deerstalker

These days, ACURA is doing far more than releasing stylish motor vehicles that come fully equipped with the latest automotive technology. The brand is also doing much good in the hood. Timed alongside the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, ACURA presented its hallmark event, the 11th Annual Shorty Fest, in partnership with the Trombone Shorty Foundation. The Fest brought Jazz lovers from far and near to Uptown New Orleans to indulge in a “Cultural Block Party” open and free to the public. There was also some good fried chicken and jambalaya rice from Jacques-Imo, and some damn good performances from the Mardi Gras Indians, high school marching bands, and local brass bands. The event transitioned into New Orleans’ historic Jazz Club Tipitina’s for a night of entertainment that included Sun Ra Arkestra, Galactic featuring Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, students from the Trombone Shorty Academy, and New Orleans sixth ward’s own Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue.

The Trombone Shorty Academy supports student musicians throughout the greater New Orleans region. Through its apprenticeship program, participants between the ages of 12 and 18 meet weekly and learn to become skillful at playing brass band instruments, mentorship, and access to career development and opportunities. 

“The thumbprint and DNA of this program, in particular, is based off of Troy (Trombone Shorty),” Ashley Shabankareh, director of operations and programs, told BLACK ENTERPRISE. 

“It’s really about the way in which he learned. So he’s really integral in the curriculum design in this process. He comes in for key moments throughout the year. For example, they all sit in with him during a set at Shorty Fest.”

Antonio Jakes, PR for Honda/ACURA, conceived of the partnership with the foundation several years ago after witnessing the magic that flows through the Trombone Shorty Foundation.

Festival weekend in the Big Easy was the perfect time for the big reveal of Acura’s new ZDX Type S. The sleek sports utility ride is the company’s first electric vehicle and is boasted to be the most powerful Acura produced with 500 horsepower and 544 pounds of “maximum torque” to open up on the highways. Drivers will get in roughly 325 miles before needing to charge.

Be clear—Acura’s ZDX Type S is a luxury car; several highlights concretize this. The base price point is $64,500 but may qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit; the Acura EV mobile app identifies charging stations, Built-in Google Maps app supports turn-by-turn navigation, the purchasing experience is fully customizable and on top of all that it looks good. Check it out for yourself: 

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Season 3 is the summer season of Bel-Air! No school. No uniforms. Just summer sizzle. Pools, beach parties, bonfires, fireworks, Juneteenth celebrations and lots of summer lovin’.  

Season 3 explores questions like, how do you prove yourself in a world that views you in limited ways? How do you reach beyond your comfort zone to create new opportunities for yourself?  How does a family rebuild broken trust?  

Bel-Air has always been a show with a strong cultural point of view. In addition to our soapy teen and family stories, this season we’ll have a lot of great discussion on the gentrification happening in South LA and how so many people are capitalizing on the economy at the cost of the community. And this convo will become a backdrop through the season.  

The writing team dug deep into their own lives to craft stories that will resonate with our audience. I love how everyone can see a little of themselves in the Banks family. No matter how fantastic and aspirational their lives are, we strive to tell stories that stay rooted in the love and compassion required to keep a family strong.

Inspired by Morgan Cooper’s viral trailer that reimagined the iconic, culture-defining ‘90s sitcom, Bel-Air takes a fresh and raw approach to this world of swagger, style, and aspiration, while exploring Will’s complex journey through a current lens. The series features an ensemble cast that introduces new sensation Jabari Banks as Will and a creative team that includes showrunner, executive producer and writer Carla Banks Waddles and Cooper, who serves as executive producer.  

February 11 is a date that Dylan Beard will probably never forget. At this year’s Millrose Games in New York City, Beard won big in the 60-meter hurdles, setting a personal record on top of a record for the facility with the third-fastest time in the world. What’s even more remarkable is that track and field isn’t Beard’s only gig—he works as a full-time employee behind the deli counter at Walmart.

This win catapulted Beard to the national stage, and he’s in training to compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic track and field team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

Beard had sat down with ESSENCE in the midst of his busy schedule working and training to discuss his journey, goals and aspirations, and favorite Olympic moments.

“My goal was to build off what I did last year, and with the Olympic games this year I obviously wanted to make the team, but I had no idea this would be my 2024, so it’s been truly a blessing,” Olympic hopeful Dylan Beard told ESSENCE.

During a TODAY interview, Beard said, “I think I went in a lot more relaxed, like nothing to lose, a lot to gain.”

Currently, Beard remains an unsponsored athlete, working his “day job” to support himself and keep competing, but hopefully, that changes soon. His goal is to compete “for prize money as well as just to up my status in the world [of trackand field].”

