Today, a friend informed me that I am quoted in a book they are currently reading called What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat, by Aubrey Gordon. She cited my article I wrote Quantasia Sharpton, the woman who sued Usher for giving her herpes. When her lawsuit was originally reported, people laughed it off and said there was no way Usher would sleep with a fat woman like that. I disagreed.
Go me!
Continue reading“In a Business Insider article published in February, employees said that Netflix wooed them with the promise of more stability and higher wages than journalism has offered in recent years: If Netflix says “We’re going to pay you a more-than-livable wage and let you continue to write about the things that you write,’ honestly, why wouldn’t you want to do that?,” one writer told Insider.”
Netflix Lays Off the Journalists It Just Hired
“Both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Sheriffâs Department have horrible reputations and track records when it comes to their interactions with the residents of the city. The sheriffâs department, in particular, is known to be filled with internal gangs that target the cityâs residents of color. The county sheriff himself is currently embroiled in a scandal in which it is alleged he attempted to cover up a video of a deputy kneeling on a handcuffed inmateâs neckâa case reminiscent of the murder of George Floyd.”
30 years after the 1992 Los Angeles Rebellion, policing in the city hasnât changed much
“In April 29, 1992, the city of Los Angeles erupted into a state of civil unrest following the not guilty verdict in the trial of the Los Angeles police officers charged with the brutal beating of Rodney King. For six days, people angry about the trialâs outcome took to the streets, businesses were looted and the city burned. While the verdict was the final straw for many, the fuse for their anger was lit years before.”
30 years after the 1992 Los Angeles uprising, not enough has changed
Bring back personal blogging.
I donât want to have to worry about white people policing me, trying to âput me in my place,â being suspicious of me simply because I am Black and taking every opportunity to foist their opinions or their âadviceâ on me.
It Is Absolutely Exhausting Being Black in America
I am currently out of office, enjoying the 4/20 holiday in Las Vegas with two of my best girlfriends. There has been lots of room service, lots of sun in front of the pool, and lots of alcoholic beverages.
I have had two pieces publish this week, and a third is going live tomorrow. When you work for yourself, there truly are no “off days.”
In advance of the series’ last episode, I had a chance to speak with series creator Kenya Barris and actors Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross and Jenifer Lewis about the impact and the legacy of the show.
Black culture dictates so much of popular culture that for many people who are not Black, those lines can become blurred to the point of erasing its origins. At its best, black-ish was adept at showcasing Black culture in a way that was consumable and understandable for everyone, and Barris says that was intentional.
me, on black-ish
Kenya Barris told me, “I would be a liar if I said the goal wasnât to get an episode two and a little bit more money in my bank account, but as the show went on, we realized we wanted to talk about things. It got to a point where we realized the show was too important, and we had to stand for something. And it stood for something, because people started trusting us, and we had to talk to them about things other people wouldnât talk to them about. It became sort of like journalism.â
As you toke up today, please remember that many Black people have been locked up on simple possession charges while white “ganjapreneurs” continue to profit from sales.
I discuss this in my latest for theGrio.
So Iâm going to leave you with this: As you spark up today, put one in the air for brothers and sisters still locked down because they sold a dime bag. Blow one for the ones who just had a joint on them and got the most extreme forms of âjusticeâ just because some judge could. Light one for all the soldiers in the struggle who are still serving time for the same thing a lot of white people are making millions off of now and getting away with it because they have a storefront.
As we celebrate 4/20, letâs remember that the âweed manâ has been gentrified by white people
Continue reading“I have had plenty of accidents where someone has hit me, including one horrible hit-and-run accident 12 years ago, and all of these accidents have shown me that people really donât obey the rules of the road or know how to drive.”
5 reasons why yâall need to take driverâs education again