Today would have been the 163rd birthday of journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells.

I think about the defining journalism of Ida B. Wells most often when I find myself ensnared by the clickbait that makes up so much of the coverage about Black people and Black life in America. There’s nothing wrong with the escapism of that writing. We need the respite, Lord knows. But we also need–and deserve–so much more. 

We deserve the whole of our lives documented truthfully. We deserve to know the everyday of our stories, including the real and often hard on-the-ground stories, the ones that we want so badly to end, but the ones we will only be able to end if we know the truth and the power that comes in working together in the name of that truth, in the name of our deepest need for freedoms that have never been the regular feature of Black America’s lives.

Ida B. Wells, born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi on July 16th 1862, anchored us almost single-handedly to that truth. Beginning at least by 1890, Wells made it her mission to accurately document the terrorism of lynching in America. “The people must know,” she said, “before they can act, and there is no educator to compare with the press.”

Ida B. Wells’ Home In Chicago Source: Raymond Boyd / Getty

Wells published her own pamphlets, including Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in all its Phases and The Red Record, co-owned and reported her own newspaper, Memphis Free Speech and Headlight, and eventually her work was carried in Black-owned papers across the nation. 

Wells not only recorded the fact that human beings were being killed, but also ensured that Americans knew that the dead were not, as characterized by white America, people guilty of crimes for which they were deserving of death. Their crime was the fact of their humanity, their lives and breaths, their dreams and labors, their loves. 

Moreover, Wells applied sociological reasoning–science–to the occurrences of lynching, naming them as acts of terror that targeted Black people because whites feared the competition that newly freed and free-born African Americans might pose. African Americans, after all, did the work and knew the land better than the whites who’d become so accustomed to giving orders, rather than by understanding the details of those orders.

RELATED CONTENT: Ida B. Wells Now Has Her Own Barbie Doll

Source: ANASTASIIA SOLOVEVA / Getty

The appreciation we have today for the vile and varied presentations of white supremacy can be traced back to many of our ancestors, Ida B. Wells chief among them. Every time we protest, through tears, the loss of another loved one to the white supremacy that drives the deadly actions of police and their civil counterparts, we are leaning upon the work Ida Wells committed her life to.

But had white America–and even some Black men—had their way, we would never have known her name, let alone her work to end lynching, often produced alone and regularly under threat of death. White mobs destroyed her newspaper’s office in 1892.

And as the scholar Paula Giddings who wrote Wells’ award-winning biography, Ida: A Sword Among Lions noted, she “was surprised and disappointed to find that, despite her pioneering role as an anti-lynching activist and a founder of the NAACP, her name was not included in a contemporary Black history text by Carter G. Woodson, the ‘Father of Negro History.’”

But none of these acts deterred her. “Through journalism,” Wells declared, she found her truest self. And in her discovery of herself, she allowed us, generations on, to also discover ourselves. We who are journalists in particular walk a road paved for us by Wells, for whom there were no mirrors, no roadmaps, no examples to follow. 

There were no computers, no central databases tracking police killings, no images of brutally slain young people like Emmett Till or Michael Brown to pull up and refer to. Wells—investigator, journalist, publisher, repository and archivist—was the thing itself. Telling the stories of us that are written with the sharp edges of our shattered hearts, Ida B. Wells was her own encyclopedia–and now ours.

We are her heirs.

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

And over more than two-and-a-half decades in journalism, I have seen that inheritance displayed by us with stunning beauty in the pages of Essence, the New York Times, Ebony, the Washington Post, and here, at iOneDigital, where my colleague and friend, Kirsten West Savali is vice-president. I came to know Kirsten nearly 10 years ago through her powerful bylines about how Black Americans experience race in this country. Her work made me refer to her as the Ida B. Wells of our time. She was covering the intricacies and unspoken stories of our lives, no one wanted to tell. Black lives mattered to her before and after the hashtag and movement.

For this story, West Savali offered that,

Ida B. Wells-Barnett taught me that not only can I be both righteous and rigorous, but that, as a Black woman writer from Mississippi, I have a duty to be. She is the blueprint for those of us who write and report on white supremacy, sexual and state violence, and modern-day lynchings carried out by police officers across this nation

There is an image of her I love. In it, she’s holding onto her books—her paper and pen at the ready. Her eyes are tired, but focused. She’s willing us to keep going. Keep telling our stories. Keep digging, keep fighting, keep doing the work.

