article by Aria Ellise via blackamericaweb.com
Angela Bassett has been acting for over three decades, but one thing is constant: she looks great while doing it. From her body to her skin, the wife and mother are always looking fresh in her films and appearances. But behind the scenes, Bassett struggled with skin issues.
So, the actress has teamed up with Dr. Barbara Sturm, her friend and a well-known skincare expert, to launch a skin-care line that addresses the specific needs of women with darker complexions.
Bassett has struggled with skin issues herself, she told WWD. Initially, she used Sturm’s original line to treat her breakouts and irritations, but she realized it didn’t address skin issues that darker women deal with, such as hyperpigmentation. That’s when they decided to extend the line and after two years of research, Darker Skin Tones by Dr. Barbara Sturm came into reality.
Hyperpigmentation is characterized by a darkening of an area of skin caused by the overproduction of a pigment in the skin known as melanin.
Hyperpigmentation is the result of either of two occurrences: an abnormally high concentration of melanocytes produce melanin or when melanocytes are hyperactive. For instance, sun exposure stimulates the production of melanin. Although it can affect anyone, this condition is more prevalent among African-Americans and those of Latin descent.
Hyperpigmentation can affect any part of the body including the face, hands, and neck.
Bassett said that she wants to bring more awareness to skin care and for people, “to see what is good for it and ingredients that are helpful — not invasive or irritating. I like them to be pleased when they look in the mirror, to feel good about themselves and the condition of their complexion.”
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article by Lauren Victoria Burke via theroot.com
At noon Wednesday, members of the House shut it down—all the way down.
In a historic act of protest, Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives refused to observe the regular order of the House, staging a sit-in protest over the lack of legislation on gun control.
The protest Wednesday occurred after House Republicans ignored several demands from House Democrats to take action on guns after 49 people were murdered in an Orlando, Fla., nightclub June 12. Their first demand came during a moment of silence for the victims of the mass shooting after Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) attempted to ask Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) if action on gun-related measures was possible. Ryan gaveled Clyburn down.
Wednesday’s effort was led by civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and featured several members of the Congressional Black Caucus who have had to deal with continuing gun violence in their districts. The group included Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.), who represents parts of Detroit; Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.); and several others.
“This is the right thing to do, when you look at the polling data and it shows that 90 percent of the American public says we should not allow terrorists to be able to walk in a store and buy a gun and kill 50 people,” former Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) told The Root steps away from the House floor. “We don’t lose on this. The Congressional Black Caucus did lead this.”
article by Brennan Williams via huffingtonpost.com
Hip-hop artist Big Sean wants to “Change the World” by helping to alleviate student homelessness.
On behalf of his Sean Anderson Foundation, the Detroit-native has committed $25,000 to Wayne State University’s HIGH (Helping Individuals Go Higher) program to provide “short-term support” to students who struggle to meet the needs of foods, shelter and childcare, according to the school’s website.
“We see the HIGH Program as an important component of ensuring success at Wayne State, and we are proud to help strengthen its mission,” Myra Anderson, president of the Sean Anderson Foundation and Sean’s mother, said in a press release. “We aim to boost graduation rates at the university by providing support to students facing hardship.”
Founded in 2013 by Wayne State’s first lady, Jacqueline Wilson, the program aims to provide students with financial and education assistance and return participants to long-term stability. Wilson stated in the release that the foundation’s investment in the program shows “their commitment to assisting those in need.”
“With this gift, we will be able to help Wayne State students who are experiencing homelessness work toward a brighter future,” she added.
Sean’s latest benevolent act to his home state comes on the heels of his recent #HealFlintKids campaign to aid victims of Flint’s water crisis, and the foundation’s first annual “Uplifting Our Youth“ scholarship fundraiser in 2015.
For more info on Wayne State University’s HIGH program click here.
On behalf of his Sean Anderson Foundation, the Detroit-native has committed $25,000 to Wayne State University’s HIGH (Helping Individuals Go Higher) program to provide “short-term support” to students who struggle to meet the needs of foods, shelter and childcare, according to the school’s website.
“We see the HIGH Program as an important component of ensuring success at Wayne State, and we are proud to help strengthen its mission,” Myra Anderson, president of the Sean Anderson Foundation and Sean’s mother, said in a press release. “We aim to boost graduation rates at the university by providing support to students facing hardship.”
