WSSN Stories

By Naomi K. Bonman

With tax season wrapping up on Sunday, April 15 (Tax Day), businesses and individuals are scurrying to get that last-minute tax refund in. But how many of you are investing that refund wisely?

When it comes to healing our communities, economics plays a vital role in building up and expanding our communities. All it takes is to have leaders that are savvy in economic growth to teach and show others how to assist in helping our communities grow. One of our community leaders that is a prime example of that is Reginald Young.

Reginald Young is the founder of MDISNET and an administrative pastor for Pastors United. He is also one of the core founders that are in the process of launching a credit union in San Bernardino, which would cater to the minority community.

I recently sat down and chatted with Rev. Young where he explained in detail the community and business endeavors that he has planned for this year and the coming years. To watch the interview, please hit play below:

 

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

You hypocrite! The Bible teaches us that it is vital to our witness of the Gospel to live what we preach, or we will bring reproach on the Word of God! You ought to know that God takes seriously the call to practice what we preach! Instead of just talking the talk, why won’t you walk the walk! Pretending to be something that you are not! Saying one thing and then doing the opposite. Acting one way in a certain setting and then acting another way in a different setting! I tell you, before you practice preaching, you had better practice what you preach.  

We are the body of Christ for the world and our integrity of faith is on the line. Therefore, it is very important that as Christians, we follow the example of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter where we are or who we are with. The words we speak and the things we do should always reflect our faith.  But naw, you are good at telling other people what they should do and how they should live, but you fail to follow your own instructions. No wonder Jesus told the crowds and his disciples to do what the Pharisees and the scribes teach them to do, “but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach” [Matthew 23:3]. I want you to know that nothing kills credibility faster than not practicing what is preached.

But this is nothing new. A long time ago, in the nation of Israel, the priests of the old covenant were under the same obligation, to practice what they preached. When they failed to live up to the message they were teaching, God sent the prophet Malachi to “remind” them. “You have turned aside from the way and have caused many to falter by your instruction” [Malachi 2:8]. They were not practicing what they preached, and God was watching. He warned them to return to their faith, lest He should turn their blessing into a curse! It is a very strong message. Not only to priest, preachers, deacons, teachers and their families; it applies to every Christian alike.

Listen, Christ as the master teacher taught his disciples not only by Word but by example [John 13:15]. He demonstrated by His living how we should live before our heavenly Father. To understand the importance of learning to practice what you preach, British-born American writer Edgar A. Guest wrote: “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day, I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way. The eye’s a better pupil and more willing that the ear; Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear; and the best of all preachers are the men who live their creeds, for to see the good in action is what everybody needs. I can soon learn how to do it if you’ll let me see it done. I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run. And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true; but I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do. For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give, but there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.” Practice what you preach! “We are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.” [Matthew 5:14]. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says! [James 1:22]

 

By Tiffany Loftin

Who would have thought that in less than 15 days, I would have to coordinate and manage 1,000 young, Black student leaders from over 24 cities on 17 buses in the name of gun reform and safety?

The reality is, sometimes the work chooses you.

I started my new job one day before the mass school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. We’ve got over 650 active and registered NAACP chapters on high school and college campuses across the country. We are the only organization, period, that can reach that many Black, young, organized members.

Since February 14, 2018, the day of the Parkland shooting, I have followed these students who have built a national discussion on the safety of young people at school in less than a month. A movement that inspires, convicts and recruits people from across the country and now the world, to an issue that Black folks have been talking about for over a decade.

When gun violence happens in white communities, it’s always reported on as a mental issue or because they were racist. When gun violence happens in the Black community, it is because of poverty, underfunded schools, police brutality or gangs. This is necessary to understand because the solution we are fighting for can’t just be regulations against automatic military style weapons. It has to be a holistic solution to make all communities safe.

The March for Our Lives is only a march for OUR lives if people meet at the intersection of mass school shootings, community violence, poverty, the War on Drugs, police brutality and White supremacy. From Trayvon Martin to Stephon Clark, this is not the first time we’ve raised the issues of gun violence, but for many reasons, this moment is where we find ourselves with the most leverage of “people power.”

When the opportunity presented itself for us to be involved and bring our members, I spoke with my boss and told him I would only sign up to help build for the “March for Our Lives,” if we got to do two things:

• First, I wanted to make sure that we weren’t just being used as representation at the march, but that we challenged the mainstream media, march organizers and organizational partners to think about the intersection of gun violence, when it comes to the Black community.
• Second, it was important that this moment not turn into just another rally, but real opportunity for us to educate and engage future members about the organization. 

Because a rally won’t end gun violence, I want my peers and young adults to make the clear connection from this issue to who should be held accountable for systemic and legislative change at the ballot box. That way, we know we showed up in numbers not just for a great rally, but for the start of a great revolution.

