DC Urban LifeStyle Magazine

Folk are still reacting to DC native Ari Lennox 's performance at the BET Soul Train Music Awards .  Her latest hit, ' Pressure' , gives lots of feels as she sings in a white lingerie piece, accompanied by a long, feathery robe. Lennox (legal name Courtney Shanade Salter) is popular with both males and females as her lyrics invokes female expression about relationships, life, and sexuality.  Some liken her voice to a modern-day Billie Holiday as she sends listeners to (and over) the edge of a risque, falcetto musical journey. Before her big break, Lennox tells the story of how she almost gave up on her dream of entering the music business.  She reveals she almost went to work for Target before she got her big break. (Thank goodness she didn't do that). The Soul Train Music Awards celebrates the brightest R&B artists of the 21st century. It was taped in November, 2021 at Harlem, New York's iconic Apollo Theater . This year's STMA winners include Jazmine S

  December 23, 2021 Letter from the Mayor Dear Washingtonians, As we go into the final days of 2021, I want to wish you a safe and happy holiday season. Whether you already celebrated Hanukkah or whether you’ll be celebrating Christmas and Kwanzaa, I hope this season brings you plenty of joy and time with loved ones.    Let’s close out 2021 strong. Make sure all the people five and older in your circles are vaccinated. Spread the word: boosters are best. Fully vaccinated people who are boosted are the least likely to get COVID-19, the least likely to get hospitalized due to COVID-19, and the least likely to die from COVID-19. Use testing to know your status and the status of the people you're gathering with. Choose your activities wisely. Wear masks. When you go out or visit with family, understand your risk and the risk of the people around you and act accordingly.  We've learned a lot over the past two years—vaccines prevent severe illness and death, boosters are important, m

A message from DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on gun violence in the city.  Washington, D.C. has reached another high in gun violence, with nearly 200 deaths. Read how the mayor is planning to deal with the issue.  Dear Washingtonians, We are doing more to get illegal guns off our streets and combat and prevent violence than ever before. Residents can now receive an award of up to $7,500 for providing an anonymous gun tip that results in a firearm recovery and/or arrest. When I said we’d throw every resource into fighting gun violence, I meant it.  We are laser-focused on getting to illegal guns and those in possession of illegal guns  before  they get the chance to use them to hurt our children, mothers, fathers, and friends.  I was saddened to learn that our city reached a devastating statistic: 200 deaths by homicide. One death is one too many, which is why this week, we announced a partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives - to pay for tips that lead to an a

Imagine being the publicist for one of the nation's iconic entertainment personalities. Ever wonder what that would be like?  Ever fathomed being the publicist of such an iconic figure? Several publicists for the amazing, and incomparable,  Aretha Franklin have and they are sharing what it was like representing The Queen of Soul .                   Join publicists Tracey Jordan, Gwendolyn Quinn, Jackie Rhinehart, Audrey LaCatis Onyeike,  LaJoyce Brookshire, Robin Ryland-Sanders along with journalist David Nathan in this informative YouTube presentation and reveal as they celebrate the life of the one, the only, Aretha Louise Franklin. Ms. Aretha has 38 music nominations, winning a total of 29.  Two of my all-time faves include  this song ,  this one , and who can deny  the gospel  of Ms. Franklin?   Have a favorite Aretha Franklin song? Reveal it in the comment section below.  Please visit www.arethafranklin.net for more information.

Another Holiday season is upon us.  It's Holiday Season 2021 style and more and more people are looking for different and unique gift ideas to gift their loved ones this season. Shoppers rush to stores on Black Friday for deals, look to support small businesses (like Vice President Kamala Harris , and husband, did) on Small Business Saturday, and crave Cyber Monday . But with all those ways to shop, let's not forget about Black Businesses .   Black businesses have struggled during the pandemic to find their footing, leaving many to pivot to find new ways to connect to, and find, customers. Companies often claim to ' back Black business ' with programs focusing on lending grants and support to Black business.   But oftentimes, a Black business is right in your own back yard.  We are highlighting Black businesses we love in the DMV.  If you know of a Black-owned business in the DMV, post it in the comment section so readers can become aware of them – and buy Black

DC Black Film Festival begins Thursday, August 19-22, 2021. This is a virtual event. Schedule |  Virtual Tickets (VTs) | Up-to-date info  | This right here .

