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Nine people, including one police officer, have died in the West African state of Guinea, the security ministry said Wednesday, following days of unrest after a tense weekend presidential election.
In a statement, the ministry pointed to shootings and stabbings in the capital Conakry and elsewhere in the country since Sunday's presidential vote.
"This strategy of chaos (was) orchestrated to jeopardise the elections of October 18, " the ministry said, adding that many people had been injured and property was damaged.
Clashes were ongoing in Conakry on Wednesday, where a security officer, Mamadou Keganan Doumbouya, told the press that at least three people had died.
And a local doctor, who declined to be named, said he had received two dead bodies, and nine injured people, at his clinic.
The violence follows the high-stakes election in which President Alpha Conde ran for a third term in a controversial bid that had already sparked mass protests.
With tensions already running high, Guinea's main opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo on Monday declared victory in the election -- before the announcement of the official results, which are expected this week.
Opposition supporters are deeply suspicious about the fairness of the poll, although the government insists that it was fair.
Much of the tension in Guinea centres on Conde's candidacy.
In March, the 82-year-old president pushed through a new constitution which he argued would modernise the country. It also allowed him to bypass a two-term limit for presidents, however.
Security forces repressed mass protests against the move from October last year, killing dozens of people.
On Wednesday, plumes of black smoke rose over an opposition stronghold in the capital Conakry, where protesters erected barricades and lit fires, an AFP journalist saw.
Youths in alleyways also hurled stones at police officers stationed along a main artery who fired back tear gas canisters.
The security ministry stated that "a police officer was lynched to death" in a Conakry suburb, without specifying when the attack occurred.
In a social media post earlier on Wednesday, Conde appealed for "calm and serenity while awaiting the outcome of the electoral process".
- Clashes and barricades -
Ten candidates are in the race besides alongside frontrunners Conde and Diallo, old political rivals who traded barbs in a bitter campaign.
Despite fears of violence after the pre-vote clashes, polling day was mostly calm.
Then Diallo's self-proclaimed election victory ratcheted up tensions, and celebrations by his supporters descended into violent clashes with security forces on Monday.
The opposition politician said that security forces killed three youngsters that night, although AFP was unable to confirm the details.
Security forces also barricaded Diallo inside his house, the politician said on Tuesday.
Monitors from the African Union and the 15-nation West African bloc ECOWAS both said that Guinea's election was mostly fair, despite insistence from Diallo's camp tha
Many people have been killed since clashes began on Monday. Scores too had been killed in the run up to the vote as protestors marched against Conde's bid for a third term.
As leader of the multination peacekeeping force ECOMOG, Nigeria established itself as West Africas superpower, intervening militarily in the civil wars of Liberia and Sierra Leone. But Nigerias costly war efforts were unpopular with its own people, who felt Nigerias limited economic resources were being unnecessarily drained.
Abacha died of a heart attack in 1998 and was succeeded by another military ruler, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, who pledged to step aside for an elected leader by May 1999. The suspicious death of opposition leader Mashood Abiola, who had been imprisoned by the military ever since he legally won the 1993 presidential election, was a crushing blow to democratic proponents. In Feb. 1999, free presidential elections led to an overwhelming victory for Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, a former member of the military elite who was imprisoned for three years for criticizing the military rule. Obasanjos commitment to democracy, his anticorruption drives, and his desire to recover billions allegedly stolen by the family and cronies of Abacha initially gained him high praise from the populace as well as the international community. But within two years, the hope of reform seemed doomed as economic mismanagement and rampant corruption persisted. Obasanjos priorities in 2001 were epitomized by his plans to build a $330 million national soccer stadium, an extravagance that exceeded the combined budget for both health and education. In April 2003, he was reelected.
Last weekend's demonstrations are, to say the least, baffling on two counts - the manner of approach and what passes for the reasons behind the public disorder that characterised it.
As a State of law, the legal instruments of the land stipulate that any party or group desiring to hold any public demonstration should seek authorisation from the competent authorities.
