44 percent: Miami muralist, TPS in limbo for Haitian immigrants
When I spoke with Addonis Parker about his journey to become an artist, it was truly a lesson in embracing one's gifts. Parker said he'd keep his art hidden and would sometimes do the assignments of his classmates growing up, but never considered it a career.
It's a good thing he reconsidered at the urging of mentors, professors and an art teacher who caught onto him doing others' assignments. Now, his work is seen throughout all of Miami and he's made an impact on young pupils he taught in his nonprofit. Parker's story is truly a lesson in leaning into your gifts and using them for the good of community.
INSIDE THE 305:
Anxiety rises as judge mulls suit brought by Haitians with Temporary Protected Status
Haitian immigrants are in limbo as they await a decision on if the Trump administration was lawful in its move to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals, Miami Herald reporters Jacqueline Charles and Jay Weaver reported.
U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan was expected to issue his decision on the lawfulness of the government's decision ending TPS for the Haitian immigrants in early June. But as he continues to mull it over, anxiety has spread among more than 500,000 Haitian immigrants who fear they will soon lose their work permits and deportation protections, as the Department of Homeland Security's Aug. 3 deadline looms for removing their TPS shield.
This muralist paints about power, liberation and love. See his work in Opa-locka
At first, Adonis Parker ran from his craft, often seeking art as a way to create his own reality. He ran wild with it after mentors urged him to pursue it professionally. Today, he's painted murals throughout Miami and has a new exhibit open in Opa-locka.
'If the teacher asked me to do something on the board, I would almost collapse,' Parker said. But art was a refuge. 'I could run to art and create my own worlds where I was brave.'
OUTSIDE THE 305:
Tamir Rice fundraiser receives $50,000 from Kyrie Irving
A foundation started by the mother of Tamir Rice received a hefty donation from Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving on Wednesday, the Black Wall Street Times reported. According to the Black newspaper founded in Tulsa, Irving donated $50,000 on what would've been Rice's 23rd birthday. Rice was shot and killed in 2014 by Ohio police while playing with a toy gun. Irving played for the Cavaliers at the time of Rice's killing.
His mother, Samaria Rice, created the Tamir Rice Foundation to 'invest in the growth and enrichment of all children,' the outlet reported. 'This month, she launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe asking supporters to donate $23 for Rice's 23rd birthday on June 25. The goal is to raise $110,000.'
HBCUs Reel as Trump Cuts Black-Focused Grants: 'This Is Our Existence'
A half-century-long federal effort to turn more than a dozen HBCUs into Research 1 powerhouses has been significantly set back by Trump's attack on so-called DEI-related research, according to administrators and advocates, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. Despite Trump publicly touting his love of HBCUs, the grant pauses and terminations at the 13 HBCUs seeking Research 1 status have resulted in institutionwide budget cuts, potential layoffs, and the loss of scholarships. The colleges collectively serve 40 percent of all HBCU students.
HIGH CULTURE:
Brandy and Monical announce tour (finally)
No, it's not 1998, and yes, you read that correctly: Brandy and Monica are finally going on tour. The R&B singers announced their joint tour 'The Boy Is Mine,' named after their Grammy Award-winning single, earlier this week. It comes after an on-again, off-again years-long feud which they've attributed to 'outsiders.' No matter the reason for the long-awaited tour, 8-year-old me is squealing about this tour.
