Hot Girl Meet-Up: It Looks Like Megan Thee Stallion's New Track Will Feature Nicki Minaj

We are in the final throes of summer, and if Megan Thee Stallion has it her way, we’ll be heading into the fall fully scorched.

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What's Your Favorite Bed Pillow?

It’s been about three years since we last asked our readers about their favorite pillows, and since you spend a third of your life using one, we think it’s time to flip this Co-Op over to the cool side and start from scratch.

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An Army Soldier Is Being Called a Hero for Saving Children During the El Paso Shooting. He Just Wants to Forget What Happened

An army private is being heralded as a hero for his role in saving kids caught in the mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas this weekend. Still, his recollection of the shooting highlights the deep trauma gun and police violence have left on this country.

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Barack Obama Weighs in on Mass Shootings

Former president Barack Obama’s silence during the turbulence of Donald Trump’s presidency has been almost deafening. “Obama has largely stayed silent since leaving office in 2017, opting not to endorse anyone in the Democratic primary and only occasionally weighing in to criticize Trump,” reported Reuters. Now, he has taken to social media to issue a statement on the two most recent American mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio:

From Barack Obama’s official Facebook page:

Michelle and I grieve with all the families in El Paso and Dayton who endured these latest mass shootings. Even if details are still emerging, there are a few things we already know to be true.

First, no other nation on Earth comes close to experiencing the frequency of mass shootings that we see in the United States. No other developed nation tolerates the levels of gun violence that we do. Every time this happens, we’re told that tougher gun laws won’t stop all murders; that they won’t stop every deranged individual from getting a weapon and shooting innocent people in public places. But the evidence shows that they can stop some killings. They can save some families from heartbreak. We are not helpless here. And until all of us stand up and insist on holding public officials accountable for changing our gun laws, these tragedies will keep happening.

Second, while the motivations behind these shootings may not yet be fully known, there are indications that the El Paso shooting follows a dangerous trend: troubled individuals who embrace racist ideologies and see themselves obligated to act violently to preserve white supremacy. Like the followers of ISIS and other foreign terrorist organizations, these individuals may act alone, but they’ve been radicalized by white nationalist websites that proliferate on the internet. That means that both law enforcement agencies and internet platforms need to come up with better strategies to reduce the influence of these hate groups.

But just as important, all of us have to send a clarion call and behave with the values of tolerance and diversity that should be the hallmark of our democracy. We should soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racist sentiments; leaders who demonize those who don’t look like us, or suggest that other people, including immigrants, threaten our way of life, or refer to other people as sub-human, or imply that America belongs to just one certain type of people. Such language isn’t new – it’s been at the root of most human tragedy throughout history, here in America and around the world. It is at the root of slavery and Jim Crow, the Holocaust, the genocide in Rwanda and ethnic cleansing in the Balkans. It has no place in our politics and our public life. And it’s time for the overwhelming majority of Americans of goodwill, of every race and faith and political party, to say as much – clearly and unequivocally.

On Saturday, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius fatally shot 20 people and injured 26 at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. Crusius has since been identified as an extreme right-wing white nationalist with a vendetta against immigrants.

Approximately 13 hours after that mass shooting, Dayton, Ohio, suffered its own active shooting incident. Connor Betts, a 24-year-old white male, killed nine people and injured 27 outside of a popular bar in Dayton.

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Meek Mill Opens Up About New Amazon Docuseries ‘Free Meek’

Just weeks after a Philadelphia appeals court overturned a 2008 conviction that kept Meek Mill locked in the criminal justice system for his entire adult life, the rapper is telling his side of the story in the new Amazon Prime miniseries, Free Meek.

Born Robert Rihmeek Williams, the 32-year-old rap star was convicted for drug and gun possession when he was 19. In addition to serving a year behind bars for the charges, Mill spent the last 11 years of his life on probation and served several other stints in jail for technical probation violations. For instance, the hip-hop star was sentenced to two to four years behind bars in 2017 for a series of minor, non-violent violations that included performing a motorcycle stunt while shooting a music video. As a result, he spent five months in prison before being released in April 2018 and emerging as a face of criminal justice reform in America.

The five-part docuseries chronicles Mill’s case and how it put his budding rap career in jeopardy. The journey begins with an in-depth look at the violent, gang- and drug-ridden community he grew up in North Philadelphia. The series also shows a dramatic reenactment of the night that Mill says he was assailed and beaten by police. Although he admits that he was carrying an illegal firearm at the time, Mill asserts that he threw the gun on the ground and immediately surrendered to the cops. Yet, he says he was beaten into unconsciousness and then charged and convicted on 19 counts.

“I never thought that there would be a day that I would be doing a docuseries or even sharing my story [with] the world about my life, the trauma I went through, [and] the ups and downs that I went through with the system,” Mill told BLACK ENTERPRISE. Ultimately, the legal bout taught him to “never give up, never stop.”

A number of high-profile activists, entertainers, and allies appear in Free Meek, including executive producer Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, organizer Tamika Mallory, investigative reporter Paul Solotaroff. While advocating to vindicate Mill, they also call for a legal overhaul to free the millions of other people currently trapped in the probation system.

“He is a quintessential brother trying to do good; trying to make a positive change for his life, for his art, for his calling,” said Van Jones, a TV host on CNN and the CEO of Mill’s Reform Alliance nonprofit. “He’s unjustly accused, unjustly convicted, unjustly harassed by a corrupt judge, and he fights back and he wins.” Jones also commended the hip-hop star for using his platform to advance criminal justice reform and revealed that they are working to make systemic changes. “I can tell you, we’re about to change some laws now.”

BE also spoke with private investigators Tyler Maroney and Luke Brindle-Khym, who worked to successfully overturn Mill’s original conviction last month. They said they were happy that Free Meek will continue to shed light on the case. “This was not just a legal battle. But this was a battle that needed to be fought in the public domain,” said Brindle-Khym. “This was also a PR battle, and that the more we could release to the public what we were finding, which was evidence of police corruption and wrongdoing, the more that would galvanize the public, and the media and lawyers, and anyone who cares about this issue, to contribute to what ultimately happened to Meek, which was his conviction having been overturned.”

Following his release from prison last year, Mill released a multiplatinum-selling album, Championships, where he addressed his ongoing fight for freedom and launched a new record label with Jay-Z, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the emcee on the business side of the music industry. “I’ve been in the music industry for 10 years. I’m 32 years old. So, my goal is to set up a business foundation around me so that I can live the way I’m living forever.”

Free Meek premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 9.  Watch the trailer below.

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