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If you haven’t heard already, the Union-Wade family went to Miami Pride.Let me repeat myself.The Union-Wade family went to Miami Pride.Why does this bear repeating? Because they took their bevy of beautiful, black children to not only show support to the LGBTIA+ community, but to also support one of their own — little Zion Wade, who identifies as gay. Even though father Dwyane Wade couldn't be there, his visible support of his son through social media speaks volumes.Yes, you read that right. In a time when the Black community is bombarded with the accusation of being homophobic and transphobic, here comes a Black family that shoves past this generalization to expose an idea that actually exists within the Black community: acceptance, support and love can be given to those within the Black community that identify within the LGBTQIA+ alphabet.Let it be known that it’s even more important that a straight, Black father has visibly shown his support for his gay Black child. Thus helping in defeating a cycle of hate and misunderstanding between straight Black men and gay Black men.Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news.Black women, trans folks and queer people have historically been leading the charge within civil rights movements, advancing the rights of the Black community. Yet still, they have been subjected to misogynoir, transphobia and homophobia when it comes to the intersection of their gender identity and sexual orientation, paired with navigating their blackness. This places them on the periphery of acceptability within the Black community.Also, it doesn’t help that the media loves to overplay the trope of the father who can not find it within himself to accept his son due to the chokehold that toxic masculinity and/or religious beliefs have placed on him. Albeit trite, it still holds true for a myriad of gay Black men today. The repercussions of this causes other gay Black men to internalize homophobia and toxic masculinity used to degrade, demean, hurt or kill other queer men, women, and trans folks. It also causes challenges with accepting themselves for who they are, potentially leading to self-harm or suicide.Lives are literally at stake when we introduce self-hatred into the worlds of young, Gay black men, those still discovering their sexual identities and straight Black men, alike. In addition to having the world tell you that the beauty within your complexion and features is nonexistent, fetishization within the queer community as a pornographic commodity and being an outlier within the same said community when it comes to dating and civil rights, the gay Black man’s existence can become daunting, exhausting and extremely difficult to navigate when all of these pieces of an oppressive puzzle come together. Which is why it’s so important to have straight Black men loving and supporting gay Black men.Mind you, a gay Black man’s worth isn’t within a straight Black man, but that love and support from them helps in eradicating years of education filled with self-hatred, lack of understanding and unworthiness. If I had more men in my life who looked like me supporting my gay identity at Zion's age, who knows what hurdles I would've surmounted sooner. Who knows how much love I would have had for myself at a younger age.So when you see straight Black men like Dwyane Wade openly showing support to their gay Black sons, then you see straight Black men fighting against toxic masculinity. You see straight Black men choosing love over hate. You see straight Black men agreeing with gay Black men in that they, too, are worthy — no matter if the world says otherwise.  We need more straight Black fathers like Wade so we can have more straight and gay Black men coming together in community, in love and in the advancement of Black people...

Written by Nolan Krueger, University of Texas at Austin; Kevin O'Neal Cokley, University of Texas at Austin, and Marlon L. Bailey, University of Texas at AustinWhen it comes to dealing with issues of race and social justice, LeBron James has never been shy to speak his mind.For instance, in a recent HBO series, “The Shop,” LeBron laments how in the NFL, “they got a bunch of old white men owning teams and they got that slave mentality.”At a time when issues of race continue to play a prominent role in American society – from police killings of unarmed black men to racial disparities in America’s criminal courts – we find LeBron’s boldness and willingness to speak out on these issues commendable.Which made it surprising to us that plans for a public elementary school in Akron, Ohio that four-time NBA MVP LeBron launched in 2018, to help students who are struggling to stay on track academically, largely ignored how important race is in educational attainment.While we can appreciate the NBA great using his star power and considerable wealth to open a school for children in his hometown who are struggling academically, much like LeBron once was himself, we levy this criticism from our vantage point as scholars and students who study race in education. One of us – Kevin O'Neal Cokley – is an education scholar who has studied and written a book about the psychological and environmental factors that impact black student achievement. Two of us – Nolan Krueger and Marlon L. Bailey – are doctoral students in an educational psychology department.Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news.Before we explain why we believe the I Promise School should deal with race more boldly and more explicitly, let us first identify the areas where we believe the school is getting things right.Emphasis on teamworkThe I Promise School employs “rigorous problem-based, inquiry-oriented learning” that involves having students work together to solve problems. This is good because research has found that black students from low-income families prefer a more communal and collectivist approach to school work, not individualistic competition.Positive disciplinary practicesInstead of relying on suspensions and expulsions, which tend to disproportionately impact black children, the I Promise School relies on what the school’s leaders refer to as the five “habits of promise.” Those are: problem-solving, perspective, partnership, perseverance and perpetual learning. This is especially important given how school suspensions and expulsions lead to higher dropout rates.Values and supports familiesOne of the things that stands out most about the school is its “I Promise Family Plan.” This plan offers a range of supports and resources for students and families. The resources include a food pantry, a barbershop and hair salon, and help for parents to improve English comprehension and earn their GED.This family plan is also designed to help remove barriers to graduation. For example, providing free uniforms, a free bicycle and helmet, a computer to every student and an onsite laundry facility may help families who are short on cash get the things they need. This lessens the likelihood that children will be teased and bullied in school, which would create a negative school climate.Especially noteworthy is