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San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Federal judge weighs whether Alabama's anti-DEI law threatens First Amendment
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Professors and students at the University of Alabama testified on Thursday that a new an anti-diversity, equity and inclusion law has jeopardized funding and changed curriculum, as a federal judge weighs whether the legislation is constitutional before the new school year begins. The new state law, SB129, followed a slew of proposals from Republican lawmakers across the country taking aim at DEI programs on college campuses. Universities across the country have shuttered or rebranded student affinity groups and DEI offices. The law prohibits public schools and universities from using state funds for any curriculum that endorses or compels assent to viewpoints about eight 'divisive concepts' related to race, religion, gender identity and religion. Instructors are also prohibited from encouraging a person feel guilt because of those identities. Schools are still allowed to facilitate 'objective' discussions on those topics, according to the law. Dana Patton, a political science professor at the University of Alabama, was one of six professors and students who sued the school and Republican Gov. Kay Ivey in January, arguing that the law violates the First Amendment by placing viewpoint-based restrictions on educators' speech. The lawsuit also argued that the law unconstitutionally targets Black students because it emphasizes concepts related to race and limits programs that benefit Black students. Shortly after the law took effect in October, Patton said that school officials told her that five students had made complaints suggesting that the interdisciplinary honors program she administered had potential conflicts with the new legislation. The program focuses on social justice and community service. University officials said a 'powerful person' in the state Capitol was behind the five student complaints, Patton testified. The complaints alleged the program 'promoted socialism' and focused on 'systematic racism" and 'producing engaged global citizens as opposed to patriotic Americans,' according to evidence presented at the hearing. The complaints also said students 'feel unsafe' because 'the leadership of the program has a clear view of the world from a divisive perspective." 'I was completely shocked, stunned," Patton said. After weeks of meetings where Patton exhaustively laid out the content of her courses to administrators, she said she was introduced to Alabama Republican Rep. Danny Garrett at a school football game. Garret told her that 'we need compromise here' because the legislators involved in the complaints are 'tenacious' and 'not going to let this go.' He then sent her links to work he had done with Black Democratic state legislators after the death of George Floyd to address racial tension. Patton said the conversation 'very much felt like a threat' because Garrett is the chair of the Alabama House Ways and Means Education Committee, which is one of two legislative committees that oversees the university's funding. The tenured professor said she has since removed some course material from her syllabus and is no longer posting slides of her lectures online, out of fear that her lessons might be misinterpreted. Garrett declined to comment on the pending litigation. University lawyer says law hasn't caused harm Jay Ezelle, the defense attorney for the University of Alabama Board of Trustees, said the school had an obligation to investigate if students complain about being tested on an opinion, not on a performance. 'If that's violated, the university has to investigate, correct?' Ezelle asked during cross-examination. He added that the law had not created any measurable harm against the plaintiffs, because no faculty had been terminated or formally disciplined, and school administrators had sourced private funding for some affinity groups, who still have access to campus facilities. Professors said they had to remove class assignments Other professors testified that they felt compelled to pull class assignments or stop offering classes altogether based on Patton's experience, as well as formal instruction from the university about the 'risks' of testing students on divisive concepts. Rising senior Sydney Testman said she lost her scholarship because it was tied to her job at the Social Justice Advocacy Council, which was terminated after the anti-DEI legislation went into effect. 'No one wants to say it's disproportionately affecting Black people,' she said. 'The vibes are kind of 'everyone fend for yourselves.'' Federal U.S. Chief Judge R. David Proctor said the case will largely hinge on whether classroom speech is protected under the First Amendment and whether the state has a right to influence curriculum. Proctor will also consider if the six students and professors who brought the lawsuit against the University of Alabama have been harmed by the new law. ___
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Keke Palmer Dissects ‘Just Keke' Visual Album and Why She's Found It ‘So Hard Being a Person and a Product'
