Tag Archives: chicago

Big Things Poppin’: Ella Mai Announces THE DEBUT TOUR After Major Success Of Her First Album

Photo Credit: Jonathan Mannion Ella Mai Announces Tour Via Interscope Records: “Rapidly rising R&B starlet Ella Mai announces  The Debut Tour  in support of her self-titled debut album, which dropped on Friday, October 12th to critical acclaim.  The outing is set to launch in the UK in January 2019, and then travel to Paris, Amsterdam and other European cities.  In February, the artist will land stateside and zigzag across the country through the month of March. Executive produced by Mustard for 10 Summers/Interscope Records,  Ella Mai  had a great first week landing at #5 on  Billboard ’s Top 200 chart with over 69K in equivalent album units.  The accomplishment marks the largest first week for a female debut R&B artist in more than four years.  The stunning debut features special guest turns from EGOT-winner John Legend on “Everything,” R&B vocalist H.E.R. on “Gut Feeling,” and R&B bad boy Chris Brown on the upbeat fan favorite, “Whatchamacallit.” It’s been a phenomenal year for the 23-year-old singer-songwriter. Her breakthrough single “Boo’d Up” went quadruple-platinum and recently made history as the longest running #1 by a woman on the  Billboard  R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. The follow up “Trip” broke into the Top 20 of the  Billboard  Hot 100 and is certified gold. Both songs are included on the new album. Ella Mai  is out worldwide now. Tickets for  The Debut Tour  go on sale October 26 th . See dates below!”   THE DEBUT TOUR   Jan 8 – Birmingham, UK –  02 Institute2 Jan 9 – Manchester, UK – 02 Ritz Jan 10 – London, UK – 02 Shepherd’s Bush Jan 14 – Paris, FR – YOYO Jan 15 – Amsterdam, NE – Melkweg Max Jan 16 – Cologne, DE – Carlswerk Jan 18 – Berlin, DE- Festsaal Kreuzberg Jan 20 – Hamburg, DE- Grosse Freiheit Jan 21 – Copenhagen, DK – Vega Main Hall Jan 22 – Stockholm, SE – Berns Jan 24 – Oslo, NO – Rockefeller Music Hall Feb 12 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom Feb 14 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo Feb 15 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom Feb 17 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades Feb 19 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater Feb 20 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst Feb 22 – Phoenix, AZ – The Marquee Feb 23 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues Feb 25 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre Feb 27 – Lawrence, KS – The Granada Feb 28 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater Mar 2 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall Mar 3 – Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall Mar 5 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues Mar 6 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Mar 7 – Montreal, QC – Club Soda Mar 9 – Boston, MA – Royale Mar 11 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel Mar 13 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts Mar 15 – Silver Spring, M.D. – The Fillmore Silver Spring Mar 16 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Sound Stage Mar 19 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle Mar 20 – Orlando, FL – The Plaza Live Mar 21 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Revolution Live Mar 24 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Mar 26 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues Mar 27 – Austin, TX – Emo’s Mar 28 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theatre    

View post:
Big Things Poppin’: Ella Mai Announces THE DEBUT TOUR After Major Success Of Her First Album

The Wave Of Black Women Candidates Just Got Stronger With This Grassroots Funding Milestone

Read the original post:

