Tag Archives: live

#BlackExcellence: 83-Year-Old Earns Ph.D. From Louisiana State University

A n 83-year-old man is living proof that it’s never too late to bring your goals to fruition. After dropping out of school in the sixth grade, Vietnam War veteran Johnnie Jones received his doctorate degree on Friday from Louisiana State University, WFAB reported. On Friday, the 83-year-old will receive his doctorate in social work at LSU. He hopes to begin law school next fall. https://t.co/tkgSBnSflK — The Advocate (@theadvocatebr) December 11, 2018 The milestone was historic as he became the eldest student to receive a graduate degree during a fall commencement at the school and the oldest Black person to ever receive an LSU degree. When he was 18 years old, Jones joined the Marine Corps. While deployed in Vietnam he decided that he wanted to get back on track with his education. He noticed that individuals who had high school diplomas and college degrees were getting better employment opportunities. After earning his diploma, he took junior college classes and was then able to take advantage of a program offered by Louisiana State University while serving. After retiring from the military in 1973 he got his bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Hawaii and went on to pursue his master’s degree at LSU. While chasing after his academic goals he worked at a restaurant and later as a warden at the Louisiana Department of Corrections to support his family. Although he has several degrees under his belt, he doesn’t intend on stopping his academic journey anytime soon. He plans on starting law school next fall. “Age is an artificial constraint. There’s nothing magical about 65, 75, 95, 105. Your behavior, your activities should be guided by your physical fitness and your mental fitness,” he told The Advocate . “We’ve been so socialized to believe that once you hit a certain age, I’ve done my thing, so I’m going to sit back and enjoy life. OK, if that’s your thing, that’s your thing. But to me, age doesn’t mean that much. It’s whether or not I have the ability to be doing the things I need to be doing.” SEE ALSO: Jalen Rose’s Detroit High School Has A 93 Percent Graduation Rate 63-Year-Old Father And Son Share Graduation Day Together [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3840439″ overlay=”true”]

Excerpt from:
#BlackExcellence: 83-Year-Old Earns Ph.D. From Louisiana State University

Pete Davidson Posts Messages About Struggling With Mental Health Before Deleting His Instagram Page

Source: ANGELA WEISS / Getty Pete Davidson Alarms Fans After Posting Concerning Messages To IG Some cryptic messages had fans and celebrities alike worried about SNL ‘s Pete Davidson on Saturday, which he posted before quickly deleting his Instagram page completely. Following Kanye West’s tweetstorm the previous day, where he addressed mental illness and his desire to desire to destigmatize it, Davidson–who is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder–posted a note saying that he doesn’t “want to be on this Earth anymore” before another note praising Kanye for his bravery in speaking out against mental health. In the first, now-deleted note, Pete wrote, “i really don’t wanna be on this earth anymore. i’m doing my best to stay here for you but i actually don’t know how much longer i can last. all i’ve ever tried to do was help people. just remember i told you so.” No matter what we think of celebrities or public figures, Pete Davidson is a human being who deserves to live. The thousands of hurtful comments to him are shameful and inhumane. Please know Pete, that you are loved by millions. Most of all, your family loves you unconditionally. pic.twitter.com/t5EFwCboEd — Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) December 15, 2018 This was followed by Davidson’s post praising Mr. West for his bravery in which he wrote, “Bravo Kanye West for standing up for yourself and speaking out against mental health. I can’t explain to you enough how difficult and scary it is to be honest about stuff like this. We need people like Kanye. No one should ever point fingers at you for your bravery in speaking about mental health. I’m seriously disgusted.” The first sentiment is what really got people worried, and though some people posted negative comments on Pete’s actual post before deletion, the rest of the internet seemed to rally behind Davidson with celebrities like Nicki Minaj, Kid Cudi, and Jada Pinkett-Smith all reaching out to the comedian. Machine Gun Kelly even hopped right on a plane to fly to New York and make sure his friend was okay, since many who reached out were reporting that his phone was turned off. Pete Davidson … hang in there. There is a lot of help out here. Surrender to some love some where around you … today! Right now! And then … let in the help that will become available. I’m praying for you Pete. I’ve been there. It gets better. — Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) December 15, 2018 im in the plane now on the way to see Pete. gonna make sure he’s good, i promise. can’t have my boy in the darkness like that. — colson (@machinegunkelly) December 15, 2018 As it turns out, it looks like Pete was at Saturday Night Live rehearsal while this all went down, and he actually ended up appearing on the show last night for a brief moment to introduce the show’s musical guest. Along with other celebrities, Davidson’s ex Ariana Grande also seemed concerned about his Instagram posts, releasing tweets apologizing for joking about Kanye and then seemingly showing up at 30 Rock in case Pete needed anything. Grande’s now-deleted tweets read, “”i’m so sorry i told a dumb joke,” she said. “i really didn’t mean any harm. all i want everyone to be healthy and happy. so desperately. please. my god,” she posted regarding her tweets about listening to her new single instead of watching grown men argue online. Her next tweet read, “I’m downstairs and I’m not going anywhere if you need anyone or anything,” said the following tweet. “I know u have everyone u need and that’s not me, but i’m here too.”  TMZ  confirmed that Grande was at 30 Rock, where  Saturday Night Live  is taped, to see Davidson if she got a chance. After so many calls from fans, the police did end up pulling up at SNL to do a welfare check on Pete, confirming that he was OK following the scare before he appeared briefly on the show last night.

