Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty We’re hearing from Jussie Smollett for the first time since his brutal attack earlier this week. “Let me start by saying that I’m OK,” the Empire actor said in a statement to ESSENCE on Friday. “My body is strong but my soul is stronger. More importantly I want to say thank you. The outpouring of love and support from my village has meant more than I will ever be able to truly put into words.” Smollett was beaten and brutalized by two men on Tuesday in Chicago. According to police there, the attackers first yelled racial and homophobic slurs before they beat him and poured an unknown chemical substance over him. They released photos of a pair wanted for questioning about the incident on Thursday. “I am working with authorities and have been 100% factual and consistent on every level,” Smollett said about the misinformation being spread across social media about his attack. ” Despite my frustrations and deep concern with certain inaccuracies and misrepresentations that have been spread, I still believe that justice will be served.” “As my family stated, these types of cowardly attacks are happening to my sisters, brothers and non-gender conforming siblings daily. I am not and should not be looked upon as an isolated incident. We will talk soon and I will address all details of this horrific incident, but I need a moment to process,” he concluded. “Most importantly, during times of trauma, grief and pain, there is still a responsibility to lead with love. It’s all I know. And that can’t be kicked out of me.” Smollett ended his statement by signing, “With Love, respect & honor…Jussie.” The Smollett family released a statement of their own yesterday that echos some of the same sentiments made in Jussie’s statement.
Source: hot1079atl / hot1079atl THE DELTA COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION HBCU SCHOLARSHIP About Delta Community Credit Union Delta Community Credit Union is committed to improving the financial lives of its members. Programs like the HBCU Scholarship and our annual Delta Community Scholarship were created to help members with early financial milestones like going to college. Additionally, we are proud to offer products like free Savings and Checking Accounts to meet your financial needs during this important time of your life. Learn more about Delta Community Credit Union or open an account online. In 2019, Delta Community will award $10,000 in scholarships to select students of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Each quarter, Delta Community Credit Union will award a $2500 Scholarship to a student attending an HBCU in Georgia. How to Enter Do you know a student that should be nominated this quarter? Submit an essay with 100 Words or less telling us why your nominee deserves the $2500 HBCU Scholarship from Delta Community Credit Union. Click this link to apply. The contest period is open Monday, January 28, 2019 to Wednesday, February 13, 2019. For other scholarship opportunities at Delta Community, please visit the Delta Community Credit Union’s Scholarships page. Prize Each quarter, a scholarship for $2,500 will be awarded to one student. Scholarships will be awarded in February, May, September and December 2019. Who’s Eligible Current undergraduate students at any of Georgia’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Georgia’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) which include Albany State University, Clark Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College, Paine College, Savannah State University and Spelman College. Graduating high school seniors who have received an official acceptance letter to a Georgia HBCU. Winner Selection Delta Community Credit Union will select one winner each quarter from among the most compelling submissions. Winners will be chosen after the contest period ends. Winners will be contacted by a representative from Delta Community and announced by Radio One on-air within 7 days after each contest period.