Her great-granddaughter, Michelle Duster, once shared with me that her matriarch was tough because she had to be—because she loved her people that much. What an honor it is not just to learn from the inimitable and brave Ida B. Wells-Barnett, but to celebrate her entire life, and her deep, unyielding love for us.

Which is why today, July 16th, the day of her birth 163 years ago, should be a day we mark on calendars, a day when we take a moment to acknowledge that we are here, in part, because she was there.

RELATED CONTENT: Historic Ida B. Wells Statue Unveiled In Downtown Memphis
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Source: Thomasina Cheatham via Facebook / Thomasina Cheatham via Facebook

According to Gothamist, Bronx native Saniyah Cheatham was pronounced dead on July 5, after she was taken to Lincoln Hospital from the New York Police Department’s 41st Precinct stationhouse in Longwood, where multiple officers performed CPR on her while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. It’s unclear what the circumstances were surrounding Cheatham’s arrest, but the New York Times reported last week that she was booked on an assault charge.

On Monday, the Cheatham’s family, joined by Crump, held a press conference outside the stationhouse, where they accused authorities of being less than forthcoming with information on Cheatham’s death outside of the ruling that she killed herself. Crump said during the conference that he planned on “exploring every possible legal remedy to get to the truth.”

“It is a hypocritical dynamic where you have the video, you know what happened, but you’re gonna make this family have to go through all kinds of hoops and hurdles to find out what happened to their daughter,” he said.

Cheatham’s family previously denied statements made by Bronx police officials that the teen hanged herself — statements that, according to the Times, were made before the medical examiner made an official cause of death ruling. Her mother, Thomasina Cheatham, said her daughter was in good spirits on the Fourth of July, the day she was arrested, when she was at a barbecue with relatives. Thomasina also noted that she was not wearing a sweater at the time as it was July.

“ I just want to know what happened to Saniyah,” Thomasina said Monday, describing her daughter as “bright, independent, smart and outgoing.”

“That was my only daughter and she didn’t deserve this.”

Now, the family seems to be more open to the possibility that Cheatham, indeed, hung herself in her cell, but there’s still the issue of the jail surveillance video that they’re reportedly not being allowed to see.

“We’re not saying it’s impossible, but it does make you scratch your head,” Crump said. “It is not adding up to the family. That’s why they want to see the video.”

Crump’s office also released the following statement on Sunday:

“Saniyah Cheatham was an 18-year-old with her whole life ahead of her. I commend her mother, Thomasina, for her courage in standing up to demand the truth. How could this happen to a young woman in police custody? Why wasn’t her safety ensured by those charged with her care? No mother should be left in the dark after her child dies in police custody. We demand full transparency and accountability for this grieving family.”

Cheatham’s case is eerily similar to that of Sandra Bland, who was found dead in her jail cell in Waller County, Texas, in 2015, after a confrontation with a police officer during a traffic stop. 

When Black people die under mysterious circumstances, especially while in the custody of law enforcement, and family and community members are told it was a suicide, it’s unreasonable to expect it to be accepted without full and swift transparency.

Rest well, Saniyah Cheatham, and may you and your family receive justice.

 If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
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Source: Love & Marriage: Huntsville / OWN

Premiering Saturday, July 19 at 8/7c, the long-running series that keeps Huntsville in headlines is ready to shake the table with fresh faces, fiery confrontations and emotional growth. Once again, the series follows a lively group of longtime friends and frenemies with strong personalities and strong opinions who live in Huntsville, Alabama. This season marks the first without Melody Rogers, who announced her departure in January.

Returning this season are Martell Holt…

Source: Love & Marriage Huntsville / OWN

Source: Love & Marriage Huntsville / OWN

Destiny Payton…

Source: Love & Marriage Huntsville / OWN

Source: Love & Marriage Huntsville / OWN

Nell and Chris Fletcher…

Source: Love & Marriage Huntsville / OWN

Kimmi and Maurice Scott…

Source: Love & Marriage Huntsville / OWN

Source: Love & Marriage Huntsville / OWN

LaTisha and Marsau Scott…

Source: Love & Marriage Huntsville / OWN

Source: Love & Marriage Huntsville / OWN

and LaTricia and Ken.

Source: Love & Marriage Huntsville / OWN

Source: Love & Marriage Huntsville / OWN

This season is serving real stakes, real relationships, and real-deal drama—with OWN once again dominating Saturday nights as the #1 cable network (non-sports) among African American women 25-54.

