Black Lives Matter Archives - Page 3 of 8

Carter G. Woodson Began Negro History Week, Later Known As Black History Month 97 Years Ago

February 28, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Today, we will come to the end of what would be the 47th year of celebrating Black History Month. The historical celebration began in 1924 after Dr.Carter G. Woodson believed that African Americans were not being taught enough about the history and accomplishments of their ancestors.

Woodson turned to his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, to help him get the message of ‘Negro History Week’ out, spreading negro history and literature for a week in February of 1924. Out of all months in a year, Woodson chose February because of the birthdays of both Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Schools and organizations across the nation took in Woodson’s initiative. However, Woodson had a hard time finding course materials and building a curriculum. This led Woodson to believe that a week of celebration was simply not enough to cut down the achievements of ancestors into. In the early 1940s, Woodson begins to make efforts to expand Negro History Week.

On April 3rd, 1950 Dr. Carter G. Woodson, died of a heart attack. With Black history still being prominent in the community, and civil rights and The Black Panthers coming to light in the 1960s, more people began to agree with the notion that Negro History Week should be expanded. On the 50th anniversary of the celebrated week, the Association for the Study of African American History would officially shift the week of celebration, to a month, giving February as we know today, Black History Month.

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#BHM: The Source Magazine Remembers The Trayvon Martin Tragedy 11 Years Later

February 28, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Eleven years ago during the NBA All-Star Game, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by self-appointed Neighborhood Watch person George Zimmerman in his father’s neighborhood of Sanford, Florida, outside of Orlando. Martin was only carrying a can of Arizona Ice Tea and a pack of Skittles.

After Martin’s death and Zimmerman’s acquittal, a epidemic of young Black males dying at the hands of law enforcement and citizens alike hit the streets of America, such as Jordan Davis, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Akai Gurle and a host of others in which almost no one was held responsible for their deaths. In some of the cases, the municipalities of the cities where the deaths occurred, sued the estates of the deceased.

If Trayvon would’ve lived the life of a normal teenager instead of being killed by an overzealous citizen, he would be 28 years old. Even President Obama made a declaration at the time of Martin’s death, saying, “Trayvon Could’ve Been Me”, which sent shockwaves across the globe. The death of Trayvon marks a dramatic turning point in the history of America and proves that racism is alive, well and as American as an NBA All Star Game.

The post #BHM: The Source Magazine Remembers The Trayvon Martin Tragedy 11 Years Later appeared first on The Source.

Dwyane Wade Dedicates NAACP Award To Daughter Zaya: ‘All I’ve Wanted To Do Was Get It Right’

February 27, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Over the weekend Dwyane Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union received the prestigious Presidents Award from the NAACP at the 54th annual Image Awards.

Both gave moving speeches advocating for the Black LGBTQIA community

“I am intentional when I use my platform. I recognize what I have been given and it is my job to uplift the voices of others and share my access and resources,” Wade said.

Wade opened the speech by dedicating the award to his 15-year-old daughter, Zaya, who is transgender.

“Zaya, as your father, all I’ve wanted to do is get it right. I’ve sat back and watched how gracefully you’ve taken on the public scrutiny and, even though it’s not easy, I’ve watched you walk out of that house every morning as yourself,” Wade said.

The retired NBA star thanked his daughter for showing him “that there is more than just one way to communicate effectively.”
“You’ve taught me that communication with my mouth isn’t enough. I have to also communicate with my two ears and my two eyes,” Wade said.

Gabrielle joined by saying, “A new era that demands our collective answer to one simple question: Will we fight for some or will we fight for all of our people?” Even as we demand equality at the top of our lungs, we consistently fail to extend our advocacy to protect some of our most vulnerable among us.”

To an emotional crowd, Wade ended his speech saying that he was “proud to be chosen” as Zaya’s father.

“Zaya, you’ve made me a better human just simply by being who you were born to be, a baby girl, Zaya Wade,” he said. “So baby thank you for showing the world what courage looks like.”

