Let's face it, we all have a little nerd in us, but a select few wear that character trait with pride.

With the holiday season upon us, it's only right to gift that blerd (Black nerd) moonlighting as your longtime friend or family member, something that captures all their geeky and quirky ways.

The following eight products make great presents for the eccentric, lovable and curious blerd who is always on-hand to provide a fun fact or source of trivia only they would know. Their imagination or sense of adventure might differ from yours, but the mutual love and respect will never waver.

1. "Anime and Trap Music" sweater

Branded as "the friendly geeks," snag your favorite blerd eagerly awaiting their next convention this "Anime and Trap Music" sweater from \n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\"> \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Be4ET_rh780/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003Csvg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https://www.w3.org/2000/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\">\u003Cg stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\u003Cg transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\">\u003Cg>\u003Cpath d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\">\u003C/path>\u003C/g>\u003C/g>\u003C/g>\u003C/svg>\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\"> View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Be4ET_rh780/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by The Quirk Shop (@thequirkshop_)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp> ‘ rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>The Quirk Shop\u003C/a>. After one day of wearing this, they are sure to attract new friends who likely feel the same.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Be4ET_rh780/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Be4ET_rh780/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Be4ET_rh780/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by The Quirk Shop (@thequirkshop_)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n",{"title":61,"content":62},"\"Anime baddie\" sweatshirt ","\u003Cp>Get your 90s anime-loving bestie this "Anime Baddie" sweatshirt from \u003Ca href=\"https://shop.adornedbychi.com/collections/90s-anime-athletics/products/anime-baddie-unisex-crewneck-sweatshirt\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Adored By Chi\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CCcQMcyHpl0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CCcQMcyHpl0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CCcQMcyHpl0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Adorned By Chi® (@adornedbychi)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n",{"title":64,"content":65},"A unicorn pillow","\u003Cp>Jourdan Porte is the owner of Philadelphia-based \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/naturallyqueer_designs/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Naturally Queer\u003C/a>, a small business that caters to queer and transgender people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals who love to wear their hair curly or natural. Know someone obsessed with anything unicorns? This \u003Ca href=\"https://naturallyqueer.com/product/hand-painted-pillow/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">hand-painted pillow\u003C/a> will remind them of your gesture every time they look at it. \u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu6SrB-llO2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu6SrB-llO2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu6SrB-llO2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Naturally Queer™️ (@naturallyqueer_designs)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n",{"title":67,"content":68},"Blerd comic pop backpack","\u003Cp>Comic pop art will never go out of style, so it's only fair to give any comic aficionado this carryall with iconic sayings from \u003Ca href=\"https://www.etsy.com/listing/779494861/blerd-comic-pop-backpack?ref=shop_home_active_63&frs=1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Blerd Official\u003C/a>. Features include a 15" laptop sleeve and a hidden pocket to secure a mobile device. Complete the look with these \u003Ca href=\"https://www.etsy.com/listing/779495717/blerd-comic-pop-leggings?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=blerd&ref=sr_gallery-1-30&organic_search_click=1&frs=1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">matching leggings\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CEg83djDHGf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CEg83djDHGf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CEg83djDHGf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Blerd™ – Blerd.com (@blerdofficial)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n",{"title":70,"content":71},"Afro-futurism comics ","\u003Cp>Based in North Philadelphia, \u003Ca href=\"https://amalgamphilly.com/harriet-tubman-demon-slayer-1/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Amalgam\u003C/a> is the only Black and woman-owned comic shop, and the first Black-woman owned comic book store on the East Coast. In stock is a fantasy story centering around \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/search/Harriet%20Tubman\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Harriet Tubman\u003C/a>, and the description is a must-gift for the Black and proud recipient with a larger-than-life imagination.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>"When slave owners can't stop the formidable ninja warrior Harriet Tubman, they call on the help of Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, & Demons to stop her," reads the book's synopsis. "Harriet Tubman must lead a family of slaves to freedom while battling an army of darkness."\u003C/p>\n\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/B5GgOlnjGYa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/B5GgOlnjGYa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/B5GgOlnjGYa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse (@amalgamphilly)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n",{"title":73,"content":74},"Black comic book series","\u003Cp>Basically, \u003Cem>The Avengers\u003C/em> with an all-Black cast, \u003Ca href=\"https://blacksuncomics.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Black Sun\u003C/a> is a graphic series that tells the story of people from different worlds who must work together to restore order in their homeland after it has seized from an unknown, invading alien army. For anyone who wants to escape the difficulties of another day in quarantine, this is the perfect gift.\u003C/p>\n\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CBQx4ibFNjY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CBQx4ibFNjY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CBQx4ibFNjY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Black Sun Comics ???????? (@blacksuncomics)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n",{"title":76,"content":77},"Wakanda flag pin","\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/radical_dreams_pins/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Radical Dreams\u003C/a>' mission is simple: to change the world one pin at a time. Owned and operated by Shannon P., a Black student of medicine who is also a staunch advocate for \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/search/social%20justice\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">social justice\u003C/a>, this \u003Ca href=\"https://www.radicaldreams.net/collections/lapel-pins/products/black-panther-wakandan-flag-lapel-pin\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Wakanda flag pin\u003C/a> could make a great gift for fans of the blockbuster film who wishes every day they had access to vibranium.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CEfryAgnlwq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CEfryAgnlwq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CEfryAgnlwq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Radical Dreams Pins®️ (@radical_dreams_pins)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n",{"title":79,"content":80},"\"Fly Nerd\" tee","\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://flynerdapparel.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Fly Nerd\u003C/a> is the brainchild of Mimi, a Baltimore-based creative who earned degrees from Towson University and Parsons the New School of Design. A self-proclaimed "fly" nerd at heart, make your loved one an official member of the weird crew and present them with this \u003Ca href=\"https://flynerdapparel.com/products/fly-nerd-too-hype-unisex-tee?variant=31602710347845\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">unisex tee\u003C/a> for $30. Sizes go up to 4XL.