B lack women candidates, who face disproportionately higher obstacles to fundraising, have gotten a much-needed financial boost to help push them across the finish line ahead of their opponents in the 2018 midterm elections. See Also: Blue Party: Say Hello To The Black Wave MoveOn.org, the progressive social justice and political organization, announced Thursday that it has raised more than $1 million in small donations from its members to help elect six Black women candidates in the 2018 cycle. They hit the milestone on Wednesday night, and the pot swelled to $1,101,791 by Thursday afternoon. The midterm elections are crucially important, and Black women bring an important voice to the political landscape, Karine Jean-Pierre , a MoveOn.org senior advisor and national spokesperson, told  NewsOne . “Demographics are changing. You can’t move forward unless you have Black women at the political table,” she emphasized. “It would be a farce to say we’re moving forward as a country if you don’t have Black women there.” . @MoveOn has been quietly banging away to raise grassroots funds for Black women running for office, & we're approaching an awesome milestone. Soon, our members will have directly contributed > $1 million to ppl like @staceyabrams @LindaForNC @LUnderwood630 @lucymcbath @IlhanMN — Anna Galland (@annagalland) October 15, 2018 Raising campaign funds is arguably the biggest obstacle that hinders the success of Black women candidates. There’s already an overall gender gap , in which women running for Congress raise an average of $500,000 less than men. The challenges are even greater for Black women compared to white women. A March 2018 report from Arena, a progressive group that trains and supports female candidates, underscored the challenges Black women candidates face in attracting funding. In 2016, Black and Latinx women incumbents raised only half as much as white women did and just two-thirds as much as white men. “Money is incredibly important. You can’t have a campaign without money,” Jean-Pierre emphasized. The money could help them reach more voters by purchasing TV or radio ads, printing brochures or hiring essential staff members. MoveOn members have been incredibly receptive to supporting Black women candidates, Jean-Pierre said. The organization has built an email list over the past two decades that numbers in the millions. Their small-dollar member donations have accumulated to critical funding that continues to fuel campaigns. Stacey Abrams , who is running to be Georgia’s first Black governor, received MoveOn’s endorsement in November 2017. The group endorsed 11 non-incumbent Black women for Congress, three statewide and 13 in local elections. By Thursday afternoon, MoveOn raised $939,548 for Abrams. The other candidates who received funding included Linda Coleman ($48,004), Lauren Underwood ($47,366), Lucy McBath ($47,943), Ilhan Omar ($18,522) and Jahana Hayes ($406.00). “It was the first time that we’ve endorsed so early in a gubernatorial elections because of the importance of her elections,” Jean-Pierre explained. “When we bundled for Stacey Abrams, I know it was helpful, especially going into the primaries.” SEE ALSO: Please Stop Giving Racist White Women Adorable Nicknames Where Is Kierra Coles? Everything We Know About Missing Chicago Pregnant Postal Worker [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3831106″ overlay=”true”]

The Wave Of Black Women Candidates Just Got Stronger With This Grassroots Funding Milestone

Georgia Isn’t Even Trying To Hide Its Racist Voter Suppression Efforts With This Video

Visit link:

