Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors are 2015 NBA Champions. They defeated the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in a 6-game series in convincing fashion. He has a beautiful wife Ayesha Curry, a brother who just got signed to another NBA team and a fat big contract he just renewed last season. But basketball isn’t the only thing that keeps Curry sane.
Throughout the playoffs the point guard received flack for bringing his daughter, Riley Curry, to press conferences. According to some media, she was distracting reporters and kept them from doing their jobs. To others she was reporting GOLD with her antics. Some people would come to post-games just to see what Riley would do. Curry seemed to waver with himself if he should bring Riley to the post-game festivities, but come championship celebration, she was front and center with her dance moves and song lyrics to popular songs like, "Blessings" by Big Sean and Drake. In one interview Curry took some time to talk about his role as a father and a professional basketball player. "Being a father kind of gives you something more to play for”, he said. “I think off the court, it just grounds you every day, because no matter if I have a good game, bad game, score 40, score 10, I think my daughter's going to be happy to see me when I get home, and that kind of makes everything all right. So I rarely ever have a bad day, regardless of what happens on the court. It just gives you something more than basketball to kind of play and live for, and it's pretty special. Obviously, every father would say pretty much the same thing about what their daughter or son means to them and how they impact their life." This was special. A man accepts his job as a father and understands there are things bigger than the game. I commend Curry for this. He understands that being a father is the biggest and greatest job in the world. While he has to make sure he provides for him family, traditionally children have been welcome in post-game interviews and he should not be handled any different. I enjoy a change of pace and I think others need to not be so critical. Instead, live with the change and come to appreciate the moment.
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The likes of President Barack Obama, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and others. These are the black and brown men who are supposed to be admired, looked up to. Most young men aspire to be well-spoken, well-educated and hold the highest offices attainable in their respective field. And yet the leaders of our generation and generations past are questioned because scholars say they seek money and fame and don't truly want the best for a race. But how do you move stadiums of people or influence so much change and not get some type of confidence? Some may call it arrogance, others call it deception. I can only speak from experience. I work for one of the men above; one of the most polarizing men in America. Some people love him, others love to hate him. I have come to appreciate the man that he is. I see the work that he does, his private conversations and know his character is more real than people will ever know. He devotes his life to the mission of civil rights, activism and getting the word out. He is able to mobilize and motivate the tens of thousands all while holding a radio station, television show and the leading civil rights organization constantly on the ground. How can you do all this and be for evil?
We're taught to challenge authority. From an early age everything we're taught we're told we need to take as fact, but then at some age of growth we then are taught to challenge everything. No longer is 2+2 equal 4, but 2+2 can somehow now equal 22 because of perspective. I feel strongly in doing the good work you know of individually instead of bringing down others. People of color are too far behind to bring down the next great man because he may "appear" to not be doing the work. Yes, we can push one another and challenge one another to be better and do more, but to disregard one man for another only further devastates a group of people that cannot afford devastation. Our black leaders have garnered the term leaders for a reason. They have shown discipline, strength and the mental capacity to follow through. In each and every one of our lives we can also affect change. It may start on a micro level, but all great things started micro and turned into macro. Contrary to popular belief we do have great black leaders. They are not only the big names we see in the headlines, but they are also the great role models in our everyday lives. As a productive man in society who is some type of positive figure for something else, you are a leader. We need to start treating ourselves and each other as so. There is no doubt the country is currently in a crisis. The recent string of loss of black lives by the hands of officers or other persons have struck a chord within communities of all races and ethnicities. Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, 9 church members in Charleston, SC, Eric Garner, Jordan Davis, Sean Bell..the list goes on and on. Some people feel these victims bring trouble onto themselves. Others feel excessive force is abused in this country and it's prompted a social media craze and newborn hashtag, #BackLivesMatter. The hashtag is a reminder to the country and greater world that as black people we do matter and we do hold weight on issues. It's also further self-confirmation to black people that we mean something in the world; we are worthy. But I would challenge everyone to take this simple idea one step further. As my pastor in church stated, "It's not just black lives matter now, but black lives have always mattered, since the beginning of time."