\u003C/p>\n\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CBSIiZHpBCj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CBSIiZHpBCj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CBSIiZHpBCj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Fly Nerd Apparel (@flynerdapparel)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Blessed should be the blerds this holiday season. \u003C/p>\n",true,false,1,{"disableConnatixPlayer":82},{"disableAd":82,"disableConnatixPlayer":82,"enabledComments":82,"headScript":27},{"reviewer_name":10},"https://storage.googleapis.com/blavitynews/images/fallback.jpg","article","2026-05-20T03:35:28.534Z",{"list":91,"total":192},[92,136,164],{"id":93,"author":94,"authors":101,"title":103,"subTitle":104,"excerpt":10,"slug":105,"body":106,"categories":107,"tags":112,"featuredMedia":117,"publishedAt":126,"publishedAtGMT":127,"updatedAt":128,"updatedAtGMT":129,"type":130,"listicle":131,"disableContentGate":82,"disableListicleNumbers":82,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"readingTime":132,"customFields":133,"additional":134,"acf":135},72911040,{"id":95,"avatar":96,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":97,"email":98,"username":97,"normalizedUsername":99,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":100},95243,"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/16fdff8cddc7bd4702273ce7e1677d1d0021c4b55e83ca690c8b22edc3cbfdf4?s=1024&r=g","Christopher Rhodes","[email protected]","christopher-rhodes","2020-09-14T00:00:00+00:00",[102],{"id":95,"avatar":96,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":97,"email":98,"username":97,"normalizedUsername":99,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":100},"Think America’s Best Days Are Over? New Study Shows The Wealthier See Possibility While Most Americans See Decline","The Pew Research Center survey shows nearly every racial, political and income-based demographic is pessimistic about the country’s future compared to its past.","study-says-most-america-thinks-best-days-are-behind","\n\u003Cp>As the \u003Ca href=\"http://blavity.com/tags/united-states\">United States\u003C/a> prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, a new survey shows that most Americans believe the country’s best days are behind it rather than ahead. This view of the country, which crosses nearly every major demographic category, comes at a time of social, political and economic turmoil.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Most Americans see the country’s best years as ‘behind us’ rather than ahead\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The \u003Ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/05/15/a-majority-of-americans-say-the-countrys-best-years-are-behind-us/?utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=26.05.15%20-%20Heads%20up%20America%27s%20best%20days&org=982&lvl=100&ite=17727&lea=5092954&ctr=0&par=1&trk=a0DQm00000CXyUjMAL\">Pew Research Center\u003C/a> asked a total of 3,560 adult Americans whether they were optimistic or pessimistic about what the country would be like 50 years from now, as well as whether they “think the country’s best years are…” either “ahead of us” or “behind us.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A significant majority, 59%, believe that the country’s best days have passed, while only 40% answered that they think America’s best days are yet to come.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>This result holds across parties, with 64% of Democratic or Democratic-leaning Americans and 53% of Republican or Republican-leaning Americans holding this negative view of the country’s future compared to its past.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The results also hold for almost all income groups. Only wealthier Americans did not have a predominantly negative outlook; this group was split evenly between those seeing the country’s best days ahead of us and those seeing them behind us.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary, 59% of Americans say the country’s best years are behind us, while 40% say its best years are ahead. \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/hFJG8fKmsc\">pic.twitter.com/hFJG8fKmsc\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/pewresearch/status/2055347896917041198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 15, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Black and Hispanic Americans most likely to see country’s best days in the past\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The result also holds for every major racial or ethnic demographic, with majorities of white, Black, Hispanic and Asian American respondents all saying the best days of the United States are behind us.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>This result is strongest for Black and Hispanic Americans, with nearly two-thirds of each group — 66% and 64%, respectively — seeing the country’s best days as being behind it.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The survey was conducted between Dec. 8 and Dec. 14, 2025. It reflects the views of Americans after nearly a year of President Donald Trump’s second term in office, which has seen economic instability, political turmoil and erratic foreign and domestic policies.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>For Black and Hispanic Americans, the two groups least likely to see things improving in the future, 2025 also saw various efforts to whitewash American history, a spike in \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/unemployment-rate-for-black-people-is-the-highest-since-the-pandemic\">Black unemployment\u003C/a> driven in part by the alleged targeting of Black officials at independent government agencies for dismissal, and a series of heavy-handed \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/trump-uses-slur-on-thanksgiving-when-discussing-pause-third-world-countries-immigrants\">immigration crackdowns\u003C/a> that largely targeted immigrant Hispanic and Black communities.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Partisan divide exists, but pessimism spans both Republicans and Democrats\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The negative view of the country’s prospects represents a shift over time.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The 2025 Pew survey shows that only 40% of adult Americans see the country’s best days are ahead. That figure is down from the 44% who saw America’s best days ahead in 2014.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>This shift in opinion from the second Obama administration to Trump’s second presidency masks a partisan divide. More Republicans surveyed in 2025, 46%, see the United States’ best days ahead than Republicans surveyed in 2014, when only 36% felt that way.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>That positive shift among Republicans is outweighed, however, by a sharp negative shift among Democrats. In 2014, a significant majority of Democrats surveyed, 57%, believed the country’s best days were ahead. By 2025, only 34% of Democrats surveyed shared that view.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In absolute terms, however, both parties are currently wary of the country’s future. About 39% of Republicans and 50% of Democrats said they were either very or somewhat pessimistic about the future, while only 33% of Republicans and 25% of Democrats said they were optimistic about where the country will be in 50 years.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>With the 250th anniversary of American independence approaching, most Americans currently have a negative outlook on the country’s future. As the party behind the “Make America Great Again” slogan seeks to hold onto power after this year’s midterm elections, the new Pew Research Center survey suggests the prevailing mood across the country is that the United States’ greatest days may already be in the past.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n",[108],{"id":109,"name":110,"slug":111,"description":10,"image":27},120,"Politics","politics",[113],{"id":114,"name":115,"slug":116,"description":10,"image":10},44529,"top stories","top-stories",{"url":118,"thumbnail":119,"credit":120,"title":121,"alt":122,"type":52,"width":123,"height":124,"mimeType":125},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GettyImages-2213946093.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GettyImages-2213946093-150x100.jpg","Photo: Getty Images\n","Woman getting cold sitting under the blanket indoors. Copy space","Woman getting cold sitting under the blanket indoors. Home heating. Copy space.",2500,1667,"image/jpeg","2026-05-18T07:10:00-04:00","2026-05-18 11:10:00","2026-05-18T08:17:34-04:00","2026-05-18 12:17:34","default",[],3,{"disableConnatixPlayer":82},{"disableAd":82,"disableConnatixPlayer":82,"enabledComments":82,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},{"id":137,"author":138,"authors":139,"title":141,"subTitle":142,"excerpt":10,"slug":143,"body":144,"categories":145,"tags":147,"featuredMedia":149,"publishedAt":156,"publishedAtGMT":157,"updatedAt":158,"updatedAtGMT":159,"type":130,"listicle":160,"disableContentGate":82,"disableListicleNumbers":82,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"readingTime":132,"customFields":161,"additional":162,"acf":163},72911025,{"id":95,"avatar":96,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":97,"email":98,"username":97,"normalizedUsername":99,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":100},[140],{"id":95,"avatar":96,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":97,"email":98,"username":97,"normalizedUsername":99,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":100},"Tennessee School System Bans 'Roots' As Thousands Of Books Face Conservative Challenges","The book joins over 100 other titles removed by the county as book bans grow across the country.","tennessee-school-system-bans-roots","\n\u003Cp>Books relating to the stories and histories of Black people and other marginalized groups are increasingly being banned by schools and even the federal government.