Port Magazine

Port Magazine’s cover is a visual representation of an eternal problem. The magazine business is dominated by white men, except at niche publications like Essence, Cosmopolitan and Vogue.

Port’s editor-in-chief, Dan Crowe, a white male maintains the whitewashing of the cover was unintentional. In an interview with Gawker, Crowe claims Anna Wintour – the editor-in-chief of Vogue – declined an invitation to participate. When pushed on the lack of inclusivity in the issue, Crowe said “it is a shame there isn’t, for example, a gay person or a black woman editor in there, but unfortunately these are not the people editing these magazines.”

Despite his half-hearted effort to deflect blame, Crowe’s excuses highlight an issue often not discussed in the magazine business. Publications geared toward women, specifically women of color, are not considered “serious” or “thought-provoking” enough to be included in the new, golden age of publishing.

Crowe could’ve requested Amy DuBois-Barnett for the cover. She and her stellar team of editors have transformed Ebony Magazine from a dust-collecting publication to many women’s first choice. As Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Joanna Coles points out, Crowe didn’t ask Janice Min, of the Hollywood Reporter, Foreign Policy’s Susan Glasser, and Gillian de Bono of the FT’s How to Spend It because “they were too busy editing to pull out the Thom Browne and pose for his cover.”

The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) supports this exclusion. The New Republic gathered statistics from ASME’s National Magazine Awards and found a startling trend.

The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME)—the main organization for magazine journalists in the U.S.—has only regularly nominated women’s magazines at their annual National Magazine Awards (NMA) in a few writing categories over the past three decades: personal service, essays, and public interest. This represents only three writing categories out of a possible eight (going by 2013 categories—the writing awards aren’t exactly the same every year).

Not a single women’s magazine has been nominated for profile writing in more than a decade, while GQ and Esquire have received multiple nominations. (Men’s Journal even got one). What’s more, women’s magazines have received zero ASME nominations for reporting in the past 30 years and zero ASME nominations for fiction in the past 20 years. (This is not because women’s magazines weren’t publishing pieces that qualified in those categories; they were—more on that in a minute). And though Elle and Vogue both have excellent literary and film criticism, neither has received a nomination in the “essays and criticism” category in the past decade.1 (Neither have any other women’s magazines, by the way. You have to go back to 1999, when the now-defunct Mirabella got one.) While Elle got a nod for columns and commentary in 2013, no other women’s magazine had been nominated in the past decade in that category.

ASME’s chief executive Sid Holt doesn’t see the issue in this disproportion. “Literary journalism is not central to women’s magazines’ editorial mission—which is one reason these magazines are rarely nominated in these categories.” Glamour won magazine of the year in 2010, leading Holt to believe no bias is present. “There are far more judges from women’s magazines than from any other magazine category,” he said. “Women’s-magazine editors are assigned to every literary journalism judging group.”

In other words, the profiles of the Castros in Vogue isn’t as important to the magazine world as the hard-hitting reporting produced in GQ. It isn’t considered “serious journalism” when women produce the content for women’s magazines, but men write pieces about sex and shoes and their work is still valuable. It is still golden-age worthy. It still wins awards.

Some critics, including Longform founder Max Linsky, claim women’s magazines have sold their souls for larger circulation rates. Cosmopolitan has one of the highest circulation rates in the world, but meaty, fact-filled, resounding, in-depth pieces have been sacrificed for “10 ways to have sex backwards” fluff.

Linsky claims hard-hitting journalism isn’t engrained in women’s magazines. His Longform site curates investigative articles from a host of different publications. Since the site launched in 2010, it has been dominated by men’s magazines. The New Republic reports:

Elle makes a single appearance, Vogue makes two (one of which was a Joan Didion article from 1961), Marie Claire appears four times, and Cosmopolitan does not come up at all. By contrast, 111 different Esquire articles were flagged as worthy, as were 163 GQ articles. Longform co-founder Max Linsky explained the disparity to me this way. “My impression is that the 2k-word, general interest storytelling criteria does not often overlap with what women’s magazines publish. Part of that impression comes from how we find stories—for example, out of the thousands of submissions we’ve gotten over the last three years, only a handful have been for stories published in women’s magazines.”

Linsky puts his finger on the other possible issue (and perhaps the more troubling one, because there’s no one but the magazine’s themselves to blame): that women’s magazines don’t publish as much of the highbrow, meaty longform work and fiction. We crunched the available numbers in some recent issues of Harper’s Bazaar, and its longest features (excluding a “Greatest Hits” package) were still under 4,000 words.2 (Cosmo, it should be noted, ran a 5,000-word piece about domestic violence in its May issue.) By comparison, from 2006 to today, Esquire regularly published articles in the 5,000- to 8,000-word range. When it comes to subject matter, it is true that men’s magazines publish more stories about subjects of global import—fracking, Bin Laden, Benghazi—subjects you’d be hard pressed to find regularly in a women’s magazine.

Ebony is running a series on the plight of black males. Will it make Longform? It’s doubtful because despite the excuses, it’s clear magazines are a white, male club.

Don’t blame women for our own exclusion.

The post Dear Sexists, Women Magazines Offer Serious Journalism appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

In her opinion, it does — as long as we are willing to put in the work to make it happen. She writes:

“I believe true love is very real. The question is, are we prepared to CREATE it? Most of us are conditioned to believe that true love HAPPENS to us…effortlessly. My experience has been that romantic love happens effortlessly. The meeting of the eyes that lights you afire inside can happen without our consent, which could be the ENTRY point to true love or to a grand love affair that prepares you for the true love waiting in the wings.

Many of us have equated that intoxicating, romantic feeling to true love. But true love is not created only in the intoxicating romance. True love is mostly created in the troubles, storms, misunderstandings, and deceptions where love is no longer romantic but excruciating. Love is created in forgiveness and in the maturity of accepting the human nature of ourselves and our partner. If you can survive these stages through your fight and growth for love…then TRUE LOVE will reveal itself because it becomes the stuff that CREATES long lasting…true love.”

Do you agree with Jada’s thoughts on true love, Clutchettes? Is true love built through surviving both the good and bad times of a relationship or is it simply a figment of our imaginations?

The post Jada Pinkett Smith Asks ‘Is True Love Real?’ appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Award-winning journalist Michael Hastings died June 18th in a car crash in Los Angeles. He was 33. The celebrated reporter left an indelible mark on the journalism world, reminiscent of the scores of veterans that preceded him. Hastings was known for his hard-hitting, no-nonsense reporting that resulted in the 2010 resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the then-leader of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. His work at acclaimed publications like Newsweek, Buzz Feed and Rolling Stone drew readers into war zones and political debates with a persuasive imagery that few penmans achieve. Hastings was a gem.

Will Dana, Rolling Stone’s managing editor, sums up Hastings’ legacy best in his tribute to the fallen journalist.

“Great reporters exude a certain kind of electricity, the sense that there are stories burning inside them, and that there’s no higher calling or greater way to live life than to be always relentlessly trying to find and tell those stories. I’m sad that I’ll never get to publish all the great stories that he was going to write, and sad that he won’t be stopping by my office for any more short visits which would stretch for two or three completely engrossing hours. He will be missed.”

Hastings life has been memorialized through Twitter and a special five-minute segment on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, an ode to the connections he established in the journalism business. It’s clear that his work will continue to breathe long after his remains have been interred; but the lives he’s touched in the short time he spent on Earth should prompt us all to consider the legacies we hope to leave behind.

Obituaries are morbid reminders of the finality of death. We will all have them. The question is whether it will be filled with the memories of a life well-lived or those of regret, of hesitance, of thinking too much and not fulfilling enough dreams. I was mortified when an eighth grade English professor assigned us the task of penning our own obituaries. “You all have greatness inside,” he told the stunned class. “Let it bleed on the page.” I bombed that assignment, too afraid of the imminent end to grasp the importance of the task.

We shouldn’t be shackled to the death that awaits us, but our obituaries must be something we should all consider, if for no other reason than to gauge what we’ve accomplished and if it will matter after we’re gone.

Dr. Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, never considered his death until he was reading the newspaper one morning and discovered his obituary inside. Nobel’s brother had died, but the newspaper mistakenly printed his obituary instead of his sibling’s.

The headline read, “The merchant of death is dead.” It continued:

“Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.”

Noble was dissatisfied, realizing the legacy he would leave behind didn’t mirror his objectives for his life. Legend has it that stumbling on his obituary prompted the chemist to donate a portion of his estate to the establishment of the Nobel Foundation. He is no longer the merchant of death. Instead, the Nobel Foundation awards the Nobel Peace Prize to humanitarians around the world.

Seeing his obituary changed Noble’s legacy. Writing an obit gives us the opportunity to do as Noble did. Lifehack, a renowned digital publication that offers life-improvement tips, encourages all people to write two obituaries that answer several important questions.

Write an obituary as a true account of your life to date.  As an alternative, if you want to be more objective, you can ask a friend or family member who knows you well to do it for you. When it’s ready, look over your obituary and ask yourself questions such as the following:

If I died today, would I die happy?

Am I satisfied with the direction in which my life is headed?

Am I happy with the legacy that I’m creating?

What’s missing from my life?

What do I need to do in order for my obituary to be “complete?”

Then, write a fantasy obituary in which you write down all of the things you wish you had done with your life.  What does this exercise tell you? You’re not dead yet, so get out there and start making any changes that you need to so that you can “live up” to your fantasy obituary.

Hastings obit will be full of the love he left through his words. Shouldn’t we all strive to achieve the same?

Would you be satisfied with your legacy if you wrote a life-to-date obituary Clutchettes and gents?

The post Michael Hastings and the Importance of Writing Your Own Obituary appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

On their Facebook page, they share how hard they work to put together entertaining performances:

“Thanks for the support..we work very hard to get to where we are..sometimes day in and day out..long late night practices and even early morning practices..we have a passion for the art of DANCE, so no matter how we perform it..its our EXPRESSION OF ART”

What do you think about their moves? Do they got it?!

The post Thought You Were the Best Cheerleader Ever? Meet the Prancing Elites appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

The Steubenville case is mentioned on broadcast news while Williams’ is lounging in a pedicure chair. The No. 1 ranked tennis pro first questioned the convictions of Ma’lik Richmond and Trent Mays before wondering if the victim could’ve prevented her assault.

“Do you think it was fair, what they got? They did something stupid, but I don’t know,” Williams said. “I’m not blaming the girl, but if you’re a 16-year-old and you’re drunk like that, your parents should teach you: Don’t take drinks from other people. She’s 16, why was she that drunk where she doesn’t remember? It could have been much worse. She’s lucky. Obviously, I don’t know, maybe she wasn’t a virgin, but she shouldn’t have put herself in that position, unless they slipped her something, then that’s different.”

No Serena, it isn’t different. Rapists rape because they’re rapists. The virtue of the victim will not keep a rapist from raping. Trading mini-skirts for sweatpants will not keep a rapist from raping. Placing the onus of rape on survivors reinforces the thought that victims can prevent their assaults.

Williams’ gift and curse is her visible platform. Critics and women’s rights advocates will bombard her with criticism for empathizing with the perpetrators, but her words echo the mindset of thousands of other women commenting on Steubenville and similar rape cases. Rape culture permeates social institutions from education to politics and law, so it’s unsurprising that Williams is ensnared in it. This is a teachable moment that can prevent future victim-blaming.

Avoid the automatic impulse to fault the woman by following these simple steps:

• Hold rapists responsible for raping. Don’t make excuses for their behaviors and don’t condone the gray area of consent.

• Don’t tell women to avoid rape or offer safety tips. Excessive drinking and short-skirts is not permission to rape.

• Don’t ever imply that a victim is at fault for her own rape. Yes, common sense should tell a woman not to drink until she’s incapacitated. But even if a woman is drunk, a rapist doesn’t have permission to be intimate with her.

When all else fails, pass this popular poster on to the male friends, relatives and coworkers. Teach rapists not to rape. It’s that simple.

What other tips do you have to prevent victim-blaming, Clutchettes?

The post Serena and Steubenville: Three Tips to Avoid Victim-Blaming appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

The battle over Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West’s baby name has finally settled. Drumroll, please! The couple reportedly decided to name their daughter Kaidence Donda West.

Although no official statements or confirmations have been released about the meaning of the baby’s name, a quick analysis of the parents’ backgrounds suggests that their choice was not haphazardly selected.

The name begins with a “K”, which follows in the Kardashian family tradition of selecting a name that would begin with that letter. Additionally, Donda is the name of Kanye West’s mother, who passed away in 2007 after heart complications from cosmetic surgery. It is well-known that West was extremely close to his mother, who he wrote the song “Hey Mama” for. Lastly, the word “cadence” refers to a rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds in language.

Although the child’s name has not been confirmed, multiple reports share that the baby girl is healthy and stunning.