Updated October 18, 2018, 2:30 p.m., EDT Outrage on social media prompted Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp to delete a controversial video from his office’s website, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Thursday. The video purportes to educate voters on Georgia’s advance voting procedures. Instead, the video created a furor because it features a Black child actor who failed to bring the acceptable government-issued voter ID to cast a ballot. Although the video was first posted in 2016, it remained on the site until Thursday. Kemp, who’s overseeing the state’s election system while also running for governor against a Black opponent, has been accused of using multiple schemes to suppress the Black vote. The video was viewed as part of his ongoing efforts. Georgia sends a racist voter suppression message with this video. It's one more tool in Brian Kemp's arsenal to target Black voters … https://t.co/Kqkmjet9Yx pic.twitter.com/gTrEFLP3jc — NewsOne (@newsone) October 18, 2018   Original Story: B lack Georgia voters searching the secretary of state’s website for information on advance voting will find a blatant message apparently intended to discourage them from voting. The message comes as a part of Secretary of State Brian Kemp ’s voter suppression package that is meant to help him and other Republicans win elections. He’s competing against Stacey Abrams who could become the nation’s Black woman governor. See Also: Georgia Removed Scores Of Voter From Its Rolls As Stacey Abrams Tries To Make History, Lawsuit Says The video , one of several voter information films on the official state site , explains how advance voting works in Georgia, using children to illustrate the process of in-person voting prior to Election Day. In the opening scene, a white kid walks into the election station and is directed to a clerk who takes a look at his government-issued ID card and allows him to cast a ballot. Moments later, a Black girl walks up to the clerk but searches frantically in her pocketbook for an ID card. She’s given a provisional ballot. The narrator later warns that provisional ballot voters, like the little Black girl, have three days after Election Day to present an acceptable ID or else their vote won’t count. Wow. So on the SOS website #BrianKemp has an advance voting video. Take a look at who gets to vote and who doesn’t. Nice messaging, Kemp. Please just #resign already. #gapol #gagov #TeamAbrams pic.twitter.com/D4gmMeb4Cw — Anjali Enjeti (@anjalienjeti) October 18, 2018 Georgia is one of the 34 states, mostly dominated by GOP lawmakers, which require voters to show some form of government-issued identification at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures . Kemp, who’s in a tight race against Abrams, discourages Black people from casting a ballot by fueling the view among many African-Americans that the voting system is rigged with obstacles against them, so there’s no point in even bothering to cast a ballot. And Georgia’s strict voter ID law is part of Kemp’s voter suppression arsenal that targets Black people. The law disproportionately affects poor people and voters of color. Kemp has also overseen an attempt to block 53,000 voter registration applications —about 70 percent of whom were African-Americans. Added to that, Georgia creates logistical barriers to suppress turnout in rural Black communities. Election officials make every effort to limit the number of polling stations and place them far away from larger population centers where transportation is a problem. Fortunately, voting rights advocates helped to thwart one of the latest attempts in August. SEE ALSO: Where Is Kierra Coles? Everything We Know About Missing Chicago Pregnant Postal Worker Please Stop Giving Racist White Women Adorable Nicknames [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3829244″ overlay=”true”]

Georgia Isn’t Even Trying To Hide Its Racist Voter Suppression Efforts With This Video

Snatch That Wig! Racist Sunken Place Stories About Political Candidates Keep Surfacing

See the original post:

S tories of racism involving political candidates in several races have come out ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. The stories have undoubtedly sparked controversy for white male candidates such as Brian Kemp, Ron DeSantis and JB Pritzker . RELATED:  Ron DeSantis’ Racist History Didn’t Just Begin With His ‘Monkey’ Attack On Andrew Gillum Pritzker, who is running for Illinois governor, is the subject of a federal racial discrimination lawsuit. Ten Black and Latinx campaign workers for the candidate, who already has some racist blemishes on his record, are seeking $7.5 million and several reform measures, they said in the suit filed on Wednesday (Oct. 17), reported the  Chicago Sun-Times   The candidate is running a campaign that is a “cesspool of racial discrimination and harassment,” they said. Specifically, Pritzker promoted racial discrimination by “herding” Black and Latino workers into “less desirable jobs than white staffers” with no options for promotions, they said. Organizers of color were sent into the field to perform “racist tasks” such as being told to “go round up 40 Black guys” for an event as part of the campaign, according to the suit. African American and Latino campaign workers sue @JBPritzker alleging “discrimination and harassment”. @ABC7Chicago pic.twitter.com/Jcpf87eNLI — Craig Wall ABC 7 (@craigrwall) October 17, 2018 Pritzker, unsurprisingly, denounced the suit as false. The lawsuit brings up racism wounds from the candidate’s past: In February, the Chicago Tribune released recordings of an FBI wiretapped conversation that Pritzker had with incarcerated former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.  Pritzker referred to Secretary of State Jesse White as the “least offensive” of possible African-American candidates for Barack Obama ’s Senate seat in one taped call from Nov. 14, 2008. The candidate also then hinted that Blagojevich should consider White to replace Obama because “it covers you on the African-American thing.” Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp , who is running for state govenor against Stacey Abrams , has been called out for reported controversial behavior as well. Civil rights groups are suing Kemp for allegedly trying to suppress the Black vote , a practice that has disproportionately affected African Americans. In Florida, Ron DeSantis , the GOP’s gubernatiorial candidate opposing Andrew Gillum , sparked outrage after he told Florida voters not to “ monkey up ” the election by supporting Gillum. The comment took on a racist undertone by using the word, “monkey,” a derogatory insult historically meant to target Black people. The stories of racism among political candidates are seemingly neverending. SEE ALSO: Woman Who Tried To Block A Black Man From Entering His Own Apartment Building Doubles Down, ‘I Didn’t Do Anything Wrong ‘ Georgia Police Department Sparks More Outrage After Cop Drags Black Boy On Video [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3832050″ overlay=”true”]