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Now, one \u003Ca href=\"http://blavity.com/tags/tennessee\">Tennessee\u003C/a> county has banned one of the most famous books relating to slavery, written by one of the state’s most famous authors.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-knox-county-schools-bans-roots-by-tennesseean-alex-haley\">Knox County Schools bans ‘Roots’ by Tennesseean Alex Haley\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.wbir.com/article/news/education/roots-added-knox-co-schools-list-banned-books/51-517cba33-2b63-4479-b269-5457c3a546fe\">WBIR\u003C/a> reported that the Knox County school system has removed Alex Haley’s acclaimed book,\u003Cem> Roots: The Saga of an American Family, \u003C/em>from its school libraries.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The book was removed under Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act, a state law that requires books to be removed from school libraries if they are deemed to contain offensive material such as nudity, sexual content or “excessive violence.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Roots\u003C/em>, first published in 1976, tells the story of Haley’s family beginning with the brutal enslavement of his ancestor Kunta Kinte from West Africa.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Haley, who spent part of his childhood in Tennessee and returned to live in the state during the latter years of his life, has regularly been honored in the state, with a large statue of the author sitting in Morningside Park in Knoxville.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Roots\u003C/em> was a New York Times bestseller and won a Pulitzer Prize. The book has also been adapted multiple times, most notably as a sensational 1977 ABC \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/entertainment/a-retrospection-on-the-evolution-and-impact-of-roots\">miniseries\u003C/a> watched by an estimated 130 million viewers.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Over 100 books banned in county as not ‘age-appropriate’\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Carly Harrington, a spokesperson for Knox County Schools, confirmed that \u003Cem>Roots\u003C/em> was removed from the county’s school libraries.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>She told WBIR that “librarians are expected to incorporate the legal standard into their collection review and management processes. This includes elevating titles to the district review committee if an AAMA concern is identified.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Removed books can still be taught in class but must be taken off library shelves.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Under the law, objections to specific books can be made by students, parents or school staff, with decisions about content made at the school district level.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Roots\u003C/em> was one of \u003Ca href=\"https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/education/2026/05/15/knox-county-schools-bans-historical-novel-roots-by-alex-haley/90080042007/\">six books\u003C/a> chosen to be removed earlier this month, along with books such as \u003Cem>The Go Ask Alice Book of Answers \u003C/em>by the Columbia University Health Education Program, \u003Cem>This Book Is Gay\u003C/em> by Juno Dawson, and the graphic novel \u003Cem>Wonder Woman: Dead Earth\u003C/em> by Daniel Warren Johnson.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In total, Knox County Schools has banned 119 books, including famous and acclaimed works such as \u003Cem>The Bluest Eye\u003C/em> by Toni Morrison, \u003Cem>13 Reasons Why\u003C/em> by Jay Asher, \u003Cem>The Perks of Being a Wallflower\u003C/em> by Stephen Chbosky and \u003Cem>Slaughterhouse-Five\u003C/em> by Kurt Vonnegut.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thousands of books removed across the U.S. as conservative policies proliferate\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The removals by Knox County Schools are part of a growing trend of book bans across the country.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/book-bans-public-schools-report\">Blavity\u003C/a> previously reported, the organization PEN America estimated that more than 10,000 books were banned from schools and libraries during the 2023-24 academic year alone.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Many of these bans were promoted by laws passed in conservative states such as Florida.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Continuing the trend, \u003Ca href=\"https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/05/07/nonfiction-books-banned-schools-doubles-report/89966267007/\">PEN America\u003C/a> reported that 6,780 books were banned from schools and libraries in 23 states during the one-year period from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, with a growing number of these banned books being works of nonfiction.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>This trend is being exacerbated by the policies of the \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/jackie-robinson-mlk-books-naval-academy-dei-ban\">Trump administration\u003C/a>, with its campaign against DEI and so-called divisive material leading to books and other information about Black history and other marginalized groups being removed from military institutions, federal parks, museums and more.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Given this trend, it is not surprising that a book like \u003Cem>Roots\u003C/em>, with its uncompromising look at slavery and anti-Black oppression, would be deemed inappropriate.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>While these bans have become increasingly common, they are still disturbing, and the removal of \u003Cem>Roots\u003C/em> is a reminder of the extent to which some people in positions of power and influence are attempting to censor and whitewash American history.\u003C/p>\n",[146],{"id":109,"name":110,"slug":111,"description":10,"image":27},[148],{"id":114,"name":115,"slug":116,"description":10,"image":10},{"url":150,"thumbnail":151,"credit":152,"title":153,"alt":10,"type":52,"width":154,"height":155,"mimeType":125},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/design-53.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/design-53-150x84.jpg","Photo: Getty Images","design (53)",2048,1147,"2026-05-15T10:55:49-04:00","2026-05-15 14:55:49","2026-05-18T08:17:41-04:00","2026-05-18 12:17:41",[],{"disableConnatixPlayer":82},{"disableAd":82,"disableConnatixPlayer":82,"enabledComments":82,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},{"id":165,"author":166,"authors":167,"title":169,"subTitle":170,"excerpt":10,"slug":171,"body":172,"categories":173,"tags":175,"featuredMedia":177,"publishedAt":184,"publishedAtGMT":185,"updatedAt":186,"updatedAtGMT":187,"type":130,"listicle":188,"disableContentGate":82,"disableListicleNumbers":82,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"readingTime":132,"customFields":189,"additional":190,"acf":191},72910832,{"id":95,"avatar":96,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":97,"email":98,"username":97,"normalizedUsername":99,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":100},[168],{"id":95,"avatar":96,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":97,"email":98,"username":97,"normalizedUsername":99,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":100},"South Carolina Redistricting Effort Fails As Republicans Defect In State Senate Vote","The failure of the redistricting vote pauses a wave of GOP-led racial gerrymandering.","sc-redistricting-effort-fails-as-republicans-defect-senate-vote","\n\u003Cp>After the \u003Ca href=\"http://blavity.com/tags/supreme-court\">Supreme Court\u003C/a> gutted the Voting Rights Act, Republican-led governments across the South have been moving quickly to eliminate predominantly Black congressional districts. This trend of racial gerrymandering has, at least for now, hit its first major roadblock, with South Carolina’s GOP failing to push through a redistricting effort targeting the state’s only Black member of Congress.