B lack youth are displaying excellence in academia. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution , a group of Atlanta scholars took home the title at an annual debate competition hosted by the Harvard Debate Council. The Great Debaters II: Atlanta debate team dominates Harvard tournament – again https://t.co/fkZh5vUrp7 pic.twitter.com/lyKTwfRTzw — WSB-TV (@wsbtv) July 13, 2019 This was the second consecutive year that the Atlanta Great Debaters won the international tournament organized by the Ivy League school. In preparation for the debate the team—who is predominately made up of students of color—participated in a two-week summer program focused on public speaking, competitive debating and political science. After the workshops the students ended their experience with a program tournament; competing against over 400 scholars from around the globe. The students were placed on teams of two. High schoolers Keith Harris and Don Roman Jr. went undefeated in the tournament. “It sends a message to the world to what African American youth are capable of, if they are given access and opportunities,” Brandon P. Fleming , founder of the Harvard Diversity Project. “Most of our students have never been exposed to the power of academic debate. Knowing that they will compete against hundreds of scholars who have years of debate experience, combined with the benefit of private and prep schools to their advantage, we seek to level the playing field by introducing our students to higher level academic disciplines that are typically unavailable in traditional school settings.” Both Harris and Roman were excited to take home the title. They both hope that their win will inspire other Black students to join debate teams. “Our accomplishment is far bigger than us. We are showing the world what black youths are capable of achieving when given equal access, exposure, and opportunities. This win is for our ancestors, our city, and most of all our culture,” Roman told the news outlet. Program organizers are now gearing up for the 2020 residency. SEE ALSO: HBCU Puts Focus On Mental Health So Students Can Thrive Academically Over 100 Homeless Students In New York City Graduate High School [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3881857″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Images by Steve Skinner Photography / Getty Atlanta Police fired one of its own this week, as an officer’s body cam catches the worst. According to a 130-page report released by Atlanta Police Department, Officer Keisha Richburg was seen taking $500 from the wallet of a shooting victim, after she responded to a police call on June 19th. Officers are obligated to take the belongs from shooting victims to their families at the hospital. The body cam catches the officer receiving the wallet from a Grady EMT with $500 in it, then putting the wallet in her car. Once the officer arrives at Grady Hospital, the wallet is empty. APD Chief Erika Shields says she wants integrity to be at the heart of the department and that Richburg does not represent the kind of officer that is good for this city. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ______ MORE: Chief: Atlanta police officer fired after $500 goes missing from deadly shooting victim _____ The Latest Music, Celebrities and Interviews: Sign Up For Our Newsletter! Close Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Email Submit
A tlanta-bred rapper T.I. has been a fierce advocate for criminal justice reform and he is taking his involvement in the movement to another level. According to WSB-TV , T.I.—whose real name is Clifford Harris —has joined Atlanta’s city jail task force to change the way the Atlanta City Detention Center is utilized. A newly formed task force charged with finding a new use for Atlanta’s city jail includes criminal justice reform volunteers, activists, council members and… @Tip https://t.co/KEwUAV0UTS — AJC (@ajc) July 3, 2019 The task force—which is being spearheaded by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms —is comprised of 25 elected officials, activists, and thought-leaders within the criminal justice reform space. They will gather to determine the best way to use the Atlanta City Detention Center where individuals are currently being held for minor offenses. According to a statement released by the task force, Mayor Bottoms wants to transform the facility into a space that can be used for wellness, the reduction of recidivism, and a support center for individuals who are impacted by mass incarceration. “There is a much better use for this facility,” said Mayor Bottoms as she signed legislation to have the jail closed in May. “My dream for this jail, for this physical facility, is that it becomes a center of equity. I see this as a place that we will have access to childcare, GED training, vocational training, also perhaps some type of housing in this place, workspace.” She believes that reimagining the jail will be an impactful step towards getting ahead of crime in the city. Facilities like the one being proposed by the mayor and the task force are needed. According to Patch , Georgia is the No. 1 state in the country when it comes to the number of people who are under supervision. This includes individuals who are in prison or jail or who are on parole or probation. Harris has been dedicated to bettering Atlanta. In April