If Cameroonians in some regions and diplomatic representations went about their daily activities normally, tranquillity was perturbed in others as \"some attempts to disrupt public order and defy republican institutions were recorded in the towns of Mbouda, Bafoussam, Yaounde and Douala,\" according to government authorities.
The question that comes begging for answers here is why would a party that aspires to rule defy the laws of the very land?
How logical it is today to ask for the votes to be recounted, several months already into the term of office of the winner of the election, is to say the least, mind-boggling.
Financially, over half (52%) of black women in the study are currently facing or anticipating a negative financial impact as a result of the pandemic, as compared with only 20% who are not, and half (50%) say that their ability to work effectively has been negatively affected by the pandemic.
Here are some of the key findings from the survey:
The CDC is the most trusted source of information (57%) for Black women when it comes to the pandemic (followed by news channels at 42%).
However, Black women currently use news channels most (69%) to gather information, followed by news websites (43%), the CDC website (32%) and then state government websites and social media (both 31%).
Black women view Dr. Anthony Fauci (66%) as the most trusted leader/expert when it comes to information on the pandemic, followed by state governors (46%) and city mayors (30%), while President Donald Trump is the least trusted (1%).
The majority of Black women were already planning to vote in the upcoming presidential (63%) and state (62%) elections, and the COVID-19 crisis does not impact their plan to vote.
Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) party leader Isaac Ruto has refuted claims that he was picked by a helicopter on Wednesday morning and dropped at State House, even with speculations rife that he was set for appointment to a top State job.
The former Bomet Governor clarified that he had indeed travelled from his rural home at Tumoi village, Chepalungu Constituency on Wednesday to Nairobi with his wife and landed at Wilson Airport, but added that the trip had no connection to State House.
“It is true, I flew to Nairobi from Bomet this morning with my wife who is in the essential service sector and who was required for an official engagement by her employer in Nairobi,” said Mr Ruto via telephone from Wilson Airport.
The rumour had generated a lot of political anxiety as President Uhuru Kenyatta is said to be crafting a team of professionals and politicians to be appointed to various positions in an impending cabinet reshuffle.
However, Mr Ruto dismissed claims of any political involvement, adding that it is not unusual for him to use helicopters to various destinations.
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is an international activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people. BLM regularly holds protests against police killings of black people and broader issues of racial profiling, police brutality, and racial inequality in the United States criminal justice system.[1]
In 2013, the movement began with the use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin. Black Lives Matter became nationally recognized for its street demonstrations following the 2014 deaths of two African Americans: Michael Brown, resulting in protests and unrest in Ferguson, and Eric Garner in New York City.[2] [3] Since the Ferguson protests, participants in the movement have demonstrated against the deaths of numerous other African Americans by police actions or while in police custody. In the summer of 2015, Black Lives Matter activists became involved in the 2016 United States presidential election.[4] The originators of the hashtag and call to action, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, expanded their project into a national network of over 30 local chapters between 2014 and 2016.[5] The overall Black Lives Matter movement, however, is a decentralized network and has no formal hierarchy.[6]
There have been many reactions to the Black Lives Matter movement. The U.S. populations perception of Black Lives Matter varies considerably by race.[7] The phrase All Lives Matter sprang up as a response to the Black Lives Matter movement, but has been criticized for dismissing or misunderstanding the message of Black Lives Matter.[8] [9] Following the shooting of two police officers in Ferguson, the hashtag Blue Lives Matter was created by supporters of the police.[10] Some black civil rights leaders have disagreed with the groups tactics.[11] [12]
Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. has accused Black Lives Matter of being
Benjamin S. Carson, neurosurgeon and Republican Presidential Candidate in 2016, was born on September 18, 1951 in Detroit, Michigan. Carson was raised in a single parent home when his father deserted the family in 1959 when he was eight years old, leaving his mother, Sonya, and his older brother, Curtis. Because of the turmoil in the family, Carson and his brother fell behind in school and he was labeled a “dummy” by his classmates in fifth grade. Once his mother saw their failing grades, she stepped in to turn their lives around. They were only allowed to watch two or three television programs a week and were required to read two books per week and write a book report for her despite her own limited reading skills. Carson developed a love for books and scholarship and eventually graduated third in his high school class. He enrolled in and graduated from Yale University and from there completed medical school at the University of Michigan after training to become a neurosurgeon.
