(AP Photo/Crystal Chatham) An Australian Rules Football (AFL) club had to apologize after three of its players wore full-body blackface to impersonate Venus and Serena Williams, as well as a Kenyan-born AFL player, Aliir Aliir. The photos were taken last week during “Mad Monday,” a celebratory day that marks the end of the AFL season. According to the Huffington Post , the photos appeared on Facebook on Thursday, and received mixed reactions. Some were outraged and others defended the “costumes.” Some Australians still have no clue what is considered racist. This Mad Monday “costume” is clearly racist. And I'm a person who is fed up with today's over-the-top political correctness. pic.twitter.com/oWPR0WjeUx — Francis Gonzalez (@fgonzalez_) September 19, 2018 The players, who weren’t identified, play for the Penguin Football Club in Tasmania. The club told the Huffington Post in a written statement that officials weren’t aware players “intended to dress in this manner,” adding that the costumes were “unacceptable in this day and age.” As the Huffington Post reports, while the players have been disciplined and have apologized for the racist costumes, the Penguin Football Club also offered a defense of the players, saying their “actions were never intended to be racist in any way” and “all they meant to do was dress as one of their sporting idols.” While the term “black face” is highly used in the United States, racism knows no borders. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation , there have been high-profile incidents of blackface in the country, but despite an increase in public shaming around the behavior, many Australians still haven’t learned their lesson. [ione_media_gallery src=”https://blackamericaweb.com” id=”698037″ overlay=”true”] READ MORE STORIES ON BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM: 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 LIKE US ON FACEBOOK . FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM
Source: Juan Carlos Quesada Bermudez / EyeEm / Getty Taking “getting to know the Most High” to a whole different level. Two Georgia women face felony drug charges after they were arrested by narcotics officers for selling marijuana edibles on the grounds of their church. Per WJLA , 28-year-old Ebony Cooper and 26-year-old Leah Pressley were booked after the two attended an event hosted by a church in Savannah, Georgia. Local entrepreneurs were on the grounds of the church selling items and a vendor outside the church hosted the event. According to a police report, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team began watching Cooper who had a booth on the premises selling cereal treats, brownies, pudding and other weed-infused items. Some of the officers even bought a few of the products. Once the event was over, the CNT followed the two women and finally apprehended them, seizing $1,000 in cash, a large amount of edibles and a loaded firearm. Cooper and Pressley were charged with felony drug possession and CNT also discovered that Cooper was advertising her “baked goods” on social media. See the official post on the CNT’s Facebook page just to see how ridiculous a bust this was.
He *Mistakingly* Spills His Thoughts On The Internet A Texas superintendent for the Onalaska Independent School District let the world know how he really feels about Black quarterbacks and now he’s trying to backpedal. According to Chron.com, Lynn Redden — who oversees the Onalaska school district almost 100 miles north of Houston — commented on a Facebook post promoting a Chron.com article about the Houston Texans’ recent game loss. He blamed the Texans’ quarterback Deshaun Watson for the loss. In the last play of the game, Watson held onto the ball as the final seconds counted down on the clock. He completed a pass to receiver DeAndre Hopkins, hoping he could make a last-second, game-tying field goal, but time had run out by then. In response, Redden commented on the Chron.com post saying, “That may have been the most inept quarterback decision I’ve seen in the NFL. When you need precision decision making you can’t count on a black quarterback.” Oh really? Redden thought he was responding to a private message from a friend when he posted his comment, but nope. It was right in the comment section of the Chron.com post. Redden said he deleted his comment when he realized it wasn’t a direct message. “I totally regret it,” he told Chron.com. But it was too late. A Spring resident, Matt Ericksen, sent Chron.com screenshots of the post on Monday morning. Ericksen said he didn’t have kids in the district, but he wanted to bring attention to what he thought was a blatantly racist comment. “It’s important to make sure horrible words are met with consequences, especially for those in powerful positions with influence,” Ericksen said. Despite all this, Redden still seemed to get away with his anti-Black comments. He told Chron.com that he hasn’t faced any consequences so far, as of Monday afternoon. He said he understands how folks might’ve interpreted his post as racist, but he didn’t intend for it to come off that way. Mhm. Redden said he was referring to statistics when he made the comment about Black quarterbacks. “Over the history of the NFL, they have had limited success,” he said. According to The Washington Post , a 2017 study by University of Colorado researchers show that unconscious racial biases influence views on quarterbacks. There have been two Black quarterbacks who’ve led their team to the Super Bowl, with Russell Wilson being the last one in 2013. According to the University of Colorado study, Black quarterbacks are seen as “talented and strong and their white counterparts as smart and hard-working.” So yea, your regular old racist thinking. Redden says he hopes none of the students in his school district saw his post. “I wish it had never been posted,” he said.