the school’s treatment of fathers. Instead of assuming that fathers are not involved in the lives of their kids, the I Promise School has a Father’s Walk Day in which fathers are formally welcomed to the school.A student at the I Promise School shows school pride by getting an ‘IPS’ design in his haircut. The school provided nearly 70 IPS students free haircuts from local Akron and Cleveland barbers on site as part of IPS’s celebration of Black History Month.Extended school yearThe I Promise School is praised as being the first of its kind because it will have an extended school year that lasts from July to May. It also features longer school days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Longer school days have been shown to promote attendance and positive academic outcomes.The school also features a seven-week summer session focused on STEM designed to help prevent the “summer slide” – that is, the loss of learning students suffer during summer vacation.Questions about raceDespite the many things to like about the I Promise School, we question whether and to what extent the school deals directly with issues of race. Scholars such as Richard Milner suggest that schools must confront both poverty and race in the classroom in order to create optimal learning.Educators with a critical understanding of how race and poverty manifest in the classroom might rely less on an one-size-fits-all curriculum and instead ground learning in an understanding of the lived experiences of their students.Renowned educational scholar Gloria Ladson-Billings has stressed the importance of culturally conscious education. She also promotes culturally relevant teaching – which she defines as a “pedagogy of opposition” – especially if schools are to be successful with African American students.Since the I Promise School has students from diverse backgrounds, some might ask why we think the I Promise School should confront race and poverty.It is true that students are selected for the school based on their test scores and how behind they are in reading, not on race or any other demographic characteristic. However, the reality is the I Promise School is located in Akron, where the student population is disproportionately black – 46.1% – compared to 13.8% of national K-12 enrollment. Furthermore, Ohio has a staggering “achievement” gap between black and white students, with only 37% of black children in Ohio reading at grade level compared with 70% of white children.The I Promise School’s 20-page master plan document does not focus on issues of race or race-equity despite research that shows some of the most vexing issues facing students – such as disparities in graduation rate, literacy and higher education admissions – are linked to race and poverty.Prominent educational scholars such as Tyrone Howard have asserted that when educators ignore race or adopt colorblind approaches, they fail to realize that avoiding the topic denies students an essential part of their being. This in turn only increases the likelihood of race becoming an explosive topic.Research has also shown that priming students of color to believe race is a social construct, as opposed to biologically based, can actually improve educational outcomes by mitigating the risk of confirming negative racial stereotypes about academic performance.Teacher diversityOne critical factor to consider is the racial composition of the school’s staff, administrators and, in particular, teachers. Research suggests that students do better when their teachers look like them and can relate to their experiences. For example, it has been shown that black children are assessed more harshly for disruptive behavior when their teacher is white as opposed to black. Research has also shown that exposure to just one black teacher between grades 3 and 5 reduces the rate of dropout for black male high-schoolers.Based on the school’s staff directory, the I Promise School appears to be lacking in teacher diversity – something we believe that the school should be more mindful of in the future.Will the school defy the odds?To be clear, we are celebrating LeBron James for fulfilling his dream and creating the I Promise School. He deserves praise for caring enough to give back to the community where he grew up.The I Promise School could be a big “win” for students and LeBron James, a man who has dedicated countless hours and millions of dollars toward positively impacting Akron’s youth. We believe if the I Promise School incorporates social justice and the primacy of race into its approach, it could be transformational for its students. If, however, the school fails to address issues of race and equity in its design, the school likely won’t spur the generational change that proponents of the school envision.Editor’s note: Officials affiliated with the I Promise Academy declined to comment directly for this story but cautioned against judging a school based strictly on publicly available documents.Nolan Krueger, Doctoral Student Researcher in the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Texas at Austin; Kevin O'Neal Cokley, Professor of Educational Psychology and African and African Diaspora Studies, University of Texas at Austin, and Marlon L. Bailey, Doctoral Student in the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Texas at AustinThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original...

I felt a surge of emotion when I saw Gabrielle Union cheesing with her 11-year-old Zion at Miami Pride. It was shocking in the best way. View this post on Instagram #TSRFamilyAffair: This is beautiful! ❤️ The #Wade family showed up and showed out during #Pride in Miami! 👏🏽👏🏽 #GabrielleUnion #DwyaneWadeA post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) on Apr 7, 2019 at 2:33pm PDTIt’s rare to see a queer Black child be allowed the agency needed to openly explore his sexuality. Black LGBTQ people are often treated as if our sexuality is a mark against our families and the Black community. Women who love other women are seen as too masculine or confused. Black queer men are accused of playing into the supposed agenda to emasculate Black men.With those stereotypes in mind, I knew pushback would occur as soon as the pictures made it to the wrong side of the internet.It's sad to see gabrielle union pimping out Dwayne Wade's 11 year old son at GAY PRIDE MIAMI which is yes a celebration but it's full of SEXUAL & DRUG INFUSED ACTIVITY and that's A FACT. WTF does a 11 year old know. LIBERALISM GONE WRONG AGAIN— As I'm Told (@T1D1W1) April 9, 2019So an 11 year old is participating in a pride parade? Normal kids at 11 don't even know what is being gay or sexual at that age.— Zoli Molnar (@floridazz) April 9, 2019The most pervasive criticism revolved around Zion’s age. Many could not fathom the idea of a pre-teen knowing he is gay. Since LGBTQ people are often overly sexualized, critics thought Zion was being exploited. Additionally, many see identifying as LGBTQ is not only a choice, but one that can only be made by adults — wrong.I didn’t come out until my early 20s, but I cannot remember a time when I didn’t experience same-sex attraction. When I was 11 or 12, around Zion’s age, I found myself in an embarrassing situation. I was in a locker room with other girls changing for gym class. As I replaced my street clothes with my gym uniform, I couldn’t help but look at the other students changing around me. Normally, I was really discreet about it but one day, another girl caught me slippin’.