Happy Monday, Everyone! This week’s featured artist is Jill Scott.
Jill Scott’s new album, The Light of the Sun, comes out June 21.
Jill Scott (born April 4, 1972) is an American singer, model and actress. Her 2000 debut, Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1, went platinum, and the followups Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2 (2004) and The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3 (2007) both achieved gold status. She made her cinematic debut in the films Hounddog and Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? in 2007. In Get On Up (2014) she plays the second wife of James Brown. She also appeared as the lead role in the BBC/HBO series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.
Scott was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She grew up an only child in a North Philadelphia neighborhood, raised by her mother, Joyce Scott, and her grandmother. She indicated in an interview with Jet Magazine that she had a happy childhood and was, “very much a loved child”. Scott was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness and attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls.
After graduating from high school, Scott attended Temple University while simultaneously working two jobs. She studied secondary education for three years and, at one time, planned to become a high school English teacher. However, after serving as a teacher’s aide, Scott became disillusioned with a teaching career, and she dropped out of college.
Prior to breaking through the music industry, Scott worked at a variety of jobs, including a number of retail positions and stints at a construction site and an ice cream parlor. She remains close to her mother and grandmother, who is nicknamed Blue Babe.[citation needed] Scott has resided in Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey, and currently resides in California.
Grilled some steaks w/ sides of potato salad, baked beans, corn on the cob and Dr. Pepper! So delicious!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3ztBSMyAZ8
https://twitter.com/AngryBlackLady/status/627158304410570752
https://twitter.com/AngryBlackLady/status/627136374345367552
https://twitter.com/allanbrauer/status/627137495075950592
“The notion that any African would discriminate against anybody because of the color of their skin, after what black people around the world have gone through, is crazy,” Obama said at the Young African Leaders Initiative summit, according to a White House pool report. “It is infuriating. And I have no patience for it.”
Albinism and the ritual killings of albinos in Africa…Using human parts from murdered albinos for sacrifice and witchcraft…
https://twitter.com/pragobots/status/628333175018795008
https://twitter.com/theroot/status/628305631355797504
Lol..
It’s that stealing by those who’ve previously considered said style or thing as unacceptable or not good enough on those naturally born with it – much like a full, shapely, luscious bum and hips aka as booty etc.. even as they now decide to appropriate and deem it ‘cool’ – but only when *they* decide how and when..
Like I shared in my rant a few posts back…
We are discounted as smart and having important stuff to offer – even as our styles, ideas, and words are stolen and presented anew and as suddenly profound, groundbreaking and important — and only because they are now been presented courtesy of those deemed more acceptable and worthy…
https://twitter.com/petesouza/status/628291524661542916
https://twitter.com/MuckRock/status/628286752642371584/photo/1
NPR Politics ✔ @nprpolitics
Obama says to standing ovation: “If you care about minority communities, start protecting the air they breathe”
Propane Jane @docrocktex26
The GOP crack-up continues: The raging civil war over the disgusting “cuckservative” slur http://www.salon.com/2015/08/03/the_gop_crack_up_continues_the_raging_civil_war_over_the_disgusting_%e2%80%9ccuckservative%e2%80%9d_slur/ … via @Salon Just wow.
Propane Jane @docrocktex26
Y’all, we’re gonna have to talk about this term “cuckservative”….
Propane Jane @docrocktex26
It’s so gross I don’t wanna touch it with a ten foot pole, but that’s precisely why it has to be addressed. Sigh.
Propane Jane
@docrocktex26 Ok so here’s the meaning of “cuckservative” as told by the racists who invented it: http://www.salon.com/2015/08/03/the_gop_crack_up_continues_the_raging_civil_war_over_the_disgusting_%e2%80%9ccuckservative%e2%80%9d_slur/ …
https://twitter.com/docrocktex26/status/628262507593887744/photo/1
Propane Jane @docrocktex26
Yet again the fantasy of a Black Mandingo raping their White women, or in this case their White country, is fueling the conservative base.
Propane Jane @docrocktex26
They’re using a Black man having sex with a White man’s wife while he watches helplessly as a metaphor for PBO implementing his agenda.
https://twitter.com/bmlewis2/status/628272145374691328
Donald Trump’s surge is all about less-educated Americans
By Janell Ross July 27
In the last few weeks, Americans (and the media) have watched in awe as a New York real estate magnate prone to bellicose behavior and hyperbole has become the GOP’s leading candidate for the White House.
But how did this come to be? A lot of it has to do with education.
Trump’s support is strongest with Republicans in the Midwest, conservatives across the country who do not have a college degree and (perhaps not surprisingly) those who report the most negative views of immigration and Mexican immigrants in particular, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released last week.
To be clear, the poll found that 60 percent of all Americans support the idea of offering undocumented immigrants currently in the United States some form of legal status, and 57 percent told pollsters they believe that immigrants strengthen the country. But there are plenty of people who see things differently. And those people appear to be concentrated among whites, Republicans and those with lower levels of education. Take note of the peaks below.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/07/27/donald-trumps-surge-is-heavily-reliant-on-less-educated-americans-heres-why/
GOP leaders throw cold water on voting-rights compromise
08/03/15 12:40 PM—UPDATED 08/03/15 12:47 PM
By Steve Benen
The original plan on Capitol Hill was for members to spend the month of July working on spending bills to prevent a government shutdown. Confederate flags, of all things, derailed the process, and now even a Democratic proposed compromise is going nowhere.