In fact, Love & Marriage: Huntsville was the #1 original cable series on Saturdays across key Black demos, proving fans still can’t get enough of these Southern storylines.

As always, the show is produced by Kingdom Reign Entertainment and ITV America, and is executive produced by Carlos King, Jordana Hochman, Andrew Hoagland and Markus Burns.

Check out the official trailer below.

 
Love & Marriage Huntsville Exclusive Clip
 
In an exclusive clip from Saturday’s premiere, Tricia gets an unexpected visitor. As she vents to her friend Sharon about her pending divorce, her estranged husband Marquez casually walks into her house unannounced, right in the middle of the conversation.
After a tense exchange of (not so) pleasantries, Marquez questions Sharon’s energy toward him, sparking an awkward back-and-forth that visibly irritates Tricia.

“Have you met me before?” Marquez asks.
“You have not met me before,” Sharon replies. “Why is this relevant?”

In a confessional, Tricia reflects on the moment and admits that the surprise visit and the argument unfolding in her living room triggers her.

“Marquez is going back and forth with Sharon, and it’s starting to piss me off,” says Tricia, “How dare you, you don’t know her, she doesn’t know you, and you’re sitting here arguing with a grown a** woman in my house that you walked into without being invited.”

Tricia adds that she’s nearing her breaking point and is almost ready to go toe-to-toe with Marquez herself.

“He’s not gonna like it,” she says. “No one in his family will like it, but at this point, I’m not gonna care.”

Take an exclusive look below.

Tune in to Love & Marriage Huntsville when it returns on Saturday, July 19 at 8/7c.

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Source: Christopher Polk

It all started on July 15, when Nicki called out SZA’s manager, Terrence “Punch” Henderson, saying he was “bullying” her on “Twitter for no reason.” It’s unclear where those allegations stem from, but Punch did tweet about “Broken Barbies” earlier that morning–and while it’s the name of his “Room Full Of Mirrors” groupmate Lyric Michelle’s new song and has nothing to do with Nicki, she may have jumped to conclusions.

“So glad I have proof of being bullied by AND being lied on by a man PUBLICLY,” the rapper wrote on X, “on a platform I use for my JOB; after I rejected his business proposition on more than one occasion.”

She continued, “He failed to disclose to the public that I had rejected his business propositions— and thereby acted in what appears to be retaliation purposefully used to cause financial damages & to engage in a smear campaign against the brand.”

Shortly after Nicki’s rant about Punch, SZA took to X with her own message, writing, “Mercury retrograde.. don’t take the bait lol silly goose.”

Though the “luther” singer didn’t direct her tweet at anyone specifically, Nicki quickly accused her of subtweeting and immediately jumped into defensive mode.

“Go draw your freckles back on bookie,” she said to SZA in one tweet. “B***h looking & sounding like she got stung by a f***ing bee. dot dot dot *Draws on my fake freckles*.”

Minaj also called the singer’s achievements into question, focusing on a recent record her 2022 album SOS broke by going 9x Platinum in under three years. The milestone made SZA the only Black artist to spend over 80 weeks in the Billboard 200’s Top 10 chart, surpassing Michael Jackson’s previous record, per E! News.

“B***h put out a whole new album as a deluxe to an already existing album that was out for like a year or 2 so the original album could break records,” Nicki said. “Like what in the insecure lack of morals & integrity you doing? I thought she was like a real artist? Girl bye.”

In response to her first tweet calling SZA out, the singer simply replied: “I don’t give a f**k bout none of that weird s**t you popping.”

When one Nicki fan told SZA she doesn’t wanna start this feud, the singer replied, “I get bullied by millions online every day then step my ass out onna packed stadium tour where ppl show me REAL love . IN REAL LIFE . My parents are healthy and I’m the most successful I ever been . GET SOME F***ING PERSPECTIVE n BARK AT THE WALL !!!”

Another fan accused her of “inserting herself” into a situation that didn’t involve her, to which she replied: “I wasn’t even talking about or to anyone I had just got off stage talkin bout retrograde . N****S @‘d ME . The F**K YES IM MAD NOW DO YOU NEED THAT !??”

In response to SZA’s back-and-forth with her fans, Nicki continued to rant about the songstress, retweeting AI explanations of why she’s more successful than SZA and even leaving voice notes about her disdain for her.

While she didn’t address the reason for her latest rant, directly, Nicki did retweet a post from her fan that seems to encompass why she’s upset.

