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Essence Magazine:

Sharon Chuter is, and always has been, a straight shooter. The UOMA Beauty Founder and CEO and former LVMH beauty executive is not one to sugar coat or hold punches, and it rings true of her latest initiative.

The Nigerian-born mogul launched the 72-Hour Pull Up or Shut Up Challenge yesterday, and it’s just as bold as it sounds. She’s challenging beauty brands to be transparent about their inclusion hiring practices. More specifically, she’s charging that the brands show the public the exact number of Black people they have working in corporate and leadership roles at their companies.

The goal of the #PullUpOrShutUp campaign, according to Chuter, is to bring awareness to the underrepresentation of Black people in corporate America, especially in leadership roles. The call-to-action is for consumers to hold off their spending for 72 hours or until their favorite brands, many of which have released recent statements in support of Black Lives Matter, disclose those numbers.

“For me this moment seemed right because it was the first time that brands went public and spoke directly to Black people. That’s good, it’s great—we’re moving in the right direction—let’s take it further in enacting real lasting change,” Chuter tells ESSENCE.

“I want to make it clear that this isn’t about bullying brands, it’s not an exercise in naming and shaming. This is a wake-up call. It’s saying, there is a problem,” she continues. “Thank you for your monetary donations, but we have to go back to the root cause, we have to go back and look at the overall system of oppression that has lasted for 400 years. We have to be cognizant of that. For the first time the world is listening, people are partnering with us at mass—we have the opportunity to make a long term change for future generations.”

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#pulluporshutup @heysharonc

A post shared by PULL UP OR SHUT UP! (@pullupforchange) on Jun 3, 2020 at 9:13am PDT

Chuter, who has held leadership positions at Benefit Cosmetics and L’Oréal knows exactly what it feels like to be the only Black person at the decision-making table. She launched UOMA Beauty in 2018 with a forward thinking approach to diversity and inclusion. And with this campaign, she’s giving other beauty brands the opportunity to join her. Her investors, she says, are totally in her corner.

“I didn’t go into investor meetings saying, ‘I’m going to make y’all rich!’ From day one I went in saying I am going to fight for my people and if you’re interested in that, come to war with me,” she told ESSENCE. “Luckily, my investors are people who actively [believe] in Black businesses and I am so proud of that.”

In less than 24 hours the Pull Up Or Shut Up official Instagram page garnered nearly 7,000 followers, many of which are calling out specific brands and retailers such as KKW Beauty, Amazon, Sephora, Sally Beauty, Zara, and even Bank of America.

Visual stats from the campaign(Courtesy of Pull Up For Change)

No brands have come forward on the page with those numbers yet.

As for brands who want to “pull up” to enact change but realize they are seriously lacking in diversity, Chuter says she’s here as a resource, among other qualified Black women who left corporations that needed to make major changes.

“All organizations and corporations have an equal opportunity to make this right,” she concludes. “Look at what’s not working. Ask yourself, what’s not clicking? Look at things from another perspective. Review internal policies. Have the humility to say, I have not done enough, but I am prepared to be educated, and to be held accountable to do more. That’s what this moment is about.”

The post Sharon Chuter To Beauty Brands: Pull Up For Black Lives Or Shut Up appeared first on Essence.

Essence Magazine:

Austin police are facing heightened scrutiny as more details emerge about the 20-year-old Black protestor who officers critically injured with “less lethal ammunition” during a weekend protest. In a column for Texas A&M college newspaper, The Battalion, opinion editor Joshua Howell identifies the victim as his “little brother” Justin Howell. 

According to the Texas Tribune, Howell was attending a protest in Austin on Sunday that turned violent. He was there to demand justice for George Floyd who was killed by the Minneapolis police, and Michael Ramos, an unarmed Black man who was fatally shot by Austin police in late April. Police Chief Brian Manley says around 11 p.m. that evening,  the Texas State University student was standing near police headquarters when another protester lobbed projectiles at officers. The police on the scene retaliated by firing a bean bag round of “less-lethal ammunition.” Instead of hitting the correct target, Howell was hit at the base of the skull, according to one witness account.

HOUSTON, TX – JUNE 02: Protesters on horseback make their way toward city hall during a march in honor of George Floyd on June 2, 2020 in Houston, Texas. Members of George Floyd’s family participated in a march that went from Discovery Green to City Hall with support from the local chapter of Black Lives Matter. George Floyd, a former resident of Houston’s Third Ward, died after being held down by Derek Chauvin, a former member of the Minneapolis Police Department who has since been fired and charged with third degree murder. (Photo by Sergio Flores/Getty Images)

Protesters say Howell fell to the ground after being struck, and those around him attempted to seek out medical attention. The men and women attempting to aid him were instructed by police to carry Howell toward them, but as they were doing so, officers began shooting ammunition at those assisting. The moment was captured on video and circulated widely on social media. 

