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Michael Vick voted for the first time in 2020. Now he encourages others to get involved.

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Growing up in Newport News, Virginia, in the Eighties and Nineteen Nineties, Michael Vick didn’t know much about elections or voter rights.

Thanks to his parents, Vick understood the scale of electing leaders in this country, especially the president, but the former NFL quarterback was surrounded by violence and poverty in his hometown (nicknamed “Bad News” because “a lot of bad things happen there,” compatriot Allen Iverson once said). As a youth, Vick’s only concern was entering into the NFL and getting over his illness, so things like voting and laws took a backseat.

A federal dogfighting conviction in 2007 sent him to 21 months in prison, further alienating Vick from the electoral process and his desire to exercise his right to vote.

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“At a young age, I lost the right to be involved,” Vick told Andscape. “So for an extended time I used to be distant from it, I didn’t concentrate to it since it didn’t mean anything.

“It had no effect on me.”

While in prison, Vick made a listing of things he wanted to achieve after his release, which included: voting for the first time. In 2020, greater than a decade after his release, Vick’s voting rights were restored, allowing the 40-year-old to solid his first ballot this yr.

On the eve of Tuesday’s presidential election, the former dynamic quarterback is recommending that others register to vote in order that their voices may also be heard. He partnered with the Vote or Else campaign to engage more Black communities in the political process to improve their social standing after the four-year election cycle.

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“People didn’t do this for us when we were growing up,” Vick said. “So this is a campaign where I felt like if someone watches me and idealizes me in a way, they can look at everything I do outside of playing football.”

Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick goes door-to-door as a part of the organization’s Mobilize Justice ballot initiative on Oct. 10 in Philadelphia.

After a two-year collegiate profession at Virginia Tech that included a national championship berth and a third-place finish in Heisman Trophy voting in 1999, Vick was chosen No. 1 overall in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, making him first, the Black quarterback can be chosen with the top pick. It only took one season for Vick to turn into one in every of the most fun and unique players in league history, combining a sprinter’s speed with the elusiveness of a kick return and a cannon for a throwing arm.

His Jump 46 meters during a game against the Minnesota Vikings during his sophomore season in which Vick’s lightning speed caused two defenders to run into one another trying to attack him, it felt like something out of a movie. At the start of the 2002 playoffs, he traveled to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers, who had not lost a house playoff game since 1933. At 31 degrees Celsius Vick made something out of nothing in almost every performanceleading the Falcons to a 27-7 loss.

From there, Vick became a cultural icon. Nike gave him his own signature line of shoes, a first for an NFL quarterback. His cover of the 2004 video game Madden and its almost indestructible gameplay of the game’s characters is one in every of the most significant covers of a whole generation of gamers and continues to be talked about today. In each his game and appearance (dark skin, cornrows hairstyle, streetwear), Vick displayed a coolness that was more present in the NBA than the NFL at the time. Wearing a Falcons jersey backwards with Vick’s name and No. 7 on the back was a trend, and although in 2004 he was principally just standing in the music video for Atlanta rapper T.I.’s single “Rubber Band Man,” his mere presence was a moment. itself.

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“Michael Vick was the Michael Jordan of our football,” said Marvin Bing, founding father of Mobilize Justice in Philadelphia, which organized the “Vote or Else” events. “It was Jesus on the gridiron.”

Vick signed a 10-year, $130 million contract with the Falcons in 2004, a then-record amount, but by April 2007 he was under investigation for running a dogfighting ring out of several of his Virginia homes for six years. In July 2007, Vick was indicted by a federal grand jury and on December 10, 2007, he was sentenced to 23 months in prison. (In September 2007, Vick was also indicted in reference to two state dogfights in Virginia; in that case, Vick pleaded guilty and received a three-year suspended sentence.)

After serving 19 months in prison – where he refused to eat for the first three days of his stay, missed his grandmother’s funeral and witnessed various things, – he told an ESPN reporter things that “should have stayed in prison” at the time – Vick was released in July 2009. Within weeks of his firing and after consulting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Vick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as Donovan McNabb’s backup last season, becoming the starter for the 2010 season. Vick resumed his great play – in 2010 he had a historic 400-yard game and 6 touchdowns against the Washington Redskins – and later signed one other $100 million contract with the Eagles in 2011.

Michael Vick watches the game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Boston College Eagles at Lane Stadium on October 17 in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Ryan Hunt/Getty Images

While serving his sentence from 2007 to 2009, Vick didn’t participate in the election of then senator. Barack Obama for president. He knew who Obama was because he had examine the election and watched the debates, but witnessing the historic election of the nation’s first black president made him feel more misplaced in prison. So he finally decided to vote when he was free.