When I first heard this I was not sure what the pastor meant. He went on to explain further that black life is power. From the beginning of time the more black lives a person had through slavery, the more power they had. Today, as black people we are feared because we are so capable to do such great things. That is why politicians and large corporations strategically put forth laws and deceiving restrictions to hold back an entire race. What if most black people went to college and graduated? What if suburbs were overflowing with black families the way lines around the corner are for the latest sneaker release? We hold power, we hold greatness. It's time we recognize it and internalize the idea blacks lives don't just matter now, they have always mattered. As young black men we need to raise our children in the way that will allow them to be successful. In our communities we need to be productive and demand the best from ourselves and others. I can remember in the early 2000s rocking out to the latest Lil' Bow Wow record the night it came out. This is back when buying CDs was the thing to do. Maybe it was "Like You", or "Let Me Hold You" or some other song about puppy love. But I wasn't even in high school, no idea what love was about, but at that time I felt as though I could relate. I knew to treat a girl right you had to tell her nice things and buy her expensive gifts, that's how you keep her. It was simple back then. Fast forward about ten years later and all my "puppy love" has groomed me into what I would call a pretty well-rounded young man. I know there is more to a relationship that just saying nice things and buying your significant other gifts. In some ways you have to do this, but it's a lot more involved than that. You have to be on the same page intellectually, emotionally and physically to truly make things work. It's communication verbally and non-verbally that go the distance. Now that I am embarking on something new myself, I use my past missteps to put things in better order. I try to learn from where I went wrong to do better in the present. I don't leave someone when I'm mad, but instead hug them in spite of my feelings. Instead of saying what is always on my mind, I bite my tongue and give positive notes and make people feel good about themselves, instead of putting them down. I call it my 2015 person puppy love story because in it's infancy things are not complicated yet, but I am fully involved and fully invested. It's no about MySpace or AOL instant messenger, but now its a gazillion other social media platforms. From Twitter to Instagram to SnapChat to Vine to Facebook -- slip up on social media and it can be the ruin of your relationship. There are so many more factors than your significant other that you have to deal with today. You have to worry about what they say and feel and possibly how the outside world is going to react. Maybe you shouldn't tweet this or instragram that, it's crazy, but it's reality. I've learned to pick and choose my battles and have patience. I need to learn when I should speak up and let other things go. Put your significant other before you when in the end it makes them happy, but maintain a balance always. It's easy to like someone and make it work for a bit, but what are you both working on to make it last. Right now it's puppy love, but my goal is real love when all is said and done.
Fox has a HIT new show out called "Empire". It's directed by Lee Daniels who also wrote "The Butler" and stars the likes of Tariji P. Henson, playing Cookie, Terrance Howard, playing Lucious, and Courtney Love, playing Elle, along with a slew of new actors. Now with almost the entire first season wrapped up, "Empire" is the new prime-time 'it' show on TV.
My initial opinion of the show was mixed. I have enjoyed some of the lead actors in films like "Think Like a Man Too" and "The Best Man Wedding", but this one was different. It is a predominantly black cast with roles that are not what many would call favorable. Lucious is a media and entertainment mogul of the 'Empire' record label that has been successful for years. He's a feared leader. Cookie was his girlfriend that helped him get to where he is presently, but she went to jail to cover him. Now that she is out she wants to get back what's hers. The three children Lucious and Cookie had before she went to jail are Andre, the educated son with a white woman (Tria Byers), Jamal, the gay son (Jussie Smollet) and Hakeem , the young aspiring, troubled rapper (Bryshere Gray). All of these roles make for some great TV, but what do they mean for the image of people of color? I've read it all from great to poor, but after some time I've come to respect the show. Director Daniels says he wants to expose homophobia by this show. Daniels, gay himself, uses strong images of Luscious neglecting his son Jamal and even throwing him in the trash in one scene. I appreciate this narrative by Daniels to do this. It's brave and unique. Homophobia is a problem in the black community. The negative stereotypes that deal with the criminal justice system, drugs, betrayal and everything that marries with urban culture were a few of the images that troubled me initially. I came to understand that this does not have to be all negative. Instead, it's can relate to more people than the Cosby show once did. Most families of color may not have a dad who is a doctor and mother who is a lawyer, but can relate to incarceration and the same issues that this family deals with. What I had to further understand is that not every image on TV has to be positive in the way that I see it. If it's too positive in many ways it can be the same detriment as something that is too bad as it falsely depicts reality. And that's it. In many ways the show "Empire" depicts that reality for a lot of America whether they are black, white or brown. It's what they see and go through on a daily basis. They aren't perfect, but what family is. But in one way or another the family comes together in each episode in their own way and that's most important. Overall, this show makes me wonder where are we as people of color today when it comes to life as people and how do we compare across the board in many ways. It's a complicated exchange to be honest, but while the world knows we are not equal in many ways we don't want to be the same. We want to be different, but have the same rights. That's what we have fought decades for in through voting rights and immigration laws. We just want a fair shot. It's not easy, but we are capable. We can take over there's no doubt in my mind, but we do have to be careful what we put out as represents us. Lights, Camera, Action!! It's New York City!!!