“The baby is beyond beautiful. Everything we expected … I’m so happy for the couple. I’m so excited for my best friend to have this amazing gift and for us to continue this journey together,” Socialite Brittny Gastineau told People magazine.

The post Kim and Kanye’s Baby Name Means More Than You Think appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Quvenzhané Wallis has joined the voice cast of Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet, an animated feature film written and directed by Roger Allers. The Prophet is a best-selling book that has sold more than 100 million copies since its publication in 1923. Wallis will work alongside big talents Salma Hayek and Liam Neeson. It is anticipated that the film will be completed by spring 2014.

Wallis is also slated to star in a re-make of the classic movie musical Annie, which will be produced by Will Smith and Jay-Z.

The post Quvenzhané Wallis Joins Voice Cast of ‘The Prophet’ appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Nearly a year after the very public end of Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada and ex-NFL player Chad Johnson’s marriage, images of Lozada’s wounds from the domestic violence incident that brought their marriage to a halt were released by TMZ.

The gruesome images, taken by Florida police, show a three-inch gash on Lozada’s forehead and bruising around her eye.

The pictures surfaced just a day after Johnson was released from jail for playfully slapping his lawyer on the butt during a probation hearing.

Neither Lozada or Johnson commented on the images, but the ex-pro football star appeared on Good Morning America on Tuesday to discuss his ordeal.

During the interview, Johnson told Robin Roberts that his brief stint in jail was “the best things that could happen”  to him because it fored him to “sit down and think about life.”

He also admitted that his inability to control his anger that evening led to losing the two things he loved: football and his wife.

“Usually, situations like this break people…and I wouldn’t allow anything to break me. So I tried to continue to be my same positive self.  And I think with me being Chad it kind of made the judge feel that I wasn’t being serious about the situation but, trust me, I understood exactly what I did. And I lost two of the things in life that I love the most at the time. Football and my now, then beautiful, I did say beautiful, ex-wife.”

Chad says he’d like a second chance to fix his ailing football career, but even before this incident his future was in doubt, so it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll be picked up by an NFL team.

Now that the images have been released I wonder if those  people who were quick to blame Evelyn or insinuate she deserved to be injured based on her on-camera bad behavior will change their tune.

What do you think, Clutchettes? 

The post Pictures of Evelyn Lozada’s Wounds Leaked by TMZ + Chad Johnson Speaks Out appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Rania Al Abdullah, Queen of Jordan,

Rania Al Abdullah is the beloved Queen of Jordan. The outspoken critic of honor killings has championed women and children’s rights on the board of the United Nations and through her highly-visible platform. This week, Al Abdullah penned a beautiful letter to girls around the world. It was her contribution to CNN’s “Girls Rising” project.

Her missive encourages girls to renounce gender roles and forge a path toward their life’s purpose. The letter reads in part:

Some of you will be familiar with the childhood rhyme, “What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and all things nice, that’s what little girls are made of.”

Marketing and stereotyping combine to have us believe that you’re also made of pink dresses, pigtails, dolls, ringlets, ribbons, bows and tiaras. That you like cupcakes. That all you will want to be are wives and mothers. That you’re more “inclined” to the arts and “better suited” to caring professions like teaching and nursing.

And, maybe, that’s true for some. But my daughter Salma teaches me every day that there’s so much more to you — and for you.

Salma is 13, and I can count, on one hand (in fact, on one finger!), the occasions she’s worn a dress — and they’ve never been pink! Dolls always stayed on the shelf. She’s happiest dribbling a soccer ball past her brothers and scoring goals or building model airplanes with her father. She dreams of being an engineer. That’s my Salma; that’s why I love her.

So, when I think about girls rising, I think of girls like her and her sister, Iman. I think of the millions of courageous girls all over the Arab world and beyond who, every day, summon inner strength, surmount barriers and make a difference in their communities.

Al Abdullah also urges powerful women to mentor girls, so they can see what women are capable of. Her concluding sentence is poignant and captures the spirit of the Girls Rising campaign: “If one girl with courage is a revolution, imagine what feats we can achieve together.”

The queen’s letter is addressed to girls around the world, but it is catered to those of the Middle East. Al Abdullah’s words prompt me to consider the plight of girls of color in black bodies.

The woes that face the Quvenzhané’s and other black girls differ from the plights of girls in the Middle East. Little black girls must exist in a world that undervalues them and renders their pain invisible.

I offer this for those little black girls:

Dear little black girl,

You are amazing. There will be times when those words will seem like a lie. You live in a world where sometimes you’re not enough. You’re not intelligent enough. You’re not worthy enough of accurate media images. You’re not pretty enough to be loved, valued and appreciated. None of that is true. You hail from the lineage of queens. You are enough.

You are enough.

You are enough.

You are enough.

And whenever that’s in doubt, there are legions of women that will affirm and uplift you because we’ve also been little black girls. We know the pain. We see it, recognize it and will offer enough love to heal it.

You are enough.

United in love and sisterhood,

Evette

Chime in Clutchettes. What would you write to little black girls?

The post Letters from a Queen: What Would You Write to Little Black Girls? appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Take this weekend. I’d been messaging for a couple days with a guy from an online dating website. Let’s call him Empty Profile. We’re calling him that because he had a mostly empty profile. He wrote a few brief lines about himself, which didn’t reveal much, but he did post several pictures of himself. We flirted back and forth and Empty Profile eventually asked me if I wanted to get drinks on Saturday night.

I said yes. But as it got closer to Saturday night, I felt uncomfortable that I didn’t know anything about Empty Profile. I’m not suggesting he’s the Cannibal Cop, but I only knew his name and what he looked like, and had just a vague idea about the industry he worked in. It also occurred to me that I didn’t know why he wanted to meet up with me. Did we have anything in common? Obviously he must have thought I was attractive in some way to ask me out, but most men from online dating usually give an explanation of why they want to meet, like, “I want to get your thoughts on that documentary!” or “There’s a pulled pork sandwich you have to try!”  Online dating is not just about randomly meeting up with strangers without any context.

So I asked him, point blank, what he liked about my profile. Easy enough question, right? But Empty Profile’s response to that question, honestly, made me feel even weirder. He told me he “didn’t pay attention” to my profile. He said that he wanted to meet up in person to see if we had chemistry.

Okay, I get it, chemistry is important. But it seemed like he was suggesting he either didn’t read my profile or didn’t care what was in it, which, again, made it seem even more like we may not have anything in common. Empty Profile really was a mystery to me. And I was feeling increasingly uncomfortable about it; I was badnervous, not good nervous..

Saturday afternoon, I had plans to meet a bunch of girl friends at the pool. But worrying about the date with Empty Profile was lodged in my brain. I know myself and I know I would spend all afternoon fretting over the date, thus not having fun with my friends (or making sure they all had good time, since I was the one who invited everyone). This is stupid, I told myself. You don’t even know this guy. Just cancel. 

So I texted Empty Profile and messaged him on the online dating site to make sure he got the message somehow. “I’m sorry, but I’m having cold feet about tonight. I apologize for canceling,” I wrote. I figured it was short and sweet and polite.  I didn’t get into any complicated, tangible reason why I didn’t want to go on a first date because I didn’t have one.

I assumed he would respond the same way that I have responded when a dude has canceled or rescheduled a date or other dudes have responded to me when I’ve canceled or rescheduled a date: politely, respectfully, calmly.  What happened next genuinely surprised me.

“Grow up,” Empty Profile wrote back on the online dating site. That’s it. Grow up.

It’s an interesting thing, the phrase “grow up.” It’s a phrase that comes from a place of feeling powerless that is said to imply the person with more power is being immature for exercising it. It implies that saying no, saying “this is not okay with me,” or setting up a boundary is childish. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Actually, asserting what you want or what you are comfortable with is actually very mature.

But that’s not all. Empty Profile then sent me a barrage of text messages. And I mean a barrage.

You strung me along?

Now you glibly cite cold feet?

Well I’m glad I kept my schedule open for you. You certainly deserve someone chivalrous since you clearly represent the other side of that equation.

Good thing you put some thought into your carefully worded profile!

Um ….

I didn’t text back to any of his texts; clearly, Empty Profile was spoiling for a fight.  Instead, I just felt enormously relieved. Really, really relieved. If this was how a man I had never met reacted to my canceling a first date — which, for all he knew, could have been because there was a death in the family or something — how would he have reacted if I said “no” to something else?

Look, I understand it hurts to be rejected or to feel like you are being rejected (even though you don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes). I’ve been rejected before, too, and it does make me feel temporarily angry or annoyed at the person. It’s always a blow to my  ego, as well. But ultimately, I’m grateful the person was honest with me.I  Lashing out at someone who rejects you says a lot more about you than it does about it the other person. Everything about Empty Profile’s  personal attack-ish response made me feel relieved that I wasn’t going to spend my evening with this guy.

I truly do believe that relief is a telling emotion.  I now know I’d been right to listen to my instincts. My intuition was telling me there was something weird about this guy: his empty profile, his weird response to my question about mine. Now I know that when he feels hurt, he lashes out at people personally (including, apparently, implying that some women “deserve” chivalry while others don’t). Men like Empty Profile make women like me bitter about online dating. And I’m sure women like me — you know, ones who assert themselves — make men like Empty Profile more crazy.

It’s a jungle out there, folks.

This post originally appeared on The Frisky. Republished with permission.

The post Girl Talk: It Says A Lot About A Man If He Can’t Handle Rejection appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Facebook offers a window into the turmoil of relationships, but the social network can also damage relationships since it opens the couple to external criticism. Doctoral students at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism found that excessive Facebook users tend to have Facebook-related conflicts in their relationships. These issues lead to negative outcomes including divorces, break-ups and physical and emotional cheating.

Lead researcher Russell Clayton and his colleagues surveyed Facebook users between the ages of 18 and 82 to gauge their social-networking habits.

“Previous research has shown that the more a person in a romantic relationship uses Facebook, the more likely they are to monitor their partner’s Facebook activity more stringently, which can lead to feelings of jealousy,” Clayton said. “Facebook-induced jealousy may lead to arguments concerning past partners.”

Some have witnessed or have experienced Facebook-related trauma in relationships. He likes pictures of other women, but doesn’t comment on his girlfriend’s newest profile picture. Argument. His ex-girlfriend likes 10 of his pictures. Fight. Those suspicions may seem trivial, but some couples have cause for concern

“Also, our study found that excessive Facebook users are more likely to connect or reconnect with other Facebook users, including previous partners, which may lead to emotional and physical cheating.”

The trend of Facebook-induced envy is prevalent in newer relationships.

“These findings held only for couples who had been in relationships of three years or less,” Clayton said. “This suggests that Facebook may be a threat to relationships that are not fully matured.”

Seasoned relationships seem less-affected by Facebook-conflict.

“Participants who have been in relationships for longer than three years may not use Facebook as often, or may have more matured relationships, and therefore Facebook use may not be a threat or concern,” Clayton explained.

The report, which will be published in the upcoming Journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, recommends couples limit their personal Facebook use.

“Cutting back to moderate, healthy levels of Facebook usage could help reduce conflict, particularly for newer couples who are still learning about each other.”

Despite the findings, some don’t think Facebook is responsible for ending relationships. Andrea Syrtash, co-author of It’s okay to sleep with him on the first date and every other rule of dating debunked, doesn’t see social media as the reason relationships end.

“I don’t think we can blame Facebook for our relationships being ruined, but 1 in 5 people in a recent survey did blame the network,” Syrtash said. “It’s all about boundaries. You can use the network, but if you don’t have boundaries, then it will interfere with your love life.”

Syrtash credits lack of trust for fueling Facebook-induced jealousy.

“I think if you think your partner is cheating, you will go to his email, is social networks, and you will find evidence,” Syrtash said. “But couples that have trust probably won’t find much if they open their partner’s account. It’s really based on your gut feeling.”

I have another solution: Don’t befriend your partner on Facebook.

The post Facebook and Relationships: Don’t Befriend Your Spouse appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Malcolm Brickhouse and Jared Dawkins aren’t your average Flatbush, Brooklyn pre-teens.  The music in their earbuds may not be the latest thing that Hot 97 is attempting to pass off as “music”, but a little bit closer to what’s played on  New York’s rock stations.

In 2007, at the age of 5, Malcolm and Jared formed their metal band “Tears of Blood”.  What first started out as a duo, has now been made into a trio. Their childhood friend, Alec Atkins is their new bass player. The boys say they draw inspiration from groups such as: Slipknot, Disturbed, Metallica, Escape the Fate, Motionless in White, and Chelsea Grin.

If you’re lucky enough you can catch them performing on the streets of New York City, but in a new documentary, “Unlocking The Truth – Malcolm Brickhouse & Jarad Dawkins”, you’re able to get a glimpse inside of their lives.

But where there’s success, there’s also “haters” and bullies.

Seriously, how can you actually hate on these kids? They’re a notch above awesome and haven’t even hit puberty yet.

But of course there are those kids who will find any reason to bully another.

