Oh, happy day! We feel like shouting this Friday, ya’ll! But rather than make a joyful noise in the church house, Sierra Allen examines the ways many Black millennials are redefining church and their own spiritual journeys. Our BLAC Friday playlist is a nod to that, with some of our favorite gospel-influenced hip hop.
In other news, the NFL gives us a reason to lift our hands with the first-ever Black woman official taking the field, Robin Thede’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” makes Emmy history, Wendy Williams delays the start of her talk show’s 13th season, a Michigan lawmaker is jailed and the DOJ announces a new policy for chokeholds and no-knock warrants.
Turn to your neighbor and say, “TGIF.”
-Billy and the team at BLAC Magazine
Best of the Rest is a roundup of things you may not have known that you needed to know. Yet here we are. To get the Best of the Rest in your inbox every Friday. Subscribe to BLAC Friday’s. Your inbox will thank you.
THE BEST OF REST for September 17th 2021
NFL’s first Black woman official
On the first Sunday of the 2021-22 NFL season, Maia Chaka became the first Black woman to officiate an NFL game. In addition to being a history-making trailblazer, the 38 year old is a high school health and phys ed teacher at Renaissance Academy in Virginia Beach, VA. (The Undefeated, Bleacher Report)
“A Black Lady Sketch Show” makes history
Daysha Broadway, Jessica Hernandez and Stephanie Filo took home top honors for editing the “Sister, May I Call You Oshun” episode of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” at the creative arts Emmys this past weekend. They made history as the first editing team comprised only of women of color to be nominated for and win the award. (Essence, Because of Them We Can)
Wendy Williams tests positive for COVID-19
Radio and TV legend Wendy Williams has delayed the start of her talk show’s 13th season after testing positive for COVID-19. This news comes just one week after she announced that she needed to cancel promotion for the Emmy-nominated program for “ongoing health issues.” (The Root, NY Daily News)
Nicki Minaj spreads COVID-19 vaccine misinformation
In the same week that her husband is facing a 10-year prisonsentence after pleading guilty for failing to register as a sex offender in California, Nicki Minaj was flamed on Twitter — again this summer — with a claim that spread major misinformation about the COVID vaccine. Her tweets forced global health experts to assure the public that the covid vaccine does not cause swollen testicles or infertility — proof that this pandemic can always get stranger. (Detroit News, Global News, Washington Post)
Get BLAC Fridays
Michigan lawmaker is arrested and hid handcuff key in jail
After violating bond for the third time since an April arrest, Michigan state Rep. Jewell Jones, a Democrat who represents the metro Detroit city of Inkster, was jailed this week. While undergoing intake, jail officials allege they found a handcuff key taped to his foot. Since the discovery, Jones has been stripped of his legislative committee posts “due to increasing disruptive and distracting behavior.” (TheGrio, Detroit Free Press, WXYZ-Detroit)
Justice Department announces limits on chokeholds and no-knock warrants
The Department of Justice stated new limits on chokeholds and no-knock warrants in new policy for federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the DEA and the US Marshals. Specifically, the policy bans chokeholds, “unless agents are in a situation that calls for deadly force.” No-knock warrants are barred unless federal law enforcement can reasonably show the “imminent threat of physical violence” to an agent or another person. Special approval is also required from the law enforcement agency and a federal prosecutor for no-knock warrants. This policy is for federal agencies only and does not apply to state and local law enforcement. (The Root)
Facebook Comments