A black 20-year-old student Justin Howell is in critical condition with brain damage after @Austin_Police deliberately shot him in the head; then shot the medics helping him. Resign @Chief_Manley & @MayorAdler.#hisnameisjustinhowell #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/G5Pb0X6UGG

— Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) June 4, 2020

One of the women also shared her account of what transpired on social media. She was struck in the hand. “I was clearing the path, with my hands up (crossed wrists, our signal that I was volunteering for the medical tent across the street),” Meredith Michael writes. “They started to fire into the crowd, and shot my hands, from no more than 3 feet away. I don’t remember falling to the ground, injuring my shoulder, hip, and neck. I woke up to what seemed like the relentless sound of these “less lethal” bean bags… And my own screaming.”

Howell was eventually carried into the police building and transported to the hospital. His brother Joshua reports, “He has a fractured skull. He has brain damage. Doctors anticipate that when he wakes up, he will have difficulty telling his left from his right.”

Manly, at a press conference, said that the department was praying for Justin Howell and his family, but did not take responsibility for his officer’s actions. In response Justin wrote that while his family is deeply religious, “We aren’t interested in your prayers. We are interested in you appropriately using the responsibilities with which the people of Austin have entrusted you. Prayer is not an excuse to abdicate responsibility.”

The police department has opened up an internal investigation into the case. Manley is asking anybody with video evidence or first-hand accounts related to Justin Howell’s critical injury, to come forward.

The post Austin Police Under Fire For Critically Injuring Black Protestor appeared first on Essence.

Essence Magazine:

As protests continue to roil the nation following a spate of police and vigilante killings of Black people, many lawmakers, civil rights leaders and advocates vow to fight along with the community for new laws and systemic reforms. 

“America is raw and her wounds are showing,” said U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), who recently joined fellow Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) for a virtual meeting with some of the country’s civil rights and racial justice advocates. 

The National Urban League’s President/CEO Marc Morial convened Monday’s virtual meeting. Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network (NAN); Derrick Johnson of the NAACP; and Sherrilyn I>Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) joined. So did Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation; Kristen Clarke of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law; and Vanita Gupta of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. 

“The tragic and senseless loss of Black lives to police-involved violence, and the callous indifference to justice in response, should have been enough to persuade the nation of the need for dramatic change,” the group said in a joint statement. “The last several days have made it impossible to ignore.” 

The leaders lamented that Black communities “already saturated in grief over the COVID-19 pandemic,” have now been “pushed to the brink by relentless police brutality and vigilante injustice.” Alluding to protests nationwide–largely peaceful, others with violence, looting and vandalism, they blamed “White nationalists” intent on stoking division. Critics say police in some cities have escalated unrest, and President Donald Trump has fanned the flames. 

This comes as relatives and strangers grieve George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery–the latest Black victims of countless deadly police encounters. 

“Blackness continues to put a mark on our backs,” said Judith Browne Dianis, Executive Director of the Advancement Project, which promotes fair democracy. “The police continue to believe that Black lives do not matter.” 

In February, Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was shot and killed in Georgia after being chased by a White father and son who’d allegedly accused him of burglary and deputized themselves; the slaying was caught on video.

In March, Breonna Taylor of Kentucky was reportedly shot eight times by Louisville Metro Police Department officers while asleep in the apartment she shared with her boyfriend. “We can’t change people’s hearts, but we can certainly demand that their behavior be changed,” Sadiqa Reynolds, president of the Louisville Urban League, told Essence. 

George Floyd, 46, was arrested in May by Minneapolis police officers, one of whom was captured kneeling on the dying man’s neck while ignoring pleas of “I cannot breathe.”  The words echoed those of Eric Garner who died during a police chokehold on Staten Island in 2014.

The same day as Floyd’s death, a Black male birdwatcher in New York’s Central Park used his cell phone to record a White woman calling 9-1-1 after he requested she leash her dog. 

The chasm between law enforcement and communities they are sworn to protect requires a systemic overhaul, say many. Civil rights leaders aim to work with bipartisan members of Congress, and want a broad review and revision of police training procedures, hiring standards, use of force policies and other reform measures. “We have so much work to do,” said Booker. 

