deerstalker

Everyone has a family. And every family has a story. This Is Us chronicles the Pearson family across the decades: from Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) as young parents in the 1980s to their kids (the big three), Kevin (Justin Hartley), Kate (Chrissy Metz), and Randall (Sterling K. Brown) searching for love and fulfillment in the present day along with Toby (Chris Sullivan) and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson). This grounded, life-affirming dramedy reveals how the tiniest events in our lives impact who we become, and how the connections we share with each other can transcend time, distance, and even death.

In episode 503 “Changes”, Kevin and Madison navigate their engagement as Kate and Toby take a big step in their adoption journey.  Jack and Rebecca brace for puberty.

While simultaneously holding our breath through what feels like an Election decade, we checked out Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm and the final episodes of Lovecraft Country. Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins are doing a Cleopatra movie, and Oscar Issac is in talks to join the MCU as Moon Knight.

Meanwhile, the Demon Slayer OVA breaks box office records in Japanese theaters. Remember those? Movie theaters? This and more Bronx-based hot takes than you can shake a bacon, egg, and cheese at on 2Nerds and an Actor. Also, we really hope you voted.

(Cover illustration by Afua Richardson, courtesy of HBO)

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The post So, This Is America… appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

By Brooklyn White ·November 5, 2020November 5, 2020

We are sad to report that the beloved multi-hyphenate Brax, born Braxton Baker, has passed away. She was 21.

Her community of supporters and friends have begun to share their condolences online. “You were such an amazing light,” wrote makeup artist Scott Osbourne on Instagram. “Man the work you created, and the work we created together will live on forever.”

In a 2018 interview with Svage magazine, she spoke on what she sought to accomplish as an artist, saying, “My role is to create art straight from my heart. For I know that art will be pure, poetic, powerful, and healing.” She then added, “All I want to do is help the world heal. That’s when things will begin to shift.”

The artist was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1998. In 2017, she rose to fame after she shared a music project titled VERSE(atility).

During the aforementioned interview, she shared that she was the force behind her creative work. “I have been using my creativity to build a unique brand for years,” she said. “I’ve been directing my own shoots, directing my own videos, styling myself, writing poetry, writing articles, writing raps, choreographing dances, styling myself, and styling others like it was nothing for years. So I guess that’s how I’ve been making it work for me.”

We are sending our love to her family during this difficult time.

The post Rapper Brax, 21, Passes Away appeared first on Essence.

There’s some really good news coming out of Oregon this election as Oregonians voted to make their state the first in the country to decriminalize all drugs and also legalized the therapeutic use of psilocybin therapy. Both measures 110 and 109 passed in the state with strong support and will mean some big changes in the way the state prosecutes drug crimes.

Measure 110 decriminalized all drugs, which isn’t the same as making them legal. The passage of the measure means that possession of certain smaller amounts of currently illegal drugs will have no criminal penalty, and that includes no prison time. Those found with the drugs will face either a $100 fine or will be given the option to get a “completed health assessment” at an addiction recovery center. The sale of drugs is still illegal and, as noted, this only applies to small amounts, so dealers carrying large amounts of drugs can still be prosecuted. These addiction centers and drug recovery programs will be funded by taxes on marijuana, which is legal in the state.

This is a big step in ending the use of prisons and jails as default treatment centers and centers the drug crisis on public health instead. Supporters of the measure claim that its passage will end thousands of unnecessarily and racially disproportionate arrests in Oregon each year and decrease mass incarceration, And doing so will hopefully also free up resources in the criminal justice system to use resources in a better way.

The passage of this is a big deal and as an Oregonian myself, I hope it works as intended. As someone who has worked in the Oregon justice system, I certainly didn’t see that the criminal penalties we had were effective deterrents, I only saw them weaponized against people of color.

The second drug measure to pass is also a first in the nation experiment, allowing for the legalization and the study of therapeutic uses of psilocybin. Psilocybin is the psychoactive chemical found in so-called “magic mushrooms,” and its use in treating addiction, trauma, and other mental issues has huge potential. Psychadelic “trips” allow people to confront and process their anxieties, depression, and addiction. This is a big step towards a better understanding of how these substances work and how they can help people.

Overall this was a good day for drug laws in Oregon, as voters slowly chipped away at the walls set up in the failed and disastrous war on drugs. Walls that were set up with an idea of protection, but were too high and too thick and in the end resulted in disproportionately harming people of color while doing nothing to stop addiction and abuse, which is rampant in America. Hopefully, this is a turning point in all these fights.

(via Vox, image: Pexels)

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