Follow this link:
Pete Davidson Posts Messages About Struggling With Mental Health Before Deleting His Instagram Page

Papi Face Preciousness: Joe Budden And Cyn Santana Celebrate Their Baby Boy Lexington’s 1st Birthday

Source: Thaddaeus McAdams / Getty Joe Budden And Cyn Santana’s Baby Turns 1-Year-Old Joe Budden and Cyn Santana are already celebrating the first birthday of their son Lexington! It seems like just yesterday that the Love & Hip Hop couple shocked the world by getting together long after their respective stints on the show, but now, they’re proving the skeptics wrong as they happily celebrate their first child together turning 1-year-old. In true mommy fashion, Cyn posted up a few emotional posts following up to Lexington’s birthday, one of just her baby boy and another of her and Joe in the delivery room following giving birth and meeting for the first time. She also thanked her baby daddy Budden for “being amazing father and soulmate.” Though the couple hasn’t posted any official party photos yet, they celebrated with friends and family at the crib on Saturday–where both Cyn and Joe kept it cute showing off the party on their respective Instagram stories. Santana shared before via twitter that the theme of the party was going to be “Elmo in Lex Land,” and as evidenced from pictures and videos, the festivities featured both a real-life Elmo and an Elmo cake to match. Just as Joe describes in the videos below, it looks like little Lexington is just trying to sleep while the festivities go on around him, but Cyn is excited enough about the party for the whole family.   Though we got a glimpse into the party from the happy couple on their IG stories, we can expect to see some better footage in the coming days. She told fans on Twitter that they can report back later on whether or not Lex’s birthday was simple and cute or kinda extra Y’all tell me if Im being extra with Lex bday later. I feel like I kept it cute lol but I’m a Libra. My cute be like a little extra lol — Cyn Santana (@Cyn_Santana) December 15, 2018 Happy Birthday, Lexington!

Continued here:
Papi Face Preciousness: Joe Budden And Cyn Santana Celebrate Their Baby Boy Lexington’s 1st Birthday