Snatch That Wig! Racist Sunken Place Stories About Political Candidates Keep Surfacing

Does Racism Affect Police-Community Relations? Black Chief Says No

Read more here:

P hiladelphia’s police commissioner, who’s Black, rejected a report released on Monday that said police racial bias was instrumental in the controversial arrest of two Black men at Starbucks in April. However, many studies point to implicit bias as an ongoing policing problem. SEE ALSO: Starbucks Incident Prompts Philadelphia Police Department To Finally Try De-escalation In Trespass Cases The Police Advisory Commission, comprised of a citizen oversight board, urged police officials to improve officer implicit bias training, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. “The goal for us was to help everyone understand that issues can be nuanced and tinged with race, or affected by race and racism, and the Police Department, often, is the person at the front lines of all of our issues,” said Hans Menos , executive director of the commission. That didn’t go over well with Philadelphia Commission Richard Ross , who pointed out in a statement that his department bans racially biased policing. “We can agree that biases, whether implicit or explicit, may distort the fears and perception of some citizens who call the police to report crimes,” he stated, shifting the blame to citizens who call the police for help. Will Starbucks Confront Its Past Racism After Men Who Were Arrested Settled With Philadelphia? https://t.co/IVBQllyReL @NewsOne pic.twitter.com/8CAcILLWck — blacqer (@blacqer) May 3, 2018 Social media users viewed a video of the arrest , which prompted nationwide outrage, more than 10 million times. WATCH NBC10 NEWS LIVE NOW: Witness speaks to @AClineThomas about controversial arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia @Starbucks https://t.co/DRzSOlwTWG pic.twitter.com/rHezYdnRjL — NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) April 15, 2018 It shows officers arresting two Black men who did nothing wrong except decline to make a purchase while they waited for a business associate to arrive. When they refused to leave, a store manager called the police, who led them out of the store in handcuffs. No charges were filed, and Starbucks profusely apologized for the incident. Starbucks also closed its stores in May for an afternoon of employee anti-bias training. Studies have determined that suspicion and fear of Black men underpin police brutality and make for disproportionate arrests. Unconsciously, white people perceive Black men as larger and more threatening than white men of the same build, according to the American Psychological Association . Stereotypes of Black men as habitual criminals and dangerous people are reinforced through the media, the American Bar Association said. A national survey found that whites overestimated the percentage of Blacks involved in burglaries, drug sales and juvenile crime by up to 30 percent. Police officers bring those attitudes with them, often unconsciously, when policing Black communities. Police departments across the nation are struggling to help their officers eliminate their bias. SEE ALSO: Brooklyn Borough President Investigates Cornerstone Caroline For Falsely Accusing Black Child Where Is Kierra Coles? Everything We Know About Missing Chicago Pregnant Postal Worker [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3831284″ overlay=”true”]

