Culture: Music, Fashion, Movies, TV, Entertainment — Andscape

Of course Snoop Dogg carried the Olympic torch. He can do anything.

Keith Murphy — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 19:30:09 +0000

For Snoop Dogg — once gangsta rap’s most vilified punching bag turned lovable ambassador, Martha Stewart bestie, corporate pitchman and America’s favorite uncle — carrying the Olympic torch was another surprising chapter in his career of 30-plus years. Yet the surreal sight of a smiling Calvin Broadus carrying the famed symbol through the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis during the final stretch before Friday’s opening ceremony tops them all.

“It was emotional for all of us to see the champ holding that torch and walking up there,” Snoop Dogg said of the honor, alluding to late boxer Muhammad Ali, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1960 and drew tears from the world when he lit the Olympic flame at the 1996 Atlanta Games. “This is my own version of it. I don’t want to get too emotional, but I know that this is special. This says a lot about America as far as where we’re at in this world,” later adding, “I would have never dreamed of nothing like this.”

It was not shocking that Snoop Dogg was in an unusually reflective mood during his conversation with NBC sports commentator Mike Tirico. The 52-year-old’s journey is a story of hip-hop, redemption, Black joy and the coronation of pop culture’s ultimate unifier.

In true Snoop Dogg fashion, NBC hired him as a special correspondent to appear on Primetime in Paris for the Games following his hilarious Olympic commentary with comedian Kevin Hart in 2021 during the delayed 2020 Olympics. Clips of the pair reacting to a replay of an equestrian competition instantly became a viral classic. In short, it was Snoop being Snoop.

Still, it cannot be overstated just how fantastical it is to witness the artist formerly known as Mr. “1-8-7 on a undercover cop” who single-handedly drew the ire of politicians, community activists, Black faith leaders, law enforcement organizations, and women’s groups in 1993 become Mister Rogers in blue Chucks.

Back in 1993, a young Snoop Doggy Dogg was basking in the record-breaking glow of his multiplatinum album Doggystyle, which sold more than 800,000 copies in its first week, the most for a debut album at the time. Snoop Dogg was also public enemy number one in 1996, charged with first-degree murder along with his bodyguard in the shooting death of Philip Woldermariam. As he awaited his judgment, the hottest rapper in the world was facing public backlash from all sides, including Grammy-winning music legend Dionne Warwick.

Warwick invited Snoop Dogg, Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight and other rappers to her home to discuss what she viewed as the West Coast MC’s misogynistic content. Warwick dared Snoop Dogg and crew to call her a “b—-.” Snoop Dogg was shaken. “We were the most gangsta as you could be, but that day at Dionne Warwick’s house, I believe we got out-gangstered that day,” he recalled in the 2021 CNN film Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over.

Even after Snoop Dogg was acquitted of the murder charges in 1996, his story could have just as well tragically ended before the start of the new millennium. Following his very acrimonious fallout with Knight, he told Master P that he was planning on dropping a new album titled F— Death Row. The No Limit Records founder gave Snoop Dogg a sobering, lifesaving talk that changed the course of his career and he went on to sell more than 37 million albums worldwide.

“You ain’t gon’ live to see that album out,” Master P told him before offering the embattled rhymer a recording deal. Snoop Dogg moving his family to New Orleans and becoming a No Limit Soldier was just one in a series of intriguing and sometimes stunning side missions that have taken him on his road to the Olympics. In 2005, he established the Snoop Youth Football League to keep kids between the ages of 5 to 13 off the streets of Los Angeles, producing several college and NFL stars, most recently Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Snoop Dogg appeared on business executive and TV personality Stewart’s cooking show in 2008, kick-starting the oddest of odd couple business partnerships. They co-hosted Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party for two seasons on VH1 starting in 2016, were featured in a 2021 national campaign for BIC’s EZ Reach lighter and a 2023 Skechers Super Bowl commercial. He recorded a reggae album, Reincarnated, using the reggae persona Snoop Lion, leading many fans and critics to ask is this dude for real. He most certainly was.

And so we arrive at Snoop Dogg, Olympic darling and living proof of hip-hop’s limitless possibilities. This unlikely happening is especially significant given that 56 years ago, African American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who won gold and bronze medals in the 200 meter race, respectively, were virtually banished from track and field after raising their fists in a silent protest at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. It was a long time coming, considering the racist treatment such Olympic heroes as sprinter Jesse Owens, tennis player Wilma Rudolph, and Ali faced back home.

Today, Snoop Dogg has company. Public Enemy’s legendary hype man and reality show star Flavor Flav has become the official face of the U.S. women’s water polo team, which will compete for its fourth consecutive gold medal. Rapper Cardi B appeared in an Olympic promo video in July with world champion sprinter Sha’ Carri Richardson and became emotional over the track star’s comeback. Richardson was suspended from Team USA in 2021 after she tested positive for THC, a banned substance.

“I’m really, really proud of you,” Cardi B told Richardson. “Because you came back stronger than ever with your talent. You have evolved.”

Evolved. A powerful word that Snoop Dogg can more than attest to.

How Victor Wembanyama’s unearthly size and still-growing feet made him Nike’s ‘Alien’

Aaron Dodson — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 12:36:21 +0000

As soon as “Wemby” landed in conversation, Nike CEO and president John Donahoe beamed in fascination of basketball’s French-born, 7-foot-4 anomaly, Victor Wembanyama.

The moment occurred in early April at Palais Brongniart, the former home of the Paris Stock Exchange. Donahoe reaffirmed Nike’s early investment in Wembanyama, who signed with the Swoosh years before his NBA debut.

“Victor is a generational talent,” Donahoe told Andscape at Nike’s “Nike On Air” event for the 2024 Paris Games. Set for his Olympics debut, the 20-year-old San Antonio Spurs star forward represents his country and first footwear brand, approximately four years after Nike first heard of the uniquely sized teenager playing in France’s top league.

“It’s remarkable how much he’s experienced at 20,” Donahoe said. “He’s handled everything with grace and had a standout rookie year.”

Wembanyama’s initial multiyear Nike contract carried into his unworldly 2023-24 debut NBA season as the Spurs’ No. 1 overall pick. After averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and a league-leading 3.6 blocks in 71 games, Wembanyama emerged as the unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year, a milestone Nike celebrated with the release of his own special-edition sneaker.

Nike

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama's Nike G.T. Hustle 2 is inspired by his outstanding talent.

Nike

The insoles of San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama's sneakers include the extraterrestrial logo.

Nike

The outsoles of San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama's Nike G.T. Hustle 2 includes the tagline "Be Unique Every Day," a guiding motto for the French star.

Nike

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama's Nike G.T. Hustle 2 features his "Alien" logo.

Nike

The glow-in-the-dark elements of San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama's Nike G.T. Hustle 2.

On May 15, the Nike Air Zoom G.T. Hustle 2 Victor Wembanyana dropped online for $170 a pair. The shoe sold out in minutes.

“The relationship with Nike, it makes sense to me and feels good because I can’t see a more ambitious brand that matches my own ambition,” Wembayana said during his Rookie of the Year news conference. “They’re thinking ahead, outside of the box.”

Highlighted by a custom alien head illustration on the heels and insoles, Wembanyama’s Hustle 2s, from Nike’s “Greater Than” (G.T.) series launched in 2021, marked the first retail shoe release of his young career. However, the true beginning of Wembanyama’s Nike origin story took shape exactly a year before his alien-adorned debut shoe came out.

On May 16, 2023, Nike hosted a lottery watch party for Wembayana at the company’s Paris headquarters. After the Spurs secured the top pick, Nike reps handed out celebratory hats adorned with an alien graphic, according to The Mirror and San Antonio-Express News.

“I met Victor and his parents in Paris last year,” Donahoe said. “And when I shook his hand, it completely engulfed mine.”

Though Nike has yet to confirm whether terms of Wembanyama’s endorsement include the design and launch of an official signature shoe line, rumblings in basketball and sneaker circles speculate it’s a matter of when — not if — Wembanyama will become Nike’s next NBA signature headliner. The Swoosh, however, has already delivered a concept sneaker designed exclusively for Wembanyama.

Nike created a size 21 concept shoe for Victor Wembanyama for its A.I.R (Athlete Imagined Revolution) project.

Nike

At the end of the Paris activation in April, Nike unveiled a collection of 13 sneaker prototypes, each inspired by one of the brand’s Olympians. Wembanyama’s A-I-R prototype, displayed inside Palais Brongniart, materialized in a design resembling a spaceship than a sneaker.

“Just look at the prototype of his shoe concept,” Donahoe said. “Victor’s foot is really THAT big.”

With the Olympics opening this week, Wembanyama’s A-I-R prototype remains on display in Paris, where people can go see the concept shoe finalized in size 21, Nike confirmed to Andscape. Wembanyama’s prototype, exhibited at the historic Centre Pompidou museum, looks like a UFO you’d imagine he arrived on from the extraterrestrial world Nike is building its basketball brand around.

Yet, an even more alien reality: Wembanyama’s feet are still growing.