the rapper—who was awarded by the Georgia Senate for his philanthropic efforts—teamed up with the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to bail out nonviolent offenders so they could be reunited with their families for Easter. SEE ALSO: T.I. Teams Up With Georgia Church To Bail Out Nonviolent Offenders For Easter T.I. Awards Single Mother With $25K Scholarship [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3881815″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Hugh Dillon/WENN.com / WENN Patti LaBelle Gets A Street Named After Her In Philadelphia The city of Philadelphia is doing their part to honor one of the city’s very own musical legends–but for some reason, they didn’t even bother to double check the spelling of her name. The city’s Streets Department honored singer and icon Patti LaBelle by naming a stretch of Broad Street between Locust and Spruce streets after her. Of course, this is a huge honor–but the problem with this is that they spelled her name wrong. The “b” in her last name was not capitalized, as reported by the AP . But luckily for everyone involved, it seems like the mishap got straightened out fairly quickly. At the unveiling ceremony, LaBelle signed her signature onto a correctly spelled version of the sign. The singer spoke on the honor of having her own street in Philadelphia, saying, “I was a shy little girl from West Philly. To go from shy Patti to Patti LaBelle Way is incredible.” According to a city spokesperson, they are aware of their mistake and will install signs with the proper spelling of the legend’s name as soon as next week. Congrats to Patti LaBelle on the much-deserved honor.
Source: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images Exclusive Brian Tyree Henry Interview Brian Tyree Henry isn’t a rapper but he plays one on TV–a very relatable and refreshingly complex rapper with a burgeoning career who steals scene after scene (after scene) on critically-acclaimed hit show “Atlanta.” And that’s only one of several power moves for the Emmy AND Tony-nominated North Carolina native currently having an enviable Hollywood run that started with Oscar-worthy masterpiece “If Beale Street Could Talk,” continued with Oscar-winning dazzler “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse” and carried over into 2019 with several eye-catching roles headlined by “ Joker ” and… “Child’s Play???” Yep, a next-level Chucky movie that we couldn’t wait to ask him about during the “Child’s Play” press day where we talked (and laughed) about everything from killer doll nostalgia to Black folks in Horror movies to Rihanna in our fave interview of 2019. Let’s get into “Child’s Play”–what were your first thoughts when you realized you were playing a cop in a Chucky movie? “Actually when I got the script it didn’t say “Child’s Play” on it… so I started reading it and the story was pretty damn good. It was a really cool read. And then I saw the name Chucky and I was like ‘Yo…nahhh, there’s no way..’ because I’m like a Horror movie freak–I LOVE Horror movies, it’s my favorite genre and when I got to Chucky I was like ‘Oh sh*t, this has gotta be the new Chucky’ so then I looked at my character and was like ‘oh wait, hold up, this character is actually really brave because, you know , being Black in a Horror movie they don’t really give us good characters–we’re the first people to get killed in the first three minutes of the movie… But in this movie my character Detective Mike Norris is very smart, very charismatic, is really humorous, and literally the relationship he had with his mom, and his relationship with Andy were very important to me and so I was like ‘ok cool, there’s actually a character here’ *laughs* it was something that really attracted me to it. And at the end of the day, I remember when “Child’s Play’ came out in 1988 when I was 6-years-old.. I literally remember the Christmas it came out and, at the time, there was this doll called “My Buddy” and people were going into the store and fighting over these things, man, and it was on the news and I was just like ‘I’m never gonna get one of these dolls’ and as soon as this movie came out everyone threw them away so all that consumerism you were going through to get this doll, once this movie came out it shut the doll’s sales down… and that’s kinda why I like Horror movies because there really is a commentary on the social dynamics we live in.. It really turns the mirror on you to make you confront the things we’re actually afraid of in our real lives and that’s us as a society sometimes. So once I saw this was coming my way I jumped at it because I’ve always been a huge fan of this franchise and Chucky was such a part of my life growing up and I really just liked the retelling of the story they were doing and was like ‘this is actually really fresh and really relevant to today’ because instead of it being a serial killer dropped into a doll as it used to be.. this is like an artificial intelligence… it really is programmed to know everything about your life–like, everything –there’s an upgrade you can download and that’s way more terrifying–that, to me, is way more terrifying that there’s this doll that has access to your entire life. It’s still learning and growing–you’re gonna find yourself actually caring about Chucky–I’m not gon’ lie–I was surprised.. I was like ‘I actually like this dude, I