From right to left: English Gardner, Allyson Felix, Tianna Bartoletta and Tori Bowie of the United States celebrate winning gold in the Women’s 4 x 100m Relay Final on Day 14 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 19, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. | Source: Ian MacNicol / Getty
Decorated U.S. Olympian and maternal health advocate Allyson Felix opened up about the death of her former teammate Tori Bowie during a televised interview on Sunday morning.
The track star appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and addressed Bowie’s pregnancy-involved death last year, her own struggles during childbirth and the overall topic of Black maternal health.
MORE: Maternal Death Rates Have More Than Doubled For Black Women, New Study Finds
Felix recalled her own experience of being compelled to “hide” her pregnancy from her main sponsor Nike because of contractual reasons, calling it “a really isolating and lonely time, instead of a really – a time that we could celebrate.”
WATCH: @allysonfelix calls for more implicit bias training in the medical community.
“There’s countless stories of women not being heard when they are in the delivery room, at doctor’s appointments.” pic.twitter.com/nFPelVj4C3
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) December 3, 2023
That tragic-turned-triumphant experience is in part what helped Felix become an advocate for maternal health, a topic she discussed and contextualized with her teammates’ complicated pregnancies as well as Bowie’s death in May of this year from complications from childbirth. Bowie was about eight months pregnant with a developed fetus when she was found dead, according to an autopsy.
Officials have speculated that Bowie’s death could have been brought on by a condition called eclampsia, which is defined by the Mayo Clinic as “a complication of pregnancy” that “usually begins after 20 weeks of pregnancy in women whose blood pressure had previously been in the standard range.” Notably, it can be deadly if left untreated.
Felix — with severe preeclampsia — gave birth to her son in 2018 after having to undergo an emergency C-section at 32 weeks. The life-threatening experience changed her life completely and now Felix looks to help others become aware of the maternity mortality crisis Black women face.
“This condition does not discriminate. It doesn’t matter if you have the – the best medical care. You can still suffer from it. And to me, it just really hurts my heart that my friend, Tori, passed away, and it brought this back to the forefront,” Fleix said. “But this has been happening, you know? This is the reality of Black women giving birth in America. And there are so many situations that are like this. And so I hate that it takes such a – a devastating loss, you know, to bring it back to the forefront. But it also is just such a motivation that, you know, we have to do better.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Black women dominate the maternal mortality rate with “significantly higher than rates for White and Hispanic women,” citing statistics from 2021. The disparity has nothing to do with education or socio-economic levels.
“Black women face disrespect, abuse, and mistreatment in facility-based settings like hospitals, at a much higher rate than other people of color, particularly, more so than white women,” Breana Lipscomb, senior advisor for Maternal Health & Rights at the Center for Reproductive Rights, told NewsOne in an interview last year. “We have to make sure that they are receiving safe and respectful care when they walk into a hospital.”
Click here to watch the full “Meet the Press” interview with Allyson Felix.
SEE ALSO:
Lawsuits Against Program Helping Black Women Survive Childbirth Reveals Pro-White Agenda
It’s Time To Prioritize Black Maternal Mental Health
The post Allyson Felix Opens Up About Tori Bowie And ‘The Reality Of Black Women Giving Birth In America’ appeared first on NewsOne.
Opening statements were finally set for Monday in the domestic violence trial in which movie star Jonathan Majors is accused of assaulting his former girlfriend in a case that has rocked Hollywood and placed an emphasis on the topic of race.
Majors’ defense attorney will finally get a chance to plead her case in a court of law against prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office following months of strategic appeals to the court of public opinion since the actor’s high-profile arrest for allegedly striking Grace Jabbari back in March.
MORE: The Marvelous Rise Of Jonathan Majors
Priya Chaudhry, Majors’ attorney, has maintained her client’s innocence and alleged police bias, claiming that the officers present failed to investigate the alleged assault properly and coached Jabbari to accuse the actor of assault. Chaudhry has also claimed to have provided video footage and witness testimonies supporting Majors’ innocence. In addition, Chaudhry said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office tends to “weaponize accusations where a Black man is accused by a white woman.”
Jabbari is white.
Jury selection in the trial began last week and was completed on Friday.
