It's been four years since Sandra Bland died while in police custody in Waller County, Texas. Bland, who was only 28-years-old, was found hanged in a jail cell, after being pulled over and aggressively arrested as the result of a traffic violation just three days before. Although her death was ruled a suicide, supporters and activists have always had their doubts regarding the circumstances of her sudden passing.While prior to this incident media coverage had primarily centered around unarmed Black men as the victims of confrontations with police, Bland’s unfortunate death underscored the notion that Black women can also be the victims of police brutality. Her death occurred at a time when police shootings of unarmed civilians killings and resistance against their abuse of power were at their peak and became the basis of the #SayHerName movement. Now new footage reportedly taken via Bland’s cellphone has been released to the public, which depicts an aggressive police officer pointing his taser gun at Bland while demanding that she “get out of the car.”Hearing Bland’s voice and knowing what would ultimately happen to her triggered the same feelings of fear and anger that I felt four years ago, after I first found out about her death. It still haunts me: Her mugshot picture, the dashboard video from the police and the fact that she was doing cop watch while speaking truth to power makes me think about my own life. As someone who has been active in the Black Lives Matter movement, spoken out against police injustice and dealt with police confrontation at protests and while cop watching, I know how terrifying encounters with police can be. I thought about how easily that could have been me. It frightens me; it scares me — as it well should."Despite all of the work I’ve done over the past four years to piece myself back together after her untimely death, I became unraveled as I was reminded of what I’ve always known: My sister died because a police officer saw her as a threatening Black woman rather than human,"  Sharon Cooper, Sandra Bland's sister, wrote an op-ed for USA Today.A news station in Austin, TX, has reportedly had the footage from Bland’s phone since 2017, so why is it only being released to the public now? Perhaps this is just a continuation of the coverup that has been happening since the state troopers’ office initial reluctance to release the dashboard footage back in 2015, which depicted the hostile officer’s overreaction to Bland’s supposed “attitude.” What else are they hiding?We may never know the details of what really happened to Bland in that jailhouse, but we know damn well it wasn’t right. Everything that happened to Sandra Bland must never be forgotten. We must continue demanding justice for her and all other Black women who have died while in custody. We must also — and forever — continue to say their...

Haiti, Paris, Benin, Sudan, and Venezuela are among the many regions experiencing massive protests led by black and brown people. The United States has experienced similar protests but not to on the level of those around the world.A government uprising consists of large groups of oppressed people revolting against the political rule, usually resulting in the loss of power from established officials and a rebirth of the political system. This is different from a protest which complies with the laws that dictate its operations.The closest protest in the United States to this could be the Black Lives Matter protests that span across the nation or The Occupy Wall Street protests. Otherwise, the only government disruption was the government shutdown earlier this year, due to the House striking down Trump’s legislation for a border wall. This halt of government operations was still complicit in the laws of the country, allowing no new reform of the political system.Here is what builds a government uprising and how have other countries have been able to succeed. Stopping Dependence on Governmental Justice System To Correct ItselfConstituents in the United States are so certain the government has created laws that allow itself to be governed towards correcting itself. Yet, we have hardly seen that take place in U.S. history. Other countries know when their government fails to do things in the best interest of its people, they can no longer depend on the government to provide accountability for its actions and make the necessary changes. For example, people in Paris have been rioting in its streets ever since rising gas taxes were enacted. Instead of taking the people’s concerns into consideration, French President has said the government would not back down and issue any reforms. Since the opposition from the French government, the Yellow Vests protestors have been rioting since late last year. Working With Military or Political Figures Who Have An History With The Government Officials They OpposeTrump’s resilience in the White House is backed by an entire justice system that seeks to protect its own officials from persecution. In Sudan, military leaders helped organize a coup to get the Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir out of office. Although there are now disagreements between protestors and the military on who will take over, the oust was accomplished.People Power Sustains Itself Of Fatigue From Poor Economic ConditionsSocial movements tend to rise from disgruntled residents who have been fed up with the current government they are subjected to. These government officials act as dictators, holding onto their positions of power for extended periods of time, changing laws to benefit the wealthy elite, and ignoring the marginalized communities who look to them for change. Constituents rise up and use people power to turn their frustrations into demands for better living conditions. For example, Haiti has been revolting against its government, particularly for the ousting of its president Jovenel Moise, after it failed to make efforts towards economic reform and instead got itself caught in corruption with many government officials. Black and brown people are often left out of receiving proper justice within the United States democracy and get criminalized and penalized for asking for more from its government. When they follow the laws that allow them to protest peacefully, black and brown people are met with police surveillance and are largely ignored for expressing concern with the way that the government proceeds. These government uprisings prove there is another way for people to rise...

