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“Napa Ever After” Premieres Saturday and Makes History

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“Napa Ever After,” a Mahogany presentation that is a part of Hallmark Channel’s  “Annual Summer Nights” program premieres Saturday, August 26th (8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PT). The heartwarming movie stars Denise Boutté (For the Love of Ruth, Why Did I Get Married, “The Young and Restless”) and Colin Lawrence (“Riverdale” and “Watchman”) as a young Black couple who finds love while restoring a family vineyard and winery in Napa Valley.

“Napa Ever After” is historic for Hallmark because it’s the first Mahogany movie to premiere on the main Hallmark Channel. Toni Judkins, Sr. Vice President of Programming and Development, who joined the network from TVOne, was looking for someone to write a film that takes place in a vineyard. Wendy Eley Jackson (Maynard, The Invitation), who is CEO and Chair of Auburn Avenue Films and is best known as Executive Producer of award-winning documentaries like Maynard, took the challenge and penned the romance with co-writer Nina Weinman.

“The amazing Toni Judkins was looking for someone to write a story about love in the vineyard. I’m a writer and live near a vineyard so Toni tapped me to write the story” says Jackson, who has an MFA in Screenwriting from the University of Georgia.

After inheriting her estranged grandmother’s vineyard in Napa Valley, Cassandra (Boutté), a very single high-powered attorney, takes a sabbatical from her job to renovate the property that was the source of the fractures within her family. Once an award-winning winery and destination wedding venue, Eloi Vineyards is in disrepair and on the brink of bankruptcy. With the help of Alec (Lawrence), a handsome local widower, Cassandra sets out to reclaim her family legacy by reviving the vineyard in time for her dear friend Lena (Tiffany Yvonne Cox, “Reasonable Doubt”) to have the first wedding there in years. Through the process, Cassandra discovers more about her family and opens her heart to a new love.

“Love comes in all shades but this love is to show everyone that Black love is beautiful,” adds Jackson.

“Napa Ever After,” premieres Saturday, August 26 (8 p.m. ET/5PT), on Hallmark Channel. Check local listings for channel information.

This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on social media @Ntellectual.

Follow the Burton Wire @TheBurtonWireNews or @TheBurtonWire on IG. 

Michael Oher: NFL Player Blindsided by ‘Adoptive Family’

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The Tuoys family and Michael Oher who alleges they never adopted him. (Photo: Google Images)

Michael Oher, the subject of the Academy award-winning 2009 film, The Blind Side, is alleging in a Tennessee court that he was never legally adopted by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, but was coerced into signing a conservatorship document when he was a teenager, which gave them the power to make deals in his name to the tune of millions of dollars.

According to ESPN’s Michael Fletcher, instead of adopting him, less than three months after Oher turned 18 in 2004, the petition says, the couple tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators, which gave them legal authority to make business deals in his name including the 2009 film starring Sandra Bullock, who won a Best Actress Academy Award for the role. Oher alleges, the Tuoys enriched themselves and their two biological children from the film and did not compensate him at all. The film grossed over $300 million at the box office.

According to Oher, the Tuoys have continued to perpetuate this adoption lie using it to make money for themselves, their foundation and paid motivational speaking engagements.

This story is developing.

This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on social media @Ntellectual.

Follow the Burton Wire @TheBurtonWireNews or @TheBurtonWire on IG.

The Upshaws: Season 4 of the Hit Netflix Series Premieres Thursday

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The Upshaws. (Netflix)
Netflix.

If you haven’t seen The Upshaws, then I have no idea what you’re waiting on. The sitcom, which stars Mike Epps (Bennie) and Kim Fields (Regina) as the Upshaws, a working-class Indianapolis family trying to move up in the world despite the challenges faced in the workplace and the home. Parents to two young daughters Aaliyah and Maya (Khali Spraggins, Journey Christine) and first-born son (Jermelle Simon), Bennie works as a mechanic at a shop co-owned by his sister-in-law Lucretia, played brilliantly by Wanda Sykes. Bennie and Regina, a healthcare administrator turned student, have their ups and downs like every couple where the love is deep but the road to happiness is bumpy.