Benjamin Carson joined the medical staff at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1985 he revived a little used surgical procedure, the hemispherectomy, which involved removing half the brain of a child who had experienced numerous seizures. This procedure had been stopped in the 1970s after hundreds of failed attempts. Dr. Carson, however, was able to complete it successfully. He made medical history again in 1987 when he led a team of 140 surgeons and nurses in a 22 hour surgery that successfully separated Siamese twins who were conjoined at the back of the head. Until then, either one or both twins died during or after the complicated surgery. Dr. Carson can also be credited with performing the first intrauterine surgical procedure to relieve pressure on the brain of a fetal twin.
Carson sets aside at least one hour a month to speak to children around the nation to encourage them to excel in school and never stop dreaming. He has also written numerous books including Gifted Hands and Think Big. Carson retired
Create A Black History Video.
Teach Black History.
— Marcus Garvey
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES, January 30, 2019 /
EINPresswire.com/ --
www.BlackFacts.com, the Internet’s longest running data-driven website on the historical and cultural contributions of people of color, is continually seeking new and exciting way to engage and inspire our community.
ABOUT BLACKFACTS.COM
Blackfacts.com was founded by Ken Granderson (MIT, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity) and Dale Dowdie (Boston University, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity) in 1997 as a way to showcase that people of color could take advantage of the technology revolution and build something that they own and control.
It was developed with the tenets of Inform, Engage Inspire – these are our goals for the visitors, contributors, sponsors and historians that enjoy the information provided on the site.
The “Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta” alumna flaunted her curvaceous figure on camera on Wednesday, May 13, and left fans drooling over her post.
Kalysha blasted Nicki Minaj’s “New Body” feature with Kanye West as she twerked her clappas in front of a bathroom mirror.
The single mother of one’s Instagram caption read, “Ain’t no miles on this here #quarantinebody #quarantinebodywhodis 😩😂 #newbody #newbodywhodis”
Kalysha quickly racked up over 259,000 views and 31,000 likes on her video.
I have seen her naked with out even trying”
The former “GUHHATL” star’s sexy body post comes days after folks accused her of having plastic surgery.
Trolls quickly found their way to Kalysha’s post.
Burundi is kicking out the World Health Organization’s top official in the country just days before the presidential election and after the WHO raised concerns about crowded political rallies.
The WHO Africa regional chief, Matshidiso Moeti, described Mulombo as an “extremely competent person” and said the WHO was communicating with Burundi “to clarify and understand the reasoning for the decision they have taken.”
The day that election campaigning in Burundi began late last month, images circulated online of crowded political rallies with President Pierre Nkurunziza in attendance.
The Africa CDC chief, John Nkengasong, on Thursday called Burundi’s action “unfortunate” and said any differences should be addressed by dialogue instead of actions that affect the pandemic response,
\t“We don’t have the luxury of kicking out the WHO,” he told reporters.
Burundi is using virus restrictions to limit election observers, however, telling the East African regional bloc that any arriving foreigners would face a 14-day quarantine.
Joseph Kwame Kyeretwei Boakye Danquah (Dankwa) was a Ghanaian lawyer, politician, and leader in that nation’s independence movement. He was born on December 18, 1895, to Emmanuel Yao Boakye and Lydia Okom Korantemaa in the town of Bepong in the Eastern Region of the Gold Coast (Ghana), then a colony of Great Britain.
Upon completion of Senior Secondary School at Begoro, he began working as a clerk for Vidal J. Buckle, a barrister-at-law in Accra, the capital city. In 1914, after passing his Civil Service Examination, Danquah became a clerk at the Supreme Court. His brother, Nana Sir Ofori Atta I, later sent him to Britain in 1921 to continue his studies.