“The whole issue is sza ‘coincidentally’ came on twitter talking about ‘not taking bait’ and a ‘retrograde’ that’s not even happening,” the fan wrote. “After not tweeting since june…until nicki spoke out about her manager who’s been harassing nicki since literally 2012…”

On The Breakfast Club this morning, Loren LoRosa broke down why this beef may have started in the first place, saying she reached out to Punch to ask, “how did we get here?” According to their conversation, the TDE President revealed that Minaj reached out back in 2020 about a SZA feature, which he said he would pass along. Nothing ever came of that interaction, and Punch claims he’s also “lost” about what caused Nicki to go off after that.

SZA has made it clear that she’s done with the back and forth, but knowing Nicki, this situation is likely far from finished.
The post Nicki Versus Everyone: Nicki Minaj ‘Mercury Retrograde’ Mocks SZA For Faux Freckles, Claims Her Manager Punch Publicly ‘Bullied’ Her appeared first on Bossip.



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“Her incompetence is beastly.”“She certainly is a mental deficient.”“She’s a dumb-dumb, and you can’t take her seriously.”“She is a recalcitrant piece of garbage.”“She’s massively incompetent.”

That was Fox News’ Lisa “Kennedy” Montgomery trying to demean Rep. Jasmine Crockett five times in a single rant. But all that petty derision reveals nothing about Congresswoman Crocket and far more about Kennedy’s own intellectual bankruptcy, moral squalor, and her talent for cheap, performative cruelty masquerading as political commentary. The only real skill she’s honed is making the shallow sound edgy to people too dim-witted to notice.

If Kennedy had a real argument, she wouldn’t have needed to stack five personal insults on top of each other like a sad little Jenga tower of insecurity. 

RELATED CONTENT: ‘She’s Cosplaying A Gangsta’ — Why Are White Conservatives So Pressed About Jasmine Crockett’s Blackness? [Op-Ed]

A truly intelligent and competent commentator wouldn’t rely on crude, empty attacks in place of reasoned critique. She needed five insults because she had nothing else. No substance. No evidence. No point. No working brain cells. Just spit and bile.  Just look how hard she had to work just to prove she had nothing. And ultimately, she demonstrated that she’s the one who’s actually mentally deficient.

Kennedy’s rant came after Crockett dared to call out Donald Trump’s “racist and wrong” remarks about the president of Liberia speaking “such good English.” When Crockett labeled Trump’s words for what they were, the GOP rapid-response machine snapped into gear. Kennedy simply picked up that baton for Fox News. She didn’t contest a single fact. She went straight for the oldest, most cowardly trick in the racist playbook: smear the Black woman’s intelligence. Reduce her to a “dumb-dumb.” Make sure the audience sees her as unworthy of basic respect.

It’s pathetic and so damn predictable.

Kennedy knows she can’t beat Rep. Crockett on substance. She can’t out-argue her. Crockett is a civil rights attorney, a sitting member of Congress, a woman who can dismantle Republican talking points with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back. She is sharp, fearless, and unbothered by conservative fragility. And that terrifies mediocre bigots like Kennedy.

This is the same Lisa Kennedy who made her name being smarmy on MTV in the 90s, who rebranded herself as a libertarian edgelord sneering at working people’s needs, and who has built a career in conservative media serving up sarcastic, punchline-level takes for an audience desperate for reassurance they’ll never have to take Black women seriously. Kennedy isn’t offering critique; she’s offering white folks a comfortable fantasy where no Black woman is ever smarter than they are.

She’s the human embodiment of smug mediocrity. This is a woman who leveraged the aesthetics of rebelliousness into a decades-long gig kissing the ring of right-wing power while pretending she’s too hip to care about the damage. She’s the type who rails against government overreach but has no problem with state violence at the border or policing Black communities, the kind of libertarian who mocks student debt relief but wants her rich pals’ taxes cut.

Kennedy has no policy chops. She’s not serious. She’s a lazy performer who built her brand on eye-rolling, faux-radical snark that crumbles the second you ask her for actual ideas. She’s the sort of TV pundit who thinks being mean is the same thing as being smart. She’s paid to pander to viewers who want to hear that even the most obviously intelligent Black woman in the room is a “dumb-dumb,” because that lie is easier for them to swallow than gagging on the fact that she’s one of the dullest minds in the room.

“She is a recalcitrant piece of garbage.”