Despite major missteps like Bennie having a teen son Kelvin (Diamond Lyons), conceived with messy hairstylist Tasha (Gabrielle Dennis) while the Upshaws were on a break, they manage to keep it together as they stumble along the path of greater success in life, love and the workplace. The chemistry between Epps and Fields along with funny, understated performances, make the Upshaws fun while dealing with real issues.

Season 4 has the Upshaws trying to find their new normal after a health scare sends Regina out of the home and adds the iconic Jennifer Lewis (Black-ish) as a straight-no-chaser therapist in a guest starring role. Comedienne Marsha Warfield (Night Court) also makes an appearance during Season 4.

Make sure you have your Netflix login information and check out Season 4 of The Upshaws on Netflix, beginning Thursday, August 17, 2023.

This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on social media @Ntellectual.

Follow the Burton Wire @TheBurtonWireNews or @TheBurtonWire on IG. 

Henrietta Lacks: Family Settles Lawsuit with Thermo Fisher Scientific

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Statue of Henrietta Lacks on the campus of the University of Bristol. Photo: University of Bristol

The family of Henrietta Lacks has settled their lawsuit against Thermo Fisher Scientific, the company they accused of profiting from the use of Lacks’ cells, commonly referred to as HeLa cells, without the family’s knowledge or permission. On Lacks’ 103rd birthday (August 1), the family and the company released identical statements about the settlement, the terms of which are undisclosed.

HeLa Cells NIH

In 1951, Lacks, a young African-American woman and mother of five children, died of cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Unbeknownst to Lacks and her family, cells were taken from her body and used to fuel biomedical research and advances. The family never received payment for use of the cells or the discoveries or inventions like the cure for polio, mapping of the human genome, creating the field of virology and most recently contributing to the anti-cancer vaccine that cures HPV, a leading cause of cervical cancer.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine:

“Over the past several decades, this cell line has contributed to many medical breakthroughs, from research on the effects of zero gravity in outer space and the development of polio and COVID-19 vaccines, to the study of leukemia, the AIDS virus and cancer worldwide.”

Lacks’ story was made famous by Rebecca Skloot’s 2010 best-selling book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which became a HBO feature film in 2017, starring Renée Goldsberry and Oprah Winfrey and directed by George C. Wolfe.

Thermo Fisher Scientific is just one of many companies that “unjustly profited” from the unauthorized use of Henrietta Lacks’ cells. Lawyers for the Lacks family have indicated they may seek compensation from other scientific companies.

This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on social media @Ntellectual.

Follow the Burton Wire @TheBurtonWireNews or @TheBurtonWire on IG. 

Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame: Grand Opening July 22

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Ohio’s newest tourism attraction is the new Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame. The Historic Grand Opening of this $24M project will take place Saturday, July 22, 2023. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bootsy Collins, a 2021 Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame Founding Inductee, will once again be in attendance for this year’s induction ceremony in grand style. Additional 2021 Founding Inductees include The Isley Brothers, Dr Charles Fold, and Otis Williams.

Alicia Reece, Hamilton (Ohio) County Commission President, and founder of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame, announced the third class of Inductees for the new Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame at the Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati. The 2023 Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame Inductees are: The Deele, featuring L.A. Reid and Babyface, Louise Shropshire, Philippé Wynne and James Brown. “This new state-of-the-art interactive tourism attraction celebrating the rich culture of Black musical artists, producers, and songwriters will educate, entertain, and attract tourists worldwide while bringing together multi-generations of families to enjoy this free park,” said Reece.

Over 60 top musical influencers who have made significant contributions to the music industry are being celebrated at the grand opening and included in the new Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame. Those groups and individuals include 2022 inductees Midnight Star, featuring Reggie and Vincent Calloway, Penny Ford, Hi-Tek, and Wilbert Longmire.