Back in October 2022, that one word — “alien” — organically aligned the stars of marketing inspiration for Wembanyama and, eventually, Nike.

During an NBA preseason news conference, Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James became the first person to call Wembanyama an “alien” after Wembanyama’s 37-point game with France’s Metropolitans 92 on U.S. TV.

“Everybody has been a unicorn over the last few years, but he’s more like an alien,” said James, praising Wembanyama’s fluidity and grace on the court. “No one has ever seen anyone as tall but as fluid and graceful as he is out on the floor.”

For the past few years, many have considered Wembanyama — by metrics of athletic ability, uniqueness of size and global marketing appeal — the most-hyped hooper to surface since James entered the NBA at 18. James’ debut signature shoe, the Nike Air Zoom Generation, was released in October 2003 at the start of his rookie season. Three months later, Wembanyama was born in early January 2004, five days after King James’ 20th birthday.

Now 20 himself, Wembanyama also received his first Nike shoe, though not technically a signature model, as an NBA rookie.

“At his size,” James said in 2022, “with his ability to put the ball on the floor, shoot stepback jumpers out of the post, stepback 3s, catch-and-shoot 3s, and block shots … He’s, for sure, a generational talent.” His words foreshadow Nike CEO John Donahoe’s acknowledgment of Wembanyama as one of the brand’s highest-profile signings since his tenure began in 2020.

“Wemby is nothing short of an awe-inspiring, difference-maker of a generation,” Nike’s basketball footwear director Deepa Ramprasad told Andscape. “Our team has a uniquely exciting challenge to meet the call-to-action of an athlete who a lot of us think has the opportunity to redefine and reimagine how the game of basketball looks.”

Yet even before James classified him as an alien, Wembanyama had begun to pinpoint his foreign differences, which extended beyond his physical stature.

A Nike advertising banner depicts France’s basketball player Victor Wembanyama on a street ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games on July 21.

KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images

“I feel like I’m an artist on and off the court. I love thinking about a lot of things — I love drawing. I love building Legos. I love writing,” Wembanyama said during an ESPN2 interview in August 2022. That summer also marked the 40th anniversary of director Steven Spielberg’s 1982 blockbuster film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which tells the story of an alien — named Zrek, but famously known as “E.T.” — trying to find his way as the only of his kind on Earth.

As weird as it sounds, E.T. ‘s nostalgic narrative and Wembanyama’s real-life experience aren’t all that different, save for a pair of plot points. The two actors who portrayed E.T. stood around 2-feet-10 — exactly 4½ feet shorter than Wembanyama. And unlike his movie character comparison, Wembanyama is in no rush to leave where he’s landed in the NBA.

“I like being called an alien,” Wembanyama said in a Sports Illustrated profile before the June 2023 NBA draft. “I’m really glad [LeBron] said that because I didn’t like to be called a unicorn. I like [alien] because it’s just something not from this world. It’s really what I’m working to be — something unique and original.”

It’s almost as if Wembanyama took James’ alien assignment and translated the words into a creative challenge of personal branding. Before Nike’s Paris draft lottery party in May 2023, Wembanyana began doodling Alien heads, stick figures and spaceships — drawings he proudly presented to Nike and the brand’s longtime ad agency, Wieden+Kennedy, in meetings.

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“The Alien concept came from Wemby,” Rampsarad said. “That was something that the team talked about in partnership with him. ‘Hey, how do we want to position you and storytell?’ Specifically through some of the player-exclusives that you saw him wear this season. So, the concept arose during a collaborative conversation with him and our design partners.”

Within minutes of the Spurs winning the No. 1 overall pick, Nike posted a custom image on social media with Wembanyama positioned in front of a Paris backdrop with a green streak flying over the Eiffel Tower. By mid-August 2023, Wembanyama appeared in his first brand campaign, promoting Nike Tech gear. “The Extraterrestrial has landed,” read the caption of Nike’s post.

“Wemby is all for the Alien storytelling,” Ramprasad said. “I think it’s kind of cool to see his confidence in our ability to tell an athlete’s story.”

True to Wembanyama’s alien fascination, one of the NBA’s most complex X-files concerns the mystery behind the 20-year-old star’s correct shoe size.

For this story, no representative — from the NBA’s league office, the Spurs organization, his agency or even Nike — would confirm Wembanyama’s official shoe size. Yet, there’s tangible evidence to substantiate the unearthly, yet not improbable, reality that Wembanyama’s feet grew as much as two sizes during his first NBA season.

You read that right.

If the claim still seems unfathomable, follow the trail of reports linking Wembanyama to wearing five different shoe sizes throughout his rookie year.

Last fall, ahead of the 2023-24 season, the NBA provided Andscape with an official spreadsheet featuring the apparel and footwear size of every player on the roster, reported annually by all 30 teams as a league requirement. Initially, the Spurs listed Wembanyama’s shoe size as 20, tying him with five fellow players — Rudy Gobert, Robin Lopez, Boban Marjanovic, Karl-Anthony Towns and Ivica Zubac — for the title of biggest feet in the NBA.

Yet, during the preseason in early October 2023, the league’s @NBAKicks social media handle posted a photo of Wembanyama sitting courtside wearing a pair of Nike G.T. Runs. The caption: “Size 20.5!”

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama stretches in the training room before the game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on March 27.

Reginald Thomas II/San Antonio Spurs

According to healthline.com, “feet usually stop growing at age 20 in males.” Midway through his rookie season, Wembanyama turned 20 in January, around the same time Nike reportedly began designing his A-I-R prototype to be unveiled at the brand’s Paris Games activation in April. According to Nike, the concept shoe’s final product measured at size 21. Yet, by the end of his rookie season, Wembanyama disclosed to at least one NBA writer that his shoe size had reached 21.5, the anonymous reporter who covered the Spurs substantially this season told Andscape.

“We’ll let Nike handle the shoe size question,” wrote Jordan Howenstine, director of basketball communications for the Spurs, in an email to Andscape when asked to confirm Wembanyama’s shoe size. As for his endorser’s explanation: “All of the Nike Basketball footwear worn by Victor is built to his exact specifications,” said a brand spokesperson.

But there’s at least one known pair of Wembanyama’s rookie Nike sneakers in a size 22.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama’s shoes from a game on February 16, 2024, Wembanyama’s career All-Star Weekend Debut, are on display at ‘Sports Week’ auctions at Sotheby’s in New York City on April 4. The box’s label indicates the shoes are size 22.

On April 15, renowned international collectibles broker Sotheby’s listed an auction featuring a bright yellow pair of Wembanyama’s player-exclusive Nike GT Hustle 2s. Nike included the shoes in a batch of PEs, and the brand provided Wembanyama with options to wear while competing in multiple events during February’s NBA All-Star Weekend. Wembanyama never wore the bright yellow Hustle 2s in a game this past season. Yet, official photos of the sneakers released by Sotheby’s show the box’s label — clearly reading size 22.

“The G.T. Hustle 2s fit absolutely true to size,” explained Stanley Tse, a footwear product tester and contributor for WearTesters. And while it’s worth noting that many players wear custom insoles or orthotics, requiring them to go up a half or full size, the common NBA footwear trend isn’t exactly necessary with the GT Hustle 2 silhouette.

“The caveat is there’s already an insole in the Hustles that’s cut a specific way because the Zoom strobel cushion is directly under foot for comfort and impact protection,” Tse said. “However, it’s known that Nike customizes models for players to their exact liking.”

“I’m sure Nike did a clay molding of Wemby’s foot to get exact measurements,” Tse said. “But if his foot is still growing, which I wouldn’t put past him, Nike’s gonna have to keep doing moldings.”

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama wears Nike Zoom GT Run sneakers, which feature a hand-drawn UFO, during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on March 19 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.

Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama wears Nike Zoom GT Run sneakers, which feature his hand-drawn alien logo, Feb. 23 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles.

Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images

If Wembanyama’s foot size officially reaches 22, he will be tied with Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal and center Bob Lanier for the largest in NBA history.

“One of the things that’s the most unique about working with Wemby so far is how he’s continuing to develop in his body, not just his game,” Ramprasad said. “For us at Nike, it’s about how do we keep up with Wemby’s evolvement anatomically to meet all the needs he may have from a footwear perspective.”

From 1992 to 1995, O’Neal’s foot grew from size 19 to 22. In five months, from October 2023 to February, Wembanyama laced up, or at the very least received, pairs of sneakers in sizes 20, 20.5, 21, 21.5, and 22.

“We’ve had athletes before who are considered big in the space of basketball and footwear,” Ramprasad said. “But, it almost feels like Wemby and his feet are ever-growing, right? An athlete that young, whose body is evolving at the rate his is? The best word to use is dynamic.”

When Wembanyama’s signature Nike line debuts, his suspected size 22 shoes will be the largest ever for a Nike headliner, surpassing Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning, who wore an 18 in his two Nike signatures from 1997 and 1998, and Kevin Durant, who also wears a size 18.

