Terry Crews apologizes to Gabrielle Union following ‘AGT’ backlash

The ongoing controversy surrounding actors Terry Crews and Gabrielle Union on their opposing takes of the “toxic culture” of NBC’s America’s Got Talent has now lead to a public apology.

Last week, Union responded to Crews’ praise of the diversity of the competition show she judged before her firing in November 2019 after bringing light to the sexist and racial discrimination on set. Union felt Crews’ insistence of diversity was an attempt to throw her “under the bus” and undermined her claims. 

READ MORE Gabrielle Union has ‘productive’ meeting with NBC execs over AGT toxic workplace complaints

The AGT host expressed his apologies in a series of tweets. He claimed a recent conversation with comedian Kevin Hart to “acknowledge the pain of other people,” and it made him now want to practice what he preached. “I realize there are a lot of Black women hurt and let down by what I said and also by what I didn’t say,” he tweeted.

I hear you, I respect you and understand you. I am sorry and I am here to support you. I spoke from my own personal point of view without first taking into consideration someone else’s experience.

— terry crews (@terrycrews) January 31, 2020

@itsgabrielleu, I want you to know it was never my intention to invalidate your experience— but that is what I did. I apologize. You have been through a lot in this business, and with that I empathize with the struggle toward fairness and equality in the workplace.

— terry crews (@terrycrews) January 31, 2020

In now-deleted tweets that were captured by the Daily Mail UK, Crews had a much different response to initial criticism of invalidating Union’s claims. On January 27, Crews cryptically tweeted, “‘I’m a hog. You’re a chicken. Just ‘cuz you gave me eggs – Don’t mean I owe you bacon.”

He followed up in another deleted tweet, saying, “There is only one woman on earth I have to please. Her name is Rebecca. Not my mother, my sister, my daughters or co-workers. I will let their husbands/boyfriends/partners take care of them. Rebecca gives me wings.”

READ MORE Nick Cannon let it be known that he has Gabrielle Union’s back in her claims against ‘AGT’

Many people online reacted to Crews in anger, reminding the AGT host of Union’s support and that of other black women in 2017 when he shared allegations of sexual assault. He accused former WME agent Adam Venit of inappropriately touching him at a party in 2016. 

Wait… not after all those Black women, Gabby included, stuck their necks out for you? This is beyond foul, not to mention nonsensical – is it only women w/ partners deserving of protection? Really should have just sat there and ate your tootsie rolls.

— Angela (@TheKitchenista) January 27, 2020

Others such as television host and professor Marc Lamont Hill weighed in with doubt of the sincerity of the apology.

People make mistakes. Apologies are important. Terry Crews’ response, however, feels like damage control rather than contrition. It’s hard to believe he just had an epiphany after a week of doubling down on his initial remarks. This feels like a publicist rather then a principle.

— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) February 1, 2020

 

Union’s husband, NBA legend Dwyane Wade did not seem convinced.

“Someone please take @terrycrews phone” Wade wrote and retweeted a comment calling Crews’ statements into question.  

‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ https://t.co/caBqjd493a

— DWade (@DwyaneWade) February 1, 2020

 

Union has yet to respond to his apology. 

The post Terry Crews apologizes to Gabrielle Union following ‘AGT’ backlash appeared first on TheGrio.

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Kobe Bryant’s sisters issue statement after tragic death: ‘Our lives are forever changed’

Nearly a week following the unexpected, tragic death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 that also killed his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others, Bryant’s sisters have broken their silence. 

In an exclusive statement to iOne Digital, Sharia Washington and Shaya Tabb released a public statement on behalf of the Bryant family. They also shared photos of their late brother, 41, their parents, Gianna, and family members. 

Washington and Tabb say they’re “grieving” along with Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, 37, who released a public statement, and his daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months.  

READ MORE What Kobe Bryant’s death has taught me about how Black men mourn

“On behalf of our family, we join Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri in grieving the loss of Kobe and Gianna in such a tragic accident,” the statement read. 

“We are devastated by the loss of our brother, son, our niece and granddaughter, and our hearts go out to all the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday. Our lives are forever changed.

Thank you for your prayers, the numerous calls, texts, emails, and cards.”

View this post on Instagram

On behalf of our family, we join Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka and Capri in grieving the loss of Kobe and Gianna in such a tragic accident. We are devastated by the loss of our brother, son, our niece and granddaughter, and our hearts go out to all the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday. Our lives are forever changed. Thank you for your prayers, the numerous calls, texts, emails and cards. Please visit MambaOnThree.org to support the families affected by Sunday’s tragedy and to honor Kobe and Gianna’s legacy, please visit: MambaSportsFoundation.org #Mambacita #Mamba #Family #GirlsDad – Sharia Washington and Shaya Tabb

A post shared by Sharia Washington (@shariafit) on Jan 31, 2020 at 12:43pm PST

 

Kobe’s sister’s also shared where fans could make donations in honor of their brother, niece and other victims of the helicopter crash.