Many people have a lot to say about Compton as a city; comments on its violence and poverty have filtered through history. But Compton Mayor Aja Brown has something new to say for her beloved home.In 2013, Brown became the city’s youngest mayor at age 31. Her urban planning experience was the foundation that helped build a new image for the city — though she faced scrutiny for being new to politics and the city itself, despite having moved and worked there since 2009.Brown also faced scrutiny for her age, in a city where the median age of people is 30 years old.“The majority of Compton is very young. We’re a very young city. So I’m able to relate, communicate, and connect with my constituents in a great way,” Brown said.Amidst the criticisms, Brown pushed forward and won against 12 different opponents; including the former mayor Omar Bradley and incumbent mayor Eric Perrodin. She continued on to win the love from her constituents for transforming Compton into a safe haven. “At the height of NWA’s ‘Straight Outta Compton’ in the ‘90s, Compton experienced over 100 homicides a year,” Brown said to Blavity. “In the last several years, we’ve averaged about 20 per year.”Many credit this reduction in crime to her peace talks with the former Bloods and Crips gang members within her city. Instead of criminalization, Brown encourages negotiation and meditation. Although many constituents are happy with the peace, some fear the ongoing gentrification in Compton. Brown addressed this by first saying Compton has received investments in infrastructure from Fortune 500 companies. She then says constituents should not be worried by that.“Understand what the value is of our property. Regardless of where you live, there is no additional land being made, so we need to understand the power of home ownership, and also, to start having conversations about generational wealth,” Brown said.According to Data USA, the homeownership rate in Compton in 2017 was 54.3 percent, though it is unsure if those homes will be passed down to younger generations.Compton's growth goes beyond homeownership. With new revenue from businesses, Brown has been able to repair roads, including the addition of more lighting to improve public safety. The unemployment rate has decreased with the help of these businesses, including a new grocery store called Grocery Outlet that made national news as one of the first black-owned grocery stores in Compton.Brown has also been connecting with former Compton champions to reinvest in the community and says she is excited to see its growth.“We’ve done a lot together, so I’m looking forward to the years to come,” Brown...

Since 1973, when Roe v Wade was enacted as law, many legislators and pro-life activists have tried their hardest to overturn it.Roe v. Wade, approved by the Supreme Court, allows abortion for up to 24 weeks into their pregnancy. With a Republican-led House, abortion bans increased within the past decade. This year has seen the most abortion restrictions and it really just began.With the Supreme Court unlikely to hear any cases for overturning Roe v Wade, more states are introducing laws to limit people from getting an abortion. Also, Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court has inspired anti-abortion legislators to enact laws that limit access to abortion services and that criminalize providers and patients.Some states, such as Kentucky and Iowa, have attempted to sign bills that ban abortions but have been blocked by federal judges or have been deemed unconstitutional.Here are the states that have succeeded in passing abortion bans this year, and are facing major backlash for its restrictions:MissouriThe state passed a bill on Thursday, banning abortion for people up to 8 weeks of pregnancy. The bill also includes no exceptions to cases of rape and incest but has allowed abortions in the case of medical emergency. The legislation has to go through one more vote from the House before placing on the governor's desk. Governor Mike Parson has already declared that he "stands with the unborn." AlabamaAbortion is a hot topic to discuss, even on the Senate floor. Legislators had to postpone the vote for this bill after fiery debates ensued. The viral video shows the tension after the motion was gaveled without going through a proper roll call vote. The Senate President ensures outraged legislators proper procedure was followed. The motion was set after some Republican legislators in the Senate removed the rape and incest exceptions in the abortion ban. The state’s bill, which is set to resume its vote on Tuesday, will put a ban on all abortions at any stage of pregnancy and become the strictest abortion ban yet. TexasThis state’s current law bans abortion up to 20 weeks, but legislators introduced a bill — The Abolition of Abortion In Texas Act — that would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. The law includes a clause that would put any pregnant person up for the death penalty if they had an abortion. It would remove the exception within the state penal code that removes abortion in the scope of murder. This act, however, missed the deadline for House approval and has now been out of the circuit. OhioSB 23, also known as the Human Rights Protection Act, was passed last month, using fetal heartbeats at six weeks of pregnancy to ban abortion. Six weeks is often around the time people start to feel symptoms of their pregnancy. This means abortion care providers who perform an abortion after detecting such heartbeat from a fetus will be hit with a felony charge and can face time in prison. It also has no exceptions to cases of rape or incest. This law also bans most private insurance coverage for abortions and some forms of birth control.The controversy began after the state’s abortion bill stated treatment for ectopic pregnancies, removing the fetus and reinserting it in the uterus, as not an abortion. Abortion activists are stating this treatment is not even possible, making it obvious legislators have no right to govern a pregnant body. This clause means patients would have to wait until they are at high risk of death to get an abortion if there is an ectopic pregnancy. GeorgiaNewly elected state governor Brian Kemp, who beat out Stacey Abrams, has signed and passed an abortion ban for anyone who is pregnant up to six weeks. This law, HB481, specifically includes the definition of personhood — which recognizes fetuses as “natural persons” who must be provided with full legal protection. This means any aborted fetus is considered a murder victim. All those involved in assisting in abortion services, including providers and grantees, will now be criminalized and could be sentenced to prison. Miscarriages and abortions received in other states will also be considered as murder under this law. FloridaThe fetal heartbeat abortion bill was knocked down as well. Legislators also introduced a bill that would require minors to obtain parental consent if seeking an abortion. This bill would have been unconstitutional under Roe v Wade. The current state law requires parents to be notified if a minor is seeking an abortion — which already puts them at risk if the minor comes from an abusive or neglectful household. Minors who don’t want their parents’ involvement would have to convince a judge they are mature enough to handle abortion on their own. However, this bill also failed in the Senate. Abortion advocates and activists are fighting hard to put these bans to rest. If the Supreme Court decides to hear challenges on Roe v Wade due to the states’ legislation, there is no telling which way they will swing — especially since they need at least five Justices to swing one way.In the meantime, abortion bans are already causing harm to pregnant people and scaring those who seek abortion...

