Star Wars actress Zoe Saldana is the new L’Oreal Paris spokesperson.

Saldana joins the elite ranks of former L’Oreal ambassadors, including Eva Longoria, Blake Lively, and Julianne Moore. As the international spokesmodel for the brand, Saldana will appear in multimedia advertisements, including television and print.

“I want to share that value with women so they can embrace it and execute life with confidence. I am thrilled to join this beauty journey with such an inspirational brand.” says the 35 year old.

“Growing up, I was taught to believe that I am capable to do anything a man can do,” Zoe continued. ”This family philosophy has shaped who I am today, and is a conviction that will always accompany me through life.”

2014 has been a busy year for the actress, as she prepares for the sequel of the blockbuster hit Avatar. Aside from her new endorsement deal, the Afro-Latina beauty will star in the biopic of iconic jazz singer Nina Simone, in addition to playing the lead of the NBC miniseries, ”Rosemary Baby.”

Stephen Colbert is under fire from the Asian community for a racist tweet sent from an account linked to the Comedy Central host’s account, but he says those were not his words.

“I am willing to show #Asian community I care by introducing the Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever,” The Colbert Report tweeted Thursday.

The tweet referenced Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder‘s plan to establish a foundation to “provide resources that offer genuine opportunities for Tribal communities” in response to controversy over the team’s name, a point of outrage for Native Americans. Colbert called the plan a P.R. gimmick on the show using ”Ching-Chong Ding-Dong,” a caricature of Asians.

#CancelColbert began trending in outrage to get the host off the air for the use of “Ching-Chong Ding-Dong” and the tweet. Screen captures circulated quickly as fans waited for an official statement from the comedian.

When Colbert caught wind of the tweet, he took to his personal account @StephenAtHome to clarify what happened saying, “I share your rage.” Comedy Central later deleted the tweet from the account.

“For the record @ColbertReport is not controlled by Stephen Colbert or his show. He is @StephenAtHome Sorry for the confusion #CancelColbert,” the @ColbertReport handle later tweeted. “This is a Comedy Central account, with no oversight from Stephen/show. Here is quoted line in context http://on.cc.com/1dyeQri #cancelcolbert”

TV show hosts have been coming under pressure lately for using social media to make racially insensitive jokes for the sake of an “LOL.” Chelsea Handler‘s comment after Lupita Nyongo‘s Academy Award win got the late night show host in hot water with the African-American community.

On the fence about marriage? A recent study of Americans showed that married people are less likely to suffer from heart or blood vessel problems. Marriage was best for people under age 50, as they had a 12 percent lower risk of heart-related disease than single people their age.

The study was comprised of 3.5 million Americans. It showed that married people of all ages both men and women, regardless of heart disease risk factors, fared better than single, divorced, and widowed people.

“In the largest look at marriage and heart health,” said Dr. Carlos Alviar, co-researcher and cardiologist behind the study, researchers included divorced and widowed people to give a total look at all heart diseases, including clogged arteries, stroke risks, and circulation problems in legs.

[Image: Shutterstock]

The results were taken from people, average 64, who gave information on smoking, diabetes, family history, obesity, exercise, and other factors, and researchers had blood pressure and other health measures. Research also found that smoking was higher in divorced people and lowest in widowed people. Obesity was most common in those single and divorced.

Why the better results for married couples versus single people? Scientists don’t have definitive answers but some possible causes. “It might be that if someone is married, they have a spouse who encourages them to take better care of themselves,” said Dr. Jeffrey Berger, a preventive cardiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York.

“We don’t really have a clear explanation” for why marriage may be protective, said Dr. Vera Bittner, a cardiologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Married couples “may be more willing to follow up with medical appointments,” and follow doctor’s orders of recommended drugs, diet and exercise if you have a spouse, she said.

Regardless of whether married or single, doctors recommend people to take care of their health and have regular doctor appointments.

Courtesy of Elev8.com

Mary Virginia Jones (pictured) stepped out of the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, Calif., on Tuesday morning after serving 32 years for a crime she did not commit, according to CBS News.