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“I felt like on a small scale this was something that would be the most important thing at some point,” he said. “It’s about having your rights to do certain things in life.

“I screwed it up and I wanted to at least fight for it, and if I missed then at least I gave it a chance.”

But when Vick tried to vote in Florida with family and friends in 2011, they found he was ineligible due to his felony conviction. Before 2018, the Florida Constitution permanently prohibited individuals with felony convictions from voting. (Vick owned a house in Broward County, Florida). But in November 2018, Florida voters passed Amendment 4, restoring voting rights to 1.4 million returning residents like Vick. Months later, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis added a requirement in 2019 that those affected by Amendment 4 first repay any fines, fees and restitution before they’ll regain the right to vote.

Although Vick paid nearly $1 million in restitution for his conviction, he still had not registered to vote as of early 2020. He partnered with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which works to restore voting rights to individuals who have served their sentences for crimes, and led the effort to pass Amendment 4 to each regain his rights and lift funds to help other returning residents pay court fees. During that time, the coalition raised greater than $4 million to cover the fees, with some support from the More Than a Vote campaign backed by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.

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“(If) people can call you a criminal, it means they can treat you differently” – Desmond Meade, executive director of the coalition, he said in a 2020 documentary about Vick’s electoral journey. “We deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and the best way to achieve that is to make our voices heard.”

Vick voted for the first time in November 2020, filling out a Florida absentee ballot from his home in California. “I felt that younger generations, seeing me do this, whether they were white, black or indifferent, would strive to do the same,” he said.

Across the country, in Philadelphia, Bing was mounting a campaign for Tuesday’s upcoming presidential election that relied on people like Vick for support.

In addition to founding Mobilize Justice, Bing also served as national artistic director for the human rights organization Amnesty International USA and is co-founder of Justice League NYC, which advocates for criminal and social justice reform. Bing’s father, Malik Aziz, was a Philadelphia civil rights activist who in 2000 successfully challenged a state law barring residents with returning felonies from voting.

Michael Vick attends the Vote Or Else town hall at The Gathering Spot on October 25 in Atlanta.

AP Photo/Rob Carr, file

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“He was one of the first people to actually engage in advocacy for this organization and partner with it to actually challenge the legal system in the states to gain voting rights after he got out of prison,” Bing said of his father.

For the Vote or Else campaign, Bing invited athletes and entertainers to connect with Black communities who may feel forgotten between election cycles and support collective change to improve their social standing. That list includes Vick and Iverson, rappers Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Jadakiss and Killer Mike, and actor Woody McClain.

Bing said he selected these stars because their upbringing and background made them credible messengers.

“They come from what I consider ‘mud,’” Bing said. “They know what it’s like to fight, they know what it’s like to just play this sport to get out of a bad situation and change their family and (their) circumstances.”

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Vick walked through neighborhoods in Philadelphia and Atlanta, knocking on doors, talking to residents, hugging them and taking photos to educate them about their right to vote and the importance of getting their voices heard. A girl Vick met in Atlanta told him her father was an enormous fan and hung his Falcons jersey on the wall.

“It makes me persevere and achieve more in life,” said Vick. “I’m not a young man, but I still have a lot of life ahead of me, God willing, so I continue to set goals for myself. People like that encourage me to hear stories like that and people appreciating what I did in the time I spent there.”

Bing said Vick brings a novel perspective as a talented black athlete, entrepreneur, husband and father who managed to escape Virginia and the criminal justice system. Vick, who retired in 2017 after 13 seasons, speaks the languages ​​of the Black community and the resilience he has shown over the past twenty years is an indication of hope.

So much in order that, according to Bing, Vick inspired no less than one person in Philadelphia to fulfill his civic duty.

“One woman said, ‘S— I could go vote early now,’” Bing said.

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Martenzie Johnson is a senior author at Andscape. His favorite moment in the cinema is when Django asks, “Do you want to see something?”

 

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Marshawn Lynch and Kadeem Hardison join Zenday in season 3 “Euphoria”

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Season 3 “Euphoria” is officially in work. After a 3 -year break, production apparently began, restoring known faces, introducing recent ones. Among the fresh accessories is the previous NFL star, who became the actor Marshawn Lynch, who recently appeared in “Love Hurts”, a veteran actor Kadeem Hardison-who previously worked with Zendaya over “Kc Undercover”-Wraz with Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Darrell Britt -Gibson, and more.