Originally conceived at Hughes High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, The Deele, was an R&B band formed in 1981. It was originally comprised of local Cincinnati musicians such as drummer, Antonio “L.A.” Reid, bassist, Kevin “Kayo” Roberson, vocalist/percussionist, Darnell “Dee” Bristol, lead vocalist, Carlos “Satin” Greene, guitarist/keyboardist, Stanley “Stick” Burke, and guitarist, Steve “Tuck” Walters. Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, hailing from Indianapolis, later joined the band in 1981. Such memorable hits from The Deele include “Body Talk,” which became The Deele’s first hit, reaching #3 on the R&B Chart and #77 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. In 1987, The Deele reached the apex of their career with the release of their third album, Eyes of a Stranger, which produced two top-10 hit R&B singles, “Shoot ‘Em Up Movies” and their best-known song, “Two Occasions,” which reached #4 on the R&B charts and cracked the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Louise Shropshire (February 15, 1913 – November 26, 1993) was a composer of hymns and best known as the original composer of the iconic Civil Rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome.”  The granddaughter of slaves, Mrs. Shropshire as a young girl demonstrated a gift for music and composed many hymns as a member of the African American Baptist Church. In the early 1950s, Louise Shropshire met Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and eventually became lifelong friends. She penned the song, “If My Jesus Wills,” which was the basis for the song, “We Shall Overcome,” that Dr. King adopted for his Civil Rights marches and activism.

Originally from the Cincinnati neighborhood of Madisonville, Philippé Wynne (April 3, 1941 – July 14, 1984) was best known as the lead vocalist for the famed musical group, The Spinners. Mr. Wynne voiced such notable hits as “Love Don’t Love Nobody,” “How Could I Let You Get Away,” “The Rubberband Man,” and “One of a Kind (Love Affair).” After leaving The Spinners, Mr. Wynne was featured in hits by other artists such as “(Not Just) Knee Deep” by Funkadelic.

James Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an iconic musician who recorded many of his hit songs at King Records located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The primary originator of Funk music, Mr. Brown was known as “the Hardest Working Man in Show Business” and the “Godfather of Soul.” In an illustrious career that spanned for more than 50 years, Mr. Brown voiced such memorable hit songs as “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” “I Got You (I Feel Good),” “It’s a Man’s World,” “Get Up,” and “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud.” Mr. Brown was one of the first ten Inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 23, 1986. He is an Honorary Inductee for the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame.

The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame will feature augmented reality activations, an experiential drum machine, a musical waterfall, nightly jam sessions, as well as interactive kiosks that honor the contributions of Black musical artists from Southwest Ohio (i.e., Cincinnati, Dayton, Hamilton, Middletown, and Springfield). The grand opening on July 22, 2023 will feature the 2023 induction ceremony, guided tours of the attraction as well as a free concert by the Ohio Players. The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame sits on the Ohio Riverbanks next to the Andrew Brady Center and across from Paycor Stadium, home of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals and the Cincinnati Music Festival.

The 2023 sponsors of the historic Grand Opening of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame are P&G, The Kroger Company, Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati, All in Cincinnati, First Financial Bank, Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Cincinnati Music Festival, and the Cochran Firm. For more information on the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame, visit https://www.cincyblackmusicwalkoffame.org.

This post was curated by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder and editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga or The Burton Wire on social media @Ntellectual or @TheBurtonWire. 

Black Pride: Remembering the History of the LGBTQ+ Movement

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In the spirit of Pride Month, we commemorate the journey of the LGBTQ+ community,
highlighting the significant contributions of Black queer and trans people whose resilience and activism have shaped the movement. As Pride Month comes to an end, it is important to remember the history, which started with the Stonewall Uprisings, a series of protests by members of the LGBTQ+ community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York.

One year later on June 28, 1970, the first gay pride marches took place in Chicago,
Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. The Stonewall Uprising sparked a wave of activism and transformed the LGBTQ+ rights movement forever.

One remarkable figure emerging from the uprising was Marsha P. Johnson, an African
American transgender woman, drag performer, and activist. Johnson’s courage and unyielding determination played an instrumental role in igniting change. Her activism extended beyond the Stonewall Uprising as she was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front and co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), providing shelter and support to homeless LGBTQ youth alongside Sylvia Rivera. Despite their activism, Johnson and Rivera were ejected from the gay rights movement in 1973 by the white, male, and cisgender leadership who perceived their marginalized identities as a hindrance to achieving mainstream acceptance.