“Please visit MambaOnThree.org to support the families affected by Sunday’s tragedy and to honor Kobe and Gianna’s legacy, please visit: MambaSportsFoundation.org
#Mambacita #Mamba #Family #GirlsDad.”

READ MORE Kobe Bryant ‘girl dad’ viral clip inspires men to share father-daughter pictures

The tributes continued to pour in for Kobe as Vanessa shared a photo of Kobe and Gianna’s jerseys that were displayed at the Staples Center on courtside seats Friday night. The empty seats were decorated with flowers ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers playing their first game since Kobe’s death against the Portland Trail Blazers.

“There is no #24 without #2,” Vanessa captioned, “❤️#GirlDaddy #DaddysGirl #MyBabies ❤️❤️ #OurAngels”

View this post on Instagram

There is no #24 without #2. ❤️#GirlDaddy #DaddysGirl #MyBabies ❤️❤️ #OurAngels #KobeandGigi

A post shared by Vanessa Bryant 🦋 (@vanessabryant) on Jan 31, 2020 at 9:12pm PST

 

Vanessa also shared an Instagram story of a purple and gold sunset in honor of her husband and daughter. It has been a loss that has shattered her family.

“There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved,” she said in her first statement after the crash. “We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our blessings taken from us too soon.”

She questioned what life will hold for her and her three daughters beyond their passing in their “new reality” but described their love for Kobe and Gianna – nicknamed Gigi – as “immeasurable.”

 

 

 

 

 

The post Kobe Bryant’s sisters issue statement after tragic death: ‘Our lives are forever changed’ appeared first on TheGrio.

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Saturday's Best Deals: Backcountry Sale, AirPods Pro, Drinkware, and More

An Amazon supplement sale, Anker wall adapter, Chrome Industries Clearance, and an AOC monitor lead off Saturday’s best deals from around the web.

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Meet Sarah Rector, the 11-Year-Old Who Became The Richest Black Girl in America in 1913

Born as the daughter of freedmen in 1902, Sarah Rector rose from humble beginnings to reportedly become the wealthiest black girl in the nation at the age of 11.

Rector and her family where African American members of the Muscogee Creek Nation who lived in a modest cabin in the predominantly black town of Taft, Oklahoma, which, at the time, was considered Indian Territory. Following the Civil War, Rector’s parents, who were formerly enslaved by Creek Tribe members, were entitled to land allotments under the Dawes Allotment Act of 1887. As a result, hundreds of black children, or “Creek Freedmen minors,” were each granted 160 acres of land as Indian Territory integrated with Oklahoma Territory to form the State of Oklahoma in 1907. While lands granted to former slaves were usually rocky and infertile, Rector’s allotment from the Creek Indian Nation was located in the middle of the Glenn Pool oil field and was initially valued at $556.50. Strapped for cash, Rector’s father leased his daughter’s parcel to a major oil company in February 1911 to help him pay the $30 annual property tax. Two years later, Rector’s fortune took a major turn when independent oil driller B.B. Jones produced a “gusher” on her land that brought in 2,500 barrels or 105,000 gallons per day. According to Tonya Bolden, author of Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America (Harry N. Abrams; $21.95), Rector began earning more than $300 a day in 1913. That equates to $7,000 – $8,000 today. She even generated $11,567 in October 1913.

Rector’s notoriety ballooned just as quickly as her wealth. In September 1913, The Kansas City Star local newspaper published the headline, “Millions to a Negro Girl – Sarah Rector, 10-Year Old, Has Income of $300 A Day From Oil,” reports Face 2 Face Africa. In January 1914, the newspaper wrote, “Oil Made Pickaninny Rich – Oklahoma Girl With $15,000 A Month gets Many Proposals – Four White Men in Germany Want to Marry the Negro Child That They Might Share Her Fortune.” Meanwhile, the Savannah Tribune wrote, “Oil Well Produces Neat Income – Negro Girl’s $112,000 A Year”. Another newspaper dubbed her “the richest negro in the world.” Her fame became widespread and she received numerous requests for loans, money gifts, and four marriage proposals.

At the time, a law required Native Americans, black adults, and children who were citizens of Indian Territory with significant property and money were to be assigned “well-respected” white guardians. As a result, Rector’s guardianship switched from her parents to a white man named T.J. Porter. Concerned with her wellbeing and her white financial guardian, early NAACP leaders fought to protect her and her fortune. According to a report from BlackPast.org:

In 1914 The Chicago Defender published an article claiming that her estate was being mismanaged by grafters and her “ignorant” parents, and that she was uneducated, dressed in rags, and lived in an unsanitary shanty. National African American leaders such as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois became concerned about her welfare. None of the allegations were true. Rector and her siblings went to school in Taft, an all-black town closer than Twine, they lived in a modern five-room cottage, and they owned an automobile.  That same year, Rector enrolled in the Children’s House, a boarding school for teenagers at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

By the time she turned 18, Rector was worth an estimated $1 million, or about $11 million today. She also owned stocks and bonds, a boarding house, a bakery and restaurant in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and 2,000 acres of land. She eventually left Tuskegee with her family and moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where she bought a grand home that still stands today. “There, the Rectors eventually moved into a home that was a far cry from that weather-whipped two-room cabin in which Sarah began life. This home-place was a stately stone house. It became known as the Rector Mansion,” Bolden told the New York Amsterdam News.

