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What went right in Regina King’s Netflix movie and what went wrong in Shirley Chisholm’s life?

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The arrival of two movies about ignored African-American political luminaries is telling given Netflix’s decision to release each “Rustin” and “Shirley,” starring Regina King, in the run-up to the 2024 White House race.

Both biopics – one a few civil rights activist Bayard Rustin and the second in regards to the first black woman to be elected to Congress and run for president, Shirley Chisholm — are cut from the identical material. These are serious, honest portraits of what it means to demand space when none is out there.

Although biopics are likely to embellish facts for dramatic effect, Regina King revealed that they’d researched the film thoroughly, acquiring every little thing they might find about Chisholm – documentaries, news footage, articles – but crucial source material was Chisholm’s memoirs.Unbought and unbossed“And”Good fight

Is “Shirley” an accurate portrayal of what really happened during Chisholm’s presidential campaign? Let’s separate fact from fiction and establish the film’s historical authenticity.

She was ridiculed for earning the identical as her white colleagues

Early in the film, one in every of her colleagues – a white congressman – tries to belittle Chisholm by repeatedly expressing his disbelief that she, a black woman, earns as much as he does. He harassed Chisholm each day for earning the identical amount as him – $42,500 (about $263,507 today).

“First of all, if you can’t stand the thought of me being 42.5 like you when you see me enter this chamber every day, disappear,” Chisholm told him. “Disappear until I’m seated so you don’t have to confront me about that 42.5. Secondly, you must remember that I am paving the way for many other people who look like me to achieve 42.5.”

In fact, it really happened. However, not only one, but many white colleagues were amazed that a black woman had as much power as they did, a fact confirmed by Professor Glenn L. Starks, Ph.D., co-author of the book “A Seat at the Table: The Life and Times of Shirley Chisholm.” While the character in “Shirley” could have consisted of several people always antagonizing Chisholm over her salary, Chisholm was noted to have used a particular quote from the 2016 film. “Unbought and Powerless” document.y.

I refuse to work for House of Representatives Agriculture Committee

The film also shows an unhappy Chisholm asking House Speaker John McCormack (Ken Strunk) to transfer her portfolio from the House Agriculture Committee, to which she was assigned, since it doesn’t meet the needs of the voters she serves in Brooklyn’s Black and Puerto Rican district. Demanding a transfer was unusual for a newly elected member of Congress.

Contrary to what the movie “Shirley” would have you suspect, based on the New York Times. article from May 10, 1975“Ms. Chisholm, who wanted education and a job, objected to being assigned to the agriculture department not because she opposed the committee itself, but because she was assigned to its forestry and rural subcommittee.”

Although not explicitly shown in the film, Chisholm briefly served on the agriculture committee. She worked on the food stamp program and helped implement the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) before ultimately being transferred to the Department of Veterans Affairs, which she felt was a greater fit for Bedford-Stuyvesant, which she represented. “There are many more veterans than trees in my district,” she is quoted as saying.

Her touchy relationship along with her sister

“Shirley” highlights the strained relationship between Chisholm and her sister Murial (played by Regina’s real-life sister Reina King, who also co-produced the film). In the film, Murial reveals to his sister that the rift between them is essentially as a consequence of Chisholm being their father’s obvious favorite.

In fact, Chisholm was the oldest of 4 girls. She didn’t maintain close relationships with any of them. It is true that Chisholm had an in depth relationship along with her father, Charles St. Hill. Growing up, he taught her the teachings of Marcus Garvey, and upon his death he left her only a small inheritance. Chisholm used the cash to assist finance her first campaign for the New York State Assembly.

The legacy created a wedge between Chisholm, her sisters and her mother from which the family never recovered. When Chisholm died in 2005, Muriel attended her funeral. Her other living sister didn’t.

Marital discord

“Shirley” taps into the growing marital tension between her and her then-husband, Conrad Chisholm, a Jamaican-born private detective who put his profession on hold to work quietly in his wife’s shadow so she could bask in the highlight.

The film also tells the story of Shirley’s early friendship with Arthur Hardwick Jr., who was tasked with managing the funds of her barebones campaign. The two married in 1977.

It really happened. Shirley and Conrad married in 1949. Their divorce was finalized in 1977. “He was so stable, really brilliant, caring, a good cook. Just a really solid person.” said Anastasia Curwoodwriter of “Shirley Chisholm: A Champion of Black Feminist Power Politics.”

