racism
The Office’s Stanley Shares Racist Backlash He Got After Announcing Spin-Off Series
Last month, The Office actor Leslie David Baker launched a Kickstarter to produce Uncle Stan: Coming out of Retirement, a spin-off series about his character Stanley Hudson. The announcement was met with excitement and praise, but Baker has revealed that it’s not all sunshine and pretzels. In an Instagram post, he revealed some racist messages he’s received since announcing the planned show. “For those of you who don’t believe racism is still alive in the world… here’s the proof,” he wrote. The screenshots Baker shared are Instagram DMs and Reddit comments by various strangers. They use racial slurs, feature lynching photos, and accuse Baker of stealing the Kickstarter money for personal profit. “Our goal has simply been to entertain and give the fans a quality series,” wrote Baker in his ...
HBO Max Adds Disclaimer to Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles
HBO Max created a stir when it pulled Gone with the Wind from its platform in order to add a historical disclaimer. Still, the burgeoning service expressed commitment to contextualizing such potentially problematic films rather than completely removing them, and it looks like they’re following through. The streamer has now added another disclaimer ahead of Mel Brooks’ comedy classic Blazing Saddles. The 1974 Western satire centers on a Black man (Cleavon Little) who is made sheriff of a small town in a political ploy to sow chaos. With the help of an alcoholic but affable gunslinger (Gene Wilder), he ends up winning the townspeople’s respect and thwarting the crooked politicians’ plans. In a three-minute, 12-second introductory video, TCM host and University of Chicago cinema and medi...
Damning Article Accuses TikTok of Censoring Black Users & “Digital Blackface”
Source: NurPhoto / Getty TikTok has been in the news a lot lately, mainly because of Donald Trump and his threat to ban it. A new story highlights another issue plaguing the Chinese-owned insanely-popular social media platform. In a very damning write-up dropped by Wired, TikTok and its white users are being called out for its blatant of use of “digital Blackface.” The story details how Black users are being censored for basically pushing pro-Black messaging in their content while white users continue to gain popularity by using Black culture as a caricature. The story focuses on one Black TikTok user, Brianna Blackmon, who found out just how shady TikTok moves. The story describes how a post she shared that featured her rapping and calling out the platform for unfairly Black u...
Spike Lee Thinks Gone With the Wind and The Birth of a Nation Should Be Screened With Proper “Context”
Legendary director Spike Lee thinks that problematic films like Gone With the Wind and The Birth of a Nation should still be seen — provided the viewing experience includes “historical social context.” Lee shared his thoughts in an interview with Moonlight director Barry Jenkins. The conversation about Lee’s career and latest movie Da 5 Bloods quickly veered into a discussion on two of the most famous movies in history — both of which are also notoriously racist. 1939’s Gone With the Wind is America’s highest-grossing film ever, adjusted for inflation, but its depiction of Black people as cheerfully dumb and eternally grateful to white people was bad when it was first released and hasn’t improved since. 1915’s The Birth of a Nation was originally titled T...
Jon Batiste and Nabil Ayers on Black Lives Matter, Protests, and Change Across the Music Industry
Kyle Meredith With… Jon Baptiste and Nabil Ayers Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Jon Batiste, band leader of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Nabil Ayers, the US general manager for 4AD, both join Kyle Meredith to discuss how Black Lives Matter has affected their work and the entire music industry. Batiste talks about leading protests on the streets of New York and the importance of voting in the upcoming election. While Ayers discusses his recent New York Times article about Ed Eckstine, the first black person appointed president of a major U.S. record label, the industry’s approach to Blackout Tuesday, and the autobiography he’s working on about his own history in the bus...
WarnerMedia Is Investigating the “Toxic Work Environment” at Ellen DeGeneres Show
WarnerMedia has launched an investigation into allegations of misconduct and an environment of fear on the set of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Via The Hollywood Reporter, the news comes 11 days after a Buzzfeed report in which ten former and one current employee described a “toxic work environment.” Rumors of verbal abuse, retribution, and racism have dogged Ellen for years. But the stories reported by Buzzfeed are still disquieting, involving little tolerance for family emergencies, inconsistently enforced rules, and attempts to silence workers who expressed concerns. One woman took medical leave after a suicide attempt, and when she returned, her position was eliminated. A Black woman who objected to the term “spirit animal” was labeled “the PC police,” and later re...
