Opinion
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Source: United States Attorney’s Office / DOJ
A few years ago, four men were brutally butchered to death in a park in Long Island, New York. Now, a female participant in the murder has been sentenced to five decades in prison for her role in the grisly killings.
The New York Post is reporting that MS-13 member Leniz “Diablita” Escobar has just been slapped with a 50-year prison stint for luring the unsuspecting men to the park where other MS-13 members waited to murder the men for disrespecting their gang in April of 2017. U.S. Judge Joseph Bianco said that Escobar aka “Diablita” (Little Devil) “enthusiastically” set the men up to be murdered by her cohorts after they posted social media content mocking the hand signs that MS-13 uses to represent their gang.
Only 17 years old at the time of the murders, the now 24-year-old Escobar expresses regret for her actions as she faces a lengthy prison sentence for the four deaths she helped spur on.
The New York Post reports:
“All I can do is hurt,” she said tearfully. “Every breath reminds me that they are not here and their families are in pain. If I could trade places with them and take away that pain, I would.”
Escobar was only 17 when she convinced other members of the MS-13 gang to kill Miguel Lopez, 20, Justin Llivicura, 16, and Jefferson Villalobos and Jose Tigre, both 18, by showing them social media pictures of the victims supposedly mocking the group with gang signs.
She felt “personally offended” that one of the victims had worn items typically associated with the gang even though he was not a member,” Assistant US Attorney Megan Farrell said.
She then lured the young men to the park under the pretense of smoking marijuana with them, according to Farrell.
After her fellow gang members hacked the men to death with machetes (MS-13’s preferred weapon of choice), Escobar not only bragged about her role in the murderous plot but even told them to rid themselves of the evidence and do what they could to evade authorities. It gets worse.
During the trial two years ago, one witness testified that Escobar smiled while the victims were killed and even licked their blood off her lips when it got on her shirt.
“She was one of the most culpable people,” Farrell said Tuesday. “Without her, these murders would not have occurred.”
Though relatives of the victims felt she deserved the death penalty, prosecutors argued for a 65-year sentence before the judge settled on a 50-year bid.
Interestingly enough, Escobar has used her time in prison to better herself as she’s not only earned her high school degree but also leads a Bible study group behind bars. Bible Study with la “Diablita.” Go figure.
Don’t be surprised if Donald Trump references this particular case going forward on the campaign trail as the man revels in hate, division and fear mongering. Just sayin’.
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Donald Trump appeared on a livestream hosted by Adin Ross to boost his presidential campaign, but social media wasn’t too impressed.On Monday (August 5), Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump had a unique event on his campaign schedule. He appeared as the special guest on a live stream hosted by streamer Adin Ross on the Kick platform, which reportedly drew an audience of over 580,000. “Today is going to be the most important stream I’ve ever done,” he said to start the interview, which was held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump walked in to 50 Cent’s hit “Many Men”, which he adopted after the thwarted attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania last month. Ross sported a “Make America Great Again” hat as he asked Trump various softball questions on supposed liberal bias in schools (“Even the teachers have been brainwashed, Trump said) to allowing Trump to give one-word reactions to images of politicians such as California Governor Gavin Newsome (who Trump called “New-scum”) to Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The interview, which lasted 90 minutes, also featured Trump repeating his attacks on Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris including his racist comments about her Black and Indian heritage. Trump also praised Ross’ deferential treatment of him, and said that his youngest son Barron was a “big fan”. Ross also brought up the racketeering case against Young Thug and asked if there was a way he could be treated fairly. “He’s gotta be treated fair,” Trump replied. Ross then gave Trump a Rolex watch valued at $300,000. The two then went outside as Ross gifted Trump a Tesla Cybertruck with a custom wrap featuring the photo of Trump after he was shot at during the Butler rally.
