A n act of kindness displayed by three young Black men from Florida has warmed the hearts of people across the nation. According to Yahoo Lifestyle , a video that captured the men helping an elderly couple into their car has gone viral. A police officer in Florida recently saw three young Black men helping an elderly couple, and decided to film them and share it with the world! (The officer told reporters, “I know… https://t.co/oTJShZt2ns — Black News (@BlackNews) February 8, 2019 The men were at a gas station store when they noticed Rose Griest , 89, and her husband David Griest , 100, having a hard time getting into their vehicle. As Griest tried to assist his wife with sitting in the passenger’s seat safely, her legs gave out. The group of men— Freddy G , Marty , and Joc Koe Stoe —stepped in to ensure that she was okay. “We didn’t even ask if they needed help — we felt comfortable giving them a hand right away,” Marty told the news outlet. “I kept thinking, ‘She could have been my grandmother.’.” Officer Kenesha Carnegie from the Levy County Sheriff’s Office captured the special moment on camera and posted the video on social media. The video has now garnered millions of views. “I look over and three men were assisting the couple — it was a beautiful thing to see,” said Carnegie. “I know these men from the neighborhood, and I wanted them to have that moment to show who they really are.” The elderly couple—who have been married for two decades—were thankful that the men gave them a helping hand. Their family is also grateful that the men were there to help too. Their grandson Tommy Griest came across the video on Facebook. “I was scrolling through and saw my grandmother’s purple outfit. Praise these guys for helping them,” he said. Witnessing acts like the one displayed by these young men restores faith in humanity at a time when our country is so divided. Check out the video of the special moment below. SEE ALSO: Judge Inspires At-Risk Camden Teen To Become A Lawyer Candle Brand Launched By Three Black Youngsters Featured At Macy’s [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3844698″ overlay=”true”]
Source: NurPhoto / Getty Black History Month was sooo close to losing this first full week of February. The racist ridiculousness was something serious. But as the ancestors said before us, still we rise. Check out the losers for the week below, then hit the next page to find out who helped save what was left of Black History month! Losers People who don’t know what racism is Clearly, racism needs to get more airtime in school classrooms because it seems people still don’t understand the full weight of the phenomenon. The topic received a lot of attention this week starting with Liam Neeson who revealed that he once went looking to kill a “Black bastard” after his friend said she was raped by a Black man. Neeson explained himself on Good Morning America and how he regretted his feelings at the time. However, he never once said that his actions and sentiments were racist. As a matter of fact, he went on to say “I’m not racist, this was nearly 40 years ago.” Sorry Liam, that was racist. Find out why here. The non-acknowledgement of racism didn’t stop here, however. The next day, Neeson’s co-star in the movie Widows Michelle Rodriguez had the audacity to defend Neeson by saying: “Dude, have you watched Widows ? His tongue was so far down Viola Davis’ throat. You can’t call him a racist ever. Racists don’t make out with the race that they hate, especially in the way he does with his tongue—so deep down her throat. I don’t care how good of an actor you are. It’s all bullsh**. Ignore it. He’s not a racist.” Father help us. I guess Michelle missed that unit on Black fetishization in her 5th grade history class. And guess what Michelle? It’s all tied to the one big family of… R A C I S M. And finally, you’d think after think pieces, Twitter rants and Facebook arguments, people would understand that blackface is bad and also has ties to racism , right? Naw. According to a recent YouGov poll , only 58 percent of Americans believe blackface is bad. Meanwhile, Gucci is making blackface sweaters and current Democrat leaders, like Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam , are being pinned for their blackface past. *Sigh* Either A LOT of teaching needs to be done or people just don’t care. Either way, racism is clearly still alive.
