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A few months after former President Barack Obama took office, five-year-old Jacob Philadelphia stepped into the Oval Office with his father who was then a National Security Council staffer, mother and older brother, unaware that he would become part of the legacy of America’s first Black commander-in-chief.  During the short visit, Jacob quietly asked the President, “I want to know if my hair is just like yours,” After hearing the question, Obama remarked: “Why don’t you touch it and see for yourself?” bending over to a hesitant Jacob with Obama insisting “Touch it, dude!”  White House Photographer Pete Souza Captured the moment and named the shot “Hair Like Mine” which would go viral and become one of the most iconic shots of his presidency.  Jacob, now 18 years old, graduated from high school in Uganda last week. Ahead of his graduation , Jacob got a chance to reflect on the image on a surprise call with the former President.  “That was a pretty big highlight of my life,” Jacob said of the photo. “It is very wonderful to see representation in the government because if I get to see another Black man be at the top, be at that pinnacle, then I want to follow that lead.”  Jacob also shared with the former president that he plans on attending the University of Memphis and study political science.  “I think the White House visit clearly inspired you, I hope,” Obama said. “Yes, it really has,” Jacob responded.  Former President Barack Obama shared the video on Twitter with the caption. “Jacob Philadelphia was five years old when he visited the Oval Office and asked if his hair was like mine. That photo became one of our favorites – a reminder of the power of seeing yourself in your leaders. Today, he’s graduating from high school! Check out our recent reunion.” Take a look at the inspiring moment below.  

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Although it has never been a secret to her friends and family ‘King Richard’ actress Aunjanue Ellis opens up about being bisexual.  “The way that I live my life, around the people that I live my life around, I am public about it,” Ellis says. “I’m very clear about being bisexual. I have a sweatshirt that says ‘Girl Bi’ that I wear everywhere.” she said in a statement to ‘Variety’ In her 30 years of acting,  Why is her sexuality now the topic of discussion? Particularly in a world where every aspect of one’s life is discussed, in her  “Nobody asked.” She told Variety.  She even went as far as wearing it on her sleeve (literally), at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards.  With the word “Queer” spelled out in rhinestones emblazoned on the left arm of her red-hot Dolce & Gabbana suit jacket.  But no one on the press line outside the Beverly Wilshire hotel asked Ellis about it. Ellis also says that its been it’s been Black women in the entertainment business who’ve said the most injurious things to her about queerness, with no regard for her sexuality. For reasons Ellis can’t quite put her finger on, people fail to recognize she’s part of the LGBTQ community.  Who has gone as far as  to send a mass email to her colleagues (she didn’t mention any names) regarding homophic remarks they’ve made “I was like, ‘Look, I love y’all. I appreciate my relationships and friendships, working and otherwise with all of you, but you need to know that I am bisexual,’” she recounts. “So when you say things, when you have felt your most intimate with me, that are queer-phobic, you are talking about me. And it hurts. “There is an assumption made of me — a presumption made of me. Is it because I’m a Black woman from Mississippi? Is it because I’m older?” she muses. “I don’t know what the mechanics are that goes into them not processing, or them not just being able to believe that in the same way I am Black, I am queer. This is who I am.” We are happy Anjanue is living her truth.

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