It is my belief, that if all of the young folks from this march, the women’s march, the immigration movement and Black Lives Matter joined together for a strategic effort, we could change this country literally overnight.

We must use this as a moment to help young Black folks see that if we want real gun reform, if we want better public schools, if we want community policing then we MUST show up to the ballot box. This demonstration, for the NAACP Youth and College Division is not a free trip to a rally. It is the moment that we are using to build real power that will impact the political navigation of this country.

Black students have the solutions and the answers.

We’re going to stop asking to be included in national movements, and just take over.

I am grateful to all of the staff, the partners and our donors who have helped make this vision possible. We can only use this moment to create bigger and better local victories for our people.

Cheers to the strong and fearless students from every community, who have ever stood up to violence in their communities. This march is a celebration of your leadership, and a call to action for those looking to change the world.

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Tiffany Dena Loftin is director of the NAACP Youth and College Division, which serves more than 700 youth councils, high school chapters and college chapters across the United States. You can follow Tiffany on Twitter.

 

By Ronda Racha Penrice, Urban News Service

Tiger Woods changed the face of golf. Venus and Serena Williams TRANSFORMED tennis. And now Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. MAY DO THE SAME FOR NASCAR. The 24-year-old race car driver’s Cup Series debut at the iconic Daytona 500 got the nation’s attention. As NASCAR’s first full-time Black driver in its elite series since Wendell Scott in 1971, all eyes were on Wallace. Thanks to his second-place finish, the highest-ever by both a Black driver and a rookie, those eyes didn’t waver. As Wallace traveled to Hampton, Georgia to race the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500 February 25 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, fan attention stayed riveted on him. 

Even by NASCAR’s super media and fan-friendly standards, Wallace did a lot that Friday prior to the Quicktrip 500. On top of the requisite press conference, he squeezed multiple one-on-one interviews, mostly with local Atlanta TV media. Wallace knows that the heightened interest in him is a combination of his race and his Daytona 500 performance. Instead of downplaying the attention to his race, Wallace, whose father is white, has embraced it. 

“There is only 1 driver from an African-American background at the top level of our sport. I am the 1. You’re not gonna stop hearing about “the Black driver” for years. Embrace it, accept it and enjoy the journey,” he tweeted November 8, 2017. 

Embracing his race doesn’t mean dwelling on it though. “You can psych yourself up by reading all the history and whatnot and doing all of that but that just puts too much pressure on yourself,” he said during an interview at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. “So, I’ve learned to focus on just the driving aspect of it and let everything else settle in behind.”

Wallace, who was born in Mobile, Ala. and RAISED in Concord, N.C., began racing go karts at 9 YEARS OLD. By 16, he was competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, the sport’s main developmental series for grooming its next generation, as part of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity initiative. His first race at the Greenville-Pickens Speedway, he won, becoming the youngest driver to ever win at the THAT track. After another win, he finished third overall in the series and received the Rookie of the Year award, a first for an African-American driver.

He won three more times in 2011. Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing TEAM in 2012, he held his own, staying near the top and even winning one race. He had five wins in two years. In 2014, he finished third overall while driving the truck series with Kyle Busch Motorsports. He followed that up by driving with Roush Fenway Racing in the Xfinity Series from 2015 to 2017. When Aric Almirola was injured last year, Wallace filled in by driving for the iconic Richard Petty Motorsports. His stellar performance prompted a welcome as their full-time driver of the legendary no. 43, now a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, for the 2018 season.   

NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, nicknamed “The King” for a career that includes seven NASCAR Championship and Daytona 500 wins each, plus over 700 Top 10 finishes in 1,184 starts, strongly believes Wallace is a future NASCAR star.  

APPROACHED DURING THE ROAR OF PRACTICE ROUNDS AT THE ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY February 23, the NASCAR LEGEND SAID HE SAW WALLACE AS part of the sport’s future. “NASCAR’s face, as far as driving, is changing,” Petty said. “It changes every 12 to 14 years; we’re right in the middle of that. That was one of the reasons I was looking for a younger driver. Of all the ones that we looked at, we thought Bubba was going to be as good or better than any of the rest of them, personality-wise, driver-wise, sponsor-wise, the whole deal.” 

Bill Lester, the historic black NASCAR driver who raced two Cup-level races in 2006 and garnered seven top-10 finishes in the truck series from 2000 to 2007, champions Wallace but warns that the lack of major sponsorship is a huge obstacle to WALLACE realizing his full potential.

“If they do not get more corporate support, they’re going to struggle,” Lester said of Wallace and his team via telephone. “I always had a good looking car but, when it came to everything that was necessary to [run] at the front, I didn’t have it and that was because I just didn’t have the resources that the top-running teams had and he is in the same position.” 

