Black Excellence
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Jaden Smith's Foundation Unveils Filtration System Designed to Provide Flint with Clean Water
While Jaden Smith is most commonly known for his acting chops and blossoming rap career, on the low, the son of Jada and Willard is quite the philanthropist too. The Associated Press reports that the 20-year-old’s JUST goods foundation is joining forces with First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church to deploy a mobile water filtration system—known…
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Janet Jackson—Ms. Jackson, If You’re Nasty—Has Announced a Vegas Residency
It’s time for y’all to take control of those savings and form a line behind the velvet rope, because Janet Thee Jackson just announced a Las Vegas residency. Janet, Ms. Jackson, if you’re nasty, says her residency, titled Metamorphosis, will be a celebration of her journey and the 30th anniversary of Rhythm Nation. Metamorphosis is…
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A List of Things Personally Threatened By Billy Porter's Red Carpet Gown
1. My sexuality (of course) 2. My blackness 3. My black male-ness 4. My fashion sense 5. My understanding of how gowns work 6. My relationship with my dad 7. My feelings about carpets 8. My feelings about the color red 9. My feelings about when things like “carpets” and “red” are in close proximity…
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Queen Latifah Is Developing $14 Million in Affordable Housing in Newark
After conquering the entertainment industry, and leaving an indelible mark on music, film and television, multi-hyphenate Queen Latifah is looking to extend her reign by giving back to her hometown of Newark, N.J. Through her company BlueSugar Corporation, the 48-year-old will partner with GonSosa Development to develop $14 million in affording housing for residents of…
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Lyft Earns Its Invite to the Cookout By Offering Free Rides to Celebrate Black History Month
Lyft—which I use almost every day and has saved me hundreds of dollars in parking since I live in Los Angeles—is celebrating Black History Month with the rest of us by offering free rides to all the beautifully black museums, black-owned businesses, and cultural sites in over 30 cities throughout the country. “At Lyft, we…
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Super Bowl LIII to Feature Male Cheerleaders for the First Time
Professional sports rosters, hockey and baseball excluded, tend to feature a steady diet of black players at every position. But while the outsized presence of young, gifted and black athletes on championship podiums has become so ubiquitous as to be reduced to an afterthought for most sports fans, black men have been largely absent from…
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Kevin Durant Opens After-School Center in Maryland Hometown
When NBA Superstar Kevin Durant celebrated the opening of his new after-school program, the Durant Center, he would not refer to the funding that came from his own pocket as a “donation.” He wouldn’t even call it a gift or an act of charity. Instead, the basketball legend says he returned to his old neighborhood…
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The Fierce Urgency and Intimacy of #MLKNow
Xerona Clayton, organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and personal friend to Martin Luther King Jr., recalled the day she arrived at his Atlanta home to begin his journey to Memphis in 1968. King’s two sons, Martin and Dexter, long accustomed to their father’s hectic schedule which often led him miles from home, were…
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Taraji P. Henson to Be Honored with Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
After decades of putting in work on both the small and silver screen, Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. “Taraji P Henson is a powerful woman and a powerful actress. She is an entertainer that fans cannot take their eyes off of due to…