Dwyane Wade praised Marlon Wayans for joining him in showing "unconditional love" to their transgender children.
Dwyane Wade is praising Marlon Wayans for joining him in showing “unconditional love” to their transgender children.
Wayans appeared on The Breakfast Club earlier this month where he opened up about his transgender son Kai and using the experience in his next comedy special.
“My daughter Amai is now Kai,” he shared. “I talk about the transition―not their transition, but my transition as a parent, going from ignorance and denial to complete and unconditional love and acceptance. I think there’s a lot of parents out there that need to have that message. I know, I’m dealing with it. It was a very painful situation for me.”
Marlon Wayans speaks on his daughter Amai transitioning into his trans son Kai… “I told my daughter you transitioning into your brother… You look just like him pic.twitter.com/6yR65OC3ii
Wade, who announced publicly that his daughter Zaya had come out as transgender in 2020, applauded Wayans Thursday, Nov. 16 at the GQ Men of the Year Awards.
“I think unconditional love allows us to step in and listen and learn of what we do not know and what we were not taught, especially in the Black community,” Wade told Variety. “I salute Marlon for speaking out and speaking up about this experience with his child just the same way as I’ve done. We’re just the voices that are speaking for our kids right now before they get an opportunity to grab that microphone and speak for themselves. I salute him.”
Wade continued, “This is his experience and what he’s dealing with. He’s coming out selling it from his point of view. It’s great for fathers especially to speak on them from their point of view and how they had to handle it and deal with it.”
Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union-Wade, have become proud advocates for the LGBTQ+ community since Zaya came out as trans at 12 years old. The couple has faced criticism from the likes of Boosie Badazz and others who criticized the parents for allowing Zaya to transition at a young age.
In June, the NBA champion appeared at the Creative Artists Agency Amplify event in Ojai, California, where he spoke about the backlash his family faced due to the “miseducation” many have about the transgender community.
“I became all kinds of things because I support my child and being who she is. I’ve become gay,” he said, as cited by Today. “I think the hardest part about it is shutting out the world and shutting out the people that really are not in (our) circle. But they have opinions and we are public-facing family.”
Adele’s Alleged Confirmation of Marriage to Rich Paul Sparks Online Buzz
Adele has allegedly confirmed her marriage to sports agent Rich Paul on Nov. 18, adding a layer of intrigue to the Grammy winner's personal life.
In a recent turn of events, British singer Adele purportedly confirmed her marriage to sports agent Rich Paul on Nov. 18, adding a layer of intrigue to the Grammy winner’s personal life, according to Daily Mail. Speculations about their marital status arose last year, and the recent buzz heightened when Adele referred to Paul as her ‘husband.’
The reported confirmation unfolded during comedian Alan Carr’s comedy show in Los Angeles, where Adele, 35, was in attendance. According to eyewitnesses, when Carr inquired about recent marriages in the audience, Adele enthusiastically shouted, “I did.” The small and intimate show witnessed the songstress heckling Carr, emphasizing their close friendship.
An audience member at the Alan Carr show explained: ‘I was at Alan Carr’s comedy show in LA tonight, and Adele was in the audience. Alan asked the crowd if anyone got married recently, and Adele shouted, “I did.”’
Rich Paul, 41, addressed marriage rumors in a recent interview on CBS Mornings, acknowledging their two-year relationship and mutual support. Despite affirming a positive space in their lives, Paul remained coy when questioned about their marital status, emphasizing his preference for privacy.
In the interview with CBS Mornings, Rich Paul states, “I’m in a good space, we’re in a good space. Happy. She’s superb. She’s been great for me. We’ve been great for each other.”
Adele previously alluded to her relationship with Paul during a Las Vegas concert in September, shutting down a fan’s marriage proposal by stating, “I’m with Rich.” The couple first went public with their relationship in July 2021, seated courtside at an NBA game.
