This week in good black news: Queen Latifah will host the NAACP Image Awards, LeBron James will release three new documentaries, and Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit will return. Plus, Jamie Foxx announces a stand-up special, and Questlove releases a new book!
the second time in a row, Queen Latifah will host the 55th NAACP Image Awards. The exceptionally talented multi-hyphenated brought all the laughs and royal energy that we’ve come to love her for. At this year’s festivities, Amanda Gorman will be honored with the prestigious Chairman’s Award during the live telecast and award-winning creative director and costume designer June Ambrose will receive the Vanguard Award at the “55th NAACP Image Awards” Fashion Show on Friday, March 15.
LeBron James refuses to shut up and dribble. After becoming the first NBA player to score over 40,00 points, his company SpringHill Entertainment has announced that it produced three documentaries on the History Channel. One doc will focus on Jesse Owens’ historic performance at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games and the second will examine the life of Jim Thorpe. No information on the third doc has been released. In a statement, James spoke about the importance of telling the stories of significant figures in history.
“The SpringHill Company was created to tell important stories and, through this partnership with The HISTORY Channel, we’re able to do that on a whole new level,” said James. “With these documentaries, we want to share those meaningful moments and figures in history that matter with a whole new generation and continue to empower and inspire through storytelling.”
The “Queen of Hip Hop Soul ” Mary J. Blige, is curating her 3rd Annual Strength Of a Woman Festival & Summit. The highly anticipated event will occur on May 10-12, on Mother’s Day weekend, and move from Atlanta to New York City.
The action-packed weekend features a concert at the Barclays Center with Blige and special guests Jill Scott, Muni Long, Lola Brooke, 50 Cent, Jadakiss, Fat Joe, and Funk Flex. The festival also includes a Comedy Show featuring Tiffany Haddish, Don’t Call Me White Girl, and Paris Sashay; a Jazz Concert featuring Robert Glasper; and the weekend ends with a Gospel Brunch, hosted by Blige. The Clark Sisters with Femme It Forward will headline a Gospel Concert.
Dawn Staley will go down as one of the best college coaches of all time.
The accolades continued to pile as she led the Gamecocks to their second consecutive undefeated regular season and she was named SEC Coach of the Year for the sixth time.
In her 16th season in Columbia, she posted a 29-0 regular season record and is the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament. In the last five seasons, Staley and the Gamecocks have lost a total of nine games
Oscar winner Jaime Foxx is planning to go back to the comedy stage where he will share all about his health struggles and recovery. While being honored by the African American Film Critics Association with the Producers Award, Foxx teased his return to stand-up.
“Cherish life, man. I cannot tell you. I have some people in my life that really made sure I was here because it was dire straits,” he said.
“Everybody wants to know what happened, and I’m going to tell you what happened, but I gotta do it my way. I’m going to do it in a funny way. I’m going to be on stage. We’re going back to the stand-up sort of roots,” Foxx said.
Everybody wants to know what happened, and I’m going to tell you what happened, but I gotta do it my way. I’m going to do it in a funny way. I’m going to be on stage. We’re going back to the stand-up sort of roots,” Foxx said
After suffering a devastating stroke, legendary comedian Sinbad made his first public appearance since 2020. Virtually, he joined his former castmates from “A Different World” on an HBCU tour.
Following the event, Sinbad thanked everyone for their support and prayers during his recovery.
“Thank you for your prayers, support, and positive thoughts,” he said in the post’s caption. “They’ve carried me this far and will see me through to the finish line. It really is a different world out here!”
Academy Award-winning director, Grammy Award-winning musician, and New York Times Bestselling author Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson announced the release of his new book “Hip-Hop Is History” on his own imprint AUWA Books. Written with Ben Greenman, Questlove gives his take on the culture that he loves so much as a noted documentarian and historian. In a post on Instagram, Quest shared his inspiration for the book.
“This is a story of how I see hip hop: mostly through the self-soothing pain of vices that helped create it,” Quest wrote.
Adidas is celebrating the significant contributions of Black women to their communities and society at large in a new documentary series titled “Create with Purpose,”
Produced by the apparel brand through their Honoring Black Excellence (HBE) initiative, and directed by Vashni Korin, the four-part docuseries features nine Black women who have made incredible contributions to their community.
The women featured in the series include Wanda Cooper-Jones, the mother of the Ahmaud Arbery and the founder of the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation, Stephanie Smiley and Chaniel Smiley of the Drew League, Dr. Nikole Roebuck, Director of Bands at Grambling State University, and designers Cheresse Thornhill-Goldson, Eliya Jackson, Ashley Comeaux, Precious Hannah-King, and Kimberly Shane.
The entire “Create with Purpose” documentary series premiered in New York City, where Adidas partnered with the Tribeca Festival. The event featured a panel discussion with the HBE honorees moderated by Korin and the the Grambling State University’s band gave a live performance.