If convicted, Majors faces up to a year in jail.
Check back for frequent updates as the trial moves forward.
In the meantime, Majors has been an upstanding citizen including, once, notably as a Good Samaritan after being shown on video purportedly breaking up a high school fight in footage that went viral and invited suspicion of being staged to produce positive press coverage for the actor.
Majors has also found love with actress Meaghan Good, who has faithfully been by the actor’s side during his court dates leading up to the trial.
With that as the backdrop for the trial, here’s everything else you need to know as opening statements are set to begin:
On March 25, the NYPD arrested Majors outside of his Chelsea apartment.
He and Jabbari allegedly got into a dispute as they were inside a cab riding to Manhattan from Brooklyn. Chaudhry claims Jabbari “was attempting to steal” Majors’ phone when the incident occurred. Chaudhry filed legal documents in Manhattan stating that the cab driver witnessed Jabbari assault the actor around 1 a.m., hours before he was arrested.
After the incident, Jabbari allegedly told police that she had suffered a broken finger and a laceration behind her ear, but Chaudhry said there is video footage to prove that the woman’s statement was “a complete lie.” Security footage obtained by TMZ showed the woman in a nightclub shortly after the incident with Majors using her right hand normally — the same hand that she claimed Majors injured before they parted ways earlier in the night.
The opinion of a forensic medical expert has also been touted by Chaudhry as another way to help put an end to claims of domestic assault against Majors, who will be able to file a civil suit against Jabbari if he is found innocent.
In late March, Chaudhry released a screenshot of a text message to Majors in which Jabbari appeared to take the blame for the incident. She allegedly assured the actor that she did not tell the police she was attacked.
“Please let me know you’re okay when you get this,” she allegedly wrote in the texts. “They assured me that you won’t be charged.”
Jabbari allegedly continued: “They said they had to arrest you as protocol when they saw the injuries on me and they knew we had a fight. I’m so angry that they did. And I’m sorry you’re in this position.”
On April 19, Variety reported that more women have come forward with allegations of abuse against Majors. They are cooperating with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
In late October, Jabbari was arrested and charged with misdemeanor counts of assault and criminal mischief before Bragg’s office said it “declined to prosecute the case against Grace Jabbari because it lacks prosecutorial merit.”
Even before the surprise arrest of Majors, people in the movie industry were reportedly calling the actor an abuser. Those unfounded accusations were trumpeted even louder shortly after Majors’ arrest in a series of tweets that have since been deleted.
Since the arrest, Majors has been dropped by his reps at Lede and his management company, Entertainment 360. The fate of his future in Hollywood is unclear.
Priya Chaudhry, lawyer for Jonathan Majors, leaves Manhattan Criminal court on May 9, 2023, in New York City. | Source: Alexi J. Rosenfeld / Getty
Chaudhry is described on her website as an award-winning attorney who is “[n]ationally recognized as a premier criminal trial lawyer.” It also says she has worked “over 40 jury trials in over 20 years of practice in some of the nation’s most complicated and high-profile criminal cases.”
Most recently, just last month Chaudhry secured the full acquittal of another high-profile Black male client accused of a violent crime in New York City. Chaudhry touted the not-guilty verdict for Adam Foss, a former Boston prosecutor and prominent criminal justice-reform advocate charged in 2017 with allegedly raping and assaulting a 25-year-old woman. In doing so, Chaudhry claimed Bragg “ignored” evidence that should have precluded any criminal charges against Foss – claims similar to those she’s made about the district attorney’s office’s case against Majors.
In a pair of separate statements emailed to NewsOne, Chaudhry has also questioned the ethics of Braggs’ office and cited an “eagerness” to bring hasty criminal charges — particularly when a Black man is accused of a violent crime by a white woman.
“Furthermore, there is a concerning trend within the Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s office to weaponize accusations where a Black man is accused by a white woman, casting aside the need for robust evidence in favor of narrative-driven prosecutions,” Chaudhry said. “This represents a misapplication of justice, fueled by societal biases that have no place in a system pledged to fairness and equality.”
Chaudhry went on to accuse Braggs’ office of having “strayed from its mission to impartially uphold the law. Instead, it has drifted toward a path of character assassination and publicity-driven prosecution.”