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">South Carolina redistricting plan defeated as Republicans defect\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/south-carolina-state-senate-rejects-effort-tackle-redistricting-pressu-rcna344815\">Republicans\u003C/a> in South Carolina’s State Senate failed Tuesday to push forward a plan to redistrict the state and eliminate its only Democratic and predominantly Black congressional district.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The GOP was attempting to extend the current legislative session in order to allow time to redistrict the state ahead of June’s primary election. The resolution to extend the session passed the South Carolina House, but the effort fell short of the required two-thirds majority needed in the State Senate. Five Republican state senators voted with Democrats to shoot down the measure.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>South Carolina State Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, one of the Republicans voting against the measure, defended his vote in an extended speech on the Senate floor.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“I believe that our state is stronger with vibrant parties. I think we, as a whole, are stronger when we have a clash of ideas. I think that’s true at the national level. I think it’s true at the state level. We are stronger when we have a clash of ideas and we can discuss those policy goals.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Massey added, “Republicans are stronger when the Democrat Party is vibrant and viable. We are. Competition makes you better, y’all.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">🚨 HOLY CRAP!! South Carolina Senate Leader Shane Massey (R) blocked 2026 redistricting because, HIS WORDS: "South Carolina is stronger" when "we have a vibrant and viable Democratic Party"\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Trump won his district by 34 POINTS.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>PRIMARY HIM OUT!\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>He actually said: “South Carolina… \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/iFYEw6we9s\">pic.twitter.com/iFYEw6we9s\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2054320473190940892?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 12, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Republicans race to redistrict after Voting Rights Act gutted\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The defeat of the South Carolina redistricting push is the first major setback for Republicans in their ongoing effort at racial gerrymandering.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The wave of redistricting follows a \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/supreme-court-louisiana-redistricting-ruling-black-voting-power\">Supreme Court\u003C/a> decision that essentially gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The ruling in the case Louisiana v. Callais allowed that state to eliminate its second majority-Black congressional district.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Immediately after the ruling, Louisiana’s Republican Governor \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/republicans-moving-to-eliminate-majority-black-districts-after-supreme-court-voting-rights-decision\">Jeff Landry\u003C/a> halted an ongoing primary election in order to redraw the state’s district lines.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Tennessee Republicans have already pushed through a redistricting measure that carves up the Memphis area, eliminating the state’s only majority-Black congressional district.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Other Republican-controlled states in the South are also pushing redistricting efforts with President Donald Trump’s backing. Prior to Tuesday’s vote in the South Carolina State Senate, Trump posted on social media: “South Carolina Republicans: BE BOLD AND COURAGEOUS, just like the Republicans of the Great State of Tennessee were last week!”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The South Carolina State Senate has a big vote tomorrow on Redistricting. I’m watching closely, along with all Republicans across the Country who are counting on their Elected Leaders to use every Legal and Constitutional authority they have to stop the Radical Left Democrats… \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/jfeHKi7Ljm\">pic.twitter.com/jfeHKi7Ljm\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Donald J Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/TrumpTruthOnX/status/2053977042333610002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 11, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Plan to eliminate Rep. James Clyburn’s seat paused, for now\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A partisan redistricting effort in South Carolina would eliminate the state’s only predominantly Black district and endanger the career of Rep. James Clyburn, the only Democrat currently representing the state in Congress.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Earlier this week, Clyburn expressed confidence that he could win reelection even if gerrymandering occurred, while also warning Republicans that their plans could backfire by diluting Republican votes as well.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The defeat of the South Carolina resolution for an extended legislative session makes it more difficult for Republicans to redistrict the state, but it does not preclude other avenues toward that goal, such as Republican Gov. Henry McMaster calling a special session for the redistricting effort.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In a social media post made after the failed Senate vote, McMaster did not mention the idea of a special session but stated, “The General Assembly still has two full days in which to finish its important work, including giving full consideration — as sought by the people — to the important question of redistricting.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The General Assembly still has two full days in which to finish its important work, including giving full consideration – as sought by the people – to the important question of redistricting. I urge the General Assembly to finish its work according to the U.S. and South Carolina…\u003C/p>— Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/henrymcmaster/status/2054368441797108222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 13, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The Republican redistricting effort is likely to continue across the South, with GOP-led states curtailing or eliminating predominantly Black districts.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The move to redistrict South Carolina may continue, but for now, Democrats and a handful of Republicans in that state have pumped the brakes on the GOP plan to wipe out Black congressional districts ahead of this year’s midterm elections.\u003C/p>\n",[174],{"id":109,"name":110,"slug":111,"description":10,"image":27},[176],{"id":114,"name":115,"slug":116,"description":10,"image":10},{"url":178,"thumbnail":179,"credit":152,"title":180,"alt":181,"type":52,"width":182,"height":183,"mimeType":125},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GettyImages-1218082519-scaled.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GettyImages-1218082519-150x79.jpg","Silhouetted African American man with hand on heart at voting booths","MS silhouetted African American man looking at voting booths, with hand over heart, US flag on wall behind",2560,1350,"2026-05-13T15:17:35-04:00","2026-05-13 19:17:35","2026-05-18T08:17:52-04:00","2026-05-18 12:17:52",[],{"disableConnatixPlayer":82},{"disableAd":82,"disableConnatixPlayer":82,"enabledComments":82,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},287,{"list":194,"total":515},[195,254,335,390,452],{"id":196,"author":197,"authors":204,"title":206,"subTitle":207,"excerpt":10,"slug":208,"body":209,"categories":210,"tags":212,"featuredMedia":228,"publishedAt":235,"publishedAtGMT":236,"updatedAt":237,"updatedAtGMT":238,"type":55,"listicle":239,"disableContentGate":82,"disableListicleNumbers":81,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"readingTime":250,"customFields":251,"additional":252,"acf":253},376704,{"id":198,"avatar":199,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":200,"email":201,"username":200,"normalizedUsername":202,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":203},94683,"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/beff3a595af5beaf99c7ba2fc564e798524e70654b2978c89eee1bbfc6377294?s=1024&r=g","Rashad Grove","[email protected]","rashad-grove","2022-02-17T12:42:10+00:00",[205],{"id":198,"avatar":199,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":200,"email":201,"username":200,"normalizedUsername":202,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":203},"Actor John Cena Posts His 'Black Twin' And The Resemblance Is Uncanny","The WWE superstar noticed a striking resemblance he had with a Black bodybuilder on social media.","actor-john-cena-posts-his-black-twin-and-the-resemblance-is-uncanny","\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">Everyone has a doppelganger and apparently John Cena has a Black one, according to \u003Ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/12/entertainment/john-cena-jamal-cena/index.