ONYXSTASIA

African Caribbean Dance, Afrocentric Fashions, African Inspired storytelling, OCT Certified Teacher, Groovin' to Beat of Life!

[AFRICAN & BLACK HISTORY @AfricanArchives]

To be African American is to be African without any memory and American without any privilege.”

—James Baldwin

[Earl Landix 🇺🇸 @EarlLandix]

Dad called up another dad to have a dance battle.

[Global Box Office @GlobalBoxOffice]

MICHAEL has officially become the highest-grossing biopic of all time at the global box office this Sunday.

The King of Pop surpassed Christopher Nolan’s OPPENHEIMER ($975M) .

[Interesting things @awkwardgoogle]

Glitter art is so lovely

[Black Media Hub ✊🏿 @BlackMediaHub]

These are actual Freedom Riders, now elderly, sitting together decades after risking their lives to challenge segregation in the American South.
he original courageous Freedom Riders movement began in 1961.

The first group, organized by Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), had 13 original Freedom Riders:
• 7 Black riders
• 6 white riders

They left Washington, D.C. on May 4, 1961, riding interstate buses into the Deep South to challenge segregation in bus terminals after Supreme Court rulings had already declared it unconstitutional.

After brutal mob attacks in Alabama, including the firebombing of a bus in Anniston and savage beatings in Birmingham and Montgomery, more activists joined. The movement quickly expanded beyond the original 13.

By the end of 1961, more than 400 Freedom Riders had participated across the South. Many were arrested and sent to Mississippi’s notorious Parchman Prison.

Hezekiah Watkins
At just 13 years old, Watkins became the youngest Freedom Rider ever arrested. His involvement happened almost by accident when he went to the Jackson, Mississippi, Greyhound station to see the riders arrive. In the chaos, he was swept up by police and sent to the notorious Parchman State Penitentiary. Initially placed on death row to intimidate him, he spent several days in the prison before being released. This traumatic experience did not deter him; he went on to become a lifelong activist, dedicated to educating others about the struggle for justice in Mississippi.

Joan Trumpauer Mulholland
A rare figure in the movement, Mulholland was a white woman from a privileged Southern background who turned her back on social expectations to fight for racial equality. By the time she joined the Freedom Rides, she was already a seasoned activist involved in sit-ins. In 1961, she was imprisoned in Parchman for over two months. She later became the first white student to enroll at Tougaloo College, a historically Black institution, and was a primary organizer for the 1963 March on Washington. She famously survived a near-lynching during the Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in.

Ameen Tuunagane (Willie James)
Known during the movement as Willie James, Tuunagane was a relentless civil rights organizer and Freedom Rider. He was part of the waves of activists who traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, to challenge Jim Crow laws. His work extended far beyond the buses; he was deeply involved in voter registration drives and community organizing, often operating in high-risk areas where the threat of police and vigilante violence was constant. His commitment focused on the intersection of political power and basic human dignity.

Carol Ruth Silver
A recent law school graduate at the time, Silver joined the Freedom Rides to put her legal principles into practice. She was arrested in Jackson and, like many others, served time in Parchman Penitentiary. During her incarceration, she kept a secret diary on scraps of paper, documenting the harrowing conditions and the psychological tactics used by guards. Her later career was defined by this experience; she became a prominent lawyer and politician in San Francisco, continuing her advocacy for civil rights and educational reform for decades.

Kredelle Pettway
Pettway was a dedicated activist who participated in the movement during the height of the 1960s racial tensions. As a young woman, she joined the ranks of those demanding the desegregation of public facilities in Alabama and Mississippi. Her contribution highlights the essential role of local youth and women in maintaining the momentum of the movement. She faced the constant threat of the Ku Klux Klan and state-sanctioned violence, standing firm in the belief that the "separate but equal" doctrine was a moral and legal failure.

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

I had one rule this week: no one plays on Home Court until some old friends and I get some shots up.

Who’s got next? 🏀

[Forbes @Forbes]

Viola Davis’ career spans decades, with some of her biggest milestones coming later in life.

She grew up in “abject poverty,” living in rat infested, condemned buildings and at times eating out of garbage cans and dumpsters.

In 2015, she became the first woman of color to win the Emmy for best lead actress in a drama for "How to Get Away With Murder." A year later, she won an Academy Award for "Fences," a role that had already earned her a Tony Award.

In 2023, she completed EGOT status with a Grammy for narrating her memoir "Finding Me." She is also a co owner of JuVee Productions, which helped bring "The Woman King" to the screen.