“The similarities between Kevin and Wemby are insane,” said Nike footwear designer Leo Chang, who crafted Durant’s first 12 signatures. “What I saw in Kevin was that he was almost this superhuman who had adapted to the game of basketball. He was this ultimate hybrid player who could play all positions. After growing up, he developed the handles of a guard but then stretched and could play even in the center.

“I think Wemby has similar versatility to KD,” Chang said. “And what’s amazing is Wemby will continue to develop that versatility to inform his footwear product.”

Durant’s signature line, which debuted 15 seasons ago during his 2008-09 sophomore NBA campaign, transformed the 6-foot-11 star into the “Durantula” and “Slim Reaper.” In 2019, Greek-born star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who wears a size 17, launched his ongoing signature series that branded him as the “Freak” of Nike Basketball.

“Just like LeBron said, everybody’s been a unicorn,” Wembanyama told reporters at Madison Square Garden in November 2023. “But, there’s just one alien, right?”

By NBA All-Star Weekend in February, Wembanyama debuted his alien-inspired Nike G.T. Hustle 2s. Before wearing the shoes on the court during the All-Star Skills Challenge, Wembanyama showed off the glowing green PE colorway on social media. Specifically, Wembanyama made sure that cameras caught his iridescent logo embossed on each shoe’s heel.

“An alien I drew one day,” Wembanyama said at All-Star in February, the first and only time he donned the special-edition G.T. Hustle 2s. Out of the 71 games he played this past NBA season, Wembanyama only wore Hustle 2s five times, and favored the Nike G.T. Run model, which he laced up in 66 games.

Yet, neither Wembanyama’s alien affinity nor his innate creativity were limited to the G.T. Hustle silhouette that Nike chose as the canvas for his first Alien-themed shoe. At some point during the 2023-24 season, Wembanyama’s customization of his light pink G.T. Runs showed up in images of his most-worn rookie PEs.

Wembanyama drew an alien’s face and spaceship in black Sharpie on the back of his left shoe.

The 7-foot-4 star couldn’t wait for Nike to put his official alien logo out in the world.

In the past 40 years of Swoosh lore and marketing, Nike has launched Air Jordan’s Jumpman, Penny’s 1 Cent, King James’ crown and the Black Mamba’s sheath. Yet, no signature logo in Nike Basketball history experienced a rollout like Wembanyama’s alien.

Before the end of the 2023-24 NBA regular season, Nike unveiled Wembanyama’s extraterrestrial branding in a commercial opening with the line, “Somewhere in South Texas,” before a drone image reveals a crop circle in the form of an alien head flanked by two swooshes. Nike strategically released the 45-second spot — with the tagline “The total eclipse has just begun” — on April 8 during the afternoon that marked the first full eclipse to pass over North America in seven years.

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Approximately four years ago, the first correspondence swirling Wembanyama sparked between a Nike sports marketing rep in Europe and the head of the brand’s sports research lab back at headquarters in Oregon. The message essentially decoded as, “There’s an athlete out here in France, unlike any being we’ve ever seen.” Soon, Nike embarked upon the challenge of solving for Wembanyama’s unique body type through footwear.

“Wemby is an athlete who really just inspires us to rethink our systems and innovation in a way that, without him, we may not be catalyzed in the same way,” Ramprasad said. “It’s nothing short of incredibly exciting. And it’s also one of those, ‘watch him in this space’ moments. Because his journey is only just beginning. And so too is ours in partnership with him.”

In the past 12 or so months since Wembanyama entered the NBA, Nike has closely examined the evolution of his growing feet while honing in on the exact fit and sizing of sneakers he needs on the court. Wembanyama has already begun testing another silhouette after announcing on social media in early July that the new Nike G.T. Hustle 3 will be his “shoe for the summer,” which he’ll lace up exclusively during the 2024 Olympics.

For the size-20-something wearing Wembanyama, a Nike signature line certainly doesn’t land outside the worlds of imagination or possibility.

“It’s a very beneficial relationship and it’s working,” Wembanyama said of his Nike partnership in May. “But, what we’ve done so far is not enough. We want to do more.”

Meet Charm La’Donna, the choreographer behind Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ video

Nilea Cosley — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 12:28:55 +0000

In the world of dance, where rhythm and artistry meet, Charm La’Donna stands out. A veteran choreographer and artist, La’Donna has worked with musicians like rappers Dr. Dre and Lil Baby, and singers Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez, Meghan Trainor, The Weeknd, and others. Behind her success is a story of determination and a desire to create space for others to shine. La’Donna’s passion for dance is evident in how she talks about her career and how her eyes light up when asked about her journey. But it hasn’t been easy.

“Sometimes [my] counterparts get more than I do, even though I know I’m capable and have the same résumé. There are moments when I’m the only Black person, let alone woman, in the room — and I take pride in that,” La’Donna said of her experience in the entertainment industry. “Many ask if I’ve ever felt imposter syndrome. I say no because I know I belong there. I’ve put in the work, the hours, and dedicated myself to my craft.”

For the Compton, California native, working with rapper Kendrick Lamar on his concert, The Pop Out: Ken and Friends, the “Not Like Us” music video and representing their city felt like a full circle moment.

“Something about being with Kendrick and being home, it just hits differently. I’m just overwhelmed with joy all the time,” La’Donna said.

In a recent interview on Andscape’s Rhoden Fellows podcast, La’Donna reflected on her career, her inspiration, the challenges she has faced in the industry, and her dreams for the future.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you get the opportunity to work with Kendrick Lamar?

I’ve been working with Kendrick for about 10 years. My mentor, Fatima Robinson, first started working with him when I was assisting her. As our relationship grew, we just began to vibe. And then I started choreographing for him.

Can you walk us through your creative process when it comes to choreographing?

I hope this is not a cliché when I say this: I do what I feel. I never create anything before I walk into the room. I always create only in spots in real time because that’s where I draw my inspiration from — what’s happening in real time. Sometimes, going in with a plan of what you think should happen could block you in creativity because you’re trying to set that one thing that in your mind should work this way, and sometimes it doesn’t work like that. I take into consideration how the artist feels and how the dancers feel. So, I would tell you I’m all about space in real time.

Who has been your biggest inspiration throughout your journey?

Well, I will say my mom. She was the woman, amongst many in my life, who has pushed me and inspired me to be me, and to attack any and every dream. I can’t mention my story without mentioning Fatima Robinson and her impact on my life since I was 10.

My grandmother passed away last year. I remember not knowing what my purpose was or how I was going to do this. She would always keep me grounded and remind me, ‘You are exactly where you’re supposed to be.’ So those are my key inspirations.

As a Black woman in your field, have you faced any hardships?

100%. I will say I’ve been blessed and fortunate to be under a mentor, Fatima Robinson, who’s also another Black woman who’s opened a lot of doors for me, and even though there are some doors she’s opened, there are some doors I’ve had to open for myself. I fight for what I’m worth.

I’ve done everything to prepare myself to be in the room, and all I gotta do is walk in there like God sent me. There have been situations and things that have been said, but nothing stops me, and I truly believe nothing stops us. As one door closes, I open five more for the girl behind me.

I have so much to say, but for now here’s me walkin on a tight rope
I appreciate all the LOVE!
Give me a sec I gotta take this one in

NOT LIKE US
Directed by: @davefree and @kendricklamar
Thank you to my @pglang fam

Love y’all pic.twitter.com/9zkPeaB5Xc
— Charm La'Donna (@CharmLadonna) July 5, 2024

What motivates you to keep going through hardships?

It’s knowing my gifts and loving every aspect of what I do. It’s getting the message from the girl saying, ‘Charm, you’ve inspired me. It’s getting videos of the little girls looking at my work and dancing; they have somebody who looks like them that they can emulate. I’m so blessed and grateful to do what I love and make a living. I pour my heart into it and don’t take any of it for granted. But there are days when I just don’t wanna get up. I’ve lived in survival mode my whole life. Sometimes, I’ve had to stop and tell myself that I’ve made it, stop surviving, and start living because I constantly go.

For a very long time, I didn’t know how to say no because I thought that if I said no, I was missing out. So now I’m in the space where I’m truly living, and I’m appreciative of everything I’m doing—those things that keep me going.

What has been the most fulfilling memory you’ve made thus far?

It’s hard to pinpoint one moment, but every project and artist I’ve collaborated with has been fulfilling in its own way. I’m just in awe of how we can explore art — whether it’s pulling off a Super Bowl performance in a week or connecting with artists from different backgrounds.

I’m from Compton. And there’s a connection between Kendrick and me, coming from where we come from. But, connecting with other artists from different places and being able to help execute their vision is very important to me. I find little things in every single project. You know. I was able to choreograph the Super Bowl during COVID-19. We pulled it off in a week. In every project, whenever I feel like I can’t do something, I can do it.

You’ve already accomplished so much in your career. What is your end goal?

I want to have a nonprofit with dance. I want to get into directing movies, making films, bringing dance stories to life in a different way, and writing. I’m a kid of the arts. I love it all. I just see myself forever growing. I still do my mentorships. I bring young, aspiring choreographers or just young girls to my team. Some of my girls have turned into assistant managers, and all these things just to be around, and that’s what I want to take on another level.