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">reports\u003C/a> from CNN.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>The actor and WWE superstar posted a photo of trainer and bodybuilder Brendan Cobbina that has been circulating on social media because of their resemblance. \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">Cena \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CSYaSrPtG8Y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">posted \u003C/a>the photo on his Instagram without a caption and none was needed as Cobbina could easily be mistaken for a Black version of Cena.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CSYaSrPtG8Y/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CSYaSrPtG8Y/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CSYaSrPtG8Y/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by John Cena (@johncena)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">According to the comments, many also noticed how much the two looked alike and named Cobbina “Jamal Cena."\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">Cobbina has embraced his newfound status as the “Black John Cena.”\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">"24. You may know me as the 'Black John Cena' or the owner of OmegaMuscles. Bodybuilder. Coach,” his Twitter bio \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/iamcobbina?s=20\">reads.\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">Of course, you can always count on Twitter to share some hilarious reactions. Here are a few of the funniest tweets about the "Black John Cena."\u003C/p>\n",[211],{"id":29,"name":30,"slug":31,"description":10,"image":27},[213,217,220,224],{"id":214,"name":215,"slug":216,"description":10,"image":10},454,"Brendan-Cobbina","brendan-cobbina",{"id":218,"name":219,"slug":219,"description":10,"image":10},14579,"doppelganger",{"id":221,"name":222,"slug":223,"description":10,"image":10},453,"John-Cena","john-cena",{"id":225,"name":226,"slug":227,"description":10,"image":10},34816,"WWE","wwe",{"url":229,"thumbnail":230,"credit":231,"title":232,"alt":232,"type":52,"width":233,"height":234,"mimeType":125},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-2202199110-Cropped.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-2202199110-Cropped-150x94.jpg","Photo: Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images","The Rock and John Cena at WWE event",819,512,"2021-08-12T15:55:50-04:00","2021-08-12 15:55:50","2026-03-24T12:23:16-04:00","2026-03-24 16:23:16",[240,242,244,246,248],{"title":10,"content":241},"\u003Cp>One person thought that the moniker “Jamal Cena” was hilarious.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Someone said Jamal Cena ???????????? \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/sxUSO0ZEMn\">https://t.co/sxUSO0ZEMn\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>— Yxng’J???? (@aoethemindset) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/aoethemindset/status/1424714594048675842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 9, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":243},"\u003Cp>Another person couldn’t believe that Cena posted the photo.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">John Cena posted him ???????????????? \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/91SGw4CpfW\">pic.twitter.com/91SGw4CpfW\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>— Chidden Nuddet (@Maraculousness) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Maraculousness/status/1425076135679959040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 10, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":245},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">bro is literally black John Cena \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/p45R4xzPbR\">https://t.co/p45R4xzPbR\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>— cryptic incognito (@CrypticNoHoes) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/CrypticNoHoes/status/1424793096181714948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 9, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":247},"\u003Cp>Another person noticed a few celebrities have a doppelganger of a different race.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Life is just a lie. We got Black John Cena, White Kobe and female Tupac \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/ggUd5HZKkb\">pic.twitter.com/ggUd5HZKkb\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>— BlackOut (@SicknessOG) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SicknessOG/status/1424848385685680141?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 9, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":249},"\u003Cp>This is what John Cena saw when he looked in the mirror in 2005 \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/f8HitfI2KS\">pic.twitter.com/f8HitfI2KS\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp>— KloutMachine (@KloutMachineTM) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/KloutMachineTM/status/1425187292923277312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 10, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">Besides finding his long-lost Black twin, Cena has been busy starring in \u003Cem>The Suicide Squad,\u003C/em> playing Peacemaker and recently, he made his long-awaited \u003Ca href=\"https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2021/07/19/john-cena-wwe-return-money-in-the-back-summerslam\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">return\u003C/a> to \u003Cem>WWE Smackdown.\u003C/em>\u003C/p>\n",2,{"disableConnatixPlayer":82},{"disableAd":82,"disableConnatixPlayer":82,"enabledComments":82,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},{"id":255,"author":256,"authors":264,"title":266,"subTitle":267,"excerpt":268,"slug":269,"body":270,"categories":271,"tags":273,"featuredMedia":298,"publishedAt":305,"publishedAtGMT":306,"updatedAt":307,"updatedAtGMT":308,"type":55,"listicle":309,"disableContentGate":82,"disableListicleNumbers":81,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"readingTime":250,"customFields":332,"additional":333,"acf":334},72472064,{"id":257,"avatar":258,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":259,"email":260,"username":261,"normalizedUsername":262,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":263},94522,"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f8eb52660d8b8be94e59634f2a01c1477c0a47da81d7ac50cffea2e1d30d7d38?s=1024&r=g","Danteé Ramos","[email protected]","Dante Ramos","dante-ramos","2021-08-23T00:00:00+00:00",[265],{"id":257,"avatar":258,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":259,"email":260,"username":261,"normalizedUsername":262,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":263},"Dennis Rodman's Daughter Trinity Rodman Is The Highest-Paid Player In National Women's Soccer League","They say the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.","Trinity Rodman is the highest-paid player in league history. The 2021 Rookie of the Year received a contract extension.","trinity-rodman-highest-paid-in-national-womens-soccer-league","\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://firstsportz.com/nba-news-dennis-rodmans-daughter-trinity-rodman-outraces-megan-rapinoe-and-alex-morgan-to-become-highest-paid-player-in-nswl-history/\">Trinity Rodman\u003C/a>, 19, the daughter of NBA Hall of Famer \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/im-trying-to-go-this-week-dennis-rodman-plans-to-visit-russia-to-rescue-brittney-griner?category1=news&category2=politics\">Dennis Rodman\u003C/a>, is the highest-paid player in league history. The 2021 Rookie of the Year received a contract extension with the Washington Spirit. \u003C/p>\n",[272],{"id":29,"name":30,"slug":31,"description":10,"image":27},[274,278,282,286,290,294],{"id":275,"name":276,"slug":277,"description":10,"image":10},152,"Blavity-U","blavity-u",{"id":279,"name":280,"slug":281,"description":10,"image":10},170,"Blavity-U-News","blavity-u-news",{"id":283,"name":284,"slug":285,"description":10,"image":10},31113,"Dennis Rodman","dennis-rodman",{"id":287,"name":288,"slug":289,"description":10,"image":10},53634,"highest paid","highest-paid",{"id":291,"name":292,"slug":293,"description":10,"image":10},2332,"Trinity Rodman","trinity-rodman",{"id":295,"name":296,"slug":297,"description":10,"image":10},53633,"women soccer","women-soccer",{"url":299,"thumbnail":300,"credit":301,"title":302,"alt":10,"type":52,"width":303,"height":304,"mimeType":125},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IMG_5383-compress.