Courtesy of The Root

In 1988, not long after civil rights lawyer, and Southern Poverty Law Center co-founder, Morris Dees won a case against the Ku Klux Klan that bankrupted one of the hate group’s major arms, Dees took the podium at a national NAACP gathering. He talked about 19-year-old Michael Donald’s 1981 death at the hands of two Klansmen, the related suit and why Donald should be remembered as one of the nation’s civil rights martyrs. Afterward, a teenager in the audience approached Dees.

“This person knew about the four little girls killed at 16th Street Baptist Church,” says Lecia Brooks, an outreach director at the SPLC, referring to the church bombing in Birmingham, Ala., on Sept. 15, 1963. “They knew Martin Luther King Jr. and [Medgar] Evers. But they just had no sense of how violence has consistently been used to intimidate and maintain an unjust social order.”

Now, 50 years after a bomb killed four little girls and focused the nation’s attention on the brutal measures sometimes used to enforce the legal and social subjugation of black Americans, knowledge of that broader history remains surprisingly limited. The church bombing is part of a long list of race-related violence that permeates the national consciousness, inspires outrage, shame and change, especially when it claims children as its victims.

“I think that over the years, what’s happened in the average American’s mind is that the civil rights movement has been watered down,” says Rashad Robinson, executive director of the nonprofit civil rights organization ColorOfChange.org. “There was some singing and some protests, and Martin Luther King gave a really, really great speech and everything was soon fine. But there was a lot of blood and sweat and sacrifice.”

Continue here…

Congratulations are in order for LeBron James and Savannah Brinson who tied the knot Saturday (Sept. 14) in San Diego.

The high school sweethearts made things official at the Grand Del Mar resort in front of hundreds of guests that included teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, as well as Gabrielle Union, Adrienne Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, Ne-Yo, Beyonce, JAY Z and others.

The weekend kicked off with a barbeque on Friday night before the Saturday afternoon wedding and will reportedly close out with a farewell brunch on Sunday.

James popped the question at a New Year’s Eve party in 2011 as he presented Brinson with a pear-shaped diamond. The couple have two sons together, LeBron Jr. (8) and Bryce (5).

Best wishes to the newlyweds!

As a pioneer for female rappers in hip hop and a powerful force in the music industry to this day, it should come as no surprise that MC Lyte is set to receive the BET Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards, which will air on October 15. Lyte will be the eighth recipient of the annual “I Am Hip Hop Award.”

Lyte was the first female rapper to release a solo album and to receive a certified Gold single for “RuffNeck.” She is also the first female solo rapper to be nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Performance.

MC Lyte has proven that rappers’ voices extend beyond the hip hop community. She founded the Hip Hop Sisters Network to promotes positive images of women of ethnic diversity, bringing leaders together from the world of Hip Hop, the entertainment industry, and the corporate world, according to the organization’s website. The non-profit foundation grants an eligible four-year college student with a full scholarship each year.

Lyte plans to release new music, as well as executive produce an upcoming BET reality show called “Hip-Hop Sisters,” which will feature Lyte, Lady of Rage, Yo-Yo, Smooth, Monie Love, and Lil Mama.

[Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage]

Djimon Hounsou has been cast in Fast & Furious 7, the next installment of the Fast & Furious franchise, Variety reports.

Hounsou will join franchise regulars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Ludacris, and Tyrese Gibson in a film that is sure to satiate adrenaline junkies and car enthusiasts alike.

Producers are keeping Hounsou’s character and the sequel plot details under wraps, only revealing that that the film will return to Los Angeles after films two through five were set in other locations. However, if producers stick with the formula that has proven profitable, Fast & Furious 7 could beat Fast & Furious 6‘s $788-million box office.

Production for the film is underway, and it’s set for a summer 2014 release. Until then, Hounsou can be seen in David E. Talbert’s Baggage Claim, which will be released later this month with co-stars Paula Patton, Lauren London, and Tia Mowry-Hardict. Then, Hounsou will play the villainous Korath the Pursuer in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which also stars Diesel and is set for a summer 2014 release.

Courtesy of Elev8

In his varied and long career, actor Orlando Jones has flipped it from comedy to drama and back again. So many people think of him as a comic actor, but he’s never done a standup show. The multifaceted actor, who was also a high school basketball star, did start out as a comedy writer, beginning his career writing for the classic sitcom “A Different World,” then heading to “MadTV” and other shows. (He did, however, have a short-lived comedy show in 2003.)