NASCAR sponsorship is a REVOLVING door so any race week, sponsors can step up. That has given Wallace an opportunity to attract nontraditional sponsorship like the black-owned, Columbus, Ohio-based moving company E.E. Ward. Brian Brooks, co-owner of the company founded by former Underground Railroad conductor John T. Ward in 1881 that also counts Richard Petty Motorsports as a client, shared that their support of Wallace in Atlanta, especially during Black History Month, was a very hopeful gesture.  

“I think it would be a disgrace if we have to wait another 50 years for someone to come after Bubba to be a driver of color in NASCAR,” Brooks said via phone. 

To be a strong contender, Lester insists that Wallace needs Fortune 500 support. “With him not having full sponsorship, which is about an $18 million to $20 million proposition per year these days, he’s at a deficit,” Lester said.

Like many in NASCAR, Derrell Edwards, a former college basketball player turned Austin Dillon pit crew member who is believed to be the first African-American over-the-wall crew member for a Daytona 500 winner, feels that Wallace’s success is a good look for NASCAR’s future. “I think a lot of the people are going to gravitate towards him …. and it’s going to be great for the culture,” he said.

“We’re lacking in that department when it comes to NASCAR,” Wallace said in conversation regarding the potential impact he and his team could have on increasing black representation in the sport. “For us to be able to go out and do what we do on the racetrack and try to be the best, I think it’s going to help that number grow.” 

By Lue Dowdy

LUE Productions 2nd Annual Plus Size Model Competition is What Do! Calling all my full figure, BBW, Plus Size Beauties to come out and be a part of our Epic event happening right here in the beautiful City of San Bernardino on Sunday, August 26 at 5 p.m.

It’s not too late to sign up. This Saturday at 3 p.m. at Zorbas Lounge, LUE Productions will be conducting orientation for those already sign up. We’re truly excited! This will be a fun and life changing event as we bring awareness to domestic violence. The winner will receive a full prize package valued at $2500, which will include: $500 Cash, a crown, a sash, a photoshoot, a magazine cover and spread. A newspaper article, hosting gigs and one year of FREE promotion.

Will it be YOU? Until next week my peeps L’s! Contact us at (909) 567-1000 or email us at Lue.info@yahoo.com for more information.

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

“Not; Says the Lord!” I meant what I said and said what I meant! I am a compassionate God and I am not slack concerning My promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward you, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance [2Peter 3:9]. But when the rubber meet the road, don’t get it twisted, I will not be a loving God at the expense of My holiness. Besides, how many times have I bowed to your pleas for mercy?  “Please Lord, give me one more chance. I love you. I’m sorry. Please Lord, please!  All right,” I said. “I’ll give you a break this time. Once more I relented. I said, “Okay, but this is the last time. If you don’t return back, I will become a consuming fire towards you. No excuses, no whining. Is that clear?” “Oh, yes, thank you Lord. I love you” you said.  Profuse in your gratitude, and filling the air with solemn promises of loving me. What happened? What went wrong?  Instead of loving and honoring me, you profane me.

I tell you, “After all the things that we’ve been through you should understand me like I understand you. To love and be loved in return, it’s the only thing that my heart desires. Just appreciate the little things I do… we can build a world of love, a life of joy make our goal each other happiness. I will do everything for you. Every day I want to do a little bit more….” [Teddy Pendergrass – When Someone Loves You Back].  What more can I do? “I gave my heart, soul and Spirit to you, didn’t I; didn’t I do it. I gave you the love you never knew. Didn’t I?  I thought that heart of yours was true.” “Silly of me to think that I could ever have you for myself; Silly of me to think that you could ever know the things I do are all done for you [Silly –The Delfonics]. It’s obvious; you don’t love me as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! [Revelation 2:4-5]. You have abandoned the love you had at first”–the love that caused you to drop everything and to follow me into the desert. This is the love that captures my heart and colors every moment of every day. Turn back to me “… or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place …” [Revelation 2:5].

Oh, how God longs to have a relationship with us. The Bible tells us that what God desires, what He really wants, is a meaningful relationship. “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” [Mark 12:30]. I tell you, the greatest investment we can make in this life is a wholehearted pursuit of a deep personal relationship with God. Think about the time in your life when your love for Christ burned more strongly than ever. Think back to what it was like when you first came to know the Lord. Remember how you felt? What you did? How often you prayed or read the scriptures? Remember how you responded to tough situations? It is easy to slip, to get busy and to fall away from that strong relationship with Christ. But, [Revelation 2] says to remember what it was like, to remember that spiritual infatuation you had with the Lord at the start. Go back and do the things you did at first.  Return to your first love, renew your devotion. Because, nothing could be more important than living your life on the foundation of God’s greatest commandment: to love him. Let Him be your center, your focus, your everything.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord [Romans 8:38].