Ross has a highly controversial history that includes platforming white supremacist Nick Fuentes and being buddies with alleged sex trafficker Andrew Tate. The 23-year-old followed Tate to the Kick platform after being banned from Twitch for using homophobic slurs in addition to racist and anti-Semitic slurs (Ross is Jewish) and showing pornographic images and videos during his streams. Social media users derided Ross’ interview, noting he hadn’t reached the 1 million viewers he claimed it would get. They also questioned his gifts to Trump, speculating he might’ve violated campaign finance rules.“The evidence suggests that Ross made or sought to make an illegal contribution, so he could face civil penalties,” said campaign watchdog Brendan Fisher.
Check out more reactions to the interview below.
1. Elgin Barrett Eugene Smith III
2. Alex Shulz
3. PELICANS_ENTHUSIAST
4. Matt, Dad Hat Enthusiast
5. Wild Geerters
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The gworls are mad, and no I am not referring to the ones we love.
On Tuesday (July 30), after breaking the internet with an overwhelming amount of support following President Biden’s nomination, vice president and presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, held her first presidential rally in Atlanta with the support of an array of artists including Quavo, Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion alongside lawmakers Stacey Abrams and Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
Megan Thee Stallion brought the heat to Vice President Kamala Harris’ first presidential campaign rally, coining the slogan “Hotties for Harris” and sending conservatives into a meltdown. Her performance at the Georgia State Convocation Center was a far cry from her headlining set at State Farm Arena earlier this month. This time, she traded her shimmering leotard for a sleek blue pantsuit, dialed down the twerking, and censored her lyrics. Despite these adjustments, she still had her back-up dancers and a setlist featuring hits like “Savage,” “Girls in the Hood,” and “Body.”
“We’re about to make history!” shouted Megan Thee Stallion while rapping her Grammy-winning hit “Savage,” wearing a Democrat blue suit and a tie with a cropped white shirt revealing her midriff. Visible from the stage was also a sign that read “Hotties For Harris.”
Despite her conservative approach, the haters took to the internet to share their unsolicited opinions, with one right-wing commentator taking to X (formerly Twitter) to label the left-wing movement as “pure ghetto trash.” He continued with a list of derogatory movements supposedly supporting the presumptive Democratic nominee: “H*es for Harris, Hoodrats for Harris, Single Black Momalas for Kamala, White Dudes for Harris.”
The responses were swift and scathing, rightly calling out the racism and hypocrisy in his tone. “Trump has Kid Rock,” one reply noted. “What’s the difference?” Another chimed in, “Using racist inflammatory language to get attention as a grown man is WEIRD.” The misogyny and double standards couldn’t be more glaring.
Trump took a moment from berating his supporters and dodging court dates to chime into the conversation, further spurring his supporters, saying: “Crazy Kamala Harris, voted the WORST Vice President in American history, needed a concert to bring people into the Atlanta arena, and they started leaving 5 minutes into her speech,” the former president wrote on TruthSocial. “I don’t need concerts or entertainers, I just have to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
While this is expected from the weirdos on the right, what was alarming was the continued disrespect towards both Meg Thee Stallion and VP Harris by Black men. The rolled-up edge community and yellow-teethed brothers united and stepped out of their mother’s basements to join the pathetic party of men throwing vitriol at two successful Black women at the top of their field. From slut-shaming to their continued troll method of writing “Free Tory,” the misogynoir hate train was in full swing.
It’s time to address the pervasive misogyny and misogynoir targeting Megan Thee Stallion, Vice President Kamala Harris, and countless other women. Malcolm X once said, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman.” This stark reality is evident in the disdain aimed at these prominent figures. The statistics are equally alarming: According to the CDC, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. African American women are disproportionately affected by intimate partner violence, facing rates significantly higher than their white counterparts proving that this abuse isn’t just a personal issue—it’s a societal failure.
Megan and VP Harris symbolize resilience and success, yet they are subjected to demeaning rhetoric that seeks to undermine their achievements and humanity. This behavior perpetuates a toxic culture that devalues all women, especially Black women. To create a more equitable society, we must stand against these injustices by elevating women’s voices, celebrating their accomplishments, and confronting discriminatory attitudes.