Heavy Culture: Rock Musicians on What It Means to Be Black in America in 2020
Clockwise from Upper Left: Vincent Price, WIlliam DuVall, Cammie Gilbert, AJ Channer, Skin, Rasheed Thomas Heavy Culture is a monthly column from journalist Liz Ramanand, focusing on artists of different cultural backgrounds in heavy music as they offer their perspectives on race, society, and more as it intersects with and affects their music. The latest installment of this column features multiple rock and metal musicians recounting their early experiences of racism. The death of George Floyd while in police custody earlier this year has had a profound impact on the nation and the world. In recent months, people from all walks of life have joined together to protest injustice that Black Americans have been facing for ages. In last month’s installment of “Heavy Culture”, several musicians...
Lil Baby Talks Racism, Police Brutality In ‘Rolling Stone’ Interview
Source: Rolling Stone / Rolling Stone Lil Baby’s music is reigniting a firestorm of sociopolitical awareness in trap music lovers during an era where half of the country is struggling to understand why Black Lives Matter. His single “The Bigger Picture” amassed over 100 million streams since debuting on the charts, a clear indication that the world is paying attention to what the superstar has to say. Source: Rolling Stone / Rolling Stone If you ask him, though, he’s not protesting. He’s just keeping it real with us. In the latest issue of Rolling Stone, Lil Baby details the creative process behind the chart-topping single. “I just rap about my life — all my songs are basically about me,” he explains. “It was at a point where I felt I needed to say something.” When it comes to his vi...
Georgia Gov. Kemp Suing A Black Woman For Trying To Keep Atlanta Safe During Coronavirus Pandemic
Source: Paras Griffin / Getty Georgia’s Governor Kemp is suing Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms because she’s trying to keep her city safe. The man who cheated, allegedly, in his race with Stacey Abrams has an issue with the ATL’s mayor’s mandate that residents wear masks to help flatten the coronavirus curve. Yes, Georgia is a COVID-19 hotspot with cases and deaths on the rise. Nevertheless, Kemp, who is a Trump boot shiner, issued an executive order banning counties from mandating its residents to wear masks. Reports the New York Times: On Friday, a day after suing the mayor of Atlanta for mandating virus-fighting rules that were stricter than his own, Gov. Brian Kemp said he would not stand down as the mayor’s “disastrous policies threaten the lives and livelihood of our citizens.” Mr...
Victor Osimhen ready to join Napoli
Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen is ready to join Serie A club Napoli. The 21-year-old visited Napoli’s training facilities, plus head coach Gennaro Gatusso and president Aurelio De Laurentiis two weeks ago. Osimhen was however not too keen on linking up with the Partenopei due to racism issue in Italy. The former VFL Wolfsburg striker spoke with Senegal forward Kalidou Koulibaly who reassured him there is no racism issue in Italy. According to multiple reports, Napoli director Cristiano Guintoli met Lille president Gerard Lopez and Osimhen’s intermediaries for more face-to-face negotiations on Monday. He hopes to sweep aside the remaining doubts and convince Osimhen that this is the best step in his career. The cost of the transfer will be in the region of €50m plus Adam Ounas, which will b...
Victor Osimhen re-evaluates Napoli offer, to decide over the next 48 hours
Victor Osimhen will make a decision over the next 48 hours, but a new intermediary has helped smooth things over with Napoli. The Lille forward has repeatedly asked for more time, as he feels undue pressure from his agent and entourage to accept the Partenopei proposal. Sources stated last week that he was ready to reject the move, not so much because of Napoli, but as an act of defiance against those close to him who were trying to orchestrate the transfer. Now Radio Punto Nuovo – and sources – suggest the situation is changing, as Osimhen is being given the time and space to make his choice autonomously. “Napoli is still a possibility,” sources said. This is largely thanks to the introduction of a new intermediary in the negotiations, who is making Osimhen feel more at ease with the deci...
Thandie Newton Says Amy Pascal Pushed for Black Stereotypes
Thandie Newton is no stranger to the ills of Hollywood, and certainly not the industry’s ensuing racism. In a new interview with Vulture, the Westworld star details a particularly harrowing moment with former Sony producer Amy Pascal. For context, Newton had met with Pascal to audition for Charlie’s Angels, McG’s blockbuster reimagining of the ’70s series that would become one of the highest grossing pictures of 2000. Newton wouldn’t go near it — and with good reason. Below is her account of the meeting: I had a meeting with her, and she said, “Look, I don’t mean to be politically incorrect, but the character as written and you playing the role, I just feel like we’ve got to make sure that it’s believable.” I was like, “What do you mean? What changes would you have to make?” She’s like, “W...