really want him to win out here’ and I really just thought that was fun. It’s been so long since we’ve had a fun Horror movie. That was one of my favorite experiences about going to the Horror movies where I grew up is like, you know, if we’re in a theater full of Black people watching a Horror movie, we are gonna talk sh*t. We’re gonna say how we feel *laughs* and when I saw this I was like ‘Oh my God, this is a callback to one of those movies where you have to have that commentary. You have to clap and celebrate–it’s fun! And I was just really happy to be apart of something like that because that’s kinda what I knew and I’m a big nerd when it comes to this so… it was like me being a kid in a candy store” We realized the legendary Mark Hamill (who played “Luke Skywalker” in the “Star Wars” saga and voiced the Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series”) was voicing Chucky and were like ‘Whoa WHOAAA’ so what was that like for you–a big nerd? “Everything I’ve been doing in my career, honestly, is my inner-nerd just losing its mind and I think that’s why I take the things that I do because I think about myself being that 13-year-old kid at my locker and thinking about what kinda pictures I would’ve taped on the inside of my locker–all of the things I’ve done so far would’ve been in my locker *laughs* so having “Child’s Play” be that other little thing–that other little piece, right there–is great and then Mark Hamill, man, I’m gonna tell you something: the emotion that he brings to Chucky and the wonder he brings to Chucky and the sinisterness he brings to Chucky is really unbelievable and I think that’s why you feel for Chucky the way you do because of him” You got Joker, you got this, you had Spider-man [Into The Spider-Verse]–did you see yourself getting into your lane so fast in your career? No! I still try to act like I don’t see that because I don’t ever want it to take away that kind of joy, that kind of wonderment of what I do. It makes me very happy and I don’t ever wanna get to a place where I’m just like ‘Ohh, you know, tick that box, tick that box, tick that box, because there’s an endless array of boxes to tick for me” How did your experience at an HBCU—Morehouse College–shape your journey (and perspective) in Hollywood? I think that–not just Morehouse in it of itself–but the city of Atlanta shaped that for me because I moved there when I was 18 and I didn’t really start getting into theatre arts until my second semester sophomore year but it was something I’ve always done even in high school I was doing speech and debate and it was always an escape for me because the plays I was told to read or the plays we were given as assignments never had characters that reflected people who looked like me. You could give me Chekhov all day, you could give me Henrik Ibsen all day, but nothing is saying I could be this young dude in Russia so, for me, it was an escape. It was fun to play these parts and run around pretending to be these men in society I was told I’ll never be because of where I’m from and because I’m Black. So, at the end of the day, when I got to Morehouse here I am looking to my left and to my right seeing other people who have the same passion as I do but then I’m also in a city where I’m looking to my left and to my right and everyone looks like me and everyone’s excelling in the same way and the city is giving me space to be who the hell I am– Atlanta literally shaped me into the person I am today and it’s because I saw in a place like that endless possibilities for us as Black people–like, endless –are you telling me I can own a store? We all got our own neighborhoods? Like, what do you mean??? So, for me, it kinda revolutionized how I saw my self within this genre and made me feel like there was nothing couldn’t do and then, here I am, in “Child’s Play” playing this detective that you actually give a damn about…that was icing on the cake” We saw you say that Rihanna made you cry and since we’re talking about Atlanta–where would you take Rihanna in the city if yall were hanging out? What would yall do? “OK, alright! I’ve actually got a chance not too long ago to meet Rihanna–I went to the Gold Party… Rihanna came up to me with open arms–she was like ‘I’ve been watching you, I’m so proud of you, thank you for giving Fenty all the love’ because I’m always reppin like ‘Yo, Fenty Beauty is the bomb, everybody needs to support Rihanna’ and as I’m going in for a hug I break her drink–I drop her drink out of her hand–and I was like ‘are you kidding me? How could you do that?’ and with such grace and poise, as Rihanna does, she’s like ‘no-no-no, don’t worry about it, it’s just a drink, what are you drinking?’ AND THEN SHE GOES TO GET HERSELF A DRINK AND ME A DRINK… So then I’m trying not to cry again but it’s that kinda thing–my inner-nerd–like of course, I made her drop her drink but it was still–I learned a lot about myself *laughs* But yea, there’s nothing greater than to see people from your generation killin’ the game. I feel like I’ve gotten to my rise watching her–like, watching us all excel in this way and its just pride, man. It really just makes me proud but I still broke her drink, though” Is there anything you can tell us about Season 3 of Atlanta? “Thaaaat, it will be back next year *laughs* but know that we’ll be coming back for sure” “Child’s Play” in theaters now!