Yes, it's happened, I've finally moved to Manhattan, New York and I could not be happier. Born and raised a suburban New Jersey boy, with what I would like to call a little street cred, I've made the trek across the river and in just over a month in a half I can honestly say I've fallen in love with it; the city, the people and the atmosphere. It's everything I imagined it to be and more. But wait, let me clarify. Technically I live in Manhattan, but by every other stretch of the imagination I live in Harlem, New York, or as I call it the "heart of the NYC". Beyond the glamour of midtown Manhattan, drive a little uptown and you get to see all the lights and cameras and action you want; but by this I mean NYPD patroling every other corner, people being arrested for God knows what and shady business going on all around you. Sounds a bit much huh, but why not? I live for the action and excitement of what if. And yet I can't help but think it's only the winter, I cannot wait until summer. There's is so much I want to accomplish here and yet so little time as I see it. I want to explore my neighborhood, my borough, go over to Brooklyn and even make some trips out to Queens where one of my best friends graduates from St. John's University with a Pharmacy degree in the spring. The food of course is one of the things that New York is known for and if you know me, one thing that I love to do is eat. Whether it's fried, baked or grilled or maybe dropped on the floor for under 5 seconds, I will eat it. The places to see, experiences to be had is all apart of the journey that I am ready to embrace. I may spend so much I may not be able to eat a few nights, but I'm all for it. While the tangible things I can't wait to grasp and take advantage of have me salivating at the bit, it's the things that I can't see that I think I will cherish the most. In my short time being in Harlem I have had the best time interacting people and getting to know them on a personal level. From my two roommates Stephen and Alex who have completely different interests than me to the local shop owners like Omar at the deli across the street to Karen in the dry cleaners right next door to my apartment (she never did fully get that stain out of my white pants). But it's the good relationships, the bad ones and ultimately the ones that will change my life forever I am looking forward to growing with and through. Love and relationships seem to always find me in due time so I'm ready for it all. I am here for the foreseeable so in the famous words of Michael Buffer, "Let's get ready to RUMMBLE!!" When I think about my life and some of the things that I have accomplished thus far, some of the things that I've experienced and other things that I've seen I can't help but laugh a bit. In so many ways I wasn't and still am not supposed to have done any of it. I was born into a suburban town of predominantly white people in New Jersey, attended a high school of 1,000 students where I was 1 of 7 blacks and attended a private university with over 70% white population. In addition to this, I did not have to play a sport to get any of my accomplishments, but I've traveled the world to see Australia, New Zealand and Costa Rica just to name a few countries/continents. And while, I would like to take credit for it all, there is a large part of me that knows I had very little to do with it at all. Of course, without God nothing is possible, but even God needs a vehicle here on earth. That vehicle was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. His name was Michael Luther King. Yes, Michael. It wasn't until a 1934 trip to Germany, did Dr. King Jr.'s father change his son's name to Martin in honor of the German reformer Martin Luther.