I tell you, “ I have never been so much in love before, what a difference a true love made in my life, so nice so right, loving Him [Jesus]. He gave me something new that I’ve never felt, never dreamed of, something’s changed, and no it’s not the feeling I had before, ooh, it’s much much more.  A love I never knew that it’s touch could mean so much… and when we walk hand in hand, I feel so real, lovers come and then lovers go that’s what folks say, but not my lover. What we have is much more than they could see, yeah so much more…” [L.T.D. – Love Ballad].

Are you prepared to let the one who loves you more than anything else in the world lavish His love on you? If so, Shhhh. Listen. Receive. Drink it in:  Precious one, you might not know me, but I know you like none other.  [Psalm 139:2] I am your most beloved companion.  [Psalm 119:63] It is my desire to overwhelm you in my love. [1John 3:1]  I chose you when I planned creation.  [Ephesians 1:11-12] Nothing you have even done can separate you from my love.  [Romans 8:38-39] You are not a mistake.  [Psalm 139:15-16] I am healing all wounds and brokenness of heart.  [Psalm 147:3] I will never stop doing good for you.  [Jeremiah 32:40] I will never, no never, leave you nor forsake you. [Hebrews 13:5] You are my treasured possession. No one loves you like me.  [Exodus 19:5].

Can you feel His lavish love? Go ahead. Do something outrageous and incredibly silly. Embrace His courtship and gentle wooing. Jesus loves you this I know!

 

 

By Antonio R. Harvey |California Black Media

The family of Stephon Clark’s independent autopsy revealed that the 22-year-old man was shot eight times by two Sacramento police officers in the backyard of his grandmother’s house on March 18.

Six of the bullets hit Clark in the back, said forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, who conducted the examination. Clark also suffered gunshot wounds to his right side and left thigh. The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office has yet to release its autopsy report.

Dr. Omalu, along with the Clark family attorney Benjamin Crump, explained the examination, done in two increments, at a news conference held at the South Sacramento Christian Center. Dr. Omula said his findings “contradict” the police officers’ version.

He partly based his results on a video of Sacramento County sheriff’s helicopter that caught moving images of the shooting. The officers responsible for the shooting were wearing body cameras that were distorted from the view on the ground.

The autopsy was completed on March 28, Dr. Omalu said.

“I saw the video from the helicopter (March 29),” Dr. Omalu said. “The autopsy findings, as confirmed, would be consistent with the video documentation of the forensic scenario.”

The police say they were in pursuit of Clark after they received a 911 call of someone breaking windows of cars in the area around 29th Street and Florin Road.

Clark was shot and killed in the backyard of his grandmother’s house. The grandmother was inside the house with Clark’s little sister. Stephon Clark was shot at 20 times.  

“Death took about three to 10 minutes,” Dr. Omalu said of Clark’s fate. “Meaning that out of all seven, all he need to have died was just one of the seven (bullets). It was not an instantaneous death.”

The police first said Clark had a crowbar, and then a gun when they confronted him in the backyard. It was later reported that Clark was unarmed and with a cell phone. One of the police unions released a statement that the father of two boys was in a “shooting stance,” which triggered them to use force.

Crump said the officers’ accounts “contradict” Dr. Omalu’s examination.

“The narrative has been put forth was they open fire because he was charging at them,” Crump said during the news conference. “Dr. Omalu’s findings and the family autopsy, it suggests all the bullets were from behind.”

After the news conference, Crump was asked if he knew what type of bullets and weapons were used in the shooting.

“I do not know at this time,” Crump said.

Dr. Omalu is renowned for discovering Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, CTE, in former football players. Actor Will Smith portrayed the Nigerian-born medical doctor in the film, “Concussion.”

Dr. Omalu just left the San Joaquin County Coroner’s Office after he felt that the sheriff’s department in that jurisdiction was allegedly interfering with the results of officer-involved shootings. Dr. Omalu resides in the Sacramento area.

After his findings were revealed in front of many local community leaders, they thought of murder charges emerged for the police officers responsible for Clark’s death.

“The narrative that they’ve (Sacramento police) painted does not match the autopsy that we see today,” said Rashid Sidqe, member of the Law Enforcement Accountability Directive. “I look forward to hearing their response to this and their coroner’s report. But we need prosecution in this case. It speaks for itself.”

By Allison Kugel

Kind, conscientious, courageous and refreshingly candid, Ms. Vivica A. Fox has proven that as Hollywood careers go, second acts are often the sweetest. The multi-hyphenate actress-director- beauty entrepreneur-author is embracing life and not looking back, except to pull from her well of wisdom for her new memoir, Every Day I’m Hustling. And if you know Vivica like I got to know her during our conversation, you’d think the book’s title quite fitting. She enjoys hard work and has no plans to slow down.

Born Vivica Anjanetta Fox on the outskirts of Indianapolis, she went by Angie Fox, one of four siblings being raised by divorced mother who worked overtime to provide for her children. Her childhood home was hectic but loving and provided fertile ground for her to aspire for things grander than her mid-western upbringing.