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IMG_5383-150x84.jpg","Tim Nwachukwu / Leon Bennett","IMG_5383",800,450,"2022-08-29T20:04:36-04:00","2022-08-29 20:04:36","2022-08-29T20:05:10-04:00","2022-08-29 20:05:10",[310,312,314,316,318,320,322,324,326,328,330],{"title":10,"content":311},"\u003Cp>Her new extension includes a four-year deal for $1.1 million, currently more than what she was earning under her prior agreement — a three-year contract with a net pay of $42,000 to play in the National Women’s Soccer League.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":313},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Trinity Rodman is the highest-paid player in NWSL history.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>The 19-year-old signed a four-year, $1.1M guaranteed contract with the Washington Spirit 👏 \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/cx8sPXl1cy\">pic.twitter.com/cx8sPXl1cy\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>— B/R Football (@brfootball) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1488888807336427520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 2, 2022\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":315},"\u003Cp>She has an option to extend her contract with the 2024 NWSL Champion team until 2025. Trinity will earn $281,000 yearly, surpassing the $250,000 salaries of Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, two United States women’s national team superstars.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":317},"\u003Cp>Rodman signed a three-year contract last year with an average base pay of $42,000 plus housing and bonuses. Trinity has made a name for herself, having a successful season, which led her to be selected as the league’s youngest player in the first round of the NWSL draft in January 2021.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":319},"\u003Cp>Rodman won the Rookie of the Year, the Young Player of the Year award from US Soccer, and was the only one from her team to be invited to the US Women’s National Team training camp.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":321},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgm1WK3O2bO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center;\">\u003Ca style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgm1WK3O2bO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Trinity Rodman (@trinity_rodman)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":323},"\u003Cp>Since joining USWNT, Trinity has been compared to other soccer superstars, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, who have acquired substantial financial contracts over their careers. The annual income of Megan and Alex, however, is $250,000.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":325},"\u003Cp>Many speculate Trinity will soon become a star for the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.essentiallysports.com/us-sports-news-olympics-news-uswnt-soccer-news-nba-news-nba-legend-dennis-rodmans-daughter-outclassed-soccer-queens-megan-rapinoe-and-alex-morgan-to-become-highest-paid-player-in-nwsl-history-in-2022/\">USWNT\u003C/a> and reach the heights of Morgan and Rapinoe.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":327},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/ChLL5kxvtQE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center;\">\u003Ca style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/ChLL5kxvtQE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Washington Spirit (@washingtonspirit)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":329},"\u003Cp>\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Her father, \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/dennis-rodman-accused-of-refusing-to-properly-wear-face-mask-during-flight?category1=news\">Dennis Rodman\u003C/a>, also known as \u003C/span>“The Worm,”\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> was a legendary player in the NBA. Dennis holds five NBA titles, and twice he made the NBA All-Star team. He won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award twice and spent eight seasons as a member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":331},"\u003Cp>\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In 2011 Rodman was selected for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2022 he became a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary team.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n",{"disableConnatixPlayer":82},{"disableAd":82,"disableConnatixPlayer":82,"enabledComments":82,"headScript":27},{"reviewer_name":10},{"id":336,"author":337,"authors":338,"title":340,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":341,"slug":342,"body":343,"categories":344,"tags":356,"featuredMedia":375,"publishedAt":382,"publishedAtGMT":383,"updatedAt":384,"updatedAtGMT":385,"type":130,"listicle":386,"disableContentGate":82,"disableListicleNumbers":82,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"readingTime":83,"customFields":387,"additional":388,"acf":389},72743473,{"id":257,"avatar":258,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":259,"email":260,"username":261,"normalizedUsername":262,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":263},[339],{"id":257,"avatar":258,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":259,"email":260,"username":261,"normalizedUsername":262,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":263},"Atlanta Restaurant Owner Introduces 'Grits That Give Back' Initiative, Directing 100% Of Proceeds To HBCU Student Scholarships","Ebony Austin, owner of Nouveau Bar & Grill and Nouveau Creations in College Park, Georgia, is making a big difference. ","atlanta-grits-that-give-back-initiative-100-proceeds-to-hbcus","\n\u003Cp>Ebony Austin, owner of Nouveau Bar & Grill and \u003Ca href=\"https://nouveaucreations.myshopify.com\">Nouveau Creations\u003C/a> in College Park, Georgia, is making a big difference. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As part of her initiative “Grits that Give Back,” Austin donates 100% of proceeds to scholarships for students attending HBCUs. Her mantra in life, “Never tell a child no,” has driven her passion for supporting HBCU students, according to\u003Ca href=\"https://www.wishtv.com/focus-on-food/focus-on-food-stories/atlanta-restaurant-owner-giving-back-to-hbcu-students/\"> WishTV\u003C/a>. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Austin has awarded four Spelman students $5,000 scholarships and partnered with U.S. Foods to alleviate food insecurity at Howard University and Morehouse College. Furthermore, she surprised Michael Wright, a Howard University student on Good Morning America, with a $15,000 scholarship.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3tIVeLAkC_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\"> \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3tIVeLAkC_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003Csvg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https://www.w3.org/2000/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\">\u003Cg stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\u003Cg transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\">\u003Cg>\u003Cpath d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\">\u003C/path>\u003C/g>\u003C/g>\u003C/g>\u003C/svg>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\u003Cdiv> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/a>\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3tIVeLAkC_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Ebony Akira (@ebonyakira)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/div>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"//www.instagram.com/embed.js\">\u003C/script>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>According to \u003Ca href=\"https://cw33.com/news/local/celebrity-backed-eatery-nouveau-noir-coming-to-north-texas/\">CW33\u003C/a>, through her work, she furnished three families’ townhomes in 2023. She covered their first year’s rent and provided resources for sustainable living. Her four eateries and thriving food truck are expanding to Dallas with Nouveau Noir, a high-end brunch spot she’s opening soon.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“We are so excited about coming to North Dallas,” Austin told CW33. “Not only are we looking forward to helping boost the city’s economy by opening our third location there, but we are eager to pour into the community, which continues to be a huge passion of mine.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Through her annual Christmas event, Nouveau Bar & Grill has provided more than 5,000 families with ring lights, computers, XBoxes, Playstations, bicycles, dirt bikes, BEATS by DRE headphones, cash, and gift cards.