Source: Prince Williams / Getty Bow Wow and Kiyomi Leslie made headlines after they kicked Black History Month off in police custody last week. While previous reports and Bow Wow’s mugshot seemed to paint Leslie as the aggressor, new details that shed more light on their ugly altercation have emerged. In the 9-1-1 call, Leslie tells the dispatcher the rapper said no one would ever believe he hit her . Additionally, “a distraught Leslie Holden tells the operator she was assaulted by Bow Wow and fled his apartment to make the call,” TMZ reports. “Leslie claims cops showed up for a previous disturbance before the actual arrest, but Bow Wow and two of his friends refused to let her out of a bedroom to speak with officers.” According to the site, the building manager also called police after a resident called to complain about Bow Wow and Leslie fighting. The resident allegedly “heard a male voice saying he would ‘slap the f*ck out of this b*tch.’ Previous reports state In the end, both were charged with misdemeanor battery. Listen to Leslie’s 9-1-1 call here . Photo: Getty, WENN
This week, Jussie Smollett returned to work on Empire after surviving a brutal hate crime beating. The creators and showrunners of the hit television series are praising his strength and attitude. Here is what they had to say about Jussie’s recovery. Empire executive producer and showrunner Brett Mahoney spoke at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Los Angeles. Mahoney spoke to Fox News about Jussie Smollett’s recovery from the brutal and bigoted attack that he endured. “He’s doing well,” Mahoney praises. “I think again, he spoke at the Troubadour during his performance on Saturday,” he notes. So, Mahoney explains, “you know he’s getting better and he will be.” “He’s not there yet,” he admits. “But he’ll back to his old self because he’s strong and you can’t diminish his spirit.” Mahoney refers to Jussie’s statement over the weekend , affirming that he will stand strong in the face of hate. “Let me start by saying that I’m OK,” Jussie affirmed to his fans. “My body is strong but my soul is stronger,” he assured the audience. “More importantly I want to say thank you.” The numerous declarations of love and support for Jussie has been a heartwarming thing to behold. Jussie gushed: “The outpouring of love and support from my village has meant more than I will ever be able to truly put into words.” Words can really be uplifting, even when someone is frightened, angry, and hurting. He did address a more negative side of the coverage of him and the vicious attack that he endured. “Despite my frustrations and deep concern with certain inaccuracies and misrepresentations that have been spread,” he began. He concluded: “I still believe that justice will be served.” Conspiracy theorists immediately latched onto his story, not wanting it to be true. Though police released photos of the two suspected assailants , some have falsely claimed that there’s no footage of them anywhere. The truth is that the beating of a black gay man by assailants who referred to “MAGA country” makes a lot of people uncomfortable. It would be more politically convenient for some of Jussie had somehow managed to attack himself . Mahoney had more to say about Jussie and the brutal attack that he endured. “The attack on Jussie, because he is such a beloved member of our family – hurt us all very hard,” Mahoney continued. “But, Jussie is a proud gay black man,” he affirmed. “And I don’t know whether the cowards who attacked him were trying to beat the gay, the black, or the pride out of him,” Mahoney admitted. “But that’s impossible because he’s strong,” he noted. “So,” Mahoney concluded. “We’re happy that he is back at work and he’s happy to be back at work.” Danny Strong, co-creator of Empire, voiced similar sentiments. “Anything you want to know about Jussie,” Strong said. “You can see from his statement when he performed on Saturday night. He noted that Jussie had come out “with a statement of defiance for what happened to him.” “And,” Strong continued. “A statement of love.” Very true. Strong went on to mention that Jussie has always had this underlying strength. “And he’s truly a very special person,” Strong said. “Which is how he got cast as Jamal.” This wasy, he explained, “because we needed someone who was special to play that part, and it was him.” “So,” Strong concluded. “I’m not surprised at all by the class and the poise of his response to what’s happened.” It’s good that, at the very least, Jussie is surrounded by a powerful and caring support system. View Slideshow: Jussie Smollett Attacked: Everything We Know So Far
Okay this Black History Month needs an absolute do-over. Luxury designer Gucci apologized Thursday for their new wool balaclava jumper because it happens to resemble blackface a little too much. “Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper,” the brand wrote in response to the backlash. “We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make.” The $890 sweater was pulled from Gucci’s website and all physical stores. As you can see, it is black and covers up to the wearer’s nose with material. However, the red ring around the hole for the jumper’s mouth resembles a pair of lips, reminiscent of blackface or minstrel cartoons. Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper. We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make. Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/P2iXL9uOhs — gucci (@gucci) February 7, 2019 The reveal of the sweater comes only days after the state of Virginia found itself in some amazing hot water over multiple state officials who admitted to wearing black face to either portray Michael Jackson or something similar. Again, can we restart black history month?! IMAGE CREDIT: Gucci RELATED: Governor Of Virginia Refuses To Resign After Racist Images Surface RELATED: Not Surprised: Covington Catholic School Kids Wore Blackface At Sporting Events