The singer, known for her candidness, admires Paul’s sense of humor and intelligence. She has worn a pear-shaped diamond ring on her left ring finger for about a year, dismissing engagement rumors as a preference for high-end jewelry.
Adele, a mother to 10-year-old Angelo from her previous marriage to Simon Konecki, shared her desire for more children during a recent Vegas performance. The singer and Konecki divorced in 2019, with Adele undergoing therapy to cope with the aftermath.
The confirmation of Adele’s marriage at Carr’s show adds a sentimental touch to their friendship, as Adele officiated Carr’s wedding. However, Carr and his partner announced their separation in January 2022 after 13 years together and three years of marriage.
As Adele navigates personal and professional milestones, the public eagerly awaits further insights into her alleged marriage and the events surrounding her absence from recent basketball games.
71-Year-Old Illinois Man Arrested After Being Accused Of Killing Man In Nursing Home Over Laundry
William Paschall was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after being accused of beating a man to death in a nursing home
An Illinois man was arrested after being accused of allegedly beating a man to death in a nursing home after a dispute regarding a washing machine.
According to a news release posted by the Joliet Police Department, nursing home resident William Paschall was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery to a person 60 years of age or older. The 71-year-old Joilet man was taken and booked at the Will County Adult Detention Facility.
The alleged incident occurred at the Salem Village Nursing and Rehabilitation on Nov. 17 at 9:25 p.m. Police officers responded to a call that a battery had taken place on the sixth floor of the nursing home. When police arrived, they found an unresponsive 61-year-old man in the nursing home’s laundry room. The facility staff provided him with medical assistance until the Joliet Fire Department paramedics arrived. After attempts to save the victim, he was pronounced dead on the scene by the Will County Coroner’s Office.
Police officials revealed that Paschall allegedly attacked the unnamed victim while both were in the laundry room. Paschall became upset “about the victim’s use of the washing machine.” He reportedly pounced on the 61-year-old, hit him on the head several times, and then used the victim’s walker in the attack. It was reported that the victim fell to the ground, leaving him unresponsive. There was a staff member present who tried to stop the assault. A 911 call was placed to the police officers as nursing home staff members attempted to save the victim.
The Daily Herald reported that Sgt. Dwayne English said, “It is believed that Paschall punched the victim in the head multiple times and used the victim’s walker in the attack, causing the victim to fall to the floor.”
The Will County Coroner’s Office will determine the cause of death.
Michael B. Jordan Set To Reprise Dual-Role As Actor And Director On Creed IV
Producer Irwin Winkler confirmed the eagerly awaited Creed IV is officially in the pipeline, with Michael B. Jordan returning as director.
In a video posted Nov. 18 on Deadline Hollywood’s social media account on X, formerly known as Twitter, producer Irwin Winkler confirmed the eagerly awaited Creed IV is officially in the pipeline, with an exciting twist — Michael B. Jordan will be stepping into the director’s chair, according to People.
The announcement unfolded during an interview, with Winkler divulging the news in videos posted on X. At 92, Winkler shared that filming is anticipated to commence in approximately a year. When probed about Jordan’s role in the Rocky franchise, Winkler humorously let the secret slip, stating, “I’m not supposed to say, but he will be,” eliciting laughter from the audience.
According to the outlet, Winkler’s confirmation of the movie came on the heels of discussions on the challenges posed by the SAG-AFTRA strike, which reportedly caused a delay in the pre-production process. Undeterred, Winkler expressed enthusiasm for continuing the franchise, assuring fans that they have a compelling story and plot in store for the sports drama.
In the third installment, Creed III, original cast members, including Jordan, Phylicia Rashad, Tessa Thompson, and Wood Harris, made a triumphant return. Notably, it marked the first film in the franchise without Sylvester Stallone reprising his iconic role as Rocky Balboa.