By stopping misogyny and misogynoir, we not only protect and honor the dignity of women like Megan Thee Stallion and VP Kamala Harris, but we also create a more just and equitable society for all women. The fight against these harmful biases is not just a women’s issue; it’s a human rights imperative.
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The sister and niece of Barack Obama were tear-gassed during protests in Kenya’s capital city during a live broadcast.
Protesters filled the streets of Nairobi on Tuesday (June 25), in fierce opposition to a new tax policy levied by the government after a controversial vote. The protests became more tense and violent after the military was summoned, and the elder half-sister of former President Barack Obama, activist Auma Obama, and his niece, Akinyi Obama-Manners, were caught up in a wave of tear gas deployed by police as they were being interviewed by CNN’s international correspondent Larry Madowo. The moment was captured live as Obama explained that she was compelled to take part in the protests because “young Kenyans are demonstrating for their rights.”
“I can’t even see anymore. We are being tear-gassed…” Obama continued as the entire group was subdued by the wave of tear gas, forcing them to leave the scene. “This is one of the most heavy military responses I have seen,” Madowo said on-air, noting the heavy military response to the unarmed protesters turning the streets of Nairobi into “what appears to be a war zone.”
The interview resumed over a minute later, as the 64-year-old activist told Meadow, “I can’t believe that these young people are just trying to demonstrate for their rights… and we are being tear-gassed. We have flags and banners, nothing else.” She went on to describe how the new tax policies – which include a 16% sales tax on bread and a 25% tax increase on cooking oil – would particularly hurt the younger generation of Kenyans. “Over 50% of our population who are under 35 have no jobs. We cannot tax them when they have no jobs,” Obama said.
Protesters would seize access to parts of Kenya’s parliament building at the height of the protests. However, the protests would result in 23 people reported killed by the police, with 50 people alleged to have been abducted by security forces, according to Faith Odhiambo, the president of the Law Society of Kenya. President Rufo addressed the nation and declared that he would not sign the bill in the wake of the violence. “Listening keenly to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this finance bill, I concede, and therefore, I will not sign the 2024 finance bill, and it shall subsequently be withdrawn,” he said in a speech aired on Wednesday (June 26).
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Donald Trump’s comments on the campaign trail have raised alarms from those noting his “unwell” behavior and media’s reluctance to call it out.
The mounting collection of bizarre remarks by Donald Trump on the presidential campaign trail has caused observers to note how “deeply unwell” he is and to question why more media outlets and figures aren’t calling for an examination of his mental faculties. “(But) Trump is obviously unfit—and something is profoundly wrong with a political environment in which he can now say almost anything, no matter how weird,” writes Tom Nichols for The Atlantic in a column, pointing to Trump’s most recent rally this past weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, which left many observers aghast.
At that campaign rally, Trump went into a rambling rant about electric batteries and sharks: “So I said, let me ask you a question, and he said, nobody ever asked this question and it must be because of MIT, my relationship to MIT. Very smart. He goes, I say, what would happen if the boat sank from its weight? And you’re in the boat and you have this tremendously powerful battery and the battery is now underwater and there’s a shark that’s approximately 10 yards over there, by the way, a lot of shark attacks lately, do you notice that?”
“I am not a psychiatrist, and I am not diagnosing Trump with anything. I am, however, a man who has lived on this Earth for more than 60 years, and I know someone who has severe emotional problems when I see them played out in front of me over and over,” Nichols wrote, adding: “The 45th president is deeply unwell. It is long past time for Americans, including those in public life, to recognize his inability to serve as the 47th.” EJ Montini of the Arizona Republic has also called out the media’s reluctance in a column, writing: “Too many respectable journalists and respectable journalistic institutions have allowed the fear of appearing biased to prevent them from being honest.” He cited the Las Vegas remarks as “the kind of thing that would be worrisome if done by an elderly member of your family.”
As the presumptive Republican nominee continues to campaign, there seems to be no end to the comments. In a meeting with Republicans at Capitol Hill on Thursday, Trump stated that “Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city,” while also declaring – again – an affinity for fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter.