To briefly recap, Democrats introduced a measure curtailing the display of Confederate flags on graves in federal cemeteries and the sale of Confederate flags in national park gift stores. Southern Republicans balked and the mess has brought the entire federal appropriations process to a halt.
A few weeks ago, Rep. James Clyburn (S.C.), the third-ranking House Democrat, unveiled a compromise solution: Dems will drop their efforts on Confederate flags if Republicans agree to take up the restoration of the Voting Rights Act. Given the bipartisan support the VRA has traditionally enjoyed, it seemed like a decent offer.
The Hill reports that GOP leaders aren’t interested in the deal.
House Republican leaders are slamming the brakes on voting rights legislation, insisting that any movement on the issue go through a key Republican committee chairman who opposes the proposal. […]
“Speaker Boehner has said that he believes that the Voting Rights Act has been an effective tool in protecting a right that is fundamental to our democracy. That’s why we reauthorized the law for 25 years in 2006,” a Boehner spokesperson said Friday in an email. “He also believes that if members want to change the law, those discussions will have to begin at the Judiciary Committee.”
This argument is a mess. Note, Democrats don’t want to “change” the Voting Rights Act; they want to restore it after the Supreme Court gutted the law and encouraged Congress to revisit its key provisions.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-leaders-throw-cold-water-voting-rights-compromise
Yeah…I like this show.
………….
Turn: Washington’s Spies’ Renewed for Season 3 by AMC
JULY 15, 2015 | 01:44PM PT
Cynthia Littleton
Managing Editor: Television
@Variety_Cynthia
AMC has given a third-season pickup to “Turn: Washington’s Spies,” the Revolutionary War drama that drew strong reviews for its second season but has struggled with low ratings and a low profile in pop culture.
Charlie Collier, president of AMC and SundanceTV, said the renewal was a recognition of the show’s creative strength and the growth it demonstrated across the 10-episode run of season two. In live-plus-7 ratings, the show’s total viewer average grew from 1.6 million viewers at the start of the season to 1.74 million by the June 8 finale
http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/turn-amc-renewed-season-3-1201541056/
from BJ:
TOWN drops the knowledge:
http://pragmaticobotsunite.com/monday-open-thread-ladies-of-the-harlem-renaissance/#comment-2172233018
Add the white killing cops to the list of those trying to put BLACK FOLKS back in their subordinate positions, only it’s face down, handcuffed & dead.
https://twitter.com/perfectbabies/status/627584431189032960
Absolutely precious!!!
Too cute..
D.L. Hughley: Trump’s popularity is tied to his racism — ‘If he said n****r he’d be elected tomorrow’
http://linkis.com/www.rawstory.com/201/XnBLs
https://twitter.com/HistoryHeroes/status/628017870279053312
Monday blues suck!
yes it does! Back in the saddle, lots to do.
Tough time getting it together.
Black Lives Matter’ cultivates political potency
Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, talks with Rachel Maddow about presidential candidates addressing his organization today and the influence of urban and African-American voters and the Black Lives Matter movement on American politics. Duration: 8:41
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/black-lives-matter-becomes-political-force-495766083853
Scott Walker still unsure about president’s faith
08/03/15 08:40 AM—UPDATED 08/03/15 09:03 AM
By Steve Benen
If it takes a brave person to acknowledge what he or she does not know, Scott Walker has courage in abundance.
The Republican governor and presidential candidate was recently asked, for example, whether sexual orientation is a choice. “To me, that’s, I don’t know,” Walker replied. “I don’t know the answer to that question.” Similarly, the far-right Wisconsinite isn’t sure if President Obama loves the United States – he told the AP in February, “I don’t know” – or even whether he believes modern biology.
In February, Walker was asked whether he believes President Obama is a Christian. “I don’t know,” the GOP governor replied. Over the weekend, he was asked again, and as the Washington Post reported, Walker is still uncertain.
Fielding questions at the Koch network’s donor summit here Saturday night, the Republican presidential candidate reiterated the controversial position of uncertainty that he staked out in February.
“You’re not going to get a different answer than I said before,” the Wisconsin governor said. “I don’t know. I presume he is…. But I’ve never asked him about that. As someone who is a believer myself, I don’t presume to know someone’s beliefs about whether they follow Christ or not unless I’ve actually talked with them.”
Walker did add that the president claims to be a Christian, and the governor is willing to “take him at his word.” How gracious of him.