That line is a window into who Kennedy is. She’s a smug, washed-up cable clown who traded whatever critical thinking skills she once pretended to have for the cheapest form of white grievance theater. She’s not a serious commentator.  She’s a professional bigot-whisperer whose job is to sneer, belittle, and dehumanize Black women who won’t stay in the roles her audience finds comfortable. 

Calling Crockett “garbage” is Kennedy admitting that she can’t match Crockett’s command of the facts, her courtroom-honed intelligence, or her refusal to play nice for people who despise her. It’s Kennedy revealing that she knows exactly what her audience wants to hear and delivers it with a wink and a sneer.

She’s not just smug mediocrity. She’s a willing foot soldier for white grievance politics, who lacks confidence in her own intellect and the right-wing worldview she’s there to defend.  At the end of the day, she knows Crockett was right.  But instead she says, “Look at this dumb-dumb.”

Kennedy’s disrespect of a sitting Black representative was personal, and it was also universal. 

Every time a Black woman shows up in American public life with undeniable intelligence, whether she’s a Representative like Jasmine Crockett, a Supreme Court justice like Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Vice President like Kamala Harris, or a scholar, attorney, doctor, journalist, or educator, there is a reliably ugly backlash waiting for her. It doesn’t matter if she graduated from the nation’s top schools, served with distinction, or simply out-argues her opponents in debate.  As soon as her intelligence shines, the slur emerges: “mentally deficient,” “low IQ,” “affirmative action case,” “DEI hire,” “dumb,” “illiterate,” “incoherent.”

Source: Vinnie Zuffante / Getty

This isn’t random name-calling.  It taps into centuries of propaganda about Black inferiority. It’s the same old lie that Black people are less intelligent, especially Black women. It’s a deliberate racist strategy that is about policing who gets to be seen as competent, authoritative, or deserving of respect in American public life. Because for people invested in whiteness, a Black woman who is brilliant, articulate, prepared, and unafraid is a threat to the entire hierarchy they depend on. She disrupts the lie that whiteness is the natural home of competence and authority.

The psychology behind it is pathetic.  If you can’t disprove her, you have to degrade her. You have to reduce her to something less than you so you can feel safe, unchallenged, and unthreatened. Calling her “dumb” isn’t an analysis of her arguments; it’s an exorcism. It’s an attempt to expel her from the realm of people who have to be listened to or taken seriously. It’s about making sure the audience doesn’t even consider the possibility she’s right.

This is why these attacks are so formulaic and so emotional. They’re not built to rebut a Black woman’s logic; they’re built to reassure the insecure. They work by triggering a familiar, comforting stereotype for white audiences: that no matter how many degrees she has, no matter how well she argues or writes, no matter how prepared she is, she’s still just a dumb, beastly Black girl who should know her place.

Calling Jasmine Crockett “mentally deficient” is the white supremacist mind doing damage control. Kennedy called Jasmine Crockett a “dumb-dumb” not because Crockett is anything of the sort, but because she’s dangerously smart in ways that threaten conservative power. She knows the law. She knows how to use it. She knows how to make Republicans look like the unserious, unethical frauds they are.

Kennedy knows that if people actually listen to Jasmine Crockett, if they hear her questions, watch her disassemble Republican witnesses, or see her call out right-wing hypocrisy in real time, then they might start to wonder why Kennedy and her Fox News pals never have any answers.

She can’t say: Jasmine Crockett is wrong about Republicans shielding criminals. Because Crockett isn’t. She can’t say: Jasmine Crockett doesn’t understand the law. Because Crockett demonstrably does.

All Kennedy can say is: Don’t listen to her, she’s a dumb-dumb. That’s it. That’s the entire intellectual offering.

It’s the rhetorical move of a coward. Of a hack. Of a professional gaslighter who’s made a living comforting racists with the lie that any Black woman who challenges them is actually an idiot in disguise.

Dr. Stacey Patton is an award-winning journalist and author of “Spare The Kids: Why Whupping Children Won’t Save Black America” and the forthcoming “Strung Up: The Lynching of Black Children In Jim Crow America.” Read her Substack here.

RELATED CONTENT: They Go Low, We Go To Hell: Rep. Jasmine Crockett Has MAGA Fuming Over ‘Governor Hot Wheels’ Comment
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Source: Popeyes / Popeyes

Available now across the U.S. and Canada, the new sauce is making a splash alongside the launch of Popeyes’ limited-time Chicken Dippers, a snack-sized option packed with flavor and crunch.