“I know a lot of people doubt me,” Malcolm tells The Avant/Garde Diaries. “But then I really don’t listen to those people, because I know I’m going to be famous anyway.”

Haters gonna hate, but Jared knows what eventually happens to haters.

 ”Now I’m writing a book. The book is about people who are being bullied in school and they joined a band, and they have became rich and famous, and they toured all over the world. And people that judged them, they have became homeless. And it’s, like, based on a true story.”

I’m sure you’ll be hearing more from these kids, they don’t seem like they plan on being just an afterthought in the world of music. 

Unlocking The Truth – Malcolm Brickhouse & Jarad Dawkins from The Avant/Garde Diaries on Vimeo.

The post Pre-Teen Musicians On The Receiving End Of Bullying appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Wanetta Gibson, the woman who falsely accused Brian Banks of rape, is learning that lying really doesn’t pay, but it’ll actually cost her $2.6 million dollars. In 2007, Gibson was awarded a settlement by the Long Beach School District, after she said a lack of security led to her being raped by fellow student Banks.  Gibson later recanted the rape claim on tape, paving the way for Banks’ exoneration of the charge – however he had already served more than five years in prison.

That recantation also paved the way for the school district to seek compensation of the money they awarded her. According to the school district, the judgment recoups a $750,000 settlement paid to Gibson and also includes attorney’s fees, interest and $1 million in punitive damages.

Gibson was not present at the ruling and her whereabouts are unknown, per the Long Beach Press-Telegram, but the court gained authorization to recoup the money through her future wages and property. Once a court gains authorization for garnishments, it’s all downhill from there.

“The court recognizes that our school district was a victim in this case,” Long Beach Unified Superintendent Christopher J. Steinhauser said.

“This judgment demonstrates that when people attempt to defraud our school system, they will feel the full force of the law.”

Actually trying to recoup the money may not even happen. Apparently Gibson has several civil judgments already under her belt.  Also, according to news reports, Gibson and her children have received public assistance and she has been sued by the county for child support.

Gibson’s troubles may not end with just a wage garnishment.  She could also face fraud charges, depending upon the court’s opinion as to whether her 2012 recanting constitutes an admission of fraud. If the original accusation is the basis for such a charge, the three-year statute of limitations for fraud charges to be brought would void any such action.

In her video confession, when the money issue was brought up, she stated, “I don’t want to have to pay it back.” Well, it looks as though she’s gotten herself into a real pickle, a $2.6 million dollar pickle.

The post Brian Banks Accuser Order To Pay $2.6 Million To Long Beach School District appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

NBA legend Dr. J, and his much younger wife.

Student loan debt is toppling $1 billion in the United States. The job market is still struggling to recover while household debt averages continues to increase. Long-term wealth seems impossible for some of us, but there are a few women that have found an out to their dismal financial realities: SugarDaddies.com.

Sugar Daddies is a dating site – similar to eHarmony or Match – designed to pair young, attractive women with well-to-do, older men with penchants for doling out cash on their romantic partners. A friend of a friend introduced me to Sugar Daddies after she met her current beau on the site. She’s in her mid-20’s and he’s almost 50, but her walloping monthly allowance persuaded her to look past his graying temples and warped motivations.

This friend of a friend is a devoted sugar-baby. She schedules her life around his, catering to his whims and pretending to be on his janitorial staff when his dignitary-esque wife calls from China. Her student loans are reimbursed, her hair is forever done and her wardrobe is insane. Her life is luxurious. I declined her invitation to register for the site, but it’s understandable why she would pine for this lifestyle as she sees the globe-trotting lives of the real housewives, basketball wives and medicine wives.

Too bad this friend of a friend is a rare exception in the land of sugardaddies and their sugarbabies. A new study from the University of Colorado Denver found that May-December romances don’t guarantee an automatic upgrade into wealth. The report, published in the Review of Economics and Statistics, found marriages with one significantly-older spouse tend to have lower collective earnings. Researchers also discovered one of the spouses is typically less-educated and less-attractive and also has lower cognitive abilities than a spouse in a relationship with someone closer to her age.

“Hugh Hefner is an outlier,” said Hani Mansour, Ph.D., an assistant professor of economics at CU Denver. “Our results call into question the conventional wisdom regarding differently-aged couples.”

Mansour and co-author Terra McKinnish, Ph.D., associate professor of economics at the University of Colorado Boulder, examined U.S. Census Bureau data from 1960 through 2000 to gauge the trends of marriages with significant age-gaps. The economists used the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to estimate cognitive abilities and the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health to determine physically attractiveness.

Their findings don’t set age perimeters for the marriages examined, but both researchers determined cougars and sugardaddies aren’t a new phenomenon.

“We really didn’t find any evidence of a new cougar phenomenon,” Mansour said. “Although their share has slightly increased over time, cougars have been among us since the 1960s.”

Despite these findings, some women are still awaiting their rich prince, popularized in romantic comedies like “Pretty Woman.” Nerve Magazine interviewed an aspiring sugar-baby. She hopes to find a rich, older man to elevate her tax bracket.

“I am hoping to find someone who is mature and experienced and successful and powerful, because that’s what women are looking for,” she said. “I think that wealth is a good indication of success and power.”

Chime in Clutchettes. Would you date a sugar daddy?

The post The Sugar Daddy Phenomenon: Would You Date One? appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Though many are ditching the creamy crack and hoping to get back to their roots, one type of natural hair is often held up as the ideal: curly.

While some sistas have a mass of springy curls, others (myself included) enjoy a more–shall we say–militant texture of hair.

After spending hundreds of dollars on cremes, gells, and magic potions promissing to turn my “kinks to curls,” I realized that my hair is just not meant to look like some of my looser-coiled sistern.

I cannot rock a wash-and-go without ending up with a tangled mess; I cannot apply light cremes for moisture; and I will never have Tracee Ellis Ross-type hair no matter what products I buy.

And that’s ok.

In an effort to encourage women to embrace their own hair texture, Ross recently took to YouTube to announce her “Hair Love” campaign.

In the video, Ross thanks viewers for their love of her hair, but cautions against coveting her mane instead of embracing their own.

“I geniunely am honored and tickled and excited by the fact that people like my hair,” Ross gushes. “It’s really nice when people like something about you, especially when they like something that you worked so hard on and used to hate.”

“I used to hate my hair,“ Ross admitts, and explains that her hair acceptance only came after years of exploration and experimentation.

Ross breaks it down even further, telling viewers, “I don’t want you to want my hair. The reason I don’t want you to want my hair is I’m of the school of love what you got. For me, the reason my hair was such a battle was because I was trying to make it something it wasn’t. I wanted the hair that somebody else had.”

During the video Ross challenges women to share short video responses about why they love their hair.

“I love that you love my hair,” she tells viewers,”But I only love that you love my hair if it’s an inspiration for you to love your hair.”

Check out Tracee Ellis Ross’s video to hear more about her Hair Love campaign and submit your video. 

The post Natural Hair Icon Tracee Ellis Ross Says, ‘I Don’t Want You to Want My Hair’ appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

First Kanye West dropped ‘Yeezus,’ a sparse and lyrical album whose title had many wondering if the Chicago emcee was feeling himself just a little too much. And now this.

During Game 5 of the NBA finals, Jay-Z shook up the music world when he announced his next solo album would drop in July.

Baring the over-the-top title “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” the album will be released to Samsung users on July 4 and the general public three days later. Despite dropping his album in an entirely new way (to a particular group of phone owners), many are wondering if Jay-Z has a bit of a God complex.

To be fair, rappers are some of the most arrogant people on the planet…or at least on wax.

Being an emcee means possessing the ability to best all comers lyrically, and rappers often brag about their superior skills. Between Biggie dubbing himself the King of New York, LLCoolJ calling himself the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time), and Rakim’s assertion that he’s “the god emcee,” boasting in hip hop is nothing new.

So Jay (who assumed the moniker “Jay-Hova” for years), choosing to one-up his boy Kanye, by calling his album the “Holy Grail,” falls firmly in line with hip hop’s bragadocious tradition.

But is it too over the top?

“Magna Carta Holy Grail” will feature production from some of music’s heavyweights: Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, Rick Ruban, and Swizz Beats. It will also showcases Jay-Z’s signature flow over a mix of live instrumentation and hardcore beats.

Jigga promisses the album will be “revolutionary,” and with a title like “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” it better live up to the hype.

The post God Complex? Jay-Z Announces Release of New Album ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez appeared on “This Week” Sunday to remind leaders of the toll of faulty immigration policies. “I want to say it’s Father’s Day. A study just came out this week in Illinois, 56,000 children were left without a mom or a dad, some without parents in the last six years,” Gutierrez said. “It’s something we have to end. It’s a tragedy, what’s happening to American immigrant families.”

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported more than 409,000 individuals in 2012, equating to more than 1,100 deportations daily, according to the federal agency’s website. If this current rate continues, more than 152,000 children will have at least one parent detained or deported by 2013.

These children are impacted physically, emotionally and mentally when their parents are returned to their countries of origins.

Oakland-based advocacy group, Human Impact Partners, released a report last week detailing the detrimental effects of deportation on the 5 million American children living with undocumented parents. Researchers interviewed over 500 immigrant parents and their children and released this consensus:

“[T]hese children and their families live with anxiety about the future, fearful that arrest, detention or deportation will tear their families apart. Anxiety and fear are only part of the damaging impacts of their families’ precarious legal status. Children of the undocumented may also suffer from poverty, diminished access to food and health care, mental health and behavioral problems and limited educational opportunities—particularly when a parent is arrested and detained or deported.”

The worries of deportation also impact some children’s ability to function in the classroom, leading to lower grades.

Think Progress reports:

Children of undocumented immigrant parents are less likely to graduate from high school than U.S.-born children, according to a joint study released by UC Irvine and Penn State. The study found that Mexican young adults with undocumented mothers averaged one-and-a-quarter less years of schooling than their counterparts with authorized immigrant mothers. The authors theorized that the schooling gap could be mitigated by the passage of the comprehensive immigration reform bill that the Senate is set to be debated on in June.

When faced with poverty and “ethnoracial discriminiation,” such kids feel alienated and are unable to launch themselves on an upward trajectory. The second generation children do not assimilate well to the host society because of the constant fear of having their parents’ immigration status found out. Lacking ties to the host country because of fear of deportation, second-generation children are thus unable to acculturate as well as their peers because of their parents’ legal status.

The future earnings of these second generation children also diminishes with the schooling gap because without a high school diploma, they would “earn about half a million dollars less over their lifetimes.”

The fear of detainment and eventual deportation also keeps immigrant families from seeking medical attention for their children. Almost 40 percent of children of undocumented children didn’t visit a doctor in 2012.

All of these factors affect long-term health.

Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) has introduced legislation to protect children from long-term separation from their parents. She is calling on the Obama administration to act.

“While it’s critical that any comprehensive immigration reform proposal include protections for immigrant families, this study shows we can’t continue waiting for Congress to act,” Roybal-Allard said in a statement. “I once again call on the Administration to end the unjust deportation of parents.”

The Human Impact offers four solutions to minimize the effect of deportation on children, including offering a “direct, clear, expedient and affordable path to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants;” eliminating some of the Department of Homeland Security’s programs and policies that target immigrant families; and establishing child welfare programs similar to those enacted in California.

Comprehensive immigration reform may offer relief to some of immigration families. It is worth spending political capital on if it prevents one child from being separated from her parents.

The post A Family Split: The Real Costs of Immigration Deportation appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Two weeks ago, Nicole Flood found her daughter, Aquilla Flood shot dead in her East Orange, NJ bedroom. Her uncle said he looked in  on her around 3 a.m and  she was found dead around 7:30 a.m. Aquilla’s classmates described her as stylish and friendly and was preparing to attend her prom.

Aquilla’s ex boyfriend has been arrested and faces murder charges related to her death. Her 18-year-old ex, Al Muqqadin Means, is suspected of killing Aquilla because of her refusal to attend the prom with him. It is also worth noting that Aquilla was the repeated recipient of threats from Means.

From NJ.com:

Nicole Flood has said Means climbed a fire escape to gain access to the family’s third story apartment and shot Aquilla while she slept. Police have not confirmed that account.

Aquilla Flood broke up with Means several months ago, her mother said, after the suspect’s sister warned the girl that the 18-year-old was a violent man. The threats started a few weeks later.

She was so scared that she begged her mother to move to a new apartment, but Nicole Flood said she didn’t know the extent of the threat posed by Means until after she found her daughter lying in a pool of blood in her bedroom. Aquilla apparently told her uncle about the threats, but not her mother.

Flood’s aunt told NJ.com: “We are extremely excited and happy for that (his arrest), but it sill doesn’t bring out beloved niece and daughter back.”