Watch the full speech below.

The post Dwyane Wade Dedicates NAACP Award To Daughter Zaya: ‘All I’ve Wanted To Do Was Get It Right’ appeared first on The Source.

[WATCH] Chance The Rapper Honors Black Revolutionaries In Powerful Black History Month Tribute

February 25, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Chance The Rapper just released an alternate video for his single “YAH Know” as a celebration of Black revolutionaries who have been trailblazers in history.

The new video opens with a message that reads: “This Black History Month we want to celebrate some of the most important progress we have made as a People. This video highlights some revolutionaries and their revolutions.”

Chance’s project places the spotlight on prominent figures in Black history such as Sarah Elizabeth Ray, Kwame Nkrumah and Nandi Azikiwe alongside Marcus Garvey, Fred Hampton and Mohandas Ghandi.

The video also offers fans the opportunity to unearth even more historical context by incorporating multiple clips from the PBS miniseries History of the Negro People: The New Mood, which first aired in 1965; the 1967 documentary Black Liberation; and The Warren Years: The Great Decisions, a film which examines the 1960s Supreme Court rulings brought on by the Civil Rights Movement.
The video also includes scenes from the Black Star Line Festival, which Chance The Rapper organized with Vic Mensa.
The two Chicago natives announced the Black Star Line Festival in July 2022, explaining that the event’s name was a tribute to pan-African activist Marcus Garvey’s shipping company.

“Founded in 1919, and operated by Black people, the [Black Star Line] would link America, the Caribbean and Africa, to global shipping and tourism opportunities,” a press release for the festival explained. “The Black Star Line was a symbol of pride, not only for Africans, but also for Black people in all ports of call. After nearly 40 years, the Ghanian government launched their fleet with the same name, in homage to Garvey, and even added a black star to the country’s new flag.”

In addition to the concert at Black Star Square on Friday night, the Black Star Line Festival included a week’s worth of special events and panels, including a fireside chat between Chance The Rapper and Dave Chappelle, who discussed bringing new attention and business to local comedy clubs and his dream of one day living in Ghana, inspired by a conversation with JAY-Z.
Watch the video below.

The post [WATCH] Chance The Rapper Honors Black Revolutionaries In Powerful Black History Month Tribute appeared first on The Source.

#BHM|Today In Hip Hop History: Larry Davis Killed In Shawangunk Prison 15 Years Ago

February 20, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Some say he was 50 Cent before 50 Cent. Some called him “the Robin Hood of The Ghetto”, while the establishment dubbed him “the crack city terminator.” In the hood, his solution is considered the only possible answer to a continuous epidemic of police brutality. Some of your favorite rappers from French Montana to Lloyd Banks to Jay-Z have name-dropped him on their tracks and BET felt he was so important to American culture that their American Gangster series had to open with him, but only an educated few know why the name Larry Davis continues to ring bells more than three decades after that fateful night in November of ’86.

On February 20, 2008, Adam Abdul Hakeem aka Larry Davis, was stabbed to death in Shawangunk State Prison in New York by a fellow inmate after serving 23 years for an illegal weapons charge. Most would say that people die in American prisons daily, so what’s the big deal about another dead prisoner? Well, it must first be explained why Mr. Davis was in prison for so long on a mere gun charge in the first place.

As he said on camera after his capture in 1986, “the police gave me the guns!”, that Davis was finally charged with after being acquitted for shooting 6 NYPD officers. The then 21-year-old BX native’s defense was that he shot the officers in self-defense. Davis exposed that he sold drugs for these Bronx precinct officers, claiming that they wanted to kill him because of what he knew about the drug operation within the department and a Bronx jury believed him. This case was the first and very possibly the only time in American history that a civilian was cleared of all charges in the shooting of a police officer.

The NYPD and then-Mayor Edward Koch were outraged at the outcome. After Larry’s death, the former Mayor Koch was quoted as saying, “The prison system did what the criminal justice system could not.” It’s safe to say that with the endless accusations against the NYPD and other police departments around the country for brutality against Black and brown people, the sentiment of sympathy for Larry Davis has been met with fierce opposition.