Danquah entered the University of London in 1922 as a philosophy student and graduated in 1925. He continued graduate studies there and in 1927 became the first West African to obtain the doctor of philosophy degree from a British University. He also passed the British Bar in 1926. While pursuing his studies, Danquah also edited the West African Students’ Union (WASU) magazine and eventually becoming the Union’s president.
Upon his return to the Gold Coast in 1927, Danquah established a private law practice. In 1929, he helped J. E. Casely Hayford found the Gold Coast Youth Conference (GCYC) and served as its secretary general from 1937 to 1947. In 1931, he founded the Times of West Africa, the first daily newspaper in Ghana which he published between 1931 and 1935. A column titled “Women’s Corner” was written by Mabel Dove who later became his first wife in 1933.
Actively seeking measures that would increase the self-government of the Gold Coast, Danquah in 1947 cofounded the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the first political party in the colony. The UGCC, which was composed mainly of the colony’s African elite, demanded constitutional reforms including eventual Independence. Kwame Nkrumah, a U.S. and British educated activist, was invited to be the party’s general secretary. The UGCC split, however, in 1949 when Nkrumah formed the Convention People’s
Zimbabwe, a landlocked country in south-central Africa, is slightly smaller than California. It is bordered by Botswana on the west, Zambia on the north, Mozambique on the east, and South Africa on the south.
The remains of early humans, dating back 500,000 years, have been discovered in present-day Zimbabwe. The lands earliest settlers, the Khoisan, date back to 200 B.C. After a period of Bantu domination, the Shona people ruled, followed by the Nguni and Zulu peoples. By the mid-19th century the descendants of the Nguni and Zulu, the Ndebele, had established a powerful warrior kingdom.
On Nov. 11, 1965, the conservative white-minority government of Rhodesia declared its independence from Britain. The country resisted the demands of black Africans, and Prime Minister Ian Smith withstood British pressure, economic sanctions, and guerrilla attacks in his effort to uphold white supremacy. On March 1, 1970, Rhodesia formally proclaimed itself a republic. Heightened guerrilla war and a withdrawal of South African military aid in 1976 marked the beginning of the collapse of Smiths 11 years of resistance.
Black nationalist movements were led by Bishop Abel Muzorewa of the African National Congress and Ndabaningi Sithole, who were moderates, and guerrilla leaders Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and Joshua Nkomo of the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU), who advocated revolution.
On March 3, 1978, Smith, Muzorewa, Sithole, and Chief Jeremiah Chirau signed an agreement to transfer power to the black majority by Dec. 31, 1978. They formed an executive council, with chairmanship rotating but with Smith retaining the title of prime minister. Blacks were named to each cabinet ministry, serving as coministers with the whites already holding these posts. African nations and rebel leaders immediately denounced the action, but Western governments were more reserved, although none granted recognition to the new regime.
The white minority finally consented to hold multiracial elections in 1980,
David J. Albritton is Vice President and Chief Communications Officer at Exelis Inc., a $5.5 billion global aerospace, defense and information solutions company. In his current role, he is responsible for global reputation management, shareholder communications, executive communications, public relations, employee communications, crisis communications, corporate advertising, digital and social media, corporate philanthropy and special events.
Prior to joining Exelis, Albritton was Director, Media Relations on the Corporate Public Relations team at Raytheon Company, responsible for strategic communications.Early in his career, Albritton spent 10 years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, which included service aboard USS PORTLAND (LSD 37) during Operations Desert Shield & Desert Storm. He also served in the Pentagon as an official Naval spokesman on the Navy News Desk.Albritton serves on the Board of the Institute for Public Relations and Points of Light as well as a member of the, Arthur W. Page Society.
Ms Grace Nabwami, a Makerere University Business School (MUBS) graduate who was hit by a stray bullet fired by a police officer in Kabalagala, a Kampala suburb seven years ago, has been awarded Shs75million as compensation for the injuries she sustained.
Kampala High Court Judge Musa Ssekaana ruled that it is the duty of a reasonable police officer not to harm innocent civilians in the course of executing their duties of enforcing law and order.
