Worst Best Oscar Snubs. I Agree With Number 4, 5, and 23.

From WorkandMoney - 

Worst Best Picture Snubs in Oscar History

By Tony Adame

The Academy Awards represent the pinnacle of what a movie can be. Since 1927, they've awarded statuettes to the best moviemaking every year. But in that time, they've made some mistakes.

None of those mistakes are more visible than when there's a big miss on the final award of the night — Best Picture. Whether it's politics or recency bias or whatever excuse you want to make for Academy Award voters, these are the worst Best Picture snubs in the history of the Oscars. 

23. Pulp Fiction (1994)

90srandomstuff/Twitter

Oscar year: 1995

Best Picture winner: Forrest Gump

Best Picture nominees: Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption

Best Director winner: Robert Zemeckis, Forrest Gump

Bottom line: It's not every year you get three of the most beloved films of all time in a single Best Picture category, but that's what we got in 1994, with "Forrest Gump" winning Best Actor (Tom Hanks), Best Director (Robert Zemeckis) and Best Picture. 

No offense to "Gump" fans. It was the third-best movie on the list of classics behind "The Shawshank Redemption" and Quentin Tarantino's breakthrough film "Pulp Fiction" for which he won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. 

https://www.workandmoney.com/s/worst-best-picture-snubs-oscars-ab31fbe6195c4f24

Black-Owned Food & Beverage Brands

An excerpt from Pure Wow - 

20 Black Women-Owned Food & Beverage Brands That Belong in Your Kitchen

By Nakeisha Campbell 

Project Pop

1. PROJECT POP

Founder: Chauniqua Major-Louis

Based in Orlando, Florida, Project Pop offers a fresh take on kettle corn by using all vegan and organic ingredients—but without sacrificing flavor. Per the official website, their recipes typically include a touch of vegan cane sugar and Himalayan pink salt for a balanced flavor profile.

https://eatprojectpop.com/collections/all

Iya Foods

2. IYA FOODS

Founder: Toyin Kolawole

With products like cassava pancake mix, plantain flour and jollof rice seasoning, Iya Foods can help you add a bit of West African flavor to any traditional American meal. While speaking with Forbes about the meaning behind her brand’s name, Kolawole, said, “Iya means ‘mother’ in Yoruba...Our name pays homage to mothers everywhere. It reminds me of those three words, ‘Have you eaten?’ The ultimate expression of a mother’s love.”

https://www.iyafoods.com/

https://www.purewow.com/food/black-women-owned-food-beverage-brands

Is the Coast Clear?

 

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https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/kids-gesture-before-spilling-milk-from-bottle-leaves-people-in-splits-watch-101634650987937.html 

Support Native-Owned Brands

From USA Today - 

15 Native-owned brands to support for Indigenous Peoples' Day

By Marah Eakin Reviewed 

15 Native-owned brands to support for Indigenous Peoples' Day
Thunder Voice Hat Co/8th Generation

October 11 is widely recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. A holiday meant to honor and bring awareness to Native communities, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a great reminder to support the Native people that live, work and create all over North America. 

To celebrate the holiday, we've rounded up 15 Native retailers you can support, from moccasin makers to beauty brands. These creators and curators both celebrate and preserve Indigenous peoples’ long history of creativity and culture—and you can shop them all right now.

1. TP Mocs

Indigenous-owned brands 2021:  TP Mocs / TP Mocs

A Blackfoot owned-company working toward alleviating poverty in Native communities, TP Mocs employs Native Americans to handcraft all of its adorable and durable children’s moccasins. A portion of the proceeds from all sales goes to purchasing necessities for underprivileged children living on reservations.

Indigenous-owned brands 2021:  B. Yellowtail / B. Yellowtail

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/reviewed/2021/10/11/native-owned-brands-support-indigenous-peoples-day/6083853001/

Native American Inventions

An excerpt from Buzzfeed - 

Here Are 17 Extremely Necessary Items You Can Thank Indigenous People For Inventing

You'll be surprised how animal bladders were used.

by Andria Moore

1. The kayak

Buyenlarge / Getty Images

2. Rubber

Glsolcam / Getty Images

https://www.buzzfeed.com/andriamoore/indigenous-people-inventions

Native Americans: Things We Didn't Learn in School

 An excerpt from Buzzfeed - 

20 Interesting Historical Facts About Native Americans That We Never Got To Learn About In School

These contributions and sacrifices by Native Americans deserve to be recognized!