Most of us were playing with toys and running around when we six-years-old, but Oliver Fequiere is putting his time to good use. The innovative six-year-old has started his own business, Ollie's Fizzie Bath Bomb, which he runs with his proud parents.  His mom, Daria King, said Oliver always had an eye for business and models in addition to his bath bomb work.“He has always been fairly business savvy. With modeling, he loves earning money and understands that work equals dollars. After we made bath bombs for his Christmas stocking in 2017... he decided he wanted to make some to sell to his friends,” King told Because Of Them We Can. “The kids were asked to bring in something that made them unique. His first idea was to bring in a picture of himself modeling. He has modeled for the past three years and really enjoys it. He wasn't sure if that was unique enough and then that weekend he went to a classmates birthday party and gifted her an Ollie's Fizzie Bath Bomb. She was so thrilled with the gift that he decided he wanted to bring in a bath bomb and talk about his business. He was so excited to not only talk about Ollie’s Fizzies, but also to demo the bath bomb for his friends.”The bath bombs come with fun toys and are arranged in different colors and themes. Oliver's parents were featured in a 2014 story by Ebony magazine about their relationship and how they met.“Both his dad and I also own our own businesses and we help him with different things. Daddy does all the graphics and is the muscle when we bring out the Fizzie stand," King said."I generally do all of the making. Ollie does the testing, deciding, packing and videos for all of the...

Everybody's favorite do-gooder, Chance The Rapper, is adding yet another good deed to his list.After a dropping a song called "Groceries" at midnight, Pitchfork reports that the artist announced that he's offering 10 participating fans the opportunity to win a year's supply of groceries.The song, featuring Tisakorean and Murda Beatz, is the first single from his forthcoming album. Slated to drop in July, it seems the Chicago native is ready to heat things up more than a little bit.In a recent post shared on his Twitter and Instagram accounts on Friday, Chance offered very short and simple rules for the contest. He asked his fans to make a dance video to his song using the hashtag #Groceries. He said that he's offering extra points if you record a video with friends or parents in a place generally not fit for dancing.Out of all of the submissions, he will choose ten of his favorites to eat for free "through next summer."I would like to pay for your #GRoCERIES for the next year. Yup. I’m picking the 10 best dance videos posted with #Groceries and paying for their groceries THROUGH NEXT SUMMER! extra points if you do it with friends/parents. EXTRA EXTRA points if you do it at work/school pic.twitter.com/5x6SK3gOJa— Chance The Rapper Album in July (@chancetherapper) May 17, 2019The artist released aTik-Tok inspired video hours ahead of his generous offer, which appears to have foreshadowed the event. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chance The Rapper Owbum (@chancetherapper) on May 13, 2019 at 5:44pm PDTThe statement was well-received on both platforms and it seems that your feeds will be inundated with some dance moves quicker than you can block a troll.How imma be trynna do the video😂😭💀 pic.twitter.com/vFDeUFqD7B— Bucket Hat Aiota (@BaketsuPredator) May 17, 2019Me practicing rn pic.twitter.com/uSe7B8Miit— Jade Tiara (@jadetiara25) May 17, 2019Lemme get my camera.— Benito Thompson (@Chocolate_Mayne) May 17, 2019You’re the real deal— Prime Time aka Campeón (@JuanP_Barbera) May 17, 2019Marketing genius... groceries challenge begins.— C Mayz (@c_mayz) May 17, 2019Some questions remain to be answered. As some pointed out, Chance didn't indicate a deadline for the contest. Also, he wasn't clear if videos with multiple people will receive free groceries as a group or as individuals. Chance has yet to declare the official rules but it's safe to say that sooner than later is advised.Get to...

Madison High School principal Carlotta Outley Brown’s parental dress code has been a polarizing subject since she enacted the policy in early April.Brown started her policy on April 9, a day after her staff turned away Joselyn Lewis, who was attempting to register her daughter for classes at the Houston, Texas, high school, as Blavity previously reported. Lewis told KPRC 2, when she'd been turned away, she initially thought she'd been mistaken for a student. "I could see if it's a student, yes they have a dress code. I understand that. But I'm not a student, I have no dress code. So who are you to tell me how to dress?" she said while recounting her interaction with at the school.Brown apparently justified her decision with a condescending letter urging parents to have “high standards” for their attire. In the letter, she barred parents from wearing several items including bonnets, pajamas, hair rollers and low-cut tops. The decision sparked outrage across the country. It led to heated debates between people who opposed the policy and those who supported Brown’s decision.A few days after the dress code policy was published, Brown doubled down on her justification for the policy.She told Inside Edition a parent came in wearing a shirt so sheer her breasts were semi-exposed.. It's unclear if she was talking about Lewis, who wore what she'd been wearing to the school in the above interview."A mother came in with a see-through shirt, and you could clearly see her breasts and her nipples," Brown recalled to Inside Edition.The timing of the policy and the order in which the rules were listed make the story doubtful.The memo started with a lecture about Brown’s standards but somehow revealing clothing wasn’t mentioned until the sixth bullet point. One would think if someone’s mama walked into Madison High School with her bare boobs swinging in the wind, a request to cover up be the first item on the list. Instead, readers are subjected to a respectability politics-peddling lecture about what is appropriate attire outside of a person’s home.On May 7, Brown told Vox if her students wanted pursue a college education, they should start “with how we present ourselves.”Anyone who went to college will tell you sweats are the unofficial college student uniform.Brown also minimized the importance of race.