Heracles striker Cyriel Dessers, the Dutch league's leading scorer, says he is playing the best football of his career and hopes to earn a first Nigeria cap.
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Saturday, February 22, 2020
Ex-NBA star Ben Gordon gets candid about suicide: ‘I thought about killing myself’
In a candid personal essay, former NBA star Ben Gordon opens up about his struggles with his mental health in the hopes to help others like him.
Writing on his experiences for the Players’ Tribune on life after his NBA career came to an end, he opened up on having suicidal thoughts.
READ MORE: Simone Biles: Will she be the first female gymnast to perform risky vault in competition?
"Who was Gentle Ben? Who am I? And that’s when I started disassociating myself completely from Ben Gordon. I was convinced that I was a clone. That this body I’m in is not my real body. It can’t be."
Ben Gordon opens up about his mental health.https://t.co/7A6SWAPpMT
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) February 21, 2020
“Where Is My Mind?” opens with the heaviness of his battle: “There was a point in time when I thought about killing myself every single day for about six weeks.”
“I would be up on the roof of my apartment building at four o’clock in the morning, just pacing to the edge of the ledge, looking over – pacing back and forth, back and forth – just thinking, I’m really about to do it, B. I’m about to escape from al this sh–.”
Gordon admits to feeling helpless after leaving the league and felt “manic-depressive” and dealt with severe panic attacks. As a result, he suffered from sleepless nights and once commented to a friend that he felt like a “dead man walking.”
“I had lost my career, my identity, and my family all pretty much simultaneously,” he said. “I wasn’t eating. I wasn’t sleeping.”
He opened about his arrests and a judge sentenced him to court-mandated therapy for 18 months, which he said helped him to process his personal traumas.
“The goal doesn’t have to be perfection. It can just be peace and acceptance with yourself,” Gordon says in the essay.
READ MORE: Boxer Adrien Broner arrested outside Wilder vs. Fury weigh-in
He adds: “I’m not perpetually crazy. I had a moment. I got help for that moment. I got to know myself from that moment. And I’m still working through some things, no doubt. There’s still some trauma I dealt with that I’m not ready to tell to the world about yet.”
People shared their support and gratitude to the NBA player for sharing his experiences with mental health.
Folks…read this. This hit me. I know Ben Gordon. THIS BG he’s referring to. The vulnerability in this is…chilling https://t.co/aWKtxi2W0F
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) February 21, 2020
Coaches: Powerful stuff right here. I keep telling young coaches that you need to learn about mental health. It’s the next frontier & more important than the X & O’s. https://t.co/m1KTGcTF3e
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) February 21, 2020
Ben Gordon out here saving lives. π Help is available. 1-800-273-8255.https://t.co/lOfSZjEn2w
— J.E. Skeets (@jeskeets) February 21, 2020
“There was a point in time when I thought about killing myself every single day for about six weeks.”
I hope every single person takes a moment tonight to read this emotional piece from Ben Gordon.
Be kind to each other.https://t.co/Y3ynps8H9t
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) February 21, 2020
The Players’ Tribune is a media company founded by Derek Jeter that provides athletes the platform to connect with fans with stories in their own words and insight on the world of sports.
The post Ex-NBA star Ben Gordon gets candid about suicide: ‘I thought about killing myself’ appeared first on TheGrio.
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Simone Biles: Will she be the first female gymnast to perform risky vault in competition?
Simone Biles has already been crowned the most decorated gymnast in the history of the sport and she’s looking to gain another victory.
Biles shared a video Thursday on Twitter of her performing an impressive vault move no female gymnast has done in competition. The move is called the Yurchenko double pike and she may be the first female gymnast determined to perform it during a competition.
READ MORE: Simone Biles is now most decorated gymnast in history after winning her 24th world medal
just droppin this here real quick π pic.twitter.com/sIx0M112qJ
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) February 21, 2020
The Yurchenko consists of a round-off onto the springboard, then a back handspring onto the vault, writes the Washington Post. Once their hands hit the vaulting table, they push off into the air to do a single flip. That flip is where variety usually begins, the Post notes.
Biles actually shared the move earlier this month in a video on Twitter in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
READ MORE: Simone Biles dominates world championships with amazing new signature move
2020 πππ ? pic.twitter.com/3QDjSOPYbH
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) February 3, 2020
In response to the first clip, Biles shared, the Post article reports that the vault move might be “too risky” for the Olympics and why no woman has performed the skilled in competitions.
“[W]hat prompted awe on social media was how she seemingly could have landed it on a competition surface. Olympians and elite-level gymnasts responded to the tweet in disbelief,” the Washington Post reports. “The video has been viewed more than two million times.”