Back Back Backin’ Him Up? Cardi B Asks Fans To Be Easy After Dragging Offset

Source: Ronin 47 / London Entertainment / Splash News Cardi B Addresses Fans Hating On Offset It’s been a trying few weeks for Cardi B, after announcing she was divorcing husband Offset , the Migos rapper has endured a whole lot of internet slander upon his numerous attempts to win back his wife, particularly after his latest apology during her Rolling Loud: LA set on Saturday night . Cardi’s been on her IG live several times, including right after Offset’s failed public apology at Rolling Loud. Each time she’s reiterated that their very public mess is not a publicity stunt and that she does not want internet trolls bullying her “baby’s father.” She’s also said numerous times that she’s not saying she’ll take Offset back, but one IG Live session included her singing plans to let God lead the way. Meanwhile she’s put up two posts on Instagram addressing the situation from Saturday’s show. The first thanks her fans for the love and support: “Guys, I just want to say thank you so much for everybody that’s been supporting me, that been loving me. And that feel like they need to defend me … I don’t want people to, like, doing f–k s–t, saying f–k s–t. Violating my baby father isn’t going to make me feel any better, because at the end of the day, that’s still family. Unfortunately, we going through things and, um, it’s not private, it became public … and I just want things to die down, I just need time so we can see eye-to-eye. I can’t predict the future, I don’t know. I don’t need people coming at my baby father and s–t that doesn’t make me feel any better. And I just want to say thank you, everybody. Respect my wishes.” It sounds like she just wants a little peace and for the public spectacle to die down — but considering she’s in the prime of her career, it’s not like she can go hide out right now. Do you think she should be trying to take a break? In Cardi’s second IG post, she states that she hasn’t said she’ll take Offset back but that she absolutely wants the cyber bullying to stop, noting how Pete Davidson expressed suicidal urges thanks to the online attacks he’s been suffering: What do you think about Cardi’s messages? Do you think she should step back from social media for a bit?

See original here:
Back Back Backin’ Him Up? Cardi B Asks Fans To Be Easy After Dragging Offset

#KimPorterDay: Diddy And His Kids Celebrate Kim Porter’s Birthday And Turn Up For The Twins

Source: Charley Gallay / Getty Diddy And Children Remember Kim Porter Saturday Diddy and his kids spent some time celebrating Kim Porter on what would have been her 48th birthday. Diddy took to Instagram, posting an illustration of his former girlfriend, who passed away on November 15 HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM!!! We miss you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooSoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo MUCH #KimPorterDAY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY Diddy followed the picture with a video of him and Kim talking about their twins before their birth with his mom Janice Combs. Happy Birthday Kim. We love you and we miss you. #KimPorterDay Next the music and business mogul posted the mother of his children with their offspring. Diddy posted this photo of Quincy with his mom Happy birthday @ladykp #kimporter #kimporterday. WE feel your beautiful smile. THANK YOU A photo of Kim with their twins when they were babies followed next, along with the caption Words can’t explain. Happy birthday #kimporter @ladykp #kimporterday THIS PICTURE SAYS EVERYTHING. All four of Kim’s kids also posted birthday messages. Hit the flip to see.

Excerpt from:
#KimPorterDay: Diddy And His Kids Celebrate Kim Porter’s Birthday And Turn Up For The Twins

A Lil’ Positivity: Sybrina Fulton, Mother Of Trayvon Martin, Receives Honorary Degree From Benedict College

Source: Earl Gibson III / Getty Sybrina Fulton Receives Honorary Degree From Benedict College Congrats are in order for Sylvia Fulton. The mother of Trayvon Martin deliver the commencement speech at a Benedict College graduation then was immediately awarded an honorary degree from the school. Fulton took to Instagram to share the exciting news and to also mention that she was also awarded the key to the city in Columbia, SC.  

Read the original here:
A Lil’ Positivity: Sybrina Fulton, Mother Of Trayvon Martin, Receives Honorary Degree From Benedict College

