Stacy BrownMedia

Washington Informer

Black Press Laments Cold Shoulder from Icons

The tales are all too familiar.
One African-American journalist with a career that has spanned decades and whose walls and desks are littered with awards and accolades recalled a certain Black celebrity who used to occupy a spot on speed-dial.
Before becoming famous, the actress, who currently stars in one of the biggest television hits in years, would constantly call the reporter seeking publicity, the journalist said.
“I used to do stories with her when she was an unknown. Her publicist had...

Washington Informer

Trump Signs Executive Order to Dismantle Obamacare

After Congressional and Senate Republicans failed repeatedly to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, a combative President Donald Trump now has taken the matter into his own hands.
On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order that he said will bring affordable health insurance to millions of Americans and effectively continue his efforts to dismantle former President Barack Obama’s signature legislation.
Trump’s order — a broad one indeed — directs his administration to develop policie...

Washington Informer

Harvey Weinstein Gets Backing Denied to Bill Cosby

D.L. Hughley said fellow comedian Bill Cosby once had a radio station pull an interview featuring the two because of sensitive sexual assault allegations were raised.
However, Cosby may have been precipitous, seeing the storm to come and how even his tormentors are allowed to choose sides and even switch teams.
One of those tormentors has seemingly done an about-face when it comes to her crusade against men whom she believes have unfairly treated women.
Attorney Lisa Bloom — who along with he...

Washington Informer

Fairfax Dignified in Campaign for Virginia Lt. Governor

For Democrat Justin Fairfax, the race for lieutenant governor of Virginia has been a test of his toughness and his fortitude as he catapults into the national political spotlight.
As his opponent, Jill Vogel, continues to witness the shrewdness of the longtime D.C. resident’s campaign, she’s resorted to name-calling and — according to many — racist attacks.
“I clearly think [Fairfax] is not informed enough on those issues to talk intelligently about them. I just have to put that out there,” V...

Washington Informer

MPD Vigilant in Wake of Las Vegas Massacre

The mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas that left at least 59 dead and more than 500 wounded could happen anywhere, but local law enforcement officials work diligently to ensure the safety of District residents and the millions who visit daily.
Records have revealed that the shooter, Stephen Paddock, had previously rented a hotel room in Chicago with a clear view of the Lollapalooza festival where performers included the British band Muse and Liam Gallagher and those in att...

poconorecord.com

Addiction drama debuts at film festival

By Stacy M. Brown, For the Pocono Record
With so much focus on the opioid addiction that’s swept the nation, producers of a new documentary are seeking to shed more light on the growing problem as the film is set to make its debut at the New York Latino Film Festival next week.
Directed by popular actor Shiek Mahmud-Bey and written by Mahmud-Bey and Steven Williams, “The Inner Circle” is set in an in-patient rehab program and demonstrates how through intense group therapy, members of differen...

Washington Informer

Black Icons Shun the Black Press

When President Donald Trump publicly used a slur to describe mostly Black NFL players who took a knee to join Colin Kaepernick in protesting the killings of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement and the many injustices that minorities continue to face, not one of the high-profile athletes turned to the Black Press.
African-American celebrities, and other Black icons who would join them, took their message to white America through mainstream media.
Spike Lee, who’s declined numerou...

Washington Informer

Activist: America Cares About Flag Only When Blacks Protest

The swirling controversy over athletes and others protesting the flag is all rooted in hypocrisy, said Dr. Harry Edwards, the renowned author, professor, sports mentor and civil rights activist.
Edwards, a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of “The Revolt of the Black Athlete,” was the architect of the 1968 Olympic Project for Human Rights which led to the memorable black-gloved fist salute by athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos.
Edwards, w...

Washington Informer

Three Make Case for Virginia Governor

Three candidates seeking to replace Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe this fall may not agree on much, but each said the economy is the biggest issue facing state residents.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Informer, Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, Republican candidate Ed Gillespie and Libertarian Cliff Hyra stated their case for Virginia’s highest office.
“As a doctor, you might imagine that I’m a pretty good listener,” said Northam, a former Army physician and senator who assumed his cur...

New York Post

O.J. wants huge payday for first interview: ‘It has to be the big one’

Once The Juice is loose, he’ll put the squeeze on TV networks for millions for rights to an exclusive interview, sources close to O.J. Simpson told The Post.
“He’s not talking for free,” a longtime confidant told The Post a few days before Simpson’s expected Monday release from High Desert State Prison near Las Vegas. “It has to be the big one because he’s only going to do it one time and it has to be worth his while.”
The disgraced gridiron great is expected to ask for $3 million to $5 milli...

blackpressusa.com

New Nielsen Study Reveals Growing Spending Power, Influence of Black Women

By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
A new report detailing the record-setting spending power of African American women has further buoyed the confidence of Black female entrepreneurs, who said the information proves their undeniable value to the United States and the global economy.
The report titled, “African-American Women: Our Science, Her Magic,” was released by Nielsen during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual legislative conference; it revealed that African Ame...

pagesix.com

Inside Janet Jackson’s rocky marriage — and ugly split

From the outside, Janet Jackson’s third marriage looked like a fairy tale.
After an intense period of heartbreak that included her beloved brother Michael’s overdose death in 2009 and the announcement of her split from her longtime love, producer Jermaine Dupri, that year, Janet was desperately in need of some light in her life. Then along came Wissam Al Mana, a dashing Qatari billionaire businessman who swept the superstar off her feet.
The two had a quiet, whirlwind relationship that led to...

blackpressusa.com

Danisha Carmala Scott: The Life of a Top Model at New York Fashion Week

By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)

Jamaican model Danisha Carmala Scott, the 2009 Miss Jamaica World Model Fast Track Winner, traveled more than 1,500 miles, all the way to the Big Apple, for New York Fashion Week (NYFW) on a mission to get signed by a top modeling agency.

As NYFW kicked off, Scott made the trek from her home in Jamaica hoping to catch the attention of elite agents and scouts, while they were fixated on the world’s top models on the runways, draped in the latest st...

Washington Informer

Hurricane Harvey: The Fallout and the Aftermath

The devastation has been surveyed, the havoc wreaked and now, in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, lawmakers and officials will have to determine just how much money the government will allocate to both the cleanup and rebuild efforts.
Texas Democratic U.S. Reps. Al Green, Sheila Jackson Lee, Ed...

blackpressusa.com

Prosecutor in Cosby’s Sex Assault Case Urged Penn State to Honor Coach Joe Paterno

By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
The Montgomery County District Attorney prosecuting Bill Cosby’s sexual assault case encouraged administration officials at Pennsylvania State University to honor Joe Paterno, the once-revered football coach, who was fired in the wake of a child abuse...