44 percent: Alligator Alcatraz, EssenceFest, Haiti hotel and more
For little Black girls growing up, you aspired to write for the beloved Black mag or be featured in it. And of course, you couldn't wait for the day that you would one day go to Essence Music Festival, as it was once called, a three-day affair focused on 'a party with a purpose' that celebrated Black women and featured musical acts during the Fourth of July weekend in New Orleans.
So, it was disheartening to read the complaints about this past weekend's affair being disorganized. Performing acts (at least three) have complained that the mismanagement of sets led to technical problems and delays. And some attendees complained that EssenceFest (as it is now called) isn't what it used to be.
I'm hoping leadership behind the festival actually heeds comments from those who went and received what they considered was a subpar experience and be open to suggestions for next year's festival.
INSIDE THE 305:
As the jokes fly, Alligator Alcatraz evokes racist trope of 'gator bait'
As jokes about alligators eating immigrant detainees made the rounds, I wrote about the racist history behind 'gator bait,' a racist practice that actually existed where Black children were used as literal bait for alligators during slavery and Jim Crow.
The mocking of immigrant detainees harks back to 'the worst parts of our history' when similar jokes and tropes, such as 'gator bait,' were used to dehumanize Black people and desensitize people to the harm and violence inflicted upon them, says ACLU Florida Executive Director Bacardi Jackson.
Bending the Bars: Hip-hop album showcases the talent at Broward County jails
Julius Smith is hogging the phones at the Taylor Correctional Institute in Perry, northern Florida. He dials the same number on both phones, making sure he's able to hear clearly on both lines, WLRN reporter Carlton Gillespie reported.
Smith, who goes by Prince Jooveh, is one of the fifteen incarcerated artists who appear on the new album Bending the Bars. The hip-hop album features sixteen tracks from different artists, most of whom are from Broward County jails.
OUTSIDE THE 305:
Gangs burn down Haiti's iconic Hotel Oloffson, host to stars and writers
Haiti's storied Hotel Oloffson, a favorite haunt of writers and artists that survived dictatorship, coups and a devastating earthquake and was immortalized in novelist Graham Greene's 'The Comedians,' is no more, writes Haiti correspondent Jacqueline Charles.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson emerges as a leading dissenter in an era of Trump
Two trends have emerged at the Supreme Court in recent weeks: President Donald Trump is on a winning streak and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court's junior-most justice, is having none of it, CNN reported.
That dynamic was on full display yet again Tuesday as the court handed down a significant – if temporary – decision allowing the White House to move forward with plans to dramatically reduce the size of the federal government. Jackson penned a solo dissent and the justice, who recently took up boxing as a way to relieve stress off the bench, pulled no punches.
HIGH CULTURE:
Temple University course explores Kendrick Lamar's life
Kendrick Lamar's life, cultural impact and music will be the subject of a new course at Temple University this fall, WHYY reported. The course, 'Kendrick Lamar and the Morale of M.A.A.D City,' will examine Lamar's life through an Afrocentric lens.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Weeks after mass shooting, Artis Restaurant and Lounge permanently closes
Owners of the queer and women-owned Artis Restaurant and Lounge in Chicago's River North neighborhood said the decision to reopen or shut down for good following a mass shooting outside its doors earlier this month had nothing to do with public pressure or political hostility. 'I'm a mom and I'm a wife, and this is the second time that I have dodged gunfire this year,' said Brandi Artis, chef and co-owner of Artis. While Brandi and her wife, Brittany Artis, were on vacation in Puerto Rico earlier this year, she said they had to run and take cover from shots fired while out at a dinner. 