Source: Ciarra / Courtesy Ciarra This post originally appeared on A Girl Like Me , a blog for women and girls on The Well Project , and is part of collaboration with HelloBeautiful for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day . I have made a few mistakes in my life. Who am I kidding? I have made MANY mistakes in my life. And I ain’t even been alive that long. Some of those mistakes, I can effortlessly push underneath that figurative rug somewhere and pray I lose the memory. That way, no one else knows about the mistake. I can just act as though it never happened. And keep it moving. But then you have those others. You know, those other mistakes, which are a little more difficult to conceal. They loud. They make themselves known. There ain’t no running or no hiding from these type. Contracting HIV is one of those mistakes for me. This one I can’t escape. Sure, I could have kept the secret to myself. But in order to live healthy and well, I would have had to address it at some point. It wasn’t noooo hiding, shoving, or pushing this one, nowhere. I call it a mistake because I knew I should have used a condom. But I didn’t. I call it a mistake because people had attempted to guide me to safer choices. But I opted to do my own thing. And as a result, I contracted this virus. I contracted this dumb, stupid, ugly virus. If only I had done this or that, I would not be HIV positive today. For other people it may look like: … if only I had studied for that test, I would have passed that class. … if only I had ordered a rideshare that night, I would not have to serve the sentence attached to a DUI. … if only I had used a condom, I might not have contracted chlamydia. Look. I am not ashamed of my HIV positive status because, we have all made mistakes. They may not all look the same, but a mistake is a mistake is a mistake. Right? We all have done something that we wish that we could take back. The HIV mistake makes itself known daily. The reminder comes in the form of a once-a-day pill that I struggle to swallow. Other people may still be able to push their biggest mistakes to the back of their mind. I can’t. I gotta face mine. I’m tryna live and sh*t. Anyways, I’m sure that if we could go back and avoid making these mistakes, we would. And to me, that sounds like growth. So I must ask, what is there to be ashamed of in growth? The Well Project is a non-profit organization whose mission is to change the course of the HIV /AIDS pandemic through a unique and comprehensive focus on women and girls. Visit their website, www.thewellproject.org , to access fact sheets (English and Spanish), blogs , and advocacy tools, and to join a global community of women living with HIV . RELATED NEWS: What This Young Mother Living With HIV Wants You To Know #BlackAIDSDay: How You Can Live With HIV With No Shame [ione_media_gallery src=”https://hellobeautiful.com” id=”2914701″ overlay=”true”]
Today for Black History Month 2019 , we are highlighting media mogul Oprah Winfrey . Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Birth Date: January 29, 1954 Hometown: Kosciusko, Mississippi Fun Facts: Oprah is an entrepreneur that started OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), Harpo Studios, and O Magazine Oprah is the first female Black billionaire in the world Oprah’s real name is actually spelled “Orpah” Oprah attended Tennessee State University Oprah is also an actor, and has starred several movies including Steven Spielberg’s “The Color Purple” Oprah has been with her boyfriend, Stedman Graham, since 1986 Oprah received the Medal of Freedom from former U.S. President Barack Obama and was a big supporter of his campaign We thank you for your contributions Oprah Winfrey . [ione_media_gallery src=”https://thebeatdfw.com” id=”3111212″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Splash News / Splash News On this fine Black History Month, Liam Neeson shocked the Internet when he revealed that he once went looking for a “Black bastard” to kill after a close friend of his was raped. Neeson made the confession in an interview with Independent when he was promoting his new flick Cold Pursuit. While explaining his character’s need for revenge, Liam described an instance when his friend was raped and she told Liam that a Black man did it. In fits of anger, Neeson said he would roam the streets with a cosh (a bar used as a weapon) looking for the nearest Black man to provoke him: “I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I’d be approached by somebody – I’m ashamed to say that – and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some [Neeson gestures air quotes with his fingers] ‘black bastard’ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could…kill him.” Many online souls were flabbergasted by Liam’s words. Liam Neeson didn't say he wanted to kill his friend's rapist….which you could chalk up to revenge…..bruh straight up said he wanted to kill any black man…..if you're defending him….you're just as trash as he is…. — Bae Mama (@mc_magic1887) February 4, 2019 Liam Neeson being ready to take any Black life over what one person allegedly did just shows how meaningless and inconsequential black lives are to some. Even him telling the story demonstrates a level of privilege and understating