s termination was justified,” the statement said.
Subodh Chandra, attorney for the Rice family, said in a statement:
“Having ended a child’s life, Loehmann should live his life as something other than a police officer. Having lied on his application to get the job that enabled him to end a child’s life, Loehmann should apply to be something other than a police officer. And Cleveland’s police union—which is apparently so uncommitted to truth and the rule of law that it thinks that it’s okay for an officer to lie—needs to end its relentless assault on the community’s intelligence and integrity. Clevelanders do not want Loehmann to ever again be entrusted with a badge and gun anywhere, but least of all here. The union leadership should stop embarrassing itself with the appeals and let the Rice family—and the community—heal.”
After actor Orlando Jones was unceremoniously fired from the Starz series American Gods, the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced Friday that it is launching an investigation.
Along with a probe into the dismissal of why Gabrielle Union was reportedly fired from America’s Got Talent, SAG-AFTRA said it plans to explore Jones’ claims that he was let go because of racial and political concerns.
Jones who played Mr. Nancy, an African trickster god who gives striking commentary about America’s history of slavery and racism, said that producers were concerned about the messaging the character sent to Black Americans, USA TODAY reports.
“After initial meetings with Gabrielle Union and her representatives about her experiences on America’s Got Talent, and after learning more about Orlando Jones’s experience on American Gods, SAG-AFTRA is expanding its investigation of Fremantle Media,” a statement read. “Our enforcement actions are handled confidentially to protect the members involved, and we typically do not publicize these matters unless the affected members request that we do so.”
In response, Fremantle released a statement and said; “We welcome this investigation and intend to cooperate fully. Allegations without factual support should not go unchecked. We have already informed SAG-AFTRA that we are willing to meet to discuss the allegations.”
At issue, Jones claims that he was fired for a superficial reason and without merit.
“There will be no more Mr. Nancy. Don’t let these m*****f*****s tell you they love Mr. Nancy. They don’t,” Jones said in a video. “I’m not going to name names but the new season 3 showrunner [Charles Eglee] is Connecticut born and Yale-educated, so he’s very smart and he thinks that Mr. Nancy’s angry, get shit done is the wrong message for black America. That’s right. This white man sits in that decision-making chair and I’m sure he has many Black bffs who are his advisors and made it clear to him that if he did not get rid of that angry god Mr. Nancy he’d start a Denmark Vesey uprising in this country. I mean, what else could it be?”
The brown skin beauty, Jodie Turner-Smith, that was the breakout star in Queen & Slim reportedly tied the knot to Joshua Jackson.
According to PEOPLE the two got married on the low recently. But word is that Turner-Smith, 33, and Jackson, 41, may have gotten married back in August when they were spotted leaving a Beverly Hills courthouse.
But that little courthouse rendezvous could have also just been a visit to secure the marriage certificates needed to make a marriage official.
In any event, the two have certified their relationship on the internet at least since 2018 when they were seen hand-in-hand happily leaving Usher’s birthday bash back in 2018, according toUs Weekly.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Turner-Smith’s Instagram pic gazing into Jackson’s eyes is pretty rich.
“Proof That The Glow Up Has Been Really Real 😅😅😅 it’s been soooo long since i’ve seen these pictures, but because the internet is undefeated, i found them! a blast from the past! i’m humbled when i look at this girl. 17 year old me. not just because of how i look on the outside, but because i remember how i felt on the inside. i remember how badly i hated myself and hated the dark skin that made people call me ugly. how i turned my helplessness at being unable to change my outward appearance inward, by constantly cleaving away any and all parts of myself that i was told made me unacceptable to others. how i changed my voice, changed my hair, became captain of this and president of that, used my intelligence to build a wall around me, spent years in the practice of bending and shaping myself into the most acceptable form of Jodie for the people around me until there was nothing of me left but hate for a person i didn’t recognise and fear that i had become someone it was impossible to come back from…
AND, MY GOD, IT WAS EXHAUSTING!,” she posted.