'I got to go home to my kids twice this year. I couldn't have been that lucky.' The Creole restaurant was temporarily closed after the July 2 shooting that Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling described as a moment of sheer horror. According to police reports, a dark vehicle drove past Artis at 311 W. Chicago Ave. at about 11 p.m. during an album release party for local drill rapper Mello Buckzz. Three people inside the car fired shots into a crowd on the sidewalk, police said. The car fled the scene, but the attackers shot 18 people in just a few seconds, killing four. In November 2022, one person was killed and three others were wounded in a mass shooting at Hush Lounge Nightclub — which occupied the location before Artis opened. The city temporarily closed Hush after that shooting and also revoked its licenses, which eventually led to Hush's closure. Following the July 2 shooting, Ald. Brendan Reilly, whose 42nd Ward includes Artis, called for the permanent closure of the space, pointing to a history of violence at the location and accusing the owners of misleading city officials. His comments circulated on social media quickly, with many calling it racist rhetoric. 'Despite early assurances from the new restaurant owner that this venue would support local artisans, foster inclusivity and serve as a hub for connection, creativity and joy — the owners decided to turn over their venue to promote a new rap album release,' Reilly said in a statement on July 3. 'It is clear the new operators were dishonest with the City about their plans for the venue and have now contributed to a devastating act of violence — just weeks after opening as a BYOB 'restaurant.'' Erica Wright, a close friend of the Artises for over two decades, criticized Reilly's comments in the days following the shooting, citing an interview with WMAQ-Ch. 5 Chicago, in which Reilly said Artis' owners bore some responsibility for the shooting by 'hosting an album release party for a local rapper on the Southeast Side who had rivals.' 'It just goes into the continued criminalization of Black people, as if we're a monolith of one particular type of people,' Wright said. Reilly did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Artis, which opened April 10, was designed to fuse Creole, soul and American food with a mission to create an inclusive space for Chicago's LGBTQ community. 'Artis brings in doctors, lawyers, therapists, engineers, postal workers, sanitation workers, entertainers and maybe someone who is unemployed — it's a space for people,' Wright said. Before opening Artis, Brandi worked in kitchens across the South and West sides and launched Simply Delicious Bartending and Catering and La Chica Bonita — a taco pop-up that took off at Nobody's Darling, Little Bureau Bar and the now-closed Tantrum nightclub. Brandi and Brittany also competed on the Food Network's 16th season of 'The Great Food Truck Race' in 2023. Brandi said she hasn't gone back to the storefront since the night of the shooting, when she and her wife were behind the bar. 'The space protected us that evening, but the space was no longer for us,' she said. 'It's not something you're OK with. It's not something you just pick up and you say, 'OK, let's just keep moving.' … I wasn't OK with opening the doors again.' Brandi, who is Black, Puerto Rican and Lebanese, moved to Chicago after her family felt unsafe raising their young children in their hometown in Missouri. She said she left to 'find freedom' because of a shift in constitutional laws such as Roe v. Wade and troubling discourse around LGBTQIA rights. 'It just definitely makes us realize that sometimes we can try to create a safe space and place, but it doesn't mean that we're wanted where we are, so I'm going to look for a place where I am celebrated and not just tolerated,' Brandi said. She said she feels the same way about closing Artis. 'My mother taught me that a long time ago — go somewhere and be somewhere where people love you. So I will look for a space that loves me. I will look for a place that I love and a place that will be loved by other people.' A GoFundMe to help the couple pay for expenses while the restaurant was closed has shifted its goal 'toward the rebuilding of another future for Chef Brandi and Dr. Brittany Artis.' As of Tuesday, the campaign had raised more than $4,400 of its $80,000 goal. Artis' website and Instagram account will remain active as Brandi and Brittany continue their catering program. The seasonings and sauces used in the restaurant will also be available to purchase soon. Brandi said walking away from the restaurant meant they lost all of their investments, including their deposit. She hopes the GoFundMe will help as they plan their next move. And they hope the next space will be a 'safe place that serves people.' 'Right now, we're just going to spend the last part of this year watching our kids go to school and see what our lives look like a little bit after just healing from the trauma of what we went through as business owners, as women, as mothers and as people,' Brandi said.