After high school, she made her way to Southern California to attend college, all the while seeking out opportunities in Los Angeles to model and act wherever she could. It was in LA that Angie became Vivica A. Fox. She worked her way through the ranks on sitcoms and daytime soaps, and in 1996 got her breakthrough role opposite Will Smith in the classic blockbuster, Independence Day.  Next came a string of fan favorites including Set It Off, Soul Food, Two Can Play That Game, Kill Bill Volume I and II, and a string of subsequent roles in film and television, including Larry David’s sharp-witted houseguest, Loretta Black, on Curb Your Enthusiasm and Skye in the campy Sharknado franchise. Her eclectic career has kept her on the move for nearly three decades.

In 2016, Vivica joined the cast of the smash hit television series, Empire, playing conservative suburbanite Candace, Cookie Lyon’s (Taraji P. Henson) older sister and character foil.

During our interview we covered everything from movie stardom and maternal instincts to social media drama, setting boundaries and finding love.

Allison Kugel: When are you Angie and when are you Vivica? When do you take off the Vivica and become Angie from Indianapolis? 

Vivica A. Fox: Well first off, that’s Angie Fox from 38^th and Emerson in Indianapolis (laughs)! I’m Vivica Fox when I hit that red carpet and I’m ready to slay the game. That’s what I do. But I love that I have in my life, and in my journey, learned when to be Angie Fox. And that’s mainly when I’m with my family, time off, hanging out with my godchildren, having my Me Time and learning to take Me Time. That’s when I’m no makeup, baseball cap, chilling and blending in.

Allison Kugel: Do you prefer yourself that way?

Vivica A. Fox: Oh my gosh! To be honest with you, the older I’ve gotten, the more I prefer it. I work so much; I’ve been so blessed and so busy lately that I enjoy when I can have that Me Time. In fact, today I don’t have to be on. That’s what I really love about being with my godchildren. When they see me, I’m just G.G. or G-ma. G.G. stands for Gorgeous Godmother. G-ma, I don’t know where they got that one from, but I have five godchildren. Two of them call me G-ma and the other ones call me G.G. They like hanging with me. Not the drama or the glamour, they just want me.

Allison Kugel: I love the part in your book where your godson, Christian, sees you all done up as Vivica A. Fox, and he gives you that side eye like he doesn’t recognize you, and you say, “It’s okay, I’m just wearing my Vivica costume.” Then he asks, “You’re still my G.G., right?” And you reassure him that it’s still you.

Vivica A. Fox: It’s funny because he was just a baby the first time he saw me like that, and he was like, “Who are you!?” He was so used to seeing me in my tracksuit and baseball cap. But now at seven, he kind of likes it when he sees the reaction I get from people. He’s done a couple of red carpet events with me and he knows the difference between the two.

Allison Kugel: Coming from the Midwest, your father was a school administrator, your mother worked for a pharmaceutical company, so you really had no ties to entertainment, or Los Angeles for that matter. What gave you that spark of courage, that spark that made you believe that you could become a successful actress?

Vivica A. Fox: I was introduced to the world of fashion and modeling by Madame King, my late auntie. She had her own beauty salon back in the day. She was the first one to cut my hair and put me on a runway. I was kind of bitten by the bug at thirteen. From that point forward, I just fell in love with magazines and fashion. Then I went to go see Michael Jackson in concert, and Diana Ross in concert. I had never seen African Americans being so fabulous, and I was like, “Where do they live? That’s where I’m going! That’s what I want to do.” I decided that during my senior year in high school. But I had to trick my mama (laughs) and tell her I was going to college in California, and I did go to college. But I would be sneaking up to Hollywood and going to modeling agencies. I had a girlfriend who was an actress, and I used to read lines with her. She would say, “You’re pretty good at this, you should try it.”

Allison Kugel: Your book is part memoir and part motivational guidebook for success. Tell me about your mentor, or mentors…

Vivica A. Fox: My mentor would have to be a good friend of mine, and my first acting coach, Sheila Wills. I’m her two daughters’ godmother. Sheila, I met when I was doing [the daytime soap opera] Generations. She took me under her wing, and she would work with me with auditions. I would go into those auditions and just nail them. I attribute my success to her. She would say, “Vivica, you’ve got to stay ready. You got to be ready. You’ve got to take care of yourself.” And people who inspired me to be who I am would be Diana Ross and Pam Grier.

Allison Kugel: Do you know that you’re incredibly sexy? Is that something you’re aware of?

Vivica A. Fox: Well, okay now!

Allison Kugel: I’m not pulling your leg. You really do ooze sensuality. Do you know that? 

Vivica A. Fox: Thank you! I appreciate that. Got to keep it tight and right, girl (laughs)!

