Teenagers take photo with Black boy and title it, ‘A Ghetto Christmas Carol’

A Black Louisiana mom is questioning why two white high school students took a picture holding her five-year-old child and uploaded it to Instagram under the caption “A Ghetto Christmas Carol.”

KTBS reports the recent incident happened at Byrd High School. Sharon Martin, of Shreveport, said her family was attending a recent Christmas event at the school and was later shocked when she saw the offensive photo caption.

READ MORE: Black Christmas: Kelly Rowland, Ray J, Lala Anthony and more star in holiday films

“Really? Ghetto?” Martin said in an interview with the station. “Why? Because he’s black?”

“I don’t know if they were trying to be funny or what,” Martin added in the KTBS interview. “I don’t get it. Like why would they just write that? They could have left the ghetto part out and I would have been probably okay with it.”

The young boy’s cousin, Danny Martin, also questioned the rationale behind the caption.

“He’s five years old. He doesn’t know what’s going on. He doesn’t know what’s being said,” Danny Martin told the station. “He doesn’t know about all the comments, posts on social media. He doesn’t know that. So it’s my job as his cousin to protect him from seeing that and also to protect any other child that’s affected by this that’s been happening anywhere in Shreveport.”

Sharon Martin said she never gave the school consent to take pictures of her son and had actually instructed them not to – a double whammy in her book.

“I don’t want my kids on any of that,” Martin said, referring to social media. “They’re not old enough to speak for themselves so, no.”

The photo has since been removed from IG, however, the mother of the teenager who posted the caption told KTBS, in a statement, that she is sorry for her son’s actions. The station did not reveal the identity of the mom or her son.

“Our son was referring to the title of a song that is popular among teens,” the mother reportedly says in the statement. “He had no intention of being malicious or hurtful to anyone, especially the child photographed, whom he has already written a letter to apologizing for the whole incident. Although he did not intend to be hurtful toward anyone, his father and I feel that some counseling regarding cultural sensitivity is warranted.”

READ MORE: Lynched Black Barbie found at Chicago high school sparks probe, soul searching

The Caddo Parish School Board also released a statement on the incident.

“The administration of Byrd was made aware of the post and immediately took action, contacting the parents of the student and the student,” the statement read. “The post has been taken down. Caddo Schools does not condone and strongly opposes the comments made by the student. While we cannot speak to individual student disciplinary actions, administration has addressed the situation.”

The post Teenagers take photo with Black boy and title it, ‘A Ghetto Christmas Carol’ appeared first on theGrio.

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Hot Girl Small Screen: Megan Thee Stallion Confirms Role in Season 3 of Good Girls

Real good girl shit—Megan Thee Stallion is coming to your television screens!

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Kamille ‘Cupcake’ McKinney’s remains show the toddler was drugged

Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney, the three-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered in Birmingham, Alabama, was also drugged. An autopsy has found the girl had methamphetamine and Trazodone in the girl’s remains.

A preliminary hearing in the case was held Tuesday in a Jefferson County courtroom for Patrick Devone Stallworth, 39, one of two suspects charged in the capital murder case. The other suspect charged is Stallworth’s girlfriend, 29-year-old Derick Irisha Brown. Brown’s preliminary hearing will take place on Friday, according to AL.com.

READ MORE: Officials release 3-year-old Kamille ‘Cupcake’ McKinney/s cause of death

Stallworth’s defense attorneys, Derrick Collins and Roderick Walls, said Brown was solely responsible for Kamille’s abduction and murder and said Stallworth initially lied to detectives because he was trying to protect her, reported AL.com.

On the day she was abducted, Kamille attended a birthday party and was last seen by a 10-year-old boy who told detectives that the young girl got into a vehicle with Stallworth and Brown. “She was crying,” Homicide Detective Jonathan Ross testified the boy told him, according to AL.com.

Ross testified that Brown led police to Kamille’s body inside of a dumpster at Parkway Villas. The dumpster was examined by FBI agents and Kamille’s remains were discovered on Oct. 22. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office performed the autopsy, which found Kamille died from asphyxiation by suffocation. The autopsy also found toxic levels of methamphetamine and Trazodone inside the young girl’s body, AL.com reported.

