+
upworthy
More

#TimesUp for R. Kelly thanks to Ava DuVernay and other brave, badass black women.

In typical badass Ava DuVernay style, the filmmaker is fearlessly taking on one of the #MeToo movement's forgotten foes.    

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.


On April 30, DuVernay joined forces with women of color in the #MeToo movement by declaring support for #MuteRKelly, an online call to action demanding that Live Nation and Sony Music to drop R&B singer R. Kelly from his recording contract and cancel his tour dates.      

‌Other incredible black women celebrities, including Lena Waithe and Shonda Rimes, are joining the cause, too, according to a statement also released April 30.

Kelly's disgusting behavior has been well documented though largely ignored.

For decades, multiple women have accused the popular singer of aggravated assault, statutory rape, and harassment.

In 2000, Kelly was accused of statutory rape and numerous other charges followed in the years after. Most recently, reports surfaced of Kelly running a "sex cult" that entailed Kelly holding young girls against their will, and controlling their every move with only minimal impact on his career. Instead, Kelly has often been the brunt off of-the-cuff jokes.

To make matters worse, Most of Kelly's victims have been black women, and have yet to receive any sort of justice.

Photo by ‌Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images.‌

The dude is gross, and thanks to DuVernay and other amazing women of color, time may finally be up for Kelly.

Photo by Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images.‌

Finally, calls to investigate Kelly and bring him to justice for his sexual misconduct appear to be sticking: The singer was recently dropped by his publicist, lawyer, and assistant. Slowly people are distancing themselves, and DuVernay will likely push that further.    

DuVernay is certainly no stranger to fighting for social justice.

The director and filmmaker has spent a large part of her prominent career fighting against America's prison industrial complex and advocating for increasing the number of women of color in film.

Importantly, she's also made it clear in her career that women should no longer be holding themselves back to appease society. ‌

Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images.‌

"Women have been trained in our culture and society to ask for what we want instead of taking what we want," DuVernay said in a 2015 BlogHer keynote speech. "We've been really indoctrinated with this culture of permission. I think it's true for women, and I think it's true for people of color. It's historic, and it's unfortunate and has somehow become part of our DNA. But that time has passed."

According to a study from the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, black girls and women 12 years old and older experienced higher rates of rape and sexual assault than white, Asian, and Latina girls. Given the fact that black women and girls experience heartbreaking rates of sexual assault but are less likely to report it, DuVernay's stand matters more than ever.  

When powerful women use their platforms to raise awareness and demand change, the world responds.  

As the country continues to evolve in how it responds to sexual assault, it's important that we uplift all women who are survivors and make sure that their voices are heard.

DuVernay is doing just that.

Family

Mom calls out teacher who gave her son a 'zero' grade for not providing class with supplies

Her viral video sparked a debate as to whether or not providing school supplies should be mandatory for parents.

@shanittanicole/TikTok

A zero grade for not providing school supplies?

The debate as to whether or not parents should supply classroom supplies is not new. But as prices continue to rise, parents are growing more baffled as to how they can be expected by teachers to provide all the various glue sticks, colored pencils, rulers and other various items the incoming students might need.

What’s even more perplexing, however, is penalizing the children of parents who won’t (or can’t) provide them.

This was the case for Shanitta Nicole, who discovered her son received a zero grade in his new school for not bringing school supplies for the entire classroom.
Keep ReadingShow less

A group of men look at paperwork.

The massive changes to the American workplace caused by the COVID-19 pandemic invited many to reconsider their professional lives. This reevaluation has led people to push for improved work-life balance, and many now are looking for work to provide a greater sense of meaning and purpose.

When the world returned to work after COVID, many believed they deserved to be treated better by their employers. This resulted in many taking a break from the workforce or changing professions altogether. It also helped usher in a more comfortable culture for calling out companies that don’t treat their employees respectfully.

Recently, a group of thousands came together on Reddit to expose the common mistruths that people often hear at the workplace. It all started when a Redditor named PretenstoKnow asked: "What's the most common lie employers tell their employees?" And over 2,600 people responded.

Keep ReadingShow less

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo Credit: William Fortunado via Canva

Amanda Seals breaks down history of DAP handshake

We've all seen people do it. Anywhere from basketball players on television to kids meeting up at the skating rink. Even former president Barack Obama when greeting a mixed group of men gave "DAP" to the Black men in the group, yet switched to a firm handshake when greeting the other men.

It was almost like watching the president code switch, but with body language, in a move that many Black Americans recognize as a gesture of acceptance and comradery. But did you know that there's an actual history behind the DAP that has nothing to do with looking cool? Social justice educator and actress, Amanda Seales, recently re-shared a clip from "The Real" where she was diving into the history of the handshake.

Seales, who has a master's degree in African American Studies from Columbia University, was also admittedly surprised when she learned there was a deeper meaning to the gesture.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health

Neuroscientist reveals perfect amount of time to spend on social media for your mental health

Over several weeks, the participants felt less loneliness, depression and anxiety.

@rachelle_summers/TikTok

Anyone can use this checklist.

There are pretty clear cut guidelines on how much screen time kids should have, but for adults…not so much. And perhaps it’s this lack of clarity that leaves people to go on full blown digital detoxes or get off social media entirely.

And while there is certainly a case to be made for that decision, for many of us, that isn’t quite feasible—especially in certain lines of work.

Luckily, according to neuroscientist Rachelle Summers, there is a way we can still be on social media, without being subjected to its negative side effects.
Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Kats Weil on Unsplash

Ready for a refreshingly wholesome story?

The stereotypical image we get of bachelor parties is a booze-filled evening of depravity and bad choices. Followed of course by a massive hangover…and some regrets.

And granted, there are plenty of viral videos to show that this is sometimes the case. But there are also plenty of grooms who don’t see it as their “last night as a free man.” On the contrary, they see it as an opportunity to simply celebrate the next chapter with close friends.

Case and point: a husband-to-be named Luke, who apparently couldn’t stop “gushing” about his bride, Sam. This, according to a woman also named Sam, who happened to be at the bar Luke was having his bachelor party at.
Keep ReadingShow less