Pete Davidson Appears to Threaten Suicide, Deletes Instagram

Pete Davidson has deleted all of his social media accounts after sharing a dark and disturbing message that has left followers very concerned. “i really don’t want to be on this earth anymore,” the 25-year-old Saturday Night Live star posted, adding in cryptic fashion: “i’m doing my best to stay here for you but i actually don’t know how much longer i can last. “all i’ve ever tried to do was help people. just remember i told you so.” Davidson has a history of mental illness and addiction. He has often been open about both, during appearances on SNL and in his life overall. After sharing this frightening note, Davidson deleted his Instagram account. Sources have indicated that he is currently safe and sound at 30 Rockfeller Center, preparing for SNL this evening. Not long before posting what comes comes close to a suicide note, Davidson wrote online in support of Kanye West and, seemingly, against ex-girlfriend Ariana Grande. West and Grande are in a bit of a feud at the moment because the former went off on rival Drake Thursday night . Grande then tweaked him for stealing the thunder of her latest single release, writing: “Guys, i know there are grown men arguing online rn but miley and i dropping our beautiful, new songs tonight so if y’all could please jus behave for just like a few hours so the girls can shine that’d be so sick thank u.” Most folks found this to be funny. But Kanye found it to be very inappropriate . I know Ariana said this to be cool and didn’t mean no harm but I don’t like even slightest level of slight commentary from someone I know loves and respects me,” he Tweeted, continuing: “All of this foolishness weighed on my mental health. “so @ArianaGrande you know I got love for you but until you’re ready to really make sure everyone’s ok don’t use me or this moment to promote a song.” Kanye was accusing the pop star of trying to ride his coattails to promote her music, while also mocking someone who has been hospitalized for a mental breakdown. In response, Grande stood up for herself and her career, but also apologized. She wrote: “With all due respect, i don’t need to use anyone to promote anything. period. i was making a comment ab what men were doing at the time vs. women. “it was a joke which i understand now was probably insensitive. i apologize if i was in any way triggering and hope u feel well today.” The case and feud appeared to be closed, but then Davidson actually jumped in and sided with Kanye. He appeared to label Grande’s response to West’s Twitter rant “disgusting,” sharing this message/image on his official account before erasing it. “Bravo Kanye West for standing up for yourself and speaking out against mental health. I can’t explain to you enough how difficult and scary it is to be honest about stuff like this.” Davidson has gone through an awful lot of late. He and Grande got engaged this summer after just weeks of dating… and then they broke up in a public and ugly manner. Pete then came under extreme for for an inappropriate joke during Weekend Update . He has seen his reputation take a pretty huge hit in less than a year, and, as mentioned above, this is someone who had already been battling mental illness and addiction for years. Not long after Davidson appeared to threaten that he might kill himself, Ariana Tweeted the following: Man I’m so sorry I told a dumb joke. I really didn’t mean any harm. All I want everyone to be healthy and happy. So desperately. Please. My god…I’m downstairs and I’m not going anywhere if you need anyone or anything. I know u have everyone u need and that’s not me, but I’m here too. She has since deleted it. But please join us in wishing Pete Davidson the best.

View post:
Pete Davidson Appears to Threaten Suicide, Deletes Instagram

Michelle Obama Surprises Black College Students In Detroit

W hile traveling across the country for her Becoming book tour, former first lady Michelle Obama has been leaving a trail of inspiration in every city that she’s visited. During a recent stop in Detroit, a group of Black students from Wayne State University were in for a surprise when Obama gave them an unexpected visit, the Detroit Free Press reported. Michelle Obama stuns Wayne State Uni. students at the Motown Museum https://t.co/BWHS4PTXMr — Detroit Free Press (@freep) December 11, 2018 With every tour stop for her best-selling book, Obama has made the effort to go beyond the Q&A sessions about her memoir and interact with individuals in local communities. A group of young Black men from Wayne State was invited by her Reach Higher initiative to have an intimate discussion with her brother Craig Robinson and actor Keegan-Michael Key about the importance of education at the Motown Museum. Unbeknownst to them, Obama would be joining the conversation too. Before her appearance at Little Caesars Arena, she stopped by the museum to surprise the students and was greeted with applause. The students then candidly shared personal experiences about finding their place as Black men in predominately white spaces. One student shared the struggle of having to continuously justify who he was. “Trust me. It will continue beyond college, no matter where we go. There were people who thought that Barack couldn’t be a good president. There were people who questioned whether I would be a good first lady. My brother gets questioned all the time about whether he’s qualified or able, and we all face those things,” she said, according to the news outlet. “That doesn’t go away. But you have to practice knowing who you are and focus on just doing the work day by day. That’s really all you can do.” She encouraged all of the young men to push forward and continue to reach new heights of success. Obama is reaching new heights of her own. According to Forbes , she has now sold 3 million copies of her book since it was released in November. SEE ALSO: All The Ways Michelle Obama Has Thrown Shade at Trump 5 Bombshells From Michelle Obama’s Memoir [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3839440″ overlay=”true”]

