An fast bestseller upon publication in September 2023, “Kerry Washington’s.” first memory“Thicker than water” was filled with intimate revelations from the actress and producer, including information about her past abortion, struggles with childhood anxiety and early sexual assault. However, perhaps the most groundbreaking revelation was that the “Scandal” star had only recently discovered that her father, Earl Washington, was not her biological parent. As Washington explained to moderator Erica D. Smith at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival on April 20, the revelation almost forced her to back out of the book deal.

“I found out that my dad, who raised me, is not my biological father,” said Washington, per People Magazine. “And it was something my parents had every intention of never telling me, but they were forced to.”

Explaining that the book’s original premise was to concentrate on the lessons learned while portraying popular anti-heroine Olivia Pope, she added: “I felt that if I was going to write about myself, I had to write about deeper truths… I had to include much larger, life-changing information.”

Nevertheless, the decision to proceed the project was difficult; struggling to share his family secret with the world, Washington considered scrapping the project altogether.

“I tried (to pay) the money back and everything, but I finally decided to write this book, even if it was just for me and my kids and not to share it with anyone else,” she told Smith.

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Ultimately, Washington said the discovery deepened her bond with her parents, whilst she processed life-changing and painful recent information.

“My love for him… my love and my intimacy with my parents has deepened through this exchange because I think when we keep secrets, especially family secrets, it is usually because we are so afraid that if the truth comes out , we will win “we will no longer be loved, that we will not be loved, that there will be resentment and anger because of the secret that was kept,” she said. “So I think once the burden of that secret was gone, my parents and I had a lot more space to be who we really are with each other.”

NBA star Kyrie Irving is starting a brand new industry with her sister and fashion entrepreneur Asia Irving. In 2023, the Irving siblings launched their own fashion brand, Think less represent “clarity found in stillness, encouraging inward focus.”

“When you think about Mind Less, the name just speaks to mental and spiritual clarity and how we want to build on that community,” said Kyrie Irving, per WWD. “It can be done in many different ways and through different mediums, and I feel like fashion – artistry and those who came before us and engaged in large-scale projects, generational shifts and paradigms – did it their way. We reflected the same philosophy of continuous improvement. A Mind Less state is what we want for the people who go on this journey with us.”

Now, as they prepare to launch their second capsule collection, the Irvings are using their designs to highlight “meditation, clarity, balance and a holistic approach to[…]being intentional as a human being” with pieces that work in on a regular basis lifestyle consumers. For its second collection titled “Views,” Mind Less plans to incorporate more knits and draped pieces into the brand’s repertoire of kimono-inspired jackets and pants.

“It’s a bit unconventional and distinctive,” said Asia Irving, further explaining the brand’s creative vision. “It’s simplistic, but offers a lot of functionality. (The brand’s clothing is) very transitional from day to night, from season to season. I think this outfit really reflects our inner peace and humility.”

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Although Kyrie Irving is sort of latest to the fashion industry, his sister is the founder Ceremony Studio, a well-liked fashion brand known for its nostalgic and subtly avant-garde approach to fashion. Despite different levels of institutional fashion knowledge, each siblings use their travel and life experiences to create the brand’s designs.

“I’m usually on the go,” the Dallas Mavericks player added, sharing how he weaves creativity into his NBA profession. “I perform in different arenas and platforms – I have the opportunity to shape myself and my style by incorporating my clothes into what I do every day.”

Ultimately, co-founders prioritize constructing community over profit.

“It’s not just about revenue, profits or industry rules,” the NBA star said. “It’s more or less about us being authentic and welcoming to all stages of life, while also respecting that we can use these artistic mediums to encourage more of us to speak out about this message and get it out into the world.”

The “Views” collection will probably be released at the tip of May.

Opal Lee will soon receive her eighth honorary doctorate in recognition of her legacy of activism and unwavering commitment to civil rights.

According to People MagazineSouthern Methodist University will present the 97-year-old “Grandma of Juneteenth” with an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree at a commencement ceremony on May 11.

“For Ms. Lee to join us at the commencement and share her work during the symposium is a signal of honor for our university” – SMU President R. Gerald Turner – wrote within the statement. “Her life’s work is most deserving of this recognition, and our students will be inspired by her.”

In 2016, Lee, 89, made a symbolic 2,500-kilometer walk from her home in Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., to urge Congress and then-President Barack Obama’s administration to declare June 11 a federal holiday honoring the tip of slavery. after the civil war. She stood nearby when President Joe Biden formally signed the bill into law five years in a while June 17, 2021.

“I must tell you that I have only been president for a few months, but I think this will go down as one of the greatest honors that I will experience as president – not because I did it, but because you did it, Democrats and Republicans.” Biden told her on the time, People magazine reported. “It’s a huge, huge honor.”

Lee’s dream of rebuilding her childhood home, destroyed by a racist mob in 1939, got here true in December when she purchased the land where the home once stood. After years of trying to buy the land, Lee discovered that Trinity Habitat for Humanity had purchased it. The organization’s CEO, Gage Yager, informed her that a plot of land in Fort Worth was available, Washington Post. she got here forward, sold it to her for just $10, and offered to construct her a house. Last month, she helped construct its first wall.

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According to SMU, Lee will achieve one other of her goals with the planned opening of the $70 million, 50,000-square-foot National Juneteenth Museum on south Fort Worth, where she operated her own modest Juneteenth museum.

The latest constructing will function a museum, cultural center and business incubator, and will be home to a mixed-income housing community. Lee is the museum’s honorary chairwoman and, together with her granddaughter, is a current board member.

Among the notable nods, as well as to seven other Ph.D.s, the Dallas Morning News editorial board named Lee its 2021 Texan of the Year, and he or she is nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. In 2023, she became the second African-American woman, after the late Republican Barbara Jordan, to be honored with a portrait in chamber of the Texas State Senate, SMU reports.