She ended by explaining how much she’s grateful for who she has become.
Look at her now, glowing and feeling good about the skin she’s in with her boo by her side.
For the second time this year, a Palmdale teacher is under fire for allegedly making racist and gruesome comments aimed at students of color.
The unidentified history teacher reportedly has targeted Black and Latino students before at Space and Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy in Palmdale with a barrage of obnoxious comments in the last two months, the LA Times reported.
This time, the teacher allegedly praised President Donald Trump efforts at building a border wall while chastising Mexicans by saying they should go back “to their country,” according to the outlet.
The teacher also reportedly called for slavery to make a comeback. She also allegedly threatened to torture students, coupled with comments about consuming human flesh, the students reported.
The school has a majority population of about 70% Latino students, according to the outlet. Black students make up the next largest student population, according to data.
The assistant superintendent of human resources at the Palmdale School District, Ryan Beardsley, said that the teacher in question was placed on leave Friday, pending an investigation into her insensitive comments.
Back in October, the teacher reportedly made questionable comments and was placed on leave then. But she ultimately returned to work Dec. 13, only to allegedly re-commit to her racist rhetoric.
Parents reportedly started bombarding the school administrators with reports that the teacher was once again making improper comments. The new allegations prompted administrators to once again hire an independent investigator to look into the accusations.
“Employees are entitled to contractual rights, labor law and due process,” Beardsley said. The teacher has been employed with the Palmdale School District for about six years and is tenured.
Students at the school said the teacher has a fostered an uncomfortable classroom environment that is filled with Trump memorabilia, they said at a Thursday news conference.
They said the teacher’s teaching method is also heavy on divisive politics.
“It would be uncomfortable for me as a child of an undocumented person to go in that class and suck up all her words and her nasty comments,” eighth-grader Jossylin Villegas said during the conference. “Imagine being an hour in that class and having to hear her talk about how we shouldn’t be here, about how we live off of white people’s money and we’re just stealing their jobs.”
Yaretzy Martinez, 13, said after she refused to attend the teacher’s class because she felt uncomfortable, she was dished a detention.
“I didn’t want to go to my teacher’s class that would talk bad about Hispanics,” she said. “I don’t think I was supposed to be in there. I feel like she has no right to talk bad about our race.”
Students are now on winter break and return Jan. 13. Beardsley said the school has enlisted mental health professionals to help students.
One of the most alarming statistics about black men in America is that 1 in 3 will be imprisoned in their lifetime. Mass incarceration is a multibillion-dollar business and black men and people of color face extreme racial disparities in the criminal justice system beyond crime rates. To date, there are 2.2 million people in the nation’s prisons and jails—a 500% increase over the last 40 years according to The Sentencing Project.
Of those 2.2 million men and women, 2,656 people are on death row and face execution by the state according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Over the years, policymakers, activists, and lawyers have fought to eliminate the death penalty and decrease the numbers of inmates sentenced to capital punishment. As a result, the death row population has declined for 18 consecutive years and deaths by other causes are outpacing new death sentences.
Public interest lawyer Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization in Montgomery, Alabama, has committed the last 30 years of his life and career advocating for the wrongly convicted, disadvantaged, and forgotten within the criminal justice system.
Over the span of his career, Stevenson and his staff have won reversals, relief, or release from prison for over 135 wrongly condemned prisoners on death row and won relief for hundreds of others wrongly convicted or unfairly sentenced.
Walter McMillian, an innocent black man, wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death row before ever going to trial was Stevenson’s first client and person to be exonerated from the death penalty Alabama.
Just Mercy
At the time, Stevenson was an ambitious Harvard law graduate whose mission was to seek justice for marginalized people. Little did he know in 1989 that he was on the brink of making history.
“I just was trying to respond to a crisis encountered as a young lawyer. I was meeting people who were literally dying for legal assistance. I was outraged that people could be wrongly convicted, and no one seemed to care. It was really all about just meeting their needs and securing their freedom. It’s been great to see how these triumphs and standing up for something that’s important has resonated with people and given rise to this broader movement.