Stephen Curry, Kamala Harris and the reentry of political activism into the stadium

William C. Rhoden — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 22:24:52 +0000

Andscape at the Olympics is an ongoing series exploring Black athletes and culture around the 2024 Paris Games.

PARIS – For half an hour in a packed auditorium Thursday, Team USA men’s basketball players Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant answered questions about the Olympic experience. They talked about the opening ceremony on the Seine, excursions into the Olympic Village, the competition Team USA is expected to run through.

Finally, I decided to ask Curry a question that I knew was near and dear to his heart – and to his body politic. I asked about his friendship with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris was thrust into the political center stage Sunday when President Joe Biden made the stunning announcement that he was withdrawing from the presidential race. Shortly after, Biden said he supported Harris as his successor.

The vice president was born in Oakland, California, served as attorney general of California and was elected U.S. senator. First and foremost, Harris is a lifelong Golden State Warriors fan.

On Thursday, Curry said he planned to return the support.

“It’s a big, big, deal to say the least,” Curry said. “She represents the Bay Area. She’s been a big supporter of us and so want to get that energy right back to her.”

Curry said that he was just excited, “knowing obviously we’re representing our country here and this is a very monumental next couple of months for our country and the direction that we’re headed. So just excited for the journey ahead for her.”

What I find promising about Curry’s unflinching support is that his words — or perhaps the presidential campaign — will reactivate a pro athlete community that largely and lately has been dormant.

Vice President Kamala Harris attends practice during the USA Basketball men’s training camp July 9 at UNLV in Las Vegas.

Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images

With no life-and-death issue to react to and with the preoccupation with personal brands breeding caution, many athletes have gone underground. The upcoming presidential election is a potential tsunami that hopefully will activate the community.

Four years ago, that community, especially the NBA and the NFL, became a powerful public force in supporting, if not shaping, protest. WNBA players famously took down a Republican senatorial candidate players found problematic. Protests by NFL players who knelt during the playing of the national anthem became so powerful that then-President Donald Trump scolded team owners, calling them to keep their players in line.

As much as I advocate for political activism and messaging among athletes, this time around there won’t be only basketball and football players bringing politics into the stadium. Some MLB players, by their own field gestures, have already thrown their hats into the ring in support of Trump, though they denied that’s what they are doing.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls had to explain the gesture he made Sunday when he appeared to mimic Trump’s reaction to an assassination attempt during a campaign event in Pennsylvania on July 13. After hitting a double in against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, Walls raised his fist and appeared to mouth “fight, fight, fight,” a clear allusion to Trump’s gesture immediately after being shot on his right ear.

Walls said the gesture was not meant as an endorsement of the former president, but of course it was.

On Sunday, the St. Louis Cardinals celebrated a victory after a home run by outfielder Alec Burleson. Burleson’s home run trot and the Cardinals’ dugout celebration appeared to show Burleson and many of his teammates cupping their ears with one hand while raising their opposite fists in the air. Another Cardinals player, outfielder Lars Nootbaar, also made the gesture as he rounded the bases after hitting a home run an inning later.

Burleson is a DJ and Cardinals designated hitter Matt Carpenter called the celebration an “inside joke,” with Burleson explaining that the cupped hand and arm up was intended to mimic the movements of a DJ.

Right.

The upcoming presidential campaign, with Harris likely at the center, will likely be so filled with misogyny and racism that it will be impossible for anyone to stay on the sideline — including athletes.

On the other hand, it’s all good. I look forward to all pro athletes using their platforms and visibility to support a candidate and promote a cause. This should lead to some very robust clubhouse/locker room discussions.

The upcoming presidential campaign, with Harris likely at the center, will likely be so filled with misogyny and racism, that it will be impossible for anyone to stay on the sideline — including athletes.

“A very interesting time for our country for sure,” Curry said. “The fact that President Biden gave her an endorsement and Vice President Harris is trying to bring her energy to this campaign, and hopefully, she’s on the ticket winning the election.”

Harris visited Team USA training came in Las Vegas recently before the events of earlier this week. Especially in a campaign where the young, the undecided and the disinterested could help decide the election, well-informed athletes like Curry can be valuable assets.

“Hopefully this is a great way to do our part to continue unifying the country,” Curry said Thursday. “Sports brings a lot of people together, and for her in this moment, knowing what’s ahead, it’s just all about positive energy and optimism, knowing how divided our country is right now.”

The NBA season will be gearing up in October. The NFL will be in full force in November. Everyone will be choosing sides. After a period of dormancy, political activism will hopefully reenter the stadium.

On Thursday, USA men’s basketball coach Steve Kerr made his preference clear. “Kamala Harris is a great candidate and I’ll support her,” he said.

I’m looking forward to athletes making a welcome reentry into the political arena.

Celebrating 40 years of Black cowboy culture at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo

Photo essay by Julien James — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 16:46:39 +0000

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is a unique mix of calm and vibrant energy, creating a deeply resonant experience. Founded in 1984 by Lu Vason and named in honor of legendary Black cowboy and performer Bill Pickett, the rodeo series stands as a tribute to the history of Black cowboy and cowgirl culture of the American West. The highly anticipated event is a testament to the enduring power of community, where each participant plays a role in a shared story of pride and legacy.

Pickett, who founded the Pickett Brothers Bronco Busters and Rough Riders with four of his brothers toward the end of the 19th century, rose in popularity while working with a traveling Wild West show. As the creator of rodeo steer wrestling, or bulldogging, Pickett was posthumously inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1972.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the traveling event, nicknamed “The Greatest Show on Dirt,” which takes the Black rodeo from coast to coast. The value of the rodeo lies not just in the thrilling moments but also in the connections formed. It’s a celebration that goes beyond entertainment and is deeply rooted in history.

The tour’s most recent stop from July 20-21 at the Industry Hills Expo Center, just east of Los Angeles, evoked the warmth of a Sunday afternoon reunion, rich with the spirit of the South. The rodeo’s infectious energy and heartfelt connections transformed it into a meaningful celebration, honoring the past while embracing the present.

The rodeo is an individual and collective expression. The arena is not just a space for competition but a reflection of a larger narrative — a place where each event, each cheer, and each connection pays homage to a tradition that binds generations, honoring the collective journey of the rodeo cowboy. Andscape was on hand to capture it all.

Harold Williams, 12, waits for the events to start. Harold participated in breakaway roping.

Julien James for Andscape

Kortnee Solomon rides under the arena spotlights, carrying the American flag during the grand entry, which includes the national anthem and the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Julien James for Andscape

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is a traveling rodeo series that highlights the stories of Black cowboys and cowgirls. This year’s tour will travel from coast to coast, with rodeos from Los Angeles to Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington.

Julien James for Andscape

Before the rodeo kicks off, riders warm up their horses and get ready for their turn in the arena while attendees settle into the bleachers. Attendees include new and veteran rodeogoers.

Julien James for Andscape

Dressed in traditional rodeo gear and city styles, the crowd floods the bleachers for the “Greatest Show on Dirt.”

Julien James for Andscape

The rodeo allows attendees to interact with the riders and animals outside of the arena.

Julien James for Andscape

After the end of each rodeo, fans and attendees meet and sit on the competitors’ horses, like this fan who loves horses and joked with her parents about wanting one herself.

Julien James for Andscape

Rodeogoers pull up in style for the two-day event wearing Nipsey Hussle hoodies, brightly colored cowboy hats, and boots.

Julien James for Andscape

A young cowboy finds a moment to eat dinner amid the afternoon hustle.

Julien James for Andscape

A breakaway roper waits for her turn in the arena. Breakaway roping is one of the main events that women participate in during the rodeo. It features a sprint to rope a calf, stop and let it go. The best ropers complete the whole process in a matter of seconds.

Julien James for Andscape

The wardrobe of Bill Pickett Rodeo competitors adds some sparkle to the grime of the sport. Competitors don shirts and pants of every color, work and show boots, bright nails, jewels, as they enter the arena for their weekend in Los Angeles.

Julien James for Andscape

Music during the rodeo includes genres from gospel and R&B to hip-hop. Rapper Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” kept the crowd energetic and focused on the arena.

Julien James for Andscape

Attendees capture photos and videos of event competitors making a lap around the arena before the start of the event. Each day, the competitors were brought into the arena and introduced to hype up the crowd before the start of the show.

Julien James for Andscape

The final moments before the gate swings open. Behind the chutes, every cowboy and rodeo staff member is in action, ensuring everything is ready before a bull and a rider quickly enter the arena. Riders stay close to the chutes even when it isn’t their turn, helping others prepare for a chance at a full 8-second ride to qualify for a score.

Julien James for Andscape

In a sport so closely tied to tradition, the rodeo arena provides a place for multiple generations to participate together, raising young cowboys and cowgirls to take over the rodeo.

Julien James for Andscape

A cowboy walks across the pit and away from the chutes between events. Events are rotated between sections of the arena, keeping competitors and staff in constant motion.