“Are you gay?!” one asked.“Uh…no?” I responded.“Then why are you looking at me?!” she shot back.I denied looking at her, and the exchange ended — at least, it ended for her. I spent the rest of the day confused about what she meant by "gay." I rarely heard about queerness growing up, and if I did, it was usually in reference to men. I had no clue it was even an option for women.After the locker room incident, I thought negatively of my attraction to other girls. I still had those feelings when I went to high school, but I remained in the closet, even though LGBTQ students were a major part of my friend circle. I didn’t come all the way out until I was 22 years old. Trying to navigate the dating world has been a challenge, because I've had to make mistakes I should've been able to make when I was a teenager.Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news.My family was supportive when I came out. However, they had to unlearn a lot of internalized homophobia, and I was affected by it. Before I was out, my elders were not mean to LGBTQ people, but they didn’t speak fondly of them behind closed doors. It was seen as a sin and something to be delivered from. Thankfully, their thoughts have progressed, but I am still unlearning some of that shame.This is a common experience for Black LGBTQ youth. According to a study by the Human Rights Campaign and the University of Connecticut, more than three-fourths of Black LGBTQ youth heard family members insult LGBTQ people. Almost half of respondents have experienced ridicule from their family membersZion is truly blessed to be able to be his complete self at such a young age. He is allowed a freedom of expression most Black children — regardless of sexuality — are not afforded. This suppression has dire consequences. Mistreatment from their families led to mental distress in eighty percent of those surveyed for the HRC study. Nearly half of them thought negatively of their identities.As Blavity previously reported, a 2015 Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) suicide rates among Black children doubled between 1993 and 2012. Additionally, LGBTQ children are also more likely to commit suicide compared to their heterosexual and gender-conforming peers. A study by the National LGBTQ Task Force determined 49 percent of Black transgender respondents have attempted suicide. The Trevor Project found LBG youth are five times more likely to attempt suicide. Those who came from extremely intolerant families were 8.4 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to those who faced little or no resistance.If we want to raise healthy and happy queer and trans children, we have to find ways to let them grow into themselves. Most pride festivals are free and open to the presence of children. If Pride is too much sauce, I recommend parents take their children around LGBTQ people, so they can be able to see the fullness of humanity. PFLAG is a great resource for parents who need guidance on how they can support their LGBTQ kids.If you have an LGBTQ child, take them seriously and don’t try to change them — they will thank you when they are grown.Now, check these out:Let’s Address The Disrespectful Straight Men Acting Like Lesbians Just Need The Right D To Straighten Us OutGabrielle Union Takes Her Family To Miami Pride In Support Of Her Gay Stepson Forever Your Dad: A Letter To Nipsey Hussle’s Sons And...

Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent, has come a long way from popping bottles "in da club." A Queens, NY,  native, the rapper-turned-entrepreneur has proven his business acumen while making deals with companies like Coco-Cola, which reportedly acquired his Vitamin Water for $4.1 billion, and premium cable network Starz, which is home of his widely popular show Power. You’d think with 50's many ventures and checks he’d be happy — or at least busy. Instead, it seems as though he would rather spend his days attacking people on social media for an audience of bystanders who enjoys in indulging in how petty he is. However, 50 Cent's issue is bigger than basic pettiness. He’s a case study in misogynoir, and he's consistently rewarded for it.Recently, daytime talk show host and gossip queen extraordinaire Wendy Williams made a very brave admission that she was living in a sober house while dealing with her ongoing struggles with addiction. YouTube | The Wendy Williams Show When 50 Cent gave his two cents on the matter, he didn't exactly wish her well. On March 29, an Instagram post featuring unflattering shots of Williams was shared via the rapper's account. "I knew something was up with this b*tch, it was the drugs. She better not talk about me, then go to the rehab every day Crack Head," the caption of the now-deleted post said.To be fair, decades of spilling tea hasn't won Williams any popularity contests within the entertainment industry. Still, because she is a self-made woman and industry legend — and also just another human being — you'd think someone who is also her peer in fame would have more compassion and couth than to publicly mock her addiction while also calling her a b***h. One might expect that from a Soundcloud rapper or Love & Hip Hop reality star, but not a business tycoon who doubles as an executive producer for Starz.50 Cent's move to kick Williams while she's down comes on the heels of his harassment campaign against Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood star Teairra Mari. In May 2018, Mari filed a lawsuit against Mr. Cent after he reportedly shared screenshots on his Instagram taken from a sex tape that qualified as revenge porn, as the video was allegedly leaked by Mari's scorned ex-boyfriend. Unfortunately the court's decision did not rule in Mari's favor, as the presiding judge not only dismissed all the claims against 50 Cent, but also ordered Mari to pay the rapper $30,000 as partial coverage for his legal expenses.Though you'd think 50 Cent would be content to just take the win and move on, instead, he's continued to hound Mari in the most indecent ways ever since. From posting video footage of her being served to gloating via half-hearted threats about having all her earnings sent directly to him, it appears as though 50 Cent is willing to go above and beyond in order to perpetuate Mari's public humiliation. View this post on Instagram 😆you cannot run from the Law, you have been served.🤨better give me my money Bitch.🤔 #lecheminduroi #bransoncognac #bellatorA post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent) on Mar 11, 2019 at 10:39pm PDT View this post on Instagram #50Cent is serious about getting his money!! 