For as much as they like to bitch and moan about the crime and violence brought to this country by immigrants, you would think they would have more to say about those who commit crime and violence in their name. I’m just saying it’s kind of funny.
Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty called for unity and assistance from people who aren’t black as she accepted this year’s NAACP President’s Award. She was given the award based on her commitment to philanthropy. The live broadcast, which aired on BET over the weekend, featured her as one of the main honorees at this year’s NAACP Image Awards show.
The speech, in its entirety:
“Thank you. And thank you to the staff, board, and community of the NAACP, including all of you guys here in this room and everyone at home watching who’s devoted their lives and efforts toward supporting people of color.
OK, I’m going to try to keep this simple because tonight is not really about me because the purpose is bigger than me, right? It’s not bigger than us together, but it’s bigger than me because my part is a very small part of the work that’s being done in this world and the work that has yet to be done.
I’m lucky I was able to start the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012. And if there’s anything that I’ve learned is that we can only fix this world together. We can’t do it divided. I cannot emphasize that enough. We can’t let the de-sensitivity seep in. The, “If it’s your problem, then it’s not mine; it’s a woman’s problem; it’s a black people problem; it’s a poor people problem.”
I mean, how many of us in this room have colleagues and partners and friends from other races, sexes, religions? Show of hands.
Well, they want to break bread with you, right? They like you? Well, then this is their problem, too.
So when we’re marching and protesting and posting about the Michael Brown juniors and Atatiana Jeffersons of the world, tell your friends to pull up.
Thank you to the NAACP for all of your efforts to ensure equality for our communities.
Thank you for celebrating our strength and tenacity. We’ve been denied opportunities since the beginning of time. Still, we prevail. So I’m honored. Imagine what we can do together. Thank you for this honor.”
Watch her acceptance speech below.
Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty called for unity and assistance from people who aren’t black as she accepted this year’s NAACP President’s Award. She was given the award based on her commitment to philanthropy. The live broadcast, which aired on BET over the weekend, featured her as one of the main honorees at this year’s NAACP Image Awards show.
The speech, in its entirety:
“Thank you. And thank you to the staff, board, and community of the NAACP, including all of you guys here in this room and everyone at home watching who’s devoted their lives and efforts toward supporting people of color.
OK, I’m going to try to keep this simple because tonight is not really about me because the purpose is bigger than me, right? It’s not bigger than us together, but it’s bigger than me because my part is a very small part of the work that’s being done in this world and the work that has yet to be done.
I’m lucky I was able to start the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012. And if there’s anything that I’ve learned is that we can only fix this world together. We can’t do it divided. I cannot emphasize that enough. We can’t let the de-sensitivity seep in. The, “If it’s your problem, then it’s not mine; it’s a woman’s problem; it’s a black people problem; it’s a poor people problem.”
I mean, how many of us in this room have colleagues and partners and friends from other races, sexes, religions? Show of hands.
Well, they want to break bread with you, right? They like you? Well, then this is their problem, too.
So when we’re marching and protesting and posting about the Michael Brown juniors and Atatiana Jeffersons of the world, tell your friends to pull up.
Thank you to the NAACP for all of your efforts to ensure equality for our communities.
Thank you for celebrating our strength and tenacity. We’ve been denied opportunities since the beginning of time. Still, we prevail. So I’m honored. Imagine what we can do together. Thank you for this honor.”
Watch her acceptance speech below.
In the last few days, there have been a number of shifts in the current COVID-19 outbreak that have put the world on even greater alert and made the declaration of a pandemic almost inevitable. At the time I write this, there have been more than 80,000 cases confirmed across the globe (pdf). Brazil has confirmed its…
One of Kobe Bryant’s last requests before his untimely death last month will be honored by baseball agent Scott Boras, according to Sports Illustrated.
Bryant had sent a text message on the morning of his death to Los Angeles Lakers general manager, Rob Pelinka, inquiring if he knew a baseball agent. The retired basketball legend wanted to help secure an internship with an agent for a friend’s daughter. That friend, John Altobelli, was the coach of the Orange Coast College baseball team in California. Unfortunately, Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and their daughter, Alyssa, died on the same flight as Bryant and his daughter, Gianna.
“Kobe’s last human act was heroic,” Pelinka told the crowd of 20,000 mourners at Bryant’s memorial at Staples Center earlier this week. “He wanted to use his platform to bless and shape a young girl’s future.”
Boras told Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times that he plans to offer 16-year-old Alexis Altobelli an internship at his sports agency. Bryant was seeking to be a character reference for Alexis before the helicopter crash.
Boras told The Los Angeles Times that he had reached out to the Altobelli family to invite John and Alexis to tour his office and discuss the internship for her. He plans on creating a position for her to rotate through the departments at Boras Corp., including marketing, baseball operations, sports science, and office administration.
Bryant played his whole 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a five-time NBA champion, a two-time Finals MVP, and the 2008 Most Valuable Player. During his career, Bryant made the All-Star team 18 times and became the youngest player to ever reach 30,000 points. He retired from the NBA in 2016, scoring an NBA-season high 60 points in his final game.
