Regina King’s Son Speaks on His Bond With His Mother: “She’s a Supermom”
by dhaffenden

September 11, 2019

Regina King’s Son Speaks on His Bond With His Mother: “She’s a Supermom”

Throughout her career, Regina King has earned the respect of many, including her 23-year-old son, Ian Alexander, Jr.

While attending the Golden Globe Awards this year, Ian admitted that his mother is deserving of the world. In addition to that, Ian revealed that he appreciates the time he gets to spend with his mother while working around her busy schedule.

“She’s just a super mom, really,” he told E! News correspondent Ryan Seacrest on the Golden Globes’ red carpet. “She doesn’t really let bad workdays or anything come back and ruin the time that we have, so it’s really awesome to have a mother that…I can enjoy spending time with and all that.”

 

Elsewhere during the red carpet conversation, Ian spoke on the importance of the Time’s Up! movement and fighting for equality amongst men and women of today. “Time’s up. Just for women having equality and safety in the workplace, and all individuals,” Ian added. “So, that’s really important to me, especially having a powerful woman…they rule the world.”

Back in 2011, Regina spoke with Essence regarding her adoration for her son. During their conversation, the If Beale Street Could Talk actress said that becoming a mother taught her the meaning of unconditional love. “I get emotional because my son is an amazing young man, and it took me to be a mother for me to realize how incredible of a woman she (my mother) is,” she said.

Regina continued, “You don’t know what unconditional love is. You may say you do, but if you don’t have a child, you don’t know what that is. But when you experience it, it is the most fulfilling ever. So, that is the greatest part about me. Being a mom to Ian.”

In other Regina King-related news, the 48-year-old actress won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk.

Bahamian Evacuees Denied Access Into U.S. Following Hurricane Dorian
by dhaffenden

September 10, 2019

Bahamian Evacuees Denied Access Into U.S. Following Hurricane Dorian

Last week, Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, leaving over 45 people dead, 70,000 people homeless, and hundreds of others desperate to find a way off of the island.

According to CNN, over 1,500 evacuees boarded the Grand Celebration Humanitarian cruise ship and landed in Palm Beach, Florida. Despite having the proper documentation to enter the country, the evacuees were told that anyone traveling to the United States without a visa would have to return. 

“Another announcement just made ordering any Bahamian without a US visa to disembark ferry — not allowed to evacuate. They were told before boarding it was ok with Bahamian passport and a clean police record. Something has now changed,” WSVN reporter Brian Entin wrote on Twitter.

As a result of the announcement, 119 people left the boat. On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security spelled out visa requirements for Bahamians traveling to the United States via air or sea, which had previously caused confusion. .

Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke tweeted his anger over the situation. 

“This is the height of cruelty — denying help to those who need it most. This administration has said the words on the Statue of Liberty should be rewritten, and in their actions, they are already changing who we are as a country,” he wrote to his social media account.

To help in the relief effort, Tyler Perry sent private planes filled with supplies, water, juice, diapers, sleeping bags, hygiene products, and more to the Bahamas. Meanwhile, rapper Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges raised $100,000 for Hurricane Dorian relief. “Love to all of the fans and thank you from the bottom of my heart because we continue to lead by example, we continue to give back to the city, we continue to raise money for the inner-city kids and we continue to show love,” the rapper wrote on Instagram.

 

Black Unemployment Rate Falls to a Record Low
by dhaffenden

September 10, 2019

Black Unemployment Rate Falls to a Record Low

Over the weekend, the unemployment rate amongst African Americans hit a record low.

On Friday, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics released its August report, which showed that the economy gained 130,000 jobs last month. The report also revealed that black unemployment fell to 5.5%, which is the lowest rate recorded since the Labor Department began tracking the progress back in the 1970s. 

As for unemployment among workers who identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino, reports show that ratings fell to a whopping 4.2%. Black and Hispanic or Latino unemployment numbers have traditionally been higher than white unemployment. White unemployment rang in at 3.4%, which is up from the previously reported 3.3%. Nonetheless, this is the smallest gap on record regarding unemployment rates for blacks and whites. 

 

Valerie Wilson, director of the program on race, ethnicity, and the economy for the Economic Policy Institute, attributed these numbers to the prolonged strength of the U.S. labor market. For example, employers have been adding jobs for 107 straight months. Unemployment nationwide is near a 50-year-low.

“As jobs continue to be created, those who were still looking for work, those like minorities with historically higher rates of unemployment, are the ones in a position to take advantage of those opportunities,” she told CNN Business.

Last year, President Donald Trump repeatedly praised himself or the low black unemployment rate, while taking jabs at Democrats. “So if African-American unemployment is now at the lowest number in history, median income the highest, and you then add all of the other things I have done, how do Democrats, who have done NOTHING for African-Americans but TALK, win the Black Vote? And it will only get better!” he tweeted in September 2018.

Also commenting on the situation at hand, Vice President Mike Pence, who stated that America is making a comeback. “Under President @realDonaldTrump’s leadership, America is back at work! Since Election Day, 6.3 million jobs have been created, wages are rising, and America’s workers are winning again!” he tweeted.

Chicago Rapper Noname Launches Book Club Celebrating Writers of Color
by dhaffenden

September 9, 2019

Chicago Rapper Noname Launches Book Club Celebrating Writers of Color

Chicago rapper Fatimah Nyeema Warner, better known as “Noname,” continues to make her hometown proud.

More recently, the 27-year-old musician announced that she is launching a new book club.

Entitled “Noname’s Book Club,” the group will “highlight progressive work from writers of color and writers within the LGBTQ community.” It’s safe to say that a love for reading runs in the family. According to Lit Hub, Noname’s mother is the first black woman to own a bookstore in Chicago and her father serves as a book distributor.

As the promising new venture unfolds, Noname plans to discuss two literary works each month. The first selections for August were Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Samantha Irby’s We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. At the end of each month, Noname will host a book discussion that will be released on a podcast.

Earlier this year, during an interview with NPR, the “Self” artist revealed how growing up in Chicago and embracing different art forms helped shape her career path. “I just got exposed to other types of art,” she began. “I didn’t really grow up listening to a lot of hip-hop. I listened to some things like, I listened to Kanye just because of Chicago. But I grew up with my grandparents, so I ended up listening to a lot of what they listened to.”

She continued, “But doing poetry, and in Chicago, I was able to go to a lot of different open mics and meet a lot of other musicians and other people who are artistic and express through different mediums. So I met Chance [The Rapper] and Mick [Jenkins], and a lot of other people ended up influencing me and helping me grow artistically and expand outside of just poetry.”

Check out Noname’s tweets regarding her book club below.