Curwood continues: “Her second husband was someone she met very early in her political profession in the New York State House of Assembly. She recognized him. She said she immediately thought he was handsome. They had some banter, but they were each married, and then 10, 12 years later, his wife died and he was suddenly single. At this point, like I said, she was established, she had a profession, she’s not attempting to run for president. I believe she was able and willing to take that risk of becoming a divorcee and marrying the one who I consider truly was the love of her life. It seemed that she was truly in love along with her second husband.

Barbara Lee Mentoring

As depicted in the film, Chisholm first met Barbara Lee in the center of her 1972 presidential campaign. While Chisholm had a profound influence on Lee, who became a firebrand congresswoman herself, she was not as clueless because the Netflix film initially portrays her.

A single mother and college student (which “Shirley” is right about), Lee – who was instrumental in boosting Chisholm’s candidacy – began her political profession before she met Chisholm.

He’s suing TV stations

With the assistance of her national student coordinator Robert Gottlieb (Lucas Hedges), who was also a law student, Chisholm sued the tv networks for denying her the right to seem in the Democratic debates together with the opposite two 1972 Democratic presidential candidates, Hubert H. .Humphrey and George McGovern.

“Shirley” understood the incident well – Chisholm’s team sued and they wonwhich can make it not possible for media giants to disregard it.

Visiting George Wallace after the assassination attempt

As depicted in the film, Chisholm actually met along with her adversary, segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace, in the hospital after he was nearly fatally shot and paralyzed during a political rally in May 1972. Visit with Wallace, who himself ran for president of the yr this yr, was highly controversial and against the desire of her allies. But as a devout Christian, Chisholm believed in forgiveness.

However, the film’s portrayal of this event is a bit too dramatic and makes one think that perhaps the 2 became close friends, which is just not true.

I’m on the lookout for support for the Black Panthers

In the film, Lee arranges a gathering between Chisholm and the Black Panther Party’s defense minister, Huey P. Newton (Brad James), on the Los Angeles home of actress Diahann Carroll (Amirah Vann), hoping to realize their support. Such a gathering took place, and although Newton was skeptical about Chisholm’s easy politics, her stance on the Black Panthers, and her visits to Wallace in the hospital, she manages to persuade him of all the great they will do together for the community and gets the Black Panthers’ support her campaign.

Getting stabbed in the back by key allies

“Shirley” shows that two of Chisholm’s key allies, Ron Dellums (Dorian Missick) and Walter Fauntroy (André Holland), on whom she was counting heavily, switched sides on the last minute, giving all their delegates to McGovern as an alternative. That’s true. It was due to their betrayal that Chisholm needed to withdraw her candidacy and drop out of the race. Although this shook her faith, she and Dellums continued to work closely together for years afterward, because the film’s post-credits recall.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Destiny’s Child reunites to celebrate Michelle Williams’ debut “Death Becomes Her.”

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Michelle Williams, Kelly Rowland, Beyonce, Michelle Williams Kelly Rowland Beyonce, Destiny’s Child, Death Becomes Her, Death Becomes Her Broadway, Death Becomes Her musical, Michelle Williams Death Becomes Her, Michelle Williams Broadway, theGrio.com

It’s been just over 20 years since Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams announced that their destiny had been fulfilled with the discharge of their final studio album Destiny’s Child, however the trio still strongly support one another’s fates.

On Thursday, November 21, it was Michelle Williams’ turn as her former bandmates showed up at New York’s Lunt-Fontanne Theater for the premiere of her latest Broadway show, “Death Becomes Her,” alongside Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles. To celebrate Destiny’s Child’s impromptu return, Beyoncé shared photos from the Broadway show on Saturday, showing the trio hugging backstage. Instagram. The montage featured her duet “Cowboy Carter” with Miley Cyrus, “II Most Wanted” which notably includes the lyric “I’ll be your shotgun rider until the day I die.”

Williams responded to the post, commenting, “I try not to cry too early in the day, BUT…. My sisters forever!”

Beyoncé added on Sunday one other tribute to her longtime friend, a portrait of Williams posing in the home of an empty theater with the caption “My Beauty.”

As reported People MagazineRowland also marked the special day by posting a close-up of her hand holding a “Death Becomes Her” sign to Instagram Stories. “Oh my God!!” – she signed the post.