Does Racism Affect Police-Community Relations? Black Chief Says No

Kourtney Kardashian: Scott Disick Is Hot Again & I Want Him Back

You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone; the grass is always greener; the alcoholic baby daddy suddenly looks bangable again now that he’s hooking up with a model who’s half your age … We’ve all heard the cliches before. (Okay, so that last one might not be in widespread use … yet.) But apparently, Kourtney Kardashian is learning the hard way this week that sometimes popular expressions catch on because they’re just so damn true. As you may have heard, Kourt’s ex, Scott Disick, is dating Sofia Richie , and against all odds, it looks as though the relationship has gotten very serious. Scott and Sofia recently celebrated a full year as an official couple, and given the skeeviness of a mid-thirties father of three banging a teenager, they were probably dating for a while before they decided to go public. At first, Kourtney seemed pretty chill about the situation, but they may have been a result of her now-defunct relationship with Younes Bendjima . These days, however, Kourtney is semi-single. She may or may not be dating Luka Sabbat , but whatever the case, it seems Kourt remains hung up on Scott. “Kourtney is impressed with how much hotter Scott is looking again these days,” a source close to the reality star tells Hollywood Life.  “He’s taking good care of himself, he’s looking younger and more like the old Scott she first fell in love with.” Yes, it sounds like Kourt’s looking for some casual ex sex. However, that doesn’t mean she’s looking to take Scott back on a full-time basis. “But as much as she can get nostalgic at times she’s not talking about taking him back,” the insider claims. “She swears she’s not interested in going there at all.” As for Kourt’s relationship with Sofia — the insider says there isn’t one: “Kourtney is definitely not prepared to build a friendship with Sofia at this point,” says the tipster. “She is still adjusting to the idea that Sofia spends time with her kids and that has been hard for her to accept at times.” And it seems Sofia is equally uncomfortable about the situation: “Sofia knew exactly what she was getting into when she started dating Scott,” says the source. “She understands that Scott had another life, and a family, before they started dating … Sofia is very confident in her relationship with Scott and realizes his kids come first.” Sounds awkward, but this is the best scenario Scott could hope for. If Kourtney and Sofia ever got together and started talking, it probably wouldn’t be long before they both realized they can do way better than Scott Disick. View Slideshow: The Good, The Bad, The Lord: 23 Times Scott Disick Owned Reality TV

Go here to read the rest:
Kourtney Kardashian: Scott Disick Is Hot Again & I Want Him Back

Video OF Kanye West Crafting MAGA Struggle Bars In Africa Surface

Read more:

Source: SAUL LOEB / Getty Kanye West and his worldwide tap dance for MAGA tour are currently stationed in Africa for at least a week. Right after West met with President Donald Trump and a weird Apple store “keynote speech,” the Chicago superstar traveled to Uganda t o a resort where he and his team erected a futuristic outdoors recording studio. The Blast reports : In a video he titled, “Spaceship calling earth| 3 Domes Uganda,” West started off sitting inside one of the tents before wandering outside. At one point, West gets a little annoyed when a sound engineer stops the music before he had a chance to start rapping. One particular lyric stood out from the rest: “Relax your mind, let your conscience be free, no matter what they say, I’m a still be me. Be free, be free, be free!” For all you “Poopy-di scoop” fans, we have good news — the infamous non-sensical lyric makes a return in this new video. Check out Kanye West working out some new music in the clip below. — Photo: Getty