The court order results from a 2015 case in which Ms Nabwami sued the Attorney General seeking compensation for damages, special damages resulting from negligence of the police officer who shot at her.
It is her evidence that at around 12am on the fateful day, a police officer attached to Kabalagala Police Station, who was pursuing a suspect armed with a knife, fired a bullet that strayed to the plaintiff's (Nabwami) house hitting her in the right neck area.
Court records show that Ms Nabwami never got any help from the government in terms of treatment or compensation for what befell her, yet the officer in charge of Kabalagala Police Station acknowledged his officer's actions.
Today Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), the nation’s #1 advocate for kids and teens, launched their new Boys & Girls Clubs – Alumni & Friends Club to engage its estimated 16 million Club Alumni. Alongside Alumni & Friends Club spokesperson Shaquille O’Neal, numerous other celebrity ambassadors, hundreds of local Boys & Girls Clubs, corporate and media partners, BGCA is calling former Club members to join the movement in building great futures for the next generation.
“Boys & Girls Clubs have impacted the future of multiple generations, with 54 percenti of our Alumni saying that their Club saved their lives,” said Jim Clark, president & CEO of BGCA. “We want to reconnect with the millions of former Club kids and issue a call to action to come together as advocates and ambassadors for Clubs around the country, so that every kid in America has an open door to a great future.”
It’s estimated that one out of every 16 Americans has been a Club kid at one point in their life. In an effort to reconnect, BGCA is leveraging the power of social media and rallying its celebrity alumni and friends as part of this effort with well-known supporters like Shaquille O’Neal, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Evander Holyfield, Nick Cannon, Queen Latifah, Victor Cruz, Michael Phelps and others encouraging their social media fans and followers and the millions of Club Alumni to join.
More than 45 of BGCA’s corporate supporters are also joining this effort long-term, with companies like Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Nestle USA, Anthem Foundation, AT&T, Staples, Raytheon, Comcast NBCUniversal, Fox Sports, Bank of America among others engaging their combined millions of employees, as well as friends and followers on social media to join the Alumni & Friends Club and impact a kid’s life forever.
“It is imperative for all Club Alumni to come together to support kids in this country,” said Larry Young, president and CEO of Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Larry and his wife Colette co-chair BGCA’s Alumni & Friends initiative. “My Boys & Girls Club was an
-Rep. Gray
A member of the governing Coalition for Democratic Change -Montserrado County Electoral District #8 Representative Acarous Moses Gray claims here that despite the 12 years leadership of the Unity Party, the former ruling party has placed its financial burden squarely on the shoulders of opposition Alternative National Congress political leader, Mr. Alexander Cummings.
Addressing a news conference in Monrovia on Thursday, May 14, Rep. Gray notes that it is shame for the former ruling establishment to hang on the pocket of Mr. Cummings, who according to him, has lost his way to the presidency.
He says Cummings' close relationship with the former ruling establishment would pave the way for the ruling CDC to win a second term landslides on grounds that Liberians will not give the country back to the Unity Party that allegedly squandered huge opportunities intended for the Liberian people over its 12 years reign.
Gray notes that stalwarts of the former ruling establishment are bitter with the Coalition for Democratic Change-led administration because they believe political leadership for the country is their exclusive right.
Some leaders from the opposition community, including Montserrado County Senator Darious Dillon have defended the statement, saying, Dumoe lacks the ability to breach the peace or place guns in the hands of Liberians.But Gray counters that during the days of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, such statement was considered deadly and counterproductive to the peace process.
The death of 76ers great Moses Malone rocked the sports world Sunday.
A ferocious rebounder, the Hall of Famer known as the Chairman of the Boards was mourned far and wide.
Former and current NBA players took to social media, released statements, and expressed grief over losing the three-time MVP who led the Sixers to their last NBA title in 1983.
“I am extremely saddened to hear of Moses’ passing this morning. This is extremely tough for me. I am completely in shock and words can’t express the pain and loss I am feeling right now,” Dominique Wilkins said in a statement.
