Iconic rapper Nipsey Hussle received the Humanitarian Award posthumously at the 2019 BET Awards. In addition to being a rapper, Hussle was known for his philanthropic and entrepreneurial endeavors in the Crenshaw community. Watch his family, who is clearly still grieving over his murder, accept the award in his honor. Get your tissues ready.
The beloved rapper was killed March 31, 2019.
Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter and Instagram @TheBurtonWire.
Writing for ThinkProgress.com, Lindsay Gibbs discusses the hypocrisy of the democracy known as the sports playing field as it relates to how the African women’s teams were stereotyped. For the first time ever, two African teams, Cameroon and Nigeria, advanced to the knockout rounds. South Africa also qualified for the tournament for the first time in history, but did not advance outside of the group stages. Despite these amazing contributions to the sport and Women’s World Cup, commentators relied on Colonial and racist stereotypes about the players in their commentary. Gibbs writes:
EXCERPT
“…as notable as this tournament has been for women’s football in Africa, it has also shone an ugly spotlight on the racist stereotypes that so many in the media cling to when discussing female football players from African countries, both on the field and off.
Both Nigeria and Cameroon lost in the Round of 16 over the weekend, to Germany and England, respectively. The commentary on both matches was redolent of exhausting colonialist cliché.
In Nigeria’s 3-0 loss to Germany on Saturday, Cat Whitehill of Fox Sports 1 quite explicitly said that Nigeria’s white, European head coach, Thomas Dennerby, had been able to tame the wild, raw athleticism on the team, and refine their skills with his benevolent discipline and knowledge.
“They haven’t put the time and effort into really helping this Nigerian side,” Whitehill said. “Somehow Nigeria keeps making it into the World Cup based on their athleticism and they’re finally with Dennerby getting a proper coach to teach them proper tactical and technical aspects to their game. I think it’s exciting for Nigeria and looking more like a side that can compete.”
Additionally, throughout the broadcast, Whitehill and her partner, Lisa Byington, repeatedly brought out the old “pace and power” trope to describe what Nigeria brought to the pitch. Not only is this notion rooted in racist stereotypes of black athletes, but it is also comedically lazy commentary considering the fact that an informed audience can witness the team’s tactics, timing, and precision in real time as the announcers simultaneously overlook it.
Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated addressed this in his daily video essay from Paris on Saturday night…”
END OF EXCERPT.
Read Gibbs’ entire article at ThinkProgress.com.
Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter and Instagram @TheBurtonWire.
Movie mogul Tyler Perry received the Icon Award at the 2019 BET Awards. The award was presented to him by Academy Award nominated actress Taraji P. Henson, who has starred in two of Perry’s films including Acrimony (2018) and No Good Deed (2014). Check out Perry’s moving acceptance speech and see why he received a standing ovation.
Share your thoughts about Perry’s speech on Twitter and Instagram @TheBurtonWire.
This summer, television audiences can listen in on amazing real life stories told by everyday people as WORLD Channel presents a 24-hour binge-a-thon of the television series Stories from the Stage beginning on Saturday, June 22, at 7 p.m. The series is hosted by humorists and storytellers Theresa Okokon and Wes Hazard (some eagle-eyed viewers may recognize the latter from his stint on Jeopardy! where he was a three-time champion in 2018).
The series focuses on spotlighting raconteurs who reflect the diversity of the American and global landscape. With this in mind, Black storytellers as well as stories on immigration from the Black perspective are among those highlighted during the marathon’s 40+ episodes. The stories are told in front of a live audience and include storytellers like:
– Morris Irby recounts his experience as the first Black baseball player at Tennessee Tech University and the cost of being a trailblazer (in the new episode entitled Rocky Top Remembers, trailer available here https://bit.ly/2FfrcWR)
– Ekhlas Ahmed, a refugee from Sudan (who was featured on Ellen) recounts a time when calamity created an epically long Ramadan fast. (Her story can be seen here- https://www.facebook.com/StoriesFromTheStage/videos/342301779627992/
– Reverend Mariama White-Hammond details how a battle to stop a gas pipeline being built in West Roxbury, Boston helped her bring attention to the fight for life in the historically Black Roxbury neighborhood
https://www.facebook.com/StoriesFromTheStage/videos/303177936873710/
– U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo, an American-born woman raised in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana tells of “sowing seeds” of renewal in the U.S. (watch her story here—
https://www.facebook.com/StoriesFromTheStage/videos/267424003782437/
– Rodrigue Kalambayi talks of escaping political violence in the Congo and dreaming of a new life
(see Rodrigue’s story here—
https://www.facebook.com/StoriesFromTheStage/videos/273735583151279/)
These storytellers and others from across the U.S., Poland, Afghanistan, India, the Dominican Republic, Armenia and elsewhere, help bring the classic art form of storytelling to modern audiences with a focus on fresh, new voices reflecting the diversity of America and abroad.
