During an interview on The Clay Cane Show, Fresh Price of Bel-Air actor, Tatyana Ali, discusses her experience with  colorism in Hollywood.

Its being reported that actor/producer, Tyler Perry, has donated $100,000 to the legal defense fund of Kenneth Walker (the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, who was shot dead in her apartment in March by Louisville police).

A GoFundMe page was created on Nov. 10 to raise money for the upcoming legal battle, with a goal set at $100,000. Perry helped Walker to surpass it with his donations on Sunday, which came in waves – first $10,000, then another $10,000, followed by $50,000 and $30,000, according to Variety.

In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency—a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.

Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office.

A Promised Land is extraordinarily intimate and introspective—the story of one man’s bet with history, the faith of a community organizer tested on the world stage. Obama is candid about the balancing act of running for office as a Black American, bearing the expectations of a generation buoyed by messages of “hope and change,” and meeting the moral challenges of high-stakes decision-making. He is frank about the forces that opposed him at home and abroad, open about how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters, and unafraid to reveal self-doubt and disappointment. Yet he never wavers from his belief that inside the great, ongoing American experiment, progress is always possible.

This beautifully written and powerful book captures Barack Obama’s conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding and built together, day by day.

The Black American Music Association (BAM) and the Georgia Entertainment Caucus (GEC) has announced the formation of the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame (WOF) which will be installed in downtown Atlanta starting in January 2021.

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The WOF will reside on the sidewalks of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and Northside Drive, 1 AMB Drive, NW, Atlanta, GA 30313. 

Held annually on July 4, the Peachtree Road Race was postponed to Thanksgiving Day in hopes the COVID-19 pandemic would subside enough for large gatherings. When it became clear an in-person event would not be possible, race organizers Atlanta Track Club announced the race would be held virtually over the course of four days from November 26-29. Race packets began shipping via UPS and will be arriving at participant’s homes.

​Beckie Dominick’s appropriately and optimistically named “Keep On Keeping On” will grace the front of the shirts delivered to all participants of the Virtual Running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race. The shirts, which were printed for the traditional July 4 running of the race, were sent back to the printer to add a message on the back of the shirt that reads “Peachtree: An Atlanta Tradition 2020 Can’t Stop.” It marks the first time a printing appears on the back of the shirt since the 1986 Peachtree.
Dominick, a graphic designer from Gainesville, Georgia received the news over Zoom on Tuesday. “I think every time I see someone wearing the shirt, I’ll think ‘oh my gosh! I did that!” Dominick said. Dominick, who recently moved to Georgia from Florida is a first time entrant in the contest. She also plans to complete her first Peachtree on Thanksgiving weekend. Dominick will be awarded $1,000 for her winning design.

​That won’t stop 90-year-old Bill Thorn of Tyrone, Georgia. He’s the only person to complete every Peachtree. In honor of his streak, Thorn was the first participant to receive his shirt, hand delivered by Race Director Rich Kenah on Tuesday morning. “For y’all to even think about me under these circumstances, I just can’t get over it,” Thorn said.

​The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs’ (OCA) annual ELEVATE public art festival recently partnered with Facebook to install five new murals, which are a part of this year’s festival — presented digitally on the ELEVATE website, Facebook, and YouTube from October 4 to 10.

With 2020 marking a pivotal election year, Facebook launched the “Voting is Voice” campaign and set a goal to register 4 million new voters during the largest voter drive in U.S. history. Facebook’s partnership with the OCA and ELEVATE was a natural fit as the festival will explore the concept of social justice and equity through this year’s programming.

​For the “Voting is Voice” campaign, five artists from across the U.S. created original artwork commissions in response to the prompt “Voting is Voice.” Within this theme, each artist explored voting as a powerful tool of the personal and collective voice, the importance of a diversity of voices to a healthy society, the powerful impact of personal narratives as vehicles for change, and our collective responsibility to acknowledge and amplify a broad spectrum of voices. These five murals are a part of Facebook’s push to increase voter engagement and participation during this election year.

Each mural will feature the artist’s bio, Q.R. codes, and URLs that direct viewers to Facebook and Instagram’s Voting Information Center, where they can find more information on the 2020 U.S. election and a quick and easy way to register to vote.

In addition, the murals encourage public interaction through compelling, relevant design & digital features that create multiple levels of access for every member of the community.

This year’s ELEVATE Art Festival examines arts and culture through the lens of our changed reality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have experienced racial unrest, economic recession, isolation due to social distancing, and a divisive political climate. The festival theme is Equity, Activism, Engagement, and through our programs we seek to provide hope, inspiration, and food for your soul. Join this year’s free virtual programs from Sunday, October 4 through Saturday, October 10.  It’ll be streaming live via Facebook, YouTube and website. Check elevateatlart.com for details.  Below is the music lineup.

This year’s ELEVATE Art Festival examines arts and culture through the lens of our changed reality due to the COVID-19 pandemic, racial unrest, economic recession, and a divisive political climate. Dance performances being presented are dazzling, dreamlike, and defiant. They provide insight into issues that we, and our communities, are dealing with including inequity, food insecurity, and isolation, but also seek to inspire hope, resilience, and activism as we move forward. Join this year’s virtual programming from Sunday, October 4 through Saturday, October 10.

News Source:  Bossip.com

​WELL would you look at the change in the air! Glamour Magazine unveiled their September issue today and low and behold, the entire magazine is devoted to Black Hair! The issue delves into both the discriminatory stigmas Black women often face in the workplace over their hairstyles, as well as our unique styles and beauty rituals.

NEWS SOURCE:  Hatchett PR

​The City of Atlanta - Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs will bring its annual ELEVATE public art festival to Atlanta’s historic West End neighborhood from Sunday, October 4 to Saturday, October 10, 2020. This year’s festival events will be virtual. 

​• Musical performances by Kebbi Williams and The Wolf Pack, The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra, Gritz and Jelly Butter, Tony Hightower, and Julie Dexter. 
​• Mural installations honoring civil rights leader Reverend James Orange and Black women activists from the West End community. 
• An online and in person voter registration event at the West End MARTA station. 
• A conversation with New York Times best-selling authors Pearl Cleage and Tayari Jones, who frequently feature Atlanta’s West End community in their work.  
• The opening of Hammonds House Museum’s exhibition Elements of A Revolution. 
• A conversation between the executive directors of Atlanta Contemporary and Les Abattoirs/Toulouse to discuss challenges of promoting art during COVID-19, issues of gender equality and racism in their field. Since 1974 Atlanta and Toulouse have been Sister Cities. 
• A screening of the stirring new documentary, “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” an intimate account of the legendary U.S. Representative’s life, legacy, and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism. 
• An Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performance of Lazarus created by acclaimed hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris. The ballet connects the past and the present in a powerful work that addresses racial inequities America faced when Mr. Ailey founded his dance company in 1958 and still faces today.
• Renowned artist Carrie Mae Weems, in collaboration with SCAD, will launch RESIST COVID/TAKE 6, a public art initiative raising critical heath awareness about COVID-19 and the ways racial inequities have manifested in the pandemic.