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Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) is having a terrible week when it comes to his tryouts to be the running mate of convicted felon and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. On two separate networks, CNN and MSNBC, Donalds saw his hypocrisy get called out to his face.
In case you’re unaware, recently while in Philadelphia, Donalds went full Uncle Tom and infamously said that Black people were better off under Jim Crow. That would be the same Jim Crow era where Blacks in Southern states were disenfranchised (read: they couldn’t even vote), routinely lynched for the most minor of offenses and pretty much lived in terror for simply trying to live.
“You see, during Jim Crow, the Black family was together. During Jim Crow, more Black people were not just conservative — Black people have always been conservative-minded — but more Black people voted conservatively,” Donalds said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
As expected, and after a rebuke from Democrats including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Donalds insisted his words were taken out of context.
Considering his documented tomfoolery, booking Donalds already gets you the side eye, but at least the Black women asking the questions, in this case Joy Reid and Abby Phillip, held his tap dancing feet to the fire.
Let’s start on CNN, where Phillip was first to make Donalds a spokesman for Team Ya Played Yourself. While appearing on CNN’s Newsnight on Wednesday evening (June 5), he conceded that Black people are better off now but insisted that marriage rates were higher for Blacks during Jim Crow, so there’s that. “All I was doing is referring to the time periods when you talk about the historical timelines in America and coinciding with Black families and what their marriage rate in Black families are,” he said.
Yeah, okay, that’s what he meant—#sarcasm. Then Donalds went into suspect GOP talking point mode by claiming Donald Trump’s policies have served Black Americans better than Biden’s, adding, “If you’re actually going to compare economic policies and public policies between the 45th president and 46 president, it’s without question, they were better under the 45th.”
To this, Phillip had to retort. “I’m going to interrupt you on the facts, Congressmen,” she said. “The Black unemployment rate was the lowest in American history under Joe Biden…. The poverty rate for Black people is the lowest under Joe Biden’s [administration]. So you cannot say empirically for Black people that from a financial level things were better under Trump.”
Donalds then started flapping his gums about inflation and wealth that amounted to copping pleas. But the real burn came courtesy of Joy Reid. On Thursday evening (June 6), while on MSNBC’s The Reid Out, Donalds again insisted he was initially misquoted about the Jim Crow comments.
“The stuff that comes up about Jim Crow, and twisting my words saying I was being nostalgic or Jim Crow was good for Black people, that’s all political spin. It’s a lie,” said Donalds. “It’s gaslighting and that’s truly unfortunate.”
Reid then replied with receipts. “Here’s the challenge, Congressman,” she said. “You started out talking about your family, talking about your mom, talking about being raised. And you on your own brought up Jim Crow. In fact, you said Jim Crow three times for emphasis. It wasn’t the media or the Democrats or gaslighters who brought up Jim Crow. It was you. You brought up Jim Crow. So why did you use Jim Crow specifically as your reference? You did that, no one else did that, you did it.”
The conversation continued with Reid pointing out this controversy was Donalds’ own doing, but she saved the real burn for the end of their chat. “Last question, and then I’m going to let you go. One more question,” said Reid. “During Jim Crow, could your family have existed? You are in an interracial marriage. Your wife, and a white conservative activist. Could your family have existed at all during Jim Crow?”
Got ’em.
“No, it could not, and we all know that,” said Donalds. “That’s why I’m blessed to live in America today, as opposed to America during that time. But we cannot ignore the realities of not having fathers in homes. That is important to our Black people today and all people today as we move forward toward a better America.”
Donalds has been getting cooked on social media ever since. You can see for yourself in the gallery. below Be careful, the MAGA cult is foaming at the mouth defending their latest Op of color, respectfully.
15. Also, let’s never forget.
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New York City Mayor Eric Leroy Adams loves feigning like he’s adjacent to Hip-Hop, even if his record shows that just isn’t the case. Nevertheless, Adams recently sat down for an interview with the popular Drink Champs podcast, and the reaction has been less than enthusiastic.
