The head of a leading Black immigrant rights group has tough words for both the Trump-Vance and Harris-Walz campaigns.

On this week’s “The Hill with April Ryan,” Nana Gyamfi, executive director at Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), calls out the racist conspiracies and policy positions pushed about Haitian immigrants by Republican presidential and vice presidential nominees Donald Trump and JD Vance. The ordeal has led to a criminal complaint filed by the advocacy group Haitian Bridge Alliance.

Gyamfi equally had stern words for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, whose campaign she criticized for being too focused on an “enforcement frame.” She said Harris’s rhetoric and policies are simply “not welcoming.”

On Friday, Harris traveled to the Arizona-Mexico border to focus on the issues of illegal immigration there and the trafficking of illicit drugs. Harris walked the stretch of wall built during the administration of former President Barack Obama. 

While in Arizona, the sitting vice president delivered a speech blasting Trump for what she said was a lack of effort to address the immigration crisis, including his reported efforts to get Republicans in Congress to block bipartisan legislation to better enforce the border.  

Gyamfi told theGrio that BAJI wants to see a “complete flipping of the frame” on how political leaders address the issue of immigration, particularly as it relates to Black migrants. She dismissed the Harris-Walz campaign’s call for more surveillance and border agents. 

“What the United States tells the rest of the world–and it’s done so for decades–is you can come here for that opportunity to flourish, to live that sweet life, right, to have your best life,” declared Gyamfi. “That is not what immigration policies look like right now.” 

She said of Vice President Harris: “She knows what her parents were hoping for. She knows who she has become as a result of the capacity, the opportunity for her parents to have that.”

Gymafi continued, “It’s a shame that has been denied to others, including folks from her [father’s] … home country of Jamaica.”

The immigrant community, she said, is “expecting and wanting” Harris to “remember how … her people came.” Gyamfi added, “And because they came, she’s able to be in that position right now. That door should be opened even further, not closed.” 

As for the criminal complaint filed against Trump and Vance in Springfield, Ohio, the advocate said no one is immune from accountability. 

“I think it is important for people, including political candidates–even if they’re running for president or vice president of the United States–to understand that they don’t get to act with complete and absolute immunity,” said Gyamfi.

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6

Maria Zhang, who plays Suki in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, has given fans a sneak peek into her character’s new look. Taking to Instagram, the actress shared a photo of herself sporting her signature short hairstyle, hinting at a fresh beginning as filming for the show’s second season continues.

Zhang’s post, which quickly gained traction among her followers, arrives just as filming for season two of Avatar: The Last Airbender commences. The actress, renowned for her daring fashion choices, seems poised to reprise her iconic role of Suki, the Kyoshi Warrior, with renewed vigor.

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender season one was a hit, earning praise for its true-to-the-original adaptation. Zhang’s performance as Suki, the skilled and kind warrior, was a highlight. Fans are excited to see her return in the next season,which promises thrilling action, richer character stories, and breathtaking visuals.

With production on the second season underway, fans can anticipate more behind-the-scenes glimpses from the cast and crew. Zhang’s decision to cut her hair might suggest intriguing plot developments for Suki and her part in the evolving story of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Season two is anticipated to delve deeper into the epic adventure of Aang, Katara, and Sokka as they persist in their endeavor to vanquish the Fire Nation. The highly acclaimed character Toph will be formally introduced in the second season.

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Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

Justin Simien is an amazing, unapologetically Black filmmaker and the guest on the latest episode of “Masters of the Game.” Simien came to prominence with the 2014 film “Dear White People,” a hilarious and politically challenging piece about Black life at a predominantly white university. I saw “Dear White People” on its opening weekend in a theater full of Black people, and it was perfect. We laughed, we yelled at the screen and we grappled with a film that dealt with colorism, classism and the politics of being gay on a campus full of straight people. 

The film dives deep into the nuances and complexities of being Black and politically active on campus. Its lead character, Sam White, played by the sublime Tessa Thompson, is a young sister with an amazingly powerful spirit who hosts a campus radio show where she’s constantly reading white people for filth, hence the title “Dear White People.” Many of her essays begin with that call to arms. She is one of the leaders of the students who challenge white supremacy. Also, she is, quietly, dating a white man. She’s totally in charge of the relationship, but still, it’s a curveball for many in the audience. Can they accept a Black political leader with a secret white boyfriend? This dichotomy is funny, challenging and real.   

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“Dear White People” went on to become an unforgettable Netflix TV show with Simien as director, writer and executive producer. Simien also wrote and directed “Bad Hair,” an amazing mashup of comedy, horror and workplace politics. At its core, there’s an enchanted weave that turns wearers into crazy people. Again, Simien found a way to talk about Blackness in a way that’s entertaining and intelligent.

Simien is one of the great auteurs of the modern era, a filmmaker who is thought-provoking, comedic, honest and deep. He’s also a friend, so this conversation was fun. Don’t miss Justin Simien on “Masters of the Game” at 8 p.m. ET Friday and 1 p.m. ET Saturday on TheGrio Cable Network.

