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

ESPN host Dominique Foxworth recently made an excellent point during an appearance on Bomani Jones’ podcast, noting the difference between a polarizing figure and a lightning rod. In the former category, you do or say things that drive folks into opposing camps. In the latter category, you don’t have to do or say anything. Your mere existence is enough to divide the masses.

Caitlin Clark is a lightning rod, crackling in the WNBA and throughout pop culture. 

Her presence has brought added scrutiny to the 28-year-old league — where 70% of the players are Black and 100% are women. Not surprisingly, a lot of racism and sexism is on display from fans and the media.

I imagine the annoyance ESPN’s Monica McNutt feels in dealing with presumptions about (mostly) Black women’s response to adulation for Clark, a (white) rookie who’s done nothing as a pro. McNutt understands both of the aforementioned -isms — race and sex — whereas even Black men just know the half. Sometimes that comes out like it did Monday from Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe on “First Take.” 

“There’s been this prevailing narrative that the WNBA is mad at this little white girl being the great white hope,” McNutt said Monday during a 40-minute opening segment that went viral. “That’s been unfair and very frustrating for those of us who have covered the league for a very long time.” 

She and others are true to this, not new to this, while waves of Johns and Janes just arrived by following Clark. It reminds me of a Facebook meme I saw the other day. Someone sprinkled salt on watermelon and acted like Christopher Columbus after discovering the “new” world.  I have childhood memories of folks salting their melon.

Players don’t roll out the red carpet for a No. 1 draft pick, no matter who she is. They certainly won’t bend the knee, even though Clark is the leading force behind the explosive growth in ratings, attendance and merchandise sales. But that doesn’t make them jealous haters, a growing narrative that’s engulfed the league, even more after Chicago’s Chennedy Carter committed a flagrant foul on Clark. 

Smith and Sharpe suggested that WNBA players are envious and bitter over Clark’s arrival as — to use Smith’s term — “the golden goose.” Last month, Charles Barkley accused the league’s veterans of being “petty” over Clark’s attention. LeBron James tweeted that if you “don’t rock” with Clark, you’re “a FLAT OUT HATER!”

I’m not sure how these competitive athletes are supposed to treat Clark — other than wanting to bust her ass. Not via dirty play and cheap shots (which can occur when hotheads like Carter lose composure in the heat of battle), but with all the skill, strength and physicality they can muster. No. 1 picks should expect nothing less, even if some folks believe otherwise. “This is a very physical game, and you’re going to get pressure,” Clark said last month. “This is professional basketball. It is what it is, honestly.”

But too many fans and media see something else. They see resentment and racial animus, an overriding theme in the broad portrayal of Black women. The Chicago Tribune likened Carter’s foul to a crime. “Outside of a sporting contest, it would’ve been seen as an assault,” read the editorial, perhaps written by a Karen. “Even within a sporting context, it was bad.”

Sports

It wasn’t THAT bad, but it involved Clark, painted as league savior. ESPN’s Pat McAfee summed his thoughts on the WNBA’s surge in interest and dismissed any thought that other players also deserve some credit. 

“Nah, just call it for what it is,” McAfee said Monday. “There’s one white bitch for the Indiana team who is a superstar.” 

There’s no wonder about who he imagines refers to her with such language. 

“I shouldn’t have used ‘white bitch’ as a descriptor of Caitlin Clark,” he said later in an apology. “No matter the context … even if we’re talking about race being a reason for some of the stuff happening.”

Of course, race is a reason for some of Clark’s electricity. So is her shooting, passing and sexuality. So is her Midwestern background and girl-next-door persona. WNBA players aren’t dumb, and they aren’t monolithic in temperament. Some talk trash like Clark and some don’t. They all know she’s “the one” right now. 

But there are levels to this phenomenon; full comprehension requires a layered and nuanced approach, which typically isn’t a strong suit of sports talk. McNutt returned to “First Take” on Tuesday, joined by ESPN broadcaster and former WNBA No. 1 pick Chiney Ogwumike, to further enlighten the men.  

Smith kept warning about players “getting in the way” and impeding Clark’s path as the league’s cash cow. Sharpe railed against dirty play, as if Clark faces cheap shots on every trip downcourt. Everyone agreed that Carter’s foul would be a non-story minus Clark.

She is definitely a lightning rod, a white woman sparking racist and sexist craziness by her mere presence. Black women in and outside the WNBA can ask the same question: 

“What else is new?”