\u003C/p>\n",[345,347,352],{"id":346,"name":276,"slug":277,"description":10,"image":27},70685,{"id":348,"name":349,"slug":350,"description":351,"image":27},118,"Culture","culture","Commentary on culture, happenings, and the things that move us. We in the these #tweets too.",{"id":353,"name":354,"slug":355,"description":10,"image":27},70684,"HBCU","hbcu",[357,361,362,363,367,371],{"id":358,"name":359,"slug":360,"description":10,"image":10},13797,"academic scholarships","academic-scholarships",{"id":275,"name":276,"slug":277,"description":10,"image":10},{"id":279,"name":280,"slug":281,"description":10,"image":10},{"id":364,"name":365,"slug":366,"description":10,"image":10},70891,"Ebony Austin","ebony-austin",{"id":368,"name":369,"slug":370,"description":10,"image":10},70890,"Grits That Give Back","grits-that-give-back",{"id":372,"name":373,"slug":374,"description":10,"image":10},70892,"Nouveau Bar & Grill","nouveau-bar-grill",{"url":376,"thumbnail":377,"credit":378,"title":365,"alt":10,"type":52,"width":379,"height":380,"mimeType":381},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Social-Thumb-2024-04-01T131336.950.png","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Social-Thumb-2024-04-01T131336.950-150x84.png","Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Nightclub & Bar Media Group",1280,720,"image/png","2024-04-01T18:14:44-04:00","2024-04-01 22:14:44","2024-04-01T18:14:50-04:00","2024-04-01 22:14:50",[],{"disableConnatixPlayer":82},{"disableAd":82,"disableConnatixPlayer":82,"enabledComments":81,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},{"id":391,"author":392,"authors":399,"title":401,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":402,"slug":403,"body":404,"categories":405,"tags":407,"featuredMedia":419,"publishedAt":424,"publishedAtGMT":425,"updatedAt":426,"updatedAtGMT":427,"type":55,"listicle":428,"disableContentGate":82,"disableListicleNumbers":81,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":420,"readingTime":132,"customFields":449,"additional":450,"acf":451},72743986,{"id":393,"avatar":394,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":395,"email":396,"username":397,"normalizedUsername":397,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":398},99591,"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_1020-2-compress.jpg","Aria Bell","[email protected]","ariabell","2022-08-29T17:13:08+00:00",[400],{"id":393,"avatar":394,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":395,"email":396,"username":397,"normalizedUsername":397,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":398},"Billionaire MacKenzie Scott's Latest Donation Is $2M That She's Given To A Black Doula Nonprofit: 'We're Poised To Continue Transforming Maternal Health Outcomes'","MacKenzie Scott has donated $2 million to a Black doula nonprofit in Northeast Ohio.","billionaire-mackenzie-scott-donates-to-black-doula-nonprofit","\n\u003Cp>Author and philanthropist \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/mackenzie-scott-12m-donation-to-howard-college-of-medicine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MacKenzie Scott\u003C/a> has continued to give monetary support to nonprofits making an impact in communities nationwide, and now, she has donated $2 million to a \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/midwife-opened-virginia-first-black-owned-birthing-center\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Black birthing center\u003C/a> in Northeast Ohio.\u003C/p>\n",[406],{"id":29,"name":30,"slug":31,"description":10,"image":27},[408,412,416],{"id":409,"name":410,"slug":411,"description":10,"image":10},14635,"black maternal health","black-maternal-health-2",{"id":413,"name":414,"slug":415,"description":10,"image":10},15940,"Donations","donations",{"id":417,"name":418,"slug":418,"description":10,"image":10},36881,"doula",{"url":420,"thumbnail":421,"credit":152,"title":422,"alt":10,"type":52,"width":423,"height":303,"mimeType":125},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/uni-2024-04-02T173242.287.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/uni-2024-04-02T173242.287-150x92.jpg","uni – 2024-04-02T173242.287",1300,"2024-04-02T17:39:58-04:00","2024-04-02 21:39:58","2024-04-02T17:41:52-04:00","2024-04-02 21:41:52",[429,431,433,435,437,439,441,443,445,447],{"title":10,"content":430},"\u003Cp>\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>When the billionaire’s divorce was finalized in July 2019 from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos after 25 years of marriage, she received a \u003Ca href=\"https://www.businessinsider.com/mackenzie-scott-bezos-yield-giving-philanthropy-2022-12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4% stake in the company\u003C/a> as a part of her settlement. Since then, she’s been donating large lump sums of money to numerous organizations. She also joined the other billionaires part of the Giving Pledge, created by Warren Buffett and \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/bill-gates-afrobeats-burna-boy-rema\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bill\u003C/a> and Melinda Gates, in committing to give most of her riches away to philanthropic organizations that are combatting an array of societal issues.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":432},"\u003Cp>“I have no doubt that tremendous value comes when people act quickly on the impulse to give. No drive has more positive ripple effects than the desire to be of service,” she said in her \u003Ca href=\"https://givingpledge.org/pledger?pledgerId=393\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pledge letter\u003C/a>. “There are lots of resources each of us can pull from our safes to share with others — time, attention, knowledge, patience, creativity, talent, effort, humor, compassion.”\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":434},"\u003Cp>\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>In December 2022, the 53-year-old launched a website database called \u003Ca href=\"https://yieldgiving.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Yield Giving\u003C/a>, founded by Scott to “share a financial fortune created through the effort of countless people” and provide transparency for all the money given on her behalf since 2019. According to the site, the charitable association has donated over $17 billion to over 2,300 charities.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":436},"\u003Cp>Last month, Scott revealed that following a review of YG’s \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/mackenzie-scott-launches-new-open-call-pledging-250m-for-community-focused-nonprofits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2023 open call applications\u003C/a> from numerous small charitable groups, she’ll be giving 361 nonprofit groups $640 million, according to \u003Ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/mackenzie-scott-open-call-yield-giving-bezos-ae809a469080e9e61a945a14a230629e#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AP News\u003C/a>. A movement that will benefit the most from the grant funding is \u003Ca href=\"https://www.birthingbeautiful.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Birthing Beautiful Communities\u003C/a>, the only, “community-based doula program” whose mission is to ensure safe pregnancies and birth for at-risk women of color by providing one-on-one support to growing families before, during and after the pregnancy. In addition, mothers and infants can continue getting aid until the newborn’s first birthday per the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.birthingbeautiful.org/about/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">site\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":438},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C3QoMhvOoH0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center;\">\u003Ca style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C3QoMhvOoH0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Birthing Beautiful Communities (@birthingbeautiful)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":440},"\u003Cp>On March 19, the Cleveland-based institution, created by African American trained Perinatal Support Persons, announced the good news online via a \u003Ca href=\"https://www.birthingbeautiful.org/2m-mackenzie-scott-grant-awarded-to-clevelands-birthing-beautiful-communities-supporting-medical-equity-for-black-mothers-regionally/\">press release\u003C/a>. Jazmin Long, BBC’s president and CEO, expressed her gratitude for the donation.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":442},"\u003Cp>“We’re overjoyed and deeply grateful for this transformative gift from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call. This generous support propels Birthing Beautiful Communities into an exciting new chapter, empowering us to amplify our impact and further our mission of ensuring every mother, baby, and family receives the care and support they deserve,” Long said, per the press release. “With this funding, we’re poised to continue transforming maternal health outcomes in Northeast Ohio and beyond, ushering in a future where every birth is a beautiful and healthy experience.”