The virtual 2021 CBC-ALC is scheduled for September 12-17. This year's theme is Black Excellence Unparalleled:Pressing Onward in Power. Powerful forums and discussions will include DC statehood, financial wellness, civil rights and criminal justice (and that's just within the first two days). 2021 CBC-ALC conference sessions. ( Source )  Click here to register as well as see the complete outline of offerings. Established in 1971,  the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has been committed to using the full Constitutional power, statutory authority, and financial resources of the federal government to ensure that African Americans and other marginalized communities in the United States have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. The Caucus is Chaired by Congresswoman Joyce Beatty.  LEARN:  About the Congressional Black Caucus  and its mission.

In this episode of DC Cops Gone Wild (Again), video evidence shows a metropolitan police officer punching a restrained man in the face and mid section – several times- for allegedly selling drugs and having a gun. The department claims they are doing what they can to keep guns off the streets.   We know that DC has had multiple incidences - this summer - of gun violence , car jackings, shootings, and deaths. However, is beating a person in the face while the perp is handcuffed the way to get guns off the street?  Was the alleged weapon checked to see if it was illegal, or assumed to be illegal? (Are  white people with guns  treated this way?) DC officers under investigation for treatment of restrained man. This latest incident is reminiscent of the Baltimore cop who punched a man  in the face nearly one year to the day that DC officers stood and watched their colleague punch an unarmed man this weekend. The attack was so gruesome it prompted @dcpolicedept to tweet: “Where is the wo

COVID-19 is real. **Updated 8/18/2021 The D.C. area has re-issued its mask mandate, requiring everyone to mask up when indoors. COVID-19 is still here, whether you want to believe it's a variant of the virus that we all learned about a year ago, or not, it hasn't left and probably won't for a while, unfortunately. Hospitals across the country have seen an increase in COVID patients, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, to include DC metro areas. Graph shows COVID cases rising in D.C. "It's going  up again", said a nurse we interviewed working out of a Fairfax hospital. Many people, after being fully vaccinated, believe they can't get the virus. While many are choosing to remain masked up, there are still those who believe the vaccine will protect them as they go about their daily lives without wearing a mask in public spaces. Sadly, we know that even vaccinated people are contracting the virus . "Both groups are getting it. The vaccinated and the unvacci

Collaborated with Hip Hop, Go-Go, and R&B's finest. If you enjoyed the soulful music of the 90’s, if you enjoy good music today, you’ve probably heard the musical influence of Charles “Chucky” Thompson.   Thompson passed Monday due to COVID-19 complications. A Howard grad (don’t all good things come out of Howard?), Thompson was the musical brains behind many artists: from the Father of Go-Go, Chuck Brown, to Faith Evans, to Nas, to Biggie, to Boys to Men, to Mariah Carey, and beyond. If you grooved to the beat of Biggie’s One More Chance and crooned to Raheem DeVaughn’s hit  titled, Woman , you have entered the Chucky Thompson musical experience. DC native, Chucky Thompson dies of COVID.  It would take up too much space in this article to include all of Thompson’s works. Fortunately, Wikipedia has an outline of his catalog and producer credits here . Fans were stunned to learn of his passing and took to socialmedia to share their thoughts and memories of the ‘incre

 In a letter to Democratic Senators and House Members the Leadership Council on Civil Rights wants the government to close the Medicaid coverage cap that leaves so many Americans without proper health coverage. In their statement, The Council writes,  ... the current coverage gap leaves over 2 million people, including 600,000 African Americans living in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas living below the poverty line, without access to affordable health insurance coverage.  The Council, along with other groups are also urging members of Congress   t o address the coverage disparity in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  “The COVID-19 pandemic amplified pre-existing inequities in health care, with deadly consequences for many in the Black community as well as other communities of color,” they said. “Therefore, we are urging Congress to address this by providing a federal pathway to coverage for the millions of African Amer