Deron Snyder, from Brooklyn, is an award-winning columnist who lives near D.C. and pledged Alpha at HU-You Know! He’s reaching high, lying low, moving on, pushing off, keeping up, and throwing down. Got it? Get more at blackdoorventures.com/deron.

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Rising rap star Ice Spice has officially announced the release of her highly anticipated debut album, ‘Y2K’. The announcement follows months of speculation and anticipation after she first hinted at the project earlier this year.

Ice Spice, whose real name is Isis Gaston, revealed the album’s title and its summer release date on her social media platforms. ‘Y2K’, which cleverly nods to the rapper’s birth date on January 1, 2000, is set to drop on July 26, 2024. In her post, Ice Spice expressed her excitement with a characteristically playful tone, writing, “HIIIII 😣 THE ALBUM WILL BE DROPPING JULY 26TH !!!! pre-save now 😘.”

The announcement accompanied a pre-save link for fans eager to secure the album before its release. Additionally, Ice Spice unveiled the album’s artwork, which features her standing with her back to the camera in front of a concrete block wall by a subway stairwell. The cover art, adorned with graffiti that reads “Ice Spice” and “Y2K” spray-painted on a trash can, encapsulates the urban and gritty aesthetic that has become synonymous with her style.

‘Y2K’ will be led by its first single, “Gimme A Light,” which dropped last month. The track is a modern twist on Sean Paul’s 2002 hit “Gimme The Light,” offering an ode to dancefloors and weed with Ice Spice’s unique flair. In the lead-up to the album, she also collaborated with Cash Cobain and Bay Swag on a remix of “Fisherrr” and released “Think U The Sh*t (Fart),” a track confirmed to be a diss aimed at fellow rapper Latto.

Fans and followers can view Ice Spice’s full announcement on her social media pages, where she continues to build excitement for what promises to be a standout debut in the rap scene.

Stay tuned for more updates on ‘Y2K’ as the release date approaches.

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After opening up about living with alopecia during the second season of Bravo’s “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard,” Jordan Emanuel is embarking on an alopecia healing journey. And she’s taking her fans along for the ride.

The Bravo star announced the journey through an Instagram video that features her doctor, New York-based dermatologist Paul Jarrod Frank, walking her through a complex treatment process.

“In the past, I’ve tried what seems like everything. Injections, topical medication, oral medication, prayer, meditation,” Emanuel explains in the video. “Today, we’re going to try VSEL hair restoration.”

Emanuel adds that VSEL stem cell hair restoration involves drawing blood from the patient, spinning it to separate platelets and other components from the blood, and then injecting those stem cells into the scalp.

Frank adds that in addition to a handful of oral medications, including Nutrafol, receiving this treatment monthly over the next three months may be the best course of action for Emanuel’s condition.

“With hair loss in general, combination is always the best,” he explains.

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The dermatologist also notes that alopecia areata is a highly common autoimmune disorder that can result in difficult-to-treat hair loss. Not only is the condition common, but it also impacts Black women at disproportionate rates. According to Johns Hopkins Hospital, roughly half of Black women will experience hair loss to some extent. Many who do may never seek medical help and thus go undiagnosed.

While speaking to Refinery 29 in 2020, Emanuel said her journey with alopecia began in 2018. Since then, she has progressively opened up about the experience.

When her journey was revealed during “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard,” somewhat out of her control by another castmate, Emanuel was upset, but she pushed through the moment with the group. 

Speaking to theGrio about that moment, she said, “I didn’t go into last summer with any intention of, ‘Oh yeah, I’m going to talk about this.’ I think it just naturally came up in a conversation that you’ll see, between Summer, myself and Preston, and then it becomes a different conversation amongst the entire group, which, wasn’t necessarily my choice, but I’m an honest straight shooter, so it came up.”

She added, “I think it just was a natural part of what I was going through. And of course, I’m going to share what I’m going through with my friends.”

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Fans of the legendary “Alien” franchise, prepare yourselves for a return to the spine-chilling horror that started it all. The new trailer for “Alien: Romulus,” the latest installment in the iconic sci-fi/horror series, has just dropped, and it promises to deliver a heart-pounding experience that harkens back to the franchise’s roots.

In “Alien: Romulus,” a group of young space colonizers find themselves in a fight for survival after encountering the universe’s most terrifying life form while scavenging a derelict space station. The cast features a blend of rising stars and seasoned actors, including Cailee Spaeny (“Civil War”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”), and newcomer Aileen Wu.