Source: Star Tribune via Getty Images / Getty Police Officer Fired For Not Being Able To Locate Kidnapped Girl A police officer in Texas has been fired from his job after he searched the hotel room where a kidnapped 8-year-old girl was being held captive and somehow didn’t find her. Officer Richardson Wolfe was placed on indefinite suspension — which is the civil service equivalent of termination — for mishandling the case of the young girl, who was later brought to safety. Forest Hills Police Chief Dan Dennis confirmed that Wolfe was released from the department on Wednesday, according to reports from NBC 5 . It all happened when Wolfe responded to an emergency call at a hotel just after midnight on May 19. An hour before the call, an Amber Alert had been sent out for the kidnapping of the young girl, who was snatched by a man later identified as Michael Webb. According to police, Webb dragged the child into his car and threw her mother out of the vehicle when she jumped in to try to fight him off. Someone at WoodSprings Suites recognized Webb from the Amber Alert and notified a desk clerk, who then called the police. When Wolfe arrived at the scene, he allegedly knocked on Webb’s hotel room door first, and was eventually let inside. “Upon entry into the room, the officers made visual inspection of the areas of the room that appeared to be large enough to conceal the missing child,” the police said in a press release. “They did not locate any other occupants inside the room. With no one located and no other information available, the officers cleared the scene.” Two hours later, Forest Hill police received another tip and at about 2am, more officers returned to the kidnapper’s hotel room. About six minutes later, Fort Worth police officers arrived too, and police confirmed that the child was located with Michael Webb a short time later. The tip that led to the rescue of the little girl came in from Jeff King, a local pastor who was friends with the girl’s parents. King had asked a detective if there was anything he could do to help find the missing girl, and the detective told him to check parks, hotels and apartments. “We had been checking parks all night and [WoodSprings Suites] was the second hotel we checked,” King said in a press conference. “I feel like God allowed me to be a tool.” Webb was charged with aggravated kidnapping and six counts of sexual assault of a child. He was expected to plead guilty but changed his mind at the eleventh hour and will now cop his plea on June 26, according to CBS 11 . He is facing 20 years to life in prison. Forest Hills Police are expected to release further details about the case as soon as they can.
