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Essence Magazine:

Amid a pandemic and protests happening across the U.S., we can’t forget that today several states across the country and the District of Columbia are holding primary elections.

Seven states (and Washington, D.C.) will hold presidential primaries today, while eight states and D.C. will hold primaries for ballot elections. These elections come at a time when mail ballot voting will likely be at an all-time high due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In an interview with ESSENCE, Stacey Abrams noted why voting by mail is important during these unprecedented times.

“Vote by mail can work if it’s postage paid. If we make certain that the ballots are automatically sent to every voter. If we allow for automatic registration and same-day registration because people are having a hard time getting on the rolls, which is the precursor to any participation. If we follow the gold standards, and we do our work now, then we absolutely will be ready to have secure elections in November,” Abrams noted.

Some tend to think that the recent protests across the country will hinder some people from voting, but considering that this upcoming election is a pivotal move in removing Donald Trump from the White House, voting still needs to go on as planned. Even as some cities have instituted a curfew, according to Reuters, Philadelphia’s mayor said the city’s curfew won’t be reinforced until 30 minutes after the polls close.

Voting will occur in: Pennsylvania, Indiana, Maryland, Rhode Island, Iowa, Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota. It’s important to note where your polling place is located before heading out to avoid confusion.

To find your local polling place, visit: WhenWeVote.org.

The post Eight States, D.C Have Primary Elections Today appeared first on Essence.

Essence Magazine:

What do you do when you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired? Take a time out and pause. And that’s exactly what two Black women are urging all of us to do as part of a movement being referred to as Blackout Tuesday.

Created by music executives Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, #BlackoutTuesday was spearheaded to cease normal business operations and “business as usual” on Tuesday while Black lives are at stake. 

“We are tired and can’t change things alone,” said Agyemang in an Instagram post about the #theshowmustbepaused initiative. “This is a call to action for those of us who work in music/entertainment/show business to pause on Tuesday, June 2nd because the show can’t just go on as our people are being hunted and killed.”

View this post on Instagram

We are tired and can’t change things alone. This is a call to action for those of us who work in music/entertainment/show business to pause on Tuesday, June 2nd because the show can’t just go on as our people are being hunted and killed.Use this time on Tuesday to come together and figure out how we can hold our partners, colleagues and companies alike, accountable to come up with and execute a plan that actively supports and protects the VERY CULTURE that it profits from.#THESHOWMUSTBEPAUSED

A post shared by Bri Anna (@bri_anna) on May 29, 2020 at 5:16pm PDT

But what started as a movement just for the music business has transformed into collective fury, causing individuals, celebrities and businesses alike to participate in the movement.

In a letter explaining the effort posted to their official site, Thomas and Agyemang said Blackout Tuesday is “in observance of the long-standing racism and inequality that exists from the boardroom to the boulevard.”

“We will not continue to conduct business as usual without regard for Black lives,” Thomas and Agyemang wrote continued. “Tuesday, June 2 is meant to intentionally disrupt the work week.”

Still, Blackout Tuesday hasn’t come without its critiques. With some on social media saying that it’s not the best day for a black out, since many states around the country are holding primary elections, others are critiquing the use of the #blacklivesmatter hashtag, which causes much-needed information about the movement to be buried on social media.

please listen to kehlani pic.twitter.com/sBeOjVItbJ

— dani (@kordeilogy) June 2, 2020

R&B singer Kehlani explained what’s happening on Instagram.

“When you check the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, it’s no longer videos, helpful information, resources, documentation of the injustice, it’s rows of black screens,” she wrote.

The post What Is Blackout Tuesday? appeared first on Essence.

Essence Magazine:

Someone tried to use awebsite with Breonna Taylor’s name to draw in funds for the Louisville Metro Police Foundation, a private group that raises money to support the police and public safety initiatives, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports.

According to the report, BreonnaTaylor.com directed visitors to send donations to the Foundation and “support good police.”

“In this divided and chaotic world, we hope anyone coming here supports good local police, firefighters, healthcare workers, and other essential personnel,” the homepage for the website, which has since been taken down, said.

Breonna Taylor was a Louisville EMT who was shot and killed in her own home by police officers executing a “no-knock” warrant.

According to the report, visitors to the site had the option to give gifts from $100 to $10,000 toward the foundation.

The site has been up since May 16, according to Lonita Baker, an attorney representing Taylor’s family said.

“It is a slap in the face whether they were part of putting this site together or not they have not tried to take it down,” Baker said.

The Louisville Metro Police Foundation released a statement saying they had nothing to do with the site, and also temporarily shut down their own page until they can figure out who was behind it.