The film is a collaborative effort from Fede Alvarez, known for his work on “Evil Dead” and “Don’t Breathe,” who co-wrote the screenplay with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”). Their script is based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, ensuring that the film stays true to the essence of the original “Alien” universe.

Ridley Scott, the visionary behind the original “Alien” as well as “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” returns to produce alongside Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler”) and Walter Hill (“Alien”). Executive producers include Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (“Charlie’s Angels”), Brent O’Connor (“Bullet Train”), and Tom Moran (“Unstoppable”).

Watch “Alien: Romulus” Official Trailer Below!

Produced by the legendary Ridley Scott and helmed by director and writer Fede Alvarez, “Alien: Romulus” is set to open exclusively in theaters nationwide on August 16, 2024. The film revisits the deep-space terror that first captivated audiences in 1979, bringing a fresh yet familiar sense of dread.

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Long before Juneteenth, enslaved and free Black New Yorkers celebrated African culture during a holiday that eventually made white people feel threatened.

Pinkster (Dutch for Pentecost) marked the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Jesus Christ’s disciples. The religious celebration was a little-known African American holiday with roots in 17th-century Dutch colonial New York. Over time, the festival evolved into “a form of cultural resistance,” that included African dance and drum performances.

The festival has seen a recent revival, as WABC reports.

“It was a way for Africans to hold onto their traditions by using European institutions,” Dr. A.J. Williams-Myers, the former chair of SUNY New Paltz Black Studies Department, told the Albany Times Union.

White folks eventually grew nervous about seeing large groups of unrestrained Black people gathering together, fearing that the enslaved and free Blacks were scheming against them.

Whether the plots were real or imagined, there was good reason to fear the people they shackled and brutalized after reading news of Black uprisings, including Haitians violently overthrowing their French enslavers in 1804 and the 1811 Louisiana Slave Revolt.

In 1811, New York banned Pinkster gatherings, claiming that the festivities were rowdy. Penalties for violating the ban included fines and jail time.

In a symbolic gesture, city lawmakers in New York’s capital, Albany, unanimously repealed the law in 2011. And a movement is now underway to reinstate Pinkster.

“My intention is to get it made into a state holiday,” master percussionist Chief Baba Neal Clark, told WABC. “If Juneteenth can be a national holiday, there’s no reason why Pinkster can’t be a New York State holiday.

New York state Assemblymember Brian Cunningham, a Brooklyn Democrat, has sponsored a bill that would make Pinkster a statewide holiday, alongside Juneteenth.

Being enslaved was a part of life for scores of Black people in New York City. According to the New York Historical Society, 41 percent of the city’s households owned slaves during the colonial period, compared to 6 percent in Philadelphia and 2 percent in Boston. New York State fully abolished slavery in 1827. The U.S. Congress ratified the 13th Amendment to officially abolish slavery nationwide in December 1865.

Colman Domingo is adding a new TV role to his résumé. 

The actor, 54, has been cast to star in a new Netflix comedy series, “The Four Seasons,” alongside previously announced cast members Tina Fey and Steve Carell, the streamer revealed on Monday in a press release. 

The series, written and executive produced by Fey, is a TV adaption of the 1981 Universal Pictures film of the same name that was written and directed by Alan Alda and starred Carol Burnett, according to the release. 

Original director Alda will produce the Netflix series, alongside Fey. Lang Fisher, Tracey Wigfield, David Miner, Eric Gurian and Jeff Richmond round out the list of executive producers for the project, which is expected to begin production later this year. Fisher and Wigfield also have writing credits on the series. 

“The Four Seasons” is just the latest project added to Domingo’s busy 2024 slate. The actor is set to play Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson in the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, “Michael,” and directs and stars in a movie musical about music icon Nat King Cole. The musical will be Domingo’s directorial debut.

“I’ve been working on it quietly for a few years,” he said about the Nat King Cole project in an episode of Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast in January. “It’s something I’m looking forward to putting together with some great partners.”

In the same interview, Domingo dished about his role as Joe in the “Michael” biopic, which stars Michael’s real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson, as the King of Pop. Acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua will direct the film, which is set for release in 2025. 

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“It’s exciting to do it with Jaafar,” Domingo shared at the time. “Jermaine Jackson’s son is playing Michael, and he is breathtaking, and I think Graham King, the producer, has assembled an incredible cast.”