Toure is a host and writer at TheGrio. He hosts the TheGrio TV show “Masters of the Game,” and he created the award-winning podcast “Being Black: The ’80s” and its upcoming sequel “Being Black: The ’70s.” He is also the creator of “Star Stories” and the author of eight books, including “Nothing Compares 2 U an oral history of Prince.” He also hosts a podcast called “Toure Show.” He is also a husband and a father of two.

14

The rivalry between Tracy Cortez and Ailin Perez has been reignited in a fiery exchange after Perez missed weight for her UFC Paris bout against Darya Zheleznyakova. The Argentine fighter tipped the scale at 136.6 pounds, 0.6 pounds above the bantamweight limit for a non-title fight.

Perez’s weight struggles come just months after she had mocked Cortez for her own difficulties at the scales before her UFC Denver bout against Rose Namajunas in July.

Despite the weight hiccup, Perez secured an impressive first-round submission victory over Zheleznyakova. However, she will be forced to forfeit 20 percent of her fight purse as a penalty for missing weight. Cortez, never one to miss an opportunity, took to social media platform X to throw a playful jab at her Argentine rival:

“Y’all won’t catch me talking sh** here on social media BUT my oh MY how the tables have turned. 136.6 [pounds] lol.”

In a follow-up post, she added, “The @onlyf*ns will help you with that 20% deduction.”

Perez, ever the firecracker, was quick to respond with a witty retort. Referring to Cortez’s well-documented weight cut where the American fighter famously trimmed her hair to make the weight for her bout against Namajunas, Perez wrote:

“I would rather lose 20% of my purse than half my hair along with the fight [Tracy Cortez].”

Perez didn’t stop there, issuing a bold challenge for a bantamweight showdown between the two and criticizing Cortez for not tagging her directly in the posts. The trash talk may have reignited a rivalry, but it also could be the perfect spark for an exciting future matchup between the two rising stars.

While Cortez has spent the majority of her career in the flyweight division, her lone bantamweight appearance came in 2019, where she picked up a unanimous decision win over Vanessa Melo in her UFC debut.

Meanwhile, Perez, who also started her career as a flyweight, has been active in the bantamweight division and appears ready to settle the score with Cortez in the octagon.

With both fighters exchanging verbal jabs and their rivalry reaching new heights, fans may soon be treated to an electrifying clash in the bantamweight division.

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HOUSTON (AP) — A Black high school student in Texas who was punished for nearly all of his junior year over his hairstyle has left his school district rather than spend another year of in-school suspension, according to his attorney.

But Darryl George, 18, would like to return to his Houston-area high school in the Barbers Hill school district for his senior year and has asked a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order that would prevent district officials from further punishing him for not cutting his hair. It would allow him to return to school while a federal lawsuit he filed proceeds.

George’s request comes after U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown in August dismissed most of the claims the student and his mother had filed in the federal lawsuit alleging school district officials committed racial and gender discrimination when they punished him.

The judge only let the gender discrimination claim stand and questioned whether the school district’s hair length rule causes more harm than good.

“Judge Brown please help us so that I can attend school like a normal teenage student during the pendency of this litigation,” George said in an affidavit filed last month.

Brown has scheduled an Oct. 3 court hearing in Galveston on George’s request.

In court documents filed last week, attorneys for the school district said the judge does not have jurisdiction to issue the restraining order because George is no longer a student in the district.

“And George’s withdrawal from the district does not deprive him of standing to seek past damages, although the district maintains that George has not suffered a constitutional injury and is not entitled to recover damages,” attorneys for the school district said.

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The district defends its dress code, which says its policies for students are meant to “teach grooming and hygiene, instill discipline, prevent disruption, avoid safety hazards and teach respect for authority.”

In court documents filed last week, Allie Booker, one of George’s attorneys, said the student was “forced to unenroll” from Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu and transfer to another high school in a different Houston area district because Barbers Hill officials placed him on in-school suspension on the first and second day of the new school year, which began last month.

This “caused him significant emotional distress, ultimately leading to a nervous breakdown. As a result, we had no choice but to remove him from the school environment,” Booker said.

George’s departure “was not a matter of choice but of survival” but he wishes to return, as his mother moved to the area because of the quality of the district’s schools, Booker said.

George was kept out of his regular high school classes for most of the 2023-24 school year, when he was a junior, because the school district said his hair length violated its dress code. George was forced to either serve in-school suspension or spend time at an off-site disciplinary program.

The district has argued that George’s long hair, which he wears to school in tied and twisted locs on top of his head, violates its policy because if let down, it would fall below his shirt collar, eyebrows or earlobes. The district has said other students with locs comply with the length policy.