Allison Kugel: More so now, than twenty years ago, in my opinion…

Vivica A. Fox: Maybe because… No, not maybe! Because I am comfortable in my own skin. I’m very comfortable with me. I have embraced my womanhood through my pluses and my minuses. I’m good with me right now, so that’s what you’re seeing. My spirit is happy, more than anything else. It’s taken awhile, and that’s something I want to share with people. My book is a motivational memoir. I, too, have fallen down and had to figure out how to get back up and create new chapters for myself. I want to encourage, enlighten and inspire other people.

Allison Kugel: Why did you choose to share your journey with menopause in the book?

Vivica A. Fox: It’s part of life. It’s going to happen. And it’s like you just asked, “Do you know that you’re sexy right now?” But do people also know that for the last few years, that’s what’s been going on in my life? I embraced it and I got in front of it. I didn’t let it define me or make me want to whittle away. I don’t know why with women, we can’t talk about our bodies and what we go through, share it with others, and not feel like we have to hide that from people. I’m sharing it, and I got in front of it and took care of myself. I really feel like it made me take good care of myself.

Allison Kugel: And being that your image is sexy, you weren’t afraid of putting that out there…

Vivica A. Fox: No, not at all. You’re going to have naysayers and people that are going to try to come and say something, and they can. But I’m still me. It doesn’t change who I am. I’m still all woman.

Allison Kugel: When it comes to social media feuds and this clap back culture we’re living in, when do you take the high road and not respond, and when do you feel the need to clap back?

Vivica A. Fox: I will clap back occasionally, but to be very honest with you, if it’s not necessary, I don’t like that. I’m not one of those people who became famous by being a controversial celebrity. Normally, I’ll click on who that person is and see if they’re even worth it. If it’s somebody that you can tell is wanting to make TheShadeRoom or seeking attention, I just block them. They’re not worth it. When I clap back, it’s when somebody comes at me or I have to set the record straight.

Allison Kugel: Technology has made it very easy for people to say something mean spirited or join in the angry mob. For me, I try my best to practice the art of what I call Non-Reaction, where I feel like every time I don’t react I’m passing that next spiritual test. But occasionally, something will get me and I’ll react. And then I’ll wonder, was that a failure on my part, or was it warranted in that situation? Do you share that same internal struggle?

Vivica A. Fox: It’s an internal struggle with me too. Some days I’m like, “Why did I give that person my energy?” There are some people, they just come on your page to be mean, and you kind of want to go, “You looked me up, and took the time to write a response to be mean to me. Hmm, what does that say about your character?” There’s an old saying your mama told you. “If you ain’t got nothing nice to say, don’t say nothing at all.” I try to live by that old school motto. I don’t try to pass on bad energy to others, I don’t. If I don’t have anything nice to say I just keep my opinion right on over here. But you know, this generation with the social media, a lot of people like that negative feedback. They feed off it. I don’t.

Allison Kugel: Let’s talk about motherhood. I know you have all these nieces and nephews, and godchildren. I feel like motherhood, meaning the energy of motherhood, is something that is innate in all women. We have a need to nurture. How does that energy express itself through you?

Vivica A. Fox: I’m Mama Bear all the time! I have a nurturing instinct and I think I get that from my mother. My mother always loved to take care of others. Still to this day, she doesn’t take as good care of herself, because she is always looking out for others. I got that quality from her. When I’m on the set, I’m always looking out for others. When I walk on a set, I’m always making sure that I speak to everyone, that I try to make people as comfortable as possible.  In that way, I am very motherly. It’s just something in me, I like to look out for others. But the older I’ve gotten, I’ve learned to look out more for myself, as well. And I’ve learned a very important word: No. Because people will take, take, take from you child, till you drop! Then they’re satisfied, and you’re left over there feeling completely empty.

Allison Kugel: At what age did you learn how to say No?

Vivica A. Fox: It was in my late forties, or maybe just when I got to be about fifty, that I started really looking at my relationships and asking myself if they are all reciprocal relationships. I had that tendency to give, give, give, and I finally took off my Captain Save-A-Ho cape.

Allison Kugel: (Laughs).

Vivica A. Fox: I mean that. Sometimes you’ll talk to friends on the phone, and we all vent, it’s human. But if you talk to somebody that is constantly draining and negative, at some point… I’ve cut ties with a couple of friends and not felt bad about it. I call it the season of shedding, where not everyone’s going to the next chapter or the next level with you. And it’s okay. You don’t have to hate them, but there’s nothing wrong with making good choices for yourself.

Allison Kugel: How do you define glamour and beauty?

Vivica A. Fox: Someone who is a goddess, who just radiates confidence; someone who owns her moment, who seizes her moment. The older I’ve gotten, I believe that beauty radiates from the inside. Especially nowadays with these build-a-bodies, and everything is just makeup and fakeness in my opinion right now. It’s when you meet a person and they are a beautiful person, they radiate confidence and kindness. I find beauty in a woman that has no makeup on, but she’s confident in her own skin and radiates kindness and does for others, to me that’s beautiful.