“I’m excited to be a part of a film that explores both the complicated soul of the legendary Michael Jackson, as well as his impact on music and culture as a global icon,” he continued. “Not only am I fortunate to have a rich, complex and flawed character to portray in Joe Jackson, but I also have a front-row seat for Jaafar’s incredible transformation.”

Domingo’s upcoming projects follow his first Academy Award nomination for his role as civil rights icon Bayard Rustin in the Netflix film “Rustin.” 

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Apple TV+ has unveiled the trailer for its highly anticipated new series “Land of Women,” starring and executive produced by award-winning actress Eva Longoria. This six-episode dramedy, inspired by Sandra Barneda’s bestselling novel “La tierra de las mujeres,” is set to debut globally on Apple TV+ on June 26 with the release of the first two episodes. New episodes will follow every Wednesday through July 24.

“Land of Women” features Longoria as Gala, a well-to-do New Yorker whose life is turned upside down when her husband fails to repay a debt to dangerous criminals. Forced to flee the city, Gala takes her aging mother Julia (legendary film and television icon Carmen Maura) and teenage daughter Kate (newcomer Victoria Bazúa) to her mother’s hometown in northern Spain — a place Julia left 50 years ago. As they attempt to start anew and keep their identities hidden, they find themselves in a charming wine town where gossip spreads quickly, unraveling deep family secrets and truths.

Joining Longoria and Maura in the cast are Victoria Bazúa and Santiago Cabrera. The series promises a blend of drama and comedy, navigating the complexities of family dynamics and the challenge of starting over in a tight-knit community.

The creative minds behind “Land of Women” include creators Ramón Campos, Gema R. Neira, and Paula Fernández. The series is directed by Iris Award winner Carlos Sedes. Produced by Bambú Producciones, the show boasts an impressive lineup of executive producers: showrunner Campos, Neira, Sedes, Teresa Fernández-Valdés, Ben Spector, Sandra Condito, and Longoria herself, via her production company UnbeliEVAble Entertainment.

UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, founded by Longoria in 2005, is renowned for producing compelling film, television, and documentaries. With this new series, Apple TV+ and Longoria aim to captivate audiences with a heartfelt and engaging story set against the picturesque backdrop of northern Spain.

“Land of Women” is set to be a standout addition to the Apple TV+ lineup, promising a captivating blend of humor, drama, and family intrigue. Be sure to tune in for the premiere on June 26th.

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Ahead of the release of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are in good spirits.

After ushering select press and influencers into an immersive Bad Boys experience, which included speed-driving and learning how to drift Porsches down controlled tracks and competing against each other in a snack-obsessed obstacle course (in which I didn’t win)—the two legends were eager to talk about the fourth installment of the beloved franchise. But before we look forward at what’s to come—including a potential fifth film—we have to take a look back on their nearly 30-year journey.

1995: Where It All Began

Back when the original Bad Boys film hit the scene, the two successful actors were deep in the throws of success with their hit shows Martin and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air making taking over the small screens nationwide. So when the opportunity to combine their star power presented itself, it was a no-brainer for studios and an even bigger no-brainer for fans. And in return, we got a series of sequels that arguably get better and better.

Specifically, Bad Boys II, which seems to be a fan-favorite, became the 10th-highest grossing film in 2003, raking in nearly $300 million worldwide. Despite it’s success—we would have to wait 17 years for another one but the Boys never lost its steam. Released in 2020, Bad Boys: For Life became the highest-grossing film of the entire franchise, coming close to the $450 million range worldwide.

Now, even though the actors are no spring chickens as they were in their 30s when the things first began—they and the new film are poised to still deliver at the highest level. For Smith in particular, coming back to franchise gave him an opportunity to do some reflecting on how to approach life through his art.

“Over a career, when you start paying attention you notice that the character choices, and experiences and the themes and the things on and off-camera—are one thing,” Smith shared with The Root. “So I started to realize that when I concentrate on making a movie, I’m hoping to make a masterpiece. But when you back out, the whole thing should be your masterpiece. Your life wants to be your masterpiece…Everything is my art. That was one of the big epiphanies I had on this one.”

30 Years of Friendship

In numerous interviews, both Smith and Lawrence shared that they’d never worked together and only knew of each other prior to filming. But once the cameras began rolling, scenes began, and their online chemistry grew—their offline camaraderie and friendship blossomed. Four movies in, the two are still grateful to work with each other and to give fans something they know they’ll love.