\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":444},"\u003Cp>\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Since the BBC was founded, they have helped train, certify, and employ other PSPs who provide services for Northeast Ohio at-risk women who may likely have complications during childbirth that result in the death of the infant. They have been able to successfully facilitate classes to certify \u003Ca href=\"https://www.birthingbeautiful.org/about/\">over 75 women\u003C/a> who were interested in birth work while simultaneously serving over \u003Ca href=\"https://www.birthingbeautiful.org/about/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">600 clients\u003C/a>. Furthermore, outside of pregnancy and postpartum support, the holistic health organization offers wealth-building opportunities for Black women, who can typically struggle economically due to society’s class structure, \u003Ca href=\"https://www.blackenterprise.com/mackenzie-scott-donation-doula-program/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Black Enterprise\u003C/a> reported.\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":446},"\u003Cp>Long also shared in a video announcement made to help celebrate and spread the news about the $2 million grant, that the money will help build out their second location.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph --> \u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>“This generous support helps to propel us to a new chapter,” she said. “A new chapter that helps take us to our new birth center, which is set to break ground in this fall.”\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":448},"\u003Cp>\u003Ciframe title=\"Thank You Yield Giving: Announcing Our Award\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/3NMkJEU2z2s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C/iframe>\u003C/p>\n",{"disableConnatixPlayer":82},{"disableAd":82,"disableConnatixPlayer":82,"enabledComments":81,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},{"id":453,"author":454,"authors":455,"title":457,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":458,"slug":459,"body":460,"categories":461,"tags":469,"featuredMedia":479,"publishedAt":486,"publishedAtGMT":487,"updatedAt":488,"updatedAtGMT":489,"type":55,"listicle":490,"disableContentGate":82,"disableListicleNumbers":81,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":511,"readingTime":250,"customFields":512,"additional":513,"acf":514},72748975,{"id":393,"avatar":394,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":395,"email":396,"username":397,"normalizedUsername":397,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":398},[456],{"id":393,"avatar":394,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":395,"email":396,"username":397,"normalizedUsername":397,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":398},"The Black Food Truck Festival Is A Rapidly Rising South Carolina Event, Founded By A Former College Of Charleston Basketball Player","The Black Food Truck Festival is now a staple in Charleston, South Carolina, drawing attendees from Georgia and Florida as well.","black-food-truck-festival-founder-south-carolina","\n\u003Cp>The \u003Ca href=\"https://www.blackfoodtruckfestival.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Black Food Truck Festival\u003C/a> in Ladson, \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/angel-reese-and-kamilla-cardosa-will-be-wnba-teammates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">South Carolina\u003C/a> is gearing up for its fourth annual get-together this weekend.\u003C/p>\n",[462,465],{"id":463,"name":464,"slug":36,"description":10,"image":27},70683,"Black Owned Business",{"id":466,"name":467,"slug":468,"description":10,"image":27},70681,"Small-Business","small-business",[470,474,478],{"id":471,"name":472,"slug":473,"description":10,"image":10},71071,"food festival","food-festival",{"id":475,"name":476,"slug":477,"description":10,"image":10},35682,"South Carolina","south-carolina-2",{"id":114,"name":115,"slug":116,"description":10,"image":10},{"url":480,"thumbnail":481,"credit":482,"title":483,"alt":10,"type":52,"width":484,"height":485,"mimeType":125},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1125671385.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1125671385-150x100.jpg","Photo: SolStock via Getty Images","Friends Sharing Pizza at Festival",2121,1414,"2024-04-24T11:34:23-04:00","2024-04-24 15:34:23","2024-04-27T14:43:40-04:00","2024-04-27 18:43:40",[491,493,495,497,499,501,503,505,507,509],{"title":10,"content":492},"\u003Cp>\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>When Marcus Hammond moved to Charleston to play basketball for the College of Charleston, he fell in love with the city, the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.postandcourier.com/moultrie-news/news/business/black-food-truck-fest-founder-reflects-on-growth/article_0c8a56a8-fad9-11ee-92fe-4fa75f8fcb9d.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Post and Courier\u003C/a> reported. After graduation, he stayed in the area and worked in the banking industry as a relationship manager. In 2022, he created the Black Food Truck Festival, which brought out 5,000 guests during its first year.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":494},"\u003Cp>“We’ve got everything from the diaspora to Gullah Geechee to soul food, seafood, Charleston staples like the chewies, Gullah rice and red rice,” he said.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":496},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C3z-mttLRMO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\">\u003Ca style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C3z-mttLRMO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Black Food Truck Festival®️ (@blackfoodtruckfestival)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cscript async src=\"//www.instagram.com/embed.js\">\u003C/script>\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":498},"\u003Cp>Due to the festival’s quick rise in popularity, Hammond left his corporate job to focus on the event full-time to ensure that he and his team produced a successful customer-driven occasion.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>“Two things that have really guided me, [with] the first one being the customer is not always right, but the customer is always first,” he told Post and Courier. “So, everything we do with the festival, we keep the attendees in mind first.”\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":500},"\u003Cp>He added, “We do our best to make sure everybody is safe, and we do our best to make sure that everybody has a good time. We aim for that perfection knowing that we’ll fall short. But it’s always our aim.”\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":502},"\u003Cp>This year, over 15,000 people are estimated to come out and fill up the Exchange Park Fairgrounds with most attendees expected to come from states nearby like North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":504},"\u003Cp>Hammond shared some new additions to the festival that include “Rhythms & Booze” (April 26), The Melanin x BFTF AM Workout (April 27) and the “Trappyoke” Afterparty” (April 28).\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":506},"\u003Cp>“Those are tweaks that we have made seeing the data that a lot of people came here from out of town. So, [it’s] what we wanted to do [with] Charleston being No. 1 in tourism hands down throughout the country for more than the last decade. But oftentimes, when we see those tourist attractions, they’re not always guided toward Black-curated events,” Hammond explained. “So, what we wanted to do is change the narrative from people thinking of the deep south, old Charleston, to being able to come to Charleston for a full weekend and experience Black culture and Charleston, curated by Black people.”\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":508},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C5qhJjLgLIG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\">\u003Ca style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C5qhJjLgLIG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Black Food Truck Festival®️ (@blackfoodtruckfestival)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cscript async src=\"//www.instagram.com/embed.js\">\u003C/script>\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":510},"\u003Cp>\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>For more information about the Black Food Truck Festival, visit the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.blackfoodtruckfestival.com/\">website\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screen-Shot-2024-04-23-at-3.50.48-PM.png",{"disableConnatixPlayer":82},{"disableAd":82,"disableConnatixPlayer":82,"enabledComments":81,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},5,["Reactive",517],{},["Set"],["ShallowReactive",520],{"page-8-products-from-black-owned-brands-that-will-make-perfect-gifts-for-the-blerd-in-your-life":27,"fetch:/articles:{\"count\":3,\"tag\":\"top-stories\"}":27,"fetch:/articles:{\"count\":5,\"sort\":\"most-read\"}":27},"/8-products-from-black-owned-brands-that-will-make-perfect-gifts-for-the-blerd-in-your-life",["Reactive",523],{}]