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Twitter/Melody Cooper (@melodyMcooper) By Ashlee Banks ·February 17, 2021February 17, 2021

Amy Cooper—the 41-year-old white woman who infamously called the cops on a Black man who was peacefully birdwatching in New York City’s Central Park—is off the hook now that her criminal case has been thrown out. 

Christan Cooper was enjoying his hobby on May 25, 2020 when he saw Amy and asked her to leash her dog, which is the law in Central Park. Amy wasn’t too pleased with a Black man asking her to be a law-abiding citizen, so she decided to use her privilege against him in retaliation. She called the cops and lied to them. She said she was being threatened by “an African American man.” Amy wanted Christian to be punished for simply asking her to comply with the law and to be a responsible dog owner. Violent, deadly encounters between police and Black people have been more public in recent years, which means Amy knew what she was doing. Christian could’ve easily been a trending hashtag in 2020, alongside George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.

Due to backlash, Amy was fired from her job as a portfolio manager at Franklin Templeton, an investment firm in California. She was also arrested and charged with one count of filing a false report against Christian. Many of us thought Amy was going to face serious consequences for putting Christian’s life in danger. That hope dissipated when it was announced on Tuesday, February 16 that the charge against Amy had been dropped. Why? Well, it’s because she completed a diversionary counseling program. Prosecutors said this program served the purpose of educating her on her actions, as if Amy was a 4-year-old girl who was ignorant about what she was doing. 

Amy knew exactly what she was doing, which is why a few weeks of counseling isn’t enough. Counseling won’t remove Amy’s racist ideologies. It isn’t going to stop Amy from calling the cops the next time a Black man or woman calls her out for being a law breaker. Thanks to her Whiteness, she knows the law is on her side. Even worse, she is the clearly the type of person who has no problem abusing her privilege. Once again, the justice system has failed the victim.

Officials had the power to sentence Amy and make her serve as an example to all the “Karens” who constantly put the lives of Black and Brown people in danger. She is no different than the White women who scream rape when they’re caught with Black men they secretly desire. She’s no different from Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman who lied on Emmett Till. 

Amy Cooper threatened a man’s life that day in May. Some would say calling the cops to make a false claim of violence against a Black person amounts to attempted murder. She deserves a punishment that fits her crime. 

The post Amy Cooper Proves Once Again That White Privilege Prevails appeared first on Essence.

Fans of multi-talented actor Nick Sagar may recognize him from roles such as Charles Frederickson in Tyler Perry’s The Have and Have Nots or in both installments of Netflix’s hit Christmas films, The Princess Switch, in the role of the handsome dad, Kevin Richards. Now Sagar is set to take on a new role as sauve Anderson Louis in Starz upcoming show Run the World.

Sagar tells BGN about his excitement for the upcoming show.

Run the World is set to premiere in Spring 2021. Tell me about your process of auditioning and your reaction when you booked the role.

I was over the moon when I got the role. I’d had a chance to read the script and knew what the premise was going to be. It’s exactly the type of show we need right now — a fresh innovative look at four Black women and their careers, love lives, friendships, and how they navigate life in the big city. I’m just glad to be a part of it.

You play Anderson Louis in the show. How did you prepare for this role and how would you describe this character?

What stood out to me about the role was that I could relate to parts of him. I used that as a base to create Anderson. He’s a very passionate loving guy who values his lady very highly. The struggle comes when balancing their careers and love life. He definitely makes some decisions I wouldn’t [laughs], but that’s where the fun in playing characters comes from.

The show tells the story of Black friends simply navigating through life. Why do you think these storylines are important to have in this day and age?

They’re extremely important because there wasn’t enough growing up. Media has a huge role to play in shaping people’s realities and has the power to help people dream. On the flip side, it can also limit us if we’re not getting the right content. Accurate cultural representation is vital for us as humans to move forward as one. Telling these stories sheds light on the lives that so many can relate to but have had less representation over the years. I love that we are breaking molds and stereotypes, which is long overdue!

You’re currently working on other projects as well, such as the third installment of Princess Switch. How has set life been amid COVID-19, and has it been difficult to get acclimated to such a huge change in set life?

We’re almost done on Princess Switch 3. It’s been so good to be back with the family. They’ve been missed dearly. Having such a close set helps to make navigating these difficult times easier. We’re extremely privileged to be working at this time, and everyone takes that into account. They really are a great bunch.