This is Beard’s tenth year hurdling. “I started training for it in 2013 and competing in 2014 back when I was at Archbishop Spalding High School. My coach said, ‘just try to hop over hurdles’ and that’s what I did. He said, ‘we can always fix everything later, as long as you can get over the hurdles now,’” the Baltimore native shared.

Beard followed up that introduction to hurdles and ran with it all the way to college. “I was blessed to be able to do seven years as a Division I athlete, instead of the normal four. I started my first year at Wagner College in 2016, did two years there and transferred in 2018 to Hampton University where I got a degree in biochemistry.” But then the COVID-19 pandemic happened, and Beard lost two years competing, “at that point, I decided to transfer again as a graduate and I was able to go to Howard University and meet former Olympian David Oliver, as well as the rest of the coaching staff at Howard and it really shaped me up to be where I’m at today as a professional,” stated Beard.

Although there’s been a lot of change in the last year, for Beard, “It’s my first year out of school, and the only difference is instead of going to classes, doing homework projects, I’m practicing and going to work. Training wise, there’s no difference—it’s still the same goals. We’re still competing to win, no matter what race it is, we want to drop those times down and get a little better each time we race and practice. That’s really the main goal; it’s just now a bigger goal, and then maybe a few more eyes are watching.”

The post From Walmart Employee To Olympic Hopeful: Here’s How Dylan Beard Is Overcoming Hurdles appeared first on Essence.

Originally Published July 31, 2023.

When we talk about mental health, we can’t ignore the places where we spend most of our time—our workplaces. In the spirit of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s focus on the unique hurdles Black workers face every day. These challenges, deep-seated within our society, significantly impact mental health. Today’s fast-paced work culture adds to these struggles.

Just look at the Twitter chat kicked off last month by Tryfe Tejada. He pointed out a simple but powerful truth: making friends at work and hanging out with colleagues outside the office isn’t the same experience for everyone. For Black people, it can often be a very different story. His tweet has been viewed approximately 650,000 times, and the discussions that ensued in response to this tweet highlighted a common theme among Black professionals: the mental toll of enduring racial microaggressions and systemic racism in the workplace.

I realized this. But most yt people make friends at work and are generally very social with coworkers outside of the office. This, of course, is VERY different for Black people.

— Tryfe Tejada (@mrtryfe) June 7, 2023

In many workplaces, Black employees deal with the added stress of feeling alone and facing subtle, sometimes not-so-subtle, racial bias every day. This daily navigation through a web of racism and prejudice takes a heavy toll on their mental health. It’s like walking on eggshells, fearing that any misstep could be used against them, leading to an unhealthy amount of stress and anxiety.

The recent policy shake-ups, like doing away with affirmative action and attacks on diversity efforts, have made things worse. These changes have sent a chilling reminder to Black employees: their experiences and challenges do not matter as much to those holding power.

Here’s the thing: the pandemic and the shift to work-from-home provided some relief for many Black workers. Away from the direct racial tensions and office politics, they found a safer space to be themselves. But with talk of returning to the office, the thought of stepping back into potentially hostile work environments is causing a lot of worry.

Research from Slack Technologies found that only 3% of Black professional workers were accepting of returning to the office full-time, compared to 21% of white professionals.

“We all know the workplace can be stressful for Black people. These stresses not only impact mental health but can lead to chronic illness or exacerbate existing conditions that already plague the Black community like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease,” said Dr. Brandon Gillespie, a therapist and media professional.   

This Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s crucial to shine a light on the racial struggles Black professionals deal with regularly. These aren’t one-off incidents. They’re part of a bigger systemic problem that we need to tackle head-on.   

Dr. Gillespie continued, “Several of my clients have quit their jobs to start their own businesses because of their toxic workplaces. People are now moving away from places that cause them stress and pain.”

To truly impact Black mental health, organizations need to foster an environment that actively combats microaggressions and discrimination, promotes understanding, diversity, and provides support for mental health.

“It’s more than just improving diversity numbers—it’s about breaking down the barriers of systemic racism and creating a culture of respect and equality,” added Timeka Muhammad, EDs, LPC-S, founder of The Courage to Cope Counseling and Wellness in Atlanta.

“Workplace racism and stress cause trauma, depression, and many other mental health concerns,” Muhammad concluded.

As we celebrate Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s a wake-up call for all of us. Companies need to prioritize mental health, take a hard look at these systemic issues, and foster a culture that genuinely supports everyone in their organization. Because when it comes to mental health, every conversation, every action, matters.

RELATED CONTENT: Mental Health Monday: Tips For De-stressing

Written by Dionne Mahaffey, PsyD, LPC, NCC