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Vanity Fair Cover Is By A Black Photographer For The First Time
FlyJ posted a topic in Latest News and Gist
Vanity Fair has commissioned a Black photographer to shoot its cover for the first time, an overdue step for a magazine that has long weathered criticism for a lack of diverse racial representation in its pages. The cover of the magazine’s July/August issue, featuring actor Viola Davis, was shot by photographer Dario Calmese, whose photo of Davis aims to reimagine her as “as both the Black Madonna — associated with empowerment, transformation and change — as well as the Greek Goddess Athena — who represents justice, triumph and wisdom.” “This image reclaims that narrative, transmuting the white gaze on Black suffering into the Black gaze of grace, elegance, and beauty,” he said in the magazine. The image was inspired by an 1863 photograph of Peter Gordon, a runaway Black enslaved person, featured in a special issue of Harper’s Weekly during the Civil War. In the accompanying cover story, Davis herself pointed out the long-standing lack of Black representation on the iconic magazine’s covers. “They’ve had a problem in the past with putting Black women on the covers,” Davis said. “But that’s a lot of magazines, that’s a lot of beauty campaigns. There’s a real absence of dark-skinned Black women. When you couple that with what’s going on in our culture, and how they treat Black women, you have a double whammy. You are putting us in a complete cloak of invisibility.” “Davis is right, about Black women — and men (and, for that matter, other people of color as well as LGBTQ+ subjects),” Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones wrote in an editor’s letter introducing the new issue. “For most of the magazine’s history, a Black artist, athlete, or politician appearing on a regular monthly issue of Vanity Fair was a rare occurrence. In our archives, excluding groups and special issues, we count 17 Black people on the cover of Vanity Fair in the 35 years between 1983 and 2017.” The magazine has had several iterations dating back to 1913. Jones wrote that “to the best of our knowledge, it is the first Vanity Fair cover made by a Black photographer.” The long overdue step was sparked by the reckoning over racial inequity currently happening across many industries, including media — and at Condé Nast, Vanity Fair’s parent company, in particular. Last month, Bon Appétit editor Adam Rapoport resigned after freelance food journalist Tammie Teclemariam resurfaced a racist photo of him. His resignation opened deeper conversations on the ways the magazine has underpaid and undervalued staffers of color. The outlet has also exoticized or co-opted dishes, ingredients and culinary practices that originated in communities of color, including by featuring white chefs or food writers as supposed experts. Days later, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour acknowledged to the magazine’s staff that “Vogue has not found enough ways to elevate and give space to Black editors, writers, photographers, designers and other creators,” she wrote in an internal email. “We have made mistakes too, publishing images or stories that have been hurtful or intolerant. I take full responsibility for those mistakes.” In 2018, after 126 years, Vogue’s cover was shot by a Black photographer for the first time. The cover star was Beyoncé, who was given complete control and pushed for a Black photographer, selecting Tyler Mitchell to photograph her for the cover. Last week, Vogue released its newest cover, which features gymnast Simone Biles, shot by legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz. But observers quickly pointed out that the magazine could have commissioned a Black photographer instead. For her part, Jones, who became Vanity Fair’s top editor at the end of 2017, has pushed for a wider range of stars to be featured on its cover and its pages. That began with actor and writer Lena Waithe, who was photographed by Leibovitz for the cover of Jones’ first issue at the helm, in April 2018 — marking a new direction for the magazine. “No amount of praise or censure affects me, in my current role, so much as the hope that our choices might inspire a young person — a future actor, director, photographer, writer — to pursue their own creative vision or imagine themself in our pages,” Jones wrote Tuesday. “Iconography carries influence.” Source -
WhatsApp has gone down, leaving its millions of users without the ability to send or receive messages. Tracing website Down Detector showed what appeared to be a global outage on Tuesday evening, as the messaging app appeared to have broken. Chats did appear to load, but new messages would refuse to send within those chats. Some previous WhatsApp outages have been followed by problems at Facebook and Instagram, presumably because they share infrastructure. But those services appeared to continue working as normal. Unlike those other Facebook-owned apps, WhatsApp does not operate a status page to update users and developers on any problems with its service, meaning there is no easy way to know whether the company is aware of the outage of how widespread it might be. The company does have a devoted Twitter account – under the name of WhatsApp Status – but it has not been used since 2014. Source
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Social Media Tales You are cleaning out your room with your girlfriend. Your girlfriend finds pictures of you and your ex, and hands them to you to either pack away or toss in the trash. Which would you choose?
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They were 238 students.Only one black.And she’s Nigerian!!!