Gymnast McKayla Maroney, a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team in 2012, said in a 2016 interview with the GymCastic podcast, she was scolded by team coordinator Martha Karolyi for doing the same move .
Maroney said the flip requires “the most intense block” once pushing off the vaulting table with your hands.
The video, regardless, has sparked excitement among some fans.
this is too many flips can you slow the flips down so I can see the flips pls? ππ₯π₯π₯π₯
— Aaron West (@oeste) February 21, 2020
she said, what is gravity even? pic.twitter.com/t7LDdodXt7
— Queer Heauxπ (@abashese) February 21, 2020
Simone: Whats the most difficult move that no female gymnast has ever pulled off in competition?
Them: Oh, that would be the Yurchenko double pike.
Simone: Hold my bag. pic.twitter.com/8rwoe9HWtk— Blondy Moore (@BlondySpeaks) February 21, 2020
Biles won four gold medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and three years later winning her 24th and 25th world championship medals, according to The Associated Press.
The post Simone Biles: Will she be the first female gymnast to perform risky vault in competition? appeared first on TheGrio.
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Fashion Institute of Technology President Apologizes for the School’s ‘Racist’ Fashion Show
The president of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), a prestigious fashion school in New York, issued an apology after a graduate held a controversial fashion show at the college that was labeled “racist.”
The runway show made headlines after an African American model said she was pressured to wear monkey ears and oversized lips in a runway show during New York Fashion Week. The accessories were reportedly from MFA graduate Junkai Huang’s collection and was meant to highlight the “ugly features of the body,” reports Diet Prada.
“I stood there almost ready to break down, telling the staff that I felt incredibly uncomfortable with having to wear these pieces and that they were clearly racist,” Amy Lefevre, a 25-year-old model, told the New York Post. “I was told that it was fine to feel uncomfortable for only 45 seconds.”
Although Lefevre still participated in the show, she walked down the runway without the ears or the exaggerated synthetic lips while the other models in the show, who were not African American, wore the accessories. Afterward, Lefevre says she was visibly shaken.
“I was literally shaking. I could not control my emotions. My whole body was shaking. I have never felt like that in my life,” she said, reports The Post. “People of color are struggling too much in 2020 for the promoters not to have vetted and cleared accessories for the shows.”
According to some observers, Huang, who is from China, did not appear to understand the racial overtones of his work. “It was such a grave lack of judgment,” said an anonymous witness who was backstage when the show took place.
On Wednesday, FIT President Joyce F. Brown issued a statement apologizing for the show held on Feb. 7 to showcase the work of the 10 alumni from the college’s inaugural Master of Fine Arts class in fashion design.
Currently, it does not appear that the original intent of the design, the use of accessories or the creative direction of the show was to make a statement about race; however, it is now glaringly obvious that has been the outcome. For that, we apologize—to those who participated in the show, to students, and to anybody who has been offended by what they saw.
Let me be clear: no person should be made to feel uncomfortable—particularly about race—in service of their work, job, livelihood, or course of study. Right now, we are actively investigating how this happened. And as you’ll read, we have outlined several steps to address the concerns and questions of students, faculty, and our community. We take this very seriously and our response and actions going forward will reflect that.
In addition, Jonathan Kyle Farmer, the chair of the modern fine arts fashion design course which ran the show, also apologized to the model Lefevre in an Instagram post, writing:
“I deeply apologize for any harm and pain I’ve caused to those involved with the show. I take full responsibility and am committed to learning from this situation and taking steps to do better.”
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Go go finally crowned official music of DC
Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a bill into law this week making go-go the official music of Washington, D.C., at a time when activists and political leaders are trying to protect the city’s Black culture amid rampant gentrification, reports the Huffington Post.
The legislation, signed into law on Wednesday, was first introduced last year by D.C. Council member Kenyan R. McDuffie (D-Ward 5) to make go-go “the official music of District of Columbia,” according to the Washington Post.
READ MORE: DC’s go-go sound becomes anti-gentrification battle cry
In April 2019, a Metro PCS vendor in the Shaw neighborhood that has played go-go music from outdoor speaks since 1995 went silently due to a noise complaint, according to The Washington Post.
“A resident of the luxury apartments down the block complained about the neighborhood signature soundtrack, eventually prompting T-Mobile to ask owner Donald Campbell to silence the congas and timbales,” the article sites.
Members of the community rallied together in protest of growing gentrification that attempted to erase the city’s “indigenous go-go music, which combines elements of funk, hip-hop, soul, and other styles,” according to Huffington Post Black Voices. The genre has played on the exact block of the storefront named after “The Godfather of Go-Go” Chuck Brown.