The CBC is crafting a multifaceted approach. “We have to end this,” said Chairwoman Bass. On Friday June 5, they’ll host a virtual Town Hall “Living While Being Black in America.”

A virtual briefing by the Democratic Caucus on Tuesday drew nearly 100 participants including members of Congress, advocates and stakeholders such as the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and the Center for Policing Equity. 

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) announced that they’ll  hold a hearing next week on police brutality. The committee has sent a letter to the Department of Justice headed by U. S. Attorney General William Barr, demanding investigations into the Arbery, Taylor and Floyd deaths. 

Many Black lawmakers including Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) have or plan to sponsor legislation around policing issues. Kelly urged folks to contact legislators, special interest groups and funders. If elected officials don’t support reform? “Vote them out,” she said. 

Sustained action is key, say advocates. Monifa Bandele is part of the policy table leadership team for the Movement for Black Lives, via her work with Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.

“From protesting in the streets to art murals to mutual aid coordination and economic boycotts, we will not rest until there is justice for all. When we say Black Lives Matter, we mean it in every way.” 

The NAACP has launched a campaign entitled #WeAreDoneDying. The racial justice group Color of Change urges support of local bail funds for protestors, and removal of GoFundMe campaigns for former Minnesota officer Derek Chauvin and others. 

Meanwhile, the civil rights community is calling for a National Day of Mourning on Thursday, June 4, when Floyd’s funeral is scheduled at North Central University in Minneapolis. Rev. Sharpton is to deliver the eulogy and attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents the family, will be among those offering remarks. Crump told Essence while convicting officers who commit crimes is tough, it’s not impossible to win cases. “You learn a little more from each one of them,” he said. 

People across America are being asked to spend Thursday in reflection and prayer for racial reconciliation, and an end to violence. “We’ve gotta seize this moment to change the times,” said Sharpton.

The post Black Lawmakers, Advocates And Community Pushing For Police Reforms appeared first on Essence.

Essence Magazine:

A California woman claims that police officers stomped on her stomach during a traffic stop last year and caused her to have a

The post California Woman Brings Lawsuit Against City Alleging Police Stomped On Pregnant Stomach Causing Miscarriage appeared first on Essence.

Essence Magazine:

A Black Oklahoma County detention officer decided that standing with the crowd to protest police brutality, and the horrific officer-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis was more important than his job.

According to KOCO, Keval Williams, now a former detention officer, was told that he could not kneel with protesters and decided to take action.

“I turned in my badge, and now I’m out here,” he said in video that has been shared across social media.

this is what we mean. fkn quit that job if u truly care. he did. i respect dat pic.twitter.com/e2fjrYANek

— 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢 ☆ BLM (@Y2KANi) June 1, 2020

Williams told KOCO was protesting before the incident at work even happened, however, he got called into work at the jail. Once there, he wanted to take a knee to show his support but was told he could not.

Williams also said after he quit, he saw all the officers taking a knee in front of the protesters…of course, once the media cameras showed up.

“I didn’t want to quit my job…because I felt like that wasn’t the message I wanted to show,” Williams told the news station. “I wanted to show all these protesters that police officers, corrections officers stand with you and they understand what you’re doing.”

“These correction officers, these police officers when cameras are not around…that’s when they should be taking the knee,” he added. “Why can’t one or two officers walk with us?”

Mark Myers, with the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office, told the station that staff was called in to help push back “protesters who turned into rioters.”

“Protesters who turned into rioters tried to breach the jail, set one of our vans on fire and were knocking out windows,” Myers said, noting it was “an all-hands on deck” situation.

Myers said it was simply a situation of needing essential employees assigned to the jail to remain at the jail.

If employees want to protest, Myers suggests that they just “take the day off.”

The post A Black Oklahoma Detention Officer Was Told He Couldn’t Kneel With Protesters, So He Quit appeared first on Essence.

Essence Magazine:

Star Wars actor John Boyega took to the streets of London Wednesday to march for Black lives, and the actor gave an electrifying speech to protesters in the city’s Hyde Park area. 

During his speech, he also questioned whether he’ll “have a career” after his participation, highlighting an issue Black people face when they stand up for racism: fear that they’ll be retaliated against.

“Black lives have always mattered,” Boyega said to protesters Wednesday, overwhelmed with emotion as he spoke into a bullhorn to amplify his message. “We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain’t waiting.”

“We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation of our support for Sandra Bland. We are a physical representation of our support for Trayvon Martin. We are a physical representation of our support for Stephen Lawrence,” he continued, naming the several Black Americans who’ve been killed at the hands of police and other citizens.