Jackson Lee / SplashNews.com Cardi B Under Fire For Transphobic Post Cardi B is facing backlash once again. This time for a post that went up on her verified Facebook page over the weekend. The post, features the viral Ed, Edd and Eddy meme with the caption “I hope nobody see this tranny leave my house.” Cardi B was quick to respond, claiming that the post came because of someone else having access to her account. It's come to my attention that there have been offensive posts made on what used to be my Facebook page. For the past year and a half a FORMER team member has been the only one with access to the account. — iamcardib (@iamcardib) September 16, 2018 This didn’t quite sit well with everyone, though. Some people still don’t believe her while others think this just highlights Cardi’s history of hateful transphobic and homophobic language. Take a look at all the reactions to yet another Cardi controversy.
They say that revenge is a dish best served cold. For Kourtney Kardashian, however, it's apparently a dish best served… in a very confusing and harmless manner. Allow us to explain: As previously depicted in THIS CLIP from Sunday's new episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim will attend one of her sister's workout dance classes… … only to sort of ruin the entire thing by not actually participating. “I'm like a notorious non-dancer,” Kim says in the sneak peek linked to above. “Like, it's a thing.” Okay, fine. Cool. Fair enough. But this attitude and this non-action upset Kourtney to the point where she subsequently sets up a prank to get back at her annoying sibling. Except we're not sure how the event featured in this video really serves as a prank . This latest sneak peek gives us a look at Kim taking a stroll with Khloe. But she's then taken aback when a group of people start dancing in The Grove to “Buttons” by the Pussycat Dolls. Oh, yes, it was a flash mob! “What the f-ck is going on?” Kim asks, as the camera pans to Kourtney and Malika Haqq being a part of the dancing mob. ( NOTE : The best part of this clip, by far, is Kim holding an ice cone as a prop throughout. She never takes a bite. Because there's no way Kim Kardashian eats ice cream.) From there, the music ends and the flash mob goes away and Kim enters a store to laugh and embrace Haqq. And that's it. Kourtney laughs at her sister in a confessional, acting as if she really got her good with this prank. But we're simply left to ask and wonder: How the heck was this any sort of vengement prank?!? Kim just stood around and watched a bunch of people dance. You sure nailed her, Kourt!
Danielle Mullins and Mohamed Jbali are one of 90 Day Fiance ‘s most controversial couples — even though they’re now bitter exes . Back when they were together, one of Danielle’s friends made a joke about Mohamed having lost his virginity to “his family goat.” Because many viwers pointed out that her jab appeared to have bigoted undertones, she is finally explaining herself to Danielle’s fans. Danielle’s friend Beth Mahar took to Danielle’s Facebook page to set the record straight. “Ok folks,” Beth writes. “Since my comment to Mohamed about his family goat is still such a hot topic for some people I am taking this opportunity to explain it” “I am not racist in any way, shape or form,” Beth insists. “I am married to a Muslim immigrant from Pakistan,” she shares, adding that she has been married “for the past 7 years now.” She even notes that “My husband is a much more devout practicing Muslim than Mohamed Jbali.” Obviously, friendship or even marriage does not preclude someone from being a bigot. But that doesn’t mean that Beth is a bigot, either. “This TV show, 90 Day Fiancé , etc, etc, is strictly for entertainment purposes only,” Beth points out. Beth says: “My comment to him about the family goat insinuating basically that the family goat was his first sexual experience was for entertainment value only” “Was it inappropriate or in bad taste?” Beth asks. “Yes, probably so, and I sincerely apologize to anyone who it may have offended.” After that very reasonable apology, she writes: “(except Mohamed…LOL)” “But seriously,” Beth continues. “I truly am not racist and no TV show whether reality or not should be taken so damn seriously.” “By the way just for everyone’s information,” Beth explains. “That comment and filming of this particular scene was filmed over a year ago.” “Again,” Beth continues. “I didn’t mean to offend anyone other than ‘s–t head’ and I certainly do not have anything against Muslims.” That is very reassuring to hear! Beth concludes: “I hope this helps to clarify my comment for those who got the impression that I am a racist, Muslim hater.” This is a complicated topic! On the one hand, it’s absolutely a reality television show. No one should seek to emulate the behavior that they see from random reality stars. On the other hand, the words that we say have impact, especially when those words are broadcast to millions of TV screens. Inside jokes or personal jabs don’t translate well through television. Some people may be offended, while others may parrot those insults to others who are not Mohamed Jbali but merely share his skin tone. It is great that Beth Mahar came forward to clear the air about this, even though it is admittedly pretty weird that she did it on Danielle’s Facebook page. (She could have made it on her own page and then let Danielle share it) But it’s important to remember that making fun of a bad person for something like weight, accent, or cultural differences doesn’t just impact them — it impacts entire communities. You can poek fun at Mohamed’s misdeeds if you like, but leave his culture out of it. View Slideshow: 90 Day Fiance Couples: Who’s Still Together?