“This is not about race, creed, or color and especially not about socio-economic status,” she said. “It is about elevating standards for students who will go out into the world in the near future and seek opportunities for themselves. I do not want them to face possible barriers.”Yes, it is.Black children are already over-disciplined in schools and the dress code presents another opportunity to enter children into the school-to-prison pipeline.As Lewis’ experience showed, Brown is willing to call law enforcement on parents who don’t follow the policy. As we say in the South, "There is more than one way to skin a cat" — Brown’s methods are not only classist; they are also anti-Black.Brown’s policy reads like a set of rules from a book about Black stereotypes. Bonnets, head scarves and shower caps are almost always attributed to Black women. The only time these items are associated with white women is when they want to turn them into the newest unseasoned trend like The New York Times attempted to do in 2016.The same can be said of Black men, sagging pants and the way the style is criminalized when it is placed on a Black body.Since Black people stepped on to this continent, we were taught we could alleviate some of our oppression with a nicely curated outfit. If we followed the rules, we could get some of white supremacy’s prizes.Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were both in suits and ties when they were murdered. When our elders were marching in their Sunday’s best, those nice clothes were tattered by attack dogs and water hoses. When Trayvon Martin died, he was attacked by critics who believed his hoodie contributed to his death.There are plenty of stories of well-dressed Black people who did everything “right,” and still got screwed over. Journalist Brittany Noble Jones was famous for her reporting on the Michael Brown case and should have been a highly sought-after journalist. Instead, she was told her natural hair was unprofessional when she asked a supervisor if she could stop straightening her hair.“After having my son, I asked my news director if I could stop straightening my hair,” she recalled in a Medium post. "A month after giving me the green light, I was pulled back into his office. I was told my natural hair is unprofessional and the equivalent to him throwing on a baseball cap to go to the grocery store. He said, ‘Mississippi viewers needed to see a beauty queen.’ He even asked why my hair doesn’t lay flat.”Madison High School’s student body is overwhelmingly Black and Latinx, so even if every parent followed the policy discrimination is still a possibility. Teaching children they will be protected if they wear a button-up and take off their bonnets does them a disservice. As Yasiin Bey said in his song "Mr. Nigga," “They say they want you successful, but then they make it stressful/ You start keepin' pace, they start changin' up the tempo.”Even when Black folks start wearing the “right” clothes, we'll get clocked for something else. On April 24, Texas mom Angela Washington posted a picture of her son’s haircut, after it was ruined by an administrator with a Sharpie marker, who deemed it “out of dress code,” as Blavity previously reported. Not to mention, the number of stories which have circulated from schools where Black children, although in uniform, were sent home because their braids were deemed inappropriate. California’s Senate had to pass a law to ban businesses from discriminating against Black people’s hair, because many dress codes have “a disparate impact on Black individuals as these policies are more likely to deter Black applicants and burden or punish Black employees than any other group."My majority Black and low-income schools were adamant about their dress codes, but like many schools, they dropped the ball elsewhere. There were times when we were fed expired and moldy food. We shared tattered textbooks. There was an extreme focus on standardized test preparation instead of making sure the students could read. I was reprimanded for wearing a shirt that didn’t cover the top of my leggings, but I don’t remember a time when they actually taught us how to dress for an interview.Brown was hired as a turnaround expert to fix issues at Madison High. An October 2017 article by The Houston Chronicle deemed Houston, TX, high schools a "dropout factory,” because the dropout rate is over 40 percent — I doubt a bonnet had anything to do with this statistic. Black children are often over-disciplined and undertaught, and there aren’t enough button-down shirts and press-n-curls in the world to fix this issue.It remains to be seen what the effects of Brown’s policy will be, but I hope she put this type of passion into helping her students rather than controlling them.Liking this content? Now, check these out:Shaq Empathized With A Teen Who Couldn't Afford To Buy Shoes In His Size So He Bought Him 10 PairsThanks, In Part, To No Snitching Memo, Black Metro Worker's Bag Will Not Be Affected By Tattletale Author Natasha TynesZeta Phi Beta Seems To Have Changed Its Mind About Limiting Its Membership To Cisgender...

Although astrology and spirituality have categorically been known as taboo or hoopla to those who consider themselves to be religious, the truth is they are one in the same. Zodiac signs, birth charts, crystals, sage, palo santo, tarot cards and planets in retrograde have reemerged in a gentrified state of expensive fairy dust, but it's important to know that such astrological practices are not simply smoke and mirrors. They are also not anti-religious. Astrology is not about the absence of God. In fact, it is the very essence of Him/Her, and even has led me to a closer relationship with the Most High.MTV's 2001 musical drama Carmen: A Hip Hopera — a unique twist on Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte's famed 1954 musical Carmen Jones, which was also based on the classic 1875 opera Carmen — ignited my curiosity about these mythic tools. The remake features Beyoncé Knowles and Mekhi Phifer in a romantic drama. While the pair’s rap and R&B-influenced love affair left more questions than answers, it was the movie's pivotal "Cards Never Lie" scene that struck me the most. At a crucial “should I stay or should I go” moment in the plot, the naive protagonist received the fate of death during her tarot reading. My highly impressionable 12-year-old self was intrigued by the fortune and the chain of events that followed. It caused me to question if she caused her own death by ditching her supposed “true love” for money and fame, or was her unfortunate ending in the stars all along. As the story unfolds, it became apparent that Carmen's fate was a direct result of her actions.Years later, I would reach my own defining moment. After four years of college and thousands of dollars in student loan debt, I had no full-time job to show for it. By this time, I had already found my like-minded