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This is his story (with modest editing and a few typographical errors corrected): The 19th of May 2020 was the luckiest day of my life. It was a sweet-bitter experience. It started at about 5:45 pm. I got a phone call from an acquaintance of mine who happened to have visited my house once sometime last month, saying that “he was in the area and wanted to come and say hi”. I admitted that I was home and that he was welcome to come. Lo and behold, at 5:58 pm my doorbell rang, and, when I opened up, I saw a team of six police officers from SARS [the Special Anti-Robbery Squad], all geared up and the said acquaintance was standing in front of them, cuffed. I was dumbfounded and, at the same time, surprised to see this person in handcuffs in the company of police officers because of how responsible and smart this individual was. Before I could ask any questions, the officers asked if I knew their suspect and I replied yes. That was when all hell broke loose. They barged into my home and began to enter into all the rooms and compartments, ransacking my house and roughly searching my personal belongings. While I was busy asking the officers their reasons for this invasion, they were busy handcuffing me while turning my bedroom upside down. Upon further inquiring about their station and the warrant for this arrest, one of the officers gave me a slap that rang bells in my ears. At this point, I just needed to calm down and follow the situation as it unfolded. I asked that I may wear my clothes because I had only boxers. While in cuffs, I put on my pants and hung my shirt on my shoulder as they took my phones, wallet, and house keys and ordered me out of the house. I managed to lock the front door. They dragged me down the stairs. Bear in mind, they not yet told me what my crime was. When we got to the gate, I saw their Sienna car and recognized their station,` which happened to be the dreaded Safe Delta Squad. The police command in Delta state had set up a special operational squad named “Safe Delta” to fight against kidnapping, cultism, and other criminal activities throughout the three senatorial districts of the state. This squad is the most dreaded and toughest among the Delta State Police Force. To give you a clear picture of how they operate: If you happen to be a victim, your phones will be confiscated and nobody will know your whereabouts until they are done with their investigations. Their station is located along the Asaba-Benin expressway before Isselle-Asagba, which is two villages after the Asaba metropolitan. Only a few know exactly where this station is located and mostly those who have in one way or the other became their victims, particularly, young men that look good and drive good cars. Well, that is a story for another day. They dragged me inside their car and zoomed off in the presence of onlookers. While we were on our way, I kept asking the acquaintance what led to the situation. I kept asking the officers what his crime was while equally letting them know that I am a Human Rights Defender and have worked with the police in the State to combat crimes. I stated how I knew their former commander and my organization’s contributions to the police force in Asaba. I was doing all these so I could get them to at least tell me what’s going on. But unfortunately, they were calling my bluff. In all these, I refrained from exposing my identity cards until I was sure of the crime in question. On getting to the station, they kept me behind the counter while they were busy facilitating the bail of this suspect that brought them to my house. After about 10 minutes, they called me into one of the offices, unlocked the cuffs, and showed me my Whatsapp chat with this said acquaintance. I asked the officer reading the chat, the essence of repeating conversations I already know I had with the said person. That was when he told me that the said individual admitted that he was a homosexual and claimed that I have been his enabler. At this point I got a clear picture of the situation and geared myself for the drama that followed. As all these were going on, I remembered that #IDAHOBIT2020 just happened two days before and the theme #BreakingTheSilence informed my decision to out myself to the police officers by fearlessly and courageously admitting before the officers that I am a gay man and that I work with an organisation that offers services, particularly sexual health care, HIV prevention, treatment and care for gay men in the State. And that the said person was a client at LIFFE’s facility, of which I happen to be the programs director and no other strings attached. That was when the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) said that I am a criminal and that my work was contrary the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA) and that I was arrested in connection to a crime of planned bank robbery which involved homosexual men who the said acquaintance was chatting with on Whatsapp. I was quick to recite the language of the SSMPA and reminded them that being gay as an identity is not yet a crime in Nigeria. One particular officer kept asking me if God was happy with me and if I know the implications of what I was saying. It became like a tussle of words because I never gave in to their intimidating and derogatory words. I responded with real facts and stood my ground. At this point, at about 7:50 pm the said suspect was bailed and he left with his surety while I was handed a police statement sheet to write my statement based on questions the IPO asked me. I kept on demanding that I needed my phones to make calls but the officer was busy perusing through my chats and photo gallery and wowing at the erotic photos of men on my phone. To cut this long episode short, I wrote my statement and my detention order was prepared. At about 8:35 pm, I was detained inside the police cell without the option of contacting anybody. At the early hours of 20th May 2020, LIFFE’s Project Manager (PM) Obinna Obiasulu Samuel was able to locate the police station where I was, after many efforts in visiting all the police stations in town the previous night when the news of my arrests came to light. The arrogant IPO asked him to leave and come back at 4 pm without granting audience or even allowing him to meet with me. Through all of this, I kept my wits and maintained my boldness to the awe of the cell inmates who I engaged in a conversation about human sexuality conversation, after which they admitted to having learned new things. Even though some of their homophobia was glaring, we had a good conversation, shared experiences, and learned from each other to the surprise of the rogue officers who thought they would have beaten me up. Finally, the PM was able to get the Delta State Police Headquarters to call the station’s Commander and demanded that my immediate release be effected. This came as a surprise and shock to them and my bail was immediately