F resh off a year that saw a number of notable firsts for African-Americans, 2019 has already been capitalizing on that momentum and seems set to be a legitimate challenger for one of the most significant set of 12 months in the annals of Black history, especially politically. As this year’s Black History Month gets underway, you could be forgiven for thinking that statement is hyperbole; what with the rich legacy that Black people have established on earth for centuries. But given the current context in which Black and brown folks across the globe and especially in the United States have been living, it’s a safe bet that there is no safe bet for what to expect. It would seem that in this unprecedented time of existence for Black folks, all we have are indicators to go by. And if recent history was any indication of what’s to come, Black people better be prepared for continued rising prominence in a society that has routinely made the mistake of misjudging us. Those under estimations have already manifested themselves in a record number of Black people being sworn into the elected offices they won during last year’s contentious midterm elections. The most diverse class of lawmakers— several of them African-American women who made history as the first to represent their state in the House—have made their collective and individual presence felt on Capitol Hill and beyond during this young year. And while that was in the recent past, it has lasting political implications heading into the future, starting Tuesday when Stacey Abrams was set to deliver the Democrats’ response to Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. Abrams, as you might recall, was the very strong Georgia gubernatorial candidate who was disenfranchised by a corrupt opponent’s voter suppression efforts against his opponent’s supporters. Well, her political performance wasn’t missed by top Democrats, who, aside from tapping her to be the first Black woman to offer a major political party’s State of the Union rebuttal, appeared to be grooming her to launch a Senate run this year. If Abrams does run, she would be the first Black woman from Georgia ever elected to the Senate. But that only accounts for the start of this year, which could lead to a whole lot more political theater, with much of it [reluctantly] starring the president himself. That was because there has been a growing sense of urgency from the newly minted majority House of Representatives that there was no better time to impeach the president. That point was hammered home on Black History Month eve by California Sen. Maxine Waters , who said in no uncertain terms that it was “Past time for impeachment!” When are the people of this country going to wake up to the fact that this president is a disgusting liar, documented to have lied over 8,000 times in 2 yrs? Add to that his recent, blatant lies on our nation's intel chiefs' testimony in the US Senate. Past time for impeachment! — Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) January 31, 2019 The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) member has made no secret of her disrespect for Trump, who has belittled her every chance he’s gotten. And while the CBC Chair Karen Bass recently told NewsOne that impeachment was not a priority for the Caucus, Waters seemed to indicate otherwise. As Special Counsel Robert Mueller ‘s investigation into possible Russian collusion with Trump heats up, so could impeachment talk spurred on by Black lawmakers. Chicago could also get its first Black woman mayor if Amara Enyia wins. While Enyia was polling behind candidates with more name recognition, if last year taught America anything, it was to never discount Black women. The election is Feb. 26. Continuing in the political realm, there was still much work to do in the arena of social justice, especially as it pertains to Black people. That topic will be on Front Street this weekend when the Super Bowl is played in Atlanta, where police just last week killed an unarmed Black man under suspicious circumstances. That police shooting is colliding with an event celebrating a professional sports league being scrutinized for how it treats its Black players . This could be the perfect opportunity for players who have been silenced to speak out about blacklisted quarterback Colin Kaepernick , whose silent protest of social justice issues have effectively gotten him banned from the NFL. In that same vein, 2019 could finally see some justice for the New York Police Department (NYPD) killing of Eric Garner , which has gone all but unanswered since the deadly episode was captured on a viral video in 2014 showing NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo employing an illegal chokehold on a man who was only guilty of selling untaxed loose cigarettes—a misdemeanor punishable by a fine. Pantaleo’s disciplinary trial has been scheduled for May and he could finally be fired from his six-figure job . On a more positive note, it appeared that the Oscars So White campaign from a couple of years ago has finally paid off, as two movies helmed by Black directors have been nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony next month—the first time that’s ever happened. So even if “ Black Panther ” as well as Spike Lee’s “ BlacKkKlansman ” don’t win the top Oscar, history has already been made and will likely lead to a victory in the near future. In fact, this year’s Oscars is probably the most diverse on record. Oh, and did we mention Cory Booker has joined Kamala Harris as candidates running for president who just so happen to be Black? Harris announced her bid last month on Martin Luther King’s national holiday. Booker announced his on Friday, the start of Black History Month. Coincidence? SEE ALSO: Watch ‘Black Panther’ And Support UNCF For Free During Black History Month Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Black History? [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3844698″ overlay=”true”]