The post Aquilla Flood Murder: Ex-boyfriend Charged In Slaying Of 17-year-old N.J. Prom Queen appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Imagine being able to dine with out the sound of screaming kids, or trying to maneuver past strollers as you make your way to a table. Well that’s reality for restaurant goers in the Del Ray section of Alexandria, Virginia.

“Welcome,” reads the black-and-white sign on the door of The Sushi Bar. “This is an adults-only environment. No children under 18 please.”

From MSN:

Since The Sushi Bar opened a week ago, the restaurant’s policy appears to be paying off — it’s enjoying a packed house every night, WUSA-TV noted. 

“I understand why they would do that. It’s not that big of a deal,” said one mother of three who was turned away from The Sushi Bar.

But not everyone is so understanding. Some people even compared the policy to apartheid on a Patch forum.

“I won’t be eating there and I’m not going to frequent Pork Barrel or Holy Cow any longer,” one writer posted, referring to the owners’ other restaurants. “It’s ironic how happy they were to take my money for kids meals at Pork Barrel but now my money isn’t good enough for fish.”

People have also taken to the restaurant’s Facebook page to express their displeasure about the policy.

“Great way to keep me out of your spot,” griped one commenter on the Sushi Bar’s Facebook page. “As a single parent, thanks… we will dine at another sushi bar!”

“In case anyone is wondering, no, I won’t be patronizing this establishment if I’m ever again in the area,” added another commenter.

What do you think about the “no children under 18″ policy? 

The post Restaurant Adopts A “No Kids” Policy appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Halle Holmes was 10 years old in 2010 when she came home empty-handed and aggravated after a trip to the local mall. As hostess of an upcoming spa party, she had her heart set on finding all-natural beauty products in fun fragrances that her girlfriends would like and her sensitive skin could tolerate.

“We didn’t want to smell like lavender and sweet pea. We wanted something youthful smelling,” she says. Downright indignant that no such product existed, Halle says she turned to her teenage sister Brea and said, “Why don’t we start our own?”

As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. The Holmes sisters began researching their idea online, tapped their family dermatologist for advice, and sent their mom out to investigate a few cosmetics manufacturers they identified.

With $6,000 in startup funding from their parents, Halle and Brea officially launched their beauty products business the same year. Named Sweet Dream Girlz for a favorite Beyonce song, the Holmes’ line of moisturizers, cleansers, lip balms, and hair products are paraben- and talc-free, feature shea butter and natural oils, and come in “yummy” scents like Pink Sugar and Iced Lemon Cookie. From sales online, at trade shows, and in specialty stores nationwide, the business generated more than $25,000 in revenues its first year, and $42,000 in 2012. According to mom Lisa Holmes, Sweet Dream Girlz is profitable, but all income goes right back into the company to support marketing and new product development.

The young entrepreneurs—now 13 and 19—have been featured in USA Today, Tigerbeat, local television news, and various other media. They were invited to the 2012 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards where their products were featured in the swag bags. And they’ve made it to the final casting call for season 5 of ABC’s Shark Tank.

Despite all the exposure, however, buyers at major stores including Dillard’s, Nordstrom, and Justice have turned them down. So have big beauty brands Ulta and Avon. “The typical response is that they haven’t carried it before, they’re skeptical they can move it in their stores, and they want you to come to them with big sales volume numbers before they’ll try,” says Lisa Holmes.

But the sisters are confident those buyers are missing out on a big market. Tween and teen girls are consumers of spa and beauty products, they say. The only reason they don’t buy products specially made for them is because they’re not available, they say.

So, they figured out how to reach that market themselves. This week they introduced Spa Diva, a network-marketing program that sells a $350 “mobile spa kit” to their business-minded peers. Girls as young as 16 can purchase the kit and earn commissions hosting in-home mani-pedi parties and taking orders for Sweet Dream Girlz products from their friends. The kit includes manicure, pedicure, and facial supplies, party-hostess advice, and a “business resource CD,” that tells how to make a professional presentation, talk about the products, and engage with customers.

Brea, who was in high school when Sweet Dreams Girlz launched, will start her sophomore year at Woodbury University in Burbank, Calif., this fall. In addition to her studies in fashion design and marketing, she dedicates about four hours a day to the business, including video-chat meetings with her sister at home in Phoenix.

What’s next? The girls have already expanded their brand to tackle another shopping frustration: Why aren’t sweet, fun fashions like the ones Taylor Swift and Victoria Justice wear available in girls’ sizes 7-16? They designed and are now wholesaling a line of Sweet Dream Girlz apparel, sneakers, and accessories. They hired a sales rep with a showroom in the Atlanta apparel mart to raise awareness of their brand, and, says Halle, “We just finished the photo shoot for our spring 2014 line.”

source

The post Black Teens Take On Avon appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

George Zimmerman’s father, Robert Zimmerman Sr., recently released a new e-book on Amazon called “Florida v. Zimmerman: Uncovering the Malicious Prosecution of my Son, George”.  Everything from the description of the book, “this book describes how and why my son, George Zimmerman, has been charged with the crime of murder”, to the most interesting chapter called, “Who Are The True Racists,” attempts to dispute the fact that Zimmerman’s actions were not racial.

In typical, “I’m not racist because I have black friends”, Zimmerman Sr.’s prologue states:

“As an adult, George continued to judge everyone as individuals, as he does today. Many of George’s closest and most trusted friends are African American. Although the FBI interviewed dozens of George’s friends, neighbors, co-workers, and acquaintances, there is a tremendous amount of evidence that George is absolutely not a racist in any sense of the word.”

But George’s father definitely feels there’s several groups of racist in the world, they just happen to be African-Americans.  In what reads like a horrible David Letterman top 10 list, Zimmerman Sr. lists the people/organizations that are racist:

He then goes on to list various black leaders and organizations that he believes are racist:

Congressional Black Caucus. “[A] pathetic, self-serving group of racists… advancing their purely racist agenda.” He later adds that “all members of Congress should be ashamed of the Congressional Black Caucus, as should be their constituents.” And finally: “They are truly a disgrace to all Americans.”

The NAACP. “[S]imply promotes racism and hatred for their own, primarily finical, interests” and “without prejudice and racial divide, the NAACP would simply cease to exist.”

NAACP President Benjamin Jealous. “[W]hat I would expect of a racist.”

Trayvon Martin’s funeral director. A “racial activist and former head of the local NAACP.”

Benjamin Crump, Natialie Jackson and Darrly Parks, attorneys for Travyon Martin’s family. “The scheme team.”

The National Basketball Players Association.

Black Chamber of Commerce.

National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers.

National Black United Fund.

United Negro College Fund.

Zimmerman Sr. also accused President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder of exploiting the case “to obtain great advantage in the African-American community.” 

What do you think about Zimmerman Sr.’s list of “racist people?

The post George Zimmerman’s Father Says The ‘True Racists’ Are African-American appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Bullying has become an increasing epidemic, but one town in Wisconsin is going to start hitting the parents of bullies where it hurts the most, their pockets.  Monona, Wisconsin parents whose children repeatedly bully others can now be ticketed by police and fined in municipal court.

The town didn’t cite any particular incident that led to the law, but it may set a new standard when it comes to dealing with bullies. Julie Hertzog, director of the National Bullying Prevention Center in Bloomington, Minn., said she had not heard of such a tactic and was hesitant to comment for that reason. “This is the first time it’s been on my radar,” she said.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal:

Monona Police Chief Wally Ostrenga said no specific incident led to the ordinance, just a general concern about the tragic consequences of bullying, including a rash of school shootings and teen suicides across the country.

He thinks the parent-liability clause will be used sparingly, if at all, and only in cases where parents are obstructive or uncooperative. He hopes the mere threat of a ticket will be enough.

“Sometimes you’ll knock on someone’s door and they won’t want to talk to you — their kids are perfect, they could never do anything wrong,” Ostrenga said. “This is for those times when we get the door slammed in our faces.”

Parents who are making a good-faith effort to address a child’s behavior would not be ticketed, he said.

City Attorney William S. Cole called the tactic “a tool of last resort” and said he believes it would withstand a court challenge.

Parents can’t be blindsided under the ordinance. Before being ticketed, a parent or guardian must be informed in writing by an officer of a separate violation of bullying by the same minor within the prior 90 days.

A ticket is a municipal code violation, not a criminal offense. (Only the state Legislature can make something a criminal offense.)

A first violation of the parent-liability clause carries a $114 fine. Subsequent violations within the same year carry fines of $177 each.

What do you think of this town’s law? Should other cities adopt similar laws?

The post Wisconsin Town Will Now Fine & Ticket Parents Of Bullies appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Here is a sampling of some of the offensive memes via BuzzFeed:

Since memes are traditionally meant to be funny, it’s easy to assume that the internet trolls who created these graphics wrote their captions in jest. Still, it’s no excuse to spew vitriol about a stranger’s body simply because she’s not a size 2. And the sexism (sex in exchange for pizza?) and objectification of her body is offensive to all women.

There’s been talk about taking back this meme with empowering and uplifting captions about full-figured women. Do you think the plus size community and supporters should take that approach? Do you find the above captions disrespectful? Discuss, Clutchettes.

The post Plus Size Model Meme Gets Flooded with Offensive Captions About Full-Figured Women appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

U.S. Postal carrier Iran Becton was recently on the receiving end of a joke masterminded by University of Chicago’s Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

“About a week after Memorial Day, I had an order to bring 79 of the boxes. I came to the address and explained to the frat member that I would have a lot more supplies. I went back to the truck for the boxes about six or seven times,” Becton told the Chicago Sun-Times.

“After the last trip, one of the frat guys came out and said it was a practical joke. Another guy said that I should read the name backwards and I’ll get the joke.”

The items — all 79 of them — were addressed to “Reggin Toggaf.” Written backward, the first name is a racial slur. The last name is a slur for gay men.

“I was humiliated,” said Becton, an African American.

Becton wants an apology; the Chicago Division Postal Inspection Services is reportedly investigating and mail delivery to the Phi Delt house has been suspended until they issue a written apology to Becton. The Sun-Times notes in addition to the impact on Becton, the prank involved “the abuse and possibly the destruction of postal property,” which is a criminal offense.

A statement from the university calls the incident “deplorable” and says the school is cooperating with the Postal Service investigation.

Ironically the incident happened just days after anti-racism activist and writer Tim Wise spoke to the campus about the ignorance of dominant social groups as a persistent problem in America and the University of Chicago community. Apparently members of Phi Delta Theta missed that talk.

The post Fraternity at University of Chicago Involved In Racist, Homophobic Prank appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Cecile Kyenge, Italy’s first black cabinet member, was the target of a rape “joke”.

A member of the Northern League, a right-wing party similar to our very own Tea Party, wrote that Kyenge should be raped so she could understand what a recent victim of an attempted rape in Genoa experienced.  Dolores Valandro attempted to apologize for the remark, and called it a “joke”.

“It was a joke in a moment of anger, I apologize. I don’t think when I’m angry. It’s my way to vent. In reality, I am sweeter than candy,” she said during an interview with Italy’s Radio Capital.

Valandro’s “joke” was not without repercussions.  Party secretary Flavio Tosi explained that because of a previous issue that Valandro was suspended for, she would now be expelled.

This isn’t the first time Kyenge, who is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo,  has been a recipient of violent and racist remarks. She also addressed Valandro’s statement this week, labeling the words “violent language.”

“I don’t want to respond to this violent language because each and everyone of us should feel offended,” Kyenge said during a meeting in Rome, according to La Repubblica. “I speak with a lot of people, and everyone of them have a different way of thinking, everyone can have their own ideology. But I don’t allow anyone to dictate a violent language and behavior.”

The post Italy’s First Black Cabinet Member Target Of Rape “Joke” appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Circuit Judge Debra Nelson’s ruling came after the fourth day of questioning the jury candidates about what media they had been exposed to about the trial.  According to the judge, the trial is anticipated to last two to four weeks, although it was previously estimated for four to six weeks.

The jurors will be “kept together with court security and not allowed to go outside the group except in special circumstances,” defense attorney Don West said in court Thursday afternoon, speaking to a potential juror. West said that visitation with family would be allowed, but said the sequestration would mean the jurors “would not be able to participate in day-to-day activity.” He said entertainment would be provided by court security, adding that it would be “something monitored.”

Attorneys need 30 potential jurors to get past the initial round of interviews so they can ask them more in-depth questions about their views and life experiences. Four potential jurors were dismissed Wednesday, raising the total of jury candidates who have been disqualified to 75.  At the start of questioning Thursday, 20 potential jurors were in the pool of candidates to be interviewed in the next round.

The post Zimmerman Jury Will Be Sequestered appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

To draw attention to  House Republicans cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 26 members of Congress will live off of a food stamp budget.