tribe, was well aware of myself as a "sensitive" Cancer and had just begun to explore the differences between one's sun, moon and ascendant signs. The early post-graduate years of my life were spent with many ups and downs, attempting to understand the influx and outflow of my career trajectory and romantic pursuits.Throughout 2012 to 2014, I made a more habitual practice of using crystals to attract specific energies, oracle cards to communicate with my guardians and rituals to release unwanted habits that were taking space away from desired manifestations. In viewing the universe and all of its energies as an extension of God, all things seemed possible. If God created the universe and I was created in the likeness of God, would it be hard to believe that the universe is also working in my favor? Of course, it's far easier to reckon with that truth when things are going well.In 2016, I became increasingly aware that my Saturn return was creeping upon me. This life-altering transit occurs when the planet Saturn makes a complete rotation to the exact place it resided at your birth, which takes about 27 to 30 years. Known as a period of critical analysis in terms of determining a person’s true purpose in the world and wake-up call regarding the past, I foolishly thought I had it all together. In both my career and love life, I felt that I had reached a promising plateau. I was dating someone who I hoped would become a long-time partner, and I had a job I enjoyed with a title that made me feel secure and necessary. I moved into my first non-shared apartment, a huge one-bedroom (according to New York City standards), beautifully decorated and extremely spacious in a warm Brooklyn neighborhood.Four months later, my position of nearly two years — and the department it belonged to — was suddenly dissolved: A branding overhaul. On top of that, my partnership of one-and-a-half years fell to pieces and failed to recuperate at every given chance. Crushed and defeated, I sulked for months and sat in shame. Attempts to find a replacement job amounted to nothing; personal phone calls were made, professional mass BCC'd emails were sent, even coffee and lunch with mentors, professors and previous employers proved to be useless.On my seventh month of zero propositions for a single job interview, I had an emotional breakdown. There literally was no explanation I could find for the lack of responses I received. I was angry with God, with the universe and with myself for the lack of direction. Living off of my savings, I worried that I would lose all that I felt I had worked so hard to attain — little did I know I was learning an intended lesson.One mentally defeated day, I randomly wandered into my favorite crystal store, Namaste Bookshop, and felt the urge to buy my very first Rider-Waite tarot deck — the most commercially successful of them all. Asking for spiritual guidance and career advice, that night I used the 10-card Celtic cross spread for clarity and in the final draw, known as the outcome, I pulled the death card. Previously, I found that the death card rarely refers to the physical manifestation of one's funeral — as Robert Townsend’s Hip Hopera suggests — but the mental and emotional experience of endings and new beginnings. In actuality, I was being called to a greater purpose, one that I had been fighting off for some time.Furthermore, I looked at my birth report for answers and found that my natal chart was also treading through fairly difficult Uranus and Neptune transits. These planetary movements, typically known as the precursor to one's Saturn return, are known for inciting abrupt change in the physical and the mental — disrupting one's trajectory for destiny.Similar to Carmen, I realized that much of my own decisions had led me to the stagnant path I was on. The truth was that I had lost my way long ago and this was God's way of repositioning me for better. Ironically, the job I spent so long mourning over was initially only supposed to be a temporary gig. I knew that I was capable of fulfilling the daily duties with ease and that it couldn't fulfill my desires for long-term growth. Confident it would be a great starting ground, I took on the task with every intention of using it as a catalyst, but I got too comfortable. I let the money motivate me and I procrastinated on all other pursuits. I moved into that expensive (but beautiful) Brooklyn apartment, stopped creating outside of work and quit imagining more for myself. I became content and was living my day-to-day life playing small, knowing a bigger life was intended for me.At the beginning of my depressed state, I prayed every day and grew frustrated at the lack of clear and succinct answers. Astrology eventually became my only place of refuge. I followed each significant moon phase to release my fears and jot down my dreams. I consulted oracle cards and my tarot deck for advice. I used information from my birth chart to promote inner growth: How having Chiron in Cancer made my desire to be loved greater than my love for self; how my Mars in Leo ignited my fear of judgment; and how all those things — and many more — are simply guides to areas of improvement, not destined curses. I decided to lean in to myself, instead of escaping into things like unrewarding work and lackluster partnerships. I let go of the belief that someone or something outside of myself could save me. I found my way back to my purpose through astrology, and astrology placed me back on a direct path with God.What I came to realize, in fact, was that God and the universe were working hand in hand to save me from a fate I didn't deserve; one that was mediocre compared to the greater of my talents and far less compared to the love I craved. Forced to ask myself what I truly wanted out of life and not just what could easily bring me monetary gain or temporary joy, new windows of opportunity opened in ways I wouldn't have otherwise imagined.The next month, I found a less expensive home and acquired a new job to go with my revised professional goals. In the end, I ran through over $30,000 in savings due to the setbacks, but knowing that these were all divine events for my greatest good meant there was no need for regrets — I have none.Believing in astrology, mythic tools and spirituality are not simply about believing whether or not people can communicate with other realms or predict the future. It's about finding the universe from within, as we all contribute to its vast mysteriousness in our own distinct ways.Believing in God is about believing in the dust, and the stars, and the energy, and the minerals, and the mystery and the magic; it’s about believing in...