They return to Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Eric Data, Alexa Demie and Maude Apatow. According to HBO, According to Hollywood reporter, New solid members may have “significant guest roles”, while Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Wallace will turn out to be regular series.

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Colman Domingo can also be to return as a guest star. However, fans will say goodbye to previous regular series, including Storm Reid. In November 2024, Reid – who played the younger sister Rue, Bennett – confirmed that she wouldn’t return to season 3.

“I am very excited about season 3,” Reid said, because the Brio reports earlier. “Unfortunately, Gia does not come back, but I am so in debt for the cast and team of this program, to HBO. Euphoria is a really unique thing and I am glad that this is part of my heritage and that I was part of such a cultural phenomenon. “

The expected third season stood before many delays after broadcasting in 2022, mainly resulting from Hollywood strikes and the departure of the solid of the solid Angus Cloud. Thanks to the failures, even the celebrities of the series remained in the dark when the production resumes.

Zendaya with the potential season 3

“I will apparently come back to season 3,” said Domingo (*3*)Diversity In November 2024, “I don’t know anything about scripts … I heard as much as you heard, so we’ll see.”

Similarly, when asked about updates in April 2024, Zendaya reminded the fans: “I’m not responsible.”

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Rumors in regards to the upcoming season suggest a serious time jump. According to the designer of “Euphoria” costumes, Heidi Bivens, the series will probably be reportedly set “about five years in the future” and the characters aren’t any longer at highschool.

Finally, fans can now search for the premiere.

(Tagstotranslate) Entertainment

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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6. Annual Sportowy Brunch: Celebrating women changing the game – ESENCE

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Getty Images/Jeff Schear

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Imagine: a room stuffed with powerful women, dazzling confidence, raising one another and proves – but again – that the way forward for sport is undeniably a girl. It was energy at the sixth annual sports brunch, which took place in the stunning Four Seasons hotel in Nowy Orlean during the Super Bowl week. In the largest NFL game, only just a few days the event took a central place, celebrating the most influential women in the sports industry.

6. Annual Sportowy Brunch: Celebrating women changing the game
Nowy Orlean, Louisiana – 05 February: Taylor Rooks takes part in the sixth annual sports brunch: celebrating the strongest women in sports presented by ESPN Films at Four Seasons Hotel in Nowy Orlean on February 5, 2025 in Nowy Orlean, Louisiana. (Photo Jeff Schear/Getty Images for Sports Brunch)

Sports Power Brunch, created by an increasingly inspiring history of Lataon, became a obligatory event, winning the national recognition of CNN, Sports Illustrated, Essence, and even the lists of the Hollywood reporter of the best Events of the Bowl Week. And truthfully? It deserves the whole noise.

Adding a historical layer to the ceremony, the event was warmly opened by the mayor of Latoya Cantrell, the first black woman of the mayor of the city of Nowy Orleans. With grace, the mayor Cantrell gave an inspiring tone that might shape the remainder of the mood on Brunch, preparing the scene to rejoice strengthening and achievements.

They honored the same spirit themselves – districts, who not only stand out of their fields, but in addition distribute barriers for future generations. This 12 months’s awards were not only changing games; They were pioneers. From Front Office to the area, these women lead with strength, innovation and unwavering involvement in developing the industry.

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6. Annual Sportowy Brunch: Celebrating women changing the game
New Orlean, Louisiana – February 05: (LR) Jessica Boddy presents the Spotlight award awarded by the NFL Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes, Commissioner, HBCU Athletics on Scena during the sixth annual sports brunch: Celebrating the strongest women in sport in sport presented by ESPN movies in Four Seasons Hotel in Nowy Orlean on February 5, 2025 in Nowy Orleana, Louisiana. (Photo Jeff Schear/Getty Images for Sports Brunch)

Let’s start with the infamous Swin Cash – a legend of the basket that has turn into an executive power. As a senior vp for basketball operations in Nowy Orlean Pelicans, Swin received the Impact Award for her leadership and dedication for the game. There is already Naismith Hall of Famer, he proves that success doesn’t end with the last buzzer – it only evolves.

Then is Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes, a dynamic commissioner of the Gulf Coast sports conference, who was honored with the Spotlight Award. Dr. Barnes, an ardent supporter of HBCU athletics, devoted her profession to creating opportunities for young athletes – especially women – by raising her exactly the model that the sports world needs.