Malone played alongside Wilkins in Atlanta from 1988-91 and made the same impression on the Hawks’ legend as he did on so many who spent time with him.
“He was one of the first greats who truly mentored me and showed me how to be a professional. I never saw anyone work harder than Moses, and away from basketball he was just as kind and thoughtful,” Wilkins said.
The news quickly spread through the Sixers community and a flood of posts on Twitter and Instagram followed from those who knew him personally, and those who only knew him as an icon of unyielding aggression in the paint.
Allen Iverson said on Twitter, “My condolences to the family and friends of Moses Malone. You will truly be missed. Rest in peace Big Mo!”
Malone’s former Sixers teammate Charles Barkley said in a statement, “The man I called ‘Dad’ passed today. Words can’t explain my sadness. I will never know why a Hall of Famer took a fat, lazy kid from Auburn and treated him like a son.”
Current Sixers big man Jahlil Okafor tweeted a photo of Malone in a sea of fans with the words, “You had the whole city of Philly on your back. Rest in Paradise.”
76ers CEO Scott O’Neil and NBA commissioner Adam Silver released statements as the void left by the 60-year-old’s passing was felt in all corners of the NBA.
“I have fond memories of when Moses and Dr. J led their Sixers to a 4-0 sweep in the 1983 NBA Finals against my Lakers,” Magic Johnson said in a tweet.
The passing of Malone came
As more people are finding fame, notoriety and lucrative careers through “content” creation on platforms like Instagram and YouTube, the idea of what fame is — and who gets to be famous — has drastically shifted.
Particularly stars who ― unlike Gen Z celebs, including Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X or Timothée Chalamet, who grew up with social media and understand it more intuitively ― are pivoting to influencer-ship after creating more traditional, more remote personas.
Unlike so many of the celebs who are flailing as they try to produce relatable content during this pandemic, he has mastered his online persona as effectively as he mastered his “Will Smith: Movie Star” persona during the height of his acting career in the 1990s and 2000s.
In 2016, Forbes put Smith number two on its list of most-overpaid actors ― recent movies like “Concussion” and “Focus” had cost millions of dollars but failed to make decent returns, especially for a big star.
But for every Will Smith or Cardi B. (a little messy but endlessly entertaining on social media, where she initially became popular), there’s an Ellen DeGeneres complaining about how quarantine is like prison from her LA mansion.
Born in northern Niger state, Babangida received military training in Nigeria, India, Great Britain, and the United States. He rose through the ranks and was known for his courage—he played a major role in suppressing an attempted coup in 1976 when he walked into a rebel-held radio station unarmed.
After Murtala Mohammed became the military head of state in 1975, Babangida joined his Supreme Military Council. He played a significant role in the coup that replaced the civilian government of Shehu Shagari with the military regime led by Muhammad Buhari. However, deep dissatisfaction with Buhari’s restrictive governance led Babangida to oust Buhari in August 1985. Babangida lessened the governmental control of the press and released a number of detainees from the former civilian government. However, he faced the same economic problems that Buhari had struggled with and the same domestic dissatisfaction. He came to an agreement with the International Monetary Fund and received new loans from the World Bank, but the resultant devaluation of the naira, the local currency, led to social unrest, which he addressed by dissolving part of the Nigeria Labour Congress and temporarily closing the universities.
Babangida announced early in 1986 that a civilian government would be formed by 1990, later extending the date by two years to allow more time for preparation. He decreed that no politicians from the civilian regimes or office-holding military officials could stand as candidates. He allowed no political parties during the transition period and approved only two political parties when campaigning began. Expressing dissatisfaction with the process of fielding new political parties, the Babangida government created its own parties, the National Republican Convention and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). As a further move to show that he was firmly in control, Babangida dissolved the Armed Forces Ruling Council in favour of smaller bodies and dismissed many of his closest military colleagues. An attempted coup in April
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sparked controversy after he was spotted sitting as the national anthem played during a preseason game Aug. 26. Asked why he chose to sit during the “Star-Spangled Banner,” the athlete said the move was a political statement against racism and police killings of blacks.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” he said.