But from seemingly his birth until his assassination Dr. King made it his life's purpose to fight for the civil rights of all people so that one day we could live out many of the opportunities that I have been able to do myself; go to school wherever I want, eat wherever I want, travel throughout the world wherever I want, and ultimately be whoever I want to be. On this day I remember Dr. King for his legacy and his commitment to the struggle. It was a battle with no end in sight much of the time; a long, harsh journey that was new and uncharted. Dr. King wasn't afforded the chance to see it through but he fought for it anyways knowing he may not see its fruition. Today, is our day because of him. It's not a day to sit back and relax, but instead a day to fight on and push forward in our own ways. Your method may be to get out in the street and march. Or you may be able to move the masses with your words in writing. Today I am inspired by Dr. King because he had a vision and wasn't going to let anyone tell him any different. In many ways he is glorified and seen as perfect, but his method was not always so easy. Dr. King was not so popular in the '60s. In fact, 2/3 white Americans at the time had an unfavorable view of him. The FBI wanted to shut his marches down. Senators wanted to get rid of him. But he fought on. Dr. King knew what his purpose was and he knew it wouldn't be easy. It's funny how time heals so much. In a time where America has an unfavorable view on anyone with an opinion I remember Dr. King because his purpose wasn't to please man, but instead change man even if man didn't realize what was happening. Dr. King made it happen and today I remember him and thank you. Salute, Dr. King -- today I continue your fight for a better tomorrow. Last night I had the pleasure of going to see the film "Dear White People" with my sister. As I usually do I walked into the theater with a premade idea of what I felt the movie would be like and how I would react, but praise be to the most high I was beyond mistaken. My pre-movie conclusion was that the film would be a horrible take on black students at a white school with loose references to race and actual instances that occur in how races interact and mix with one another. I walked away from the film absolutely blown away by director Justin Simeon and his concept of race, the idea of acceptance and self-worth. Not only did he go way deeper than surface ideas and ideology, but he actually showed both sides of frustration for white people and black people on and off college campuses.
You can read a synopsis of the film for yourself, but what the film did for me was bring everything I do at work, have experienced at school and at home to life. Everything from the plight of being one of the few black individuals in a community dominated by the majority to wanting to articulate to whites as to why myself and people like me are disadvantaged and how they are born with privilege, nothing at all to do with them. Further, the movie highlighted the frustrations against institutions being solely about monetary gain instead of the uplift of students and student-life. What struck me most was the struggle of the character Troy, played by Brandon Bell. Troy did his best to balance "staying black", being a leader that both the white and the black community could look to and also putting himself in the best position to succeed at the school and later in life. During the film we saw Troy go from dating a conscious black woman, to the school President's white daughter, to being head of the black dorm on campus to running for School President, to wanting to fit in with the prestigious white fraternity house on campus to standing up to them to wanting to do any and everything, to please his dad to finding his own to be happy. For many people this may be a mouthful, but for many young black males like myself this is an everyday struggle that the film brought to life. This is probably why I enjoyed it so much. How do I as a young man with opportunity and knowledge help others, but also put myself in the best position to succeed? How do I maintain my own "blackness" without selling out? It's complex and it's a lot to shoulder, but the honest truth is there is no one right answer. Life is meant to live and learn and grow. Troy grew throughout the film. He learned what worked and did not work and he continued to grow as the film grew to a conclusion. I appreciated the film because it did not shy away from controversy. It took it head on and showed why whites are mad, why blacks are mad and how money is truly the root of all evil. A lot of white people feel that black people always get handouts and that they make excuses for slavery they say ended a long time ago. They don't take into account the continued institutionalized racism in society daily. Black people feel that white people don't understand their struggle. Black people don't often enough take the time to sit and have candid conversations with their white counterparts about how to understand one another better. It's a constant tug of war of yelling and rebellion both ways, but people often don't take the time to listen to one another. The other characters played off their roles well in offering up other perspectives and ideas to bounce off of one another. I enjoyed every bit of this film and pray that it's made into a TV show because I will be it's number one fan. The film concluded nicely in a fulfilling way with Samantha White, who throughout the film's entirety worked on her vlog entitled "Dear White People", finally acknowledging, "Dear White People, you know what, never mind." For me this meant everything. It was frustration, this was realization and this was a new step. Samantha was tired of complaining, but she was also growing to see that she couldn't speak to a group and expect them to listen in that manner. She also was ready to not be who others wanted her to be, but do what she wanted to do in the way she saw best fit. This movie was a lot to swallow, but wow how amazing. If you don't know the name of the song, chances are you know the dance. Bobby Shmurda's first hit single, "Hot N***a" has been the hottest song of the entire 2014 garnering over 25 million hits on YouTube to date; and as summer has come and gone, the song continues to gain in popularity. What started as somewhat of a hood anthem from deep in Brooklyn, New York about selling drugs and gun violence has transformed into a song that brings people together with the catchy "shmoney dance" as its called. First captured online in a Vine, the dance has since taken off. It started with the hat flip and now it's being played on almost every continent and in every country as feel good music. For some time it's been known that music can be the great equalizer, bringing people together of all walks of life. In many ways music can bring people together better than politics can, but the shmoney dance has taken things to a new level. All types of people, all ages and backgrounds know the dance, the words and when the beat drops nothing else matters. Much can be made of the success of the song, but what about the idea that as humans we're all not that different. If music can bring us together so too can every day life of sports and food and common interests. The hate in the world is so ugly and unnecessary. Centuries of oppression needs to be left in the past. We need to use one another to uplift. Let's all enjoy life -- and at the very least let's shmoney dance!