Julien James for Andscape

After the crowd thins out and the dust settles, riders return to the daily grind of the rodeo, caring for their horses with feed and baths.

Julien James for Andscape

A cowboy takes a moment alone with his horse, pausing to look at the Southern California horizon. After the end of the weekend’s events, the rodeo and many of its competitors continue to the next stop in Atlanta.

Julien James for Andscape

Tyler Perry has no incentive to make better art

David Dennis Jr. — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 18:58:33 +0000

Tyler Perry has done it again.

He released another movie, Prime Video’s Divorce in the Black, starring Meagan Good and Cory Hardrict. The film has been universally panned by critics, earning a rare 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. And yes, like many of Perry’s other projects, it traffics in played-out tropes, featuring abused Black women and illogical plot turns. As always, Perry’s newest film has reignited the debate about the value of his movies and their placement on the scale that ranges from uplifting and fun to an embarrassment to Black people. These conversations have existed since Perry first donned a wig and called himself Madea. But the more interesting question is: What value does Tyler Perry find in his art, and what will propel him to make that art better?

Divorce in the Black is standard Tyler Perry fare. It’s a movie about a woman (Good) who is abused by her husband (Hardrict), and her only salvation comes in the form of a new man. The source of the abusive man’s trauma seems to have come from his mother, of course. The movie’s most striking moment happens in the first scene, which takes place during a funeral and ends with a mother taking her son’s body out of the casket. The scene, which has gone viral for its ridiculousness, is outrageous, poorly acted, and doesn’t factor into the rest of the movie’s plot. And it’s indicative of the movie as a whole. Divorce in the Black was full of plot holes, lacked any backstory and was overall incoherent. I laughed more than I felt an actual connection to the story and its characters. And this has been my experience with most of Perry’s films, especially in the last few years.

Since bursting on the scene, Perry has made over 50 films — many with poor scripts, shaky camera work, and varying production. Pressing play on a Tyler Perry DVD from 2005 doesn’t provide any different quality than queuing one up on a streaming platform today.

But that doesn’t seem to be why Perry makes movies. In the same way Starbucks effectively operates as a bank that sells coffee, Perry is a businessman with a dynamic personality who also makes movies. As the owner of Tyler Perry Studios, the multimillion-dollar complex in Atlanta where everything from Marvel Entertainment movies to his films are shot, Perry is also a real estate mogul. And he’s a motivational speaker, using his story to uplift Black folks worldwide. The movies are part of the brand, but they’re one tenet of the Perry-verse he’s been creating for decades.

I first heard of Perry in the early aughts as bootlegged videos of his plays went platinum in Black households across the South. Black Christian plays had always been popular, but Perry’s productions, especially those involving his Madea character, immediately stood out for being as hilarious as they were full of drama. The plot of each play was secondary to the enjoyment fans got from watching them and the religious messages they delivered at the end. This is how Perry cultivated his passionate fanbase — many still loyal to him to this day, watching his films despite the bad reviews or perceived shortcomings.

That’s because to have followed Perry for this long is to buy into his journey as much as his output. And it’s hard to hear his story and not find it inspirational. The man who wrote his early works while living in his car and went into massive debt to fund his plays made it — and we’ve watched him the entire step of the way. And to be a fan of Perry also means to have heard his story, in his own words, which is a gift in itself as he is legitimately a great public speaker. Even as someone critical of his art, I’ve still been enthralled by Perry’s speeches.

Added to Perry’s powerful story is the outpouring of love he receives from his peers. His movies often give actors second chances or simply line their pockets when they’re in need. Taraji P. Henson has credited Perry with being the first director to pay her what she felt she was worth.

“I was asking for half a million,” she told Variety in 2019. “I didn’t get paid that until I did my first Tyler Perry film. He was the first person that broke the standard that I was getting paid for films.”

Hardrict has gone on record to say his salary for Divorce in the Black was the most he’d been paid as an actor to date. Perry also gave actors like Teyana Taylor, Lance Gross and Tessa Thompson their first featured roles. And while Idris Elba had already starred as Stringer Bell for three seasons on The Wire, it was Perry who first made him a leading man on film. Perry’s altruism towards Black folks in Hollywood has made it so that any time his name is mentioned by its most powerful Black stars, it’s mentioned with praise and glowing anecdotes about his character.

The genuine love Perry’s peers and fans feel towards him is part of a carefully curated ecosystem and the lens through which his movies are judged. Sure, the films generally don’t give us good writing or deep plots, but they aren’t judged merely by what we see on the screen. They’re viewed as extensions of the Perry experience, and to criticize his movies is to criticize all that he represents. Bringing attention to the plot holes then becomes about something more: it’s seen as trying to take money out of the pockets of a man who uses that money to uplift Black people.

It doesn’t matter that Perry has also used his considerable wealth and influence in battles with writers and writer unions. He allegedly fired four writers for union activity in 2008. He also reportedly wouldn’t sign Writers Guild of America contracts, choosing instead to work with non-union talent. The Actors’ Union also boycotted his 2015 play, Madea On The Run, as he didn’t sign a contract with them either. His ability to write and direct his own projects is branded as a testament to his work ethic, but it also allows him to side-step dealing with unions, which fight for fair compensation and benefits for their members.

Then there’s the matter of the movies — and not just the quality of their storytelling. Beyond the plot shortcomings, Perry’s films often perpetuate colorism, misogyny, moralizing and stereotypes about Blackness, gender and who deserves retribution. These are genuine and valid critiques of Perry’s work. And they deserve interrogation.

However, part of Perry’s brand positioning is an understanding that there’s a cap on the quality of his movies. Nobody watches them expecting an Academy Award-winning film or anything remotely close to it. Even his fans will tell you that his best movies are good “for Tyler Perry.” See, his universe includes its own unique rating system. And if Rotten Tomatoes gives a movie 0%, then the movie has sold itself, as that’s even more incentive for fans to either defend his work or for critics to tune in to see just how bad the movie could be. That level of engagement is music to any streamer’s ears, as all they want is eyes on their product, which Perry provides.

At this point, Tyler Perry is too powerful for anyone to make him do anything he doesn’t want to do. And he doesn’t seem to want to make better art. He can regurgitate the same tropes to varying levels of outlandishness and guard himself with his legacy and good deeds. He can make poorly-reviewed movies because people are still going to watch them. He can cover his issues with unions in charity to the most forward-facing actors in his employ. And he can continue to be the powerful, self-sufficient Hollywood force with no path to slowing down.

That’s the Tyler Perry experience. And it’s something to remember next time a movie opens with something as nonsensical as a family pulling a dead man from his casket.

Shirley Dauger went to Paris for adventure. She made a family and career.

William C. Rhoden — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 12:09:16 +0000

Black Americans in France is an ongoing series highlighting African Americans living abroad during the 2024 Paris Games.

“I actually came here to explore. When I was in college my professor said, ‘The world is your oyster.’ So, I took that and ran with it.” – Shirley Dauger

When Shirley Dauger decided to move from Long Island, New York, to Paris, she made it clear that she was not making a protest move. She was making a move for adventure.

“I didn’t leave, I went to explore,” Dauger said from her home in Paris. “I’m not trying to run away because I’m feeling persecuted. I wanted to know the world.”

As the daughter of parents who immigrated to the United States from Haiti, Dauger appreciated that it was possible to leave your country and love your country.

“They left their country for a better life, but they loved their country,” she said, “They always loved their country, but they knew they had to leave to have a better life, but in no way did they ever talk badly or poorly about their life in Haiti. They wanted more economic opportunities so they came to America. But my parents were very Haitian. They talked about Haiti always in a wonderful light.”

In the 30 years that she has lived in France, Dauger’s life has taken a number of intriguing twists and turns. She has invented and reinvented herself, from being a career nurse, to a singer and finally establishing her own private transportation company, My Pearls of Paris.

“I was free to explore. That’s what being in Europe, or another country allows you to do,” Dauger said. “It frees you from all those stereotypical limitations that sometimes people place on you coming from where you we’re born. You come here and all of a sudden you have access to things you never had before.”

Born in Brooklyn, and raised in Baldwin, Long Island, Dauger took her first trip to Paris with a friend in 1990, a year after graduating from Molloy University with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

As recent employees of Winthrop University Hospital, the two friends had money. “We were always talking about traveling and wanting to see the world,” she said. “So, we flew into England, then France, then Germany, then to Italy. In Italy, we worked in Venice, Rome, and Florence.”

She loved Paris so much she returned six months after the first trip.

“We came back six months later to France because we loved it so much,” Dauger said. “You know how on tours you don’t get to really see a lot, you get a little taste. But we wanted to come and really get to know the city. So, we came back for 10 days. We loved Paris. Because Paris — especially for us, for Haitians — Paris meant more to us because of the link with Haiti, because Haiti was a French colony.’’

When Dauger returned to Paris in 1991, it was basically to pursue a love interest who she had met during her first trip to Paris. They began dating.

The romantic relationship took her back to Paris several times between 1990 and 1991. During her visits, Dugar became fascinated with the international scene and with meeting so many African Americans who had relocated to France.