Founded in 2013 by Wayne State’s first lady, Jacqueline Wilson, the program aims to provide students with financial and education assistance and return participants to long-term stability. Wilson stated in the release that the foundation’s investment in the program shows “their commitment to assisting those in need.”
“With this gift, we will be able to help Wayne State students who are experiencing homelessness work toward a brighter future,” she added.
Sean’s latest benevolent act to his home state comes on the heels of his recent #HealFlintKids campaign to aid victims of Flint’s water crisis, and the foundation’s first annual “Uplifting Our Youth“ scholarship fundraiser in 2015.
For more info on Wayne State University’s HIGH program click here.
article via ebony.com
Since hanging up his signature sneakers, basketball legend Michael Jordan has been focusing his attention on conquering the business world. And it’s worked.
Back in 2015, the NBA Hall of Famer joined the billionaires club, thanks to his investment in the Charlotte Hornets. Today, Jordan owns approximately 90 percent of the franchise, and his lucrative deals with Nike, Hanes, and Gatorade continue to pay hefty dividends years after he retired from the league.
Monday, Jordan announced he—along with corporate donors like Bank of America and Lowe’s—are investing $500,000 into the community that supports his team.
“When I took over majority control of the team, one of the biggest impacts I wanted…was to reconnect back to the community,” Jordan said on Monday during the team’s annual day of community service. “I felt (that connection) was lost a little bit with the previous ownership, and I felt it was very important.”
Jordan continued: “Six years later, here we are…I am very proud of the commitment of the organization to the community. My dedication, my drive, is to continue to connect with this community.”
Since taking over as majority owner of the Hornets from BET founder Robert Johnson, Jordan and the team have invested more than $3 million into the community. In 2010, he donated $250,000 to save Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ middle school sports programs, and now he’s turning his attention to literacy.
According to the Charlotte Observer, the $500,000 investment will include funding for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library Foundation, Freedom School Partners, Child Care Resources Inc., and CrossRoads Corp. Jordan and the team also plan to help build 18 libraries around the city and donate thousands of books.
Read more at EBONY http://www.ebony.com/entertainment-culture/michael-jordan-giving-back#ixzz4CGroSh9a
by Omar Epps, Malik Yoba and Emily Abt
The image of the “deadbeat dad” has been and remains pervasive but there are millions of men in America who live in defiance of this stereotype. Our film “Daddy Don’t Go” was born from these parallel and enduring realities: that one in three American children is fatherless but there are also countless fathers fighting to be active in their children’s lives who deserve to be seen.
In an effort to better understand the obstacles these men face, we followed four disadvantaged dads –Roy, Nelson, Omar and Alex – over the course of two years as they struggled to be present fathers. The issues in the film are close to our hearts. Omar is the product of a fatherless household but now a proud father of three. Malik credits his own father with being the inspiration for his perseverance during a tough custody battle. Emily’s grandfather was excluded from her father’s life for his inability to pay child support. So we were all deeply committed to exploring the issue of fatherlessness when we began making the film three years ago, what did we learn along the way?
Persistent unemployment is a major problem for disadvantaged fathers. All four of the fathers in “Daddy Don’t Go” very much wanted to work but struggled to get and keep steady jobs. They are certainly not alone in this struggle. Working, in America, is in decline. The number of men ages 25 to 54 who are not working has more than tripled since the late 1960s.
Making this film had us yearning for the work programs of the New Deal era when millions of men were given the opportunity to work and provide financial security for their families. Our current government has made great efforts to enforce child support payments but where are the large-scale job programs for disadvantaged men that could really make a difference?
Our second big take-away from making “Daddy Don’t Go” is that while there have been vast improvements; our family court system still treats men like second-class parents. Child support payments are mostly shouldered by men but only 18% of fathers have custody of their children. This means that a man’s financial role in his child’s life continues to be prioritized above his emotional one.
This past weekend, Steve Harvey, the noted comedian, three-time Daytime Emmy Award winner and television host, two-time best-selling author and celebrated radio host kicked off the 8th annual Steve Harvey Mentoring Program for Young Men with notable mentors and male role models including Choice Hotels CEO Steve Joyce, former NBA shooting guard Duane Ferrell and other community leaders.