“To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
While Black Lives Matter leader DeRay McKesson called the quarterback a “truth-teller,” and others compared him to athletes Muhammad Ali, John Carlos and Tommie Smith—who made bold stands against racism decades earlier—Kaepernick had his fair share of critics.
Actors James Woods and Christopher Meloni took to social media to criticize him and a fan filmed himself burning a Kaepernick jersey. Bigots flooded the quarterback’s social media accounts with racial slurs, threats, demands that he leave the country and accusations that he disrespected veterans. Other critics suggested Kaepernick sat during the anthem for publicity and is too wealthy to be oppressed. But these attacks on the football player are largely shortsighted, no matter how one feels about the national anthem or patriotism.
The long history of oppression people of color have experienced in the United States makes their decision to embrace patriotism (or reject it) both a political and personal matter.
What About the Veterans?
Self-proclaimed patriots have argued that Kaepernick’s anthem protest is an insult to veterans.
But this argument assumes that veterans are a monolithic group who feel the same about patriotism, police brutality and freedom of expression. It also overlooks that veterans, such as Walter Scott, have been police killing victims.
A number of veterans, however, have grasped the complexity of Kaepernick’s
Martin Lawrence is an American actor and comedian who has starred in numerous Hollywood hits. He was born on April 16, 1965 to John and Chlora Lawrence. John Lawrence was enlisted in the U.S. military and serving in Frankfurt, Germany at the time so Martin was born there. He was named after the iconic civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. His parents divorced when he was 8 years old, and subsequently Lawrence rarely met with his father who was now working as a police officer. His mother worked several jobs to support herself and her children. He attended several schools including Thomas G. Pullen School of Creative and Performing Arts in Maryland. During his teenage, he was a skilled boxer and might even have turned pro if not for an eye injury which made him reconsider his decision.
Lawrence was a gifted comedian from an early age, and at the encouragement of one of his teachers, he attended an open mic night at a comedy club “The Improv”. Soon, he was accepted as a contestant on the television show “Star Search” which was a talent competition with different genres of entertainment. Lawrence made it to the finals but eventually lost. However, his impressive performance landed him another role, this time on the television sitcom “What’s Happening Now!!”. The show was cancelled shortly and Lawrence accepted a number of inconsequential roles before making his breakthrough in the Spike Lee film “Do the Right Thing”. This was soon followed by other concrete roles including “Boomerang”, a romantic comedy starring Eddie Murphy.
Lawrence was then selected to host the HBO television series “Def Comedy Jam” which featured several prominent future comedians such as Chris Tucker, Dave Chappelle and Bernie Mac. During this time, he started his own television series by the name of “Martin” which aired from 1992 to 1997 and went on to become such a huge success that it was single handedly responsible for boosting FOX TV’s ratings against NBC as the top network contender. Lawrence hosted the hit television show
Best Known As:
The comedian in Let Me Explain and Ride Along
Kevin Hart is the energetic comedian who parlayed his stand-up routine about being short and insecure into a successful stage and screen career in Let Me Explain (2013) and Ride Along (2014, co-starring Ice Cube). Hart got his start in Philadelphia and in comedy clubs and competitions in New England. His first break in TV came thanks to Judd Apatow, who cast him in the short-lived series Undeclared (2002). Hart spent the next decade being a break-out star in small roles and refining his stand-up show to include stories of his own troubled childhood. By 2013, he had hit comedy records and hed produced his own comedy special, Let Me Explain. Since then, Hart has expanded into fitness programs, feature films, television specials, merchandising, social media and elaborate stage shows that cost millions and earn even more millions. Movie critics give his efforts the heave-ho, but moviegoers dont seem to care, and neither does he, which is part of his charm. His films include Death at a Funeral (2010, starring Chris Rock), Think Like a Man (2012), Grudge Match (2013), The Wedding Ringer (2015), Get Hard (2015, co-starring Will Ferrell), and the reboot of Jumanji (2017, starring Dwayne The Rock Johnson).
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