“I need you to understand how painful this shit is. I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing and that isn’t the case any more. That was never the case,” he added.

At one point, Boyega acknowledged the potential professional backlash that he could face for openly fighting against racism and police brutality. 

“Look, I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this, but f-ck that,” he said. 

But Boyega doesn’t have anything to worry about. Several Hollywood heavyweights responded to his uncertainty by making it clear that they still were willing to work with him after speaking out, including some Star Wars co-stars along with Oscar winners Jordan Peele and Matthew Cherry. 

We got you, John. https://t.co/oX7Rr52omx

— Jordan Peele (@JordanPeele) June 3, 2020

I would work with John Boyega and I urge other Non-Black creators to affirm that they have his back as well. https://t.co/SqXgmIS5aR

— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) June 3, 2020

Yo @JohnBoyega just say the word.LUCKY and grateful to have you act in anything I’m working on. #BlackLivesMatter

— Tracy Y. Oliver (@TracyYOliver) June 3, 2020

The Star Wars franchise and its parent company Disney also stood by his actions and tweeted a message of support, calling him a true “hero.” 

We stand with and support you, @JohnBoyega. View his full speech: https://t.co/Goxb5y2wrK pic.twitter.com/ZvE0t5tRPY

— Star Wars (@starwars) June 3, 2020

Disney is also putting its money where its mouth is by pledging $5 million to non-profits that are focused on social justice. They are beginning with a $2 million donation to the NAACP. 

The post ‘Star Wars’ Actor John Boyega Demands Respect For Black Lives At London Protest appeared first on Essence.

Essence Magazine:

In a harrowing video shared to Instagram, Porsha Williams shows how she and her fiancé Dennis McKinley were tear-gassed at a peaceful protest in Atlanta Tuesday.

The video shows The Real Housewives of Atlanta star standing with protestors “at the capitol,” with a protective mask on before what appears to be gunshots rang out around her. Williams then runs and screams before she yells out, “It’s gas!” In the chilling video, another protestor pulls her aside to relief her of her symptoms with milk, instructing her not to wipe her face and to “tilt her head back.”

“I’m good. I’m good,” she eventually says in the more than eight-minute video. “Do y’all see this? We’re in Atlanta. It’s 7:45. The curfew isn’t until 9 o’clock. We’re out here peacefully protesting and they tear-gassed us for no reason at all.”

“I’m going live. Everybody will know what is going on…what is happening to us right now,” she continues.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by #PorshaWilliams (@porsha4real) on Jun 1, 2020 at 4:54pm PDT

In a later post on Instagram, Williams expressed her outrage on how the protestors were treated in her own city.

“We have the right to freedom of assembly, the right to freedom of association, and the right to freedom of speech,” she wrote in a caption of a photo of her and McKinley. “Although today here in Atlanta that was taken away from us.”

“A very peaceful group of us protesters had pepper spray bombs thrown at us! In the post right before this one you can hear the music & peaceful chanting right before we were had bombed!” she continued. “What a shame to try to silence the people once again. #Bloodline ‘Enough is enough’!”

The reality star later told People magazine that after Tuesday’s protest she has even more “strength” to go back on the front lines.

“It won’t stop. Anybody who is out there now and they feel like they can’t move forward because of the mistreatment [by] the police and what they’re doing to us…I would say to them, stay focused on the cause,” she told the magazine. “We are looking to get justice for George Floyd.”

Floyd, a 45-year-old Black man, was viciously murdered by a White Minneapolis police officer named Derek Chauvin. Initially charged with third degree murder and manslaughter, since the protests the charges have been upped to second degree murder. Also, the other three officers who stood by were also arrested and charged with crimes.

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We stand together #PEACEFULProtestEarlier #BlackLivesMatter #HoseaWilliams #Legacy #NoJusticeNoPeace #WeCantBreathe#ThisWhatAmericaLooksLike#GodHelpUs #WeJustWantToLive #SayTheirNames #Action #Atlanta

A post shared by #PorshaWilliams (@porsha4real) on May 29, 2020 at 6:37pm PDT

Williams, whose grandfather, Rev. Hosea Williams, marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement, added that “being on the frontline” was “a very beautiful thing.”

“The energy of the people is very much one mind, one mission and one goal, and that is to stand side by side, locked in arms, locked in heart, and to use every breath we have to demand justice for George Floyd and for the other victims of police brutality,” she concluded.

The post Porsha Williams Speaks After Being Tear-Gassed At Peaceful Atlanta Protest appeared first on Essence.