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Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, and Other Celebs Sign Powerful Open Letter to Latinx Community


More than 200 Latinx celebrities, activists, and other prominent public figures—including Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, and Eva Longoria—joined forces to sign and publish an open letter to the Latinx community on Friday following ongoing ICE raids, the continuing separation of families at the U.S./Mexico border, and the recent mass shooting in El Paso.

The letter, titled “Querida Familia Latina,” or “Dear Latinx Family,” and written in both Spanish and English, was published in The New York Times, El Nuevo Herald, El Diario, and La Opinión, on Friday, August 16. According to a press release, it was authored by actresses America Ferrera, Eva Longoria, Diane Guerrero, and Olga Segura, director Alex Martinez Kondracke, and activist Mónica Ramírez. Their overall message is one of love, solidarity, and action, and they call on the public to speak up against hate, donate resources as possible to organizations that support the Latinx community, and “hold our leaders accountable.”

“If you are feeling terrified, heartbroken and defeated by the barrage of attacks on our community, you are not alone,” it begins. “We have been smeared by political rhetoric and murdered in violent hate crimes. We have been separated from our families and have watched our children caged. We have been targeted with mass shootings and mass ICE raids meant to terrify us, squash our hope, and break our spirits.”

“But, we will not be broken. We will not be silenced. We will continue to denounce any hateful and inhumane treatment of our community,” the letter continues. “We will demand dignity and justice.”

The letter addresses the Latinx community directly before calling upon its allies for support. “Though real pain and fear are sweeping through our communities, we remain powerful. The indignities and cruelty we have endured will never change the truth that the contributions we make to this country are invaluable. Our humanity must be respected. And, we won’t stop organizing for ourselves, our children, and for the soul of this nation.

“To our allies who feel our community’s pain, we need you. We cannot make change without your voices and action. We call on you to speak out loudly against hate, to contribute your resources to organizations that support our community, and to hold our leaders accountable.”

It closes with a vision for the future: “We ask you to join us in building a better country where we are all safe and valued. May we turn this time of despair into a time of action. May our love for one another be the guiding light in these dark times.”

Signatories include Rosario Dawson, Salma Hayek Pinault, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Zoe Saldana, Wilmer Valderrama, Diego Luna, Ricky Martin, as well as activists Dolores Huerta and Teresa Romero.

Brooklyn 99 star Melissa Fumero also signed.

As did Jane the Virgin‘s Gina Rodriguez.

On Friday, Ferrera also appeared on MSNBC to discuss why it’s important to come together right now, despite what can seem like a constant barrage of terrible news.



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Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, and the Powerful Men Who Get Away With It


If we’ve learned anything from the presidency of Donald Trump, it’s that more often than not rich men get away with it—whatever it is.

For all the overdue justice that #MeToo secured, the last 20 or so months have seen countless men scrutinized and then…exonerated. From Trump to Brett Kavanaugh, the process tends to follow a familiar script: Justice is invoked, press conferences are held, social media is ablaze, and then the outrage fades—or worse, it never quite materializes in the first place.

When the dust settles, the man tends to retain his position (or in the case of Brett Kavanaugh, is rewarded with a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court). From time to time, he’s forced to slink off for a little like Louis C.K. (whose eventual comeback seems inevitable) or Charlie Rose. But a lot of the powerful men of are able to ride it out. There’s some fallout, the word “allegations” is sprinkled into 10,000 news stories, and then people like Eric Bolling or Bill O’Reilly recover; as popular in conservative circles as ever. It’s been hard to see #MeToo as a triumph or as all it was supposed to be, especially when people like Donald Trump, Jr. use it as a punchline.

But on Saturday the Daily Beast broke the news that Jeffery Epstein had been arrested as soon as he stepped off his private jet at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. He was taken directly to a prison cell. When his indictment was unsealed, it revealed that Epstein had been charged with “one count of sex trafficking of minors” and “one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors.” It feels like a strange victory. In a time when rich men seem to have a separate justice system all their own, what does it mean for a powerful person to be treated like what he really is—a man who’s been accused of sex trafficking children for over a decade?

But it’s not so simple. I wish the fact that Epstein could face an actual sentence commensurate with his crimes means the dawn of a new era. The bad guys get caught! They suffer for it. Instead, Epstein feels not even like an aberration, but like proof: the system is broken and unfair. He isn’t just some guy who made one mistake; the charges against him paint him as a serial sexual predator. When prosecutors made their case that Epstein should be denied bail, Bloomberg reports that the team pointed to the “vast trove of lewd photographs” it uncovered in a search of Epstein’s New York mansion (once valued at $77 million) over the weekend. The images, the government said, show he is a danger to the public. But if you’ve read the Miami Herald investigation that revived the allegations against Epstein, you already knew that. And so did all the other powerful men who decided for years not to do anything about it.