As of today there have been three people diagnosed with the very serious, very dangerous virus ebola in the United States. The deadly virus' origins are not exactly known, but its emerging threat stems from the RNA (ribonucleic acid) virus found in west African wild animals like monkeys, chimpanzees and bats. The virus in humans to date cause organs to bleed out until the person dies; serious stuff. But taking a step back once again, the current population in America is 316 million. To be clear once again 3 out of 316 million people in the United States of America have been diagnosed as having the ebola virus; yes 3 of 316 million. So why the national hysteria? Why not understand the facts and how to stay safe? These are questions that have been bothering me to no end. Yes the ebola virus is new to this country and very deadly, but we have more technology than ever to combat the virus and know what needs to be done to get things under control. While many people are freaking out about the person next to them on a crowded bus sneezing or getting on a domestic flight to another part of the country, many don't bother to understand the facts. They rather feed into the hype. What does this do? Who does this help?
There has been one death in America after the ebola diagnosis. Eric Thomas Duncan returned from Africa and originally went to a Texas hospital to complain he did not feel well only to be turned away. He came back to the hospital as his condition worsened, until he ultimately passed away. The hospital has since apologized to the family, but that does nothing to bring Duncan back. Opposition says just cut off flight access from west Africa. Opposition blames President Barack Obama. Opposition yells, screams and makes up nonsense to get people to read their articles or watch their shows to talk in circles. Facts say otherwise. CDC (Center for Disease Control) chief Dr. Tom Frieden has said a ban could hurt efforts to prevent an outbreak in the United States. The CDC also is giving both doctors and nurses guidelines to follow in order to effectively deal with ebola. President Obama did not bring this virus to America, but is doing what he can to get things under control. Until this point it's been a combination of the CDC's reaction in proper steps to hospitals in what to wear and procedure, but they are working. The screaming does not help. We don't need flights cut off or no government, we need better prevention and better government. A troubling tangent that appears to have fed into the hysteria is the recent news that a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist who traveled to Liberia to cover the outbreak no longer is wanted by Syracuse University to come speak. Michel du Cille has been back for over 21 days and has done everything he has been told to monitor himself multiple times a day. He was set to speak at Syracuse University, but they called him and said the fear of ebola was too high and they did not want him to speak. He could maybe come at a later time. Many may find this fine, but I see this very troubling. As a place of higher learning I expect more. I expect Syracuse to understand the virus and use ebola as a talking bout with Cille and students. Use his experience. But they chose not to. Not only this, but Cille received the news the day he was in the CDC headquarters in Atlanta once again ensuring all was well with him. I think this is problematic. As my alma mater, I feel that Syracuse University had a golden opportunity to rise above the fears and make a statement. Instead they faltered. Ebola is here. It's a nasty, nasty virus, but the hysteria isn't helping anyone. We need to make sure we as individuals are doing what we can to stay safe. |
Marquise Francislives by one word: achievement. in anything and everything, achieve. Archives
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