“This is new for me. I didn’t know any ex-pats,” she said. “I knew of people leaving countries coming to the United States, but I had never met anybody who left the United States to go abroad. Now I’m meeting them. Some were working for corporations, some moved for a change of scenery. I’m meeting writers, I’m meeting people who moved for different reasons. I thought it was fascinating. I was like, ‘Wow, why didn’t anybody tell me that the international theme was really interesting?’ Had I known, instead of becoming a nurse I may have worked for the UN.”

Dugar decided that she wanted to relocate and that her nursing degree might be her ticket of passage. “I said to myself, ‘Wait a minute, I’m a nurse. Could my nursing degree work here?’ she said. “I started looking into that. I thought, ‘doesn’t a French heart work like an American heart?’ ”

Dauger made it happen. In 1992, she enrolled in the IFSI nursing school in Versailles. She lived with her French boyfriend and embraced the adventure.

“I’m living in France now, and this is cool,” she said. “From October of 1992 to June of 1993, I am living in Versailles, but in the Paris region. So, I’m living life. I’m traveling, seeing different parts, and getting to master the French, master the culture, master asking for things, buying food. I’m literally living as a French person and going to school.”

While she was in the French nursing school, Dauger did a one-week rotation at the American hospital in France. She knew that’s where she wanted to work. She applied for a position after she earned her degree and passed her boards.

Having a degree was one thing, securing a work permit was something else entirely, especially at a time when jobs were scarce. With no job immediately available, Dauger returned to Long Island and her job at Winthrop Hospital in 1993. To her disappointment, Dauger learned that she did not get the position at the American hospital. Her work permit was denied.

There was one more alternative, and she took it: “In France, there’s not many ways to get work permit, but one of the major ways of getting work permit is to marry.”

Shirley Dauger singing at an open-night mic in 2023.

Shirley Dauger

In 1994, at a ceremony in Versailles, Dugar and her French boyfriend were married. She began working in the Coronary Care Unit of the American hospital a year later on Feb. 20, 1995.

Six years later, Dauger and her husband divorced, and a new chapter of her life began: She was on her own for the first time in her life, a single Black American woman in Paris.

“I finally got my very, first apartment because I left home and went to live with him,” she said referring to her former husband. “So, I never lived by myself.”

She began to broaden her horizons beyond nursing. She took voice lessons, began to sing with choirs, ensembles, bands. Singing became a hobby that she took seriously even as she continued to work at the hospital.

“I start singing, and I’m with other people sharing the love of music. I am living the life,” Dauger said. “I started up with an opera company, I’m singing opera, I’m singing Negro spirituals, gospel. I’m singing arias. I’m singing in Italian. I’m singing in German. I’m singing in all these different languages. I’m doing jazz and I’m enjoying the heck out of myself.”

She became known in certain circles, not as a nurse, but as a U.S.-born singer. That was a special designation, one with historic roots attached to Black American entertainers who had come to Paris for centuries. “All of a sudden you become an ambassador, the fact that you are an American, you become this ambassador, and people are asking you questions left and right, about the United States.

“They’re asking me, ‘Where did you come from? Why did you leave? Where did you used to live? Did you use to live in a hot neighborhood?’ ”

Dauger began to explore the rich history of African Americans who came to Paris, often alone, often to escape white racism. While this was not her reason for relocating, she embraced the adventurous spirit of those Black ex-pats. She became inspired by Josephine Baker, who came to Paris at age 19 and became one of the greatest entertainers of her era.

“When you think of it, Josephine Baker came here by herself, she was often the only Black person. She had a purpose in life,” Dauger said. “At the time I came here, I was looking for my purpose in life. I’m a nurse, yes, but is nursing the only thing that defines you? I don’t want to be just defined by one thing. I think we have lots of talent, and I wanted to explore. I was free to explore that.”

When a friend created a new band with two other musicians, she recruited Dauger to be the band’s singer. The band formed two years later. “And that’s how I met my second husband,” she said. Her soon-to-be-husband was the band’s bass player.

The relationship evolved quickly. They began dating, moved in together and in 2009 they were married. In 2010, Dauger had the couple’s son.

It was at this point that fate threw a curve ball. Shortly after the birth of her son doctors discovered that Dauger had a tumor in her leg. She had an operation and was on the road to recovery. “Everything is fine. I get back on my feet, and this whole time I’m on maternity leave,” she said.

“Then I feel a lump in my right breast.” She was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. Her son was 10 months old at the time of her diagnosis. “I go from maternity leave to sick leave,” she said.

Shirley Dauger in Paris in 2024.

Shirley Dauger

Through rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, Dauger chose to see the glass as half full. “And so, during that whole time, it allowed me to be home. If you want to see the bright side of a fearful moment, I was able to be home with him, see him grow, and still be able to have my salary,” she said.

Dugar was too weak to go back to full-time nursing, though she was able to secure a desk job working in quality assurance. The job was part-time and that meant part-time money. She needed to supplement her income.

“And so, my husband says, ‘Well, have you ever thought of doing a little bit of Uber?’ ” Dauger said. “I’ve always loved to drive. If I go out with friends, I’ll be the one dropping my friends off at their home at night. And my husband’s like, ‘Well, why don’t you get paid for it?’ “

By mid-2017, Dugar began driving Uber on a part-time basis. She loved the job. “I’m driving and I’m loving it. I’m talking to people. I’m meeting people from all over the world. My English comes in real handy, because a lot of English-speaking people don’t know French well enough to converse. And a lot of French drivers can’t speak well enough to converse, either, in English. And since I’m a nurse, I know how to take care of people. I know how to help people. I know how to assist people. I know how to listen to people.”

Through word-of-mouth, passengers began asking if Dauger drove privately. Could they call on her directly?

“Little by little, I was noticing a need for an English-speaking driver. And at the same time, people wanted to ask me questions like, ‘Shirley, where do I go? Where’s the best place to eat?’ Or they would comment, ‘What neighborhoods should I go to?’ And people want to know where the Black neighborhoods were,” she said. “And so Chinese people want to know where the Chinatown is. Mexicans want to know where the Mexicans were. Everybody wants to know where their people are. And little by little, I was able to show them and let them know where the hoods were.”

Driving also gave her time to take care of her special-needs son. She determined that she did not want to go back to the hospital.

“I said to myself, I don’t want to be stuck in a hospital,” she said. “If I went back to nursing, [I’m] stuck for 12 hours. I need to have that flexibility. Driving would be one of the best ways to give you that flexibility. I love driving. Driving is my blood.”

A good friend, Ricky Stevenson, owner of Black Paris Tours, helped by giving Dauger referrals.

“She would often call me to handle a couple of her clients,” Dauger said. “And then little by little, she said, ‘Hey Shirley, I think it would be a great idea if I have your information and people could call on you directly.’

“And that’s where I started getting the idea of maybe there’s a real need for English-speaking drivers, but then they’re also Black American drivers. People feel very comfortable. They feel at-ease. Little by little, I said, I think there’s a real need here and I think this could really turn into something.”

She has grown the business over the last four years, building a robust private clientele. At age 57, with a son a husband and her business, Dauger is comfortable with the life she’s living.

The adventure that drew her to Paris 30 years ago has mellowed into a way of life.

“I came to France because I wanted to smell the roses. I wanted to know what it felt like to live and not to survive,” she said. “Coming to France, I learned how to slow down. So I come here and I’m learning to literally take my time. In the United States, you’re always going a mile a minute. You got this, you got that. You got the to-do list. You are hustling from morning to night. And people look at you. If you’re not doing a hundred million things, they’re looking at you like, ‘Oh, you’re not productive.’

“Whereas in France if you do three things, ‘Oh, you’re highly productive.’ So that’s why French culture is known for the art of living. When clients come from the United States, they have a whole list, ‘Oh, we want to do this, we want to do that.’ And I look at them and I say, ‘But when are you going to have that experience? When are you going to enjoy the French experience of being here?’ “

As she grows her business, Dauger continues to sing. She is a member of a choir and part of an opera company. “We’re putting on plays, in Paris. Little theaters, little venues, but we’re doing it,” she said.

“For me, being here is understanding that there is another way of living. We don’t have to be like a chicken running around without its head. People ask me, ‘What are you doing here?’ And my answer all the time is, ‘I’m living the life. I’m living the life.’”

President Joe Biden drops out of 2024 race and endorses Kamala Harris

The Associated Press — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 18:55:49 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election.

The decision comes after escalating pressure from Biden’s Democratic allies to step aside following the June 27 debate, in which the 81-year-old president trailed off, often gave nonsensical answers and failed to call out the former president’s many falsehoods. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take on Trump, and encouraged his party to united behind her.

Biden plans to serve out the remainder of his term in office, which ends at noon ET on Jan. 20, 2025.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter posted to his X account.

Nearly 30 minutes later, Biden throw his support behind Harris, the party’s instant favorite for the nomination at its August convention in Chicago.

“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” he said in another post on X. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump.”

Biden’s decision came as he has been isolating at his Delaware beach house after being diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, huddling with a shrinking circle of close confidants and family members about his political future. Biden said he would address the nation later this week to provide “detail” about his decision.