Other high-profile cases in which Chaudhry was the defense attorney produced mixed results.
SEE ALSO:
‘Snowbunnied?’ Dr. Umar Johnson Has Questions About Jonathan Majors’ Arrest
The post Jonathan Majors On Trial: Opening Statements Finally Set In Domestic Violence Case Against Movie Star appeared first on NewsOne.
In an exclusive statement to theGrio, the four-time Grammy winner says his comments were specifically about Black award shows and ensuring that Black artists performing “non-traditional” Black music get recognized.
Rocker Lenny Kravitz wants to make it clear he doesn’t have a beef with Black media.
In a statement released exclusively to theGrio, the four-time Grammy winner clarified recent comments he made in an interview with Esquire magazine in which he wondered why his success wasn’t “celebrated” by Black entertainment publications or why he’d never been invited to the BET or Source Awards.
“And it’s like, here is a Black artist who has reintroduced many Black art forms, who has broken down barriers—just like those that came before me broke down. That is positive. And they don’t have anything to say about it?” he told Esquire.
The comments sparked some pushback, including a column by theGrio’s Michael Harriot.
“The comment I made was not about ‘black media’ or the ‘black community.’” Kravitz said in the statement. “I was specifically referring to black award shows in particular. My comment was meant to express a concern about ensuring that black artists are being recognized for their work in what is now being called “non-traditional” black music, which it is not.”
Here’s Kravitz’s statement in full:
“It is important to me to set the record straight on recent media reports based on an interview I did.
My black musical heritage means a lot to me, and I owe my success to my supporters who have taken this journey with me over the span of my career.
The comment I made was not about ‘black media’ or the ‘black community.’ I was specifically referring to black award shows in particular.
My comment was meant to express a concern about ensuring that black artists are being recognized for their work in what is now being called “non-traditional” black music, which it is not.
Rock and roll is the music we were instrumental in creating and is a part of our history. We must retain our heritage and celebrate that together.
BET and countless others have paved the way for this type of recognition. I hope that by sharing my concern a spotlight will be shone on this issue.
Love and peace.“
Kravitz’s 12th studio album, “Blue Electric Light,” will be released March 15, 2024.
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The post Lenny Kravitz sets the record straight on comments about Black media appeared first on TheGrio.
Source: @knowing_kicks / Instagram
Earlier this year it was rumored that the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 collaborations would be coming to an end after 2023, but now the sneaker community has gotten word that 2024 will be seeing another highly anticipated installment into the “Cactus Jack” x Air Jordan 1 collection.
According to Hypebeast a new and spiffy colorway for the highly popular Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 low is on the way and will feature a black and olive color scheme that will go beautifully with a pair of camouflage pants that New Yorkers are known to feature in their weekly fashion ensemble. Travis himself previewed this particular pair of sneaker months ago, but many assumed it was one of his many “Friends and Family” pairs that have never seen the light of day (we need those purple Air Jordan 4’s, Trav!!!).
Per Hypebeast:
An initial preview of the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low OG “Black Olive” has appeared, pointing to next year as a possible release period. Similarities can be drawn to the duo’s initial “Mocha” pair that stirred up the sneaker scene back in 2019. This time, the mocha brown has been swapped out for an olive finish that combines with a black base, a white lateral reverse Swoosh and an off-white midsole. Red branding elements are scattered throughout while the medial favors an olive Swoosh to complete the look.
At the time of writing, information surrounding the release of the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low OG “Black Olive” is very limited. However, reputable sneaker insider zSneakerHeadz has shared that the pair is currently expected to release during the fall of 2024. Stay tuned for updates as we expect it to be made available via Nike SNKRS and select retailers at some point next year.
Needless to say demand for these will be through the roof, but like the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 releases before these expect stock to be extremely limited with anywhere from 100,000 – 250,000 pairs being made available. With millions of sneakerheads foaming at the mouth for these, those kind of numbers really are just another a drop in the bucket.
Check out pics of the next “Cactus Jack” Air Jordan 1 lows below and let us know if you’ll be trying in vain to snatch a pair when they drop sometime next year.
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