Stallone, 77, shared his regret about Creed III’s creative direction, stating in a 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, “It was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would’ve taken it.” He expressed a preference for a more sentimental approach, asserting, “I like my heroes getting beat up, but I just don’t want them going into that dark space.”
Meanwhile, Jordan, 36, who portrays Adonis Creed, highlighted his comfort in transitioning to the directorial role. In a virtual Q&A in October 2022, he remarked, “I finally got to this place in my career where I really wanted to tell a story, you know, and not just be in front of the camera, not just execute somebody else’s vision,” said Jordan about the unique opportunity to delve into Adonis Creed’s character after portraying him twice before.
As anticipation builds for Creed IV, fans can look forward to Michael B. Jordan’s sophomore run in the dual role as director and actor, promising a fresh perspective on the beloved sports-drama franchise.
Massachusetts Hospital Faces Legal Battle After Possible Exposures To HIV, Hepatitis
A legal battle is underway after nearly 450 patients at a Massachusetts hospital may have been exposed to infectious diseases over two years.
A legal battle is underway after a Massachusetts hospital reported that nearly 450 patients may have been exposed to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV over two years.
On Nov. 16, a Massachusetts hospital spokesperson revealed that the potential exposure resulted from “improper administration” of IV medications at Mass General Brigham, Salem Hospital, NBC News reported. The hospital learned about the matter earlier this year and notified hundreds of patients via the hospital’s online portal or email.
“We sincerely apologize to those who have been impacted, and we remain committed to delivering high-quality, compassionate health care to our community,” the hospital said.
Nearly 450 patients at Salem Hospital in Massachusetts may have been exposed to Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV due to improper administration of their IV medications, a hospital spokesperson says. https://t.co/R5R3LMvkE6
The statement explained that patients who received an endoscopy between June 2021 and April 2023 were possibly exposed to infectious diseases during the administration of IV medications “in a manner not consistent with our best practice,” according to the Boston Herald.
An endoscopy is a non-surgical procedure for doctors to examine the inside of a patient’s body for several reasons. It serves as an early detection method for certain types of cancers or other diseases, such as gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), and ulcers.
Adam Bagni, the hospital’s director of external communications, told NBC News that there is an “extremely small” chance for patients to be infected.
Following the warning, the Keches Law Group said they received calls from frenzied patients who were “extremely concerned and anxious” and felt “betrayed.
“Let’s keep in mind, these are vulnerable people,” attorney Jeff Catalano said. “These are people who have undergone an endoscopic procedure for a very specific reason. That reason being that they have some medical complication … that is potentially on its own life altering and potentially life threatening.”
Out of the 450 patients, no data has been released on demographics. But these infections greatly impact the Black community, which represents 5.2% of the Salem population and beyond. For example, the American Cancer Society found that African Americans are about 20% more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and about 40% more likely to die after being diagnosed, as compared to most other groups. In addition to a colonoscopy, other endoscopic procedures may be used to diagnose colorectal cancer.
Although Black people represent almost 13% of the U.S. population, they accounted for 42.1% of HIV infection cases in 2019, as reported by the Office of Minority Health. Data shows that Black women were about 15 times as likely to die from HIV infection as white women and Black men were six times as likely to die from HIV infection as white men.
Furthermore, in 2020, “non-Hispanic Blacks” were 1.4 times as likely to die from viral hepatitis in comparison to whites. In addition, they were almost twice as likely to die from hepatitis C than the white population.
Ketches Law filed a class action lawsuit against Salem Hospital and 10 employees on behalf of an Amesbury woman. The firm said the plaintiff “suffered permanent injuries, additional testing requirements, extreme anxiety, emotional distress, and decreased quality of life due to potential exposure to these infections.”
Artistic Director Robert Battle Resigns from Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation
The Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation confirmed Nov. 16 that Robert Battle has resigned due to health reasons.