The White House confirmed the authenticity of the letter.

The announcement is the latest jolt to a campaign for the White House that both political parties see as the most consequential election in generations, coming just days after the attempted assassination of Trump at a Pennsylvania rally.

A party’s presumptive presidential nominee has never stepped out of the race so close to the election. The closest parallel would be President Lyndon Johnson who, besieged by the Vietnam War, announced in March 1968 that he would not seek another term.

Now, Democrats have to urgently try to bring coherence to the nominating process in a matter of weeks and persuade voters in a stunningly short amount of time that their nominee can handle the job and beat Trump. And for his part, Trump must shift his focus to a new opponent after years of training his attention on Biden.

The decision marks a swift and stunning end to Biden’s 52 years in electoral politics, as donors, lawmakers and even aides expressed to him their doubts that he could convince voters that he could plausibly handle the job for another four years.

Biden won the vast majority of delegates and every nominating contest but one, which would have made his nomination a formality. Now that he has dropped out, those delegates will be free to support another candidate.

Harris, 59, appeared to be the natural successor, in large part because she is the only candidate who can directly tap into the Biden campaign’s war chest, according to federal campaign finance rules.

Biden’s backing helps clear the way for Harris, but a smooth transition is by no means assured.

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, but the party had announced that it would hold a virtual roll call to formally nominate Biden before in-person proceedings begin.

It remained to be seen whether other candidates woul challenge Harris for the nomination or how party may need to adjust its rules again to smooth Harris’ nomination on the floor.

In 2020, Biden pitched himself as a transitional figure who wanted to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders. But once he secured the job he spent decades struggling to attain, he was reluctant to part with it.

Biden was once asked whether any other Democrats could beat Trump.

“Probably 50 of them,” Biden replied. “No, I’m not the only one who can defeat him, but I will defeat him.”

Biden is already the country’s oldest president and had insisted repeatedly that he was up for the challenge of another campaign and another term, telling voters all they had to was “watch me.”

And watch him they did. His poor debate performance prompted a cascade of anxiety from Democrats and donors who said publicly what some had said privately for months, that they did not think he was up to the job for four more years.

Concerns over Biden’s age have dogged him since he announced he was running for reelection, though Trump is just three years younger at 78. Most Americans view the president as too old for a second term, according to an August 2023 poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A majority also doubt his mental capability to be president, though that is also a weakness for Trump.

Biden often remarked that he was not as young as he used to be, doesn’t walk as easily or speak as smoothly, but that he had wisdom and decades of experience, which were worth a whole lot.

“I give you my word as a Biden. I would not be running again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul I can do this job,” he told supporters at a rally in North Carolina a day after the debate. “Because, quite frankly, the stakes are too high.”

But voters had other problems with him, too — he has been deeply unpopular as a leader even as his administration steered the nation through recovery from a global pandemic, presided over a booming economy and passed major pieces of bipartisan legislation that will impact the nation for years to come. A majority of Americans disapprove of the way he’s handling his job, and he’s faced persistently low approval ratings on key issues including the economy and immigration.

Biden’s age surfaced as a major factor during an investigation of his handling of classified documents. Special counsel Robert Hur said in February that the president came across in interviews with investigators as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

The president’s allies seized on the statement as gratuitous and criticized Hur for including it in his report, and Biden himself angrily pushed back on descriptions of how he spoke about his late son.

Biden’s motivation for running was deeply intertwined with Trump. He had retired from public service following eight years serving as vice president under Barack Obama and the death of his son Beau but decided to run after Trump’s comments following a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, when white supremacists descended on the city to protest the removal of its Confederate memorials.

Trump said: “You had some very bad people in the group, but you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. On both sides.”

That a sitting president didn’t unequivocally condemn racism and white supremacy deeply offended Biden. Then, Biden won the 2020 election and Trump refused to concede and stood by for hours while his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, beating and bloodying law enforcement in a failed attempt to overturn the certification of Biden’s win.

“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” Biden once said during at a campaign event.

Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Biden’s decision to leave the race, but he and his team had made their preference for facing Biden clear.

Despite making clear their preference for facing Biden, Trump’s campaign has also ramped up its attacks on Harris as pressure on Biden to step down has intensified in recent weeks.

Julia Browne shares her love of France as Black Paris history tour guide

William C. Rhoden — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 14:23:54 +0000

Black Americans in France is an ongoing series highlighting African Americans living abroad during the 2024 Paris Games.

Julia Browne has been guiding travelers through the history of Black Paris since 1994.

As the owner and founder of Walking the Spirit walking tours, Browne is part of a bustling enterprise that explores the deep, rich history of African Americans in Paris. For many Black Americans, Paris represented liberation and an escape from the steady drone of racism.

For a number of reasons, this was not Browne’s reality.

“To be honest, it was somewhere different, and I liked being somewhere different,” Browne said during a recent interview from her home in Paris. “I liked being in a new culture, I liked looking around and not knowing what types of things were going on and having the opportunity to learn what other people were doing. What life was about.

“I wasn’t looking for freedom. It was a life that was more satisfying and felt closer to my personality.”

Browne’s journey was as compelling as the history her tours reveal. She became part of the Black expat community in February 1990 when she left Canada and moved to the city that had resonated in her soul since she was 10 years old.

Browne was born in Yorkshire, England, after her parents had emigrated from the island of St. Kitts in the 1950s. They were part of the Windrush generation, which was composed of citizens of the Commonwealth countries, especially Caribbean individuals and families, who were invited to the UK to help rebuild Britain after World War II. When Browne was 8, the family, looking for a more promising future, moved to Ontario, Canada. Her father left first and worked in a logging camp. The rest of the family followed and settled in a small German hamlet called Kitchener-Waterloo.

Browne said she became intrigued with France, French people, and French culture in elementary school. She studied French and had a French pen pal in 10th grade. She’s not sure how or why her interests developed.

Her spirit was drawn to France in general, Paris in particular.

“There are some things that come into your mind and you just follow it,” she said.

“The turning point came very gradually. It crept up on me. It’s not something I ever thought I’d be doing. If you would have told me this is the work I would be doing, I would have thought, ‘but that doesn’t even exist,’ because it didn’t exist.’’
— Julia Browne

When Browne was 17, she discovered that her birth father, who was born in the West Indies, was of French origin. Later she discovered that her birth father had roots in Normandy.

Browne made her first trip to Paris in the late 1970s when she was a flight attendant for Air Canada. Her introduction to France was underwhelming.

“I was disappointed because I didn’t like it, I didn’t like it at all,” she said. “I didn’t like the attitude of the people, it just didn’t sit with me very well. It comes like that when you don’t really know what kind of culture you’re stepping into and it is so different from yours.”

When Air Canada laid off hundreds of workers, Browne used the work action payment to enroll in a study abroad program at the University of Toronto. She chose to live in Aix-en-Provence, a city in southern France just north of Marseilles.

It was there that Browne met the Frenchman who would become her husband. They returned to Montreal and got married. After living in Canada for two years, Browne and her husband moved to Paris in 1990. They arrived on Feb 1, the birthday of poet and novelist Langston Hughes.

Browne did not have a grand plan. She certainly had no plans to establish a business based on exploring the rich history of African Americans in France.

That came much later.

“The turning point came very gradually. It crept up on me,” she said. “It’s not something I ever thought I’d be doing. If you would have told me this is the work I would be doing, I would have thought, ‘but that doesn’t even exist,’ because it didn’t exist.’’

After a couple years in Paris, Browne began to meet some Black American expats. She met writer Davida Kilgore who, like Browne, was studying at the Sorbonne. They became friends and Kilgore introduced Browne to other Black Americans.

“It took a conscious effort to go out and meet Black Americans,” she said. “I was an oddball because I was Canadian. My experiences felt different than the Americans.”

On the other hand, Browne was familiar with Black American culture, largely because of television.

“We knew what life was like for African Americans. We knew some of the trials and tribulations. We could name all the big cities, we watched all the same TV shows,” she said. “I had a sense that I knew what it was like to be African American, but I still had a distance from it because I didn’t live it quite like that, so it was two different cultures.”

She knew enough about Black American history to know that the differences were significant.

“We in Canada felt that we were safer,” she said. “We didn’t feel like there was all that prejudice and discrimination, but we knew deep down that it was there. It wasn’t to the same level, wasn’t as in your face as much. It didn’t seem like it.”

For Browne, the opportunity to meet and speak with Black Americans in Paris allowed her to see herself in a broader context: She was Canadian, born in Britain, but still Black. Their stories were part of hers.

“It was a chance for me to hear what it was really like aside from what you had seen in the media. I wanted to know what it was really like to be a Black American as opposed to being a Canadian. That still is kind of ongoing,” she said.

Today, she believes that the common bond between Black Canadians and Black Americans is that they are all North Americans.

“But at the time I felt that there was a dividing line between us,” she said.