In the interest of giving flowers to our cultural greats while they’re still able to smell them, we need to talk about LeVar Burton. Burton’s contributions to the culture, all of which have left a mark on the masses, often seem to fly under the radar; but LeVar Burton is a living legend, and we better not forget that.Reading Rainbow One myth that’s generously thrown about is how every child has access to public libraries whenever they want. It’s also often a follow-up or precursor to the accusation that “Black people, particularly kids, don’t read.”While the fact that public libraries are freely accessible resources is true in theory, people who grew up in rural places with limited transportation — like the town I came up in, with a population of 4,000 — know that getting to the library is often a pipe dream in practice. Even today in the internet age, the American Library Association has noted that rural libraries “often offer fewer formal services than their peer institutions.” Plus, any Black kid who’s ever asked their Black, adult relative for a ride (to anywhere, ever – library or not) on a day off of work is keenly aware that the process involves more than simply saying, “Take me here.”Reading Rainbow, which Burton not only hosted but also served as executive producer on, offered kids a real-world solution to this issue. Broadcast on PBS, a free network channel, the show was designed to engage children by talking directly to them. The series also exposed its kid audience to books and cultures that children may not have otherwise been exposed to. Bonus: The show was Black as hell.I still remember the episode when Burton introduced Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale. Seeing the illustrations of Black characters and hearing the narration of Black voices in theatrical African accents was so moving to me, I immediately went to my elementary school library to check it out. The librarian had never heard of the story, but had it inventoried in just for me. YouTube | Abagail Witting (Side note: Disney, Marvel or whoever is reading this — can we get a live action film? Naturally, with an all Black production team, director and cast.)Also, who can forget the melodic theme song that had Tina Fabrique belting what sounded like a jazz standard sung on a floating cloud, as viewers were mesmerized by a cartoon butterfly? Again, Black as hell. YouTube | Matthew J. SmithReading Rainbow ran for 21 seasons and won over 200 broadcast awards. However, the real award was the millions of children who Burton inspired, including all the brown girls, boys and gender fluid youth interested in learning because of a host they could see themselves in — I was one of them.Roots View this post on Instagram Tossing it back to the day when Kunta was crushing on Fanta... #Roots #TBTA post shared by LeVar Burton (@levar.burton) on Feb 4, 2016 at 6:53am PSTSome millennials — myself included — may not have initially realized that LeVar Burton played the leading role of Kunta Kinte in the game-changing 1977 miniseries adaptation of Alex Haley’s Roots: The Saga of an American Family until our older years. Burton shined in a more seasoned all-star cast, which also included John Amos, Cicely Tyson, Maya Angelou and Louis Gossett Jr. In fact, he was just an undergrad at the University of Southern California and only two years into his studies when he was cast in the pivotal role. Before that? He was in the seminary!The series was heavy and long; all things most of us wanted to avoid. It wasn’t until we were equipped with a lengthier attention span, emotional maturity and the cultural understanding regarding the significance of our (Black) history that we were able to handle the brutality presented on the screen and appreciate the Black excellence that was Burton’s performance. Pontificating on the importance of the broadcast of Roots would be preaching to the choir, I hope. Recently, Vulture noted Roots as the “single most important piece of scripted television in broadcast history” — which we already knew.Star Trek: The Next GenerationNow it's considered all sweet and trendy to be labeled a "Blerd," but of course this wasn't always the case. Black characters in science fiction and fantasy stories have consistently been scant. Ironically, it was the original 1960s version of Star Trek, starring Nichelle Nichols in her groundbreaking role as Lieutenant Uhura, which literally flipped the script by showcasing a Black woman as the fourth in command of a spaceship. Her character set the precedent for future Blerds as we know it.Almost 30 years later in 1987 — with honestly little traction in between — Burton premiered as a holy grail of modern-day Blerdom. He portrayed chief engineer Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation. In a space (no pun intended) where Black fantasy fans are still fighting for representation and visibility, Geordi is included as one of the original OGs of the Black cosplay world. We should thank Burton for that. View this post on Instagram #geordielaforge #startrekthenextgeneration #startrek #thenextgeneration #cosplay #megacontampa #megacon #megacon2018A post shared by Carlos Aviles (@itomanpr) on Oct 5, 2018 at 11:10pm PDT View this post on Instagram Captain Picard found his crew! #nycc #nycc2017 #nycomiccon #nycomiccon2017 #cosplay #startrek #startrekcosplay #startrektng #captainpicard #geordielaforge #deannatroi #captainpicardcosplay #teamstripeysocksA post shared by Team Stripey Socks (@teamstripeysocks) on Oct 12, 2017 at 4:02pm PDT View this post on Instagram #TBT with my lil sister @sleeping_foodie cuz we bout to go see @brunomars tonight and I AM READY TO GOOOO! Also, there is a hilarious story about that day which shall never be tooooooold! 😂😂😂 - - #blerd #startrek #startrektos #startrektng #Cosplay #megacon #startrekcosplay #scifi #geek #nerd #nerdfamily #geordielaforge #cosplayer #comiccon #megaconorlando #cosplayfamily #family #bpiathlete #throwbackthursday #throwbackA post shared by T Wood (@svperhxro_tng) on Oct 19, 2017 at 8:49am PDT View this post on Instagram 🖖🏽 #HappyHalloween #TheNextGenerationA post shared by Amanda Monroe (@moe_sizslack) on Oct 31, 2018 at 7:53pm PDTBlack culture is heavy in acknowledging our elders, may-wakers and those who came before us. In this age of high paced "what have you done for me now" culture, it's important that we continue to hold fast to those traditions. Even with all his success, Burton hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, most recently he appeared in Jordan Peele’s “Weird City.”LeVar Burton has hit every possible mark of icon status and he's done so quietly, humbly and centered in Blackness. Let's shout it from the rooftops with the hope that he hears it....