Ross detailed the chain of events leading to McKinney’s murder to Circuit Judge Clyde Jones, including information that Stallworth had purchased nearly $20 in candy from a Shell station before he was reportedly seen talking to some children in a housing development.

Ross said that Stallworth’s phone records show he was at Tom Brown Village at the time of Kamille’s abduction, and that he also had a prescription for Trazodone. Ross said Stallworth also stopped by a convenience store close to his house on the same night to buy a pill for erectile dysfunction and an energy drink.

While at the housing development, Stallworth and Brown reportedly started chatting with two preteen girls who had just left cheerleading practice. The couple was sitting in a blue SUV, Ross told the court during Stallworth’s preliminary hearing. One of those girls told police that Stallworth said that he was “looking for a girl that looks like you,” before offering to give them candy. The 11-year-old said the woman in the SUV was “dark-skinned” and “chunky.”

The girls sensed something wasn’t right and left. Security video captures the incident, however, it wasn’t close enough to get a picture of the suspects.
Other kids also told police a man driving a blue SUV was handing out candy in the community.

READ MORE: Body of missing Alabama girl, Kamille ‘Cupcake’ McKinney, found; 2 being charged

Judge Jones determined there was enough probable cause against Stallworth to proceed in sending the capital murder case to a grand jury for possible indictment. If Stallworth and Brown are ultimately convicted of capital murder, they face the death penalty.

The post Kamille ‘Cupcake’ McKinney’s remains show the toddler was drugged appeared first on theGrio.

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Ford Partners with HBCUs to Bring the Ford F-150 Truck To Campuses

When it comes to contributing to the education of students attending historically black colleges and universities, some companies just make a donation, which is cool, but, for the likes of Ford Motor, they are actually involved in doing more than just giving money.

I had the opportunity to actually see and experience what goes on when a corporate company commits to an HBCU. The tour made stops at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee, for the Southern Heritage Classic, the annual rivalry between Jackson State University and Tennessee State University; Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field, Prairie View, Texas, for the Prairie View A&M University Homecoming, where the Panthers took on the Dragons of Virginia University of Lynchburg; and the final stop at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, Durham, North Carolina, for the North Carolina Central University Homecoming, where the Eagles went up against the Spartans of Norfolk State University.

I attended the homecoming for North Carolina Central University, where southern hospitality was definitely in full effect. I witnessed and even participated in ‘car karaoke’ but done in a Ford F-150 and there were numerous interactive games people enjoyed and giveaways including Ford ultimate tailgate prize package where someone received a Ford-branded package complete with two padded lounge chairs, two tumblers, and a 45-quart cooler.

For nearly 15 years, Ford has donated more than $2 million to support the Tom Joyner Foundation and continues to do so. “Through its support of the Tom Joyner Foundation, the Ford Motor Company has changed the lives of countless families,” says Tom Joyner. “The scholarship dollars provided by Ford have helped students graduate from HBCUs, relieving them and their families of financial burden and allowing them to pursue careers, especially in the STEAM fields.” For every ride & drive at the homecoming game, Ford donated $20 to the Tom Joyner Foundation.

Related: 5-Year-Old Drummer Receives Full Band Scholarship To HBCU

We attended a brunch where NCCU’s Tymia Atkinson (a junior Social Work major who plans on attending law school to specialize in sexual and domestic violence law after graduating) received Ford’s 2019 Community Service Leader Award and we viewed an “Ode to the Builders” commercial spot, filmed at the Ford River Rouge plant, that was narrated by Angela Bassett. The brunch was hosted by 97.5 radio personality SHOWTIME.

I got the opportunity to speak to Dibrie Guerrero, who is the multicultural marketing manager for Ford Motor Co.

Why is investing in HBCUs an important initiative for Ford Motor Co.?

“Ford Motor Co. touches the lives of people everywhere; globally we are known for making and selling the most technologically advanced, reliable and fun-to-drive vehicles in the world, but we are also dedicated to driving human progress not only through the freedom of movement but within our communities. Education is the foundation for success. It is key to making lives better, creating social change and building strong communities and HBCU’s provide an environment that prepares future generations toward contributing to their communities, builds confidence and gives them the skills they need to cultivate a career. At Ford, we are all about working toward the future together.”

