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“Black Twitter: A People’s Story” reveals the highlights and weaknesses of the world’s most influential social media community

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I actually miss you Black Twitter. It felt like an actual place. It was an area of community, joy, resistance and information. There were specific Black Twitter stars – in no particular order: Michael Harriot, Questlove, DeRay Mckesson, Jemele Hill, April Reign, Melissa Harris-Perry, dream Hampton, Marc Lamont Hill… I could go on. My sensory memory of Black Twitter is of being in a room or field amongst 1000’s of Black people talking as one large group with 1000’s of voices.

I remember coming home one night and flipping through the channels and not seeing anything on TV that I wanted to observe. Then I noticed a funny tweet about the NAACP Image Awards that had already began. I turned on the Image Awards to completely understand the tweets about it, and as I watched the show, it felt like my front room was overflowing with funny and intelligent Black people joking about the show.

All my Black Twitter memories have come flooding back – including my best Black Twitter tweet ever – because of a brand new documentary on Hulu titledBlack Twitter: A People’s Story” It is predicated on Wired’s famous article on Black Twitter.

The documentary takes us through many of Black Twitter’s highlights, including the thread that led to the creation of the amazing film “Zola”, and poor lighting, especially the way the platform became a source of anxiety and stress for a lot of of us because it became overrun by MAGAs with frogs of their heads. Twitter was ineffective or unwilling to guard us from the hate we fought against. For me, Twitter has turn out to be more of a chore than fun. Like OK, I suppose I actually have to stand up and start a Twitter war with these racists because I actually have to fight for my people. I spent hours writing thoughtful responses to their BS. At the time, I believed I used to be defending ideas that were necessary to black people. Now I’m unsure the fight achieved anything of value.

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But once I talked to my people on Twitter, it was often uplifting and empowering. Not at all times – Black Twitter had somewhat class struggle thread. It was principally those with blue checkmarks and those without, but it surely looked like those that tweeted like they graduated from college and those that didn’t. Each side saw the app otherwise, so that they tweeted otherwise, and sometimes we got into family arguments. It was fascinating to see real-world class battles play out in the online world.

My best Black Twitter moment was about 15 years ago. One night in 2009, a couple of months after Michael Jackson’s death, I used to be at the Standard Hotel in Los Angeles, and regardless that I used to be alone, in my memories it felt like the room was overflowing with Black people because I used to be throughout Black Twitter that night. It was an evening when BET paid tribute to Michael Jackson. In typical BET fashion, it was a large number. People wrote articles talking BET missed the mark.

I worked at BET and while I used to be working there, Black people would come as much as me on the street and discuss what they thought the channel needed to enhance. It was clear that we had many criticisms of BET and were often dissatisfied with it. We want it to be higher and grow up, but we’re unsure it can ever occur. So we have now some opinions about BET.

The sight of Jackson, the ultimate black excellence in performance and entertainment, being memorialized by BET, which will not be synonymous with excellence, was infuriating to many. And then the most amazing black Twitter tweet I’ve ever seen hit my timeline. I do not remember who wrote it; it wasn’t someone I knew, but considering all the things we felt for MJ and all the things we felt for BET, it was unforgettable. The tweet read:

“I wish BET would die and Michael Jackson would pay tribute to them.”

LOL, I wrote it again. I also remember moving into an app discussion with Questlove and Dream Hampton that night. Some people said that if the King of Pop is dead, who’s the King of Pop now? Who holds the throne that Jackson held?

Questlove, Dream and I knew the answer. Beyonce. She continued to enjoy the huge success of her cult hit “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” featuring “Dreamgirls” and subsequently headlined a worldwide tour. She was music, film, fashion, popular culture, black culture – she was all the things.

But this was Twitter and we were having this discussion in front of 1000’s of opinionated people, so after we bounced this concept around, so much of people were giggling “no.” They said Beyoncé wasn’t pretty much as good as MJ at singing, dancing, writing songs or planning a tour. It’s true, we said. Dream, Quest and I said yes, facts, but she doesn’t need to be higher than him. She should be higher than the living. She was the best and biggest multidisciplinary artist/actress/entrepreneur in the industry at the time. Of course, she remained that way for a few years, until today nobody will deny that Beyoncé will not be the queen of pop.