😩 #TeairraMari (📸: @gettyimages)A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) on Jan 15, 2019 at 5:52am PSTIn a now-deleted Instagram post, the "In Da Club" rapper even attempted to appeal to Mari's boss and executive producer of the Love & Hip Hop franchise Mona Scott-Young."Hey @monascottyoung this lil b***h @misstmariii better give me my money. She Saying she need a advance give me a call lady, looking good," he reportedly wrote, according to Hip-Hop Wired.On April 8, he posted an image with the words "come dumpster" imposed over Mari's lips, in a retaliatory response to Mari's new song, "I Ain't Got It," which was released the previous day. In Mari's surprisingly infectious ballad, she details how she does not - in fact- have the money to pay him.#TSRClapbackSeason: So I guess #50Cent won’t be giving #TeairraMari that feature 👀👀😩A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) on Apr 8, 2019 at 9:19am PDTI think it's worth mentioning that this isn't the first time 50's found himself entangled in sex tape-related legal troubles. Back in 2015, Lastonia Leviston was awarded $7 million after 50 Cent was accused of uploading a stolen sex tape to his website, featuring then-nemesis Rick Ross' intimate moments with Leviston. Adding insult to injury, 50 Cent also reportedly edited the video to include voiceover narration of himself mocking and body shaming Leviston. Ironically, 50 swiftly filed for bankruptcy soon after the judge's ruling, which many speculate was done in an effort to avoid paying the Levinston in a timely fashion.How has 50 Cent been allowed to dabble in the art of sex-tape leaking, yet still score an invite to sip champagne with white folk-woke darling Stephen Colbert?  View this post on Instagram I had some Le Chemin du Roi (The King) on Stephen Colbert #1 night show. #bellatorA post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent) on Jan 12, 2019 at 9:13am PSTLet's not forget this is the same man who — because of his own strained relationship with the child's mother — had zero qualms about inciting a public, one-sided online feud with his first-born son. After discovering a photo of his son Marquise posing with one of his rivals, 50 left a cold-blooded Instagram comment, underscoring his disdain for his own child.“If both these little n****s got hit by a bus, I wouldn’t have a bad day,” the rapper wrote, according to People.To have such an explosive reaction over something as trifling as a photo on Instagram — which 21-year-old Marquise wasn't even responsible for posting in the first place — speaks volumes of the rapper's moral compass. Although 50's justification for making this statement didn't directly implicate his acrimonious relationship with ex-girlfriend and Marquise's mother Shaniqua Tompkins as the driving motivation behind the comment, it's not so far fetched to think that the soured condition of his relationship Tomkins had some bearing on his brazen impulse to basically wish death upon his son. However, 50 Cent's total lack of respect for others hasn't appeared to compromise his hustle at all. Even ABC Studios, a network with a reputation for producing quality, family-friendly content, is still chomping at the bit to work with him.   View this post on Instagram See right here Shaniqua this is the life rights agreement you signed. See this paragraph says you can’t do reality Tv ok. LOL 🤨get the strap #bellator #lecheminduroiA post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent) on Oct 2, 2018 at 3:17pm PDT In the era of #MeToo, where people constantly make false equivalencies that I'd paraphrase as, "Now if this Black man was white, he wouldn't rightfully be held responsible for his trash behavior toward women — the injustice," Jackson's continued success poses an alt universe version of that, if 50 Cent were a white man, one would have to question if he would be able to verbally harass, degrade and demean his (white) female counterparts, while still raking in corporate endorsements and publicity. 50 Cent's cyberbullying and harassment is overlooked, and thus encouraged, specifically because he's attacking Black women — a population that he and his endorsers seem to care nothing about.Now, check these out:Chicago Police Raided Wrong Home, Horrifically Crashing a 4-Year-Old's Birthday PartyHere's How This Female Truck Driver Is Providing A Platform For Women In The Trucking IndustrySuspect In Nipsey Hussle's Killing Reportedly In Police...

The movies that left me reeling for countless hours afterwards were usually the ones that didn't blatantly make sense or end how I wanted them to. You know, the films when the guy and girl actually don't end up together, leaving you completely distressed and confused, even while knowing that in real life, oftentimes the guy and the girl who love each other actually do not end up together.Perhaps it is a darkly intuitive movie from the mind of Jordan Peele in which you chuckle to calm the fear of looking in the mirror afterwards, or looking around at your fellow humans. Perhaps what really makes us ruminate is the loss of control over how things should be, in a perfect world. What deeply unsettles us is this helpless, deep hurt caused by what we perceive to be a great cosmic injustice.The first time I saw these two words together, “cosmic injustice,” I was shook to my core. The experience was tangible, visceral and insidious. Naturally, I was reading some piece of genius scribed by Ta-Nehisi Coates and vowed never to forget the impact of the placement of these two words together. Every pain in the world made sense with eerie clarity. The kind of sense that hits you at 5:38 a.m., when most of the earth is asleep on a chilly spring morning and you are examining the coldest juxtapositions of this existence. A chorus of birds merrily chirp in nearby trees and you lay uncomfortably awake in a dark room, grieving someone you did not know, but knew all too well. A part of you is frightened at the thought of your own mortality and the surprise that will be your own demise. A part of you wonders if the sun will ever rise again while desperately awaiting its supernatural consistency. Perhaps you originally got up to use the restroom, but it was really because your soul could not rest. So you get on Twitter, duh. (Or Facebook or Instagram.) And as you are scrolling, you are halted in your tracks by another headline or video or picture of Nipsey Hussle.Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news.Nipsey looks back at you. You stare into his big soft eyes and know his mind is heavy with the treasures that perpetually burden a liberated mind, because you are carrying a few chests of your own. You mourn the glint that is irrevocably no longer there. There is a pit in your stomach that aches, but not as much as the first day you mourned. It's different now. You've started to accept death and you are somewhere between angry and sad that such a beautiful man, both physically and soulfully, is gone from earth. He has many labels and he is all of them at once.His facial expression, accentuated by his prolific tattoos and trimmed, bushy black beard, is art, reflecting motivation against the blur of heavenly green-yellow foliage in the background of the photo. He is wearing a red and white striped shirt. He strikes you as both simple and complex in a way that makes perfect sense. There is an undeniable mood and ambiance created by his energy. He is the essence of "Poetic Justice." I hear Kendrick Lamar playing in the background because I've never heard the muse’s songs. They are of the same fiber.I hurriedly scroll past the grief and stumble upon him again, this time behind J. Cole who is sitting on a star-lit stage underneath the evening sky at his first Dreamville Festival. Footage plays behind Jermaine on a big screen as a gentle heart-warmth engendered by “Love Yourz” honors a light extinguished too soon. In the video, a glimpse is caught of a red-carpet-fresh Nipsey Hussle clothed in a crisp black tuxedo and bow tie as he gazes lovingly down at his daughter. Then, a glimpse of Nipsey and a smiling Lauren London fades from the screen and segues into an undoubtedly passionate interview clip, Nipsey wearing a red hoodie with hands gesturing determinedly as he speaks words that we instinctively know are enlightening. It is not quite 6:00 a.m. yet.Maybe five or 15 minutes later as I'm still processing the power of J. Cole’s tribute, a single tear falls from my eyes. Literally, a single tear. It struggled its way out like a caterpillar then hotly slid down my left cheek. It feels like I've been grieving for at least a week now, but I have lost track of the days. A shroud of sadness came over me and never left.What deeply unsettles us is this helpless, deep hurt caused by what we perceive to be a great cosmic injustice.Perceive. Perception is everything.Thankfully I’m a thugged-out therapist and can pull out my grief counseling toolbox to help me process. I am going to have to positively reframe this or the cosmic injustice is going to have me stuck in this dark place for a while.My faith keeps me anchored, so I remind myself that God does not make mistakes. I pull out some more of my faves. Everything works together for our good. (I'm getting there. A little closer to solace.) This hurts because the world lost a good man. A good man with the ambiguous and token “bad” past that is an unexpected consequence of street life. A good man with the sage outlook of deeming “strong enemies” a “blessing.” A genuine spirit that jilted the world with its exit. A strong, loyal sense of community. A community-builder.  An artist. A creative. An entrepreneur. A philanthropist. This is not how things should be. This is not how things should have ended.It is too cruel. It is too ruthless for such a kind, giving soul whose shortcomings are both invisible and negligible in comparison to the greatness of his redemptive works. It is too inconsiderate of how the laws of the universe should function! When you do good, you receive good, right!? It is a cosmic injustice. Or is it cosmic justice due to life not being fair to anybody? Does cosmic injustice exist when we choose for everything to work together for our good?My stream of consciousness shifts gears as I contemplate the impact of Nipsey’s departure that I, we, cannot help but feel is untimely. I wonder if he knew his impact. The impact he had and would have. I wonder if he knew that he was a world changer? I wonder what differentiates a life and a legacy, and what is happening in the spaces in between, before and after. I wonder if he suspected that he would be memorialized on the grandest graffiti walls across the nation amongst the other legends. I wonder if he fully grasped that his revolutionary mindset and actions were legendary. And that we would not fully know it or understand it until he was gone. I wonder if he knew that people who had never heard a song of his would be so fundamentally changed by knowing he had existed, and not a minute before he did not. Altered. Transformed. Awakened. Reignited.Tragically slain despite propelling major gains for the disenfranchised. The ultimate rise of the underdog journey, an incredible marathon, abruptly brought to an end with the race unfinished. The beauty of poetry is that everything is subjective. What is a marathon exactly? What is finished? What is death? In obligatory intellectual fashion, I become curious about the connotation, denotation, and etymology of the word “marathon.”I research it and let out a sigh of relief upon reading the third Urban Dictionary definition, which includes a Greek anecdote about Pheidippides and the inspiration behind what would become the modern sporting event, the marathon race. I do not know much about Pheidippides or the veracity of this story, but I stop there, satisfied. I have successfully soothed my emotions by unlocking a mystery to contentment, for now. Nipsey was a message carrier, and he delivered it.Smiling to myself, I pick up the baton in my fingertips and fondly inspect it, turning it over and subconsciously twirling it while wondering what it is made of. The marathon continues....

Yesterday, I stumbled across Steve Harvey's episode of Oprah’s Master Class podcast. Aside from inspiring me to the point of tears at my desk (yes, my desk, and you’ve done it too), he dropped some major life keys. From his story, I learned that in the case of dreams, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.Steve left his job and home life at 27-ish to pursue his dream of being a comedian.Pause.Now, I wouldn’t advise this, and he probably wouldn’t either considering how much it cost him. In that time, he missed out on birthdays, first days and many more things that he can never get back. He didn’t catch a real break until he was almost 40. He endured at least 12 years of thinking “This was stupid," “Should I go back home?” or “My family needs me.” It was a painful route, but it led him to happiness, fulfillment and a prime-time spot on every major TV network.Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news.Now let’s consider the alternative.He could’ve stayed at the job he hated, raised his family on an average salary and, by now, probably been preparing to retire and sit at home — all while wondering what if. I imagine he wouldn’t have been the kindest person while he was nursing that broken dream, which would’ve inevitably affected the family. Some may call his decision reckless, but I wonder which road is better? Play it safe but live with regret, or struggle for a while and possibly achieve your greatest dreams?I believe they both hurt.Leaving your security for the slight chance of achieving your dream hurts. But burying your dream inside of you forever also really hurts. So, considering that both roads require a sacrifice, why not go down the road that will eventually bring you happiness? And if it doesn’t end in you achieving the dream, at least you have the satisfaction that you tried.The more I read into the stories of my idols, the more I realize that they all have a “risk-it-all” moment. That means there is no safe way to achieve great success. It is often a rugged journey, and it will cost something. Maybe, hopefully, it doesn’t cost relationships and family time. But whatever it costs, realize that your happiness is worth it.In one way or another, life will bring us all to a fork in the road. It is left to us to determine if we are brave enough to take the risk, or strong enough to deal with the "what...