Update (May 17, 2019):  A Colorado officer who received backlash after pulling his gun on a Black man for picking up trash in front of his home has resigned from the police force with salary compensation.HuffPost reports that Officer John Smyly violated two department policies when confronted Zayd Atkinson, including public trust and conduct.Officials say the video of Smyly’s body camera footage proved that the officer acted without proper reason of suspicion, ABC News reports. However, investigators claim they could not prove it was racially-motivated.Smyly has since resigned from his position in the police department but was allowed to collect $69,000 in salary as compensation.Tom Carr, Boulder Attorney, stated that the department decided not to fire Smyly because of the attention it would have drawn, as well as a possible appeal that could have led to him retaining his position.  According to the agreement, Smyly’s position will dissolve on May 9. However,  he will be considered an employee until February. Therefore, making him eligible to receive “commensurate pay and benefits” as well as a “single, lump sum” for any unpaid profits or unused vacation time for the next nine months.Atkinson's attorney, Siddhartha Rathod, found the gesture insulting to his client.“Boulder is essentially saying we’re going to pay this officer and let him resign for threatening Zayd’s life, for racially profiling Zayd,” said Rathod. “If you or I were to do this, we would be criminally charged. We would immediately lose our jobs.”Smyly, who pulled out his Taser and reportedly also showed his gun while interacting with Zayd, was met with 8 back-up officers, one of which can be seen holding a rifle in the footage.He instructed the 26-year-old to put down his trash grabber and told him he was committing “a jailable offense.”“Your hand is on your weapon and you’re gonna shoot me,” Atkinson shouted on the video. “That’s what you’re gonna do, officer? You’re gonna shoot a resident on his property for picking up trash?”The original video was recorded by his friend and roommate, who began recording some time after the student intentionally walked from the front of his home to the back so that the incident could be seen and heard.Zayd has since reported difficulty sleeping and battles with depression following the event.Original: A Boulder, Colorado, college student, captured on video being harassed by several police officers, spoke out about the trauma he endured a month ago.  The victim at the center of the now-viral video is Naropa University student Zayd Atkinson. On March 1, the 26-year-old was detained by police for cleaning up his yard in a majority white neighborhood. He was holding a bucket and a trash grabber when officers confronted him.  Now, the man shared his story with ABC's Good Morning America. Atkinson believed he was approached because of his race and how he dressed.He could be seen in the Facebook video recorded by his friend, Vanardo Merchant, defending his right to pick up trash to a cadre of officers. One of the officers at the scene pulled out his weapon in a threatening fashion. "I thought that once the firearm was out that that meant that he was going to try to kill me," Atkinson told Good Morning America. "It was a frightening experience. I didn't know what else to do besides, you know, to fight with my voice and to practice my rights, which were thoroughly being breached."Atkinson complied with officers' demands. However, more police arrived at the scene. He proved he lived on the property by showing an ID along with a keycard, and his friend also told officers Atkinson was a resident. Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news."Zayd is picking up [garbage] outside of our home and eight police officers pull up on him with guns threading to shot him telling him to put down the 'weapon,'" Merchant wrote in the caption of the video.During his sit-down with GMA, Atkinson recalled one officer following him around with his hand on a Taser. Police eventually left the second-year college student alone. Nearly a week after, protests broke out in Boulder demanding justice for Atkinson. The Boulder Police Department admitted the victim committed no crime."I believe that this man had approached me because I'm a Black male in an all-white town. … I thoroughly believe I was profiled," Atkinson said. "Not only that you know I'm a Black man, I have dreads. At the time I had a beard and I was wearing raggedy clothes."Although the incident is over, Atkinson will take legal action. He has recruited attorney Siddhartha Rathod to represent him. The traumatic experience has reportedly left him unable to sleep. He also suffered from anxiety and depression due to the incident.One of the officers involved is currently on administrative leave while an investigation is underway, the department said in a statement released last month.The student hopes to meet with city officials to start a dialogue about police policies and officer training to prevent this sort of harassment from happening again.Now, check these out: 3 Things Bernie Sanders Should Do If He Wants To Secure The Black Vote Kodak Black Charged With Sexual Assault For Alleged 2016 Rape Of South Carolina High School Student How Nipsey Upheld The Teachings Of W.E.B. Dubois And Fulfilled The Dream Of Leaders Before Him...

Atlantic Records recording artist Rico Nasty starts off her latest album Anger Management by screaming about how cold she is over various experimental lo-fi beats, easily setting up the tone for the rest of the record. It's undeniably clear that Rico Nasty is upset, and Anger Management, her second collaboration project with producer Kenny Beats, is the playground through which she channels her rage.Anger Management traces Rico Nasty’s journey through her own rage, while also debunking the societally constructed and imposed trope of “the angry Black woman,” a negative stereotype that’s historically been used against Black women in an effort to invalidate their frustrations with systemic racism and microaggressions. However, the female MC's unapologetic exploration of her anger throughout the album highlights the feeling of anger as a healthy, self-liberating process. It also illustrates how Black women can benefit from the personal development and growth that can occur when afforded the room to experience this very human, universally experienced emotion. Anger Management Out Now W/ @kennybeats https://t.co/aYLTzNDMPE— TACOBELLA (@Rico_nastyy) April 25, 2019On Anger Management, Rico Nasty analyzes her budding fame, haters and her commitment to her punk-influenced style. However, her unorthodox aesthetic isn’t anything new. From the critically acclaimed mixtape Nasty to earlier music releases, Rico Nasty’s style has presented a beautiful, sonically pleasing blend of rock, punk and rap. In fact, her 2017 heavy metal single "Smack a B***h" was her first project with producer Kenny Beats, providing an appropriate, rage-encompassing prelude to Anger Management. YouTube | Rico NastyAt the center of Anger Management is the rapper's own frustration. The tone of each song gradually progresses from angst and aggression to subdued and calm, creating a sensory arch that emulates the literal experience of processing anger after it's triggered. The album’s first track “Cold” begins with Rico Nasty yelling “Kenny!” at the top of her lungs. Rico Nasty uses her distinctive style to scream-rap about why she’s the “coldest” rapper out right now, and how she doesn’t care about haters constantly critiquing her eclectic style. Thrashing heavy metal beats soon emerge, as the rapper showcases some of the attributes that have helped to establish her as a unique force within the hip-hop scene: Loud ad-libs, lighthearted wordplay and an unlimited amount of charisma.Conveying similar energy on the next song “Cheat Code,” Rico Nasty maintains her momentum as she extends a warning to those who want to start trouble with her. The song appropriately samples a soundbite from season three of Love and Hip-Hop: Atlanta. To provide a bit of context, Rico Nasty’s sample was lifted from a conversation between castmates Erica Dixon and Ariane Davis, after a sex tape of fellow castmate Mimi Faust was allegedly leaked to the public. During their dialogue, Dixion and Davis express shock and outrage over the tape’s contents, while also doubting Faust’s claims that the intimate, homemade video had been stolen and released to the public without permission, as opposed to intentionally produced and shared.