Labeled the #SNAPChallenge, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and 25 participating members must try to live off of under $4.50 per day for food and drink. On Lee’s blog, she wrote about the decisions she had to make while grocery shopping:

“First, I went straight for the crackers. They’re cheap, they last a long time, and they’re portable. Having a baggy of them in my purse at all times keeps the day moving. I found a no-salt, store brand box, also the cheapest, and moved on to the next item on my list: peanut butter. I prefer chunky peanut butter and pick up the reduced fat version. The store brand, again, is a little cheaper, and there’s a sale going on. Sales and coupons are key.

Next, I find canned tuna, canned peas, and a box to make tuna noodle casserole. You can buy the noodles separately, but the boxes are cheap. But, most of them require butter and milk, two things I don’t have a budget for. I read the back of every box and find one that only needs water and is also in my price range. A casserole like that will last several days and is fairly balanced.

Beyond that, I find eggs with six to a carton, not 12, which is helpful, as well as a sale on yams, and get one for $.49/lb. That’s a pretty good deal. I’m calculating in my head as we go what will last past one day, what will actually be good, and what I can add hot sauce to to make things more interesting.”

These member of Congress aren’t the first politicians to live of a food stamp budget. Last year, Newark Mayor Cory Booker participated in a similar challenge that orchestrated itself on Twitter. 

Do these food stamp challenges actually prove anything besides the fact that millions of Americans will suffer at the hands of the SNAP cuts? Or with the $4.50 a day, receiving adequate nutrition is virtually impossible?  Sure it’s great the members of Congress are publicizing how hard it is to live on food stamps, but the real problem is that the ones who make these laws never have to live them.

What do you think about the cuts to the SNAP program?

The post 26 Lawmakers Live Off Food Stamps To Protest Republican Cuts appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Gov. Rick Perry is to sign a law mandating drug testing for some unemployment benefits recipients.

The governor is holding a special signing ceremony Friday at the Capitol.

Under current law, employers hold insurance policies to help laid-off workers survive on weekly payments of $62 to $440. Those fired for cause, including failing an employer-sponsored drug test, don’t qualify.

The changes already approved by the Texas House and Senate would require workers who lose their jobs to fill out state questionnaires. Answers considered suspicious lead to drug tests. Anyone failing a test would lose their benefits.

The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Tommy Williams of The Woodlands, says it will help maintain a competent workforce.

Democrats, meanwhile, successfully blocked a separate measure that sought to drug-test welfare recipients.

What do you think about the law?

source

The post Texas Gov. Perry to Sign Unemployment Drug Testing Law appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Lee Daniels’ highly-anticipated film, “The Butler,” sparked a heated debate on social media after a photograph from the film made its rounds on the internet. A still from the movie, which follows Eugene Allen (Forest Whitaker), a head butler at the White House, displays Mariah Carey as a slave picking cotton in the field.

The photograph immediately drew backlash as several people on social media expressed that someone of Mariah Carey’s complexion wouldn’t work in the field. They believe her pale complexion would render her a house slave. To that end, there are also some Twitter users who feel a darker-skinned woman should have been picked for Mariah Carey’s role.

One critic tweeted “She wouldn’t even be a house slave, she could pass as white,” and another posted “Zoe Saldana is Nina Simone and Mariah Carey is in the fields taking good slave acting jobs from dark-skinned peoples.”

Whether we’re discussing Zoe Saldana’s casting as Nina Simone or Mariah’s as a field slave, it feels like the colorism debate won’t end anytime soon. What do you think of the criticism of Mariah Carey’s photograph and casting, Clutchettes?

The post The Colorism Debate Continues: Mariah Carey as a Slave in “Butler” Draws Criticism appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

The internet is buzzing over a video of five young teenage boys rapping about oral sex. The disturbing clip shows the youngsters rapping about performing oral sex on men in graphic, explicit detail. One line from the rap goes: “Sucking on a díck fast, I never do it slow. Everybody know ’cause my job is to blow” and another draws from Drake’s “Started From The Bottom” song with these lyrics: “Started from the díck now we here! Started sucking díck now we’re sucking on your pubic hair!”

Tommy Sotomayor used the boys’ unsettling YouTube video as an opportunity to criticize and condemn black single mothers. He believes single mothers are to blame for young gay men, like these teenagers. It’s their fault for not being able to adequately raise their sons by themselves, Sotomayor says. He also chastises black single mothers for choosing to procreate with men who could abandon them.

Via Naturally Moi:

He says: “I want to say this before I start off: I have no problem with a person’s sεxual orientation or a person’s want or need for sεxual experimentation. I don’t. Now with that said, these boys are the reason why we need to stop claiming that black children don’t need their fathers.” He continues by stating that Black single mothers often take credit for raising successful Black men alone; however, when the Black men go astray, they blame the absence of the father for the child’s demise. He also states that the Black race has turned into an androgynous race. “The black race looks like the 80s. You don’t know who is what. The women look like men, the men look like women,” Sotomayor says. At one point in the video, he candidly states: “Black women, you have failed. You can not blame ‘the man’ who left you with ‘the baby’ when you are the one who was the GM of the team and you hired that man. You can not keep firing players and blaming the players for not performing when it shows that you are a poor talent evaluator.”

While some people back up Sotomayor’s claims, others feel the music and culture is to blame.

What are your thoughts, Clutchettes? Discuss.

Source/Source

The post Open Thread: Video Surfaces of Teens Rapping About Oral Sex — Is Hip Hop or Parenting To Blame? appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

The “New Life” singer is married to Phoenix Suns shooting guard Shannon Brown. The couple is expecting their first child together, but both have kids from previous relationships. Monica is mother to two sons, Rodney and Romelo, who were born from an 11-year relationship with rapper Rocko. Brown also has a son.

Monica, Shannon and their former spouses have maintained conflict-free friendships, leading Dupri to call her the “perfect baby mama.” The Grammy Award-winning crooner quickly retorted, claiming the “baby mama” term has no place in her life.

“I don’t think I like the term baby momma,” she said. “Let’s be clear, I have two sons. I had an 11-year relationship with two sons that came from that. I am now married with another child on the way. So I don’t really know where the baby momma term fits.”

She also explained how she manages her blended family.

“People always ask me, how do you make a blended family work? It is what you make it. First order of business is, as parents, we have to respect one another. I don’t believe in the court system, I’m not stepping in no courthouse. I’m not calling no people,” she explained.

Monica also credited Rocko for being active in his sons’ lives.

“I’m sure every situation may require something different, but I feel, for me, I feel like a real man would be man enough to assess the needs of his child and make sure that it happens. I don’t need to call you, and I don’t need to call the people for you,” she said. “So, since I feel that way, I’ve never had any discrepancies with the father of my oldest children, at all. Period, point blank. When it’s time for it to get done, he can assess their needs, come in and see what they need, and it gets done.”

All co-parenting relationships aren’t as salubrious and beneficial as the one Monica’s built with Rocko. When most of us picture blended families, we think of the short-lived UPN sitcom, “All of Us” and the drama that often ensued between the new fiancée (Elise Neal) and the ex-wife (LisaRaye McCoy).

Splits are difficult and require painful emotional work. Sometimes those emotions spill over when former couples attempt to come to mutual agreements regarding their children. Blended families can be successful, but this requires effective and communicative co-parenting, according to the American Psychological Association (APA). Dr. Leah Klungness, a psychologist and co-author of the Complete Single Mother, offers five tips for establishing healthy co-parenting relationships.

Keep your feelings about each other out of your kids’ hearts and heads.

No matter how angry, betrayed, or bitter you may still feel, if you can’t put a lid on it in front of the kids – failure as co-parents is inevitable. Co-parenting requires maturity, grace and stamina. Find an appropriate outlet for your unresolved feelings. Talking to your ex about the kids simply cannot become your time to vent.

Carrots work better than sticks.

Maintain respect for your ex – this person is your kids’ other parent. Even if the other co-parent’s involvement is minimal, your kids benefit from this contact. Praise for the other parent’s efforts is a strong predictor of co-parenting success.

Keep the lines of communication open.

Communication lies at the heart of any relationship. If your marriage or relationship suffered from a lack of communication, resolve – for the kids’ sake – to find a way to communicate. Technology is a handy solution  – if you prefer not to meet in person or chat on the cell. Find the tools – and the commitment – by which respectful communication takes place.

Allow for change and scary feelings.

Your agreement to co-parent represents yet another change – on top of the huge change everyone experienced when you divorced or separated. It’s okay to feel scared because it signals that you recognize your kids’ futures are at stake. Co-parenting is a formidable challenge – and – realistically – why would you not feel just a bit scared?

Talk and listen to your kids.

Your kids will want to know the nuts and bolts of the new parenting arrangement. Little kids, for example, will want to know where Santa Claus will visit. Or how the Tooth Fairy will find them. Older kids will want to know if friends can visit at both homes – and if they’ll need to change schools. Don’t expect every last detail to get ironed out immediately. Encourage your kids to share their concerns and questions with both of you. Family meetings are ideal – if you can swing it – so everyone gets the opportunity to be heard.

It appears that Rocko and Monica have used some of these tips, as evidenced by her answers to Dupri’s questions. Their children are psychologically and emotionally-healthier because of their maturity and mutual cooperation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT_03s1Th4Q

What other tips would you offer to build effective co-parenting relationships Clutchettes and gents?

The post Monica Loves Her Blended Family: Five Steps for Building Effective Co-Parenting Friendships appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

The Archdiocese believes Sister Lange is deserving of canonization for her role in spreading Catholicism through love, especially during a time when people of color were enslaved throughout the North and the South.

“She had many, many obstacles–among them racial prejudice and hatred–and her love overcame that in her life,” said Baltimore’s Archbishop William Lori.

Free education for African-American children didn’t exist when Lange immigrated to Maryland in 1868, so opened a school in her home. She and Marie Magdaleine Balas – later known as Sister Frances – owned and operated the school for over 10 years.

Her love for mankind didn’t end there. Lange was encouraged by Reverend James Hector Joubert, the former Archbishop of Baltimore, to open a religious convent for the education of girls of color. It would be the first African-American religious order in the history of the Catholic Church and would spread the word of God to communities of color.

On July 2, 1829, Lange – who was born with the first name Elizabeth – and three other founders professed their love for God and became the Oblate Sisters of Providence. She accepted the religious name of Mary and served as the order’s superior general until 1832 and then again from 1835 to 1841.

The Oblate Sisters were active in the Baltimore community, sheltering orphans and the elderly, nursing the ill, and accepting and educating free slaves about Catholicism. The women also served as domestics at Saint Mary’s Seminary.

Lange died February 3, 1882 at Saint Frances Convent in Baltimore, her work has continued to inspire. She was influential in Africa, Cuba, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, leading to worldwide recognition and respect. The first American school was named after her in 2005, when three local Baltimore schools – St. Dominic School, Shrine of the Little Flower and St. Anthony of Padua – combined to form the Mother Mary Lange Catholic School.

There are four steps that must be completed before Lange will be welcomed into sainthood.

The first step determines if the potential saint was a “servant of God.” It begins with a bishop in the region where the person died petitioning the Vatican to investigate the nun or bishop’s works. The current Archbishop of that city or state begins combing through the candidate’s writing, sermons, speeches and other documents and creating a profile that is then presented to the Congregation for the Cause of Saints, known as Roman Curia. The Roman Curia then grants permission for the candidate’s body to be exhumed for examination. This is done to ensure the candidate did not practice heretical worship. The Vatican investigated Lange’s works in 1991 when the first petition for canonization was created. It was completed in 2004 by Cardinal William H. Keller, the former Archbishop of Baltimore.

The next step is the determination of “heroic in virtue” status. This step involves the congregation approaching the Pope. He grants his permission based on the candidate’s exhibition of Catholic virtues such as faith and hopes and cardinal virtues like fortitude and prudence. If this is approved, the title of “Venerable” is bestowed on the candidate. A “Venerable” candidate may have prayer cards printed in her honor, but can’t have a feast named after her or churches established with her name included.

A “venerable” candidate is then declared blessed if the Church finds she is a martyr or confessor who’s made it to heaven. Martyrdom is bestowed if the Pope finds the venerable was a voluntary witness for Catholicism or acted in a way that displays heroic charity. If the venerable is deemed a confessor, the Pope must determine that the candidate initiated a miracle, such as curing an ailment. The blessing status brings a designated feast day with it, but it’s not on a national level.

The final step is the determination of sainthood. In order to be canonized as a saint, the blessed must have performed two miracles after her death. A feast day is celebrated throughout the Catholic Church, parish churches are built in the saint’s honor and there is continual celebrating of the saint.

Lange is currently in the second phase on the canonization process. “Positio,” an 800-page document proving her heroic life is being written by Vatican official, Brother Reginald Cruz. It will be submitted to the Vatican in the coming month.

Currently, the next step in Mother Mary Lange’s canonization is proof she lived a “heroic life”, which is being written by Vatican official, Brother Reginald Cruz. Cruz will finish the 800-page-thesis, entitled “Positio”, next month and will submit it to the Vatican. The process of two verified miracles can take an unknown amount of time.