In addition to watching on WORLD Channel, viewers can also take part via livestream on the WORLD Channel and Stories from the Stage Facebook pages with live commentary by the hosts.
Check out the 2019 binge-a-thon trailer and learn more about The WORLD Channel.
The Stories from the Stage marathon begins on WORLD Channel, Saturday, June 22, at 7 p.m. and runs through Sunday, June 23, at 7 p.m.
This post is curated by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Follow The Burton Wire on Instagram or Twitter @TheBurtonWire.
The North African Country of Sudan is in crisis. After the forced and successful removal of president Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled with an iron fist for three decades, the country broke out in celebration. In December of 2018, protesters, many of them women, had taken to the streets to rail against fuel shortages and the rising cost of food. Those protests morphed into pro-democracy protests against then president al-Bashir. The pro-democracy protests that had been happening for months seemed to take hold when al-Bashir was ousted and hope for a brighter future seemed imminent. The celebratory spirit has gone awry since that fateful day on April 11 when al-Bashir was arrested and The Military Council took over led by Sudanese Defense Minister Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf. The celebration came to a screeching halt with calls for Ibn Auf to step down. Thus a three-month state of emergency was declared and a 10 p.m. curfew put into place in Khartoum, the nation’s capital. Pro-democracy protesters have continued battling the military takeover with many lives being lost.
On June 3, 2019, more than 100 people were killed in Khartoum and doctors say 40 of those who died were dumped into the Nile River. The governing Transitional Military Council puts the figure at 61. Subsequently, pro-democracy protesters have organized a strike but an internet shutdown has made communication difficult. The council has also overtaken the state television system initially allowing for voices from the pro-democracy protesters and those in power to be heard, but firing the heads of radio and television in the process. According to BBC, the state broadcast system. now plays patriotic songs and shows soldiers removing protest barricades in Khartoum. Criticism of The Military Council has not been televised since the June 3rd clash. It is also being reported by The Military Council that 61 people have been killed during the clashes, although the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors is reporting 120 (BBC).
In the form of a nationwide mass civil disobedience campaign, pro-democracy protesters and activists say they will not relent until the current government is placed in civilian hands. The Military Council shows no signs of stepping down although they appear to be open to talks with the activists. Will Ross of BBC reports, “Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan urged the Forces for Freedom and Change and all political powers to hold talks with the military council.”
FACTS ABOUT SUDAN
Sudan is a north African country bordering the Red Sea, Egypt, Libya, Chad, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ethipia and Eritrea.
Sudan was the largest country in Africa prior to the secession of South Sudan in 2011. It is now the third largest, after Algeria and Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sudan has 43 million people.
Sudan is made up of Sunni Muslims and a small Christian minority. Ethnically, 70 percent of the population is Sudanese Arab.
On June 30, 1989, Lieutenant General Omar al-Bashir seized power of the country as part of a military coup.
In February 2003, the conflict in Darfur begins when black African rebel groups attack government property, accusing the government of neglecting Darfur in favor of the Arab population in Sudan.
During the Sudan/Dafur conflict, between 2003 and 2008, at least 300,000 people were killed. Three million people were displaced during the conflict which involved fighting between rebel groups and the government.
Despite being issued arrest warrants for genocide by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2008, 2009 and 2010, al-Bashir was never brought to justice by the ICC.
For more facts about Sudan, visit CNN.
This article was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Follow The Burton Wire on Instagram or Twitter @TheBurtonWire.