But it was exciting to have this discussion in front of so many Black people and two sensible Black friends. Black Twitter was like HBCU backyard, but with adults. It really was a very important part of my life for a very long time. MAGA made it so much less fun and so much more stressful, but I didn’t hand over. But when Elon bought it and modified it and revealed who he really was, I could not stay. I could not support him and I could not stand what he did to this place. Everything he did was a mistake. They say that even a broken clock shows the right time twice a day, which implies that the broken clock showed the right time more often than Elon on Twitter. Taking the blue checks was a terrible mistake because nobody had ID back then. We could never be immediately sure that the person speaking was who she or he claimed to be. This, greater than the rest, killed Twitter for me.

I left Twitter and I miss it. “Black Twitter” – the doctor jogged my memory how great it was once. It brought all those feelings back. Now I’m sad.



This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Lifestyle

What is GiveTuesday? The annual day of giving is approaching

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Giving Tuesday, GivingTuesday, What is GivingTuesday, What is Giving Tuesday, #GivingTuesday, philanthropy, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, seasonal giving, seasonal donations, charitable donations, theGrio.com

Since it began as a hashtag in 2012, Giving on Tuesdaythe Tuesday after Thanksgiving, became one of the largest collection days yr for non-profit organizations within the USA

GivingTuesday estimates that the GivingTuesday initiative will raise $3.1 billion for charities in 2022 and 2023.

This yr, GivingTuesday falls on December 3.

How did GivingTuesday start?

The hashtag #GivingTuesday began as a project of the 92nd Street Y in New York City in 2012 and have become an independent organization in 2020. It has grown right into a worldwide network of local organizations that promote giving of their communities, often on various dates which have local significance. like a vacation.

Today, the nonprofit organization GivingTuesday also brings together researchers working on topics related to on a regular basis giving. This too collects data from a big selection of sources comparable to payment processors, crowdfunding sites, worker transfer software and offering institutions donor really helpful fundstype of charity account.

What is the aim of GivingTuesday?

The hashtag has been began promote generosity and this nonprofit organization continues to advertise giving within the fullest sense of the word.

For nonprofits, the goal of GivingTuesday is to boost money and have interaction supporters. Many individuals are aware of the flood of email and mail appeals that coincide on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Essentially all major U.S. nonprofits will host fundraising campaigns, and plenty of smaller, local groups will participate as well.

Nonprofit organizations don’t have to be affiliated with GivingTuesday in any method to run a fundraising campaign. They can just do it, although GivingTuesday provides graphics and advice. In this manner, it stays a grassroots endeavor during which groups and donors participate as they please.

Keke Palmer Recalls the Key Advice Will Smith Gave Her as a Child:

Was GivingTuesday a hit?

It will depend on the way you measure success, but it surely has definitely gone far beyond initial efforts to advertise giving on social media. The day has change into an everlasting and well-known event that focuses on charitable giving, volunteerism and civic participation within the U.S. and all over the world.

For years, GivingTuesday has been a serious fundraising goal for nonprofits, with many looking for to arrange pooled donations from major donors and leverage their network of supporters to contribute. This is the start year-end fundraising peakas nonprofits strive to fulfill their budget goals for next yr.

GivingTuesday giving in 2022 and 2023 totaled $3.1 billion, up from $2.7 billion in 2021. While that is loads to boost in a single day, the trend last yr was flat and with fewer donorswhich, in accordance with the organization, is a disturbing signal.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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BlaQue Community Cares is organizing a cash crowd for serious food

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QNS reports that Queens, New York-based nonprofit BlaQue Community Cares is making an effort to assist raise awareness of Earnest Foods, an organic food market with the Cash Mob initiative.