“I just felt good about this movie all the way,” Lawrence told The Root. “I knew we was making a good movie and I just loved it. And just to be back with this guy doing the fourth one, [I’m] over the moon.”

Bad Boys: Back at It Again Soon?

With the heightened anticipation from the actors themselves, buzz from audiences and select crowds who’ve already seen it, and positive reviews already pouring in—the stage is set for a well-received, preemptive Bad Boys 5 announcement. And Smith and Lawrence aren’t ruling it out.

“Well you know masterpieces is so hard to come by,” Smith joked before continuing: “I love working with Marty Mar and everyday on set, it was—like you said, it was difficult. We got shut down and all of that. At the beginning of the strike, Vanessa [Hudgens] got pregnant so when she came back, we had to shoot around that. So there were really different challenges and adversities, but we’re like war buddies now.”

“We done been through it,” added Lawrence.

Hmmm…so they’re saying there’s a chance? We’ll take it.

NEW YORK (AP) — One of Idris Elba’s grandfathers fought in World War II, but he doesn’t know what he endured. No pictures or stories survive. “That part of my family’s history has been erased somewhat,” says Elba.

That helped fuel the actor’s push to narrate and executive produce the four-part National Geographic docuseries “Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color,” which premiered Monday, days ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when the Allies landed on the coast of France, on June 6. Episodes will also later be available on Disney+ and Hulu.

More than 8 million people of color served with the Allies, and the series digs deep to focus on how some fared at D-Day, Dunkirk, Pearl Harbor and the Battle of the Bulge.

It tells the story of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, the only all-Black combat unit to fight on the D-Day beaches, and Force K6, a little-known Indian regiment of mule handlers from the British army trying to evacuate at Dunkirk.

The series uses archival footage, descendant interviews, soldier journals and actor portrayals — a mix that Elba says he found visceral and moving.

“It really did actually impact me just in the narration booth, watching the imagery, looking at the faces, wondering about my own personal connect. Could my grandfather be one of the people in one of the pieces? That was what I thought about. So, it did definitely resonate with me.”

The series also highlights stories like that of Doris Miller, a mess attendant aboard the USS West Virginia who after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor raced to an unattended anti-aircraft gun and fired at the planes until forced to abandon ship.

He had never been trained to use the gun because Black sailors serving in the segregated steward’s branch of the Navy were not given the gunnery training received by white sailors. Miller’s bravery earned him the Navy Cross.

“It just feels like a privilege and an honor to be able to shed some light on their stories,” says director Shianne Brown, who helmed the D-Day episode.

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Her episode highlighted Waverly Woodson, Jr., a medic who was wounded by shrapnel during the landing but nevertheless spent the next 30 hours treating the wounded and the dying on Omaha Beach. He would note: “There’s no such thing as a color barrier in action.”

Brown says that observation proved so powerful. “If your leg has just been blown off, you need a medic to help you. At that moment, you’re not going to say to Waverly, ‘No, I don’t want you to treat me.’”

Woodson is being posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. The announcement was made Monday by Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Woodson died in 2005.

The series points out that many soldiers of color who fought the Nazis in Europe went home — the Indians back to British colonization and Black Americans to bitter racism — and began agitating for change because of what they’d witnessed and earned. Civil rights icon Medgar Evers, after all, was at D-Day.

“A lot of these men and women never felt like they were human before going to Europe and then being treated like a normal human being by the white population,” says Brown. “I can’t even imagine how that would have felt for them. You’ve been fighting against Hitler and the Nazis and against fascism and hate, and you go home and you experience racial terror.”

The filmmakers found very little footage of non-white soldiers in the archives and so were moved when they finally came across images of a Black unit marching in central England before D-Day or Black soldiers cheering the fall of the Nazis. “It was just very odd to see a Black man in Nazi Germany,” says Elba.

Elba urged the directors and editors to try to put the audience into the action, like the films “Saving Private Ryan” or “Dunkirk.” That meant filming recreations of bombings in villages in France, wading into the ocean with heavy gear and soldiers enduring beach strafing.

“I was really encouraging of the filmmakers to really go for it,” he says. “Giving you a little glimpse of, from a fictional perspective, what it might have looked like and how heroic these soldiers were.”

At the same time, the filmmakers wanted to show how horrible and frightening combat can be, the randomness of casualties and the agonizing wait before deployment.

“We don’t want to glorify what’s going on, but we actually wanted to paint the heroism in a way that was relatable to the way we’ve seen films of this nature,” Elba says.