Ermias Asghedom, more widely known as Nipsey Hussle, was fatally shot on the same soil that he helped to establish and bring recognition to. He was murdered in the shopping center on Crenshaw and Slauson that housed his Marathon clothing store, the same site he recently became owner of. On March 31, 2019, Los Angeles, specifically the Crenshaw District, lost a change agent that promoted financial literacy and freedom, as well as compassion and empathy. His untimely demise has since developed a collective consciousness across the nation.Deriving from the French phrase conscience collective, collective consciousness is the shared set of beliefs, ideas, or attitudes operating as a unifying force within society. Essentially, collective consciousness unites individual attitudes into a greater whole. Nipsey Hussle’s death, which illuminated his impact to the community, has extended beyond Crenshaw and Slauson and the hip-hop community. Unfortunately, it took his death to gain a greater understanding and showcase his passion for helping the Crenshaw community.Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news.Nipsey Hussle was a member of the Rolling 60s crip gang, and that is what most people first saw and connected him with. However, I grew up in the surrounding areas, even attending high school on the adjacent corner of Crenshaw and Slauson, and saw firsthand the development of "Neighborhood Nip." He was the success story of making it out of the trenches and becoming someone the community could relate to and aspire to be.I wore my Crenshaw sweatshirt proudly because of the simple fact that Nip represented something far greater than just that corner. The world now knows the Neighborhood Nip everyone from L.A. loved. Our collective mourning has also sparked a collective passion and pursuit to be our best and the best for our communities. This is greatly exemplified by the gang truce that took place in Los Angeles, which ended (or paused) a 40-year highly fatal tension amongst local gangs. A single person, Nipsey Hussle, was able to bring together people with opposing attitudes, who harbored generational hatred for one another. Anyone with a good understanding and grasp on Los Angeles gang culture truly understands how powerful and monumental that is.As we mourn together, we are also pushing one another to find our true purpose and to not let sucka s**t infiltrate our passions and journey. In the stream of tweets, Facebook and Instagram posts, there is no denying that Nipsey has served as an inspiration to all. This collective consciousness that we possess must push all of us, especially Black people, to constantly support and encourage one another. This collective consciousness must continue to motivate and push each other to greatness. In the words of Nipsey Hussle Tha Great, the marathon...

Point 'Em Out is an editorial series where we'll be exploring the latest and the greatest in Black art. Thanks to modern-day technology, we get to be virtual consumers of yesterday's icons and today’s most innovative Black artwork, and — if we're lucky — the Black geniuses who produce them.As white artists dominate the art industry in visibility and in sales, these artists continue to push the envelope with out-the-box creativity that never ceases to amaze i.e. Alim Smith.Perhaps you’ve encountered his painterly excellence while trolling the Twitterverse and those Instagram streets, where he is better identified as @yesterdaynite. In the wake of our collective mourning over the death of Nipsey Hussle, the artist blessed followers with a beautifully executed portrait titled "Ermias Asghedom." View this post on Instagram This shit hit me differently, Didn’t wanna believe the tweets, was hoping for a April fools! The next day, started hoping that Nipsey was Jesus because he passed at 33 and was gonna come back and say of us from the bullshit He was really out here doing what sooooooooooooo many of us say we wanna do when we get money money And then i felt rage, like really?? 😑 niggas that lost ? It’s really no hope What’s wrong wit these fragile ass niggas that can only communicate through death and destruction to their own It’s not fair But it’s only gonna inspire more artist of all genres to go as hard as they can It only makes nipsey more immortal And his legacy live on forever It strengthens the mission he already had Love to you and your family Thank you for your contribution to the world Flesh is temporary Energy never dies Safety to you on your journey Thank you for being the right example To me and so many others ———— Ermias Asghedom Oil on canvas 16 x 20 —————————— Artwork & prints available at ydnite.comA post shared by ALIM SMITH (@yesterdaynite) on Apr 4, 2019 at 8:24pm PDTMany likely first became familiar with Smith and his work after he snatched social media wigs, posting uncanny oil paintings of the innanet’s most popular memes in honor of Black History Month. The imagination and skill behind these works cannot be overstated. View this post on Instagram Another Great in Black meme history Keisha Johnson I call this �"Lifes a Beach" oil on wood 18 x 24 Ive never painted a sunset ever! so this background really makes me happyA post shared by ALIM SMITH (@yesterdaynite) on Feb 20, 2017 at 8:42pm PSTBlavity caught up with the talented Smith to learn about his motivations and get into his mastermind.Blavity: Where are you from, and when did you first start painting?Alim Smith: I’m from Wilmington, Delaware. I started drawing at the age of four, if not earlier. I went to middle and high school at Cab Calloway School of the Arts, and almost everything we created was pencil art in black and white. I started painting around 19 or 20 — so 10 years ago. When I got out of school, I immersed myself into color. [I] never painted in school, but learned a lot of foundation for my art practice, so I started teaching myself how to paint around 2010.Blavity: How would you describe the art you create?Smith: I would describe the art I create as Afrosurrealism. One of the best pieces of Afrosurrealism I was introduced [to] at an early age was The Wiz. It was an all-Black world I’ve never seen before that I wanted to live in.Blavity: I definitely sense the surrealist style. What is it about painting in that uncanny and outlandish realm?Smith: I like to paint in the outlandish realm because that’s my favorite art to look at. I feel it is the best blends of skill and imagination. I want to create something that has the depth and dimension of reality, with the twist of the bizarre places my mind goes that no one could ever see unless I show them. For me, it’s important to create something that has a realistic quality, no matter how outlandish it is, so the viewer feels like they are getting a peek into another world. View this post on Instagram Weebay (the wire) 18 x 24 Oil on Canvas This is how I felt on the 2nd listen of Kendrick's album 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥A post shared by ALIM SMITH (@yesterdaynite) on Apr 16, 2017 at 9:49am PDTBlavity: Your work garnered viral attention for one reason, outside