With the recent killings of Black youth by police and civilians becoming the norm, the question in the urban community is whether or not Larry Davis’ solution to police brutality is the only option left. With normal citizens being given the option to shoot first and ask questions later when it comes to Black youth and the prison industrial complex as the penalty for defending yourself, the bare truth is that it has become the only option to some. With landmark cases from Emmitt Till to Botham Jean, history reveals that people such as Nat Turner, Denmark Vesey, and even Larry Davis will always be heroes. We’ve heard Larry’s name come from the mouths of everyone from ATCQ to Jay-Z.

Check out Larry’s story on Troy Reed’s Street Stories Larry Davis: A Routine Typical Hit, BET’s American Gangster series and is also rumored to be in the hands of several filmmakers, which could possibly spawn the story on the silver screen.

The post #BHM|Today In Hip Hop History: Larry Davis Killed In Shawangunk Prison 15 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

#BHM: Philadelphia’s Work To Ride Program Highlighted On HBO’s Real Sports

February 15, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Twenty years ago, “Real Sports” first featured Work to Ride, an extraordinary program that teaches the upper-crust sport of polo to at-risk inner-city youth in Philadelphia.

This past fall, Work to Ride held its inaugural Philadelphia Polo Classic that drew in thousands of spectators around the city to support the program. The program has now graduated over one hundred kids and equipped them with skills to live better lives.

The post #BHM: Philadelphia’s Work To Ride Program Highlighted On HBO’s Real Sports appeared first on The Source.

Tyler Perry Donates $750,000 To Save Seniors Homes From Rising Property Taxes

February 15, 2023 by newhiphopnews

TV/movie mogul Tyler Perry is donating $750,000 to help low-income seniors in Atlanta not be forced out of their homes by rising property taxes.

With more people moving near Tyler Perry Studios, land values are rising and property taxes are rising. It is said to be the main reason longtime residents living on a fixed income are forced out of their homes and their lives are disrupted.
Tyler, who came in at No. 3 on the Forbes list of the Top 10 highest-paid entertainers of 2022 — raking in $175M last year — recently reached out to Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens to help keep these residents in their homes.

Sources say Tyler’s money will also effectively freeze property taxes for 100 low-income seniors for 20 years. This money will pay the difference between current property taxes and property tax increases over the next 20 years.

In addition to Tyler’s $750,000 allotted for 2023, he is said to contribute about $500,000 each year for the next four years… totaling about $2.75 million. It will reportedly be handled by the Invest Atlanta Partnership, the nonprofit arm of the development agency.

Tyler is the only black male among Forbes’ top 10 highest-paid entertainers…and his priority is said to be giving back to the community that means so much to him. .

Always helping out senior citizens, thousands of grocery shoppers were surprised during senior hours in Atlanta and New Orleans when Perry picked up their tabs at Kroger stores in Atlanta and Winn-Dixie stores. He also gave $21,000 in tips at an Atlanta restaurant.

The post Tyler Perry Donates $750,000 To Save Seniors Homes From Rising Property Taxes appeared first on The Source.

Swizz Beatz And More Pay Tribute To Slain South African Rapper AKA

February 12, 2023 by newhiphopnews

One of South Africa’s top rappers, known as AKA, was murdered outside a restaurant in the city of Durban.

Kiernan Forbes was killed along with his close friend, the chef and entrepreneur Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane.The pair are thought to have been on their way to a nightclub for a performance as part of Forbes’ birthday celebrations when they were shot.

Forbes began his musical career as part of the rap group Entity before he launched his solo career, winning several awards in South Africa for his music.

He was also celebrated internationally, with several nominations for a Black Entertainment Television (BET) Award in the US and an MTV Europe Music Award.

Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda has told the BBC that the rapper and his friend were walking to their car when they were approached by two armed men who shot them at close range.