Allison Kugel: In your book you give advice on achieving different areas of success in one’s life. I personally think that so many people have a misconception about success. People want that insta-recognition, that insta-success. I said to someone the other day that for all the people who think they would love to trade places with Mark Zuckerberg or Oprah, for example, most of those people wouldn’t make it through the first week if they saw the tremendous amount of work, pressure and sacrifice that it takes to be in that type of position.

Vivica A. Fox: To piggyback on that point, for myself, people don’t realize that for the last two to three years I slept on planes. I was always traveling, always busy, taking meetings, not sleeping, going here, going there, and going through changes of life and never letting it slow me down. There’s a lot of work required. All those seeds that I’ve planted, I’m now seeing them all blossom. But I had to do the work. That’s what I tell people. In my book, in the chapter about Being the Head Chick in Charge, I say, “Don’t let anyone outwork you.”

Allison Kugel: What do you think is the biggest misconception about success?

Vivica A. Fox: That it’s easy. When you’re successful, usually it’s taken a long time to build a career. It isn’t something that happens overnight. It takes time to build a career, and a career means being able to go through different stages and chapters of a career, not just being the hot chick of the moment. For me, I went from being the hot ingenue chick, to now building my brand and producing and directing.

Allison Kugel: Let’s talk about Empire. I started watching it last week, all four seasons in a row!

Vivica A. Fox: Oh, you binge-watched…

Allison Kugel: Yes, I binge-watched! I’m talking carrying the iPad with me all over the house; the show is that addictive and entertaining. Entertainment value, on a scale of 1 to 10, it’s a 12 plus. The one thing I had mixed feelings about is the way African Americans are depicted in the show. On one hand I’m loving it, on the other hand I’m thinking, “Does this play on negative stereotypes, the way this family is being portrayed?

Vivica A. Fox: Well, I think that’s why Empire has been so successful. It’s raw and right there in your face. It makes you uncomfortable. What I commend Lee Daniels and the cast of Empire for is they are like, “It may make you uncomfortable, but we are who we are. We’re not going to sugar coat this. We’re going to give it to you straight, no chaser.” That’s what made it a phenom. Some people felt like they couldn’t handle the gay [subject], or they feel it’s a little bit too raw, but that’s Empire. They have stayed true to what the show is about, and I have to commend them for that. That take courage, not to bow down to social or peer pressure.

Allison Kugel: Did Lee Daniels ever share with you the moral of the story of Empire, or his vision for the show?

Vivica A. Fox: Not really. The thing I love about Lee is that he is who he is. It’s taken awhile for him to become comfortable in his own skin, and that he’s a gay man and that he has talent, and he doesn’t have to hide who he really is anymore. We’ve all been in this business for twenty years, and I’m going to tell you that it’s been a long journey for him to put out a show like this. Some of the storylines in the show, absolutely, with the mother saying to her kids, “You’re this, you’re that (referring to the character, Cookie, having a penchant for hurling insults).” The father throwing the kid in the dumpster, it tugs at the heartstrings. It makes you uncomfortable, but it happens. I feel that with knowledge there’s power.

Allison Kugel: What will Candace be up to in the new season?

Vivica A. Fox: I can’t give away a whole bunch, but I will tell you that Candace is back and that you will get the chance to finally meet our mother, Renee, played by the very beautiful and talented Alfre Woodard.

Allison Kugel: Do you judge your character, Candace, the same way that Cookie judges her?

Vivica A. Fox: No. I believe we all have those relationships in our families where we’re all different, but we’re still family. In my career right now, I’ve embraced my womanhood and people are like, “Ooh, Vivica, you’re going to become today’s Diahann Carroll.” And I’m like, “Wow! Thank you for that.” But firstly, Vivica is a little bit more like Cookie. I like to have my rock star moments, and I love wearing the crazy clothes and all that stuff. But Candace is who I’m evolving into.

Allison Kugel: In your book you provide some back story about your mom and dad’s relationship, and how it’s affected your own love life. What I got from what you wrote is that in watching your mom nurse a broken heart over the divorce from your father, you saw her as a victim, and that framed your own love life.

Vivica A. Fox: Absolutely.

Allison Kugel: Do you still see her as a victim, or do you see things in a different light now? And what would it take for you to let your guard down in love?

