Nov 30 Rihanna’s officially titled ‘right excellent,’ named Barbados national hero By Dánica Coto, Associated Press Prime Minister Mia Mottley noted that the pop star came from humble origins and was born less than a mile from where the ceremony was taking place. Continue reading
Nov 30 Black artist Josephine Baker honored at France’s Pantheon By Sylvie Corbet, Jeffrey Schaeffer, Associated Press French President Emmanuel Macron presided over an elaborate ceremony Tuesday at the domed Pantheon monument in Paris to immortalize Baker alongside other French luminaries. Continue reading
Nov 30 Prosecutors begin case against Jussie Smollett in Chicago By Don Babwin, Sara Burnett, Associated Press Taking the stand as prosecutors began their case against Smollett, former Chicago police detective Michael Theis said he initially viewed Smollett as a victim. Continue reading
Nov 29 Watch 5:05 Remembering Virgil Abloh and how his path-blazing career influenced the fashion industry By Stephanie Sy, Karina Cuevas The fashion world is mourning the loss of one of its most influential and contemporary Black designers, Virgil Abloh. The artistic director for Louis Vuitton menswear, Abloh died yesterday at the age of 41 after battling a rare type of… Continue watching
Nov 29 Bill Cosby prosecutors ask U.S. Supreme Court to review overturned conviction By Maryclaire Dale, Associated Press Prosecutors asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision that overturned Bill Cosby's sexual assault conviction. Continue reading
Nov 29 French honors for U.S. born Josephine Baker prompts criticism over racism By Arno Pedram, Associated Press A Black woman will, for the first time, join other luminaries interred in France's Pantheon. That woman is entertainer Josephine Baker, and the honor will take place Tuesday. But critics in France say that by focusing on an American-born figure,… Continue reading
Nov 29 ‘Vaccine’ tops dictionary searches as Merriam-Webster chooses 2021 word of the year By Leanne Italie, Associated Press It's an omnipresent truth: Merriam-Webster has declared vaccine its 2021 word of the year. Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for the dictionary company, tells The Associated Press that lookups for the word vaccine increased 601% over 2020. Continue reading
Nov 29 At Jussie Smollett trial begins, focus on Osundairo brothers at center stage By Don Babwin, Associated Press The trial of actor Jussie Smollett will boil down to the question of whether the jury believes the actor's version of what he says was a racist and homophobic attack or that told by two brothers who say they helped… Continue reading
Nov 29 Josephine Baker makes history as first Black woman honored in France’s Pantheon By Arno Pedram, Sylvie Corbet, Associated Press France is inducting Missouri-born cabaret dancer Josephine Baker who was also a French World War II spy and civil rights activist into its Pantheon. She is the first Black woman honored in the final resting place of France's most revered… Continue reading
Nov 28 Fashion designer Virgil Abloh dies of cancer at 41 By Jake Coyle, Associated Press Abloh was the artistic director for Louis Vuitton's menswear, but his ubiquitous, consumer-friendly presence in culture was wide-ranging and dynamic. Some compared him to Jeff Koons. Others hailed him as his generation's Karl Lagerfeld. Continue reading