In a surprising announcement, the Board of Trustees of the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation confirmed on Nov. 16 that Robert Battle, who has served as the organization’s artistic director since 2011, has resigned due to health reasons, according to BroadwayWorld.com. The Board expressed regret over accepting Battle’s resignation and disclosed that he will remain available for consultation until Dec. 31, 2023.
Battle’s journey in modern dance began in Liberty City in Miami. He danced with Parsons Dance from 1994 to 2001 and founded his own Battleworks Dance Company in 2002. Battle has received numerous honors, including the “Masters of African American Choreography” designation by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2005 and the prestigious Statue Award from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA in 2007.
Daria Wallach, chair of the Ailey Board of Trustees, commended Battle’s contributions, stating, “Robert Battle has served the Ailey organization with talent, verve, and distinction over the past dozen years. The Board, the Company, the staff, and the dance world recognize and applaud the contributions he has made to expanding the repertoire, fostering the work of choreographers, supporting Ailey’s wide-ranging education activities, and serving as an ambassador for dance. We offer him our warmest gratitude.”
In response to his resignation, Battle conveyed his appreciation for the personal and professional bonds he formed during his tenure, stating, “The personal and professional bonds I’ve forged at Ailey working with the Company’s exceptional dancers and so many other great artists will always mean the world to me, but I know this is the right moment for me to move on and focus on my health. I look back on these past twelve years with warmth and gratitude.”
As a transitional measure, Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, supported by Ailey’s artistic team, will lead the Company in its upcoming holiday engagement at the New York City Center.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World,” has been a transformative force in American dance since its founding in 1958 by Alvin Ailey. Guided by Judith Jamison in 1989 and led by Robert Battle since 2011, the Company has garnered international acclaim, performing for an estimated 25 million people in 71 countries on six continents.
Battle’s departure marks a significant turning point for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, as the Board begins searching for a new artistic director. Despite the organizational transition, Ailey enters an exciting 65th-anniversary season from a position of strength.
Flashing Peace Sign While Scoring Touchdown Earns Odell Beckham Jr. A $10K Fine
The Baltimore Ravens wide receiver earned his fourth fine this season
According to the NFL, throwing up a peace sign is still a reason to get fined.
According to The New York Post, that’s what happened to Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. after he flashed the peace sign on his way to scoring a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 18. That move will cost the veteran player $10,927.
The NFL fined #Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr. $10,927 for unsportsmanlike conduct — throwing up a peace sign on his TD catch last week against Cleveland. pic.twitter.com/hB5pxAP7nW
This isn’t the first time that the league has given a fine to a player throwing up a peace sign. Just last year, during the AFC divisional round game between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills, Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill was fined $10,000 when he did he same move when he ran and made a 64-yard touchdown.
Hill took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to tell Beckham that he was about to face the same.
The New York Post also reported that this fine is Beckham’s fourth one this season, including his third for unsportsmanlike conduct. He received two Oct. 15 when he played against the Tennessee Titans. Those totaled over $33,000. A week later against the Detroit Lions, Beckham was fined $21,844 for impermissible helmet use.
Remembering Radcliffe Bailey Through Radical Black Art
Radcliffe Bailey’s prolific work developed unique narratives of the African American experience
Written by Shantay Robinson
On Wednesday, Nov. 15, it was announced that visual artist Radcliffe Bailey died of brain cancer 10 days before his 55th birthday. Bailey’s prolific work developed unique narratives of the African American experience through a distinctive visual language. He depicted family intimately, as well as collectively, with details referencing his own familial legacy and the diaspora. His art ultimately portrays the resiliency and connectivity of a people.
The narratives he crafted with a language of visuals are nuanced and original. And in the wake of his passing, looking closely at Radcliffe Bailey’s art confirms the importance of his work for those who knew him and introduces his art’s saliency for those who didn’t.
“If you want to know the history of people, you can study them by their art,” Bailey said in a video for the High Museum of Art.