This season, Jones gets to show his versatility once again on the new Fox show “Sleepy Hollow,” which revisits the legend of Ichabod Crane.

Keep reading …

Jonathan Ferrell, a former football player for the Florida A&M University Rattlers, was gunned down by police in Charlotte, North Carolina Saturday evening.

The 24-year-old had recently transferred to a Charlotte-area school to be closer to his fiancée and was working two jobs, according to his family.

Early Saturday morning, Ferrell’s vehicle crashed into a group of trees. The car was so damaged that he was forced to climb out of the back window, said Police Chief Rodney Monroe.

Once he had exited the vehicle, Ferrell reportedly walked about a half-mile to a nearby house, where he knocked “viciously” to seek help. The woman who lived there opened the door, but then closed it.  She called police to report a breaking-and-entering, although Ferrell (who was unarmed) made no threats or attempts to rob the woman.

When authorities responded to the scene, Ferrell ran toward them, once again seeking help. Officers used a Taser, which failed to stop him. It was then that Officer Randall Kerrick fired his weapon at Ferrell, hitting him multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

While North Carolina police initially called Kerrick’s actions “appropriate and lawful”, they decided later Saturday that he had used excessive force against Ferrell, and charged him with voluntary manslaughter. This charge, in the state of North Carolina, entails killing without malice, using excessive force and exercising “imperfect self-defense.”

Kerrick, who had joined the force in April of 2011, turned himself in to authorities Saturday evening and posted $50,000 bond. Georgia Ferrell, Jonathan’s mother, had this to say in a statement Monday.

“I truly forgive him. I pray for him. And I pray that he gets off the police force. You took a piece of my heart that I can never get back.”

“This was an unwarranted, inhumane shooting,” Willie Ferrell, Jonathan’s brother, said.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to his family during their time of bereavement,” FAMU Interim Athletics Director Michael Smith said. Ferrell played a safety for the school during the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

Chris Chestnut, attorney for Ferrell’s family, hailed police for taking immediate action, saying, “This is an all-American young man who survived a horrific accident. He is crying for help and is showered with bullets. To shoot first and ask questions later is not an appropriate action for a police officer.”

The president of NAACP’s Charlotte branch, Kojo Nantambu, felt that Kerrick’s charges should be increased to murder.

“[It is a] tradition in this country to be able to kill innocent black men,” he said.

Chestnut, however, was unsure if this case had racial implications. Instead, he feels that Ferrell’s death shows the lack of sympathy and compassion people have for one another, regardless of race.

“I think this is poor decision making. I think this is more a reflection of where we are as a country. Before we assign race to this issue, perhaps we should pause and consider violence.”

“I need a real man who knows how to HANDLE me!”

I’ve heard women utter this phrase in private and public conversations, add it to their Facebook timeline and online dating pages, and even say it directly to potential suitors. And I’m not just talking about the type of ratchet-chick who might drop down and get her eagle on at a wake if her jam comes on, but all types of women from all walks of life. For some reason, many women think it’s perfectly cool to state that they need a man who can “handle” them, yet they get confused why grown men don’t even want to try.

Well ladies, let me make it as clear as possible from a male perspective: A grown man won’t even attempt to handle you and it’s not because he’s weak or insecure, but because he knows a grown woman should realize it’s her duty to handle herself. When a man hears a woman use the word “handle,” it immediately comes off to him as if she is acutely aware of her shortcomings, yet chooses to revel in them as opposed to working on them. Any man of real substance will take that comment as being completely unfair because he knows his ass couldn’t say any crap like that without receiving major backlash.

Think about it ladies, how would you feel if a man said, “I need a real woman who knows how to put up with my BULLSHIT!”? Chances are you would run in the other direction while simultaneously wondering what in the hell was preventing him from fixing his own bullshit, so neither of you had to “put up with it.”

And that’s exactly what men think when they hear women talk about “being handled.” Ladies, if you know better, then there’s no excuse not to do better.

LAB

Lincoln Anthony Blades blogs daily on his site ThisIsYourConscience.com, he’s an author of the book “You’re Not A Victim, You’re A Volunteer” and a weekly contributor for UPTOWN Magazine. He can be reached via Twitter @lincolnablades and on Facebook at This Is Your Conscience.