The BlaQue Cash Mob program is a community-led event that goals to support local businesses, reminiscent of grocery stores in Jamaica, by encouraging shoppers to go to the shop and spend a certain quantity of cash, roughly $20. BlaQue founder Aleeia Abraham says cash drives are happening across New York City to extend support for local businesses. “I think it’s important to really encourage local shopping habits and strengthen the connections between residents and businesses and Black businesses, especially in Queens,” she said after hosting six events since 2021.

“We’ve been doing this for a while and we’ve found that it really helps the community discover new businesses that they may not have known existed.”

As a result, crowds increase sales and strengthen social bonds for independent businesses.

Earnest Foods opened in 2021 after recognizing the necessity for fresh produce in the world. As residents struggled to seek out fresh food, Abraham defines the shop as “an invaluable part of the southeast Queens community.” “There’s really nowhere to go in Queens, especially Black-owned businesses in Queens, to find something healthier to eat. We need to keep these businesses open,” she said.

“So someone just needs to make everyone aware that these companies exist and how to keep the dollars in our community. Organizing this cash crowd not only encourages people to buy, but also shows where our collective dollars stand, how it helps sustain businesses and directly serves and uplifts our community.”

The event will happen on November 24 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 123-01 Merrick Blvd in St. Albans. According to the shop’s co-owner, Earnest Flowers, he has partnered with several other Black-owned brands in the world to sell his products at the shop. Flowers is comfortable that his neighbors can come to his supermarket to purchase organic food and goods from local vendors like Celeste Sassine, owner of Sassy Sweet Vegan Treats.

At the grand opening three years ago which was visited by over 350 viewersSassine stated that the collaboration was “super, super, super exciting” to the purpose that the majority of the products were off the shelves inside hours.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Keke Palmer Recalls the Key Advice Will Smith Gave Her as a Child: “It’s Hard to Be First”

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Keke Palmer, Keke Palmer Will Smith, Keke Palmer emancipation, keke palmer parents, Is Keke Palmer emancipated? theGrio.com

Like many young people, actress Keke Palmer went through a phase wherein she clashed along with her parents. Recently in a performance at “Toast” podcast.Palmer revealed that fellow actor Will Smith helped her take care of the situation along with her family.

As a child star who has appeared on Nickelodeon and Disney productions, the “Akeelah and the Bee” actress explained how juggling fame has affected her and her family relationships — a lot in order that she admits she once considered emancipating herself from her parents.

Although her lawyer tried to get her into counseling, Palmer said it was Smith’s words that ultimately modified her mind.

“A couple of weeks go by, I’m on the set of ‘True Jackson, Vice President’ and I get a call from a very, very unknown number. And I said, “What? If it was strange, I would not answer,” she said, mentioning that she simply went back to work. Later, while retrieving her phone, Palmer received a voicemail from the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star.

“Hey Keke. This is Will. We’re here filming ‘The Karate Kid’ with (my son) Jaden and I just want to let you understand that I’ve talked (to your lawyer),’ Palmer continued, impersonating Smith. “He let me know every little thing you are going through and I need you to know that sometimes it’s hard to be the first, but you may do it. Just stay focused, love your loved ones and every little thing shall be high-quality.

Palmer remembers struggling as a child with the attention and fame that got here with climbing the ladder in the entertainment industry. While trying to adjust to the demands of her burgeoning profession, the actress recalls feeling that fame meant she would have to “throw (her) family away.”

“It’s something that happens when you leave and you can become a child artist, you can be the first person in your family to go to college, or you can be the first person in your family to get married,” Palmer said: explaining her feelings at that moment. “There are so many firsts that can happen as the generations of your family grow and evolve.”

Keke Palmer is reclaiming the “narrative” surrounding his relationship with ex Darius Jackson

Ultimately deciding not to undergo the emancipation process, Palmer emphasized the importance of getting a healthy community when navigating the entertainment industry.

“I think I’ve always felt like a lot of people, whether they’re big names or whether they’re my lawyers, have been a good community,” she added. “Also, my parents made sure I was around (people) who would encourage community rather than discord and separation.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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