This statement is relevant because his art gets personal. Images of his family members from the tintypes that were passed down to him; vocabulary of motifs that include train tracks, in reference to his family’s journey from the South to the North via the Underground Railroad and his father’s work as a railroad engineer; and references to water referring to him and his father’s time out fishing and to Black people’s collective forced migration west allow viewers to know him through his art.
In 2011, the High Museum held a mid-career retrospective of Bailey’s work, Radcliffe Bailey: Memory as Medicine, curated by Carol Thompson and Michael Rooks. The exhibition included some of his most unforgettable works, including “Windward Coast” (2009-11), an installation of a Black head drowning in a sea of piano keys from 400 pianos spread across the exhibition space floor. The artwork represents those who were thrown overboard during the middle passage, a story that has been eliminated from history books. The sinking head seems to be calling out amid the sea of piano keys’ overwhelming position.
In “Notes from Elmina,” a series where Bailey paints directly on classical composition sheet music, he contemplates the musical soundtrack of the transatlantic slave trade. He uses the sheet music and depictions of African sculpture and landscape to juxtapose the music as an icon of Western culture with Africa’s natural and cultural development. Elmina is the name of a slave castle off the coast of Ghana. By including elements from both cultures, he’s developed a narrative that is deeply inclusive and tells a unique story. Bailey recognizes that music is a connector of people throughout the world. Creating art about Elmina not only strikes a chord with its allusion to slavery, but it foregrounds it to the zeitgeist at the time.
“EW, SN” (2011), another of Bailey’s very identifiable works, is a dark painting with layers, both literally and figuratively. He added seven layers of paint to the canvas and attributed this painterly technique to his training as a sculptor, but also to his thought process. There are clues in this painting that tell the story of his family’s migration and the migration of Black people within the United States. Not only are the ladders for upward mobility but they represent railroad tracks depicting his family’s escape from slavery via the Underground Railroad.
His collages and assemblages work in similar ways as he collects media to tell stories, allowing viewers to make connections between often disparate objects. The layering of images and forms onto flat surfaces in his collages is a practice developed as a student of sculpture as are his assemblages of objects. An allusion to water is also present in his works, suggesting traversing the ocean from Africa to the West through the transatlantic slave trade. But his most memorable motif might be that of family–his own and the larger population of diasporic Africans. In his practice of including family into his work, he makes his viewer look beyond what is written about in history books and into their hearts.
Concerned with history and mystery, he was intrigued by Jacob Lawrence’s art as a child for his ability to experience a different time through the Migration Series. The work sparked curiosity in him. He was able to meet Lawrence at the High Museum at a book signing as a young person, where his mother told Lawrence, “My son’s going to be an artist.” Like Lawrence did for him, Bailey wants to spark curiosity in people through his work.
“I want to make someone search,” he tells the High.
Radcliffe Bailey was born in New Jersey in 1968, but his family moved to Atlanta in the 1970s. And he lived and worked there since. He attended Atlanta College of Art and majored in sculpture. He explored themes of ancestry, race, and memory using culturally rich materials and layered imagery in his work as a painter, sculptor, and mixed media artist. He developed common grammars in the vocabulary of his visual narratives.
Bailey is survived by his wife, Leslie Parks Bailey, the daughter of famed photographer Gordon Parks; his daughter, Olivia; his son, Coles, and his parents, Brenda and Radcliffe Sr.
Bailey’s art is currently on view in several exhibitions, including Filling in the Pieces in Black at Saatchi in London until November 26 and in Brussels until December 17; 45th at Arthur Roger Gallery in New Orleans until December 16; The Big Picture at Night Gallery in Los Angeles until Dec. 22; Sightlines: On Peace, Power, and Prestige; Metal Arts in Africa at Bard Graduate Center in New York City until Dec. 31; and Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage at Frist Art Museum in Nashville until Dec. 31.
Miss Black America Pageant Goes Back To Atlantic City Where It All Began
Miss Black America will crown its next pageant Queen on Dec. 16 in Atlantic City, NJ, broadcasted by Black America Network.