Thus, the #DontMuteDC movement was born to combat the culture’s erasure and ignited a “Don’t Mute D.C.’s Go-Go Music and Culture” petition co-created by Howard University assistant professor Natalie Hopkinson and community activist/author Ronald Moten in April 2019.
Tomorrow, @MayorBowser signs the Bill making Gogo the Official Music of DC. Wow! See you guys tomorrow at @CultureHouseDC #DontMuteDC
RSVP: https://t.co/MuYAeTuxaZ pic.twitter.com/Fu6JuX0B0k
— DontMuteDC (@dontmutethemvmt) February 19, 2020
Councilman McDuffie is one of the many local elected officials who supported the movement, calling the music more than a genre: “It is the catalyst that supplies the means for people to take care of themselves and their families.”
READ MORE: Mayor Bowser to Trump: ‘You owe DC $9MIL for your festivities’
McDuffie’s legislation also requires the mayor to “implement a program to support, preserve, and archive” go-go music.
McDuffie: "Go-Go is more than music. It’s more than a simple genre. It is our home-grown genre. It is the catalyst that supplies the means for people to take care of themselves and their families. It is the way that folks stayed out of the streets" #DontMuteDC #LongLiveGoGo pic.twitter.com/o0Fk0K6rST
— CM McDuffie's Office (@CM_McDuffie) February 19, 2020
“When you try to silence the music, you’re also trying to silence our heritage, our ancestors,” Black Lives Matter DC organizer Neenee Taylor told the Post.
The post Go go finally crowned official music of DC appeared first on TheGrio.
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Boxer Adrien Broner arrested outside Wilder vs. Fury weigh-in
Professional boxer Adrien Broner continues to run into legal trouble outside of the ring. He was taken into custody by Las Vegas Metro police officers on Friday afternoon.
He was arrested at the MGM Grand Garden during the Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury weigh-in ahead of their awaited match, according to TMZ Sports.
READ MORE: Adrien Broner slams 50 Cent’s demand for money: ‘I ain’t giving you Sh*t’
Video footage obtained by TMZ shows the 30-year-old boxer’s arrest for refusing to leave the premises. Broner was reportedly banned from the venue in November 2019, but the circumstances are unclear.
Insiders told TMZ Broner was reportedly told to leave the premises, but “ignored the request” and was immediately detained by hotel security until police arrived. He was transported to the county jail, where he processed and released on a misdemeanor trespassing citation.
Broner was unfazed by the arrest, and boasted about it in an Instagram post: “Fresh out of the slammer. What’s popping tonight Vegas?”
He added, “Can’t hold a n—- forever.”
The former world champion boxer hasn’t fought since losing to Manny Pacquiao in January 2019, but faced numerous legal incidents, the report noted.
In December 2019, he was ordered to pay more than $800,000 for sexually assaulting a woman in a Cleveland nightclub, according to Yahoo Sports. He would plead guilty to two charges from that incident and sentenced to two years of probation, the report says.
READ MORE: Sexual battery charges dropped against boxer Adrien Broner
Prior to that, Broner was arrested in February 2018 in Atlanta and charged with misdemeanor sexual assault after allegedly groping a woman at Lenox Square Mall.
The pro boxer denied the accusation: “I didn’t touch nobody. She wanted to take a picture and I didn’t want to take a picture,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Broner also went on a disturbing, homophobic rant on Instagram last year where he threatened to shoot gay people after being, Yahoo News writes.
The post Boxer Adrien Broner arrested outside Wilder vs. Fury weigh-in appeared first on TheGrio.
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Brooklyn Entrepreneur Launches Black-Owned Champagne
Spread love it’s the Brooklyn way! A Brooklyn, New York, entrepreneur has decided to spread love by launching her own black-owned champagne label, according to the Daily News.
Marvina Robinson, who is already set to launch a champagne bar later this year, was inspired to create Stuyvesant Champagne, which she has named after the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood where she grew up. People can start purchasing Stuyvesant Champagne on the company’s website and in person at several shops in Brooklyn, including Happy Cork, a black-owned liquor shop on Buffalo Avenue in Crown Heights. Robinson hosted a complimentary tasting there last week.
Robinson, who says she has a love affair with sparkling wine, started enjoying it while she was still in college. She and her group of girlfriends would split a bottle from a Fulton Street liquor store every Friday night. “I always loved bubbly, it always made me feel good whether I was up or down or if I just needed something to sip on,” she tells the Daily News. “It’s the perfect balance.”