[Image: Shutterstock]

By Kelly D. Harrington | Photography Ebi Kagbala

Some people try to downplay their presentation like their image isn’t important, but it is. It gets you in doors and allows you to stay in,” says Kevin Stewart. And he should know. After all, his “Professor Badass” moniker comes from a 2008 photo taken of him simply strutting down the street in his normal, everyday mode that went viral. As a fashion, creative or style director for some of the largest titles in the publishing world, including ESPN The Magazine, Vibe and Details, in addition to once working as a visual merchandiser for luxury retailers Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York, Stewart has long been at the forefront of dictating fashion trends, not following them.

But when did fashion happen for him? Although he admits, “my father dressed his ass off,” his fashion career took its cues from his music career. “In the early ’80s, I was getting into a rock band and [the two] kind of go hand in hand. You play and you can dress up. And then I got a job and I started shopping, and it all went from there.”

About seven years ago, he moved into a new arena to create Roger Charles New York, an upscale men’s shirt line harkening back to the 1800s. The line, however, didn’t take off until he refashioned it earlier this year, on New Year’s Day actually, as Old School Shirt Makers New York.

“Roger Charles wasn’t sexy,” he admits. “It was very [much] based in tradition, Americana and the 1800s. Old School Shirt Makers kind of revved me up with real shirt making that makes a man stand out in a room [today].” In addition to Daddy Badass’ crucial assist and music’s influence, Stewart also counts the ’70s blaxploitation era as hugely impacting his celebrated sense of style and that of many others. Jim Kelly, Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and Melvin Van Peebles’ film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, Stewart says, have all helped create what he describes as today’s American man: “A man who wants to be fly, a man who’s confident, like American men used to be.”

And his philosophy is not just reflected in his wardrobe; it has permeated his life. While working as the fashion director of Savoy magazine, he did a bold and unprecedented shoot in Egypt. “I decided that Savoy needed a photo shoot that was global, and the opportunity came up to shoot in Giza and Sharm el-Sheikh, which is where the very rich Arabs go for holidays and vacation. So we just went. All-black crew.”

Stewart didn’t ask permission either. “If you wait around for a consensus from a committee,” he says, “you’ll be waiting a long time to do anything. You kind of just have to put yourself out there. You can’t be creative and worry about what’s the right thing to do. You have to go with your gut.”

But life has not come without unexpected complications. When he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis seven years ago, just as he delivered the Roger Charles line, everything almost came to a screeching halt and he thought he might not live at all.

“The world kind of stopped turning, and I stopped walking,” Stewart reflects. “I had really been living life to the fullest before that happened. So it didn’t really change my way of thinking, I just had to change how I operated.” That wasn’t easy at first. “I physically could not walk. I was holding on to the walls of my house. My eyes would turn, but my brain was telling me it was turning the other way. So there were a lot of things that changed,” he says. “MS is a very life-altering disease. I learned a lot about the human body. More than anyone should know.”

Through diligent medical treatment, Stewart regained his life. “When things started to slowly come back to center,” he says, “I was like, ‘Well, I can keep on living.’” And he’s done just that. “Smell it, see it, that’s all part of living to me. I want to see it. I don’t want to miss a thing.”

Not content to be dismissed as an “urban” menswear designer, Stewart is confident his designs are imbued with the vision of what he believes America needs. “I [want] somebody who looks like me, in my skin color, to leave an impression upon the fashion community on a global scale, on a Ralph Lauren–type scale, on a Calvin Klein–type scale,” he says. Class is clearly in session.

As an up-and-comer in Atlanta’s fashion scene, Emily Lipman of ”The New Atlanta” is a boutique owner who values her independence. She sits with UPTOWN to discuss cast drama, her ambitions, and the personal loss that changed her perspective on life …

UPTOWN: How did you become a cast member of “The New Atlanta”?
Emily: It’s actually a funny story! Atlanta is an extremely big city, but it’s actually like a really small town, and when you own a business in a small town people get to know you. I was featured in Jezebel [magazine] as one of the “50 Most Beautiful of Atlantans 2011” and that put me out there.

UPTOWN: You own a fashion boutique right?
Emily: Yes! It’s called Raw Denim.

UPTOWN: Are you originally from Atlanta?
Emily: I am … born and raised!