N ew Jersey Senator Cory Booker has announced his candidacy for president, joining what was expected to be a crowded field of people challenging Donald Trump for the White House. Booker, 43, made his announcement Friday morning, NBC News reported . “I believe that we can build a country where no one is forgotten, no one is left behind; where parents can put food on the table; where there are good paying jobs with good benefits in every neighborhood; where our criminal justice system keeps us safe, instead of shuffling more children into cages and coffins; where we see the faces of our leaders on television and feel pride, not shame,” he said. “It is not a matter of can we, it’s a matter of do we have the collective will, the American will? I believe we do. Together, we will channel our common pain back into our common purpose. Together, America, we will rise.” Booker’s announcement came about a week after California Sen. Kamala Harris threw her presidential hat in the ring and said she would be running for the White House. Trump and Booker have been taking shots at each other for years now. But it was perhaps Booker’s role on the Senate Judiciary Committee that may have compelled him most to run for president after he saw firsthand the types of judges Trump has been pushing to be confirmed. While he has always been a prominent voice in the Senate, Booker raised his political profile significantly during the Senate confirmation hearing for Brett Kavanaugh , who was nominated by Trump and ultimately confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice despite a damning sexual abuse scandal that resurfaced from his past. Booker was also behind the introduction and Senate passing of the landmark legislation last year to finally outlaw lynching. Booker, Harris and Republican Sen. Tim Scott introduced the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act of 2018 in June. The bill called for a life sentence for those found guilty on federal anti-lynching charges. After helping to draft the legislation in June, Booker criticized Congress for taking so long—even after the civil rights movement—to pass anti-lynching legislation. “It’s a travesty that despite repeated attempts to do so, Congress still hasn’t put anti-lynching legislation on the books. This bill will right historical wrongs by acknowledging our country’s stained past and codifying into law our commitment to abolishing this shameful practice,” he said in a statement. SEE ALSO: Cory Booker Speaks Out On Gay Rumors Cory Booker Releases More Brett Kavanaugh Documents [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3844029″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Anthony Barboza / Getty Here’s some key events that happened on this day brought to you by Black Facts 1. 1997 – First 24-Hour Black Movie Channel BET Holdings and Encore Media Corp. launch BET Movie/Starz the first 24 hour Black Movie channel. 2. 1997 – Black Facts Online Goes Live! Black Facts Online, the premiere spot for Black history goes online. 3. 1990 – Original Sit-In Revisited In Greensboro, North Carolina, Joseph McNeil, Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair), Franklin McCain and David Richond repeated the original sit-in of 30 years prior, by having breakfast at the Greensboro Woolworth store. 4. 1990 – Ida Wells Postage Stamp Issued Ida Wells, a black reformer who compiled records on lynching, is the subject of a United States Postal Service stamp. 5. 1978 – The first stamp of the U.S. Postal Service’s The first stamp of the U.S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage USA series honors Harriet Tubman, famed abolitionist and “conductor” on the Underground Railroad 6. 1974 – Good Times premieres “Good Times” premieres on CBS. 7. 1967 – Poet Langston Hughes dies Poet Langston Hughes dies. 8. 1965 – Selma Demonstration Ends in 700 Arrests More than seven hundred demonstrators, including Martin Luther King Jr., arrested in Selma. 9. 1965 – Actress Ruby Dee in Shakespeare Festival Ruby Dee was the first African American actress to play a major role at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford Conn. 10. 1960 – Sit-in Movement in Greensboro, North Carolina Four students form North Carolina A&T College started Sit-in movement at Greensboro, N.C., five-and-dime store. By February 10 movement had spread to fifteen Southern cities in five states. 11. 1952 – Singer Rick James born Rock/Funk singer Rick James is born 12. 1937 – Actor/Comedian Garrett Morris born Actor/Comedian Garrett Morris, formerly of Saturday Night Live, born in New Orleans, Louisiana. 13. 1926 – Negro History Week Begins What is now known as Black History Month, was first celebrated on this date as Negro History Week by Carter G. Woodson. It became a month long celebration in 1976. 14. 