In 2008, Alex Acosta, who is now the secretary of labor and was then a district attorney in Miami, secured for Epstein a non-prosecution agreement that allowed him to plead guilty to a fraction of what he was accused of; he ultimately served 13 months, most of it in a private wing of a county jail that permitted him to leave for work almost every day. This week, Acosta addressed the new charges on Twitter, writing, “The crimes committed by Epstein are horrific, and I am pleased that NY prosecutors are moving forward with a case based on new evidence.”





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Michelle Obama Shared Some Powerful Relationship Advice: 'Marry Your Equal'


In addition to being an accomplished lawyer, a style icon, and record-breaking author, Michelle Obama is also like another mother when it comes to dispensing extremely valuable life advice. On Saturday night (July 6) during the Essence Festival, she was at it again, sharing some of her thoughts on dating and marriage. Obama left the audience with some thoughtful advice about why women should find an equal who wants “you to win as much as you want them to win.”

The sage words came during a keynote conversation with CBS anchor Gayle King. The topic turned to marriage, and Obama quickly broke in with the philosophies that have helped her and Barack Obama through more than 26 years that have included two children and two terms in the White House.

“Marriage is a choice you make every day,” she explained. “You don’t do it because it’s easy. You do it because you believe in it. You believe in the other person.”

“And ladies and gentleman, that’s why it’s so important to marry somebody that you respect,” she continued, “It’s important to marry somebody who is your equal, and to marry and be with somebody who wants you to win as much as you want them to win.”

The idea, she said, has some parallel to sports. “My husband is my teammate. If we are going to win this game together, he has to be strong and he has to be okay with me being strong. I do not want a weak player on my team, nor does he. But sometimes, we accept weak in one another because it feels easy. And be cautious of the man or woman who wants just the easy person.”

As a couple, the Obamas have constantly shown they have an unbelievably strong handle on working together. There’s the sweet stuff, like social media tributes and Spotify playlists, but they’ve always spoken about being each other’s source of support and encouragement. Power-couple goals? You bet.



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Lizzo Got ‘Emotionally Honest’ About Her Depression—and the Response Was Powerful


Lizzo’s in the middle of a banner year when it comes to her career. Her songs “Juice” and “Truth Hurts” have quickly become not only songs of summer but anthems of female empowerment and positivity. Her new album, Cuz I Love You, reached number one on iTunes. And she brings so much energy and talent on stage performing that even Rihanna recently gave her a standing ovation.

And through all of these career highlights, Lizzo has been open with fans about every aspect of her life—including her mental health. “I’m depressed and there’s no one I can talk to because there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Life hurts,” she wrote in a recent Instagram post.

“I self-love so hard because everything feels like rejection… it feel like the whole world be ghostin me sometimes,” she continued in the caption. “Sad af today. But this too shall pass. S/O all the messages of love. Thank you.”

That is some powerfully honest vulnerability from one of music’s biggest stars. Messages like that are a reminder that nobody’s life is exactly how it seems on the outside, especially on social media. Fans—both famous and non-famous alike—responded with their own messages of support.

“I hear you- depression is real. Struggle with it all my life. It does pass although while in it, it seems it never will. You are so loved. I love you Lizzo ♥️♥️♥️ @lizzobeeating,” designer Marc Jacobs wrote. “U drag me up everyday … fr . Take your time u carrying a lot of us. We love you ❤️??,” SZA added.

Many commenters thanked Lizzo for being so open. “Openness ends the stigma–thank you. You are not alone, sometimes life feels so hard. But you brighten it for all of us,” one wrote. “I’m recovering from cancer and chemo, and your music, especially dancing to it, lifts me up. You are important and doing so much good. I hope you feel much better soon. ?”

The response on Twitter was just as supportive:

The singer responded with a video in which she delved even further into her own relationship with her mental health and self care. “I know that something incredible is about to happen and something incredible has already happened, and I know that I’m just in between that incredible moment…” she said in a tearful follow-up video. “It’s humbling and I’m grateful that I’m able to feel these emotions, because I know that because of the sadness, I’m gonna be able to feel joy.”

In the caption, she reiterated what a positive experience speaking out has been for her while also asking her followers what triggers their sadness and how they handle it. “I learned in the last 24hrs that being emotionally honest can save your life,” she said. “Reaching out may be hard but as soon as I did it, I was immediately covered in love.”