The new Signature Sauce isn’t just another condiment—it’s a bold, soulful blend crafted to be undeniably Popeyes. Drawing on the Louisiana “holy trinity” of bell pepper, celery, and onion, and seasoned with garlic and just the right kick of hot sauce, this sauce stands apart from anything else on the Popeyes menu.

“Popeyes Signature Sauce is one of a kind with its creamy, irresistible flavor designed to be the perfect companion to every Popeyes menu item. We took our time developing it over the last five years, ensuring we landed on something undeniably Popeyes,” said Chef Amy Alarcon, VP of Culinary Innovation at Popeyes. “Creating a signature sauce is a monumental moment for our brand, and one we approached with care, knowing it had the potential to become an iconic part of our menu. It’s incredibly unique and ownable to our Cajun roots, which is a true testament to our Louisiana heritage.”

Source: Popeyes / Popeyes

Designed for optimal dipping, the Signature Sauce comes in a newly designed round dipping cup, encouraging fans to savor “Every. Last. Drop.” It pairs effortlessly with Popeyes’ menu favorites, from Cajun Fries and Chicken Sandwiches to the newly released Chicken Wraps and now, Chicken Dippers.

The Chicken Dippers, available for a limited time, are made with thin strips of all-white chicken breast meat, hand-battered in Popeyes’ signature Louisiana garlic and spice blend. At just $4.99*, they’re a flavorful yet convenient snack—ideal for solo snackers, families, or on-the-go dipping enthusiasts.

For those looking to build a bigger meal, Popeyes is rolling out a new digital ordering feature: Build Your Own Bundle. Available exclusively through the Popeyes App and website, the bundle lets guests mix and match three proteins and two sides for just $20**, offering flexibility and ease for group orders.

While the Chicken Dippers are only around for a limited time, Popeyes Signature Sauce is here to stay. It’s a flavorful new staple that reflects the brand’s deep culinary roots and bold, Southern spirit. Chicken Dippers are available now at participating Popeyes restaurants across the U.S. and Canada—don’t miss out on this crispy, dip-worthy combo before it’s gone!
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Under the glimmering lights and the hum of soulful celebration at this year’s ESSENCE Festival of Culture, Rashad Robinson, former president of Color of Change and longtime civil rights strategist, shared a serious and sobering sentiment: in between our rebellious joy, we must remember that the stakes for Black America have never been higher.

“ESSENCE Fest is such an important cultural moment,” Robinson told BOSSIP in an interview on-site in New Orleans. “It’s a moment where we are coming together to celebrate, but we’re also facing so many challenges.”

As thousands flooded the Superdome to enjoy music, art, and community, Robinson shared that Black joy is a declaration of resilience, despite struggle.

“Black joy is not the absence of pain, but it’s the presence of aspiration,” he said. “It’s not just what we’re fighting against, but what we’re fighting for.”

Robinson’s appearance came just weeks after the controversial passage of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, a sweeping piece of legislation that critics argue rolls back hard-fought gains for marginalized communities, particularly Black Americans. While supporters have branded the bill as a “win” for national security and rural America, Robinson sees it as a dire warning.

“There’s a saying: when America gets the cold, Black people get the flu,” he said. “This bill is meant, it is targeted, to destroy so many of the gains and wins that we’ve fought for. We are heading into an authoritarian period that will look like no other most of us have ever experienced.”

Robinson, who led Color of Change through landmark campaigns on criminal justice, corporate accountability, and tech regulation, is no stranger to sounding alarms. But his presence at ESSENCE Fest this year felt more urgent, more personal.

He pointed to the erosion of protections achieved through civil rights legislation, many now threatened by legislation like the Big Beautiful Bill, and stressed the importance of community cohesion in the face of encroaching political threats.

Source: Arturo Holmes / Getty

“We’re going to need each other. We’re going to need to be aligned, and we’re going to need to build in new ways,” Robinson said. “In the midst of the pain, in the midst of the challenge, hopefully we can build something new.”

Despite the political climate, Robinson insisted that optimism remains central to the movement. He finds Black joy, he said, not only in celebration but in strategy, sustenance, and solidarity.

“I find joy in coming together with people and winning campaigns,” he shared. “I also find joy in cooking, in good food, in laughter with my people. But so much of that is under threat right now.”

That threat, however, does not eclipse the work or the will to keep pushing forward.