We all know that Rihanna is one for the glitz and glam, and her 4th annual Diamond Ball event absolutely lived up to that bill. Check out this post from Hot New Hip Hop , and don’t forget to scroll through those photos from IG! Via | HotNewHipHop Check out pictures from Rihanna’s 4th annual Diamond Ball event in NYC Thursday night. Rihanna ’s fourth annual Diamond Ball fundrasier is taking place Thursday night at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, where Issa Rae will serve as the host & Childish Gambino as the night’s entertainment. The black-tie event is meant to benefit Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation, which “supports and funds groundbreaking and effective education, health and emergency response programs around the world.”
G un violence across the nation has reached a human rights crisis level: from the out-of-control situations in Chicago and Baltimore to tragedies like the Parkland, Florida , school shooting and most recently the Dallas cop who killed an unarmed Black man in his own apartment. NewsOne spoke with Philadelphia-based Black Lives Matter (BLM) national organizer and activist Asa Khalif about his grassroots effort to help stem the crisis in Philadelphia, where shootings have increased by 10 percent this year and homicides in southwest Philadelphia have surged by 26 percent . See Also: Heartbreaking: Chicago Mourns Gun Violence Activist As City Sees 21 People Shot Amnesty International released a new report on Wednesday that examined how the U.S. government has allowed gun violence to become a human rights crisis “on a massive scale” and accuses the powers that be of violating international human rights standards. U.S. officials are required to comply with certain global treaties that touch on the right to live free of violence, including the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, the global human rights organization said. But gun violence has disproportionately affected Black communities. African-Americans represented approximately 13 percent of the population in 2016, yet they constituted nearly 60 percent of gun homicides nationwide. Naomi Wadler—the 11-year-old activist who delivered a poignant speech about gun violence at the March for Our Lives demonstration in March—will be honored by the NAACP. https://t.co/ofDM1xm1El pic.twitter.com/1egG1Cei3g — NewsOne (@newsone) July 15, 2018 Khalif said he supported Amnesty International designating gun violence a human rights crisis. Last year, He and other activists started an initiative in Philadelphia last year to reach out to young people in the community. He said they see themselves as uniquely positioned to contribute to a solution through preventing potentially violent situations from getting worse. NewsOne (NO): How is BLM organized to combat gun violence in Philadelphia? Asa Khalif (AK): We have defused and de-escalated at least 25 to 30 incidents last year, and 45 this summer. We know the players because we live in the community. When we get information, word on the street that there will be beef, often through Instagram or Facebook, it’s very easy for us to approach ‘Raheem’ and say, “Can I talk to you? I heard there’s a misunderstanding, could we have a conversation before it gets to a certain level.” A lot of this violence comes from misunderstandings. A lot of times the brothers don’t even want to engage in violence. A lot of it is ego, peer pressure, false pride. And they’re looking for a way out. Intervening helps both parties to save face and walk away without looking like a quote, punk. We are concerned about this issue. We live in the community. The myth is we only show up when there’s a police shooting. We are on the front lines when it comes to gun violence because it affects us. We have loved ones who have been victims. NO: The interventions you described are important, but what’s the bigger solution? AK: Gun violence is a virus in our community. We know the virus; we’ve detected the virus, and we know where that virus is coming from. It’s up to us, organizers and people in the community. We have the cure. We have to come together as people of color to make sure gun violence is not an issue in our community. There’s a church on every block in our community, and those churches go behind safe walls and preach to themselves. It’s time now for ministers and congregations to link up with the activists, and not be afraid of BLM activists who have been deemed militant. As I’ve said when the movie Black Panther was playing, we–the activists, community leaders and mothers and fathers who are standing in our communities–are the superheroes. Black Panther, Wonder Woman, Batman, those are people who don’t exist and are not coming to save our community, and so we have to pick up the torch. In #Philadelphia we #WearOrange , we march and we say #Enough to Gun Violence @MomsDemand pic.twitter.com/aGkcyWXa5R — Jme B GunSafety (@archymomjaime) June 2, 2018 NO: Do you share Amnesty International’s view that the government bears a lot of blame for the gun violence? Aside from the