of it being damn good technically and aesthetically: The use of popular memes for Black History Month. Could you tell us what sparked your thought to produce paintings of popular memes?Smith: What sparked my mind to produce paintings of popular memes was jealousy (chuckles). I was looking at how the internet was responding to art and how much more attention memes were receiving in comparison. I had the thought that my art would never get shared and reposted as many times as any meme would.I thought to myself, "Memes are the next wave of art. I should just start painting memes, because these faces and expressions are already programmed into so many people's psyche. Maybe if I paint memes, I can get my art seen and shared and hopefully turned into a meme because memes live on."Blavity: How did you react to the virality of your work?Smith: I was definitely overwhelmed, because I was truly just trying to paint something I thought a few people would find cool. What that moment really let me know about myself is that I had some super, duper, high standard of when I would personally feel confident in saying that I am an artist. That moment forced me to accept that title and in accepting that title, I felt the good pressure of creating the quality of art I always pictured I could create, when I was daydreaming in art school. View this post on Instagram What you mean? 18 x 24 Oil on Canvas I really enjoyed painting this one! Ive seen this expression all of my life lol and i also didn't know I could paint teeth lol, I'm gonna paint way more happy black people now lol It's weird after painting these pictures and looking at them I feel like I actually know these people lol and I obviously don't but I never realised how valuable expression and being expressive is. I really really really fucking appreciate everyone who enjoy the work and shares it oh yeah! ART SHOW MARCH 31st WILMINGTON DELAWARE CHRIS WHITE GALLERY 701 N. SHIPLEY STREET from 6-10 pm its gonan be a fucking dope show! memes.eventbrite.com Thank you!!! @swaggyp1A post shared by ALIM SMITH (@yesterdaynite) on Mar 15, 2017 at 9:07pm PDTBlavity: Clearly, pop culture and the digital era are closely tied. You've chosen to paint these images traditionally — oil on canvas. Had you considered digital graphic iterations when you approached this work?Smith: Nah, I never considered digital graphic iterations. I think digital is cool, but I don’t feel it’s as challenging to me, and I can’t touch it. Digital work can be put into museums, but I don’t feel it has the same effect as someone seeing a painting someone made that looks so clean it appears digital. I’d never want someone to see my art and not appreciate [it] as much, because it was made with a computer.Blavity: What are your thoughts on traditional versus tech, when it comes to technique?Smith: I think digital is cool, but I prefer traditional. In Photoshop, you have access to a million colors at your disposal. You can twist bend and edit anything. You can delete forever. You can copy and paste eyes to be perfectly centered. You can have an infinite number of layers, and it’s great for certain things. But I don’t like the idea that if the power goes out, I can’t create anymore; or the computer freezing before you pressed save, which I’ve experienced. I like the experience of blending and mixing my own colors. Now, you definitely save money going digital, which I always support. But I just feel you lose something, and you have to stare at screens for an unnaturally long amount of time with option tabs, and buttons, and messages popping up. It’s too close to YouTube. View this post on Instagram Another Great Meme History One of the most Iconic Snitches in Black History "I'd Like to Report A......" 18 x 24 Oil on Canvas THIS WAS DIFFICULT AND I hate cameras because they really don't do pictures any justice, so I had to scan this in sections Meme prints available at ydnite.com (Link in bio) The first set I'm sending out will all be signedA post shared by ALIM SMITH (@yesterdaynite) on Feb 24, 2017 at 9:48am PSTBlavity: Who is your work for?Smith: My work is for Black people, but also for whoever connects with it. But I’m definitely creating with Black people in mind and heart.Blavity: What's next for Alim Smith?Smith: Expanding on my Afro Mythology series.(Note: “Afro mythology” is a term that was coined by photographer Sean Theodore.)Like this content? Check these out: 15 Dope Black Works Of Art You Should Get Familiar With This Artist Is Reclaiming Black Crowns One Brushstroke At A Time 7 Iconic Black Women Artists From Around The World Who Deserve More...

For those that didn't know him, Nipsey Hussle was not just a rapper — he was a visionary. His brilliance goes well beyond music.In January, Nipsey revealed that he and real estate investor David Gross were working on a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) program called Too Big To Fail. Many people applauded the effort, and rightfully so. But I don't think people know what Nipsey and David Gross may have uncovered. They may have found the one large missing puzzle piece to help solve the education issues in minority and inner city communities, while simultaneously fixing a widespread problem in American education and solving the issues with the Black tech pipeline. Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news.Fixing "Our Schools" And All Schools It's no secret that many public schools that serve Black and brown people in America remain underfunded, despite efforts of public policies like the Robin Hood plan. I don't think many people would argue with me when I say that the American school system is broken and not constructed for people of color to succeed.Recently, several people with huge platforms, like Killer Mike and Dr. Umar Johnson, have advocated for fixing this issue by creating "our own schools." Nipsey and David Gross have also effectively created a solution with Too Big To Fail if you look closely at the idea.Yes, Too Big To Fail is a STEM program and maker space. It is privately funded and not a school, therefore it is not accredited. This means, technically, they do not have to follow state regulations or, simply put, jump through hoops and cut through red tape. This model can easily be applied to schools and can foster the creation of a network of privately funded, unaccredited, fully autonomous, private schools. No do you see it? This is the solution: Black business men and women, partnering with Black visionaries, and even celebrities, to build our own schools.What's Next?Now that you know one large part of the solution to fix schools, what can we do with that? We can make a collective push.I am not a billionaire and I cannot fund even one school. I am also only one voice. I have been emailing, calling, messaging and tweeting at people who can help me with this for months now. If we create a large collective conversation surrounding this solution, we can make this happen! So the question isn't what's next. The question is, who are you going to share this information with to help continue to push Nipsey's vision of...