UPTOWN: Reality shows are known for their drama and in-fighting, and from the footage I’ve seen, “The New Atlanta” has its fair share …
Emily: There is a lot of drama and that is what reality television is. There is also a lot of good in all of us. You’ll see with my life that I am a business owner running my own boutique and my brother has Cystic Fibrosis, and my sister Wendy passed from the same disease at a very young age. Also, I have a tournament that has raised over $1.5 million in 12 years. The tournament is held every year. I try to see my family once a month and now my life is hectic, it’s hard to juggle everything. Then, you have to throw a guy into the mix … I also have a dog that needs me!

UPTOWN: This cast seems to be on a mission to find love, a successful career …
Emily: My parents are a little bit older, and although I’m not desperate to find somebody, it would be nice to have all of that. My brother has two kids and it’s amazing to see them with my parents and that they have time with their grandparents. I want my family – especially my Grandmother – to be around to see that happening for me.

UPTOWN: There is obvious tension between you and your fellow cast mate Alexandra Dilworth, stemming from a scene when she makes the statement that she wants to be a “trophy wife.” You seemed very offended by that … why?
Emily: I do get offended by somebody like that, that is absolutely 110 percent serious about becoming a “trophy wife.” I work for my money, and I’ve worked my butt off my entire life! I was 15 when I worked my first job, and my family has taught me that money is not just given to you by your father … it’s earned. For me to hear somebody that says, “My father is going to give me everything … I want to be a trophy wife” … It makes me nuts! I don’t get it and I’ll never understand why somebody wants that lifestyle. We will never see eye-to-eye about that.

UPTOWN: How do you get along with the rest of your cast mates?
Emily: Everyone has strong personalities and we are going to butt heads here and there, but I love everybody, and think they’re all great. We have become somewhat of a family, but you will see tension between all of us.

UPTOWN: There has been a huge backlash against women in particular fighting with each other on reality television. How do you feel about that?
Emily: I have never laid a hand on somebody in my life.

UPTOWN: What do you want people to learn about you and your life as a cast member of “The New Atlanta”?
Emily: For me, my life is a juggling act of being a business owner on my own, and not going into it understanding anything about business. My college major was sports! It’s been a huge learning process and you will see that on the show. I want people to also learn about my charity [in honor of her sister Wendy], and see that you can go out into the world and join any charity. The more people that do charity work, the better this world is going to be. I am hoping that people see my life, and lifestyle, and are inspired to be ambitious and do the same thing.

Follow Emily Lipman on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@emilylipman). Learn more about her charity A Wish for Wendy here. Check out her and the rest of “The New Atlanta” cast when the show premieres today, Sept. 17, at 10 p.m. EST on Bravo.

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By Aleasa Word

Each day I see countless reminders of the massacre that is happening to the Black man in our world. This massacre is not just from physical death but from emotional deaths as well. Our Black men are dying from the inside out and it grieves me to no end. I must first say that I love Black men. I was created by a black man, I raised one Black man and am working on raising my second.

Today I read yet another article on the statistics as they relate to the homicide rate of Black males from the ages of 15-34 noting what many of us already know – homicide is the leading cause of death for these men. It went on to quote yet another widely known statistic about the life expectancy being lower than other races. Sadly, the fact is, in reading this article it didn’t give me any information I wasn’t already aware of. It didn’t have any NEW numbers, let alone NEW hope that would have surprised me. These same statistics are regurgitated over and over again – day after day, year after year with no significant changes to the positive.

I’m sick and tired of crying over what is reported in the news. I’m sick and tired of breaking down every time a young Black man is incarcerated. I’m sick and damn tired of being afraid for my two sons every day and having to constantly reiterate the extra level of caution they must take everywhere they go and in everything they do.

In the end if they aren’t killed first, the lifelong burden on the shoulders of our Black men is astronomical. Just making it through school, battling bad neighborhoods, stereotypes from teachers, and the public should be enough – but it’s not. Because so many are looked at as a threat, especially the darker their skin is, corporate America is still not as friendly to them as it is to others. Women of other cultures still cross the street to avoid even the most innocent Black man or clutch their purses tighter in an elevator in spite of a man being suited up. Stress levels in these men cause high rates of hypertension, drug addiction, unchecked depression, and even add to weight gain and cancer rates.

