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Essence Magazine:

Insecure actor Kendrick Sampson was on the front lines Saturday at a protest in Los Angeles where he was hit by rubber bullets and by police batons, injuring him.

Sampson took to Instagram Live Saturday afternoon to share his thoughts on the protest and to show his injuries, which included a cut to the face along with bruising on his chest, arm and leg.

“They shot me four times already. I already got hurt and I got hit with a baton,” Sampson said.

“Y’all ain’t see no police f-cking White folks [up] when they took guns to the statehouse,” he said, referring to the recent protests over self-isolating due to the novel coronavirus. “Y’all didn’t see police attacking White folks, beating them up with batons, shooting them with rubber bullets when they brought guns to f-cking state houses.”

Protests sprang out across the globe—from Hollywood to Harlem, from London to Berlin—after a White Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin murdered a 46-year-old Black man, George Floyd, in broad daylight as three other responding officers watched on. Although Chavin was charged Friday with third degree murder and manslaughter, protests still raged on.

kendrick sampson is the leader we need rn #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/oZIQqyc6y5

— moi. blm (@ciIIiqn) May 31, 2020

Sampson, who is a racial justice activist and organizer, took to Instagram Live to describe the scene in Los Angeles and, as he said to the nearly 7,000 watching at one point, to show “what these motherf-ckers are actually doing to people.”

“I still got blood all over my shit and I’m in pain, I’m not gon’ lie…I wanna go home, but I’m also like are people seeing what’s actually going on and putting it into actual context?” he continued. “I wonder if I go home will people see that shit.”

“They are an unlawful assembly, look,” he said, before turning the camera to show police officers hitting seemingly peaceful protestors with batons.

Protesters complained about being hit with rubber bullets across the nation yesterday, with one photojournalist and author, Linda Tirado, tweeting that she is now permanently blind in one eye due to being hit by a rubber bullet while covering the Minneapolis protest.

an update: I am permanently blind in my left eye, and the docs absolutely refuse to let me go back to work for they say six weeks. I’m definitely not allowed to be near smoke or gas.Usually if I had to stay home I’d spend a lot of time amplifying folk but reading hurts today

— Linda Tirado (@KillerMartinis) May 30, 2020

“I took a rubber bullet to the face. It exploded my eyeball, which has now been patched back together but who knows if it’ll need more surgery,” she detailed on Saturday.

Shooting rubber bullets to protestors’ faces is a strategy often used in other countries, including Chile where a 22-year-old student named Gustavo Gatica was left totally blind last November after being shot by rubber bullets, according to Reuters.

Show up pic.twitter.com/jl9fkEh4eU

— TINASHE (@Tinashe) May 30, 2020

@JColeNC and @Dennis1SmithJr Downtown Fayetteville NC for protest today pic.twitter.com/MwmGzl1Odb

— Richmond . (@HereCumMimi) May 30, 2020

Sampson, who recently stopped by ESSENCE’s Yes, Girl! podcast, was not the only celebrity to lend their fame to the cause. Tinashe also shared she was protesting in Los Angeles, and J. Cole was spotted at a protest in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where Floyd was born.

The post ‘Insecure’ Star Kendrick Sampson Hit By Rubber Bullets At LA Protest appeared first on Essence.

Essence Magazine:

During these stressful times, people are prioritizing their health and well-being more than ever in order to protect themselves and their immune systems. One thing that each of us can do everyday is simple though: staying hydrated. Drinking water and staying hydrated, not only allows your body to receive electrolytes and helps your bodily functions to run at optimal levels,  but also helps your body naturally eliminate toxins and other bacteria that may cause illness — especially during cold and flu season.

Though many of us know that we need to drink water for survival, many don’t realize that it’s also necessary for optimal nutrition, given that it’s the one nutrient we can’t survive without. 

And even knowing about it’s survival, most still aren’t doing what they need to do. “An estimated 70% of the population is dehydrated at a subclinical level,” says Dr. Ralph E. Holsworth, D.O., Director of Clinical and Scientific Research, Essentia Water. 

He continues, “Proper hydration plays a vital role in overall wellness by optimizing immune function, maintaining proper mucus production, liver and kidney function and also provides dietary satiety. It’s essential to hydrate with electrolytes such as sea salt or an alkaline water, such as Essentia, to support the mineralocorticoids of the adrenal glands to control both physiological and psychological stress.”

But we’ve learned over the years that not all bottled water is created equal (for those who want to skip the tap). In addition to performance focused Essentia, there are a few other brands that not only keep you hydrated, but healthy as well: Ultima Replenisher is an electrolyte powder that is made with all 6 balanced macro-electrolytes plus support minerals, and is the perfect companion in your COVID-19 hydration kit, while OXIGEN contains O4 – two O2 molecules fused together using a proprietary 120-step manufacturing process to create one oxygen super molecule that remains stable in water. That O4 super molecule is bioavailable, which means it enters your bloodstream upon consumption, helping your muscles recover faster, giving your brain clarity. 

“Hydration is vital at all times — including when we’re in the heat outdoors,” says Holsworth.” We do not have the ability to store water, so maintenance of proper hydration requires small and frequent aliquots of water. Humans do have the histamine system to transport cellular water to various parts of the cells, tissues, and organs. Not all waters are absorbed the same.”

This is especially important with the summer months on the horizon. While we may have spent the past few months indoors, states are beginning to open, and many will take every opportunity to head back outside — this is when you need to be prepared the most. “We should be hydrating throughout the day,” says Holsworth. Our bodies are constantly balancing with our physical surroundings, metabolism and physiological requirements, so maintaining rehydration is key. 

You may have heard that there’s no science behind the age-old advice to drink eight cups of water a day, but how much should you be drinking? “Start by drinking ounces per body weight,” encourages Holsworth. “So a 170 lb person would initially drink 170 ounces minimum, and then increase the amount by 10 percent to ensure urination every three hours.”

The post How Staying Hydrated Can Help Support Your Immune System appeared first on Essence.