The seeds of Browne’s Black Americans in Paris tourism business were planted while she was a taking classes at the Sorbonne. One of her professors, Michel Fabre, who co-founded the Center for Afro-American Studies, had written a book titled A Street Guide to African Americans of Paris.

Browne took the book and walked with it through the streets of Paris. She discovered, for example, that Hughes had lived close to her apartment in the 17th district.

There were so many other gems that she had never known about. “I love research, I love documentaries, I like learning,” Browne said. “I took the book and started walking around with it.

“It was so astonishing to me that I kept doing this walking around places.”

By this time Browne had become part of a group of Black American women called Sisters. During the group’s monthly meetings, Browne began talking about her tours and about the history she had explored.

“I was telling my sisters what I was finding out and someone asked, ‘Could you show us some of these things?’ So, I wrote down somethings on cards and I took some of my friends out.”

Word of her informal tours spread and when friends and relatives visited they asked Browne to be their guide. “That’s literally how it started, I just started showing people because somebody had heard, and somebody told somebody.”

In 1994, an editor from Essence magazine visited Paris. Browne took her around and she wrote a story about the tour. Later, a reporter from the Wall Street Journal wrote about Browne’s Black Paris tour. “It snowballed. It surprised me, but it was so much fun,” she said. “You feel the need and you just step into it.”

As popular as the business has become, Browne remembers that at the outset, travel agencies she contacted did not believe a Black Paris tour was something their customers would want to pursue.

“I would contact travel agents and ask them in the States, ‘Do you think your clients would be interested in this?’ And they said, ‘No, I don’t think so. I can’t see why,’ ” Browne said.

“It was the travelers who went back to their travel agent and said, ‘We want to do this,’ Browne said. “People in general felt a need and they needed somebody to get it done for them. And that’s when the travel industry — well, certain agencies anyway — saw that there was a demand for it. And that’s when it really started.”

Unlike some expats who live in Paris year-round, Browne continues to travel between Paris and Canada. She has trained staff to execute the tours when she is out of the country.

“I was doing the administrative and all that, and I had guides leading the tours. And it was interesting because I got to pass that training and knowledge on to other people I knew among the Black Americans,” Browne said. “It wasn’t just mine anymore, it was other people kicking the can down the road a bit. That was good too. It wasn’t a bad thing in that way.”

When she first moved to Paris, Browne inhaled the culture and loved it.

“In those first years and the fact that I was here full time all the time — bringing up my children, living the life as a wife and part of a French-based family, having friends, teaching, working — I became more and more identified with where I was living. It made me feel good to be part of this society. I liked being French. That’s what I identified with more than being Canadian.

“I feel like I’m more of myself here. I feel like I obviously found a mission and the reason for being here in a way that I don’t feel when I’m back in North America.”

On the other hand, Browne said she also embraces her Canadian roots, and more than anything, enjoys being able to go back and forth. “It allows me to relax into one. And then when I get sick of that, I can relax into the other one,” Browne said. “I just can’t imagine just being one.”

As comforting as Paris has been for generations, Browne, like others, takes pains to point out that Paris is not paradise for Black Americans.

“I don’t think it’s a panacea. Nothing is a panacea. But there are times when you need a break and there are places where you can get a break, where you don’t have to be thinking, you don’t have to feel oppressed, where you can hide,” she said.

“You start to calm down, you start to relax. And then you find other parts of you that you can bring out, just like the writers did. They found a certain space where they could create. And then you get a breath, and then you throw yourself back into the fight if you need be or find where you’re going to fight or what you’re going to fight about. You choose it, but at least you’ve had a chance to sit out a couple of rounds, right?”

How stylists are helping WNBA players elevate their drip

Frankie de la Cretaz — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 12:27:59 +0000

There are more eyes on the WNBA this season than ever before. The increased visibility has also brought more attention to the players themselves, including their style. According to Harper’s Bazaar, the W tunnel has become “the hottest runway of the year,” and Vogue declared it “officially a fashion destination.”

These days, brands are clamoring to work with WNBA players. Increasingly, players are hiring stylists to help them look their best, and athletes such as Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and DiJonai Carrington are full-fledged fashion icons. But so too are players who rock more masculine or androgynous looks, such as Arike Ogunbowale, Courtney Williams, and Diamond DeShields, players whose looks don’t get nearly the attention or praise they deserve.

“Sometimes when we look at female athletes we assume fashionable means ‘feminine’ and a lot of the more masculine-presenting WNBA players really do have style about them,” said Amadi Brooks of Amadi B Styling, who works with Sydney Colson and A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces. “That’s the beautiful thing about the W — it’s such a wide range.”

Styling masculine-of-center women is an art in and of itself, and picking out fashionable looks that fall outside of traditionally feminine silhouettes takes thought and intention. Players such as Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas are upping their fashion game this year by using stylists to help them get there, while others have been quietly doing so for years.

“It’s not so niche anymore to have a stylist and it doesn’t have to be a secret,” Brooks said.

“Before this year, we were just here for business, you know?” Thomas told Harper’s Bazaar. “We would come do our job … But now that we’re putting on the clothes and taking the time to stop for a picture, people are so fascinated by it, and, I mean, I’m super into it.”

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The WNBA has the most gender-diverse fashion sense of almost any other professional sports league in the world, and it’s part of what makes the W special. “The WNBA fan subculture respects and celebrates masculine fashion choices while not stripping away womanhood from these players,” Lauren Hindman, Ajhanai Keaton, and Nefertiti Walker wrote in Sports Business Journal. But all too often, the players whose style gets highlighted by media coverage are the ones whose clothing tends to fit conventionally feminine standards and expression.

The WNBA athletes have fought hard to be their authentic selves on and off the court. As the WNBA goes mainstream, it’s even more important to ensure that the league’s visible queerness and gender diversity are not erased. Helping players find a style that feels true to who they are is important, not just for their own comfort but also for their on-court performance.

“I want to make sure I’m staying true to the athletes,” Brooks said of how she approaches dressing her clients, who include NBA and WNBA players. “It’s even more important when you work with an athlete, because their confidence going into a big moment like a game can have an impact on them, so you don’t want them to feel out of their body or not like themselves.”

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Marisa Ripepi of Marisa Styled has been dressing the Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas (along with her teammate and fiancée, DeWanna Bonner) since the beginning of this season. Ripepi stressed how important comfort is for someone like Thomas, and that is where selecting items for her begins.

“When we first started working together she told me she really looks up to Devin Booker’s style,” Ripepi said. “Alyssa’s style is comfortable and stylish but laid-back. We are always trying to step it up a notch.”

For Ripepi, that has meant slowly pushing Thomas to try new things. They style by the month, and Ripepi said Thomas’ outfits began to evolve throughout the season, like the denim ensemble she sported for the Sun’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 18.

“When she first came to me and said she wants to look a certain way, I’m going to give her exactly that so she knows I understand her vision,” Ripepi said. “But once we are working together for a while and we build trust, that’s when I start to throw in more things. The goal is to elevate the look but for her style.”

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Some players, such as the Washington Mystics guard Brittney “Slim” Sykes, have no problem pushing the envelope when it comes to what they wear but want to have some professional guidance about which direction to go. “She likes to expand her horizons and try new things,” Sykes’ stylist, Juwan Williams of Styled by Coz, said. “I love it when somebody likes to be open to new things.”

Williams, who has been working with Sykes for a few seasons, said that pushing her toward streetwear helped her find her voice. Her confidence has grown as she’s learned to dress her body and see the positive reception to her outfits, including being featured on GQ Sports last season. “Now that she is a bit more confident, she has been consulting fits with me,” Williams said. “She picks out her own outfits, and I will approve them.”

Another key to styling women in menswear is always to be conscious of fit — and to have a good tailor on speed dial. “Although we [may be] dressing Syd in menswear, we have to be particular about how the clothes fit on her waist,” Brooks said. “What might fit through the thigh for a man may not for a woman, so we might have to go up a size and alter their waist, for example.”

Brooks said that working with Colson is fun because her style is a mix of masculine and feminine. She cited a Sheila Rashid pantsuit that Colson wore for the Aces game May 25 against the Indiana Fever as an example of that duality. Colson had been previously wearing more androgynous looks on game day and decided she wanted to switch it up just to be unpredictable. So they decided to go topless under Colson’s cropped suit jacket, giving it a feminine edge.

Who Colson is wearing is just as important as what she is wearing. “For Syd, it’s important to rep both sides of masculine and feminine but also to shine a spotlight on underrepresented brands, Black-owned brands,” Brooks said. “She is intentional about that and would prefer to highlight those brands over typical big fashion brands.”

But for many players, having a stylist goes beyond just wanting to look good. Plenty of athletes have their own inherent fashion sense and can do an incredible job of dressing themselves, but it takes mental energy and time to prepare outfits. A pro athlete’s schedule is already exhausting and jam-packed, and having a stylist can allow players to delegate their clothing to someone else.

“A lot of players want to put their best foot forward and maybe that means using a stylist to take that off their plate but they still feel good about how they look,” Brooks said. “People don’t consider the time relief that having a stylist may have on players, for some of my clients it’s one less thing for them to think about on game day.”