[Image: Shutterstock]

It is still problematic that Black men aren’t usually expected to be doctors, lawyers, scientists, or professors. Other cultures in contrast groom their young men (usually without choice) to walk the path of education towards those careers from grade school. Questions I’d like to pose in relation are:

• Why does it seem that in America, the Black culture is its own worst enemy when it comes to these
  advanced career paths in life?
• Why are our sons and daughters in a frame of mind that makes them think it is not only OK but
  normal to tease,  isolate and bully their OWN peers for being smart and wanting to follow in the footsteps of professional people?
• Why aren’t we taking our  kids to museums and watching Discovery Channel with them?
• Why is that boring to us when we say we want more for them?
• Why aren’t we seeking opportunities outside of our neighborhoods?
• Why aren’t we teaching our children to take pride in their appearance EVERY day instead of this
  everything goes (straight to a path of destruction that is) in every scenario?
• Why are we not teaching our children there is a difference in behaviors at home, school, the workplace,
  and the community?

Is it because we don’t know any better, are lazy or so busy trying to get through the grunge of daily life that we are tired, frustrated, and overwhelmed EVERY SINGLE DAY?

Whose responsibility is it to show our young men they not only should strive for more but can have more and be better at the more? Whose responsibility is it to nurture them emotionally when they are so filled with fear all they can do is live offensively every day? It is all of ours. It is the responsibility of women who are bashing men and telling them they “ain’t sh*t” while their own sons hear it and believe this to be true about themselves. It is the responsibility of our current men who are mistreating women and making their daughters think the only way to get love is to be the next trick on the pole for attention. It is also the responsibility of the person who feels they have made it in life but does not want to look back because it’s too painful to face realities we are uncomfortable with. And it is the responsibility of those who know right from wrong to NOT forget we must teach in order for people to learn.

[Image: Shutterstock]

We are still failing as a people in so many ways. Our sons are dying! They are afraid inside, sick inside, and play hard on the outside until the inside eventually rots the outer flesh. I can’t take seeing our men this way, my men this way. In order for the Black race or any race to survive we must create and nurture strong men. Men are supposed to be the survivalists providing and protecting the families. But who protects and provides for them? Who allows them to not be judged when they are in their most vulnerable state? Who tells them it is OK to ask for help, get it, and then give back to the next man or woman?

I cannot nor will I even attempt to speak on behalf of other women. What I can say is I’m doing my best as a woman to raise effective, valuable, giving, caring, responsible men and include positive male mentors along the way. My past, like many other women, may not have been rich with men who fit this description; however, that does not absolve me from the responsibility of helping my own sons to be great men for the betterment of the Black race, the Black family, and mankind in general.

Originally appeared on Allergy Words and The Good Men Project

Read more from our partner The Good Men Project

Also read How to Have Flat Abs, Better Sex and Rule the World in 8 Easy Steps

[Image: Shutterstock]

Floyd Mayweather may have had a drama-free win in the ring this past weekend, but it seems that there was a different beef brewing ringside. Josie Harris, the mother of Mayweather’s daughter Jirah, is raising a stink about the fact that her daughter’s dress inadvertently matched the one worn by Mayweather’s on-again fiancee Shantel Jackson. She’s fuming that her daughter looked like a “gold digging hoochie”. Damn.

Harris paid $795 for a custom made Michael Costello dress for Jirah. It turns out that Jackson also employed Costello and ended up with the same hot pink, gold belted dress. Costello claims that his team told her that Jirah and Jackson would be wearing the same dress and she didn’t care. He went on to say that if she wanted something exclusive, she should have paid more. Snap for the kids.

That hasn’t deterred Harris from popping off to TMZ:

Josie tells us, “It’s an unspoken rule and a cardinal sin for a ‘real designer’ to dress clients alike going to the same major event … Tacky, tacky, tacky.”

And Josie didn’t stop there, turning her anger toward Jackson as well … adding, “She is a total gold digger … She conveniently came back around 2 days before Floyd got his $41.5 million check.”

Oop! I think that Jackson being back is really where this anger is stemming from. It seems that Harris may not be fully over her baby daddy. Or maybe she’s just looking out for his interests. Either way, it doesn’t look like she and Jackson will be friends anytime soon.

