Her Felicities - BLK NEWS NOW!

My first celebrity gifting suite experience — and all the free swag

26Nov

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

HER FELICITIES

My first celebrity gifting suite experience — and all the free swag

Gifting celebrities with expensive items for award shows have been around since the 90’s, and in our age of social media, gifting them swag for promotion can be pivotal to a company’s success. When the pandemic hit, the swanky star-studded events came to a screeching halt, along with the freebies. Fast forward to 2022 and with award shows back in action, celebrity gifting suites have made a return. As a blogger, the comeback for celebrity gifting suites gave me the absolute pleasure to be invited to my first celebrity gifting event held in honor the 2022 American Music Awards. Gifting suites are usually invitation only and closed to the public, which made me feel just as privileged and nervous at first to attend this event. Celebrities — and media such as myself, I learned — come to...

Venus and Serena Williams: Black women who broke barriers and inspired a new generation

6Oct

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

HER FELICITIES

Venus and Serena Williams: Black women who broke barriers and inspired a new generation

Growing up in Southern California, I couldn’t help but hear the stories about the two Black girls that crossed racial boundaries by playing tennis. Venus and Serena were inspirations to many girls living in urban communities across the world. They navigated their way through obstacles and persevered, becoming two of the best women to play in the Women's Tennis Association. Born to Richard Williams Jr. and Oracene Price, the family resided in Compton where they learned how to play tennis through their parents who coached them at the age of 4. The family lived in Compton during a period when the majority of Black athletes choose Football and Basketball. I remember hearing the stories of Venus and Serena and their rigorous early-morning tennis practices lasting late till dusk, and how at...

28Aug

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

Commentary, HER FELICITIES

Why is swimming so “white”?

Recently during an episode of the BLK News Now! YouTube Vlog “FalCo Files,” I was presented with a question about my opinion of an annoying stereotype. I shared, that in my opinion, one annoying stereotype is the “myth” that I can’t swim because of a pervasive stereotype that Black people can’t swim — or fear water because we will allegedly do anything to avoid getting our hair wet. I resisted leaning into this “stereotype?” because I know quite a few Black people who can swim, including myself from a young age. But a revelation from BLK News Now! Editor Corey that he cannot swim (and fears the ocean) was the beginning of an eye-opening look at how common it is that Black Americans can’t swim. Upon Corey’s admission — and mention of a study supporting this age-old belief that many Black ki...

Providing mental health support for children of color more important than ever

20Aug

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

HER FELICITIES

Providing mental health support for children of color more important than ever

Society is rapidly changing, and children of color in school today face pressures I never had to worry about when I was growing up. The mental health of children is more important now than ever. With Covid 19, the nation’s political/racial unrest, school shootings (which have become a sad norm), on top of the stresses that come with life and wanting to return to school, and the wanting to fitting in, the probability of students suffering from mental health crises is at an all time high. With the start of this school year, considering the anticipation and anxiety that this big day brings kids who return to school, I couldn’t help but to think about the kids returning to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and their mental health. It feels like yesterday when 19 students and two te...

Back to School: For some kids, supplies are the least of their worries

13Aug

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

HER FELICITIES

Back to School: For some kids, supplies are the least of their worries

Back to school has either arrived or is fast approaching for many children. For the millions of low-income students with food insecurities that depend on schools for free and/or reduced price breakfast to start the day — and lunches to sustain them from hunger — the school year could not start any faster. You may find it hard to believe that in America there are children that have food insecurities. Food insecurity, for those who may not know, is considered the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient amounts of affordable and nutritious food. This does not mean just healthy or affordable foods, but the uncertain access to adequate food (not just snacks, or a potato, but enough food to sufficiently meet the nutritional needs of the individual). Food insecurity and hunger...

WW2 Crisis: The forgotten tale of how women of color delivered our mail

29Jul

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

HER FELICITIES

WW2 Crisis: The forgotten tale of how women of color delivered our mail

This was a time before internet, email, and cellphones. A time before many of us can recall, but most of us know because of movie adaptations. Correspondence has become a casual expectation because of the many forms in which we can easily communicate now, but we forget how extremely important mail was before the advancement of technology. It was so important the military made their correspondence a high priority. Something later realized but not always practiced. In February 1945, amid World War II, Europe had a crisis of mail. Warehouses in Birmingham, England, were filled with millions of pieces of mail intended for members of the United States military, U.S. government personnel, and Red Cross workers. There was a need for soldiers in other areas leaving no one to combat the mail c...

Black don’t crack, but skin cancer kills

7Jul

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

HER FELICITIES

Black don’t crack, but skin cancer kills

Yes, Black is beautiful. And as much as Black people take pride in their skin and skin care, the truth is there’s a much more indiscriminate health problem than breast cancer, which I share last week. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women in the U.S., but skin cancer tops the list. There’s a common misconception in the Black community that we don’t need to wear sunscreen. This is not correct. While it is true that people with lighter skin tones are more susceptible to skin cancer then people with darker skin due to the lack of melanin, people with dark skin are still at risk. To understand how dark skin is still susceptible to skin cancer, it’s best to start with explaining what melanin is and how it works. For starters, skin is the largest organ on the human...