By Simrin Singh

1. The sequoia tree is named after the Cherokee leader Sequoyah, who helped create an alphabet for his people to use.

George Rose / Getty Images

2. Many words, such as "chipmunk," "pecan," and "skunk," come from an Algonquian language.

When the English explorers arrived in North America, they largely interacted with Native people who spoke an Algonquian language, and as a result, several of their words were adopted into English vocabulary. Other English words with Native American origins include "chocolate," "potato," and "poncho."

https://www.buzzfeed.com/simrinsingh/interesting-facts-from-indigenous-history

Two Made the List

 From AFRO Tech - 

Forbes Dropped Their List Of The 400 Richest Americans — And Only Two Black Men Made The List

By Bernadette Giacomazzo

Photo Credit: Simon Dawson

Forbes has dropped its annual list of 400 Richest Americans.

For the fourth year in a row, Jeff Bezos — the founder of Amazon — was No. 1 on the list. According to the outlet, he’s worth $201 billion, which is a staggering $22 billion more than where he was last year on the list. Right behind Bezos is America’s favorite problematic dude-bro, Elon Musk, who is worth a little over $190 billion. Mark Zuckerberg, the man behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp comes in at No. 3 with just under $135 billion in net worth. Bill Gates is No. 4 on the Forbes Richest Americans list, with a slightly lower net worth than Zuckerberg ($134 billion). And rounding out the top five is Larry Page, who recently stepped down as the CEO of Google but still remains a controlling shareholder and board member — and who has a $123 billion net worth.

Yet, despite the diversity of the richest Americans on the Forbes list in nearly every other way, one group remains largely unrepresented on the list: Black professionals. Specifically, zero Black women made the list of the Forbes 400 Richest Americans, and only two Black men made the list.

https://afrotech.com/forbes-richest-americans-black-men

Authentic Native Stories . . . Finally

From NPR - 

Native Americans Take Over The Writers' Room and Tell Their Own Stories 

Dustin Milligan, Ed Helms, Sierra Teller Ornelas, Jesse Leigh, Tai Leclaire and Kimberly Guerrero arrive at the Peacock Series "Rutherford Falls" partnership with The Autry of the American West to celebrate Native American storytelling event at the Autry Museum of the American West on June 26, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.

Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

After decades of Indigenous stories told by non-Natives, two shows from this past year signal a change.

Reservation Dogs from FX on Hulu was created by and stars Native people. It follows four Indigenous teenagers growing up on a reservation in rural Oklahoma, with dreams of adventuring to California. Vincent Schilling, a Native journalist and critic for Rotten Tomatoes, calls Reservation Dogs 'a show about Native American resilience.'

Rutherford Falls is a sitcom on NBC's streaming platform, Peacock, which follows a conflict over a historical statue in a small town. When the show was co-created by Sierra Teller Ornelas, she became the first Native American showrunner of television comedy. Teller Ornelas told Audie Cornish this year: "There are five Native writers on staff. We had a Native director for four of the episodes, and this is really a reflection of our shared experience as Native people from nations all over the country."

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/07/1044061754/native-americans-take-over-the-writers-room-and-tell-their-own-stories

"Enter Into His Reality."

From Upworthy -  

wanted to share this incredible story on how to engage people with dementia — “enter into their reality” pic.twitter.com/4xbvWqMJ2L

— Rob N Roll 🎃™️ (@thegallowboob) October 12, 2021

https://www.upworthy.com/psychologist-advice-people-dementia 

Brothers reunited for 1st time in 50 years | WNT

https://youtu.be/hkwLvDs-5ug

Irish Black History Month

An excerpt from Travel Noire - 

Irish Black History Month: 5 Facts You Likely Didn't Know - Black History, Ireland

By Fayida Jailler

Photo Credit: davidf

Yes, Irish Black History Month is a thing.