Gymnast prodigy Gabby Douglas is set to get a TV biopic from Lifetime. Imani Hakim (Everybody Hates Chris) and Sydney Mikayla will star as Gabby. Regina King has been cast as Douglas’ mother and S. Epatha Mackerson will play her grandmother. Mikayla will play the two-time gold medalist as a child while Hakim will portray her as a teen and young adult.  Douglas will also appear in the film, which is being produced by Sony Pictures TV.

Douglas is the first black gymnast in Olympic history to become the Individual All-Around Champion and the first American gymnast to win gold in that distinction and team competition in the same Olympics.  The movie will chronicle her amazing feats as a child gymnast and the difficult decision to leave her family behind to live in Des Moines, Iowa to train with renowned coach Liang Chow.

Douglas is currently training for the 2016 Olympics.

In this week’s episode of “Your Best Accessory”, celebrity hairstylist Nadia Vassell shares hair trends she’s loving, hair accessories and seasonal hair care tips.

Presented by UPTOWN and Colgate Optic White, the series gets beauty and fashion experts to talk about their favorite accessories, including, of course, a bright white smile.

The Disability Rights Center of Arkansas (DRC) is advocating for three students who were removed from an Arkansas school because they may be HIV-positive, according to local Arkansas outlet 5NEWS.

Pea Ridge Public School officials learned of the children’s possible exposure to HIV during a summer evaluation of one of the children’s medical records, which stated that his mother and sister were HIV-positive. School officials met with the foster family of the children on September 9, 2013 and informed them that until medical documentation proved they are not positive for the virus, the siblings would be unable to attend classes.

The family sent the children to school the next day without documentation, and they were set aside until a relative was able to pick them up from the school. One of the children was unable to compete in his first football game as a result of the school’s requirements.

On Monday, Pea Ridge Public School officials confirmed in a press release that some students are required to provide test results in order to ensure a safe and appropriate education plan for those children, KNWA-TV reports.

“This rare requirement is due to certain actions and behaviors that place students and staff at risk,” the released statement says.

However, the DRC says that the exclusion of the three school-aged siblings, two of whom have disabilities, is “unlawful and immoral” and “it stigmatizes individuals with disabilities or their ‘perceived’ disabilities as there is no indication these individuals have HIV. There is only an unlawful fear that they do.”

The DRC stated that it plans to take the appropriate legal routes to ensure that the students can continue their education at Pea Ridge Public School.

[Image: Shutterstock]

Kerry Washington has been named “World’s Best Dressed Woman” by People magazine. This is not surprising considering that our December/January cover girl consistently lands on ‘best dressed’ lists for her stunning looks on the red carpet. She beat out names like Jennifer Lawrence, Solange Knowles and Zoe Saldana for the honor.

People magazine Executive Editor Elizabeth Sporkin praised Washington for her fashion sense. “There has been a trend this year in lady-like fashion and I think she is almost single-handedly responsible for it,” Sporkin said in an interview.

It must be a really great feeling to win such a distinction for a woman who recently admitted that she had to research fashion-sense earlier in her career. ”I don’t wear a lot of pants,” Washington said in a statement announcing the honor. “When I go somewhere I want to know I’m going to be comfortable and I’m dressed for the event.”

Dressed is an understatement, honey. Here are some of Kerry’s best looks this year:

I don’t know about you, but I’m curious to know what is going to go down next season with “The Game” characters Kiera and Blue. But if you can’t wait for that on-screen love cliffhanger to be resolved, then catch actress Lauren London romancing another fellow on the big screen, as the love interest of Terrence Jenkins in the film Baggage Claim.

There hasn’t been a role the beautiful dimple-faced actress has played that I didn’t love her as, especially that of a well-dressed starlet when on the red carpet. Lauren doesn’t miss a beat and knows how to bring it without going overboard with over-styling. If you are looking for ways to add a slight edge to your simple and classic style, then take a few style clues from this week’s Star Style, Lauren London.

The power of the little black dress is that it makes a statement on its own. Big baubles and bangles aren’t always a requirement to make an LBD look good. Like Lauren, simply make your shoes that special accent to complete the look.

It’s the season, we’ve waited all summer for – boot season! Around this time of year boots are the outfit. But seriously, when you own a fabulous pair of boots, the idea is to make them the main part of your look.

Why not figure out ways to make your look shine, whether it’s for day or night.  A little sparkle is all you need, and when wearing something shiny be sure to mix in a few matte fabric pieces, and your look will definitely glow.