“We would NEVER do something so inappropriate and are doing our best to track down who put our link on this page,” Tracie Texas Shifflett, the director of the foundation said. “We are saddened and disheartened that someone would do this, especially during this time when we need unity and not division.”

The post Website Using Breonna Taylor’s Name Was Used To Raise Money For Police Foundation appeared first on Essence.

Essence Magazine:

Over the weekend many beauty brand leaders stepped up to show their support to the Black community with messages condemning the death of George Floyd, touting the #BlackLivesMatter. Others even expanded that support financially, pledging their brand dollars to help organizations fighting for civil rights and aiding Black protestors.

Glossier put out a statement on Saturday explaining that the beloved beauty brand would be donating $500K across organizations combatting racial injustice, including Black Lives Matter, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, We The Protestors, and The Marsha P. Johnson Institute. It also pledged an additional $500K in grants to Black-owned businesses in order to make an impact in the beauty industry.

“We are fortunate to have a large platform and a passionate audience, and know that brings with it immense responsibility,” Emily Weiss, Glossier CEO told ESSENCE. “In this moment, it became clear that our responsibility was to show up with substance and take action.The fight against racism and racial injustice is essential and ongoing—we’re honored to be able to contribute to the critical work of these incredible organizations, and are committed to helping foster inclusive growth both within our own industry, and internally at Glossier.”

Glossier also postponed the launch of its newest product that was slated to debut today.

Sunday Riley was also vocal about supporting the Black community. Her eponymous beauty brand is donating $50,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund to help support protesters. She’s hoping that it will force other brands to not only speak up but also take action.

“There’s a disconnect in saying you are a brand that supports human rights and diversity, and not support the very people that we count as clients, coworkers, family, community, and friends,” says Riley.

Where Essie was ridiculed and called out by the Instagram community for posting a vague message about celebrating color (which felt oddly tied into a misguided branding opportunity), nail polish brand Orly was praised for its unambiguous stance.

The brand posted a brief statement on Instagram that read, “We stand in solidarity with the Black Community and those fighting for justice and equality. Change starts with turning our words into action.”

It also stated that the brand is donating to Black Visions Collective, and listed organizations where supporters could sign petitions and donate.

For brands and influencers that stayed silent, Jackie Aina had some choice words for them.

“Some of you have been exposed as ‘former’ racists, the N-word lovers, blackface offenders, etc. Now would also be the PERFECT time to prove how much you truly are sympathetic to the black community,” she wrote to influencers in an Instagram story which later stirred up a lot of conversation when it was shared on Twitter.

She called out brands that she’s worked with (who have paid her), as well as fast fashion companies PrettyLittleThing and Fashion Nova. PrettyLittleThing has since posted poignant statements on social media supporting the Black community and the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. The retailer says it’s even donating all of the proceeds from its newest collaboration with rapper Saweetie to Black Lives Matter.

View this post on Instagram

It is deeply saddening to see recent events that have occurred and that these horrific situations continue to happen. It has to STOP. We stand by the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the black community at this very difficult time. Our thoughts and condolences go to out to all those whose lives have been innocently taken. We will and must continue to support this matter and the donations we are making to the victims families is just the first step in this fight together. We will always stand with you. #blacklivesmatter

A post shared by FASHION • BEAUTY • LIFESTYLE (@prettylittlething) on May 30, 2020 at 12:04pm PDT

“I know for a fact a lot of brands have been seeing my tweets for the past few days because your feeds started looking a lil’ different,” Aina later posted on Twitter. “Learn something from this and hire Black publicists AND more Black creatives.”

Influencers truly influencing when it matters most.

It’s refreshing (and telling) to see which brands are stepping up financially to support the very community that keeps their lights on, even during the uncertainty of COVID-19 when many bottom lines have been affected.

When you look at the numbers it’s quite simple—Black women spend the most money on beauty products. It’s the community that keeps these brands thriving, even though it’s the community whose needs have been ignored the most by beauty. We’ve seen strides in diversity and inclusion over the past few years (just last week Sephora announced it’s 2nd annual #SephoraSquad with one-third of its newest members being Black influencers), but we haven’t even scratched the surface in the work that needs to be done.

Other brands that are showing support for the Black community financially: Athena Club is donating 100 percent of proceeds for the next seven days to The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Hero Cosmetics is donating 100 percent of proceeds up to $10,000 from its newest launch to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund for the first week of June.

The post Sunday Riley And Other Beauty Brands Pledge Money To Support Black Community appeared first on Essence.