Why we celebrate The importance of Juneteenth
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‘Music for the Movement’ will give back to HBCU students Cordae, Disney Dreamers Academy and The Undefeated to fund scholarships
Grammy-nominated rapper Cordae has partnered with Disney Dreamers Academy and The Undefeated to award scholarships to students attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Established by Walt Disney World in 2008, Disney Dreamers Academy is an annual four-day program that brings Black teens from across the United States to Walt Disney World Resort for a free, immersive education and mentoring experience. The academy’s mission is to inspire, motivate and encourage teens to pursue their dreams. Each class of 100 teens is selected from thousands of applicants. Music for the Movement Volume III – Liberated , which will be released Friday, is the third volume in a four-part series of EPs honoring Black lives and social justice under a joint venture between Disney Music Group and The Undefeated. Cordae teamed up with Grammy and Oscar winner Common to record a single for the EP titled, “What’s Life.” Cordae wants to donate his proce...
‘Another Act’: Award-winning director and producer Barry Jenkins on ‘The Underground Railroad’ Also, what he’s doing behind the scenes for creators of color
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Artist’s work creates ‘parallel universe’ for positive mental space Renée Stout’s exhibitions include devices that allow viewers a place of respite and refuge
My last few exhibitions, starting in 2015, have conveyed the thoughts I’ve had about the country being at a major crossroads since before the 2016 presidential election. At that time, as a highly perceptive and analytical person, I already had a feeling in my gut that the country was about to make some serious missteps, and I knew it wouldn’t bode well for the majority of who call this country home or seek to call it home. With each of those exhibitions, the title contained some reference to a “parallel universe” of my imagination that allows me to metaphorically remove myself from this current reality for my own sanity. Each body of work included constructed “devices” which, in concept and intent, would allow me to access spirits or beings of a higher consciousness to help me generate and maintain positive energy in order to keep moving forward. One of my favorites from the series is the Spirit Selector . I compare the way I conceive of and crea...
The most important lesson I took from Clarence Williams III’s death The actor who portrayed Mr. Simms in ‘Tales from the Hood’ was 81 when he died of colon cancer
Clarence Williams III was an actor’s actor whose career spanned seven decades across multiple genres and stages. On June 4, he died at the age of 81, leaving a dynamic legacy in his wake. But if Mr. Simms, the demonic character Williams portrayed in 1995’s Tales from the Hood , was my horrifying introduction to his career, it’s the real-life manner of how Williams died and its prevalence within the Black community that’s even scarier. Colon cancer, the second-deadliest of its kind, gravely and disproportionately impacts Black people. Statistics from the American Cancer Society reveal Black folks are not only 20% more likely to get colon cancer, but also 40% more likely to die from it. My uncle was 42 when he lost his battle with colon cancer. Almost 10 months ago, Chadwick Boseman , at 43, lost his life to the same illness that claimed Williams, who was nearly double his age. The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve realized how Black men...
LeBron James to debut the Nike LeBron 19 in ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ ‘This is the first time we’ve ever really debuted a shoe in a movie’
LeBron James’ summer will look a little different this year after he exited the playoffs in the opening round, marking an early end to the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 title defense. In the 18th campaign of his NBA career, he missed more games with a high ankle sprain – 26 – than he ever has in a single season. But the NBA superstar actually has a new team. “I’m gonna let the ankle rest for about a month, and then I’m gonna gear up with Lola, Taz, Granny, Bugs and the rest of the crew. I’m gonna play for the Tune Squad this summer instead of the Olympics,” joked James after the Lakers dropped their first-round playoff series to the Phoenix Suns, with a 113-100 Game 6 loss on June 3. He’s not leaving the Lakers, but he’ll be joining a roster of cartoon characters in the lead role of Space Jam: A New Legacy, the Warner Bros. reboot of the Michael Jordan-led classic Space Jam , which hit theaters almost 25 years ago. N...