In the new motion picture, Just Mercy, Stevenson’s journey as an attorney, his fight for McMillian’s freedom, and McMillian’s life is presented in an intricately beautiful way.
In anticipation of the movie, Stevenson opened up about his life’s work, Walter McMillian, and the criminal justice system and what it’s like to see his journey be displayed on the big screen portrayed by actor Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx who portrays McMillian. And he says that while it is surreal he is glad that the story made from his critically acclaimed book, Just Mercy.
“Meeting Michael and working with Destin [Daniel Cretton] the director, gave me a lot of confidence that we could do this [create the movie] because not only are they incredibly talented creative people; they’re both dedicated. They’re both committed to these issues. And that gave me confidence and then when the rest of the cast got involved, I became more hopeful for seeing it was really so affirming and exciting. I’m really proud of the film, I think it’s going to hopefully get people to think critically about these issues that we’ve ignored for too long.” says Stevenson.
Fighting for a community
Communities and families receive unfair sentences when loved ones are wrongfully convicted.
Twenty-six years after McMillian’s exoneration, Stevenson is hopeful that his story is going to restore hope for the families and communities of people impacted by mass incarceration and wrongful convictions.
“When you wrongly put someone on death row; falsely convict them; wrongly convict them, and unfairly sentence them—you don’t just do something to that person…you do something to their family. And, you do something to their community…It’s traumatic for people and deeply discouraging, which is why it was so important to stay engaged with the family and the community,” says Stevenson.
Everyone in a relationship with people who are imprisoned is impacted by the absence of their loved one. In the case of McMillian, his wife Minnie McMillian, their five children, and his entire community experienced loss during the six years he was behind bars.
In Just Mercy, Karan Kendrick portrays Mrs. McMillian who is a powerful woman of few words who leads her community. In America, there are 132 million people who have family members in jails or prisons or who have been in jails and prisons.
For Kendrick, bringing Mrs. McMillian’s life to the big screen came with a great sense of personal responsibility to relieve black women from unhealthy bonds with strength; to highlight the significance of unconditional black love, and display the sacrifice that black women often make when black men are removed from the household and their communities.
A ‘1 Corinthians 13’ kind of love
“We get it. We get a chance to see what it looks like to journey with someone, what it looks like to choose to love. What it looks like to walk with someone even when it’s not easy. But it’s necessary—and in your heart is right and it is the right thing to do,” says Kendrick.
Kendrick’s portrayal of McMillian is a powerful depiction of black women and their humanity.
“I wanted to kind of destroy this ‘strong black woman-ness’. I think it can be paralyzing and detrimental to the understanding of the wholeness of who we are. So, I didn’t want me to be just strong. I wanted her to be terrified and disappointed. I wanted her to hurt to have moments of joy, understanding, and moments of confusion.”
Kendrick adds that McMillian’s silence is a different form of survival.
“There are certain moments when she isn’t saying anything, and you feel the hurt. You feel the pain and you feel the other things that are happening inside of her. My hope in my work is to present as fully and wholly as I can a black woman who is not a stereotype or a monolith—but a whole woman. I like to try to pull the curtain back and show parts of us that you won’t see unless we allow you in. In doing so, we begin to not only better understand each other but understand black women as human beings,” says Kendrick.
Black women are often in the fight for justice for their loved ones, the world, and members of their community. What Kendrick wants viewers to leave the theaters thinking after watching how Mrs. McMillian fought is that we have to show up no matter what that looks like.
“Her fight was is in her persistence. Her fight was is in her showing up. Sometimes I think we think that we have to show up in a certain way. We have to show up pretty, all together, whole and not hurting, and when things quote-unquote in a perfect place. But in reality, oftentimes we just got to show up,” says Kendrick.