facilitated at the return of the PM without the presence of the IPO. They demanded 150,000 naira [about U.S. $385] for my bail and the PM who had already corroborated my statements made them understand that bail is free. At about 5:45 pm, I returned safely to my house but I will go back to the station to recover my phones as it was in the possession of the IPO who was absent at the time of my bail. Although I longer feel safe in my house and stand the risk of police arbitrary arrest anytime, I was fulfilled that I had borne true witness of my identity even in the toughest situation and before law enforcement officers without fear or shame. I was fulfilled and glad that I was able to break the silence and shame associated with homosexuality before policemen who are so quick to extort gay men by threatening to charge them in court if they refuse to admit to the crime of homosexuality. In this case, I admitted my homosexuality but made sure to erase any foreseen crime. Even though they pressured me to admit to gay sex by asking who my partner was and how I practice the said homosexuality but part of my statement read thus “I have been aware of my innate and natural attractions to same-sex but I have never acted on it all my life”. Wisdom, they say, is profitable to the wise. Source
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June is Pride Month, when the world's LGBT communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves. Pride gatherings are rooted in the arduous history of minority groups who have struggled for decades to overcome prejudice and be accepted for who they are. The original organizers chose this month to pay homage to the Stonewall uprising in June 1969 in New York City, which helped spark the modern gay rights movement. Most Pride events take place each year in June, although some cities hold their celebrations at other times of the year. Who celebrates it? Pride events are geared toward anyone who feels like their sexual identity falls outside the mainstream -- although many straight people join in, too. LGBT is an acronym meaning lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. The term sometimes is extended to LGBTQ, or even LGBTQIA, to include queer, intersex and asexual groups. Queer is an umbrella term for non-straight people; intersex refers to those whose sex is not clearly defined because of genetic, hormonal or biological differences; and asexual describes those who don't experience sexual attraction. These terms may also include gender fluid people, or those whose gender identity shifts over time or depending on the situation. How did it start? In the early hours of June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, and began hauling customers outside. Tensions quickly escalated as patrons resisted arrest and a growing crowd of bystanders threw bottles and coins at the officers. New York's gay community, fed up after years of harassment by authorities, broke out in neighborhood riots that went on for three days. The uprising became a catalyst for an emerging gay rights movement as organizations such as the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance were formed, modeled after the civil rights movement and the women's rights movement. Members held protests, met with political leaders and interrupted public meetings to hold those leaders accountable. A year after the Stonewall riots, the nation's first Gay Pride marches were held. In 2016 the area around the Stonewall Inn, still a popular nightspot today, was designated a national monument. Where did the Pride name come from? Pride marchers on June 25, 2017, in Istanbul, Turkey. The 2017 LGBT Pride March there was banned by authorities, but organizers defied the order before being dispersed by police and tear gas. It's credited to Brenda Howard, a bisexual New York activist nicknamed the "Mother of Pride," who organized the first Pride parade to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. What's the origin of the rainbow flag? In 1978, artist and designer Gilbert Baker was commissioned by San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk -- one of the first openly gay elected officials in the US -- to make a flag for the city's upcoming Pride celebrations. Baker, a prominent gay rights activist, gave a nod to the stripes of the American flag but drew inspiration from the rainbow to reflect the many groups within the gay community. A subset of flags represent other sexualities on the spectrum, such as bisexual, pansexual and asexual. Can I participate in Pride events if I'm not LGBT? Sure. Pride events welcome allies from outside the LGBT community. They are opportunities to show support, to observe, listen and be educated. Source
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Social Media Tales Have you ever been on a date with someone & you plan to friend zone them after the 1st date?
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Social Media Tales When you first came out who did you tell first? Why? How do you deal with acceptance or the lack thereof from family including parents?
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What is wrong with this sentence?
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Adams, The Recycle Genius Fighting COVID-19 One Drum at a Time
FlyJ posted a topic in Latest News and Gist
Recycle genius, Bamigbose Adams has revealed how he got inspired to join the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria by turning used drums into hand washing basins. -
Social Media Tales Will you date potential? Will you date someone based off what they COULD be?
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Brené Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk at TEDxHouston, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share.
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Nigerian boy breaks two records in his school in the U.S.
FlyJ posted a topic in Latest News and Gist
A Nigerian boy is being celebrated after he broke two records in his school in the U.S. Timi Adelakun, 18, became the first black valedictorian of South Broward High School in Hollywood, Florida. Also, he made history again by having the highest GPA ever recorded at the school. "Coming from a low-income community, it means a lot in general because of the way I was brought up," Adelakun said in an interview ABC News. Timi, who has a 5.604 GPA, is the youngest child of three siblings and neither of his parents attended college. He said that his major accomplishment is somewhat bittersweet because his father - who was deported over a decade ago - won't be there to celebrate with him. Adelakun's achievement comes after years of financial struggles. At his young age, the teenager has had to help his mum pay bills by engaging in side hustles, such as graphic design and photography. To save money for the family, he sometimes walked to school if he missed the bus. Source -
Can you do this?
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