The final two steps of the process will take an indeterminate amount of time, but the Oblate Sisters of Providence already see their founder as a saint.

“She’s already a saint [to us]. That’s why we’re so happy today. Imagine having a saint here with us, huh?” said Sister Mary Alexis Fisher.

If canonized, Lange will be the first African-American saint. Henriette Delille, the African-American female founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans, is also in the process of canonization.

The post Deceased Black Nun May Reach Sainthood appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Twenty-one colleagues filmed the series, offering their diverse views of feminism. Several professors are also penning pieces for the School of English’s blog. Dr. Astrid Bracke, a professor at the University of Amsterdam’s Radboud University writes about how she uses feminist thought in educational spaces.

When I told my first years’ we’d be discussing feminism that day, they sighed, and fell silent. They’re never silent. Sensing their hostility, I asked them to just tell me the first things that popped into their minds when I said ‘feminism’.

I wrote them on the board: “whiney”, “angry”, “necessary when women didn’t have the vote, but no longer”, “men and women are equal now anyway”. One of them chipped in, “Feminists don’t want equality, they want to be treated better than men”.

The week before this class, the Dutch minister for emancipation had expressed her concerns about the fact that 48% of Dutch women are financially dependent. This brought feminism back into the spotlight in the country following fierce debates a few years ago about the supposed ‘laziness’ of Dutch women: a huge percentage of Dutch women work part-time – often two or three days a week – leading some columnists to claim that Dutch women didn’t want to work more hours.

My class saw no reason for why women should want or need financial independence. In fact, the group – consisting mainly of female students – shared conservative views on the role of women. Without exception all of them envisioned a future with a husband and children, and all of them expected to stay home at least until their children went to primary school. All of them agreed that women are much more suited to taking care of children, and that pursuing a career is something typically masculine – since men are more ‘ruthless’ – and women are naturally more ‘caring’ and ‘emotional’.

The “We are Feminism” challenge the stereotypes associated with feminism(s), particularly as it relates to interlocking oppressions, traditional gender roles and the impact of patriarchy on children.

Janine Bradbury, a Ph.D. candidate in African-American Studies at the University of Sheffield, recounts how black feminist thought has anchored her as a scholar and woman.

She writes in her complementary essay:

I’m indebted to black feminism. In fact, it’s the only debt I’ve ever had where I actually revel in the sense of owing and where my “repayment” is measured in terms of how lavish I am with my spending. The more I borrow, the less I owe, and the more I spend, the richer I become. And so consider this an attempt to pay it forward.

If I hadn’t read black feminist works at key moments in my life, I probably wouldn’t have beenbold enough or brave enough to pursue a career as an academic in what is a predominantly white and male research environment. It wasn’t a coincidence that it was while reading Alice Walker’s The Color Purple that I mustered the courage to apply to a very privileged group of universities when at that moment I was living in a council flat and working as a cleaner at a local private school. It wasn’t a coincidence that it was after a presentation I gave on Walker’s In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens several years later at The University of North Carolina, that classmates suggested I become a University lecturer.

She also speaks to the power of black feminism outside of the perimeters of education.

Black feminism is pertinent in the way it stretches out far beyond the classroom too, shedding light on spaces and people outside of the academy and other arenas of privilege to help us arrive at a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of why women matter. Alice Walker offers us the image of her mother working in her garden to help us understand the completely underrated role black women play in creating and nurturing the genius that we as academics feel it is our duty (pfft) to gate-keep. “Her face”, Walker writes about her mother, “as she prepares the Art that is her gift, is a legacy of respect she leaves to me, for all that illuminates and cherishes life”. “She has handed down respect for the possibilities – and the will to grasp them” (‘In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens’, pp. 241-242).

No image is more poignant to me than that of Walker’s mother, (or indeed my own) tending to her flowers and plants, nurturing in us (in me), the determination to, in the words of Zora Neale Hurston’s mother, ‘jump at de sun’. As Hurston reflects, ‘we might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.” And that’s why black feminism matters, not just to me, but to all of us. It gives us the courage to try, the will to succeed and the reminder that as scholars, teachers and students that genius lies all around us (and not just in academic chambers).

In the context of our own commitment to civic engagement, as a University that aims to champion the voices of our community and privilege the narratives of those who are often marginalized, misunderstood and overlooked, as a community that shares the message that a University education is for anybody who wants it, black feminism’s message of democracy, inclusivity and understanding is crucial.

The full “We are Feminism” video series has been posted to YouTube. The School of English encourages viewers to participate in promoting the benefits of feminism(s) through social media, using the hashtag #WeAreFeminism.

Chime in Clutchettes and gents. What does feminism(s) mean to you? How do you exemplify it in your life?

The post England’s University of Sheffield Launches “We are Feminism” Video Campaign appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Powell, left.

Danielle Powell had one month left in her undergraduate college career when Grace University administrators discovered she was in a relationship with another woman. A judiciary board convened to decide whether Powell would be permitted to finish her studies at the institution. The conservative Christian college in Omaha, Neb. suspended Powell in March 2011 for “immoral behavior” for engaging in lesbian acts, but agreed to let her resume her degree if she participated in a restoration program.

The strict regimen moved Powell off-campus and forced her to attend church and seek counseling. She was expelled in 2012 when Grace University – formerly Grace Bible Institute – discovered she was still dating women.

“They were doing a witch hunt,” Powell said, “calling around to see if I was in a same-sex relationship.”

The college’s executive vice president, Michael James, wrote an official expulsion letter to Powell, stating that “it would be impossible for the faculty of Grace University to affirm your Christian character, a requirement for degree conferral.”

James also told the Huffington Post the rule outlawing immoral sexual acts has been in place for more than 70 years and students are aware of the policy. He quoted from the handbook saying, “Any student involved in sexually immoral behavior, including premarital sex, adultery, and homosexual acts, is at minimum placed on University probation and may be subject to a Judiciary Hearing.”

Grace University is a member of the Association of Biblical Higher Education, an organization that accredits Bible-based colleges, and has a strict moral code.

The Association of Biblical Higher Education does not recognize same-sex marriage, stating that it “upholds the sanctity of marriage as God-ordained, a special union between a man and a woman, within which sexual relations are honored and affirmed by God.”

The association deems homosexuality and fornication biblical sins outlawed at their member institutions.

Powell did not consider herself a lesbian when she applied to Grace. She is a devout Christian, as evidenced by her willingness to submit a college application that asks if a student accepts Jesus Christ as the singular Lord and Savior. However, Powell experienced culture-shock when she arrived at Grace.

“I definitely didn’t know what I signed up for,” she said. “The institution itself is still very conservative and predominantly white, a lot of home-schooled pastors’ kids,” she said.

Powell – who was a member of Grace’s volleyball team and a volunteer at an on-campus homeless shelter – was undeterred when she was expelled. She married her partner, Michelle Rogers, and attempted to enroll in another college to finish her degree. However, Grace University officials refuse to transfer the credits she accrued, claiming she owes $6,300 – the amount of an academic scholarship she was awarded while attending.

The university denies withholding Powell’s academic transcripts, but she refutes that claiming she’s only been offered an unofficial copy that can’t be used to transfer credits.

James said the college is following governmental rules. He told the Huffington Post law requires reimbursement of all Title IV funds, including federal financial aid, if a student withdraws after the semester is 60 percent complete. “Suspension or expulsion constitutes withdrawal,” he claims.

Powell and Rogers disagree. The couple has launched a Change petition asking the school to drop the reimbursement claim and release Powell’s transcripts. Rogers writes in the petition:

“We are a young, recently married couple and this lingering debt – which Danielle should not have to pay and Grace University has no right to demand – is holding her back from achieving her dreams and putting us in a perilous financial situation.”

The Change petition has garnered more than 16,000 signatures in less than a week. The couple hopes Grace University forgives Powell’s debt so she can continue her education.

Powell will be the first person in her family to obtain a degree, an accomplishment she hopes comes to fruition soon.

“College was always kind of one of those things I never thought was an option for me because of my financial background,” Powell said. “It’s something I’ve invested too much in to not finish.”

Despite all she’s endured, Powell still considers herself a Christian.

“I chose my faith at a very young age, when I was 7, so it’s always been a very personal thing and definitely a big part of my identity and what I’m passionate about,” she explained

The post Grace University Student Expelled for Lesbian Relationship, Forced to Reimburse Scholarship appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Somewhere in America, a racist white person just sh*tted a brick.  They’re panicking. They’re finding their nearest blond hair blue eyed counterpart to procreate with. Why? Because they need to uphold their race.  Ok, so maybe that was a bit of an over exaggeration. None of that is going on, yet. They’re just being racist trolls in comment sections of websites.

You see, in 2043, the U.S. Census projects that white people will no longer be the majority.  Black and brown people are cheering. White people? Not so much.

According to a report from the Associated Press:

It’s the latest in a series of reports that have signaled a major, long-term shift in the demographics of the United States, as non-Hispanic white Americans are expected to become a minority group over the next three decades. For years, Americans of Asian, black and Hispanic descent have stood poised to topple the demographic hegemony historically held by whites.

Based on current rates of growth, whites in the under-5 group are expected to tip to a minority this year or next, Thomas Mesenbourg, the Census Bureau’s acting director, said.

The government also projects that in five years, minorities will make up more than half of children under 18. Not long after, the total U.S. white population will begin an inexorable decline in absolute numbers, due to aging baby boomers.

Here’s a look at the latest census numbers:

• The population younger than 5 stood at 49.9 percent minority in 2012.
• For the first time in more than a century, the number of deaths now exceeds births among white Americans. This “natural decrease” occurred several years before the government’s original projection, a sign of the white population decline soon to arrive. For now, the white population is still increasing slightly, due to immigration from Europe.
• As a whole, the nonwhite population increased by 1.9 percent to 116 million, or 37 percent of the U.S. The fastest percentage growth is among multiracial Americans, followed by Asians and Hispanics. Non-Hispanic whites make up 63 percent of the U.S.; Hispanics, 17 percent; blacks, 12.3 percent; Asians, 5 percent; and multiracial Americans, 2.4 percent.
• About 353 of the nation’s 3,143 counties, or 11 percent, are now “majority-minority.” Six of those counties tipped to that status last year: Mecklenburg, N.C.; Cherokee, Okla.; Texas, Okla.; Bell, Texas; Hockley, Texas; and Terrell, Texas.
• In 2012, 13 states and the District of Columbia had an under-5 age population that was “majority-minority,” up from five states in 2000. In 25 states and the District of Columbia, minorities now make up more than 40 percent of the under-5 group.
• Among the under-5 age group, 22 percent live in poverty, typically in more rural states such as Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana. Black toddlers were most likely to be poor, at 41 percent, followed by Hispanics at 32 percent and whites at 13 percent. Asian toddlers had a poverty rate of 11 percent.

That under 5 age group minorities, are the key to the future.

But as various reports state, the only way to sustain a minority-majority future, is by implementing tools that will allow them to grow. By tools, they mean a better educational system here in the U.S. and equal opportunity.

“The educational system is likely to be the most widely used and most acceptable policy tool we have for equalizing life chances. But it does not seem so far to achieve this goal,” said Timothy Smeeding, an economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who specializes in income inequality. “This specter of unequal opportunity may be the biggest negative social outcome of the continuing American inequality boom.”

Want proof that white people aren’t looking forward to being the minority? Just take a look at the screenshots of comments from the NBC article:

What people can’t forget is that there are places  with a white minority, take for example South Africa, but they still hold the power and wealth. Technically being a numerical minority doesn’t make you oppressed. Maybe this can be the silver lining for racist white people. Or maybe they can just move there and be happy.

In 2043, my niece will be 30 years old, my son will be 44 and I’ll be 66. I can only hope for the best at this point.

The post U.S. Census Shows White Majority In U.S. Gone By 2043 appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

KMart generated buzz with two commercials with clever word play: their “Big Gas Savings” and “Ship My Pants” clips.  But a parody commercial, which makes a play on the “N-word” using the term “knickers,” is perceived by many as more offensive than hilarious.

It doesn’t merely poke fun at a racist moniker, but it makes light of controversial stereotypes about black people. According to some, the man bragging about his “work knickers,” carries the sting of the slavemaster mentality; a woman who loves her “lazy knickers” perpetuates the stereotype that black people don’t work hard; a man says he purchased “dancing knickers” before doing a full on shuck-and-jive; and finally, a black man represents the hip hop rendering of the word saying “knickers, please.” The hashtag for the campaign is #shipmyknickers.

While the commercial is clearly in jest, not everyone is laughing at its use of stereotypes and tongue-and-cheek play on the N-word. What are your thoughts, Clutchettes?

Source

The post KMart “Knickers” Parody Commercial Offends with Race-Related Play On Words appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Nike has once again proven that it has a strong interest in LGBT issues. Last year, the company had a geo-specific release of the their pro-LGBT collection, #BeTrue, which included three pairs of shoes inspired by cities with a large gay community. Now Nike has an even larger scale release of new products that are on sale worldwide online, and appropriately launched during Gay Pride Month.