Stevenson and Kendrick are hopeful that Just Mercy, the motion picture, will continue to the much-needed conversation about justice and the power of community.
In the words of Stevenson, “Hopelessness is the enemy of justice.”
Tis’ the season for the royal couple and their new tot to end the year with a holiday vacay in Canada.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, have finalized travel plans to Canada to not only celebrate the season, but to pay homage to a land that holds a special meaning to them, according to TODAY.
“The decision to base themselves in Canada reflects the importance of this Commonwealth country to them both,” a spokesperson said in a statement to the outlet. “The Duke of Sussex has been a frequent visitor to Canada over many years, and it was also home to The Duchess for seven years before she became a member of the Royal Family.”
The couple seemingly are forming their own family tradition and won’t be spending the holiday with the Queen at the Sandringham estate like they have the past two Christmases, the outlet reports. Markle’s mom Doria Ragland will be on deck this time and joining the couple and their seven-month-old son Archie Harrison in Canada.
“This decision is in line with precedent set previously by other members of the Royal Family, and has the support of Her Majesty The Queen,” according to a previous statement.
This is a big move for Prince Harry who has only twice before broken the ranks of tradition by missing a Sandringham Christmas gathering. The only other time was in 2012 when he was on active duty in Afghanistan in 2012.
“They are enjoying sharing the warmth of the Canadian people and the beauty of the landscape with their young son,” their spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.
It appears the royal family is really in a good place and in a jolly good mood and ending the year on a high note after several difficult turn of events that ended with lawsuits against media outlets.
In fact, Prince Harry really got into the Christmas spirit and dress up like Jolly Ole Saint Nick himself to express gratitude to military families who lost loved ones, for their brave service.
Prince Harry has sent a special Christmas message to children at a festive party thrown by @CorporalScotty🎅🏻
The charity provides support to kids across the UK who have lost a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
Harry appeared in a video and addressed members of the charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers and vowed that their fallen loved ones would “never be forgotten,” CNN reports.
“I hear there’s a 190 of you there this year, so please cause as much chaos as humanly possible,” he said. “I also want to encourage you guys to look around and realize that you are part of a family, part of an amazing community, that there is support there for you every single day, should you need it.
“And having met some of you a few years ago, or most of you, I know how incredibly strong you are.”
“And I really, really hope and I know that you will all leave today with a huge smile on your face. And for the younger ones of you, probably covered in food as well. So have a fantastic Christmas and Happy New Year!” he said.
The Jackson estate claimed that the makers of the 2018 special did not ask permission to use Jackson’s image or music. The May 2018 legal action alleged unauthorized use of music videos, concert footage, documentary and more, according to Deadline. The estate also objected to use of the late pop star’s image in promotions related to the special.
ABC agreed to remove the promotional images, but asserted that everything else was available to the network under a doctrine from U.S. copyright law allowing “fair use.”
Before the settlement was reached, a jury trial was scheduled to begin later in December.
While the Jackson estate did not approve of the ABC treatment of Jackson’s last days, it has given the OK to a film of his life and has approved access to his music, sources told Deadline in November.
The permission was secured by Graham King, producer of Bohemian Rhapsody, the story of late Queen star Freddie Mercury, Deadline reported. King’s company, GK films, has secured John Logan to write the script.
Jackson died in 2009 at 50-years-old. The Los Angeles County Coroner said the pop star died from a combination of drugs, including one frequently used as an anesthetic in surgery.
Deadline reported that the complexities of Jackson’s life would likely be part of the King film. Over the course of his adulthood, he dealt with allegations of sexual abuse of child companions and paid out settlements.
For the first time this year, there was not a single black candidate on the stage at Thursday’s Democratic presidential debate. In fact, Andrew Yang, the only nonwhite participant was the first to address the issue of lack of diversity among the assemblage of seven contenders at the event which was held at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
When asked about the lack of racial representation and the message sent to voters of color that the field remains “overwhelmingly white,” the Asian American entrepreneur responded that it was “both an honor and disappointment to be the lone candidate of color on the stage tonight. I miss Kamala, I miss Cory — though I think Cory will be back.”