That’s being kind as rapper NORE and his outlet are getting slandered on X (formerly known as Twitter) for platforming the NYPD cop turned Brooklyn Borough President and now NYC Mayor.
Recently, Adams appeared on The Breakfast Club, which was also highly criticized, and he got absolutely cooked by activist, lawyer and political commentator Olayemi Olurin, who called him out on his hypocrisy, noted the racial profiling by NYPD and had him evading her questions. While Olurin is clearly highly familiar with policy (and got harrassed by NYPD brass), we mean no disrespect when we say NORE and his co-host DJ EFN are not on the same intellectual level to challenge Adams on his actions. Not that it should matter, anyway, but we won’t hold our breath when it comes to the likelihood of the Drink Champs crew asking tough questions.
But don’t shoot the messenger, peep the reactions to NYC Mayor Eric Adams on Drink Champs in the gallery.
9. Eric Adams on Drink Champs
Source:Revolt
Eric Adams on Drink Champs eric adams on drink champs
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The former spokesperson for right-wing figure Kyle Rittenhouse is telling all to combat bigotry – and it’s not pretty.
As Kyle Rittenhouse is trying to capitalize on his infamy after being acquitted of shooting three people at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin to be a conservative voice, a person who was once the spokesperson for him and his family during his criminal trial is now coming forward to expose his true nature. David Hancock, a retired Navy SEAL, dropped a bombshell in a post on X, formerly Twitter on Monday (April 1), detailing how much went into remaking Rittenhouse’s image. Which included getting the middle school dropout a rushed high school diploma.
https://x.com/davehan06/status/1774751376889057282?s=46
“Regarding his online high school diploma, we had to force him to complete the four years of credits in just ten months, which he did using the “Google machine,” Hancock revealed before adding how Rittenhouse also had applied to join the Marines but couldn’t even pass the basic aptitude test. As another user on X, RogerZenAF explained, “The maximum score on the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery – the test to get into the military) is 99. The minimum score to join the Marine Corps is 31. Surprising absolutely no one, Kyle Rittenhouse scored “far below” the required minimum.” Rittenhouse would ultimately be barred permanently from joining the Corps after sending in a video of himself stripping an AR-15 unsolicited to recruiters.
The actions of Rittenhouse during and after his trial, who Hancock says “believes he is the show pony we created” soured Hancock about working further with him. “Instead, he squandered a full scholarship to study any subject at any university in the country to become a divisive douchebag and antagonize black Americans on college campuses,” he wrote. “Kyle failed to learn a single thing. He remains the same uneducated, arrogant, and antagonistic individual, incapable of telling the truth.” The 21-year-old was recently booed off the stage at an event at the University of Memphis held by the conservative Turning Point USA group.
Hancock would also issue an apology to one of the men Rittenhouse shot, Paul Prediger aka Gaige Grosskreutz. Prediger was at the Kenosha protests as an ACLU observer with a legal concealed carry permit and medical training, which was in contrast to Rittenhouse and his defense team’s arguments in the 2021 trial.
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Joe Budden, whose only hit single, “Pump It Up,” finally achieved Gold status in 2023, is weighing in on the current state of “girl Rap:—calling the fan-created sub-sector “over.”
During his most recent episode of the Joe Budden Podcast, the former Love & Hip Hop star called out “girl rappers” while sharing his disdain for the bars after Cardi B released her highly-anticipated song, “Like What.”
“Y’all ain’t gonna want to hear it from me, but the girl rapper wave is over. Just telling you what it is,” Budden said. “The cream rises to the top, so Latto shall remain; Flo Milli shall remain; Rapsody will always be there, but she wasn’t really a part of [that scene]. But all of that, ‘Go find a girl, send her to Columbia, get it done, put her in the studio with f*cking Mike WiLL [Made-It] or any one of them n-ggas’—all that planting the girl in the scene, getting the record and it taking off—that wave is over.”