legislative failures toward achieving gun control, has other government policies contributed to the problem? AK: I’ve been extremely critical of the federal government, which has always had a hand in the flow of guns into the community. We have to hold the government and gun dealerships accountable. We need to call on law enforcement, instead of occupying our community and shooting us in the back, to do the job you were sworn to do. If you’re going to rush into our community, make sure the busts you do are the gun dealers, the ones who are making the big dollars, not ‘Raheem’ who sold a gun for 50 bucks. The government is also 99 percent to blame in setting the conditions that make gun violence an issue. We have poverty in our community, unemployment, our schools are not as well-funded as white counterparts. It all gives a sense of hopelessness. When you have those conditions and you have no self-worth, it’s very easy to pick up a gun and shoot someone who looks like you because you don’t value yourself. If you give people hope, you’ll see a turnaround. Give a man a job and you’ll see a drop in crime. Young people need a place to go and a purpose, an alternative to standing on the corner and selling drugs. SEE ALSO: Black Pastor Praises Dallas Police Chief For How She Is Handling Amber Guyger Killing Botham Jean In His Home White Man Pulls Gun On HBCU Students After Entering Apartment Building [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3825237″ overlay=”true”]
If you follow the Duggar family closely, then we probably don’t need to tell you that Jana Dugger is still single . Normally, it wouldn’t be a big deal that a 28-year-old woman had yet to find Mr. Right, especially when that woman has as much going on in her life as Jana. She’s a reality star, as well as an expert gardener and home repair enthusiast. She pitches in with flipping houses and cars as part of the family business, and she serves as a second mother to her many, many younger siblings. But Jana was raised in a family that believes procreation is a woman’s primary reason for being . And so the efforts to marry Jana off are becoming more and more ambitious with each passing year. The Duggars haven’t gone so far as to create a profile for Jana on Christian Mingle, but some fans think they came pretty close with their latest Facebook post: “Our sweet Jana! She loves to serve others and has a heart of gold!” Jim Bob and Michelle captioned the photo above. Yes, she loves to serve others almost as much as she hates close-ups. Seriously, what’s going on with this picture? Drone surveillance cameras get closer to their subjects than this. Are they trying to find a suitor for Jana without her knowledge and using some sort of Melania-style body double for the pics? We guess that might work. After all, single Duggar women aren’t allowed to use social media , which means Jana has never known the joy of scrolling through a timeline and growing increasingly angry that all her high school friends are taking cooler vacations than she is. We kid, Jana doesn’t have any high school friends — she never went to high school! In all seriousness, this is probably just the Duggars offering what may be a much-needed self-esteem boost to their eldest daughter. After all, it can’t be easy to be the single girl in a family that prioritizes marriage and procreation above all else. Some folks think the Duggars want Jana to remain single so that she can continue to help around the house. That may have been true at one point, but as their youngest kids reach maturity, Jim Bob and Michelle would probably like to see Jana start a family of her own. But at least they’re taking the time to show her some appreciation in the meantime. View Slideshow: Jana Duggar: 13 Reasons Why … is She Still Single?
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty The first-week sales projections for Travis Scott ‘s freshly released album Astroworld have officially arrived, and it looks like La Flame is about to have an absolutely insane opening. According to reports from Hits Daily Double , the songs on the Houston rapper’s third studio album have been streamed over 100 million times. In terms of actual sales, the album is expected to move somewhere between 450-500,000 equivalent album units in its first week. That is an undeniably massive opening, especially when compared to the numbers Travis has pulled in the past. If these sales projections come to fruition, Scott will have more than quadrupled the first-week sales total of his last project, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight– which moved 89,000 units in its opening week. The album is loaded with features from big stars including Drake , Frank Ocean , and Stevie Wonder. This album and it’s release has been teased for more than 2 years at this point, which could be why it’s doing such huge numbers. In any case, it seems like Astroworld ‘s long-awaited release has not disappointed, at least as far as number go. We’ll find out for sure once the final numbers come in. Congrats to La Flame on the huge release.