Miss Black America will celebrate its 55th anniversary as the pageant returns to its origins in Atlantic City.
On Dec. 16, young African American women will compete in the beauty contest to claim the title. It was first held in Atlantic City in 1968.
“After meeting with civic leaders across the U.S., we are thrilled to bring Miss Black America back to where it all started,” J. Morris Anderson, the event’s founder and senior executive producer, said in a statement to Press of Atlantic City.
According to an interview with Ralph Hunter Sr., the original pageant launched in 1968 after Black women were rejected from competing in Miss America. Hunter Sr. said, at the time, “Rule number seven of the Miss America pageant stated you had to be of good health and of white race” to be part of the competition. African Americans were displeased with the rule that knocked local Black pageant winners out of the competition. As a result, the founder, who he knew as “Johnson,” booked the Ritz Carlton and curated a space to crown Black queens.
“Buoyed by the winds of social change, the Miss Black America Pageant was carried to the boardwalk of Atlantic City, NJ,” the pageant’s website wrote. “With our beautiful, Black, queenly contestants, we paraded down that famous boardwalk — pausing for a moment in front of the official home of the Miss America Pageant — then, we moved on and into the streets of Atlantic City.”
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey won Miss Black America in 1971 as a 17-year-old college student at the University of Tennessee.
The reigning Miss Black America, Gabrielle Wilson, will crown the 55th Queen at this year’s event.
Rehearsals for Miss Black America are scheduled to begin Dec. 9. The event will be held at the Showboat Atlantic City Hotel at 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ. Tickets are available for purchase online.
“The Miss Black America Pageant and companion Black History TV Special will be syndicated locally and nationally by our network Black America Network (BAN),” Anderson said. According to Miss Black America, the TV special will feature Miss Black America contestants between the ages of 17 and 29 years old, Little Miss Black America between the ages of 7 and 12, Miss Black America Teen between the ages of 13 and 16, and Senior Miss Black America for women ages 55 and up.
NEXT Atlanta Premieres ‘The Next Movement’ Concert Film With MARTA And WABE
The film seeks to highlight renowned artists in the Atlanta art scenes to spark thought-provoking discussion.
NEXT Atlanta is unveiling “The NEXT Movement: Season 1,” the first rendition of its concert film series. Debuting this November, the innovative project, sponsored by MARTA and WABE, will showcase renowned talent as part of the Atlanta arts scene.
Curated by P. Faith Carmichael, creatives that will be featured in the film include five artists in the visual arts, prose, and performance sectors. Visual artist Melissa A. Mitchell, Atlanta’s poet griot Jon Goode, cellist Okorie ‘OkCello’ Johnson, HBO Def Jam poet Carlos Andres Gomez, and acclaimed musician CC Sunchild are the accomplished creators whose work will be highlighted through this platform.
According to NEXT Atlanta’s website, the concert’s mission of “amplifying the voices of Atlanta’s leading arts activists” will introduce attendees to the heartfelt conversation needed to “address our community’s post-pandemic dreams and challenges.” As for MARTA’s inclusive impact of “harnessing the connective power of mass transit,” its partnership with the film is fueled by its public art program, Artbound. The show will build a bridge with “interactive dialogue” between infrastructure and artistry to spark discussion, all part of the collaborative arts and social action campaign.
The premiere will be on a reimagined MARTA railcar, as attendees can immerse themselves in the unorthodox space. Viewers will be taken on a journey through the various art forms, as it evokes the power of creativity to engage with one’s community on a deeper level.
The groundbreaking event will be held at Atlanta’s National Center for Civil and Human Rights at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 21. The first viewing will be followed by live performances and a discussion panel conducted by the starring artists, filmmakers, and local leaders.
Tickets to “The NEXT Movement” screening are free, but reservations are limited. For those wishing to view it at home, the television premiere on WABE and PBS Passport will be released later in the month.