Budden’s scorching hot take came on the heels of Cardi B’s “Like What (Freestyle),” in which during the show, he suggested that the Bronx-bred MC is “scared” to release her highly-anticipated album over fears of the potential backlash awaiting her.
“Cardi B is afraid, and I’m tired of just nobody saying it,” said Budden. “Cardi B is scared to come out, it don’t take this long to come out.”
While Budden made a few valid points regarding the carbon copy method currently being used by the industry across the board, asserting his opinion when women are dominating and their male counterparts are fighting for their lives and starving for mentors is disingenuous. The continued lack of true concern over the problematic messaging that pushes drug use, violence and misogyny toward women in music and male-only podcast spaces aimed at men is alarming.
It also has to be noted that as a former artist, to see Budden play into the attempt to divide women in Rap from their male counterparts is not only reductive but also divisive in a genre that women had a major hand in co-creating. Then to announce that female rappers are “done” as if you have authority in the space is not only asinine but also egregious because it’s not supported by any facts.
In 2021, Cardi B made history in early March, becoming the first female rapper to have five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Two years after she won Best Rap Album at the 2019 Grammys. That same year, Megan Thee Stallion picked up three awards, including Best New Artist. Doja Cat and Chika each received Grammy nominations in different categories–during that time and since, the new school of male rappers were absent.
Even though she hasn’t released a full album since 2018, Cardi B has been consistently putting out music. Following the release of Invasion of Privacy, Cardi has dropped six Top 100 singles (“Please Me,” “Hot Sh-t,” “Up,” “Bongos,” “Tomorrow 2 (Remix)” and the highly-decorated single, “WAP”)—which is why Offset took to Instagram to post the caption: “Stop being scary and drop the album s–t goes crazy [fire emoji].”
Regardless of how you feel about the messaging of female artists, for the last five years, women have been leading the pack. When gun violence and drugs were taking out some of Rap’s biggest artists, women were stepping up and making a name for themselves by giving listeners an alternative to murder music. The emboldened sound, reminiscent of the glam girl rap Lil’ Kim created, ushered in a new wave of boss women who weren’t taking any mess—but that’s seemingly why Joey and his band of incels are upset.
To continue to use the “BBL” and “lipo” comments as a rule only for women when men are getting them too—we all saw Funk Flex live in action on the table bumping “CREAM.” Let’s not forget Kanye West and Drake (allegedly)—yet no public slander or mention of it while deducing women in the same genre are doing the same thing as gimmicks, doesn’t make sense. Especially when the gimmick being used on young men is to have “opps” or be drug kingpins and gang leaders.
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The truth is, most of these men with opinions on women in anything need to find a young man to mentor and coach to sub-par-dom, because the whole trying to get clicks off of hating on someone who made it further than you thing is over.
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“I never had dinner with the president!” – Ice Cube (“No Vaseline”)
O’Shea Jackson’s jab at Eric Wright on the scathing diss track aimed at his former N.W.A family carried significant weight in 1991. At the time, the president represented the power that was oppressive to the Hip-Hop community. A group like N.W.A didn’t participate in a lunch benefiting the Republican Senatorial inner circle, which was hosted by then-President George H. W. Bush. And the idea that Eazy-E did just that painted him out to be a traitor to the community.
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We fought the power for change in our community, we didn’t fraternize with the power in an attempt to join their fraternity. And any individual in the Hip-Hop community who didn’t adhere to these unwritten laws was subject to being publicly tarred and feathered. No questions asked.
Fast forward to 2024 and, as The Notorious B.I.G. once said “Things Done Changed.”
The power that we were up against in the 80s and 90s has changed shape over the years. It’s a little more complicated to figure out who “The Power” is now when the economics and landscape have been modified, altered and remodeled. In some ways it has changed for the better but, as they always say—the more things change, the more they stay the same.
“Sharing our platforms and our audiences with individuals who have spent the majority of their careers in the spotlight disparaging the very communities we come from is a dangerous proposition.”