TIMES Magazine chooses Taylor Swift as Person of the Year. Beyoncé wasn’t considered for the nomination. (Credit: Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
I’m sure you all have heard the news about TIMES magazine and their choice for “Person of the Year.” They chose Taylor Swift, and the Beyhive, of course, was a bit confused. One user on X said, “The industry and media are starting to move weirdly with Beyoncé, and I don’t like it. It’s that shift I’m tellin’ ya.” Not to say that Swift wasn’t deserving. After all, several blogs and mainstream outlets have stirred the pot regarding the music entertainment’s two biggest stars. But it’s pretty obvious, in my opinion, that with the massive success and cultural impact Beyoncé has had throughout the years, she gets snubbed for Person of the Year. Her name wasn’t even considered. That was the same action we saw at the Grammy’s when she lost the Artist of the Year award. How do you win the most Grammys in history but never win the top award? Not much to say here, but I leave this comment from Nigerian-American author Luvvie Ajayi Jones: “You can be one of the most influential women in the world, and b/c you’re Black, you can still continue to be locked out. The message we get is, ‘You can never do enough.’”
MLK’s birthplace almost set on fire
A woman was arrested and charged after a video showed her dousing the plants, porch, and front door of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s home with what authorities said was gasoline. (Credit: Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Now, shifting gears to a disturbing incident, someone attempted to set Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home on fire. Yes, you read that right. A woman named Laneisha Shantrice Henderson, 26, tried to light it up. Thank goodness for the swift action of two tourists from Utah who stopped her from using a lighter to ignite a fire. The bizarre part? I held my breath in hopes that the person wasn’t Black, and sadly I was wrong. This was before I learned of the woman’s name. What could have driven her to such an act against a symbol of civil rights? What did Martin Luther King Jr. do to her? As the investigation unfolds, we hope to understand the motives behind this shocking incident.
U.S Rep. Ayanna Pressley introduces groundbreaking bill
Pressley details how the Inclusive Democracy Act would end felony disenfranchisement in federal elections. (Credit: Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
In brighter news, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) have dropped a groundbreaking bill called The Inclusive Democracy Act. This historic move aims to restore the voting rights of incarcerated individuals, disproportionately affecting Black and Brown citizens. The bill would create a process for incarcerated citizens to register to vote by mail. The proposed legislation seeks to end felony disenfranchisement in federal elections, potentially enfranchising 4.6 million Americans. We’ve seen time and time again how the nation’s criminal justice system has been used to keep millions of Americans out of the ballot boxes, and honestly, this is a good step in the right direction. I want to have faith in this, but the way the Republicans and Supreme Court have been moving to undermine voting rights for Black and Brown people, this isn’t going to go down without a fight.