According to Esquire, profits from the sale of the #BeTrue collection will be donated to the LGBT Sports Coalition. The LGBT Sports Coalition is a group of organizations and individuals aimed at ending LGBT bias in sports by 2016.

Currently the #Betrue line features 6 products.  The sneakers pictured above will cost you $115, but there are other items like t-shirts and iPhone cases that are $30 or less.

Sure the colors are a little on the bright side, but it’s for a good cause.

The post Nike Expands Their Pro-LGBT #BeTrue Collection appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Last month, a Whole Foods in Albuquerque, New Mexico suspended two of their employees after they complained about being told they couldn’t speak Spanish to each other while on the job.  In an interview with the Associated Press, Bryan Baldizan said he and a woman employee decided to write a letter to their manager who told them according to company policy, they were not allowed to speak Spanish during working hours.  Unfortunately, they received a one day suspension, instead of having their issue addressed.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Baldizan, who works in the store’s food preparation department. “All we did was say we didn’t believe the policy was fair. We only talk Spanish to each other about personal stuff, not work.”

When contacted about their policy, the higher ups at Whole Foods didn’t seem to be on the same page.

Libba Letton, a spokesperson for Whole Foods, said after an investigation it was determined that it was a misunderstanding and they were not told they couldn’t speak Spanish.  But the employees were suspended with pay for their rude and disrespectful behavior at work.  

But on the other hand, Ben Friedland, Whole Foods Market Rocky Mountain Region Executive Marketing Coordinator, said having a one-language work environment ensures safety, ”Therefore, our policy states that all English speaking Team Members must speak English to customers and other Team Members while on the clock. Team Members are free to speak any language they would like during their breaks, meal periods and before and after work.” He also went on to say that the policy doesn’t forbid  employees from speaking to customers who don’t speak English, “parties present agree that a different language is their preferred form of communication.”

In a previous life, I worked as an Human Resources Manager for one of the largest flooring manufacturers in the U.S. On several occasions I had to travel to the corporate office located in Georgia for various training sessions and team building activities. One time in particular, I was assigned to conduct diversity training for the manufacturing division and warehouse employees because there were issues between the Spanish speaking employees and the non-Spanish speaking employees.  This company in particular did not have a language policy that said “English Only”, but plenty of the non-Spanish speaking employees felt there needed to be one. Their biggest complaint was that they thought it was rude, and by rude, a lot of them assumed the Spanish speaking employees were talking behind their backs. In the end, a policy was never written enforcing an English only working environment, but there were strides made by implementing ESL classes, as well as Spanish lessons for those who wanted to learn the language.

With the Whole Foods issue, and the complaint coming out of  Albuquerque, New Mexico, which has the largest Spanish speaking population in the U.S, Whole Foods may want to re-evaluate their policy.  This policy just doesn’t affect people who speak Spanish in their New Mexico store, but other employees who are multilingual elsewhere.  Whole Foods needs to realize in today’s society, English is a second language for many people and having employees that are multilingual could benefit their bottom line.

What do you think about Whole Food’s language policy?

The post Whole Foods Says: Inglés Sólo En El Trabajo appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Newscasters are notorious for on-air gaffes when it comes segueing from one topic to another, especially if words on their teleprompter look similar or sound alike.  Bill Lunn, a newscaster for KSTP, the local ABC affiliate in Minneapolis, isn’t an exception to that rule.

F*g. Flag?

Ooops.

Lunn did  the obvious thing after his slip of the tongue.  He went apologized via Twitter.

I celebrate the diversity of our great state and am horrified that I may have offendedpeople. I humbly ask for your forgiveness.

— Bill Lunn (@BillLunnKSTP) June 12, 2013

His gaffe will definitely be added to the numerous YouTube newscaster blooper videos floating around.

The post Newscaster Drops “F” Bomb On Air appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

For years there has been talk about changing the Washington Redskins name, due to the negative connotation it has. But for the past several months, the pressure has been put on the NFL to come to a consensus about the team’s name.

On May 13, 10 members of Congress sent a letter to Daniel Snyder, owner of the NFL’s Washington, D.C., franchise, urging him to change the name. The members of Congress included the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Native American Caucus Tom Cole (OK) and Betty McCollum (MN), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ), Gwen Moore (WI), Michael M. Honda (CA), Donna M. Christensen (VI), Zoe Lofgren (CA), Barbara Lee (CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), and Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (AS).

Their letter stated that,  “Native Americans throughout the country consider the R-word a racially, derogatory slur akin to the N-word among African Americans or the W-word among Latinos.  Such offensive epithets would no doubt draw widespread disapproval among the NFL’s fan base.  Yet the national coverage of Washington’s NFL football team profits from a term that is equally disparaging to Native Americans”.

It also went on to say:

“The current Chairman and Chief of the Penobscot Nation, Chief Kirk Francis, recently stated in a joint statement that the [R-word] is ‘not just a racial slur or a derogatory term,’ but a painful ‘reminder of one of the most gruesome acts of . . . ethnic cleansing ever committed against the Penobscot people.’  The hunting and killing of Penobscot Indians like animals, as declared by Chief Francis, was ‘a most despicable and disgraceful act of genocide’…

“In this day and age, it is imperative that you uphold your moral responsibility to disavow the usage of racial slurs.  The usage of the [R-word] is especially harmful to Native American youth, tending to lower their sense of dignity and self-esteem.  It also diminishes feelings of community worth among the Native American tribes and dampens the aspirations of their people.

“We look forward to working with you to find a solution to this important matter.”

 A similar letter was also sent to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, FedEx President and Chief Executive Officer Frederick Smith (FedEx is a sponsor of Snyder’s franchise, and the team plays at FedExField), and the owners of the NFL’s other 31 clubs

This week, in response to the letter, Goodell defended the Washington Redskins’ nickname.

In his letter Goodell said:

“The Washington Redskins name has thus from its origin represented a positive meaning distinct from any disparagement that could be viewed in some other context. For the team’s millions of fans and customers, who represent one of America’s most ethnically and geographically diverse fan bases, the name is a unifying force that stands for strength, courage, pride and respect.”

But the members of congress from the May 13th letter aren’t buying it.  McCollum (D-Minn.) said Goodell’s letter was “another attempt to justify a racial slur on behalf of Dan Snyder and other NFL owners who appear to be only concerned with earning ever larger profits, even if it means exploiting a racist stereotype of Native Americans.”

Unfortunately these sentiments continue to fall on deaf ears when it comes to team owner, Dan Snyder.  This is what he had to say about a name change:

What’s your opinion on the team’s name? Do you think it should be changed?

The post The Washington Redskins: What’s In A Name? appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

It’s been a long time since a comedy show captured our attention. In Living Color did it. The Chappelle Show did it. But since it went off the air in 2006 a huge void has gone unfilled.

Enter comedian Deon Cole and his show, Deon Cole’s Black Box. Produced by Conan O’Brien, Deon Cole’s show mixes internet viral videos with Cole’s comedic reimagining to present something both timely and hilarious.

While riffing on Internet memes is nothing new, Cole says his show will not dabble in the stereotypical foolishness we see on the web.

He told Laughspin: “Nah, not gonna do that. Shout out to World Star Hip-Hop and my boy Q and everybody over there. Nah, the show is just my point of view, man. That’s all it is. You give me a topic, you give everybody else a topic, you’re gonna hear variations of different comedy styles. That’s all it is. This is just my version of what’s going on. I’m not gonna take away from nobody else’s version, but I’ve got something to say about it, too.”

So what sets Black Box apart from similar shows like Tosh 2.0? According to Cole, his point of view.

“Every great comic has a unique perspective about whatever it is. And that’s what I think I have in my stand-up. That’s the difference between all of this stuff. You gotta understand: all these shows and everything that goes on television is the same wheel. It’s just a different rim. That’s how you have to look at it. It’s a different rim on the same damn wheel. I’m not doing nothing different than what anybody else is doing but giving my opinion. That’s what makes me totally different from anybody else. That’s it. That’s the difference. That’s the key. My approach, my delivery, all of that is the key thing. You could watch Sports Center or you could watch Fox Sports. It’s the same thing. It’s just what your preference is. You got Leno, Conan, Letterman knocking at the same topics.”

Check out a few clips of Deon Cole’s Black Box. The show airs Mondays at 10pm EST. Will you be tuning in? 

The post We Love: Deon Cole’s Black Box appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Despite its role as a community relic, Marcus Books will close its doors on June 18. A bad business loan that resulted in foreclosure and bankruptcy forced the owners to sell the Victorian building to Nishan and Suhaila Sweis.

“We are in the fight of our lives to hold onto just even a bit of our culture and Marcus Books is at the center of that,” San Francisco Supervisor London Breed said.

The San Francisco Examiner reports:

When the bookstore leaves the three-story building — trucked there from Laguna Street after it was saved from the Redevelopment Agency wrecking ball that leveled most of the Western Addition — it also means the family that owns it must leave the two upstairs flats.

That is, unless the new owners can be convinced — by the NAACP, by housing activists, by the neighborhood, and by The City — to sell to a neighborhood-based nonprofit that’s offering them a modest profit on their deal, as well as the chance to be saviors to a pillar of black community in San Francisco.

“We’re not asking for a handout,” said Gregory Johnson, who with his wife, Karen run the bookstore. “It would be one thing if we didn’t have the money,” Karen Johnson added, as they sat in the bookstore’s incense-scented ground-floor space, indoor plants adding to the cool refuge from an unseasonably hot afternoon. “But we do. We have the money and The City behind us.”

The trouble at Marcus Books began in 2006. Like so many other people during the real estate boom, the family took out a loan in order to pay expenses, Karen Johnson said during an interview at the bookstore Friday.

And like so many others, the loan — $950,000, with fixed monthly payments but a high 10 percent interest rate — turned out to be “predatory,” she said. Monthly payments on the building ballooned to about $10,000, according to Dr. Mary Ann Jones, executive director of Westside Community Services.

The family has contacted the office of Attorney General Kamala Harris, which is investigating the loan’s legitimacy, according to attorney Julian Davis. But in the meantime, a last-minute effort by the Johnsons to buy the property from creditors missed a deadline.

The building was sold off in bankruptcy court to real estate investors who own a taxicab company and specialize in finding distressed properties for investment opportunities.

The closing of the oldest continuously running black bookstore in the country would be just part of the loss to the community. Dr. Raye Richardson, who is 93 and still lives in the home, and her late husband, Dr. Julian Richardson, who died in 2000, were longtime San Francisco State University professors who were pillars of the Fillmore. A new senior housing complex on Fulton and Gough streets was named after them.

And if the bookstore goes, it will be yet another longtime black-owned business falling victim to a changing landscape.

Jasmine Johnson has launched a Change petition to request the Sweises to sell the building to Westside Community Services, an agency in the San Francisco area that’s agreed to repurchase the building in order to preserve the bookstore.

Westside has offered to pay $1.64 million to the Sweises for the building. The couple paid $1.59 million for the property in April.

The petition has more than 3,000 followers, but is requesting 1,900 more.

One signee, Devorah Major, writes that she supports the petition because Marcus Books gave her the confidence to pursue writing as a career.

Would I have become a writer without Marcus Books demonstrating that there were thousands of authors of African descent? Would my children have grown into as well-gronded (sp) adults without the books offered at Marcus and not at other bookstores and not “featured” online without the affirming books I bought for them at Marcus Books. The are (sp) history, culture, an indispensable resource. They are a part of San Francisco and the city will be far less of a city without Marcus Books.

There are six days left to convince the current owners to sell to Westside Community Services. Supporters are hopeful Marcus Books will be saved.

“Maybe,” Gregory Johnson said, “the Sweisses might end up the heroes of the story.”

The post America’s Oldest Black-Owned Bookstore May Soon Close appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

During a recent episode of MSNBC’s midday show, “The Cycle” Touré took a moment to address his critics who feel he is too preoccupied with discussing the rampant racism black men still face in America.

Speaking about two extremely charged trials that confront the intersection of black men and stereotypes head-on—Florida vs. George Zimmerman for the slaying of Trayvon Martin, and the lawsuit leveied against New York City for its controversial ‘Stop and Frisk’ program—Touré riffed on “the assumption of black male criminality” and how it contributes to extremely difficult, and sometimes deadly, situations for black men.

He lamented, “Once, somebody asked me when would I stop talking so much about injustice against black men. I said, ‘I will when this country stops the tsunami of injustice against black men.’”

Touré, who has written and spoken extensively about race and blackness in American, went on to discuss the burden of being black in this country and how many black men are taught to actively make everyone around them—shopkeepers, police, white folks—more comfortable.

“All that can lead to what some have called, ‘proper negro fatigue,’” Touré explained. “Because I have to go around mollifying everyone around me and letting them know I won’t rob them.”