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
David Geffen accused of abusing ex in suit alleging paid sex and superyacht drug parties
David Geffen has been sued by his estranged husband, Donovan Michaels, who says that the billionaire film producer preyed on his vulnerabilities as a young gay Black man from the foster system and trapped him in a manipulative and abusive relationship. Geffen, 82, and Michaels, 32, met in 2016 on a dating site where affluent individuals often seek relations with younger singles in return for some form of compensation, according to the complaint. On the night they met, the media mogul allegedly paid Michaels $10,000 to have sex with him. The pair continued their relationship and married in 2023, minus a prenup, according to the complaint. In May of this year, Geffen filed for divorce. Now Michaels, whose legal name is David Armstrong, is suing Geffen for breach of contract, saying that the billionaire promised to take care of him financially but left him near broke and homeless. The lawsuit compares their relationship to the plot of the movie 'Trading Places,' saying Geffen used Michaels as a trophy to show off to his rich and famous friends. 'It was a sick game,' the complaint states. 'Michaels became a prop in Geffen's theater of virtue, paraded around as evidence of Geffen's supposed altruism, while privately used as a sexual commodity.' Geffen's attorney Patty Glaser pushed back on Michaels' allegations. 'There was no contract — express, written, oral, or implied — that has ever existed,' she said in a statement to The Times. 'We will be vigorously and righteously defending against this false, pathetic lawsuit.' The 33-page complaint is packed with explosive claims about the exploits of the richest man in the entertainment industry. Geffen has an estimated net worth of $8.8 billion, according to Forbes. He amassed his wealth as a music and movie producer, signing major artists including the Eagles and Joni Mitchell and co-founding Dreamworks Pictures, which has produced iconic movies such as 'Saving Private Ryan' and 'Shrek.' Michaels entered the Michigan foster-care system at 18 months old and grew up in various foster and group homes where he regularly experienced physical and emotional abuse, according to the complaint. He moved to Florida at 19 and relied on exotic dancing and X-rated videos to get by financially. The lawsuit claims that Geffen expected Michaels to use drugs such as cocaine and molly alongside Geffen's friends on the billionaire's 450-foot superyacht the Rising Sun. The complaint alleges that Geffen enjoyed physically dominating his sexual partners and causing them pain. This type of sexual behavior triggered Michaels' childhood trauma and caused him digestive issues, headaches and the need to isolate, according to the complaint. The suit further alleges that the billionaire 'critiqued every aspect of Michaels' appearance,' and that the mere existence of an ingrown hair would raise Geffen's ire. The media mogul allegedly told Michaels 'where to go, what to wear, what to read, what to watch, and what to say' and required him to submit to extensive painful cosmetic treatments. In addition, Geffen allegedly prevented Michaels from continuing to pursue his modeling career, saying he needed to be constantly available. Michaels says he began reevaluating his life and relationship after entering addiction treatment earlier this year. He then approached his husband and said he 'wanted a new beginning wherein he could stand shoulder to shoulder with Geffen as an equal free from power dynamics that existed.' According to the complaint, Geffen then cut Michaels off, demanded a divorce and denied Michaels financial support 'commensurate with his lifestyle' and his share of assets acquired during their cohabitation. While the media mogul was attending fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding in Italy last month, he ordered Michaels to vacate his New York residence, the complaint alleges. Michaels is seeking compensatory damages and a judicial determination of his rights under an alleged oral agreement made with Geffen. His attorneys argue that this should entitle him to having his living expenses covered for the rest of his life and an equal division of all properties subject to the agreement. 'While Geffen holds himself out to the public as an extraordinarily charitable man whose foundation gives millions and millions of dollars to advocacy and support groups for the homeless and disadvantaged populations,' the complaint states, 'he is simultaneously endeavoring to render Michaels impoverished and homeless.'
Screen Geek
6 hours ago
- Screen Geek
Ozzy Osbourne Dead At Age 76
Ozzy Osbourne has sadly been confirmed dead at age 76. The heavy metal legend had just finished a final farewell concert for fans, and now his family has issued a statement to confirm his passing just several weeks later. Osbourne passed away on the morning of July 22, following several years of ongoing health battles including a diagnosis of Parkinson's he revealed in 2020. Here's what his family had to say regarding his death: 'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love.' The 76-year-old heavy metal star, who helped pioneer the aforementioned genre of music with his band Black Sabbath, recently had a final concert titled ' Back to the Beginning ' on July 5. Sadly, it occurred only a few weeks ago, and in a location at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, England, which is near where the band first originated in 1968. The concert was notable even prior to Osbourne's death, especially for being what was said to be his final show, one which he performed while seated at a throne due to his poor health. The event was a massive success, however, and the event sported a large audience both in person and online via pay per view. It's certainly a devastating time in the history of music for Ozzy Osbourne to be dead, especially with the artist having spent so much of his life pioneering new styles of music and iconic songs. Fortunately, he was always adamant about wanting to give a final show prior to his death, and it seems as though he got his wish. Osbourne is survived by his wife, Sharon, as well as their children, Aimee, Kelly, Jack, and his two older children, Jessica and Louis, who were form his previous marriage with Thelma Riley.