Jumpsuits are fun, chic, and easy garments that allow you to achieve a great look in one step. If you bought a jumpsuit this summer that you loved, simply transition it into fall with a knit cardigan, jacket, or blazer.

In spite of there being just a slight chill in the air, it’s isn’t time to pack away the shorts just yet. Throw on some opaque tights. Or if you prefer, rock a bare leg and a sleek ankle boot.

The spring is synonymous with dresses, but during the fall and winter months, you absolutely should have more than a few season-appropriate dresses in your closet. Whether for the office or a night out, a dress with outstanding details adds just a pinch of attitude and drama.

Sure, wearing head-to-toe black is easy, but boost the look with a pop of color. It shows that you put forth an effort.

Tasha Marbury‘s husband Stephon appears to have problems paying his bills.

Reports are coming out that the newest “Basketball Wives star and former baller are facing foreclosure on their New York condo because her hubby hasn’t paid the mortgage … for over three years.

TMZ reports:

U.S. Bank International filed legal docs against Marbury, claiming he hasn’t made mortgage payments on his 2-bedroom 2-bathroom NYC condo since March 2010, and currently owes $844,035 on the property … which he purchased in 2006 for more than a million dollars.

U.S. Bank wants Marbury to pay the full amount NOW, or get the hell out … so the condo can be sold at auction.

Damn. It seems that Tasha maybe had to join the show to help out Stephon with bills. At least it would seem that the condo is not her primary residence, judging from scenes from BBW. I hope that weave bar she invested in really takes off because her husband is clearly not taking care of his responsibilities. One of their homes in L.A. was lost to foreclosure auction last year. And Stephon reportedly paid the family’s personal chef nearly $1 million after she accused him of sexual harassment. He maintains that their affair was consensual.

Honestly, I think Tasha needs to reconsider this marriage she has going on. Between the long distance; the cheating; and Stephon’s apparent lack of care for their well-being, I’d say that is enough to keep it truckin’.

Courtesy of CocoaFab

Queen Bey is doing the thing in Brazil.

The 32-year-old singer is spending the next 10 days in Brazil for her Mrs. Carter show tour, and E! News got some great scoop about where she’s staying. Blue Ivy’s mama has rented a mansion for 10 days — it’s owned by Georgina Brandolini (who is the grandmother of Bianca Brandolini) — and accommodates 18 people.And guess what?

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Courtesy of Ebony.com

I’m not sure when I realized my distrust of police officers. Maybe it was at about 12 or 13, when my best friend and I had to fight off older boys who tried to steal our bikes with a baseball bat. It was broad daylight on a busy street, but I’m not sure if the cops who rolled past saw the young thief who brandished a Louisville Slugger. Perhaps they shared his lack of concern for our lives. Either way, my boy knew it wouldn’t matter. “Don’t look at them,” he said. “They ain’t gon’ help you.” They didn’t, so we defended ourselves at the risk of our own safety.

It might have been one of the times when I was jumped, or had a gun pulled on me, or otherwise had to fight or flee within a mile of the house my mother had saved her whole life to buy. It could have been the time I was chased through a Sears by a crew that didn’t appreciate the shade of blue on my jacket when I tried to visit a girlfriend in their projects. It might’ve been one of the times we ducked shells spit indiscriminately from passing cars, the kinds of bullets said to have no names on them but which always find their purpose in the soft flesh of young, Black bodies. Sometimes the cops showed up, sometimes they didn’t. But when they did, we were never treated with respect or empathy. And it isn’t that they’re balancing their contempt with effective crime solving, at least not where I’m from—years later, we still don’t know who shot my best friend’s father trying to jack him for some beer, or who let off the round of bullets that came through my grandmother’s windowsill and hit her in the hip. Both survived their wounds but their assailants never did a day.

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[Image: Shutterstock]

Courtesy of Sister 2 Sister

Just because she’s a rookie at marriage (and divorce) doesn’t mean she can’t give great advice. Porsha Stewart recently spoke to Sister 2 Sister publisher Jamie Foster Brown and gave a little insight into what the key to a successful marriage is.

During season 5, viewers watched Porsha and her then husband Kordell Stewart argue over Porsha’s career and the future of their family. While other cast mates looked at Kordell as an overbearing husband, Porsha stood by her husband, as a wife should.

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