Williams stars as Viola Van Horn in the brand new musical adaptation of the 1992 hit film starring Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn. Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard bring back the roles of Streep and Hawn – Madeline Ashton and Helen Sharp, respectively. Williams plays the temptress who leads the rival duo to extreme youth and sweetness efforts, with disastrous results. But as she noticed in your individual post honoring her enduring bond with Beyoncé and Kelly, their dynamic stays free from competition.

“They help me shine!!!” – she wrote next to a photograph of the three on the premiere, probably referring to the lyrics and theme of Robert Glasper’s single Experiment “Shine” “This song has been my theme lately, but it also reflects the love in my life!” – she continued. “It’s a blessing!!”


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Lizzo’s unrecognizably slim figure has fans singing her praises years after struggling to lose weight

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lizzo shocking weight loss

Lizzo has lost a number of kilos and it shows.

In recent months, the “Truth Hurts” singer has been documenting her fitness journey, with fans increasingly noticing the singer’s slimming figure in her Instagram posts. Since then, she has been bombarded with the whole lot from comments praising her latest look to accusations that she uses weight loss drugs like Ozempic.

However, after Lizzo’s recent post, some people had a double response.

lizzo shocking weight loss
Lizzo showed off her shocking weight loss over the past few years, which left fans shocked. (Photo: @lizzobeeating/Instagram)

The photos showed her sitting in what appeared to be a service vehicle and taking several selfies at an angle above her head. It’s unclear where she was going, nevertheless it looks like she was trying to achieve a certain look with her outfit.

She posed within the backseat wearing a white off-the-shoulder dress with ruffles. She paired it with denim shorts or a denim bustier, nevertheless it’s hard to tell due to the angle at which Lizzo took the selfie. Another essential element of the styling was the hairstyle.

Lizzo opted for 2 messy and thin braids and wrote within the caption, “Last night I wore milkmaid braids.”

Fans reacted to the photo in disbelief within the comments, considering Lizzo said she used to weigh almost 300 kilos and now seems much smaller.

One person said: “No way this is lizzo.”

Another person wrote: “I can not even recognize what happened to her that she doesn’t appear like herself. I would like to see a greater photo.

A 3rd commenter went thus far as to say, “This is a fake photo. artificial intelligence.”

The “Cuz I Love You” singer is well-known for being the face of body positivity, as lots of her topics in past interviews have focused on self-love within the context of being a plus-size woman within the industry.

(L-R) Lizzo in August. 2022, Lizzo in June 2023 and Lizzo in November. 2024. (Photo: @lizzobeeating/Instagram)

However, earlier this yr, Lizzo shared with The New York Times that she is currently in an area of “body neutrality” when it comes to how she views her body shape.

“The idea of ​​body positivity has been moved away from an outdated mainstream concept,” she says he said“evolved towards body neutrality.”

“There are days when I love my body and there are days when I don’t feel entirely positive,” she added.

Since Lizzo lost some weight after years of promoting body positivity and loving her curves, she hasn’t let bullies and web trolls throw it in her face.

However, the 36-year-old claims that not so fast. She made it clear that her going to the gym and eating higher will not be about losing weight. It’s about being overall healthy.

The “Hustlers” actress clarified this in 2023 in response to one other Tik Tok creator who claimed that Lizzo was “not trying to escape obesity” with her workouts.

“I think a lot of people see a fat person that way and immediately assume that all they do is be thin” – Lizzo he saidaccording. “I’m not trying to be thin. I never want to be thin. Will my body fluctuate from this size? Will I turn into a bit of smaller depending on a few of the selections I make or a bit of larger depending on a few of the selections I make in life. Yes, I’m used to fluctuations.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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“GNX” features Kendrick Lamar at his truest self – Andscape

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Kendrick Lamar has all the time been certainly one of rap’s more fascinating and sensitive artists. He took us into the deep recesses of his past, his way of considering and his motivations. But Lamar’s latest, surprise-titled album features the Compton, California MC as his most raw, unfiltered version of himself. And that is largely due to the feud that modified the trajectory of his profession.

For the past 15 years, Lamar has rigorously crafted his personal story for the masses. A person who claimed to guide a boring life was in a position to convey every aspect of his messages to the world. We discovered he went to Africa when he told us the trip inspired him in 2015. Near the top, we learned that Top Dawg Entertainment CEO Anthony “Top” Tiffith once robbed Lamar’s father. Lamar revealed his own relationship and mental health issues on the show. Unlike, say, Drake, who lives on the Internet and filters most of his personal life through TMZ, NBA courtside memes, and his own ecosystem of rumor mills, Lamar only shows up when he desires to tell us enough to feel a connection to him.