While Marsha “Pay It No Mind” Johnson was known for her compassionate activism and radiant personality, she actively confronted the violence and mistreatment the LGBTQ+ community endured at the hands of law enforcement. There is a prevailing belief that she may have experienced this violence firsthand.

In 1992, Johnson’s body was found floating in the Hudson River. Her death was quickly ruled a suicide by NYPD; however, those who knew her rebut the notion that she would have taken her own life. LGBTQ+ rights activist Victoria Cruz leads an investigation into Johnson’s death in Netflix documentary “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson.”
Transgender women of color, especially Black trans women, continue to experience violence at disproportionate rates.

As Ananya Garg reports in Yes Magazine, the murder rate for Black transgender women is more than seven times as high as that of the general population. Fortunately, more people are recognizing the need for greater inclusion and representation within the LGBTQ+ community.

One such development is the modification of the Pride Flag to encompass the colors of the transgender flag and black and brown stripes, symbolizing solidarity with the Black and Brown queer and trans community. As we conclude Pride Month, it is essential to honor the courageous individuals who fought for LGBTQ+ rights, particularly queer and trans people of color, who played a pivotal role in the struggle for equality.

This article was written by Niya Harris, editorial intern for The Burton Wire. Follow Niya on IG @Niya.Harris.

Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter: @TheBurtonWireNews IG: @theburtonwire

Michelle Buteau : Survival of the Thickest Streams on Netflix July 13

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Survival of the Thickest. Michelle Buteau as Mavis in Survival of the Thickest. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

Michelle Buteau is on track to be Hollywood’s next “It Girl.” The Haitian American comedian and actress (“First Wives Club” and “Marry Me”) has co-created and executive produced “Survival of the Thickest,” an 8-episode, half-hour scripted comedy based on Buteau’s book of essays of the same name. The series also stars Tone Bell, Christine Horn, Tasha Smith and Garcelle Beauvais. Watch the trailer below:

The series follows Mavis Beaumont (Buteau) around NYC as she navigates her “new normal” of being a single, Black, and plus-sized fashion stylist. Buteau’s comedy, which takes on dominant ideologies about beauty and partnership, is reflected in this quirky and relatable series. Buteau offers a refreshing portrayal of a curvy Black woman who is sexy, desirable, and empowered.

“Survival of the Thickest,” drops on Netflix July 13, 2023.

This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder and editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Nsenga’s love of film, tv and media spans decade. A film and tv professor for more than two decades, Dr. Burton is an expert in intersectionality and media industries.

Follow Nsenga on IG or FB @TheBurtonWire.

Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter or IG @TheBurtonWire.

 

A Perfect Find: What to Stream or Watch This Weekend

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Gabrielle Union and Keith Powers in “The Perfect Find.” Photo Credit: AlyssaLongchamp/Netflix

Happy Friday! With so many entertainment options to choose from in the current media climate, figuring out what to stream or check out at the movie theater can be tough. Not to worry, because I’m here to give you some advice on what you should watch this weekend.