If you could work with any actor on any project, who/what would it be and why?

That’s a good one. There are a few I’d like to work with. I’d love to do some action with Jackie Chan. Denzel, of course. It would be cool to do something different with my good friend Tika Sumpter. We worked on The Have and Have Nots together. Maybe some sort of action flick. [Laughs.] You can tell I’m looking for some action roles!

Any closing remarks?

Just thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this. Thank you to the team at Black Girl Nerds for featuring me — it’s really appreciated. Blessings, peace and love to all!

We hope our listenership is enjoying this Valentine Day's weekend but what better way is there to enjoy the break than to listen to Afronerd Radio's Grindhouse broadcast? And for the uninitiated, The Grindhouse airs every Sunday at 8 p.m. eastern on the BTalk 100 platform.  Your "not ready for prime time" AFROnerdist hosts will be unpacking the following topics: Cyborg/Justice League actor, Ray Fisher seems to be getting even more help from industry friends in the wake of allegations he levied against filmmaker, Joss Whedon for crass and unprofessional behavior while on set;  it appears what was once perceived as a joke, hence the term "gay burger," and its trending on Twitter is now a fully-realized restaurant IP.  The question remains when (and how) can blackness capitalize on ideas in a similar fashion?; former MMA and actress, Gina Carano loses her gig with Disney +'s Mandalorian TV series but lands on her proverbial feet thanks to conservative pundit, Ben Shapiro?;  thoughts about episode 6 of Wandavison including the identity of  Monica Rambeau's mystery contact (Reed Richards or Adam Brashear?); legendary jazz musician, Chick Corea passes at 79; 

It looks like a few folks (Daniel Kaluuya, Ryan Coogler) decided to revisit a different "Black Panther" story via this weekend's release of HBO Max' Judas and the Black Messiah film; and even more hype (is that possible?) is at play concerning the latest trailer for Zack Snyder's Justice League. A film also slated for an HBO Max  streaming release; 

And lastly, the importance of Black comic book IPs becomes apparent via the return of Milestone Media during BHM and Black Sands garnering a 1M investment into its burgeoning publishing house.

*One thing that Dburt is doing (finally) is investing in cryptocurrency, courtesy of Roundlyx. We would implore our followers to investigate, discern and then explore by using our referral code: afro-87A4BF

Call us LIVE at 508-645-0100. AFTER CLICKING ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK, GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!! 

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By Jasmine Grant ·February 16, 2021February 16, 2021

This past weekend, Oprah and the good folks at WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) teamed up to bring us “Be the Love You Need” – a free virtual event designed to “help people recommit to themselves and create the stronger, healthier life they envision.”

The 90-minute experience was packed with gems about how to set up the building blocks to healthier, happier versions of ourselves. Ciara stopped by for a quick chat with mama O, where she gave a quick update on her weight loss journey since having her third child, Win, last summer. The Grammy-winning singer set out to lose 48 pounds with a balanced diet and committed workouts with her trainer Decker Davis. She reveals that while she only has about 18 more pounds left to lose, she’s not as eager to lose the weight as she once was.

“With this pregnancy, in particular, I chose to embrace every step of the process,” Ciara told Oprah. “I’m really enjoying my curves. I think my goal may change this go-around versus what I use to want my goal to be. I may want to hold on to five more pounds than I normally would. But because I’m loving where I am, I’m embracing every bit of the process, and it is somewhat a new me.”

Ciara explains that after giving birth to her son Future and daughter Sienna, she put much more pressure on herself to snap back into shaping. This time around, she’s taking a different approach. “I realized sometimes you have to step back, look at where you are, and say, ‘I’m actually doing alright. I love these extra love handles and my hips.'”

Ciara also admitted to feeling “empowered” by her decision to keep working and appearing on magazine covers while still working towards her fitness goals. “I’ve done a few cover shoots that I probably never would have done back in the day because I would have felt like I had to get back to my base weight,” she admits.

Watch the full segment below:

Ciara’s hard work appears to be paying off. While appearing at the Super Bowl with her husband Russell Wilson, Cici showed off her toned legs as she participated in the “walk challenge.”

A post shared by Ciara (@ciara)

Keep on crushing it, Cici!

The post Ciara Talks Embracing Her Curves At Oprah x WW’s ‘Be the Love You Need’ Event appeared first on Essence.