1902 – Langston Hughes One of the most famous poets, Langston Hughes was born in the year 1902. Hughes came from the Harlem Renaissance, the early stages of the Black Arts Movement. Hughes was well known in the streets of Harlem, making him one of the greatest poets of all time. Before his death in 1967, he wrote fifteen collections of… 15. 1887 – J. Robinson patents food carrier Robinson, J. Dinner Pail Feb. 01, 1887 Patent No. 356,852 16. 1871 – 1st Black to Speak in US House of Representatives Jefferson Long of Georgia became the first Black to make an official speech in the House of Representatives. He opposed leniency to former Confederates. 17. 1870 – Jonathan Jasper Wright Jonathan Jasper Wright is elected to the South Carolina Supreme Court. He is the first African American to hold a major judicial position. 18. 1865 – First African American Before US Supreme Court John Sweat Rock (1825-1866), a noted Boston lawyer, became in 1865 the first African-American to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the first Black person to speak before the U.S. House of Representatives. 19. 1865 – Ratification of the 13th Amendment The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery, was adopted by the 38th Congress. Ratification was completed December 6, 1865. 20. 1834 – Henry McNeal Turner Born Henry McNeal Turner was born on what is now Hannah Circuit, near Newberry, which was then in Abbeville County, South Carolina. Young Turner was “bound out” to the hardest king of labor in the cotton fields and the blacksmith’s trade in Abbeville until his “manhood” at age 12. He possessed an insatiable craving for…
Source: The 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards Show held at The Atlanta Civic Center in Atlanta – Inside Featuring: Bobby Shmurda Where: Atlanta, Georgia, United States When: 20 Sep 2014 Credit: WENN.com It’s been a little more than four years since Bobby Shmurda was arrested on weapons and conspiracy charges. While it seemed likely he wouldn’t see the light of day for a lot longer, Bobby’s mother, Leslie Pollard , informed fans that Bobby should be coming home by 2020. Yesterday Ms. Pollard continued to keep Shmurda fans hopes up as she posted a picture of her recent visit with the “Hot N*gga” rapper with a caption that read, “Great visit with my stinky…..the count down continues 22 months to go. Chewy is in great spirits he sends his Love and he can not wait to be back to work.” Talk about more power in a mother’s hand than a king’s scepter. Hopefully Bobby will be able to pick up where he left off and get back in the rap game up and running.
Just over two months since her shocking death, we now know why Kim Porter passed away . The model, actress and ex-girlfriend of Sean “Diddy” Combs died of lobar pneumonia, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner announced on Friday. The manner of death has been certified as natural. Porter shared three children with the music mogual and remained a very close part of his life, long after the pair split up as a couple. Porter had only just wished Diddy as happy birthday days before she suddenly died. For those wondering, meanwhile… “Lobar pneumonia (pneumonia) is an infection of the lung caused by bacteria,” the official report reads, explaining further: “Immune cells invade the air spaces (where oxygen is taken in), and this is accompanied with necrosis (death of cells). Pneumonia decreases the lungs ability to take in oxygen, and over time it can cause sudden death.” According to this same report, Porter went to the doctor days before she died with “cold/flu-like symptoms.” A nurse also visited her home and gave her “saline solution with vitamins.” An autopsy was completed on Porter a day after she was found dead in her home on November 15. However, her death certificate previously stated her cause of death as “deferred” and the manner of death as “pending investigation.” The toxicology report says there were no narcotic drugs or alcohol in her system. She was 47 years old. Porter was buried in her hometown of Columbus, Georgia on November 24. In audio made public from Diddy’s moving eulogy , the rapper opened up about his relationship with Porter and vowed to keep her memory alive forever. “I just want to say to my kids, Justin, Christian, D’Lila, Jessie, Chance and the other man in the house, Quincy: Your mother instilled in me this, and I pledge in front of everybody right now that I will always be there for you,” he said, adding: I will always take care of you. Diddy and Porter broke up for good way back in 2007. But they remained on such close terms over the years that they never even agreed to a formal custody arrangement. They were vital parts of each other’s lives up until the day Kim died. Quipped Diddy in his eulogy: “To the girls especially, we about to enter some different type of times. I want you to be able to talk to me about everything, and I mean everything, and I mean everything.” He continued later on: “Kim, we gonna miss you so much. But I ain’t gonna miss you too much because I’m not gonna let your voice inside of me stop talking. “I know you like to talk to me a lot once you get on those rants, and I just want you to know I’m gonna be listening.” And he concluded: “As time went on, our relationship took so many different changes, from being boyfriend and girlfriend to being lovers to being best friends to being just straight-up homies, like somebody that you know you can count on. “We just love y’all, we appreciate y’all, appreciate the family. To all the words that I’m forgetting, to anything I’m forgetting to say, we love you, Kim.”