In 1922, she married Kenneth Campbell, the second African American to own an auto dealership. The couple had three sons and were recognized as local royalty, driving expensive cars and entertaining elites like Joe Louis, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie at their home. They divorced in 1930 and Rector remarried in 1934.

Rector’s lost most of her wealth during The Great Depression. When she died at age 65 on July 22, 1967, she only had some working oil wells and real estate holdings.

---

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on February 11, 2019

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2GJMufN

Meet Sarah Rector, the 11-Year-Old Who Became The Richest Black Girl in America in 1913

Born as the daughter of freedmen in 1902, Sarah Rector rose from humble beginnings to reportedly become the wealthiest black girl in the nation at the age of 11.

Rector and her family where African American members of the Muscogee Creek Nation who lived in a modest cabin in the predominantly black town of Taft, Oklahoma, which, at the time, was considered Indian Territory. Following the Civil War, Rector’s parents, who were formerly enslaved by Creek Tribe members, were entitled to land allotments under the Dawes Allotment Act of 1887. As a result, hundreds of black children, or “Creek Freedmen minors,” were each granted 160 acres of land as Indian Territory integrated with Oklahoma Territory to form the State of Oklahoma in 1907. While lands granted to former slaves were usually rocky and infertile, Rector’s allotment from the Creek Indian Nation was located in the middle of the Glenn Pool oil field and was initially valued at $556.50. Strapped for cash, Rector’s father leased his daughter’s parcel to a major oil company in February 1911 to help him pay the $30 annual property tax. Two years later, Rector’s fortune took a major turn when independent oil driller B.B. Jones produced a “gusher” on her land that brought in 2,500 barrels or 105,000 gallons per day. According to Tonya Bolden, author of Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America (Harry N. Abrams; $21.95), Rector began earning more than $300 a day in 1913. That equates to $7,000 – $8,000 today. She even generated $11,567 in October 1913.

Rector’s notoriety ballooned just as quickly as her wealth. In September 1913, The Kansas City Star local newspaper published the headline, “Millions to a Negro Girl – Sarah Rector, 10-Year Old, Has Income of $300 A Day From Oil,” reports Face 2 Face Africa. In January 1914, the newspaper wrote, “Oil Made Pickaninny Rich – Oklahoma Girl With $15,000 A Month gets Many Proposals – Four White Men in Germany Want to Marry the Negro Child That They Might Share Her Fortune.” Meanwhile, the Savannah Tribune wrote, “Oil Well Produces Neat Income – Negro Girl’s $112,000 A Year”. Another newspaper dubbed her “the richest negro in the world.” Her fame became widespread and she received numerous requests for loans, money gifts, and four marriage proposals.

At the time, a law required Native Americans, black adults, and children who were citizens of Indian Territory with significant property and money were to be assigned “well-respected” white guardians. As a result, Rector’s guardianship switched from her parents to a white man named T.J. Porter. Concerned with her wellbeing and her white financial guardian, early NAACP leaders fought to protect her and her fortune. According to a report from BlackPast.org:

In 1914 The Chicago Defender published an article claiming that her estate was being mismanaged by grafters and her “ignorant” parents, and that she was uneducated, dressed in rags, and lived in an unsanitary shanty. National African American leaders such as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois became concerned about her welfare. None of the allegations were true. Rector and her siblings went to school in Taft, an all-black town closer than Twine, they lived in a modern five-room cottage, and they owned an automobile.  That same year, Rector enrolled in the Children’s House, a boarding school for teenagers at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

By the time she turned 18, Rector was worth an estimated $1 million, or about $11 million today. She also owned stocks and bonds, a boarding house, a bakery and restaurant in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and 2,000 acres of land. She eventually left Tuskegee with her family and moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where she bought a grand home that still stands today. “There, the Rectors eventually moved into a home that was a far cry from that weather-whipped two-room cabin in which Sarah began life. This home-place was a stately stone house. It became known as the Rector Mansion,” Bolden told the New York Amsterdam News.

In 1922, she married Kenneth Campbell, the second African American to own an auto dealership. The couple had three sons and were recognized as local royalty, driving expensive cars and entertaining elites like Joe Louis, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie at their home. They divorced in 1930 and Rector remarried in 1934.

Rector’s lost most of her wealth during The Great Depression. When she died at age 65 on July 22, 1967, she only had some working oil wells and real estate holdings.

---

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on February 11, 2019

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2GJMufN