“My friend Nikole Hannah-Jones said on a panel here, ‘We have to be good ancestors.’ So part of this is doing the work so that the people coming behind us inherit something better.”

For Robinson, ESSENCE Fest is more than a weekend of joy. It is a movement, a megaphone, and a mission that he’s hopeful will have a positive outcome.

“There’s not much to feel hopeful about right now,” he admitted. “But I’m an optimist. I believe we can win. And in doing so, we just might build something better than what we had before.”

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Jay-Z has once again denied claims that he fathered a son in the 1990s, and he’s now asking a judge to intervene and stop the “decades-long harassment” he says he’s been forced to endure.

US Weekly reports that the accuser, Rymir Satterthwaite, has filed another lawsuit claiming that Jay-Z had a relationship with his mother over three decades ago that resulted in his birth. Though his mother has died since he first levied the accusations, he claims that his godmother, who acts as his caregiver, has faced “unrelenting efforts by [Jay-Z] and his enablers to suppress the truth and silence those who dared to speak it.” The truth, he alleges, is that he is Carter’s biological son.

Jay-Z, however, has had enough. US Weekly reports that last week, he asked a judge to help him finally put the “decades-long harassment” to rest and allow him to move on.

 “The fabricated allegations and claims have been addressed – and rejected — in multiple other courts and [Satterthwaite’s] continued harassment of [Jay-Z] and disregard of those orders has already resulted in a contempt order,” said Jay’s response to the lawsuit.

Statterhwaite has also made serious claims about Hov’s alleged refusal to take a DNA test and his exploitation of “legal systems in multiple jurisdictions to suppress [Rymir’s] paternity claim and prevent legal accountability.” He also alleges that his car was shot at six times in what he believes was an effort to silence him. Though he was once seeking child support from the “Empire State of Mind” rapper, he now says he is only demanding damages for the years of suffering he’s endured.

Jay Z’s legal team is asking the judge for more time to formally respond to the most recent lawsuit, as the rapper says he was unaware of it until earlier this month.

His lawyer argued that “[Jay-Z] will be irreparably prejudiced without additional time to evaluate and prepare his response to the complaint.” Satterthwaite, who is now 31, filed his own complaint without the help of a lawyer and asked the judge to also consider the emotional and psychological distress, anxiety, public embarrassment, and stress-induced health and mental health complications he’s endured.

Hov seemingly spoke on the allegations before in song form, of course. On the title track of his 2007 album, American Gangster, Jay-Z candidly rapped,

Ladies know I’m that guy, they wanna piece of my loveNow they wanna do your boy like Mike in his prime“Billie Jean – the goddamn boy ain’t mine”

In the meantime, Jay is busy supporting his wife, Beyoncé, and daughters, Blue Ivy and Rumi, on the Cowboy Carter Tour as fans have noted his presence at venues across the country, including Paris and Atlanta. He was also spotted supporting his friend, Fanatics founder Michael Rubin, at the annual festival by the company while donning a “Deja Blue” tee as a nod to his daughter’s featured moment on the tour. The Carter summer camp seems like tons of fun!
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Hosted in partnership with Olmeca Altos Tequila at Atlanta’s Mission + Market, the event was part glam, part garden, and fully curated to match Porsha’s energy: bold, beautiful, and just a little bougie.

This wasn’t just a casual pop-out; this planned event is a part of a curated marketing strategy. In a recent feature with Forbes about her new business endeavor, Williams dished on initially preferring Hennessy before finding her love for tequila with the creation of “Peach Please.”

Olmeca Altos is a premium 100% agave tequila brand made in Jalisco, Mexico. Known for its smooth taste and bartender-approved blends, Olmeca Altos is crafted using traditional methods. And yes, BOSSIP was there for it all—florals, fizz, and a one-on-one with Porsha herself.

“Peach Please!”

Williams described her signature summer cocktail, Peach Please, while toasting with friends, invited guests, and fellow peach lovers.

“It’s cute, fun, fresh, tasty… and it gives you that vibe. When it comes to a margarita, it’s got to be cute, fun, fresh, tasty, and like, give you that vibe and set you up for summer,” Porsha said during her speech. “And I feel like that’s exactly what Altos has done with this new peach.”