The Brooklyn woman, who is turning her passion for bubbly into a trailblazing business, is now one of the only black entrepreneurs in the city to launch her own line of champagne.
In planning to develop her own champagne brand, the 43-year-old was not at all satisfied with the different brands on the market, so she took a trip to France to concoct her own flavor. “I wanted the champagne to have some meaning, some depth to it,” she said. “So I went to France to meet different people, visit different vineyards and grape owners.”
When Robinson came back to New York earlier this year, she had several different cuvΓ©es, a French term for batches of wine, and she invited a dozen friends to a blind tasting at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The winners ended up being a salmon-colored Brut RosΓ© and a golden-colored Grande RΓ©serve.
“The Grande RΓ©serve is actually my favorite,” Robinson stated. “They’re like kids, you’re not supposed to have favorites, but that’s my favorite. It’s 60% Pinot Noir, 22% Pinot Meunier, and 20% Chardonnay grape.”
You can check her out when she opens her upcoming Bedford-Stuyvesant bar, Coupette NYC. “I’m not finished. I still have a long way to go. I’m still building, still paving the way,” Robinson said.
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Erykah Badu’s $50 “Badu P*ssy Premium Incense” Sells Out In Less Than 20 Minutes
Erykah Badu took to Instagram to announce that her “Badu P*ssy Premium Incense” sold out in less than 20 minutes.
“Well guys, thank you for making our debut of ‘Badussy’… sell out in a matter of 19 minutes,” Badu told her 3.9 million followers on Instagram.
The incense was available for pre-sale on Thursday, February 20, at a cost of $50. The Badu World Market website states the product “was created with the ashes of Badu’s underwear. Pure resin, handmade, sun dried. Also created with essential oils and herbs.”
Black Enterprise previously reported that in an interview with 10 Magazine, Badu announced that she would be selling incense that has the fragrance of her vagina. Badu stated that she recognizes the power that’s been attached to her for so many years, “There’s an urban legend that my p***y changes men,” she says about the rumors that’s been going around for years. “The men that I fall in love with, and fall in love with me, change jobs and lives.”
The eclectic artist launched Badu World Market. Items that are available for purchase include bespoke clothing and accessories, as well as apothecary goods and traditional music merch. And, of course, what Badu calls her “superpower”—that incense that smells like her vagina.
“I took lots of pairs of my panties, cut them up into little pieces and burned them,” as she describes the method for her new product. “Even the ash is part of it.” She insists that the finished product, Badu’s P***y, will smell as advertised. “The people deserve it!”
Badu tells InStyle that the goal of the online store is to “encourage networking among smaller brands and prestigious art houses. It’s a hub to share space with all people.” She also tells the magazine that Badu World Market is inspired in part by the New York City bootleg parody art store and streetwear label Chinatown Market.
Additional reporting was done by Cedric ‘Big Ced’ Thornton.
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KFC to Debut the Kentucky Fried Chicken & Donuts Sandwich
The chicken wars are starting to heat up again, just in time for the warmer weather. After a very successful limited test run in 2019, Kentucky Fried Chicken® has announced that it is bringing the coveted, always hot, Kentucky Fried Chicken & Donuts to hungry consumers nationwide.
KFC is opening a pop-up shop called “The Colonel’s (Chicken &) Donuts Shop” for one day only in Los Angeles on Saturday, Feb. 22, in the donut capital of the world. The Colonel’s (Chicken &) Donuts Shop, which will be located at 615 North La Brea Avenue, will open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., serving strictly Kentucky Fried Chicken & Donuts. The first 50 customers in line at the shop will receive a free Colonel’s Dozen, a mouthwatering mix of six KFC Extra Crispy
chicken tenders and six glazed-to-order donuts. Guests can RSVP here and walk-ups are welcome!
“Chicken & Donuts is the newest fried chicken trend we’re bringing to all of America,” said Andrea Zahumensky, chief marketing officer, KFC U.S in a press release. “But not just any donut would do. Only a donut that’s glazed-to-order and served piping hot every single time can stand next to our hand-breaded fried chicken. It’s a finger lickin’ good dish filled with glaze and glory.”
KFC and donut fans can experience this finger-lickin’ sweet and savory meal in a variety of options ranging from $5.49 to $7.99:
- Kentucky Fried Chicken & Donuts Basket meal: chicken on the bone or Extra Crispy chicken tenders, paired with one donut. Also available as a big basket meal, which includes two donuts.
- Kentucky Fried Chicken & Donuts Sandwich: a juicy, hand-breaded Extra Crispy chicken filet sandwiched between two fully glazed donuts.
- Guests can satisfy their sweet tooth by adding a donut to any meal for an additional cost.