that there may not be repercussions. — Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) February 4, 2019 Yup so Liam Neeson is definitely cancelled. — King K. (@Unkle_K) February 4, 2019 Liam then went on Good Morning America on Tuesday to clarify his story… But he just made things worse. In his interview with Robin Roberts, Liam said “There were some nights I went out deliberately into Black areas in the city, looking to be set upon so that I could unleash physical violence.” He continued: “And I did it maybe four or five times, until I caught myself on and it really shocked me, this primal urge I had. It shocked me, and it hurt me. I did seek help. I went to a priest who heard my confession…[I had] two very, very good friends that I talked too, and believe it or not, power walking two hours everyday to get rid of this. I’m not racist, this was nearly 40 years ago.” Like whaaaa??? First off Liam, you said you deliberately went into Black neighborhoods to take out your anger on any random Black person. This is, in fact, racist. Like…you didn’t go to the nearest Whole Foods in your neighborhood to find a Black person. You specifically went into Black neighborhoods to enact terror. And even if your need for revenge has subsided over the years, you’ve yet to acknowledge that your targeting of Black communities was racist, which proves you still have some racism up in your bones. Finally… And listen closely… If you’re a White person, you should more readily assume you are racist, rather than believing you’re not. It’s times like these that self-identified “non-racist” White people love to distance themselves from other White people who are blatantly racist, because if there’s one thing that “non-racist” White people H A T E, it’s to be called racist. “I’m not like that horrible Liam Neeson who said he wanted to beat a random Black person,” said your random White neighbor. “I would NEVER say the N-word,” said your White lover. “Liam Neeson is canceled,” said the White head of your marketing team. I get you “non-racist” White person. But what about your racist cousin demanding more police presence in their newly gentrified neighborhood ? What about your racist uncle who bought private prison stock when Trump got elected ? It can be outright dangerous to use Liam’s actions as the sole measuring stick for racism. Wanting to kill a random Black person is the tip of the iceberg and the most primal manifestation of racist attitudes. But the system of racism is inherently violent and White people either participate in it or benefit from it. Racism, and especially anti-Black racism, is a system of power that subjugates Black people in all corners of society, from institutions to your own personal circles. While Liam’s attitude might be an inter-personal manifestation of racism, the wealth gap between races is just one example of institutional racism that White people can benefit from. A 2019 study by the Institute for Policy reported that the median Black family today owns $3,600, which is just 2% of the wealth median White families own at $146,984. On top of this, median White wealth is continuing to increase, while median Black wealth is on track to reach zero by 2082, according to the report. This major gap is due to years of wealth-stripping practices aimed at Black people in the housing market , prison-police systems and more. Now you’d think with such reports, there’d be complete social media outrage from “non-racist” White people demanding more research on the racial wealth divide, discriminatory practices and the need for reparations . The same criminalization of Black people enacted by Neeson is the same criminalization used to keep Black people out of wealth stability and instead, in prisons and resource-stripped environments. Is this not the groundwork for targeted violence? Are the “non-racist” Whites starting a social media campaign around this? If they’re aware of these issues and do nothing, aren’t they complicit in racism? Any White person claiming they’re not racist is not beneficial to anti-racist work. In contrast, it might be better for a White person to say “how do I benefit from racism” or “how can I be less racist today?” Part of this can be just doing your research on how systematic racism can be violent along with searching for the nearest Black person to pummel with a “cosh.” I understand violence is on a spectrum and might require different reactions, but “I’m not racist” attitudes aren’t helping the conversation. Racism is normal. The goal is to make it not normal on all levels.
Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty After defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the recent Super Bowl LIII contest, the New England Patriots are bucking tradition at least in some part. Some Pats players are opting to skip the traditional visit to the White House, robbing President Donald Trump of a usually expected photo op. New York Daily News reports : It didn’t take long for members of the Patriots to start fielding the question that has become inevitable for champions: Will you visit Donald Trump’s White House? Some of them have already made it clear they won’t. Twins Devin and Jason McCourty told reporters on Monday that they would be skipping the trip if invited by the president. Devin was adamant about staying away, while Jason was more diplomatic at first. “I haven’t thought about it, but I highly doubt it,” he said. Then his brother prodded him a bit and Jason said there was almost no chance he would go. TMZ Sports reported that safety Duron Harmon, who is Black, will also skip the trip. — Photo: Getty