Guests sipped the newly launched Peach Please cocktail—crafted with Altos Blanco tequila, peach preserves, and a Tajín rim—or opted for other tequila-based offerings like a classic Paloma, which proved to be a crowd-pleasing alternative among several attendees. (I personally chose one to toast Porsha myself on Instagram.) Whether you were sipping her signature or switching it up, the energy remained festive.

Peachy Perfection in Every Detail
Source: Altos Tequila / Altos Tequila

Upon arrival, guests were greeted with trays of chilled margaritas, fresh florals, and a buzzy Atlanta crowd ready to toast under the golden hour sun. The indoor-outdoor venue was styled to match the drink’s Southern sweetness: peaches in full bloom, pastel décor, custom signage, and cocktail stations flanked the space.
Source: Altos Tequila / Altos Tequila

Altos kept spirits high with a curated hors d’oeuvres menu that included:

Crab fritters with pickled peach salsa

Beef sliders with American cheese, tomato, pickles, and Mission + Market sauce

Mediterranean hummus with blistered red peppers and grilled pita

Fry farm kale and artichoke dip with cashew cream and crispy pita

Margarita and pepperoni pizza

Guests mingled between bites and photo ops, including a branded 360 Photo Booth activation presented by Olu Kemi of 360 Photo Celebration.

A Toast to Partnership

Midway through the night, Porsha took center stage to thank attendees and share her excitement over the Altos collaboration.
Source: Altos Tequila / Altos Tequila

“I already was a fan of Altos, so the marriage was just natural,” she said. “If you’ve had [Peach Please] already, I know you love it—I’ve been drinking them all day!”

She encouraged guests to grab a take-home cocktail kit—each featuring a bottle of Altos Blanco, peach preserves, and Tajín seasoning—to recreate the margarita magic at home.

A Quick Sip with BOSSIP

In an exclusive moment with BOSSIP’s very own, Lauryn Bass, Porsha shared how the drink came to life.
Source: Altos Tequila / Altos Tequila

“I got one of their cocktail couriers and some of their base, and we curated this drink from our green season,” she explained.

When asked to describe the event in one word, she didn’t hesitate.

“Beautiful. I love the floral.”

As for what’s next?

“Absolutely more curated drinks. They have so many different flavors.”

Source: Altos Tequila / Altos Tequila

The Summer Vibe Atlanta Didn’t Know It Needed

With her signature confidence and peach-perfect aesthetic, Porsha made it clear: she’s stepping into her beverage era. Between the photo ops, the curated cocktails, and the signature ATL energy, this celebration marked more than a drink launch—it was a mood, a movement, and a moment you had to be there for.
 

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The singer, who is currently pregnant with her third child, showed up to the Smurfs premiere in Los Angeles with both of her babies by her side. Rihanna–who shares son RZA, 3, and Riot, 23 months, with boyfriend A$AP Rocky–revealed some of her plans for baby number three, including whether or not she’s going to keep with tradition when thinking of a name.

“I’m excited for tonight. Tonight is going to be fun, and we get to watch the movie together for the first time. I get to watch it in its full completion. So, that should be interesting,” she told Extra. “Everybody gets to watch it on the 18th. So, we’re really going for it now. It’s finally being birthed. We’ve been working on it for so long. So, like, a few years now, actually. And it’s happening… You know, you start working on something and 2025 feels so far away and then we’re here.”

Of course, the soon-to-be mama of three was asked about how her little ones feel as they wait on the arrival of another sibling, to which Rih confirmed, “Oh, they’re delighted.”

She played coy when asked about the sex of her next baby, insisting, “You have to wait and see. Oh, my gosh, are you guys going to be so hurt if it’s a boy? I’ve always wanted a girl. God knows best, right? And I love my boys.”

While she didn’t give a straight answer on that, Rihanna did confirm that her third child will keep with the tradition of having a name that starts with the letter “R.”

“I mean, of course. It’s tradition at this point,” she told the outlet.

After leaving the Los Angeles premiere with her kiddos, Rihanna made her way to her go-to dinner spot, Giorgio Baldi, where she changed into another stunning below-the-bump look.

Source: DUTCH/Bauer-Griffin / Getty

The Fenty founder rocked an Alaïa outfit for dinner, per Vogue, baring her growing bump in a white hooded crop top, which she paired with a low-slung sequinned skirt featuring a voluminous waistband. She topped off her monochromatic look with white pointy-toe heels, black sunglasses, and simple diamond accessories.

It’s unclear when the star is expected to give birth, but one thing we can always count on Rihanna for is serving us maternity looks up until the last minute!
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