  1. The Perfect Find (starring Gabrielle Union and Keith powers; directed by Numa Perrier)
    If you are a rom-com-a-holic, then this film is for you. Based on Tia Williams’ 2016 novel of the same name, if the phrase, “Grand opening, grand closing,” was a person, Jenna Jones would be that character. Gabrielle Union stars as Jenna, whose rise and fall in the fashion and dating world are just as precipitous. Jenna  tries to reclaim her rightful place in the fashion world, all while being considered a dinosaur at 45. Keith Powers plays Eric Hill, Jenny’s younger and steamy love interest who has the power to destroy the career and heartstrings she is rebuilding, while toiling under a sinister fashion icon Darcy (Gina Torres), who happens to be not-so-little Eric’s mother. Union clearly knows her way around a romantic comedy and delivers an energetic performance that makes Jones’s character likable and dare say it, relatable. Powers holds his own against the rom-com heavyweight who is buoyed by a script written by Leigh Davenport (“Run the World”) and rom-com producer heavyweight Glendon Palmer (Jumping the Broom, Southside with You) who deliver delightful stories uplifting black excellence, beauty and resiliency. With talent like Gina Torres. Aisha Hinds, Janet Hubert, D.B. Woodside and LaLa Anthony in the mix, The Perfect Find is the perfect fix for this non-holiday weekend. (Netflix)
  2. Keyshia Cole: This is My Story
    Firstly, who doesn’t like a biopic? Secondly, if you watched Cole’s reality show, “The Way It Is,” (BET, 2006-2008) which followed the Grammy and BET award-winner at the peak of her fame while trying to adjust to life with a dysfunctional family with whom she was re-connecting, then you must see this film. This Lifetime biopic stars Cole and is written by Angelica Cherri (Godfather of Harlem, Highway to Heaven), and directed by media multi-hyphenate D’Angela Proctor (TV One, Codeblack Films), who is well-known as a television studio executive. Thirdly, Cole finally gets to tell her story through her lens with close friends and creatives and stars as herself. Before you get persnickety, lots of celebrities have played themselves in biopics or semi-autobiographical films including Howard Stern, Fantasia Barrino, Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, Toni Braxton, Marshall “Eminem” Mathers, Richard Pryor, Curtis “Fifty Cent” Jackson and Natalie Cole and most did a great job, so why not Keyshia? Adopted at a young age, Keyshia Cole overcame a difficult childhood to pursue her dream of becoming a singer. As her star begins to rise, Cole reunites with her two sisters while struggling to keep her biological mother, who has sense passed, in rehab. Lastly, check it out and find out more about Cole who has a story worth telling and watching. (Lifetime)
  3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
    Miles Morales is back y’all. What else do you need to know? This version of Spider-Man is transversing the multiverse and still redefining what a hero looks like onscreen and off. Voiced by Shameik Moore (Wu-Tang: An American Saga; The Get Down) whose career shows no sign of slowing down, Miles Morales is back in the multiverse and stumbles across a group of spider-peeps who must protect their very existence. Conflict arises when they cannot agree on the best way to handle a new threat. The story is powerful and the visuals, sound and direction (Joaquin Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson) are outstanding. I won’t tell you anymore other than the cast is a whose who of Hollywood including Bryan Tyree Henry, Jason Schwartzman, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershala Ali, J.K. Simmons, Donald Glover and Issa Rae, all of whom give great voice. Although Miles Morales would disagree, this is not the time to “do your own thing” unless that thing to do this weekend includes watching Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. (Sony Pictures Animation – check local theater listings)

This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder and editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Nsenga’s love of film, tv and media spans decade. A film and tv professor for more than two decades, Dr. Burton is an expert in intersectionality and media industries.

Follow Nsenga on IG or FB @TheBurtonWire.

Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter or IG @TheBurtonWire

Britney Joy: TikTok Star & Mother Sherie to be Buried in California

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TikTok star Britney Joy, 35, dies in a car accident along with her mother Sherie Smith, 65 on June 19, 2023 in Houston, TX. Photo: Instagram/ThatGirlBritney

The internet is still reeling over the death of TikTok comedian Britney Joy and her mother Sherie Smith, 65, who died in a devastating car accident in Houston on Juneteenth.

Murphy, known as ThatGirlBritneyJoy on TikTok, rose to fame with skits about getting ready for work in the morning. Her hilarious and relatable content quickly garnered 471k
followers, brand deals, and hundreds of thousands of views on each post.

According to multiple outlets, Britney and her mother, Sherie Smith, 60, were
driving to Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas to celebrate Juneteenth when their car was hit by a truck. The crash occurred mere minutes after the 35-year-old had posted her last TikTok video.

Joy’s sister, Tiffany Smith Cofield, told local news outlet ABC13 that she’d been on her way home when she came across the scene of the crash. She instantly recognized their car, and upon hearing “a mom and daughter died,” she knew it must have been Britney and Smith.

Cofield stated, “There will never be a time when I won’t miss my mother and my sister. They were my best friends. They were everything.” She has since set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Britney and Sherie’s funeral. At the time of publication, nearly $103,000 had been raised. Services for the mother and daughter will be held in California.

To read more about this story, visit KHOU.com.

This article was written by Niya Harris, editorial intern for The Burton Wire. Follow Niya on IG @Niya.Harris.

Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter: @TheBurtonWireNews IG: @theburtonwire

Juneteenth: Historic Day is More Than a Festival or Holiday

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Ms. Opal Lee Walker attends signing of Juneteenth as a national holiday. (Photo: Agnes Levine/Flickr)

For some reason, some people are crediting former President Donald Trump with the Juneteenth holiday probably because he said, “I made Juneteenth very famous,” as if Juneteenth wasn’t already celebrated regionally and observedI in many states since the early 2000s.

I would encourage people who operate in truth to remember then President Trump came under fire in 2020 for announcing a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Juneteenth in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and on the heels of the murder of George Floyd. Activists like Fort Worth’s Ms. Opal Lee, the then 94-year-old Black woman, who had worked for decades to make Juneteenth a national holiday, after leading the cause to make Juneteenth a TX state holiday in 1980, spoke out against President Trump’s controversial decision to hold what many believed to be an anti-Black rally on Juneteenth where the Tulsa Massacre occurred in 1921. The Tulsa Massacre was a two-day event where white supremacists – many of whom had been deputized as police officers – terrorized and burned down what was then Black Wall Street, a bustling area of Black businesses. Thousands of Black Americans were displaced and hundreds were killed or died from their injuries.

You may recall there had been renewed interest in Black Wall Street and The Tulsa Massacre with the release of The Watchmen, starring Regina King, on HBO in 2019, a wildly popular graphic novel turned into an HBO television series which opens with the Tulsa Massacre. There was also the fantasy horror novel Lovecraft Country, starring Journée Smollet and Jonathan Majors, which was adapted into an HBO television series, also covered, “Sundown Towns, “ the “Green Book” and the “Tulsa Massacre,” so there was a lot of interest in Tulsa, social justice movements, reparations, restorative justice and acknowledgement of the past wrongs against Black Americans that had not been adequately addressed, corrected or compensated at the time.

Keeping Blacks enslaved in TX, Louisiana and other Southern and Western states like Missouri, California and Oregon for two years following the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation is one of many wrongdoings not adequately addressed even with this national holiday.

In fact states like Delaware, Maryland, parts of Virginia and New Jersey and others – so-called free states —were still practicing slavery following the Emancipation Proclamation but that’s another story. Back to the present.

In addition to Ms. Opal Lee, Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists also called for making Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday following then President Trump’s reckless decision to hold a “rally” on Juneteenth, especially following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Daunte Wright who was killed in April 2021 among others. In June 2021, a bipartisan bill to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday was introduced by Democrat U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Houston. You may also recall the insurrection on January 6, 2021 which led to bipartisan bills like this one being brought before Congress to assuage the feelings of a nation still reeling from the insurrection, a national symbol of a racially-divided, anti-Black and hostile United States.

The bill was passed by both chambers – June 15 (House) and 16th (Senate) respectively.

Following a ceremony led by Vice-President Kamala Harris and featuring Opal Lee, the bill was signed into law by President Biden June 17, 2021.

So, if you want to credit then president Donald Trump with making Juneteenth a national holiday which is not true, then tell the entire story and credit him with wanting to hold a hate rally on Juneteenth at the site of the Tulsa massacre in 2020, spurring outrage from Black Americans, who wanted the date acknowledged, protected and respected and interest from allies.

More facts — following the outcry from Black American activists, then President Trump’s rally was moved to June 20, 2020 but it was still held.

Ms. Opal Lee, a Wiley College graduate, retired teacher and counselor, is referred to as “The Grandmother of Juneteenth.” Ms. Lee is 96-years-old.

More facts: Lee’s motivation for activism around Juneteenth:

In June 1939, Lee’s parents bought a house in the 900 block of East Annie Street in what is known as Terrell Heights in Fort Worth, TX. In 1939, it was a mostly white area. On June 19, 1939, 500 white rioters vandalized and burned down their home. Lee was twelve years old at the time. Recalling it years later, Lee said, “The fact that it happened on the 19th day of June has spurred me to make people understand that Juneteenth is not just a festival.”

I would add it’s not just a holiday. Remember to honor Lee and other Black Americans who are still living and have been dishonored in the worst ways on this precarious day.

This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder and editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on IG or FB @TheBurtonWire.

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