“This is some professional — like — and this, this s**t is in different areas! What the f**k?! This ain’t no homemade s**t!” Dixon says, disgusted by what she believed was a setup driven ulterior motives of Faust and her then-boyfriend Nikko.YouTube | Rico NastyAfter sampling Dixon’s comments, Rico Nasty interprets the exchange between Dixon and Davis as an example of hating throughout the lyrics of "Cheat Code," relating this iconic reality TV moment to how she addresses the haters encountered throughout her own career.Rico Nasty responds to her haters again in the track titled “Hatin,” this time sampling the beat from Jay-Z’s classic single “Dirt Off Your Shoulder.”Rico Nasty got Erica Dixon and Jay-Z sampled on the same album. I stan. 😭— brie (@brieninetyfive) April 25, 2019As she discusses her own experiences on "Hatin," the MC offers women an empowering lesson about how to ignore those men who may feel insecure or even be envious of their luxurious lifestyle. Rico Nasty leads by example when she proudly lists all of her accomplishments and encourages other women “boss b***ches” in their own lives and forget about the men who are jealous of their success and try to minimize the value of their accomplishments. YouTube | Rico NastyAs the album winds down, Rico Nasty turns her outward rage into self-reflection. "Sell Out," the album’s most introspective and somber track, highlights Rico Nasty’s rise to fame. Additionally, it discusses how she uses music as a way to channel the anger she experiences when people bombard her with polarizing, destructive criticism about her choice of creative expression and her artistic style and encourages others to do the same and stay true to themselves.“The expression of anger is a form of rejuvenation/ I'm screaming inside of my head in hopes that I'm easing the pain/ Memories in my brain, thinkin' I'm going insane/ Everyone knowing my name but somehow I'm feeling the same,” Rico Nasty raps on the track. “Yeah, I might sell out but I ain't no sellout/ The kids stay around even though the doors let out/ 'Cause they just want to tell me about how I helped them out/ I won't let them down/ You guys are so strong and you don't even know it/ People hate you 'cause you're different and focused.”By the end of the album, Rico Nasty has a full-circle moment, which is shared via the laid-back tones of “Again.” The concluding song of the album, Rico Nasty acknowledges how far she’s come in her career, how she was able to achieve so much all on her own, and how she has zero intention of letting her success get away from her anytime soon.“But I did it all on my own, you dig?/ Might take a few steps, feel like I'm taking back six/ I just woke up to a check, you dig?/ Let me take a deep breath, I ain't going broke again,” the lyrics of “Again” proudly profess.Overall, Rico Nasty’s genre-defying record offers Black women a well-deserved outlet for their aggravation by inviting all listeners to a cathartic space to channel their own fury. Although “the angry Black woman” stigma can frequently result in the emotional policing of Black women, reducing them to docile, emotionless figures, Rico Nasty's honesty and fearlessness directly confronts and challenges this concept by showcasing anger as a foundation for creative excellence. Rage isn’t characterized as a defect on Anger Management; it’s something worth celebrating. For Rico Nasty, in particular, this carefully crafted record appears to be the result of what can happen when frustration drives creative inspiration, as her own anger has so clearly served as a valuable source for her culture-defining rap aesthetic.Like this content? Now, check these out:Don't Get The Twerk Twisted: Megan Thee Stallion Is Taking Over With Her Big Ole Power Ballads15 Rappers We're Banging Beyond Black Music Month--And They're All WomenAzealia Banks Breaks Down The Two Calibers of White Men After White IG User Calls Her...

HBCU schools are banding together to present the first-ever HBCU World Series later this month. Those involved hopes the move will make the sport popular in African-American communities again. Inaugural HBCU World Series to feature North Carolina A&T and Southern https://t.co/6NF6N8yknh— HBCU Sports (@HBCUSports) May 14, 2019Only 8% of players on MLB rosters this year are Black. Among college teams, the percentage of Black players is nearly half that of the prosHBCUs have been forced to recruit white and Latino players to make up for the decline in Black players available. Yahoo Sports reported that two HBCU baseball conferences have rosters that are less than 50 percent Black. In a New York Times story last week, players said they were amazed to see HBCU baseball teams filled mostly with white and Latino players.“We want to utilize these events to promote educational opportunities to urban youth who in some cases may not even know schools with the history of a North Carolina A&T State University or a Southern University even exists,” said Erwin Prentiss Hill, CEO of the Black College Sports Group 360.“These oftentimes may be first-generation college prospects. They have good grades and good GPAs. They just do not have an understanding from a previous generation of what it takes to navigate that process.”In the first HBCU World Series, North Carolina A&T Aggies will battle against the Southern Jaguars at Chicago's Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday, May 24. Tickets are $10 in advance and $20 on the day of the game. A number of HBCUs, such as Howard have been forced to eliminate their baseball teams entirely because they are not as economically sustainable. The decline of Black participation in baseball has been a somewhat vicious cycle over the past three decades. Black kids see less Black MLB players and decide against playing the sport, decreasing the number of Black players in the high school and college ranks.Major League Baseball is acutely aware of the issue and has commissioned a number of studies to better understand why. Analysts have pointed to a number of different issues causing the decrease in Black baseball players.Equipment for the sport is costly. In addition, the fees need to join travel teams can be expensive and travelling to away games can be time consuming for working parents. Baseball fields require lots of space, which can be hard to find in urban areas. In recent years, cities have paved over fields in favor of basketball courts. As a result, Black kids and parents have more access to sports like football and basketball.Major League Baseball has made an effort to address the issue head on with their Urban Youth Academies and the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program.“Greatness comes from historically black colleges and universities,” said Hill.“The bottom line is to get more urban youth back to our HBCU’s, so that talented young men and women can add to the legacy of our outstanding predominantly black...