I am not a die hard Nipsey Hussle fan. If I’m being completely honest, you probably couldn’t even call me a soft fan.If you ask me to name five Nipsey Hussle songs, I cannot. And yet, since the moment I heard about his death, I haven’t been able to escape this fog of sadness and heartbreak that is being felt all over the world by this loss. And I’m not talking the "post one R.I.P. photo and move on" type of sadness. I’m talking the sitting in the dark, contemplating life, wanting to text everyone in your contact list, listening to Adele type of sadness.Truthfully, I really only fell in love with Nipsey Hussle on Friday, March 29, 2019. I was bored at work scrolling through YouTube videos and one of my suggested videos was a GQ couples quiz featuring Nipsey Hussle and his wife Lauren London. Like almost everyone else, man or woman, the notoriously private London will forever be the OG woman crush, so I clicked the video eager to get a peek into her relationship. I rewatched the video five more times.In that eight-minute clip, you could see what they had was a once in a lifetime, soulmate, intimate kind of love. He killed the questionnaire, getting almost every single answer correct, showing just how much he really knew his woman. But what I loved the most about the video was his calm confidence. He didn’t feel like he had to prove to anyone how much he knew her, he just did. After watching the video, it was the first time I searched for “nipseyhussle” on Instagram, where I spent a couple minutes looking through his photos before I went to stalk Ms. London a little more. And then two days later I heard the news that he had been shot.I’ve seen the comments from the “real” Nipsey fans: “You people didn’t support Nipsey when he was alive, why are you sad now?"Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news.But I have asked myself the same question as well as: “Am I a fraud for mourning the death of a man whose work I did not purchase or support during his life?”As I scroll through Instagram, I see posts and comments from my friends who I also know have probably never listened to a Nipsey Hussle record, mourning his loss. So why are we all now so affected and crushed by this loss? What about this incident is resonating so deeply all over the world that people are calling it as tragic as the loss of Tupac?I think at the basis of it, it’s the senselessness and audacity of how it happened. And that it happened to a man, as I have come to learn, who wanted nothing more than to inspire and uplift his community. He was shot repeatedly in front of his own store and in his own city, a city that he repped so hard for. It’s the fact that he was only 33 years old and after years of grinding in the music business, he was finally truly gaining the accolades and attention he deserved, receiving his first Grammy nomination in 2018 for album Victory Lap.In the last two days I’ve read numerous posts from people who knew him and I have noticed a consistency — they all agree that Nipsey Hussle was a man of the highest caliber, who supported up and comers, who inspired new generations, who loved genuinely and who wanted nothing more than to become a better man for himself, his family and his community.I believe this sadness we all feel, whether you were previously a fan or not, is due to the fact that Nipsey Hussle was such a great representation of a good human being, but was killed so violently, anyway. If we are to believe the Law of Attraction, which is that you attract whatever you put out into the world, he was the least deserving of such a violent departure from this world. In every video I’ve watched and interview I’ve read over the last two days, it is easy to tell that he was all about promoting peace and positivity. And yet, he got the complete opposite. So how does one wrap their heads around that? What is there to learn or take from this experience?Personally, I think the lesson here is about legacy and the importance of how you will be remembered once you pass away. No one is writing about how much money Nipsey Hussle had, how many followers he had on Instagram or whether or not he was the greatest rapper alive. He is remembered for the way he loved, the lives he changed and the messages he promoted. I think situations like this make you take a step back and think about your individual legacy and whether or not you’ve made an impact or a difference in the world, or touched people's lives in any real way.The truth is that when we all leave this earth, the things that we are so concerned about now, things like popularity, money, looking cool etc., will mean nothing. Seeing the way people that truly knew him are mourning him and are deeply broken by his passing, not for his money or his fame, but how he truly had a genuine and unique relationship with every single person, is inspiring.In conversation with a close friend, I asked her something I always wonder when people pass away. I asked,  “Do you think Nipsey Hussle knew how much he was loved?” And she responded by saying, “That’s the beauty of Nipsey I think, he didn’t give a fuck if people loved him and he didn’t do the things he did for people’s approval. He was just being himself and people loved him for it anyway.”And I think if there was anything to be learned from who he was, this is it.Two days ago I did not know any Nipsey Hussle songs, I didn’t hold karaoke sessions in my car or run out to buy his album on the day of its release, but I am still deeply saddened by his passing. Does this make me fake or a fraud for feeling the way I do? This was a question I asked myself, but I have come to realize that I am allowed to be touched and moved by the legacy he left behind. I am allowed to be inspired to live a better life based on the way he led his. And I am allowed to now go and purchase and download every Nipsey Hussle mixtape and album released, which I also encourage you to do, as his family directly benefits from his work.Granted, I may not feel the loss of Nipsey Hussle at the same level as someone who can quote his lyrics word for word or someone who has grown up feeling understood thanks to the words in his music, but the things I have learned about him over the last two days, and the senselessness of the act, has left a mark on my life and so many other people who may have not otherwise been a die hard fan. My thoughts and prayers are with his entire family and all that loved...