But all the pieces modified in 2024.

The feud with Drake forced Lamar to show to another person who’s putting his business on the road. This caused him to react for the primary time in his profession. And although he eviscerated Drake throughout the whole argument, this exchange of pure aggression taught us more about Lamar than we ever knew. Namely, we learned that Lamar is a compassionate and tender, yet vengeful, Gemini demon seed that’s equal parts hate and love, with each emotions flowing from his pores with the intensity of 1,000,000 warheads. It was through his feud with Drake that we learned what drives Lamar: his must be the perfect, the non-public insult he feels when someone tests him, his love for hip-hop and uniting culture with home, and the undeniable fact that this man I do not know what exaggeration is. We’ve spent the last decade learning lots about Lamar at our own pace, but now we all know what makes him… And I suppose we will thank Drake for that.

gives us a Lamar who has the alternative in his hands. He can ignore the unintentional leakage of a deeply felt ethos and create something latest. Or he can lean on the Lamar we all know and love greater than ever. Fortunately, he selected the latter and gave us an album that, while reflecting more of his complaints, also frees Lamar to point out his love as loudly as ever before. Sure, his harsh attacks on rapper Snoop Dogg I’m posting a Drake diss track earlier this 12 months and his sadness over rapper Lil Wayne’s anger at not being chosen for the Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans in February 2025 will make headlines like other victory laps on Drake ‘at. But the album can also be a tribute to the influences that made Lamar who he’s.

In fact, it’s an old-school Buick, and the sounds of the album appear to be the music Lamar listened to when he was a child, driving around in certainly one of these classic cars. We get a Luther Vandross sample, interpolations of a Tupac Shakur song, an SWV hook, and a complete lot of West Coast tracks backed by DJ Mustard. This last one is particularly necessary to handle, dear reader, because many individuals check with these songs – “hey now”, “tv off” and “dodger blue” amongst them – as mere “Not Like Us” riffs. Please ignore them as they arrive from an era and understanding of hip-hop that doesn’t bear in mind regional sounds and a real love for music that sounds at home. In their very own way, these songs are also a rebuke to Drake. You see, the Canadian MC from “Houstalantavegas“fame helped usher in an era of Frankenstein music that connected so many regions that it became increasingly difficult to inform Atlanta from New York or Los Angeles from Chicago. But Kendrick uploaded the album clearly G-Funk inspired, synth driven, powerful The West Coast sound powered by the biggest producer within the region. Each song appears like it could possibly be a Super Bowl halftime hit and features hometown rappers (Dody 6, Sam Dew, Roddy Ricch and more), continuing the show’s theme of bringing the neighborhood together.

But it’s the opposite moments, those during which Lamar is menacingly introspective, chest out after crushing his rap peer, which can be as triumphant as DJ Mustard’s horns. “man at the Garden” is already amongst my most played songs of November. The song is inspired by Nas’ “One Mic,” one other early influence, and features the affirmative chorus “.” The song is not as up-tempo as protest anthems “Alright” or “Not Like Us,” but it surely has a chant that helps listeners end our own battle with imposter syndrome. “,” he raps on the track.

But Lamar’s Gemini tendencies are showing again on the album as he stands proud his chest and reflects on his flaws. ON “heart part 6” Lamar walks us through the formation of Top Dawg Entertainment and his group Black Hippy, while taking blame for the group’s shortcomings and admitting where he might have been more mature. This is the sort of vulnerability we have come to expect from Lamar, but it surely feels much more real because we all know him higher now.

The “Heart” series normally appears before Lamar’s album release. Add that to the very fact preview fragment the album features two cars and a song that wasn’t on the album, and it looks like we’ve got one other full-length project on the way in which. Lamar has been releasing songs during American holidays since his feud with Drake began, so I would not be surprised if there was a song for Thanksgiving, or somewhat MLK Day releases (which took place per week before the presidential inauguration). Either way, perhaps we’ll get a project that tells a whole story, like most of Lamar’s albums.

For now, we will bask within the organic, chaotic, experimental reality of the brand new Lamar, who feels most familiar and down-to-earth at the same time as his profession enters a special stratosphere.

DavidDennis Jr. is a senior author at Andscape and the writer of the award-winning book “The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride.” David is a graduate of Davidson College.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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