By Walker’s reasoning, every presidential candidate’s faith should be suspect, no matter how sincere, unless and until the Republican candidate has “actually talked with them” about matters of religion. As best as I can tell, Walker hasn’t been asked about Jeb Bush’s or Donald Trump’s faith, but if he’s consistent, he doesn’t know whether to believe their professed Christianity, either.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/scott-walker-still-unsure-about-presidents-faith
Stacey E. Singleton @staceyNYCDC
A #longread profile of Darren Wilson. He is who you thought he is//The Cop http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/08/10/the-cop … via @newyorker
This is not Ferguson, Los Angeles or Baltimore … it’s Berwyn, Pennsylvania in 2015
July 30, 2015
This post is about an upper middle class family who live in the Berwyn Estates community of Easttown Township, where house values average in the $1 million+ category. The parents, the father a vascular surgeon and the mother an attorney, have twin teenage sons. The 15-year old boys, both boy scouts, attend Friend’s Central School and Lawrenceville School respectively, and are active in their church. The family is African-American.
On Friday, July 24, the brothers along with a friend, rode their bicycles to a friend’s house in the Greens of Waynesboro to go swimming. Another upscale neighborhood in Berwyn, the ‘Greens’ is located next to the Waynesboro Country Club and its streets are named for famous golf courses (St. Andrews, Augusta, Stanwich, etc.) It is my understanding that currently no African American families reside in the Greens.
The mother of the twin boys (remember, she is an attorney) shared ‘Biking While Black’ of what happened next in a letter to friends, neighbors and on social media. She recounts that “a white woman with short dark brown/black hair who was driving a white Jeep SUV” followed and videotaped her sons and their friend as they cycled in the Greens. As they were leaving the neighborhood, two Easttown Township police cars stopped the boys because “suspicious activity” was reported. The mother of the twins states that, “the boys were sandwiched in between the [police] cars and terrified.” The police filed an incident report with the Easttown Township Police Department.
After hearing the story from her sons, the mother went to the Easttown police station and was told that the complainant (the Greens resident) called the police because of recent burglaries and that she was worried because she was leaving town and that the “boys had on backpacks”. According to the mother of the boys, the backpacks contained wet swimsuits and towels.
In her letter shared with the Greens of Waynesboro community, the mother of the twin brothers states,
“… We all know that the real reason the call was made to the police was because they are black. I understand that there have been several recent burglaries in your community and everyone is on a heightened sense of alert because of that. I want you to understand the kind of heightened alert I am on every day and every time my sons leave the safety of their home.
To the woman who was following and videotaping my sons, you frightened two young men who have lived in this community their whole lives. Please explain to me why my sons were so frightening and suspicious? Do you fear every child riding a bicycle in your community? Are backpacks the Berwyn PA equivalent of a hoodie?
http://pattyebenson.org/2015/07/30/this-is-not-ferguson-los-angeles-or-baltimore-its-berwyn-pennsylvania-in-2015/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TredyffrinTownshipCommunityMatters+%28Community+Matters%29&utm_content=FaceBook
https://twitter.com/collier/status/627493340909563904
‘Takin’ Place’ – Documentary Showcasing “Everyday People” of Chicago’s Englewood – Premiering at Black Harvest Film Fest in Aug.
Shadow and Act
By Sergio | Shadow and Act
August 1, 2015 at 2:35PM
Even if you’ve never set foot in Chicago in your entire life, chances are that you’ve heard of Englewood, the notorious South Side neighborhood that has become the nationwide symbol of gangs and urban violence. It’s one of the Chicago neighborhoods that makes up what is better known as… (here it comes)… “Chiraq”.
But what a lot of people don’t know, or refuse to believe, is that the violence was actually much worse there almost 20 years ago. Today, shootings and other violent acts are literally down more than half of what they were during the 90’s when no one was paying attention.
Even the local media had a policy of NOT reporting about murders and other crimes that took place in the neighborhood back then. Now Anderson Cooper and CNN have come to town to report that Englewood is Dodge City run amock.
Second is that Englewood, like other neighborhoods plagued with the same problems – such as Roseland – are basically isolated neighborhoods. To put it simply, there are no major businesses and very few stores there, and they’re, for lack of a better way of saying it, “out of the way”. Even if you live in Chicago, for most people (even South Siders) you literally have to go out of your way to get to Englewood or Roseland, which is even farther. They’re not convenient places to get to. You can live you entire life in Chicago and never even once have to drive through the place.
And since there are no major businesses or supermarkets in Englewood, more centrally located South Side neighborhoods such as Bronzeville, Chatham, Hyde Park, North Kenwood and South Shore are thriving. Even Woodlawn, which is just west of the South Shore area and has a somewhat bad reputation, has seen a considerable increase in development with new businesses, housing and cultural centers during the past two years.
But Englewood remains alone, isolated and still struggling..However it is still a neighborhood with people and families living day to day, or as filmmaker Cyrus Dowlatshahi says about his new documentary, “Takin’ Place,” a community of “ordinary life and everyday people”.
And that’s what he chronicles in his fascinating and at times poignant new film, which examines the daily life of people just trying to make it. They have good days and sometime bad days, triumphs and setbacks, but it’s till a place that has the “common aspects of all neighborhoods and communities around the world: a desire to share, grow and celebrate”.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/documentary-showing-the-everyday-people-of-chicagos-englewood-takin-place-premiering-at-black-harvest-film-fest-in-aug-20150801
LOVE ME some Jill Scott!
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Good Morning, Everyone! :-)
Good morning! Loving Jill Scott!