She is one of the greatest living self-made Americans on the #Forbes250 list. https://t.co/dD3PMhGYdb
📸: Emma McIntyre/WireImage via Getty Images

[Be A King @BerniceKing]

Eleven years ago today, nine Black worshippers were murdered during Bible study at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston.

Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney. Cynthia Hurd. Susie Jackson. Ethel Lance. Rev. Depayne Middleton-Doctor. Tywanza Sanders. Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr. Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton. Myra Thompson.

We say their names and remember the sacredness of their lives.

This was not only a mass shooting. It was a heinous act of white supremacy carried out in a house of worship. We must tell the truth about that hatred, grieve what it stole, and remain committed to dismantling the violence of racism in every form.

#MotherEmanuel #SayTheirNames

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Our @MBK_Alliance Ambassadors are examples of the outstanding young people we’ve been proud to support at the @ObamaFoundation over the years. We hope the Obama Presidential Center inspires even more.

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

In Brazil, it is tradition that the first piece of cake goes to the most important person in your life.

And then his little brother's reaction.

[CTV Ottawa @ctvottawa]

Parents seek answers after Ottawa Catholic School Board decision to eliminate bus attendants https://t.co/I88efjS0dd

[ONYXSTASIA @ONYXSTASIA]

I love this! That's right!!

[BBC Sport @BBCSport]

Referee Omar Artan was given a hero’s welcome as he arrived back in Somalia after he was denied entry to the US 🇸🇴

[lordmicky 🇵🇹 @0xlordmicky]

When Allyson Felix became pregnant, Nike threatened to cut her sponsorship contract by almost 70% because of her pregnancy.

They told her:

“You should know your place… and just run.”

Amid all this, at seven months pregnant, Allyson had to undergo an emergency C-section due to a serious complication.

Her baby girl spent over a month in the neonatal intensive care unit.

But two years later, Allyson qualified for her fifth Olympic Games, with her daughter in the stands cheering her on.

Allyson left Nike.

And she founded her own shoe brand: Saysh One.

At the Tokyo Olympics, she ran wearing her own sneakers, carrying the motto:

“I know exactly where my place is.”

With 11 medals, she surpassed Carl Lewis and became the most decorated American track and field athlete in history.

And to all women, she gave this message:

“I raised my voice and built this company for you, so that you’ll never have to train at 4:30 in the morning, five months pregnant, just to hide it from your sponsor.” ❤️

[Zatima @ZatimaOnBET]

Yara Graduated From Harvard 🎓🔥❤️

In honor of Graduation season, let’s celebrate Yara Shahidi graduating from Harvard University — and honestly, this moment still deserves ALL the flowers 💐👏🏽

From starring in Black-ish and Grown-ish while balancing one of the toughest universities in the world… she really showed what Black excellence in motion looks like 🔥📚

Degree earned. Legacy building. Career still booming.

This is what discipline + talent + purpose looks like all in one 💫

Forever proud of this chapter — and everything she continues to do next ❤️

#Grownish #SistasOnBET #ZatimaOnBETPlus

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

It was great talking to Stephen and the inspiring young people we’ve worked with at the @ObamaFoundation on the @ColbertLateShow.

When the Obama Presidential Center opens this June 19, my hope is that this will be a place where people can come together to meet, learn, and work with each other to create change in their communities. Learn more at https://t.co/ahkDMKalIn.

[NO CONTEXT HUMANS @HumansNoContext]

That’s why he keeps winning, he is kind.

[Rain Drops Media @Raindropsmedia1]

Timothy Brown is suing for $100 million, alleging he was violently beaten by two NYPD detectives who mistook him for a drug suspect.

[☆ @fwskiiii]

Ninth Grader Demi Johnson receives National Geographic award for plan to save Mississippi's oyster reef population. The ninth grader has produced 1,100 oysters that will in turn spawn millions of larvae into the ecosystem, a huge ecological impact

[BBC News Africa @BBCAfrica]

‘I want to be a player that young girls can look up to’

Four visa denials later - and having picked up a basketball just six years ago - Madina Okot has made history as the first Kenyan to be selected in the first round of the WNBA Draft, joining the Atlanta Dream.⁣

[Black, Blessed & Unbothered @MelanatedTalk]

Shout out to these brothers. What started with books has grown into something bigger! Bonding literacy, and a real brotherhood between dads and their children. We’re teaching our kids ourselves! This is powerful. 👏🏾📚
#BlackMen
#BlackFamily
#BlackLove
#BlackUnity