Read more:
Michelle Obama Surprises Black College Students In Detroit

WWII All Black Women Unit Honored With Monument

Go here to see the original:

A group of trailblazing Black women are finally getting the recognition that they deserve. The women who were a part of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion—the U.S. Army’s only all-Black all-women unit during WWII—were honored with a monument in Kansas, Radio.com reported. Five of the 800+ servicewomen were present at the monument dedication ceremony. https://t.co/RKSpLMh6Ty — CBS News Radio (@CBSNewsRadio) December 8, 2018 The group—which was made up of over 800 Black women—was responsible for organizing mail in a segregated unit, the news outlet writes. They served during a time where the Women Army Corps were separated by race and women of color were rarely allowed to serve overseas. Nearly 73 years ago, after the Red Cross had a huge backlog of mail that was supposed to be distributed to U.S. service members, the women were selected to serve in Birmingham, England to help with the issue. Prior to traveling to Europe, they trained in Camp Shanks, New York. The group was led by Lt. Col Charity Edna Adams who was the first Black woman to be an officer in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. According to the news outlet, the women went through 65,000 pieces of mail during each shift. They were forced to work in unclean, rat-infested warehouses. The monument in Fort Leavenworth features the names of all the women and imagery from their journey. Five of the women who served were in attendance at the ceremony. “Servicemen want their mail. That’s a morale booster,” 95-year-old Lena King , who was a part of the unit, told KCTV . “Within six months, we had cleared up two to three years of back mail.” The unsung legacies of these women will live on through the monument. The dedication of the monument comes shortly after the passing of Tulsa Race Riot survivor Olivia Hooker who was the first Black women to enter the U.S. Coast Guard in 1945. SEE ALSO: Remembering African-American Soldiers’ Role World War II: The Good, Bad And The Ugly Marvin Gaye, Gregory Hines To Be Featured In 2019 Forever Stamps Collection [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3840363″ overlay=”true”]

WWII All Black Women Unit Honored With Monument

You Can’t Be Serious: Drunk Fan Inexplicably Mistakes Samuel L. Jackson For John Travolta

Source: Walter McBride/WireImage/Frazer Harrison/Getty Images / Getty Samuel L. Jackson Mistaken For John Travolta We once reported on an incident where Samuel L. Jackson had to publicly embarrass a white TV anchor for mistaking him for Laurence Fishburne. Today, he privately embarrassed a drunk partygoer who believed that he was a white man. According to PageSix , Jackson was attending a “To Kill a Mockingbird” party and talking to his former Pulp Fiction castmate Uma Thurman when a slizzard fan ran up on them being annoying and loud and wrong. Said a spy, “The opening-night guest who appeared to have had one too many drinks” spotted Thurman and Jackson at the Harvard Club bash, when “the guy started shouting, ‘Do the dance! Do the dance!’ ” at the stars — apparently referring to the famous dance-off between Thurman and John Travolta in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino classic. How did Sam Jack handle this? Well… Without missing a beat, Jackson deadpanned to the confused fan, “I think you have me mixed up with someone else.” But a spy said, “Undeterred, the fan continued trying to goad the pair into dancing, before an onlooker firmly informed him, ‘This is not that kind of party.’ There was no music and no dance floor!” We don’t EVER wanna drink the liquor that makes us believe that Samuel L. Jackson is John Travolta. Also, the PageSix article didn’t specify the race of the person who didn’t know the difference between the two men, but c’mon…

Visit link:
You Can’t Be Serious: Drunk Fan Inexplicably Mistakes Samuel L. Jackson For John Travolta