As you may (or may not) know, during the month of October, Black History Month is celebrated in several countries around the world and one of those countries is Ireland.

Irish Black History Month first began in Cork in 2010, although it wasn’t until 2014 that it was consolidated as a nationwide event. It was facilitated by a network of groups who worked together through Africa Irish Development Initiatives (AIDI) to host a series of events in celebration of the African-Irish community. 

So, as we celebrate Black History Month in the Republic of Ireland, here are 5 interesting facts you likely didn’t know.

https://travelnoire.com/irish-black-history-month-5-facts

Redemption Matters

An excerpt from Sports Illustrated - 

He Rose to the Highest Levels of Business and Basketball—but With a Secret

As a teen, Jordan Brand chairman Larry Miller shot and killed a man. He's kept that truth buried, until now.

By HOWARD BECK

Kohjiro Kinno/Sports Illustrated

The mementos lining Larry Miller’s office suggest a life of comfort and privilege, of celebrated achievements and celebrity friendships. The autographed red boxing gloves from Muhammad Ali. The commemorative basketball from President Obama. The signed notes from Michael Jordan.

This plush suite, tucked into a quiet corner of the Sebastian Coe building, on Nike’s sprawling campus in Beaverton, Ore., is the primary sanctuary for the man who has piloted the Jordan Brand since 2012, who counts MJ as a close friend and David Stern as a mentor and who has nearly every major figure in basketball (along with Kanye West) on speed dial.

You could spend hours admiring it all, without a single hint of the dark chapter that preceded the journey. Of the years Miller spent in prison, or the horrifying act that put him there. Of a September evening in 1965, when Miller, just 16 years old, stood at the corner of 53rd and Locust streets in West Philadelphia, and fired a .38-caliber gun into the chest of another teenager, killing him on the spot.

It’s a secret that Miller, 72, has guarded for more than 50 years. Even as he ran an NBA franchise and then oversaw the transformation of the Jordan Brand, nearly doubling its revenue during his tenure, he kept it from Jordan, Nike founder Phil Knight and NBA executives. He had already, for decades, been holding the truth from his friends and even his own children, for fear its exposure might destroy him. But it is a story Miller now feels must be told, and will be detailed in full in a forthcoming book, Jump: My Secret Journey From the Streets to the Boardroom, cowritten with his oldest daughter, Laila Lacy, set for release by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, in early 2022.

https://www.si.com/nba/2021/10/13/jordan-brand-chairman-larry-miller-shares-secret-daily-cover?jwsource=cl

https://www.si.com/nba/2021/10/13/jordan-brand-chairman-larry-miller-shares-secret-daily-cover

Colin in Black and White | Official Trailer | Netflix

https://youtu.be/ej42P9FTwZg

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/colin-kaepernick-ebony-profile_n_6167112ce4b0f3be08dddd40

Clever Papa!

From The US Sun - 

TAKE NOTE Clever dad shares the cheeky note he writes to make his kids do chores & it works every time

By Lydia Hawken

The clever dad hid the Xbox power cord from his kids so they'd do their choresCredit: Facebook

https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/3847123/clever-dad-cheeky-note-kids-chores/

First Take is Headed to FAMU!

From HBCU Gameday - 

First Take to trip to Florida A&M

ESPN’s First Take will make it’s first on-site visit in nearly two years at Florida A&M during homecoming.

By HBCU Gameday

BRISTOL, Conn. | ESPN’s popular morning debate show First Take – featuring Stephen A. Smith and host Molly Qerim Rose – will hit the road for its first on-site show since Jan. 2020 when it travels to Florida A&M for the university’s homecoming weekend. Florida A&M alumnus and record-breaking Hollywood filmmaker Will Packer will be in attendance as the school dedicates the Will Packer Amphitheater, where the show will also take place.

Packer is a longtime supporter of HBCU initiatives and a magna cum laude graduate of Florida A&M where he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. Packer received the Meritorious Achievement Award from Florida A&M, the highest honor the university bestows.