George’s federal lawsuit also alleged that his punishment violates the CROWN Act, a recent state law prohibiting race-based discrimination of hair. The CROWN Act, which was being discussed before the dispute over George’s hair and which took effect in September 2023, bars employers and schools from penalizing people because of hair texture or protective hairstyles including Afros, braids, locs, twists or Bantu knots.

In February, a state judge ruled in a lawsuit filed by the school district that its punishment does not violate the CROWN Act.

Barbers Hill’s hair policy was also challenged in a May 2020 federal lawsuit filed by two other students. Both withdrew from the high school, but one returned after a federal judge granted a temporary injunction, saying there was “a substantial likelihood” that his rights to free speech and to be free from racial discrimination would be violated if he was barred. That lawsuit is still pending.

8

At the 2024 Global Citizen Festival, music star Doja Cat took to the stage not only to perform but to deliver an impassioned speech highlighting the humanitarian crises currently affecting millions across the globe. With a focus on the conflict zones of Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and the Congo, the singer urged the world to take action and use their voices to support those suffering from violence and displacement.

“Right now, millions of men, women, and children in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, the Congo, and all across the world are suffering,” Doja Cat began, addressing the festival’s vast audience both in Central Park, New York, and millions tuning in worldwide. “In times like this, it is important to remember that together we have the power to bring change, love, light, and hope to those that need it most.”

Her message aligned with the festival’s mission to tackle the world’s most pressing issues, such as poverty, climate change, and inequality. But Doja Cat’s focus on the specific regions of Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and the Congo brought to light the ongoing crises that have left millions displaced, vulnerable, and in dire need of basic resources like food, shelter, and education.

“Please keep using your voice,” she urged, “to help those fleeing violence get the food, shelter, and education they need and deserve.”

.@DojaCat gives a speech on the injustice happening in Palestine, Sudan, the Congo, and other countries at the 2024 @GlblCtzn Festival pic.twitter.com/8ZRkmDSgT3

— The Kittens Room (@TheKittensRoom) September 29, 2024

The singer’s heartfelt speech was met with thunderous applause, as many attendees joined her in calling for global solidarity and action. The Global Citizen Festival, known for blending music and advocacy, once again provided a platform for high-profile artists like Doja Cat to not only entertain but to champion humanitarian causes, reminding the world of the importance of unity and empathy in times of crisis.

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Cardi B is having one interesting week.

The rapper has been jet-setting in style across Paris for Paris Fashion Week. She garnered headlines for looks worn to the Rabanne show and Balmain’s. In a dispatch uploaded to Instagram, the “WAP” rapper poses in an industrial kitchen in a black Mugler dress with an exaggerated suit silhouette and a plunging neckline.

“Come to find out,” she wrote in the post’s caption.

However, her stylish romp around the French capital was interrupted by some drama back home.

On Wednesday, Sept. 25, during an Instagram Live Cardi B was hosting in which she was airing her grievances against her estranged ex, Offset, he accused her of infidelity while she was pregnant with her third child. 

“U f–ked with a baby inside, tell the truth!!,” he commented, per E! on the livestream.

Soon after Offset left the comment, Cardi commented on X, “AND DID !!!!!!,” which caused many to speculate she was seemingly confirming the Migos rapper’s accusation.

On X, she added that “A hurt Nikka will do the unthinkable.”

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During her Instagram Live, the “Drip” performer acknowledged she was grateful their relationship brought her three children, but she ultimately “regrets” her ex. 

“But f— you, I regret you,” Cardi said. “I’m too good for you. I’ve always been too good for you.”

She added, “Since you wanna f—ing threaten me, talking about you wanna take my s—, you wanna take my s— because I’m moving on? Move on. Move on. Why can’t you move on?”

Cardi, who filed for divorce from Offset for the second time in July, may have implied that the couple’s legal drama is heating up.

“It’s no fun when Mama’s got the gun, right?” she asked. “Now we’re going to court war, right?”

The two, who share a daughter, Kulture Kiari Cephus, a son, Wave Set Cephus, and a baby girl born in September 2024, were first romantically linked in February 2017 when they attended Super Bowl LI together. By October of that year, Offset proposed to Cardi during Power 99’s Powerhouse concert in Philadelphia. However, it was revealed that the two had already secretly wed on Sept. 20, 2017.

Three years later, in September 2020, Cardi B filed for divorce. They managed to repair things somewhat before they dissolved once more. After she filed for divorce in July 2024, Cardi announced on Instagram that she was expecting their child.  

Since the social media spat between them has died down, Cardi B has returned to posting footage from Paris Fashion Week. In one video the rapper gleefully raps the lyrics to her song, “Outside.”

“Yo, when I tell you these niggas ain’t shit, please believe me,” she rapped.

“They gon’ f— on anything, these niggas way too easy, good for nothing, low-down, dirty dog, I’m convinced. Next time you see your momma, tell her how she raised a bitch, I’m going outside,” she added before throwing up two gloved middle fingers with her signature tongue-out smile.