 From the Office of DC Mayor, Muriel Bowser (Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser celebrated the opening of the Todd A. Lee Senior Residences at Kennedy Street, a 38-unit, all-affordable senior community located in the Brightwood Park neighborhood of Ward 4. All 38 apartments are for residents who are 55 or older and earn no more than 50 percent of the area median income. “The Todd A. Lee Senior Residences embody our DC values and represent the importance of having safe and affordable homes for our seniors to age in place, in the communities they know and love,” said Mayor Bowser. “Todd’s legacy will live on through the many families he helped stay in DC, through the innovative programs he created, and now through these beautiful homes for our seniors.” The Todd A. Lee Senior Residences are a result of a solicitation to transform vacant land into affordable housing by the DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) who also provided a $7.4 million loan from the Ho

Tracking CRT While many on the right have opposing viewpoints about the critically acclaimed phenomenon that is CRT (Critical Race Theory) that would teach the truth about the founding of America, groups like the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights say 'children have a right to learn about our past." In a press release on Wednesday, the LCCHR writes the following: WASHINGTON  – In light of the ongoing attempts to whitewash and erase the history of the United States, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, along with 79 civil rights and education organizations, today released a response condemning the attacks on critical race theory, culturally responsive curricula, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.  The full response is below and available  here .  “All students deserve access to an education that prepares them to succeed in college, career, and life and to fully exercise their social, political, and economic rights. Attempting to gag educators an

If you know DC, you know go-go; and if you know go-go, you know one of the founding bands of the genre that has spanned cultures, generations and coasts, respectively. Experience Unlimited  (a.k.a. EU), the go-go group that has touched audiences from funk to rock (and genres in between) will come full circle when it celebrates their 50th year anniversary. The group, founded by  Gregory 'Sugar Bear' Elliott, has come a long way since their Charles Hart Middle School beginnings in 1971 having toured globally with their Billboard hit “ Da Butt ” featured in  Spike Lee’s 1988 film ‘ School Daze .’ “This is my life,” Elliott said of his long-spanning go-go music career. Elliott will not only celebrate the 50 th anniversary of the group he gave life to, but also his birthday on July 25th.  “I put a lot of time, grind, sweat and fun into this. Some of my brothers have gone on to glory with Jesus. It speaks volumes that all these musicians are celebrating with me, said Ellio

  Nikole Hannah-Jones reminds us all why HBCUs were created in the first place. (July 7, 2021) -  Howard University offered an olive branch to Jones when her own alma mater, the University of North Carolina, chose not to offer this great talent in journalism a tenured professor position. [ Alumus Ta-Nahisi Coates  joins Howard roster] ICYMI, Jones is the creator of The 1619 Project, a documentary that chronicles the early institution of slavery and its role in shaping the Americas we know today. Source: The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones. The Project has garnered both acceptance and criticism. Those who support the vision understand that the truths about slavery have, throughout American history, been either whitewashed, or not taught at all, diminishing the roles and treatment of the African nations who built it. Slavery, in all fifty states (including the ‘stateless’ District of Columbia) built an economic powerhouse infrastructure that caused the United States of America t

Phylicia Rashad , Howard alum and recently appointed Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University, offered her sincere apologies to the university’s parents and students after showing her support this week for Bill Cosby who was released from jail on sexual assault charges.  Bill Cosby with Phylicia Rashad for The Cosby Show. (Circa 1984) Shortly after Cosby’s release, Rashad tweeted (then deleted), “FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected!” along with a picture of her The Cosby Show TV husband with raised arm and fisted stance.  RELATED: Cosby Responds Her remarks got the attention of the Twitter-sphere who, along with her employer, thought Ms. Rashad’s comments were also “insensitive.” In a statement, Howard University wrote, “… her initial tweet lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault...” One Twitter user, @chellech, questioning the allegiance of Howard University to Rashad tweeted, "I wouldn't

It's been a long time... Starting July, 2021 DC Urban LifeStyle Magazine will resume its coverage of events, news, people and places relative to the District of Columbia (and beyond). DC Urban LifeStyle Magazine will continue to celebrate Black culture so SUBSCRIBE and FOLLOW on these SM channels: Twitter , IG @dculs and on YT  . We are back!