I Rise
Like the phoenix rising from the ashes
Popstar Lizzo will be the subject of a new documentary coming to HBO Max later this year. Lizzo announced the project at Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront in New York. Directed by Doug Pray (exec producer of HBO’s The Defiant Ones), the documentary follows Lizzo’s meteoric rise to fame from her humble beginnings. Her success, love, …
Five new original projects are coming to YouTube as part of its Black Voices Fund. Amongst the new projects are Recipe for Change: Amplifying Black Women. Mary J. Blige, Saweetie, Tabitha Brown, and Jackie Aina will come together to celebrate Black women’s stories, traditions, identities and experiences as they gather around the dinner table, Deadline …
The Hawaiian Islands are among the most popular vacation destinations in the world. They offer travellers many beautiful sites and a wide variety of activities to enjoy. Couple that with the fact that Hawaii is the most popular travel destination in the United States, and you’ve got a recipe for overtourism. Hawaii’s nickname is the …
Rihanna shared her self-care routine on social media at the weekend, which included items from her Fenty Skin line. She captioned her post “, And that’s on self care bih.” Her hair is wrapped up in a towel, and she is wearing an aqua blue bra and pant set. This maternity look shows off her …
People have taken to social media to blame Will Smith for the attack on comedian Dave Chappelle. Dave Chappelle was performing at the Netflix is a Joke: The Festival when an armed man attacked him on Tuesday night at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl arena. Audience videos show the man running onto the stage and tackling …
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the Oscars for joking about Jada Pinkett Smith’s appearance, and now the world is divided. Rock referenced Pinkett Smith’s bald head and joked, “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.” Jada was diagnosed with alopecia in 2018 and has been open about her struggles …
Music entrepreneur and YouTube star Jamal Edwards has died, aged 31. Jamal Edwards founded SBTV, an urban music platform where artists like Dave, Ed Sheeran, and Jessie J gained recognition. He was the son of Loose Women panellist Brenda Edwards, who described him as an “inspiration” to many whose “legacy lives on”. Edwards leaves behind …
A nine-year-old girl who died from chronic asthma brought on by polluted air in Lewisham has been remembered at a vigil. In February 2013, Ella Kissi-Debrah, who lived in Lewisham just 25 meters from the South Circular Road, passed away after suffering dozens of acute seizures over three years. As a result of a second …
bell hooks, the activist, poet, feminist and author, died on 15 Decemberat her home in Berea, Kentucky of an undisclosed illness. She was 69. She was surrounded by friends and family at the time of her death. Her niece, Ebony Motley, posted a statement on Twitter confirming the news of her death. “The family is …
UK broadcasters have made a commitment to end the use of the acronym BAME “wherever possible” in favour of specificity, as recommended by a report from the Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity. In a rare joint press statement, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Viacom-owned Channel 5 said they will all try and move …
David Chappelle received substantial criticism for his jokes and comments about trans people in his Netflix special, The Closer, which aired on 5 October. The backlash goes beyond comments in the media and on Twitter: Netflix employees have also criticised the company for airing the special. The day after The Closer’s release, Netflix senior software …
A teaser trailer for Colin Kaepernick and Ava DuVernay’s upcoming Netflix limited series Colin in Black & White has been released. The six-episode scripted drama chronicles Kaepernick’s coming-of-age tackling the obstacles of race, class, and culture as the Black adopted child of a white family in Central California. Kaepernick narrates the tale as high school …
For over 70 years, the Palestinian people have suffered under Israel’s occupation. And today, the humanitarian crisis in Palestine is worse than ever. Over 2 million Palestinians live in Gaza, which is now the world’s largest open-air prison. Israel has imposed a land, air, and sea blockade on Gaza, making it impossible for civilians to …
The war on ‘woke’ and the overuse of the word wokeism has become a dog whistle to people who don’t like to be challenged for their bigoted, xenophobic or racist views. Just like the term politically correct, woke has been co-opted by the far-right to bash socially conscious people over the head. The term woke …
What is Black Lives Matter? The Black Lives Matter movement started as a hashtag on social networks and officially began in the United States in 2013 after George Zimmerman was found not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin in Florida. The movement grew to protest not just the justice system in America but police brutality against …
The United States is currently in a heated debate over transgender rights, specifically about which public restrooms transgender people should be allowed to use. On one side of the debate are those who argue that transgender individuals should be allowed to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity, while on the other side …
It’s terrible news for the people of Lewisham as planned expansions of the Bakerloo line to extend from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham and potentially further have been halted “indefinitely”, Transport for London (TfL) announced. East London Line reports that Andy Byford, TfL’s commissioner, confirmed the halt of both the Bakerloo line and Crossrail 2 …
Donald Trump is a racist. This isn’t a new revelation, but it has been reiterated and confirmed throughout his presidential campaign and subsequent time in office. From the very beginning, Trump has stoked the flames of racism and bigotry and has never made a secret of his disdain for people of colour. His legacy will …
2020 seemed to start as it meant to go on. The UK was facing a definite Brexit, Donald Trump had been impeached in 2019 but was acquitted by the Senante in February. Covid-19 had reared its ugly head but became a global pandamic before proper measures were taken. Despite these measures 1.78M people have died …
Ella Addo-Kissi-Debrah is the first person in the UK whose death certificate lists air pollution exposure as a cause of death. The inquest into her death comes after her mother, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, campaigned tirelessly for air pollution to be recognised as a factor in her daughter’s death. Ella lived in Lewisham, South London, just 25 …
Lewisham and Southwark councils have welcomed Transport for London (TfL)’s commitment to extend the Bakerloo line to Lewisham following a consultation last year. Thanks to the joint efforts of Lewisham and Southwark councils Back the Bakerloo campaign, the consultation undertaken last autumn received over 8,000 responses, with 89% supporting the plan to extend the tube …
On Saturday (October 3), a crowd gathered outside Lewisham library to voice their concerns about the traffic calming measures introduced by Lewisham Council. The low traffic neighbourhood scheme (LTN), a set of road barriers to reduce traffic in Lee was brought in under Covid-19 emergency transport measures and has received mixed feedback. The scheme aims …
In August 2020, national treasure, Adele got herself into hot water when she posted a picture on her social media channels, in honour of Notting Hill Carnival. The caption read “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London.” Adele accused of cultural appropriation The hot water was thrown from Black American Twitter, who …
During the lockdown, Lewisham Council took the opportunity to introduce emergency measures claiming to help the public stay safe whilst walking and cycling. These measures, called low traffic neighbourhoods (LTN), meant that certain roads in Lee were closed off to cars by large planters, and there were no entry signs and traffic cameras. Unsuspecting drivers …