A total of 220 fatherless male youths from across the country, aged 13-18, were invited to attend a mentoring camp experience at Camp Grace in Roberta, GA hosted by the Steve Harvey Mentoring Program for Young Men. During the program, the teens live among male role models and are exposed to educational and inspirational activities aimed to introduce them to adulthood and teambuilding, instill self-respect and respect for others, teach helpful life skills and introduce problem-solving techniques to conquer obstacles and empower their futures.
Choice Hotels has supported the annual Steve Harvey Mentoring Program for Young Men since its inaugural year and is now the program’s largest donor and partner. In addition to providing complimentary hotel stays for the mothers of participants, Harvey Foundation staff and volunteers, Choice Hotels has contributed more than a quarter-million dollars to the Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation in less than two years.
According to mic.com, even though research from the U.S. government shows that common myths about absentee black fathers are false, they persist. To challenge those myths, the Campaign for Black Male Achievement released a series of photos highlighting black family life.
The campaign coupled each photo, shot by photographer Zun Lee, with a statistic from a CDC study about black fatherhood:
1. Black dads are more involved with their kids on a daily basis than dads from other racial groups.
2. Black fathers ate meals with their young children more than their white and Latino counterparts.
3. Black fathers also escorted their 5-to-18-year-old children to activities more than fathers of other races.
4. More black fathers live with their kids than live apart from them.
5. Over 70 percent of black dads bathe, diaper or dress their children every day.
6. For those black fathers who did live separate from their children, they read to their kids, changed diapers and helped with homework more often than other dads.
7. A higher percentage of black fathers — 40.6 percent — help with homework or check homework than white fathers.
8. A higher percentage of black fathers — 34.9 percent — read to their kids daily than white fathers.
Twitter users who wish to contribute to fighting myths of black fatherhood have used the hashtag #BlackMaleReimagined to share their own photos.
article by Breanna Edwards via theroot.com
Heroes don’t always wear capes. Sometimes they’re in bus driver uniforms. A Milwaukee County Transit System bus driver is being recognized after she helped a 15-year-old girl escape a man who was harassing and following her and even tried to pull her into his car, TMJ4 reports.
Sharon Chambers was driving her route earlier this week and was about to pull away from a stop when she noticed a girl flagging her down, MCTS told the station.“I thought she was just running to catch the bus, but as she walked in front of the bus I noticed she was crying,” Chambers said. “I told her to get on the bus and let her know no one was going to mess with her on my bus.”
After the girl relayed what was happening to Chambers, the bus driver took precautionary actions, calling MCTS dispatch, which then called the police. They waited at another location for the police. Chambers even called the girl’s grandmother to tell her what happened.“Don’t worry about it. You are safe. I will fight for you; no one is going to hurt you,” Chambers could be heard telling the girl on bus surveillance footage.“The world today is just terrible,”Chambers told the news station. “There’s a lot happening, and for it to be right in my face like that, it was scary. But I wanted her to know that I was there for her.”
Now the bus driver is being praised for her good work.“Sharon Chambers is a wonderful example of how even small acts of kindness and compassion can have a large impact. Sharon, and all the other hardworking employees at MCTS and Milwaukee County, make me proud to live in Milwaukee and serve as county executive. Thank you, Sharon,” County Executive Chris Abele told TMJ4.
Source: Milwaukee Bus Driver Helps 15-Year-Old Girl Escape Man Following Her
article by Yesha Callahan via theroot.com
Seven-year-old writer Morgan E. Taylor wanted to change the face of princesses, especially in fairy tales, which aren’t the most diverse stories being told. Instead of waiting around for someone else to do it, she went out and, with help from her co-author, Todd Taylor, who also happens to be her father, wrote Daddy’s Little Princess, filled with stories featuring real-life African queens and princesses.
“Every little girl should believe she’s a princess,” said Morgan.
She also wants everyone to know that princesses come in all colors. Morgan’s goal is to share stories that build other girls’ self-esteem.
Source: 7-Year-Old Writes Book to Inspire Little Black Girls to Embrace Their Race
Los Angeles Rams players and officials Wednesday helped build a playground at an elementary school in Inglewood, CA. Ellina Abovian reports for the KTLA 5 News at 3 on June 15, 2016. Click through to see video of the story:
Source: L.A. Rams Help Build Playground in Inglewood | KTLA