“Ever since I met Will Packer years ago, there was never any doubt that two things were of the utmost importance to him: FAMU and HBCUs overall,” said Smith. “Will’s commitment to excellence doesn’t halt at just himself. He’s always been motivated to inspire and lead, especially when it comes to the wonderful folks attending FAMU. This unveiling of the amphitheater is just the latest example of how devoted Will Packer is to FAMU and how committed he is to be that shining example who genuinely cares. I’m honored that he asked me to make sure First Take is a part of its sensational event. And even more so to call him my friend.”

https://hbcugameday.com/2021/10/12/first-take-to-trip-to-florida-am/

Stanford University Indigenous Land Acknowledgment

https://youtu.be/6G4-iI3jrmY

MSNBC host Tiffany Cross claims some Black media faces are 'not necessar...

https://youtu.be/_0AwibeTNNU

Black Winemaker

An excerpt from TravelNoire - 

Theopolis Vineyards: California’s 18-Year-Old Black Woman-Owned Winery

By Malik Peay

Located in Yorkville, north of San Francisco, in the scenic rolling hills of vineyards and architectural beauty, there is a magnificent Black woman-owned winery. Theopolis Vineyards is an 18-year-old wine producer that was founded by Theodora R. Lee in 2003.

The Texas native turned San Francisco attorney had her first grape harvest to produce high-quality wines in 2006 and has been a notable Black vintner in California ever since.

Situated at 32674 Highway 128, Theopolis Vineyards spans 20 acres of land boasting different variations of grapes for Petite Sirah, Pinot Noire, and Rosé wines. Wine Enthusiast nominated the winery for a Wine Star Award, and today, Lee is looking to broaden the community of viticulture.

With an established fund, Lee set up at the University of California, she is using her platform to introduce more Black people to vineyard management. The Theopolis Vineyards Diversity Fund is expanding the narrative of Black vintners who operate wineries across the United States, creating more space for them to feel seen.

https://travelnoire.com/theopolis-vineyards-black-woman-owned-winery

You Do Not Speak Ill Will Against Denzel: Roland Dings Ellen In 'Sermon'...

https://youtu.be/jFXt7xpQ7tA

She's Exposing Students to the HBCU Experience

An excerpt from Essence - 

Meet The Woman Who's Exposing High School Students To The Value of the HBCU Experience

FOUR YEARS SINCE ITS INCEPTION, THE HBCU WEEK FOUNDATION HAS CONSISTENTLY OFFERED ASPIRING COLLEGE STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

BY JASMINE BROWLEY

CREDIT: ASHLEY CHRISTOPHER

“There’s nothing like walking onto a campus of an HBCU as a freshman, especially as someone who’s always been the other. There, you’re the norm.” 

Ashley Christopher, founder of HBCU Week and the HBCU Week Foundation says she wants every student of color to feel the way she did while in college. The double HBCU grad said her time at Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia instilled a sense of confidence in her that was necessary for future success. 

This year, ‘HBCU Week’ will take place in Wilmington, Delaware and virtually, Sept. 26 – Oct 3, giving students of color and their families the opportunity to participate in events such as Battle of the Bands, an R&B concert featuring Wale and Queen Naija, and a comedy show hosted by celebrated comedian and HBCU Alum Wanda Sykes.

“The academic and familial experience offered by HBCUs go beyond the classroom,” Christopher said. “The cultural benefits that make HBCUs unique, from mentorships to celebrating traditions can only be found on HBCU campuses.” 

Her life-changing time as a student drove her to found the HBCU Week Foundation years later in 2017, which began as a job fair for local students in Wilmington, Delaware. After the initial list of 200 quickly grew to 700 high schoolers, Christopher knew she had something special on her hands. 

“Beyond the career fair, I wanted to give students a glimpse into the fun and excitement that comes with attending an HBCU,” said Christopher. 

Now, four years later the HBCU Week Foundation has consistently offered aspiring college students from across the country the chance to gain insight into the value of attending a historically Black or university during a week-long series of events, mirroring the legendary HBCU Homecoming experience. 

https://www.essence.com/news/money-career/ashley-christopher-hbcu-week-foundation/