KFC’s chicken and donuts bring together a delicious pairing of KFC’s world-famous fried chicken, coupled with a warm, fresh-glazed donut. Beginning Monday, Feb. 24, Kentucky Fried Chicken & Donuts will be available at participating restaurants in the U.S. for a limited time only.
They will be available nationwide through March 16, or while supplies last.
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Friday, February 21, 2020
3 things to watch this weekend to celebrate Black History Month
Black History Month is in full effect and there are tons of ways to celebrate this weekend. Aside from educating the masses on the impact Black folks have had on this country, another bonus is the powerful content that inevitably debuts in February. T
his year is no different, with several strong offerings coming in the form of television specials, series, and films that highlight African Americans. Whether you’re looking to be reminded of what we have endured, reflect on where we have been, or inspired by where we are going; art has a way of helping us process all of the emotions that come with it.
NAACP Image Awards announces nominations for 51st annual ceremony
Here are 3 things to watch this weekend to help you do just that:
Who Killed Malcolm X?
February 21 marks the 55th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X. Decades after the African American leader, an activist embarks on a complex mission seeking truth in the name of justice. The lingering questions and astounding revelations in the documentary will blow your mind.
Who Killed Malcolm X? is streaming now on Netflix.
We Are The Dream: The Kids Of The Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest
This heartwarming hour-long doc that dropped on HBO just in time for Black History Month is just the kind of hopeful and happy content we all need right now, following young students across the Oakland school district as they learn to literally raise their voices and deliver powerful orations during the annual nationwide competition inspired by the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Every year in Oakland, CA, hundreds of pre-K through 12th-grade students compete in the Martin Luther King Oratorical Festival, performing a mix of published and original poetry and speeches. This documentary chronicles the months leading up to the 40th annual festival, as schools across the city send their top-placing students to compete. It is a portrait of passionate young people raising their voices about issues they care about – social justice, immigration and more – and of a community that celebrates them. Directed and produced by Amy Schatz; produced by Diane Koyler; executive produced by Mahershala Ali, Amatus Karim Ali, Mimi ValdΓ©s and Julie Anderson.
We Are The Dream: The Kids Of The Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest is available on HBO.
NAACP Image Awards
Although Black actors, actresses, singers, writers, and directors were slighted from the nominee pool at the Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards, the Image Awards were created to honor the achievements of people of color in film, TV, music, and literature. The show also acknowledges people and organizations who promote social justice through entertainment. This year’s show will honor the best and brightest in the community and nominees include Lizzo, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Daniel Kaluuya, Eddie Murphy, Regina King, Winston Duke, and more of our faves. TheGrio will be at the event to cover all the action so stay tuned for BTS updates.
The NAACP Image Awards will air January 22 on BET on Feb. 2 at 8pm.
The post 3 things to watch this weekend to celebrate Black History Month appeared first on TheGrio.
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Serena Williams shares vulnerable message about the challenges of being a working mom
There’s no doubt that motherhood has had a deep impact on Serena Williams and this week she let her supporters get a super candid glimpse into the not so glamorous moments that most working mothers know all too well.
Friday, the tennis star posted a photo on her Instagram that shows her visibly exhausted, with no makeup, sitting inside a parked vehicle and holding her and husband Alexis Ohanian‘s 2-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., as the child sleeps on her shoulder.
READ MORE: Serena Williams gets boxing lessons from Mike Tyson: ‘She has some power’
“I am not sure who took this picture but Working and being a mom is not easy,” Williams wrote. “I am often exhausted, stressed, and then I go play a professional tennis match.”
“We keep going. I am so proud and inspired by the women who do it day in and day out,” she continued. “I’m proud to be this baby’s mama @olympiaohanian. #nofilter #nomakeup #nohairbursh lol #justme.”
READ MORE: Serena Williams nabs first title since having her daughter three years ago
In 2019, while speaking to E! News, Williams opened up about being a working mother for the first-time.
“I’m always trying to ask everyone else, how do they balance? Because I’m not sure if I’m doing a good job,” she said at the time. “I’m just trying to do the best that I can.”
“I’m a perfectionist, so I tend to second-guess myself a lot,” she continued. “But I’m trying to just be confident in that. For me it’s my first time around being a mom and I kinda beat myself up over everything. I missed her first steps an that was really hard for me but it’s not like she walked every day that first step day, so OK, I kind of got to see them even though I didn’t. So that was really cool. I still kinda go back and look at those videos.”
READ MORE: Serena Williams selected as ‘Female Athlete of the Decade’
The post Serena Williams shares vulnerable message about the challenges of being a working mom appeared first on TheGrio.
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