Keke Palmer, the quintessential millennial multihyphenate, has played nearly every role the mind can generate. A box office queen who can lead films alongside Oscar winners (2022's Nope with Daniel Kaluuya) and pop stars (2025's One of Them Days with SZA), an iconic child star with her own talk show, an Emmy-winning game show host, a Billboard charting singer-songwriter, founder of her own online entertainment content platform (KeyTV), and even a Broadway diva. For two decades, Palmer didn't just entertain the masses; she provided a sterling example for adolescent Black audiences in an era in which there were few. Her starring turn in Akeelah and the Bee (in which she plays a young girl competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee), for example, remains her most beloved and notable role in Black households for 19 years and counting. More from Billboard Brandy & Monica Announce 'The Boy Is Mine' Co-Headlining Tour With Kelly Rowland, Muni Long & Jamal Roberts: All the Dates Luis Cortés, Angelina Victoria, Maeso & More Emerging Latin Artists on Our Radar Selena Gomez Says Ice Cube Was Her Childhood Celebrity Crush: 'I Just Thought He Would Protect Me' 'I have done so much work to make sure that I'm giving my audience my very best, and I've also had a hard time being a performer at such a young age and protecting myself through performance,' she tells Billboard of her history in the spotlight, while she's in the middle of a glam session. She's nearing the end of a weeklong New York promotional run supporting her new Just Keke visual album, and on Juneteenth 2025 (June 19), she's doing everything but resting. 'It's been so hard to manage being a person and being a product.' But one unexpectedly controversial dance pushed her into a role she rarely assumed in the public eye: herself. In July 2023, Palmer made national headlines when she attended Usher's My Way Las Vegas residency, where the Grammy-winning R&B legend serenaded her with 'There Goes My Baby' and a cheeky-yet-respectful dance. When footage hit social media, Darius Jackson — Palmer's ex-boyfriend and the father of their son Leodis — publicly lambasted her choice of dress (a sheer number with a bodysuit underneath), writing on X: 'It's the outfit tho… you a mom.' What unraveled next was a public exposé of alleged domestic violence incidents that culminated in a November 2023 hearing, in which a judge granted Palmer's requests for a temporary restraining order against Jackson, as well as temporary sole custody of their son. By May 2024, Palmer dropped the requests, and the domestic violence restraining order hearing was canceled; she and Jackson have since reached a place where they can co-parent their son together. While her Nickelodeon and Disney peers have seemingly all had at least one major scandal to their names (ranging from incessant twerking and licking unpurchased donuts to near-fatal overdoses), Palmer's celebrity was, in part, defined by her lack of verifiable scandals. In fact, on social media, her nickname was – and continues to be – Keke 'Keep a Job/Bag' Palmer, a tribute to her enviable work ethic and seemingly endless arsenal of talents. From the film roles she chose to her generally affable demeanor, Palmer played the historically difficult role of Black child star-turned-adult entertainer almost perfectly. Until one fateful night (where she wasn't even acting out of character in the slightest) blew it all up — and social media inundated her with myopic takes on her personal life that ranged from violently misogynistic to harmful respectability politics. 'For someone to weaponize your audience against you, it was very heartbreaking,' she reflects, betraying her hairstylist to look me in the eye. 'My life isn't a joke. There's a lot of s–t I joke about, but I don't joke about my life. I don't want to confuse [people and have them] think that this is what we do over here. Let's not joke about families falling apart. That's not funny to me.' While other entertainers may have taken some time out of the public eye, Palmer continued with her fifty 'leven commitments. But in between filming Boots Riley's upcoming I Love Boosters film, forming her DivaGurl girl group (with Sadé and LaShay), and raising her new baby boy, Palmer somehow found the time to link with Grammy-nominated, Hot 100-topping singer-songwriter Tayla Parx and funnel her whirlwind of emotions into her third studio album. When the two former True Jackson VP co-stars linked in Atlanta at the top of the year to begin the songwriting process, they left 'Keke' and 'Tayla' at the door, in favor of Lauren and Taylor (their birth names), respectively. 'Honestly, [sessions] looked like hanging out and talking with your best friend [who] also happens to be an extraordinarily talented and skilled songwriter,' Palmer explains as a smile creeps across her face. 'I'm doing what's normal to me, but she's doing what nobody I've ever worked with has done, which is be able to create the stage for me to say things that I didn't even know I could say and help align it with the energy the record needs.' As the pen behind era-defining smashes like fellow Nickelodeon alum Ariana Grande's '7 Rings,' Parx knows how to craft a song that will conquer the charts and/or awards season. But that wasn't the goal for the Just Keke sessions. Parx's ability to tease out Palmer's most closely guarded truths gave way to the most confessional music of the Emmy-winner's career. Album opener 'Off Script' addresses her life veering away from the blueprint she chose for herself as self-described 'Type A' person ('Even when I let you get me pregnant/ Oh shit, how else can I prove it?'); 'My Confession' flips Usher's 'Confessions, Pt. II' into a play-by-play