6. Annual Sportowy Brunch: Celebrating women changing the game
New Orlean, Louisiana – 05 February: (LR) Chantre Camack, senior talent director, ESPN, presents the Impact Award awarded by ESPN Films Swin Cash, SVP, basketball and team development, latest Orlean Pelicans Onstage during the annual sports Power Brunch: Celebrating the strongest women in the sport presented by ESPN Films at Four Seasons Hotel in Nowy Orlean on February 05, 2025 in Nowy Orleana, Louisiana. (Photo Jeff Schear/Getty Images for Sports Brunch)

And for those who do not know the name Dawn Aponte, it is time to learn it. As the fundamental administrative officer of the football in NFL, he’s considered one of the most influential women shaping the game behind the scenes. Her strategic vision and specialist knowledge in the field of football operations brought her a visionary award, recognition deserved for the impact she still exerts in the league.

Of course, sport shouldn’t be only what is occurring on the pitch – it is usually about the way it is sold in the world. Alicia Tillman, marketing director of Delta Airlines, is a visionary redefining how sports brands connect with fans. Its influence goes far beyond the airline industry, proving that strategic story story is as crucial as the game itself. For the ability to lift brands on a worldwide scale, she was honored with a leadership award, which emphasizes its impact on shaping the way forward for sports marketing.

And finally, Ali Krieger-DWA times the World Cup champion, a football icon and a relentless spokesman for gender equality-he was honored with the Gamechanger award, and let’s be true, she is one. Regardless of whether he dominates on the pitch or uses his platform to press on equal salary in sport, Ali still inspires future generations of athletes to fight for what they deserve.

If there’s one thing that has proved the sixth annual sports brunch, it’s that women in sport not only participate – we run. From executive offices to championship games, we demand space, breaking barriers and rewriting rules. Such events remind us that once we rejoice one another, all of us win.

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6. Annual Sportowy Brunch: Celebrating women changing the game
Nowy Orlean, Louisiana – 05 February: Kysre Gondrezick participates in the sixth annual Brunch Power Sports: Celebrating the strongest women in sports presented by ESPN Films at Four Seasons Hotel in Nowy Orlean on February 5, 2025 in Nowy Orlean, Louisiana. (Photo Jeff Schear/Getty Images for Sports Brunch)

Here is Swin Cashes, Ali Kriegers, Dr. Kiki Baker Barneses and Latonya Story of the World – and for each woman dreaming of reference to sport. Message from this 12 months’s Brunch?

Your time is now!

Come on, break the barriers and never stop cheering women creating history.

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This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Kendrick Lamar Rocks jacket by Martine Rose in Super Bowl

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Kendrick’s performance Lamara Super Bowl Show was considered one of the books and appearances. The rapper “Not Like Us” swayed a leather jacket of the famous British-Jamaic designer Martine Rose.

A red, white and blue element of expression leveled with the patriotic colours of the series. Although the designer shouldn’t be an American, she got here to lifetime of Lamar’s vision of showing what black people and culture have done for this country.

The jacket gave the colours of the American flag and contained the word Attached to Lamar and his latest albumGNX. The word “Gloria” was written on the front, which can also be the last title of LP. In the song from Shar, Lamar raps a couple of woman with the identical name. However, in response to genius, the name is more a metaphor for his rap.

“Gloria, which means” glory “in Spanish, becomes the personification of the glory of rap – his” pen “and the artistic journey, which he represents”, described the music platform. “The compound symbolizes his intimate and often conflict bond with his art, reflecting its power to lift and absorb him.”

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He also combined the predominant a part of Martine with other items that nodded in his texts. Lamar also wore a lower network “A” from Tiffany & Co., many decided that the network could represent its media company, PG Lang and its logo. However, others could see this as a nod to their “smaller” lyrics from “Not Like Us”, which refers to Drake’s alleged dating selections.

The remainder of his outfit included Celine Flare jeans and a backward hat. However, Lamar had previously worn Rose pieces, carrying this tradition to considered one of its largest stages.

Decision to incorporate the work of a contemporary black designer in accordance with the motif of the series; He also had a black uncle in the performance, presented by Samuel L. Jackson and Walking dancers to present a brand new type of national pride. Thanks to this, Lamar supported his initial view that the influence of rap goes beyond music.

“Rapa music is until now the most influential genre. I will be there to remind the world why. They got the right one, “he expressed the winner of the Grammy Award when he was announced as an excellent bowl headlinerI shared again.

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For those that want sway By a hot designer Rose has many track jackets IN Wrestling to embodiment the insolent rapper.

(Tagstotranslate) Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show (T) Martine Rose (T) Black Designers (T) Kendrick Lamar

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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