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Bella Thorne Had a Powerful Response to a Hacker Who Threatened to Leak Her Nude Photos


Bella Thorne has never shied away from expressing herself and letting the world know exactly what she thinks—especially when it comes to clapping back at people who try to threaten her online. Now, she’s doing it again, and this time, it’s about a super-personal matter: After a hacker allegedly stole nude photos from Thorne, she took a stand and decided to release them herself.

The actress tweeted out the naked images early Saturday morning, along with a powerfully worded note. “Yesterday as you all know, my shit was hacked,” she wrote. “For the last 24 hours, I have been threatened with my own nudes. I feel gross, I feel watched, I feel someone has taken something from me that I only wanted one special person to see.” She also says that the person has sent her compromising photos of other celebrities along with her own and that “he won’t stop with me or them, he will just keep going.” Instead, she took a proactive approach—or, in her words: “Here’s my boobies.”

“For too long I let a man take advantage of me over and over and I’m f*cking sick of it,” she continued in the note. “NOW U DON’T GET TO TAKE ANOTHER THING FROM ME. I can sleep tonight better knowing I took my power back. U can’t control my life, u never will.”

“I can sleep better tonight knowing I took my power back,” Thorne added. “U can’t control my life. U never will.” She also says the alleged hacker should be on the lookout for the FBI, but does not give any specifics on that front.

Thorne’s fans offered support in the replies. “Babe don’t let them control you. We are all here for you. We got you. Karma will find its way ?,” one wrote. Another said, “You took the power back from this piece of shit. That’s real strength. I love you.”

Thorne certainly isn’t the first celebrity to be faced with the exploitation of her personal and private images. Back in 2014, Jennifer Lawrence was the victim of an iCloud hack and had her nude photos published online. “I feel like I got gangbanged by the f-cking planet—like, there’s not one person in the world that is not capable of seeing these intimate photos of me,” she later said. “You can just be at a barbecue and somebody can just pull them up on their phone. That was a really impossible thing to process.”





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When They See Us Review: This Is a Powerful Story That Must Be Seen


“I’m here for my son.”

When I first heard these words in When They See Us, Ava DuVernay’s limited series about the 1989 Central Park jogger case for Netflix, I felt the full weight of them. They’re five simple words, but they reveal a determination to protect—and a fear of what’s to come. They remind me of the countless stories I’ve heard of black mothers who’ve said this, or similar, at police precincts after learning of their sons’ arrests. Women who know all too well what can happen to their babies, whose only goal is to get their boys home as quickly and safely as possible.

And when the worst happens—an arrest, death—society tells them it’s their fault. When Daniel Patrick Moynihan published The Negro Family: The Case for National Action in 1965, he claimed female-led black households were “so out of line with the rest of the American society” their families were placed at a “distinct disadvantage.” Just last year, Reverend Jasper Williams used Aretha Franklin’s funeral as an opportunity to call single parent households “abortion after birth”. “Seventy percent of our households are led by our precious, proud, fine black women,” he said in his eulogy. “But as proud, beautiful, and fine as our black women are, one thing a black woman cannot do. A black woman cannot raise a black boy to be a man.”

These men, and others, have contributed to a long-held—and false—belief that black boys can’t thrive as long as single mothers lead the families. And when Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise were arrested for the rape and assault of Trisha Meili in 1989, many pointed at them as proof of that. The boys, all between the ages of 14 and 16 at the time of their arrests, were vilified by the press. The New York Post’s Pete Hamill wrote that the five came from a “land of no fathers” with “to smash, hurt, rob, stomp, rape.” Donald Trump spent $85,000 on full page ads calling for their execution. In 1990, all five were convicted and sentenced to between five and 15 years in prison. After the lone assailant confessed to the crime in 2002, their convictions were vacated; in 2014, the five men settled with the city of New York for $41 million.

With When They See Us, DuVernay sets the narrative straight. They are not “The Central Park Five.” They are “The Exonerated Five.” They are Kevin, Antron, Yusef, Raymond, and Korey—young men with promise who became victims of racism and a corrupt criminal justice system. DuVernay’s powerful four-part retelling begins the night of the arrests and follows the five throughout their trials, convictions, and post-release. It tells their story with all the facts—and, most important, it humanizes them. “We only got to hear about the boys through one lens,” Storm Reid—who plays Lisa, Korey Wise’s girlfriend—tells Glamour. “We didn’t get to know them as young men and as teenagers. We didn’t get to know about their family lives or their hobbies and interests. A piece of their adolescence was taken away from them, and what Ava does is gives it back to all of us.”



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