Source: picture alliance / Getty Family Says They Were Forced To Sit On Floor During Flight There are a few things we all expect when it comes to purchasing an airline ticket–but this family didn’t exactly get the seats they were hoping for when they bought theirs. A family is now alleging that they spent $1,675 for three seats on a flight from the island of Menorca, Spain, back to their home in Birmingham, England, but that they were forced to sit on the floor for most of the TUI flight. Paula Taylor, who was traveling with both her husband and 10-year-old daughter after their vacation back in June, purchased seats 41 D, E and F for the flight. Everything seemed normal until, according to reports from the BBC , there were no seats when they reached their row. “We all just looked at each other as if to say, ‘Where’s our seats gone?’” Taylor told the news outlet. The woman continued on to say that there was only one empty seat on the flight, which was given to their young daughter, while she and her husband were placed in flip-up seats in the crew section of the plane. Then, once the flight began and the attendants needed items behind the seats, the couple were redirected to sit on the floor. No seats on plane, family sits on floor https://t.co/JTyRCJd6OT — Loop Samoa (@loop_samoa) January 14, 2019 The family was allegedly only offered $39 from the airline for the major inconvenience. It wasn’t until Taylor contacted Rip Off Britain –a show that helps consumers in situations just like this–that TUI refunded the couple’s entire airfare. The airline reportedly told the BBC that a “last-minute aircraft change” resulted in the missing seats. According to the publication, the Civil Aviation Authority says passengers may sit in crew seats under certain conditions, but they are not to be left unseated at any stage during the flight.
Source: Source: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images / Getty / Getty Ex-friend files… Mariah Huq Denies Drug Accusations, Comments On Quad’s Allegedly Abusive Marriage If you’ve been watching the “Married To Medicine” reunion then you’ve no doubt seen two ex-friends go head to head. Mariah and Quad have been eviscerating each other on Andy Cohen’s couches with allegations that Mariah uses cocaine and allegations that Quad slept with Mariah’s brother-in-law. Quad recently doubled down on the cocaine allegations and said she personally witnessed Mariah do the drug in front of her. She’s since told US Weekly that she believes Mariah STILL uses the drug to this day. “I saw her utilize cocaine,” Quad told US Weekly on Jan 7. “I know what I saw. I saw her actually using the drug herself … 2013, I saw her start using, and it just spiraled out of control. She’s just picked up the habit, even … has it now.” “This wasn’t a one-time thing, that she did this. This is progressively getting worse,” Quad said. “We’re not friends. We’re not. Let me just state that for the record. However, she was once a very special person to me. And because of that, I don’t want to see her continue to go down this road, because she’s a mother, she has children. She’s a wife. I’m very concerned for her. I’m very concerned for her.” Mariah’s since released a statement on her Instagram categorically denying the drug allegations. “In recent weeks I have endured a series of malicious and deceitful assaults to my personal character and integrity,” wrote Mariah.” I do not now or have I ever used illicit recreational drugs of any kind.” Not only that, she submitted a drug test to AllAboutTheTea that came back negative. On January 9, Mariah Huq was tested for cocaine, opiates, marijuana (cannabinoid), barbiturates etc. by LabCorp in Roswell, Georgia and all of her drug screens came back “Negative.” While Mariah might be clean from drugs, fans think she’s totally guilty of discounting Quad’s allegations that her husband was physically abusive. Source: Wilford Harewood/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) / Getty Hit the flip for that.
Source: Phillip Marquez / Radio One Atlanta The Center for Civil and Human Rights is THE place to celebrate the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on MLK weekend. Your favorite station will be onsite Monday, January 21st broadcasting live, 10a-2p to culminate a weekend of King focused activities! The Center will be debuting a new installation called Fragments in our Voice to the Voiceless Gallery on Jan 19th. Register for the public program to view the new exhibition for free. During the day on Dr. King’s Holiday, The Palefsky (PA-LEF-SKEE) Collision Project with Alliance Theatre will perform, “Dear Dr. King.” A play written by students of the Project. All of this information can be found online at www.civilandhumanrights.org . Sponsored in part by Debt Stoppers, Semrad Law Firm a Debt Relief Agency for information log onto www.debtstoppersat.com & DFCS. There are currently over 14,000 children in Georgia’s Foster Care system. These children represent more than a number, but are an indication that families in Georgia need you! Help build Stronger Families for a Stronger Georgia. Call 1-877-210-KIDS or go to fostergeorgia.com and find out how!
