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We’re going to be learning a lot about Jesse’s past this season on Preacher. Back when Jesse was a student at Angelville High, he had all sorts coming to him for favor from […]

The post Preacher Brings the Villains Together for Some Light Violence appeared first on Geek.com.

BET recently wrapped up their 18th annual award show over the weekend and presented a series of Genius Talks that were knowledgeable, insightful, and some, downright funny. Peep the highlights below.

Charles King and Terry Crews

During the 60 seconds with a Genius segment sponsored by AT&T, Crews asks King, what advice do you have for a young actor who wants to get put on? “Hone your craft, whether you’re doing local theater, whether you’re studying at school with an acting coach, whether you’re shooting videos with your friends, practice, practice, practice, practice.”

LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 23: Charles D. King and Terry Crews speak onstage at the Genius Talks sponsored by AT&T during the 2018 BET Experience at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 23, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for BET)

Yvonne Orji and Jemele Hill

We tweeted this, and the numbers jumped so we know the folks at home were feelin’ it. Between Orji’s extreme comic relief, that woman is beyond funny, she said something that completely stood out and led to gasps from the audience, “Never let your talent or your gifts take you to a place that your character can’t keep you.”

Let that sink in.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 23: Yvonne Orji and Jemele Hill speak onstage at the Genius Talks sponsored by AT&T during the 2018 BET Experience at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 23, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for BET)

Mona Scott-Young and Jemele Hill

Scott-Young’s major keys:

• “The first step is visualizing what you want to accomplish and the next step is actually taking the step.”
• “If you’re focused, diligent, committed and consistent and the talent is there, then (your success) is inevitable.”

LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 23: Mona Scott-Young (L) and Jemele Hill speak onstage at the Genius Talks sponsored by AT&T during the 2018 BET Experience at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 23, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for BET)

Omari Hardwick and Jemele Hill

Sometimes the no, will get you to the yes.

Hill asked Hardwick, ‘During your lowest point, what was your big break?’ “It was either a backup of firefighting, then the day that I said no to the fire department, which I had passed all the tests to be admitted on, hours later after saying no to LA city fire department … I got a call that Spike Lee was gone be my first boss in life.”

LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 23: Omari Hardwick (L) and Jemele Hill speak onstage at the Genius Talks sponsored by AT&T during the 2018 BET Experience at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 23, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for BET)

T.I. and Jemele Hill

Stand your ground.

When Hill asked Tip about the Super Bowl coming to Atlanta, T.I.’s response was one for the records. “I have made a conscious decision not to support the NFL this year. I think there’s a violation of constitutional rights that’s being implemented to minority players who choose to have a peaceful silent protest.”

Enough said.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 23: T.I. speaks onstage at the Genius Talks sponsored by AT&T during the 2018 BET Experience at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 23, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for BET)

The post BET Genius Talks: Secrets to Success from Yvonne Orji, T.I., Charles King, and More appeared first on Black Enterprise.

DC is starting to revamp their space a little by announcing some dope stuff coming to the company. They’ve announced their DC Universe streaming service. It serves as a curated platform for DCs […]

The post DCEU NEWS: First Look At Titan’s Robin, More ‘The Batman’ Rumors and More appeared first on Geek.com.

 The three African American members of the U.S. Senate—two Democrats and one Republican—have banded together to address one of the most heinous acts perpetrated against blacks for more than a century: lynching.  Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Tim Scott (R-SC) on Friday introduced “The Justice for Victims of Lynching Act of 2018” to make that willful, collective act of murder punishable as a federal crime, resulting in harsher sentencing under existing hate crime statutes.

In a released statement, the three legislators further explained the importance of the legislation and resistance to its passage in Congress. Asserts Sen. Harris: “Lynching is a dark, despicable part of our history, and we must acknowledge that, lest we repeat it. From 1882 to 1986 there have been 200 attempts that have failed to get Congress to pass federal anti-lynching legislation, it’s time for that to change.”

 Sen. Booker says: “It’s a travesty that despite repeated attempts to do so, Congress still hasn’t put anti-lynching legislation on the books. This bill will right historical wrongs by acknowledging our country’s stained past and codifying into law our commitment to abolishing this shameful practice.”

 Adds Sen. Scott: “This measure is certainly well past due and I am glad to be able to join in efforts that will underscore the severity of this crime. This piece of legislation sends a message that together, as a nation, we condemn the actions of those that try to divide us with violence and hate.”

The three also fully expect backing from the GOP-controlled Senate, citing in their official statement that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had been recently asked about anti-lynching legislation and responded. “I certainly would support it.”  Moreover, they stated that a similar bill recently introduced in the House by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) and 36 members of the Congressional Black Caucus serves as “a companion” to their measure. 

This legislative action coincides with the unveiling of a new study from the NAACP revealing that racially-motivated “hate crimes totals rose for four straight years to the highest level in a decade.” making up nearly 60% of overall crimes with African American still representing the most targeted group.  Officials further believe there is “a direct relationship between the rise in hate crimes exemplified by the continual #LivingWhileBlack incidents and other reported crimes and President Donald J. Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric and racist policies.”  

The NAACP, along with other civil rights groups such as the Anti-Defamation League and Equal Justice Initiative, support the measure. And it is being presented at a time when there has been increased national attention on what the EJI cited as an “instrument of terror and intimidation” used against more than 4,000 black men, women, and children during the late 19^th and 20^th centuries. Moreover, reports indicate that the impact of lynching in the Jim Crow South had been the decimation of countless black businesses and economic devastation of multitudes of African American households. As a result, it is still unknown how much black wealth had been unrealized due to such acts of malice.  

The anti-lynching movement dates back to the late 1800s when journalist and civil rights crusader Ida B. Wells investigated the murder of a friend, who had been a successful black Memphis grocer, and his two employees. She discovered that they had been killed by a mob because their business competed against a nearby white-owned store. Wells, who also had her Memphis newspaper offices destroyed in 1892, engaged in a 40-year campaign of exposure and protest.

 In 1918, Congressman Leonidas C. Dyer (R-MO) would become the first member of Congress to introduce a bill, seeking to punish authorities unwilling to prevent lynching. That failed effort would represent one of roughly 200 such attempts by Congress. In fact, as recently as 2005, 90 members of the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan resolution apologizing to lynching victims for its continuous inability to enact anti-lynching legislation. 

Today, Harris, Booker, and Scott seek to continue the battle and appear to be rallying support within and outside the corridors of Congress. Asserts EJI Executive Director Bryan Stevenson, who founded the Montgomery, Alabama-based National Memorial for Peace and Justice dedicated to lynching victims, of the renewed political urgency: “It is never too late for our nation to express our sorrow for the decades of racial terror that traumatized millions in this country. Passing an anti-lynching law is not just about who we were decades ago, it’s a statement about who we are now that is relevant, important, and timely.”

The post Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Tim Scott Introduce Bill That Would Make Lynching a Federal Crime appeared first on Black Enterprise.