Source: Courtesy Epix / EPIX Forest Whitaker Stars In New Epix Series “Godfather Of Harlem” New TV show alert! EPIX has a new series airing this fall called “GODFATHER OF HARLEM” starring Forest Whitaker as Bumpy Johnson and we wanted to share a tease from the upcoming season. Premiering on EPIX on September 29, Godfather of Harlem is inspired by the story of infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Whitaker), who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to regain control. During the brutal battle, he forms an alliance with radical preacher Malcolm X (Thatch) – catching Malcolm’s political rise in the crosshairs of social upheaval and a mob war that threatens to tear the city apart. Godfather of Harlem is a collision of the criminal underworld and the civil rights movement during one of the most tumultuous times in American history. The series also stars Vincent D’Onofrio, Giancarlo Esposito, Paul Sorvino, Nigel Thatch and Ilfenesh Hadera. Produced by ABC Signature Studios, the 10-episode series is written by Narcos co-creator Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein. The series will launch on EPIX and EPIX NOW, the network’s new streaming service available for download in the App store for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV and in Google Play for Android phones and tablets. Follow the show on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GodfatherOfHarlem/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/godfatherharlem Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/godfatherofharlem/ Hashtag: #GodfatherOfHarlem
Paige Drummond, the 19-year old daughter of one of the world’s most famous chefs and homemakers, was arrested in mid-April. The details of this arrest are only just coming to light now. According to legal documents obtained by E! News and other outlets, the teenage child of Ree Drummond (also known as The Pioneer Woman) was taken into custody this spring for having and consuming alcohol. (How dare she, right?!?) Based on these papers, Paige was charged with possession of alcohol by a person under 21 years of age, as well as public intoxication. The records show she was charged and taken to jail in mid-April in her home state of Oklahoma. Paige is Reed’s second oldest child. According to a document filed by a district attorney, Paige “did appear in a drunken condition” in the city of Stillwater, Oklahoma. The crime is punishable by up to one year in jail and a fee of up to $500, although, come on, let’s face it: Clearly the 19-year old will not face punishments this harsh. Nor should she probably, in our opinion. There’s a little bit more to report, however: The teenager was found in possession of an open container of beer, to which the legal document claimed she “did unlawfully possess and consume a non-intoxicating beverage, containing more than one-half of one-percent of alcohol measured by weight, in a public place.” The daughter of this wildly popular food blogger and television host paid a total of $404.50 thus far in court fees for the alleged crimes. Ree sky-rocketed to fame through her Food Network program, but she has also released a number of recipe books and has earned universal acclaim throughout the food world. Ree also has a 21-year-old daughter Alex, who recently graduated from college, and two teenage sons, Bryce and Todd. She has frequently jokeed to her followers about how strict she is as a parent, saying, for instance, that she refuses to say the word “boyfriend” for her daughters’ significant others. We’d call that more odd than strict, but hey. To each her own, we suppose. Ree has not yet commented on the charges against her daughter. In addition to her widely successful television show, Ree’s culinary career includes a line of cookbooks and cookware, all of which spawned from a simple blog. She’s a role model to many followers. Columbia Pictures even acquired the film rights to her book From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels in March 2010, but hasn’t made any forward progression since that time. What do you think? Should Paige Drummond spend any time in jail?
If nothing else a prison sentence will give a man a better appreciation of his freedom and when you have the finances to live life to the fullest by God that is exactly what you do. Gucci Mane and Meek Mill know this all too well so we can’t be mad to see them living their best lives in the clip to “Backwards” where they throw a pool party and the women in attendance throw inhibitions into the wind and get turnt up like they know their parents will never see this video. Keeping the scene in the south, Future continues to roll out visuals in support of his latest project SAVE ME and in his clip to “St. Lucia” has a monster truck roll over lesser cars while a room filled with women smoke cigarettes and wait for… something? What they doing there? Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from E-40 featuring Quavo, Roddy Ricch, A$AP Ferg and ScHoolboy Q, Kodak Black, and more. GUCCI MANE FT. MEEK MILL – “BACKWARDS” FUTURE – “ST. LUCIA” E-40 FT. QUAVO, RODDY RICCH, A$AP FERG & SCHOOLBOY Q – “CHASE THE MONEY” KAMAIYAH FT. QUAVO & TYGA – “WINDOWS” KODAK BLACK – “MALCOM X.X.X.” PRIEST DA NOMAD – “CAN’T LOSE THE SOUL” KOSHA DILLZ – “LOGIC BECAME ME” HARRY AND THE POTTERS FT. KIMYA DAWSON – “WHERE’S RON?” DDG FT. QUEEN NAIJA – “HOLD UP” HARDAWAY SMITH – “CHAMPION” ROD WAVE – “PAINT THE SKY RED” 42 DUGG – “WHOLE CITY” GARCI – “GOTTA PLUG”
Pastor Troy breaks down the power and responsibility that comes with being a rap star. He also talks about his new single “We Do It In The A!!!”, distribution for his film featuring Shawty Lo “Down To Come Up”, surviving the game and more.