The assailants then fled the scene on foot. Hours before his death, the 35-year-old posted about his upcoming album, Mass Country, which is set for release later this month.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world and recent shootings have been happening more often.

Celebrities Somizi, Nandi Madida, Tbo Touch, Thando Thabethe – as well as United States producer Swizz Beatz – have all taken to social media on Saturday to pay tribute to Fela in Versace rapper AKA. Swizz took to his Instagram story to remember his South African friend.

He wrote: “Damn King, rest easy. One of South Africa’s greats.”

American rapper Bas also paid tribute to AKA: “Damn this fu**in tragic as hell. South Africa, I’m so sorry for your loss. @akaworldwide always showed me love and hospitality every time we crossed paths. Always welcomed me with open arms. Rest easy king.”

The World Is Yours rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes’ death has sent shock waves through South Africa, who woke up to the news that he had been killed in cold blood in Durban on Friday evening.

The Megacy, as well as celebrities such as Nandi Madida, Donald, Da Les and Black Coffee, flooded Twitter with condolence messages.

Nandi Madida wrote: “Rest my brother … this hurts. Thinking about your beautiful daughter and loved ones in general. Thank you for the good times and laughs … I always enjoyed working with you.”

The post Swizz Beatz And More Pay Tribute To Slain South African Rapper AKA appeared first on The Source.

The Source Magazine Remembers Trayvon Martin On What Would’ve Been His 28th Birthday

February 5, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Today marks what would be the 28th birthday of a young man by the name of Trayvon Martin, that not only in the United States but the rest of the world came to know because he chose to defend himself against his assailant George Zimmerman and his life was taken as a result.

George Zimmerman claimed that he saw Trayvon leaving a store and that he looked suspicious, so he decided to follow him. After following him, a physical altercation transpired between the two of them and an unarmed Trayvon took a bullet to his chest and died on the scene. Trayvon died two weeks after his 17th birthday on February 26, 2012. As for Zimmerman, he received was a jury acquittal for second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in July 2013.

Trayvon didn’t get the chance to tell his parents goodbye, attend prom, or pretty much any of the things that are enjoyed by teenagers. His parents Sabrina Fulton and Tracy Martin have to live with the burden that their child did not receive any justice for what happened to him.

Almost nine years after his untimely death, Trayvon Martin’s legacy in the fight for human and civil rights for Black people in America is everlasting. His name still stands among the victims of gun violence by rogue police officers and overzealous citizens that came after him such as Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless others.

Happy Birthday King! (RIP)

The post The Source Magazine Remembers Trayvon Martin On What Would’ve Been His 28th Birthday appeared first on The Source.

Today In Black History Month #BHM: Amadou Diallo Shot And Killed By NYPD 24 Years Ago

February 5, 2023 by newhiphopnews

24 years ago on this date, a 23 year old Guinean immigrant named Amadou Diallo was murdered by four plain clothes NYPD police officers in his hallway after they unloaded 41 shots into Diallo in front of his Bronx apartment. The haphazard officers hit Diallo with only 19 shots; less than half of what was discharged from their weapons.

All four the officers involved were cleared of any wrongdoing after a mixed jury in the Empire State’s capital city acquitted the officers. Claiming the impossibility of a fair trial in NYC, an appellate court ordered that that the trial be switched to Albany. Amadou’s family filed federal and state charges of wrongful death and civil rights violations in 2001, which resulted in a $3 million dollar settlement from the city.

Interestingly enough, the Justice Department decided that Diallo’s civil rights were not violated.

Artists such as Immortal Technique and Wyclef Jean have referenced the tragedy in their songs, which became one of the most pivotal cases in the fight against police brutality.

Deaths at the hands of law enforcement such as George Floyd, Botham Jean, Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor will always be a reminder that the challenge of injustice against Black and Brown people must be confronted.

The post Today In Black History Month #BHM: Amadou Diallo Shot And Killed By NYPD 24 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.