“And trust me, it’s tiring. Because, no matter how good I am at that, I still know I may end up dead.”

Take a look at Touré’s statement and let us know what you think.

The post Touré Is Tired of Being A ‘Proper Negro’ appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

City police are investigating the alleged gang rape of a male student at the  SEED School of Maryland, a public boarding school for at-risk children in Southwest Baltimore.

Officials at the SEED School of Maryland said it happened on May 28.

The victim said he was attacked by seven of his peers and has identified those boys to school authorities.

Investigators have taken verbal and written statements from the suspects and informed all parents of the situation.

Many of the parents want to know what’s being done to keep student borders safe during the final week of school.

“I was hurt for the family and all the kids, and I was very upset because my child was now going to spend a week that she did not have me, her parent, to talk to about it.  She only had her peers,” said one parent, who didn’t want to be identified.

Police are investigating reports that there is cellphone video of the assault.

In the meantime, the school’s released a lengthy statement to WBAL-TV 11 News:

“After we learned of the incident, the school leadership launched an investigation. As part of the investigation, we contacted the Baltimore Police Department, took verbal and written statements from all of the boys involved, took verbal and written statements from the counselor on duty when the alleged assault happened, spoke with all parents of the boys involved, and contacted the Maryland State Department of Education. Our leadership team is working closely with the affected student and his mother, assuring them of our due diligence and supporting them in whatever ways we can.

“As a result of our investigation, the students who allegedly committed the assault are now subject to dismissal hearings, which are ongoing. The counselor on duty at the time of the assault has been released as an employee of The SEED School of Maryland.

source

The post Police Investigate Alleged Gang Rape At The Seed School In Baltimore appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Officials from The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture announced on Tuesday, June 11, that former daytime show host Oprah Winfrey donated $12 million to the museum to support the general campaign of the museum. Combined with $1 million she offered in 2007, the gift becomes the museum’s largest donation to date. To honor her generosity, a 350-seat theater at the museum will be called “Oprah Winfrey Theater”.

“I am so proud of African American history and its contributions to our nation as a whole. I am deeply appreciative of those who paved the path for me and all who follow in their footsteps. By investing in this museum, I want to help ensure that we both honor and preserve our culture and history, so that the stories of who we are will live on for generations to come,” Oprah said in a statement released by the museum.

National Museum of African American History and Culture began the construction in early 2012, on a five-acre site adjacent to the Washington Monument. Half of the $500 million project is supported by the government. So far, the museum has received $140 million in private funds. The 19th Smithsonian museum is expected to open in 2015.

Washington Times noted that about 22,000 objects will be displayed at the museum. Slave rebellion leader Nat Turner’s Bible and a glass-topped casket of 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was murdered for whistling a white woman in 1955, are among the collections. The museum’s director Lonnie Bunch is in talks to acquire a microphone which Oprah used on her show.

The post Oprah Donates $12M to New African American History Museum appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Sesame Street never shies away from tackling issues affecting our society, especially when it comes to children. In an effort to teach children about incarceration, Sesame Street decided to design and release an educational kit titled “Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration.”  The kit is designed to act as “an educational outreach initiative for families with children (ages 3 – 8) who are coping with a parent’s incarceration.”

The kit includes several multimedia options, including pamphlets:

For Caregivers: Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration
Storybook: In My Family
Activity: My Super Stars
Activity: How Am I Feeling
Activity: My Morning Routine
Tips for Parents and Caregivers

Here are some of the kit’s tips for parents and/or caretakers who are not in prison:

• Let your child know what to expect during everyday activities. Tell her who will take her to school and who will pick her up.
• Provide your child with a comfort item to keep during the day, such as a paper heart or family photo.
• Ask your child questions to help her open up. You might notice a negative behavior and say, “Did something happen today that made you feel sad?”
• Phone calls are a great way to keep in touch. Help your child think of things to tell her parent. Give her a picture of the parent to hold during the call.
• Use pen and paper to write letters. If your child can’t yet write, ask her to tell you what to write; she can draw pictures to go with the words.
• Televisiting can be helpful for some children. Sharing an everyday routine such as storytime during your televisit is a great way to be together.

The kit also includes a video episode about a young muppet named Alex whose dad is in jail. Check out the entire kit here.

What do you think about the kit?

The post Sesame Street Teaches Kids About America’s Incarceration Epidemic appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

Kanye West recently sat down with The New York Times to discuss his career, personal life and new album, “Yeezus”.  The soon to be new baby daddy, didn’t exactly speak candidly about either subjects, but seemed to cloak his responses in nuance and typical Kanye-esque attitude.

When the interviewer brought up past subjects like the infamous Taylor Swift incident, Kanye had this to say:

Do you believe in the concept of regret?

If anyone’s reading this waiting for some type of full-on, flat apology for anything, they should just stop reading right now.

When the subject of his relationship with Kim, his mother and his new baby, Kanye got a little sentimental:

But you’re in a very public relationship, a seemingly long and satisfying relationship: you’re about to have a child.

Any woman that you’re in love with or that loves you is going to command a certain amount of, you know, energy. It’s actually easier to focus, in some ways.

When you’re uncertain about love, it can be such a distraction. It infects all the other areas.

Yeah, that’s what I mean when I say like, “Yo, I’m going to be super Zenned out like, five years from now.” I’m the type of rock star that likes to have a girlfriend, you know? I’m the type of soul that likes to be in love and likes to be able to focus. And that inspires me.

Did you think differently about family after your mother passed?

Yeah, because my mother was — you know, I have family, but I was with my mother 80 percent of the time. My mom was basically — [pause]

Was your family.

Yeah, that’s all I have to say about that.

What thoughts do you have about parenthood?

That is a really interesting, powerful question. One of the things was just to be protective, that I would do anything to protect my child or my child’s mother. As simple as that.

Have you ever felt as fiercely protective over anything as you are feeling now about those things?

I don’t want to explain too much into what my thoughts on, you know, fatherhood are, because I’ve not fully developed those thoughts yet. I don’t have a kid yet.

You haven’t experienced it yet.

Yeah. Well, I just don’t want to talk to America about my family. Like, this is my baby. This isn’t America’s baby.

On the subject of his upcoming “Yeezus” release he explained his direction with the music and mood:

One of the things I thought when I heard the new record was, “This is the anti-’College Dropout.’ ” It feels like you’re shedding skin. Back then, you were like: “I want more sounds. I want more complicated raps. I want all the things.” At what point did that change?

Architecture — you know, this one Corbusier lamp was like, my greatest inspiration. I lived in Paris in this loft space and recorded in my living room, and it just had the worst acoustics possible, but also the songs had to be super simple, because if you turned up some complicated sound and a track with too much bass, it’s not going to work in that space. This is earlier this year. I would go to museums and just like, the Louvre would have a furniture exhibit, and I visited it like, five times, even privately. And I would go see actual Corbusier homes in real life and just talk about, you know, why did they design it? They did like, the biggest glass panes that had ever been done. Like I say, I’m a minimalist in a rapper’s body. It’s cool to bring all those vibes and then eventually come back to Rick [Rubin], because I would always think about Def Jam.

To read the rest of the interview you can click here

Are you looking forward to “Yeezus”?

The post Kanye West Talks About His Career, Album & ‘Yeezus’ appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

The grassroots initiative was developed to address the impact of sexual violence on black women. This is an important issue receiving minimal attention. The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) found more than 18 percent of black women endure rape or attempted rape in their lifetime.

Black Women’s Blueprint found 60 percent of Black girls experience sexual abuse before turning 18 and the Black Women’s Health Imperative released a report estimating 40 percent of black women are sexually assaulted in their lifetimes.

Sexual assault and rape is an epidemic. Brooke Axtell, a Forbes contributor and women’s rights advocate, writes: “The pervasive nature of this trauma could translate into an increased risk for Black women and girls to experience depression, PTSD and addiction, common symptoms experienced by many survivors of rape.”

The trauma is compounded by a classist, sexist and racist society that renders our pain invisible.

Lori S. Robinson, author of I Will Survive: The African-American Guide to Healing from Sexual Assault and Abuse, writes:

“No race, ethnic group, or economic class is spared from sexual violence or the myths and misinformation that complicate the healing process for survivors. But in addition to our higher victimization rate, African Americans are less likely to get the help we need to heal.”

Robinson also notes that less than 5 percent of black sexual assault victims seek counseling and more than half suffer in silence. “African-American women are raped at a higher rate than White women, and are less likely to report it. We have suffered in silence far too long,” she writes.

The Truth Commission is intervening to “demand more public and private support for primary prevention strategies at the grassroots community level that will stop violence against women and girls before it occurs.” Black Women’s Blueprint intends to use the initiative to launch an education campaign that provides support and education to survivors, their families and urban communities. It is designed to orchestrate anti-rape strategies in black communities.

Women of color are encouraged to participate in the Truth Commission through four simple steps:

Take an Anonymous Survey about Rape

Black Women’s Blueprint has developed an online survey to gauge general knowledge of rape. It takes less than five minutes to complete and requires no name or other identifiers.

Attend an Organizing Meeting

The organization hosts several events each month. A full calendar is available at Black Women’s Blueprint’s site.

Join the Live Free Campaign

Black Women’s Blueprint is using social media to brand the commission and expand its reach. A Facebook space has been created for Black women to do what we have been historically denied – to name, lay claim and share what our bodies mean to us on our own terms, using our own language.” It encourages ownership by asking participants to do three things:

Step One: Fill in the blank: My Body, My _____

Step Two: Post a picture of yourself that signifies your relationship with your body

Step Three: Include a personal manifesto to explain your declaration on body autonomy, body integrity, rights, healing and informing.

Chime in Clutchettes and gents. Will you support the Truth Commission?

The post Black Women’s Blueprint Launches “Truth Commission” to Address Sexual Violence in the Black Community appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

I’ve been natural since 1994 and have gone through different stages of styles.  I’ve had everything from a barbershop cut, to a super huge wash and go but I never shied away from wearing a weave as a protective styling choice.  When I did choose to wear a weave, back then, the textures were limited to super straight, or some wavy texture that never matched my hair.  But nowadays, women definitely have more options when it comes to the texture of hair weave.

One company that is currently catering to the various textures of black natural hair is the Heat Free Hair Movement, started by N-ZO Hair Studios, a Washington DC based salon. They got their inspiration from the countless women who wanted sew-ins as their protective style, but didn’t want to straighten their hair to blend with their style.

From the company’s owner, Ngozi Opara:

I have always believed not only in embracing your natural ‘kinks’ and ‘curls’, but also in the benefits of sew-in weaves as a protective style. At my salon, we call it ‘the ultimate protective style’. Being natural for almost a decade, I experienced my greatest length retention during my one-year weave challenge back in 2005. My hair grew over 8 inches! Since then I have maintained both my hair and the hair of my clients through customized regimens and protective styling. Whether you are transitioning without chopping, growing your hair out, protecting it for a period of time, or considering going natural, The Heat Free Hair Movement provides an option that will allow you to embrace your journey with confidence and style.

Heat Free Hair comes in various textures using the oh so popular numbering system:

This hair reminds me of something Chris Rock said in his documentary, “Good Hair”. Rock joked about black women not wanting to buy “nappy” weave hair, but apparently  it’s selling like hotcakes. With prices ranging from $139 to $199 a pack, there’s currently a waiting list because their product is sold out.

What do you think about the idea of extensions in a more natural texture?

The post Protective Styling Choice for Naturals: Heat Free Movement appeared first on Clutch Magazine.

It’s been almost two weeks since Cheerios released a commercial featuring an interracial family with a white mother, black father and biracial child. Internet backlash was immediate. Hateful slurs and racist vitriol led Cheerios to close the comments section on the commercial’s YouTube video.

Grace Golbert, the adorable kid featured in the commercial, appeared on MSNBC with her parents to discuss the 30-second clip. Colbert thought all of the attention was due to her “great smile,” not the resistance to interracial families in the United States.

Colbert is the product of an interracial couple. Her father, Christopher, is African-American. Her mother, Janet, is white. Both parents are proud of their six-year-old daughter’s accomplishment and hope the controversy fuels dialogue about the “changing face” of America.

“America needs to see that this is just a way of life,” Christopher said in the interview. “I wasn’t upset or anything. I was pretty much really excited about having this type of reaction so we can see where we still stand in America. But look out, America, because this is just reality.”

He continued, “We’re also part of the face of America.

Camille Gibson, vice president of marketing for Cheerios, agrees. She told Gawker the overall response to the advertisement was positive.

“Consumers have responded positively to our new Cheerios ad. At Cheerios, we know there are many kinds of families and we celebrate them all.”

MSNBC reports positive comments about the commercial outnumbered negative by almost 10-to-1.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The post Grace Colbert, Star of Cheerios Ad, Responds to Racist Backlash appeared first on Clutch Magazine.