Yang was referring to that fact that US Sen. Kamala Harris of California, who met the criteria to participate in Thursday’s debate, bowed out of the presidential race two weeks ago. And US Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who continues to run for the Democratic nomination, has been railing against the Democratic National Committee’s debate qualifications that excluded him from joining the other candidates on the stage. Booker has expanded his rebuke of the DNC’s process in recent weeks, citing that “there are more billionaires in the race than black people.”
Yang, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Bernie Sanders, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and billionaire businessman-philanthropist Tom Steyer were participants in a debate that offered far more fireworks than the five previous sessions.
All candidates, however, are mindful of the importance of gaining support from black Democrats as the contest enters primary season in less than two months since none can capture the party’s nomination without that voting bloc. Throughout the campaign, Biden continues to hold a vise-like grip on the black Democratic vote.
Race and Diversity On Menu of Debate Topics
Although Booker and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, the only other black presidential contender in the race, were absent from the discourse on issues that included impeached President Trump’s policies, immigration, climate change and health care reform – among others – race and inclusion were still on the menu of topics.
In continuing to discuss the lack of diversity, Yang added that although he “grew up the son of immigrants, and I had many racial epithets used against me as a kid,” African Americans and Latinos have “something much more powerful working against them than words. They have numbers.” He then cited that the average net worth of a black household is only 10% and that a black woman was 320% more likely to die from complications in childbirth. He further told the audience that “these are the numbers that define race in our country.”
He then invoked slain civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in sharing a solution tied to his universal basic income platform: “The question is, ‘Why am I the lone candidate of color on this stage?’ Fewer than 5 percent of Americans donate to political campaigns. You know what you need to donate to political campaigns? Disposable income. The way we fix it, the way we fix this, is we take Martin Luther King’s message of a guaranteed minimum income: a freedom dividend of $1,000 a month for all Americans. I guarantee if we had a freedom dividend of $1,000 a month, I would not be the only candidate of color on this stage tonight.”
When asked question a question about race, Sanders focused on climate control. “People of color, in fact, are going to be the people suffering most if we do not deal with climate change,” he said before being more expansive in his answer. “By the way, we have an obligation up here, if there are not any of our African-American brothers and sisters up here, to speak about an economy in which African-Americans are exploited, where black women die at three times higher rates than white women, where we have a criminal justice system which is racist and broken, disproportionately made up of African-Americans and Latinos and Native Americans who are in jail. So we need an economy that focuses on the needs of oppressed, exploited people, and that is the African-American community.”
Asserting that “we are not going to be able to succeed in the world if we do not invite everyone to be part of our economy,” Klobuchar commented on the need to ensure African Americans gain unfettered access to the ballot box. “What would I do? As one of the leaders on voting in the U.S. Senate, one, stop the purging. As Stacey Abrams said, you do not stop having your right to assemble if you don’t go to a meeting for a year. Because you don’t go to a church or synagogue or mosque for three months, you don’t lose your right to worship. You shouldn’t lose your right to vote.”
She added: “I would pass, as president, my bill to register every kid in this country when they turn 18 to vote. That would make all of these discriminatory actions in these states go away. And I would stop the gerrymandering, in addition to the agenda of economic opportunity, because as Martin Luther King said, “What good is it to integrate a lunch counter if you can’t afford a hamburger?”
Steyer, who has maintained that he sent a letter to the DNC advocating for change of the debate criteria after Harris’ departure, took direct aim at Trump, declaring that racism is at the heart of Trump’s politics” and using immigration to “inflame his base I think it’s important to note that this president is not against immigration, he’s against immigration by non-white people.”
In a post-debate interview with PBS, Steyer said that it was not only important to have inclusive representation on the debate stage but maintained that it is vital for the Dems to have a “diverse ticket under all circumstances.”