Breast cancer: It doesn’t discriminate, yet Black women suffer most

1Jul

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

HER FELICITIES

Breast cancer: It doesn’t discriminate, yet Black women suffer most

Breasts. They drive men and women alike crazy — for different reasons. They give nutritional values for life, and often are viewed as objects for desire and sexual pleasure, but in the battle against breast cancer, it would suit both sexes to know just how deadly breasts can be — especially for Black women. In the U.S., breast cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in women. (It can also occur in men, but is most common among women.) Before I jump into the sobering statistics, it’s best that people understand how they function from a practical view. A breast is made up of three main parts: the lobules, which are the glands that produce milk; the ducts, which are tubes that carry milk to the nipple; and the connective tissue that surrounds and holds everything together. Breast can...

BET Awards: The catastrophe with silver linings

29Jun

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

HER FELICITIES

BET Awards: The catastrophe with silver linings

I’m a grateful person. I don’t ask for much, especially when it’s free, but this Sunday’s BET Awards had me asking “where did the money go?” I agree with Corey’s column about the failures of this awards show. There were more than a few eyesores that I can’t help but pick at from this year’s ceremony. There were fumbles and malfunctions that tell me the BET Awards show definitely could of use some improvements. This show ostensibly intended to celebrate Black Excellence in entertainment, which is certainly debatable given some of the performances, but one of the worst parts was how low budget it looked on the screen, rather than the grand blockbuster show we deserved. I won’t mince words: the production was horrible! Despite this, there were some sweet spots that deserve a little love....

SCOTUS Roe v. Wade reversal may trigger a ripple effect

24Jun

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

HER FELICITIES

SCOTUS Roe v. Wade reversal may trigger a ripple effect

What’s the difference between 1973 and 2022? If you were to judge it by our regression in human rights, like me, you’d be wise to say not much. Nearly 50 years after Roe v. Wade was passed — by men (humans who will never know what it feels like to carry a child) — it has been reversed. To understand how the SCOTUS’ latest overreach of power came to reality today, let’s rewind to January 22, 1973, when the Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, struck down a Texas law banning abortion, effectively legalizing abortion nationwide. This case was known as Roe vs Wade. The court declared that a woman’s right to an abortion was implicit in the right to privacy protected by the 14th Amendment. For those that do not know what the the 14th amendment is, you can also find it here. It states that "no St...

20Jun

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

HER FELICITIES

Who is the Grandmother of Juneteenth?

In case you didn’t know, grandmothers aren’t just for kids. And Juneteenth is no exception. Some people may not know Opal Lee, but she has been dubbed the grandmother of Juneteenth — and for good reason. For those who don’t know Opal Lee, she is a mother, sister, aunt, grandmother and friend to many. She is also a teacher, counselor and most notably to this day, at the age of 95, she continues to work as a civil rights activist which led to people coining her name as the Grandmother of Juneteenth. Opal is the oldest of three children, born October 7, 1926, in Marshall, Texas. Her parents later bought a house in the Sycamore Park area in Fort Worth — a predominantly white neighborhood, which would later set the stage for a tragic event that she never forgot. At the age of 12, on June 19,...

Gun violence in America isn’t a race problem

9Jun

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

HER FELICITIES

Gun violence in America isn’t a race problem

I think we, level-headed people, can all agree the increase in gun violence in the U.S., no matter the ethnicity of the individual behind the weapon, is a serious problem. But there is a bigger problem we are ignoring: politicians and people in positions of authority using their power as a means to convince individuals to buy into their delusional ideology. It’s dangerous. Take for example the would-be Arizona senator BNN reported on this week who had the gall to blame Blacks for what we all see (and know) is not an issue that is mostly caused by Black Americans… not even close if you care to look at studies on violent shootings when segmented by race. This GOP candidate (backed by Trump, by the way), like many Republicans, willfully chooses not to focus on what can be actually done ab...

8Jun

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

HER FELICITIES

Reparations: Is there a price tag on generational suffering?

The national discussion on reparations is ramping up again. This time, thanks in part to a groundbreaking study in California, which BNN reported on this week. I have heard this discussion many times growing up. As an African American, it’s hard to escape. No pun intended. But I can’t help but ask: is reparations for African Americans really the answer? And if so, reparations in what sense? What value can you put on hundreds of years of slavery, racial discrimination and systemic oppression? Still, to this day, Black people are fighting for equal rights in one way or another. In my opinion, putting a value on what the African American community has, and continues to endure is not the answer. A logical starting point would be making amends to the Black community… treating us no differently...

6Jun

By Falisha McGeeNo Comments

HER FELICITIES

Beam me up, too

Last week, I read C.A.’s column about humanity looking for aliens yet treating other humans like they don’t belong here, and it got me thinking. We are so enamored with the possibility of life outside of Earth but lack appreciation for our own planet, and what we as humans are doing to it… and to each other. I understand the fascination with the possibility of extraterrestrial existence and find it hard to believe we are the only beings in this vast galaxy. Reading this took me back when I too watched Star Trek with my father, thinking back to the roles of the Black characters and the lack of controversy surrounding them. I was transformed into that world — a place where there were trials to overcome, but racism was not one of them. They worked together to overcome whatever obsta...