Is there anything you’d like to add about the partnership between the HBCUs and Ford?

“Driven by the F-150 HBCU Truck Tour, our partnership with HBCUs is deep and longstanding. Providing our platform to further educate the world on the importance of HBCUs and the importance of building a strong foundation for a strong future is what continues to drive that passion within us. We believe in leadership and pride and we couldn’t be any prouder than always supporting HBCUs, it’s what makes us Built Ford Proud.”

“Homecoming and ‘classic season’ is the best time to celebrate the history and traditions of our historically black colleges and universities,” Guerrero also states. “Ford is proud to support historically black colleges and universities through this fall’s F-150 Truck Tour.”

Read more about the great work being done at HBCUs.

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Ford Partners with HBCUs to Bring the Ford F-150 Truck To Campuses

When it comes to contributing to the education of students attending historically black colleges and universities, some companies just make a donation, which is cool, but, for the likes of Ford Motor, they are actually involved in doing more than just giving money.

I had the opportunity to actually see and experience what goes on when a corporate company commits to an HBCU. The tour made stops at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee, for the Southern Heritage Classic, the annual rivalry between Jackson State University and Tennessee State University; Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field, Prairie View, Texas, for the Prairie View A&M University Homecoming, where the Panthers took on the Dragons of Virginia University of Lynchburg; and the final stop at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, Durham, North Carolina, for the North Carolina Central University Homecoming, where the Eagles went up against the Spartans of Norfolk State University.

I attended the homecoming for North Carolina Central University, where southern hospitality was definitely in full effect. I witnessed and even participated in ‘car karaoke’ but done in a Ford F-150 and there were numerous interactive games people enjoyed and giveaways including Ford ultimate tailgate prize package where someone received a Ford-branded package complete with two padded lounge chairs, two tumblers, and a 45-quart cooler.

For nearly 15 years, Ford has donated more than $2 million to support the Tom Joyner Foundation and continues to do so. “Through its support of the Tom Joyner Foundation, the Ford Motor Company has changed the lives of countless families,” says Tom Joyner. “The scholarship dollars provided by Ford have helped students graduate from HBCUs, relieving them and their families of financial burden and allowing them to pursue careers, especially in the STEAM fields.” For every ride & drive at the homecoming game, Ford donated $20 to the Tom Joyner Foundation.

Related: 5-Year-Old Drummer Receives Full Band Scholarship To HBCU

We attended a brunch where NCCU’s Tymia Atkinson (a junior Social Work major who plans on attending law school to specialize in sexual and domestic violence law after graduating) received Ford’s 2019 Community Service Leader Award and we viewed an “Ode to the Builders” commercial spot, filmed at the Ford River Rouge plant, that was narrated by Angela Bassett. The brunch was hosted by 97.5 radio personality SHOWTIME.

I got the opportunity to speak to Dibrie Guerrero, who is the multicultural marketing manager for Ford Motor Co.

Why is investing in HBCUs an important initiative for Ford Motor Co.?

“Ford Motor Co. touches the lives of people everywhere; globally we are known for making and selling the most technologically advanced, reliable and fun-to-drive vehicles in the world, but we are also dedicated to driving human progress not only through the freedom of movement but within our communities. Education is the foundation for success. It is key to making lives better, creating social change and building strong communities and HBCU’s provide an environment that prepares future generations toward contributing to their communities, builds confidence and gives them the skills they need to cultivate a career. At Ford, we are all about working toward the future together.”

Is there anything you’d like to add about the partnership between the HBCUs and Ford?

“Driven by the F-150 HBCU Truck Tour, our partnership with HBCUs is deep and longstanding. Providing our platform to further educate the world on the importance of HBCUs and the importance of building a strong foundation for a strong future is what continues to drive that passion within us. We believe in leadership and pride and we couldn’t be any prouder than always supporting HBCUs, it’s what makes us Built Ford Proud.”

“Homecoming and ‘classic season’ is the best time to celebrate the history and traditions of our historically black colleges and universities,” Guerrero also states. “Ford is proud to support historically black colleges and universities through this fall’s F-150 Truck Tour.”

Read more about the great work being done at HBCUs.

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