Attention, racists….you don’t want this smoke
In this week’s episode of ‘Don’t write a check your behind can’t cash’….allow me to take you to Mount Laurel, NJ, where a white man harassed and yelled racist slurs at his Black neighbor. Edward Cagney Matthews was reportedly mad about issues with the community’s Homeowner’s Association board. So in true white privilege fashion, he took it out on the Black dude. As he hurled racial slurs, he turned to the camera and basically said he didn’t give a f- about n*ggers and anyone who had a problem, come see at….and then he proceeded to give his address. So in Black Twitter world, ask and ye shall receive. Black folks showed up IN DROVES outside his home…it got so out of hand that someone even hit him over the head with a Black Lives Matter flag. Matthews ended up getting arrested on charges of assault and bias intimidation, and in true, ‘I can’t handle the smoke’ fashion, has issued an apology. “There is nothing I’m going to be able to say that’s going to justify me using the words that I used,” Matthews said in a news interview. “Whatever I have to do to make it up to the community—and the world at this point, seeing how big it is —understand that I made a mistake, allow me the ability to move forward, just like we all deserve.” Boy, bye.
The Cosby saga
Black folks stay ready to revoke a Black card. Phylicia Rashad has been that “auntie” since her Claire Huxtable days. But Black folks were ready to throw that all away after she celebrated the overturning of Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction. Rashad, who said she was celebrating the miscarriage of justice Cosby received, offered her “most sincere apology” to the students and parents of Howard University–where she has served as dean of its College of Fine Arts since May. She added that her remarks were in no way directed toward survivors of sexual assault. Not only was Rashad taken to task about her tone-deaf comments by Howard alumni and other celebrities, Howard itself condemned Rashad’s tweet, saying in part that it “lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault.” The offending tweet has since been deleted from Rashad’s Twitter page, and Rashad reportedly plans to participate in trainings to “become a stronger ally.” That’s not enough for many people though, as a campaign is underway to get her fired from Howard.
Nikole Hannah-Jones is THAT chick
Pulitizer prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones is my Shero. She recently announced that she will not be joining the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—despite finally being granted tenure at the school following a long, white tears-infused drama that should never have been entertained by the school’s board of trustees. But some GOP donor got mad about Hannah-Jones’ The 1619 Project and I guess wanted to show that gal her place and initially deny her tenure. After protest, they reversed the decision and Hannah-Jones replied with, ‘Nah, I’m good.’ Instead, Hannah-Jones is heading to Howard University. The journalist expressed joy and excitement in joining the faculty, saying that one of her biggest regrets is that she “did not attend Howard as an undergraduate.” She also said that she hopes that in her new position she will help Howard University bring something to media that she believes it sorely lacks—a wealth of Black journalists. I love that boss move. She showed that they don’t have to give us a seat at the table. We can go make our own table.