of her relationship's demise, and 'Ripples' displays her family's collective growth in the face of emotional turmoil. When she sings, 'Got me on some viral shit, scandalous/ Call the lawyers, handle it/ The money's the last thing we was worried 'bout/ The truth is we both was fighting for our child,' her tone is equal parts desperate and resentful, a testament to the intricacy of her vocal performance throughout the album. There are also the standout cuts: 'I Wanna Know,' a Brandy-esque track that explores voyeurism and betrayal (complete with meticulously placed ad-libs), and 'Tea, Boo,' a campy, Slick Rick-meets-RuPaul track that finds Palmer giving her best Lady Whistledown impression. She says the latter is Baby Leo's favorite song on the album. Building on the smooth R&B of her 2016 fan-favorite Lauren EP, Just Keke finds its narrative anchor in spoken word interludes that emphasize the album's overarching variety show concept. Her most vocally impressive — she's always been an adept singer, but here she gets closer than ever to finding her most flattering sonic and melodic pockets — and aesthetically ambitious musical offering yet, Just Keke is an unmistakable turning point in Palmer's recording career, one part of her portfolio that has notably lagged behind the others. 'I think what is comparable [about Just Keke] is the truth that we hear when we think of artists like Brandy and Mary J. Blige and Whitney Houston. I was tapped into life experiences that bring you to a deeper truth; it's a lot of me growing up,' she says. 'Because the lyrics are so true to me, I was able to sing them like I would [speak] them. That's why I think [this album] has my best vocal performances. There's now a different level of depth that I'm carrying after I evolved as a person.' Named after her 2014 talk show (which made her the youngest talk show host in TV history at just 20), Just Keke arrived on June 20 via Palmer's own Big Bosses Entertainment label, alongside a 30-minute, self-funded short film. A visual album in the vein of Beyoncé's Lemonade and Black Is King, the short film brings the album's variety show concept to life, featuring cameos from Issa Rae and nods to classic women's television shows, including Insecure, Lizzie McGuire, Moesha, and Sex and the City. Not only does Palmer incorporate her hosting, singing and acting prowess, she also flaunts her dance skills, tackling everything from breakdancing to praise dancing. Her mother, Sharon Palmer, also serves as an executive producer on the film, underscoring how the Just Keke project has helped strengthen and deepen her family's connection. By playing host, lead actress and spectator in her own semi-autobiographical visual album, Palmer finally lays bare her story on her own terms — and she unlocked new levels of her artistry in the process. '[The film] is about the boundaries that I'm setting and the reclamation of my narrative and my parasocial relationship with my audience,' Palmer says. 'Loving deeply is important, but loving that deep with boundaries is even more important. I needed to learn that in life, not even just on a romantic level.' On this uncharacteristically rainy Juneteenth Thursday, the theme of reclamation feels particularly apt. Throughout the 36 hours or so that I've spent with Palmer, she's aware of every last detail around her, but there's an unmistakable ease to her energy that wasn't always there from afar. She feels free, and that freedom oozes out of every note she sings and every kiss she blows. 'I feel so free to be living in my truth and to be able to speak on my story without concern,' she gushes. 'That's the thing about Akeelah and the Bee on a deeper level. I think we all loved that movie – and my mom wanted me to do it – because we loved seeing a little girl be able to articulate herself and express how she feels about the world and the people in her life and community. That's something that's been very much kept from our community. So for me to be able to express the nuances of anger, grief and sorrow — but also share my love and joy — it feels very freeing.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Hypebeast
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Kith Reunites With PUMA on the New H-Street Model
Name:Kith Women x PUMA H-StreetColorways:Espresso and BlackSKUs:405513-02 and 405518-01MSRP:$110 USDRelease Date:June 27Where to Buy:Kith Kithhas officially reprised its partnership withPUMA. The duo are back in action together and are already treating sneakerheads to a drop, featuring two monochromatic makeovers of the newH-Streetsneaker for theKith Womenbrand. The model looks back to the Harambee, a '90s track spike from PUMA, to inform its slender design. Additionally, this project arrives just after the H-Street debuted as part of a collaboration withOPEN YY. Two colorways of the H-Street see the sneaker don looks of 'Espresso' and 'Black.' The former offers a combination of a mesh upper and suede Formstrip in a rich dark brown whereas the 'Black' pair begins with a leather base and stacks suede branding atop it. The Kith crest has been embroidered at both the toe cap and heel while also appearing at the sockliner branding. Both of the Kith Women x PUMA H-Street colorways are available now exclusively at the Kith Women flagship in New York City. As for the global launch, it is scheduled to take place tomorrow, June 27, via Kith channels worldwide, including the brand's website, with pairs priced at $110 USD.