Today is Juneteenth (June 19th)! Juneteenth.com refers to this special day for many African Americans as the ‘oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.’ The author writes:
“Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance…”
Juneteenth, has become increasingly popular outside of the African-American community. Check out Black-ish’s take on Juneteenth below:
How are you celebrating Juneteenth today? Let us know @TheBurtonWire.
This post was curated by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Follow The Burton Wire on Instagram or Twitter @TheBurtonWire.
Last night, OWN celebrated the premiere of its new drama series “Ambitions,” from Will Packer Productions, at an Atlanta screening and party at The Gathering Spot. Robin Givens, Essence Atkins, Brian White, Kendrick Cross, Brely Evans, Erica Page and Mara Hall represented the cast at the illustrious affair. OWN president Tina Perry, executive producer Will Packer, show creator Jamey Giddens, executive producer Sheila Ducksworth, line producer Dianne Ashford and Will Packer Media president Alix Baudin were also in attendance.
VIPs came out to support the new show including former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed; “Greenleaf” actress Merle Dandridge; “Real Housewives of Atlanta” stars Cynthia Bailey, Marlo Hampton and Tanya Sam; singer/tv personality Tameka “Tiny” Harris; xoNecole founder Necole Kane; actress Terri J. Vaughn; “Married to Medicine” stars Drs. Scott & Contessa Metcalfe; “If Loving You is Wrong” actor Joel Rush; “Empire” actor Morocco Omari and many more.
Check out the trailer for the show below:
#Ambitions premieres TONIGHT at 10/9c on OWN – http://www.oprah.com/app/ambitions.html
Read The Burton Wire’s interview with Robin Givens about ‘Ambitions,’ here.
This post was curated by Nsenga K. Burton, founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Follow The Burton Wire on Instagram or Twitter @TheBurtonWire.
Five-time Formula One winner Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Grand Prix after German race car driver Sebastian Vettel was penalized 5 seconds for rejoining the track “dangerously.” Hamilton, who was forced off the track due to Vettel’s actions, could be heard saying over the radio how dangerous Vettel’s re-entry was to the race. Vettel maintains the race was “stolen” from him. Hamilton drives for Mercedes Benz and Vettel drives for Ferrari. An incensed Vettel moved the first and second place markers after the race to note his displeasure with the finding.
The race took place in Montreal.
Read more at BBC.
Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter or Instagram @TheBurtonWire.
USA Today is reporting former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was shot at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic. Steve Gardner is reporting that Ortiz was shot in the back and in stable condition. However there are conflicting reports about the shooter, Ortiz’s status and where he was shot. It has been reported by local outlets the shooter has been arrested; other outlets report that the shooter remains at large. It has also been reported that Ortiz was shot in the leg and the abdomen.
Ortiz’s father confirmed the shooting but does not know where his son is hospitalized or the extent of his injuries.
This story is developing.
Check for updates on The Burton Wire and Twitter or Instagram.
Writing for the New York Times, film critic Manohla Dargis discusses the politics of identity surrounding Mati Diop, the first black woman director to compete in the main category at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals. Netflix acquired worldwide rights (excluding China, Benelux, Switzerland, Russia, France) to the French-Senegalese filmmaker’s feature debut, ‘Atlantics” which premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, winning the Grand Prix.
Diop, 36, made the film, which explores the experiences of women left behind in Senegal by men leaving in hopes of finding a better life in Europe. Dargis writes:
“Diop, who identifies as French-Senegalese, has the distinction of being the first black woman director in the festival’s main competition, and speaks sensitively about the complexities of identity. In an interview on Friday, she traced the genesis of ‘Atlantics’ to a decade earlier, during a mass exodus out of Senegal, primarily to Spain. ‘At the time,’ she said, ‘I had spent 10 years without going to Senegal.’ It was a painful period, she said, and the exodus and her own burgeoning desires to become a filmmaker helped create what she described as a collision. ‘My cinematic research was very connected to the re-exploration of my African identity.’
Check out Diop’s interview (in French) below with France 24:
Read Dargis’ entire article at the New York Times.
Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter or Instagram @TheBurtonWire.