Vivica A. Fox: I see my mother now as a survivor. My mother grew up in a time where you stuck by your guy. He was her one true love, and I definitely have those qualities. What I learned from her, in wanting her to live and to love and to laugh more, I wouldn’t take those same steps that she did. I can open my heart again. For my part, I’m making sure that I’m not lustful anymore. I don’t look at somebody and right away say, “Oh yes, he’s the one!” I make sure that I take the time to get to know someone. That’s something I pass along in my book, as well. Don’t jump into the shallow end of the pool head first. You’ve got to take the time to get to know people. So yes, I am open to love. I want to love again and have someone that’s really special. But he has to prove himself, and I would have to prove myself to him, that I’m worthy to be his mate. Sometimes women are so afraid to be alone that they just take that first thing coming, and they get the short end of the stick. They keep dating the same guy over and over again. That’s why, in the book, I say to make your chart out. Do you keep dating the same guy over and over again? Because you’re going to get the same result.

Allison Kugel: Do you want Hollywood to be colorblind in writing and casting roles, or do you want to be identified, and cast, as an African American actress?

Vivica A. Fox: Of course, I always want to be seen as a talented African American actress, because that’s who I am. I feel that right now, what’s going on in Hollywood is that, man, that glass ceiling has been busted wide open. It’s been a long time coming, with the success of Black Panther, with the success of television shows like Scandal and Empire and How to Get Away with Murder; with Oprah having her own network. It’s about damn time.

Allison Kugel: Is it an I Told You So moment?

Vivica A. Fox: I don’t know if it’s I Told You So as much as it is, Finally.

Allison Kugel: Finish these sentences for me. I know I can trust someone when…

Vivica A. Fox: When I’ve truly gotten to know them.

Allison Kugel: I know that God is speaking to me when…

Vivica A. Fox: Woo! Hmm. All the time. Every day when I wake up and I can thank Him for letting me see another day. I would say, I know God is speaking to me all the time, and He helps me make better choices.

Allison Kugel: My spiritual mission in this life is…

Vivica A. Fox: To be kind, to do unto others and to leave a good mark.

Vivica’s memoir, “Every Day I’m Hustling,” is available everywhere books are sold April 3^rd and available for pre-order on Amazon.

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Allison Kugel is a syndicated entertainment and pop culture journalist, and author of the book, Journaling Fame: A memoir of a life unhinged and on the record. Follow her on Instagram @theallisonkugel.

By Lue Dowdy

Date Night at Zorbas Lounge is WHAT It Do!

Back by Popular demand, and we brought friends (Talon Networks and the Mac Rome Show), is the LUE Productions LATE NIGHT! SPOTLIGHT (L.N.S.)!

Let’s get intimate once again! This is a grown and sexy event. Come out and network with likeminded individuals. Please join us Saturday, April 28 for the comeback. You will not be disappointed! It will be an evening of comedy hosted by Comedian Mac Rome. There will be live interviews and performances hosted by Queen Lue, as well as a mini fashion show sponsored by Diva Outlaw.

The L.N.S. was created in the Inland Empire in an underground location a few years back. The event took place in the late nights leading into the early mornings featuring some of the most talented individuals from the I.E. The word got out and artists from other cities began to join in. The goal is to provide platforms for aspiring artists while creating entertaining shows for all to enjoy.

The show will take place at Zorbas Lounge located at 4360 N. Sierra Way in San Bernardino. We have presale tickets for $10. They’ll be $20 at the door. Please text us at (909) 567-1000, (909) 567-0932 or (909) 556-7637. Tickets can also be purchase through the Talon Network and Chef Music Studio. We want you there!

There will be special appearances by NofacE Shadowmen (funk master), West Tantrum, and Mack Pepperboy. Comedy will be provided by The Diva Rodriguez, Dennis Wilson, Here is Larry, Bigg Wheezy, Hostile Takeover and Dennis Wilson. Performances will include Marie Popenz, Johara Dante, Tydee Bone, Ipyani Lockhert and Lil Jack. There will also be model representation by Jasmine Hill, Krystal Yvonne, December Red, Porscha Dillard, Essence Johnson, Lola Lestrange, Chondra Smith and Lil Kiki. Vendors that will be on site include: ChaChe Designs, Chef Music, Lue Productions, Diva Outlaw, Paparazzi Accessories and the Talon networks.

Publisher’s Commentary by Wallace J. Allen

This week we relive the agony generated by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.!  Many proclamations and declarations will be made about how far we have come or about the progress that has or has not been made. Much of the comparison will speak to the anticipated conduct of white people, especially the white people and institutions that have historically and traditionally impeded our progress.

This is to encourage that we, Black people and non-Blacks of conscious, involve ourselves in supporting two institutions that Dr. King suggested are paramount and critical to our development. He said that we should all get a life insurance policy from a Black Owned Insurance Company and that our churches should be depositing Sunday tithes and offerings into Black owned and operated banks and or credit unions!

I submit that when we decide to put our money in institutions that are focused on developing our communities, it will matter less about the anticipated/expected/desired conduct of people and institutions that we know are preying upon us as well as praying against us!

For information about supporting Black owned and operated Insurance and banking institutions, feel free to call and leave me a message at (909) 384-8131. I will return your call with specific information!