Video OF Kanye West Crafting MAGA Struggle Bars In Africa Surface

Former American Idol Star Busted for Heroin Distribution

Antonella Barba was maybe the most controversial contestant in American Idol history. And not much has changed for the former singer many years later. According to TMZ and other outlets, the Season 6 near- finalist was arrested on Thursday morning and charged with a felony. She is being held in jail without bond because she allegedly tried to sell over 100 grams of heroin. Yes, heroin . Not many other details are available at the moment, but Barba is looking at significant jail time if this really is the crime she is accused of committing and if she is found guilty. Here is her mug shot, courtesy of the Norfolk Sheriff’s Department; Despite finishing just outside the Top 12 on Season 6, Barba made numerous headlines in 2007 for a very different kind of scandal in which she found herself. She gained notoriety for posing in a wet t-shirt in the fountain of the World War II Memorial in D.C. — and also for allegedly having photos taken of her while she gave someone oral sex. Barba continued to be voted on to subsequent rounds during her run on Idol, stirring up quite a debate over whether she was earning the favor of viewers for her singing talent… … or for these more lewd and explicit exploits. We’ve blurred out the most private part of this photo, but here’s one of the pictures that got Barba in trouble back in the day: She was also arrested for shoplifting in New York City in 2011. She was charged with two misdemeanors at the time. Still, the following year, Barba appeared on an episode of Fear Factor. She has also acted in a number of short films since… had a small role in 2017’s All About the Money… and, earlier this year, she appeared on a “Where Are They Now?” segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live! No one from Barba’s camp has commented on her arrest just yet. In related news… Fellow American Idol alum Haley Reinhart, – who also appeared on this same Jimmy Kimmel Live! segment- was arrested on one count of battery after getting into a bar fight in Chicago last year. Reinhart was found guilty in February. However, the judge agreed to strike the conviction from her record if she has no run-ins with the law in the next two years. We’ll update this story with more news as it breaks. As far as we know, Barba remains behind bars right now, pending an upcoming hearing. Let’s hope she turns her life around.

More here:
Former American Idol Star Busted for Heroin Distribution

Jesus Take The Scissors: Man Beats Up His Ex-Girlfriend’s New Boyfriend & Cuts Off His Penis

Courtesy of Des Plaines Police Dept. Florida Man Mutilates Ex-Girlfriend’s New Boyfriend A Florida man was arrested after authorities say he cut off the penis of his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. According to the Miami Herald , Justin Foster of Tallahassee reportedly flew to Chicago this past August to confront his ex-girlfriends new boyfriend. Foster allegedly approached the man on the street, hit him in the head with a tire iron, carved initials into his leg and then cut off his penis.The victim was later found by someone else on the street and rushed to the hospital, where officials say he is also suffering from permanent brain damage as a result of the attack. Foster allegedly fled to Tallahassee and then was arrested on and brought back to Chicago. After initially being held with no bond, a judge granted him a $1 million dollar bond Thursday, which allowed him to be released while awaiting trial.

See the original post:
Jesus Take The Scissors: Man Beats Up His Ex-Girlfriend’s New Boyfriend & Cuts Off His Penis

SMFH: Watch Kanye’s Kooky Lunch Meeting With Cheeto In Chief In Its Entirety [Video]

Oliver Contreras – Pool/Getty Images Kanye’s Lunch Meeting With Donald Trump Kanye’s off the rails again and the embarrassing video of his lunch meeting with Trump is out. KOONYE  Kanye made everyone cringe today during a 10-minute rant where he called Trump a “father-figure”, said his MAGA hat made him feel like a superhero and added that he supports Trump implementing stop and frisk in Chicago. Mind you the meeting was actually supposed to be about criminal justice reform. Here are some of Kanye’s most trifling quotes as compiled by NBC News: On voting for Trump: “My dad and my mom separated so there was not a lot of male energy in my home and also I’m married to a family where, you know, there’s not a lot of male energy. It’s beautiful though.” On Trump’s support from African-Americans: “Blacks really get caught up in the idea of racism over the idea of industry.” On racism: “Racism can’t control me.” On his mental health: “I wasn’t bipolar, I had sleep deprivation that could cause dementia.” On Trump wanting to implement stop-and-frisk in Chicago: “Well, I feel stop-and-frisk does not help the relationship with people in the city.” On bringing jobs and tax breaks to Chicago: “We’re going to need to get a few breaks to be able to have some places in my hometown of Chicago … where we can create some factories. I think it would be cool for them be Trump factories because he’s a master of industry, he’s a master builder. I think it would be cool to have Yeezy ideation centers.” When asked about Chicago’s gun violence: “The problem is the legal guns. Legal guns is [sic] the problem.” On Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan: “Another thing is black people have a problem with the word again … because time is a myth.” Raise your hand if you miss the old Kanye. Watch Kanye chat with Cheeto below.

More here:
SMFH: Watch Kanye’s Kooky Lunch Meeting With Cheeto In Chief In Its Entirety [Video]