Jones, now 74-years-old, had been serving a life sentence at the prison for her involvement in a murder that was actually committed by her then boyfriend, Mose Willis, in 1981. He was sentenced to death but died while awaiting his fate. A judged handed down a first-degree murder conviction for Jones as well as kidnapping and robbery convictions. She was sentenced to life without parole.

The Jones case happened 33 years ago when Willis, who was an abusive boyfriend, kidnapped two drug dealers and forced her to drive to an alley. Willis killed one of the dealers and shot the other who would survive. Jones managed to flee from the murder scene, but was arrested a few days later. Police investigators lumped her in as an accomplice to Willis’ murder.

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Courtesy of Sister 2 Sister

Peter Thomas has been deemed the seventh wife on Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta” series, but it seems like the hubby has bigger plans for himself.

Peter, businessman and husband of Cynthia Bailey, is reportedly hoping to parlay his reality TV fame into a spin-off series that chronicles is role as owner of the Bar One lounge in Atlanta.

“He has started shooting the spin-off, but it hasn’t actually been picked up,” an anonymous source told RadarOnline.com.

According to reports, eyewitnesses spotted fellow “RHOA” fellas, Gregg Leakes and Todd Tucker shooting the potential series with Peter.

“They had all the windows blocked off because it was daytime and the shoot was supposed to be at night,” the source explained.

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A “Stand With Jamilah” hashtag floated through the Twitterverse much of Friday after Ebony.com Senior Editor Jamilah Lemieux found herself in hot water for an erroneous tweet aimed at RNC Deputy Press Secretary Raffi Williams. Ebony magazine has since apologized her “lack of judgement.”

The incident began Thursday when Lemieux voiced her disinterest in Ben Carson‘s new Black conservative magazine with The Washington Times, a project that Williams fully backs and promotes. As they were grouped together in a heated Twitter exchange, Lemieux dismissed Williams’ stance, stating, “Oh great, here comes a White dude telling me how to do this Black thing. Pass.”

Williams is Black. And it didn’t take long for conservatives to park out in her mentions to berate her for her comment.

Lemieux added, “I forgot that tweeting something about a Conservative is like leaving a cookie out in a house full of roaches and turning off the lights.”

She later apologized to Williams for mistakenly identifying him as White, but said she still had no interest in debating with him.

After the controversy made its way though Twitter, spilled over to blogs and landed on Fox News, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus wrote a letter to the magazine’s editor-in-chief demanding that Lemieux apologize to Williams.

Instead, Ebony issued an apology to the RNC in a post titled “Diversity of Thought.”

“[...] EBONY strongly believes in the marketplace of ideas. As the magazine of record for the African American community, Lemieux’s tweets in question do not represent our journalistic standard, tradition or practice of celebrating diverse Black thought,” said the publication.

“In a letter to EBONY from RNC President Reince Priebus, he suggests, ‘that we can use this unfortunate episode as a catalyst for greater understanding between the Republican Party and the black community.’ EBONY acknowledges Senior Editor Jamilah Lemieux’s lack of judgment on her personal Twitter account and apologizes to Raffi Williams and the Black Republican community.”

Lemieux has yet to issue a formal statement on the matter.

The good news for many “Boondocks” fans came when word of a fourth season was on the horizon. The bad news? Creator Aaron McGruder would not be involved.

While the reasoning behind his departure remains a mystery (after all, he devoted more than 20 years to the comic) McGruder seems to shed light on how he came to the decision. Earlier this week, he took to Facebook to formally bid farewell to his creation and promote his latest series with Adult Swim, “Black Jesus.”

He stated:

“As the world now knows, The Boondocks will be returning for a fourth season, but I will not be returning with it. I’d like to extend my gratitude to Sony and Adult Swim for three great seasons.

I created The Boondocks two decades ago in college, did the daily comic for six years, and was showrunner on the animated series for the first three seasons. The Boondocks pretty much represents my life’s work to this point. Huey, Riley, and Granddad are not just property to me. They are my fictional blood relatives. Nothing is more painful than to leave them behind.

To quote a great white man, ‘Hollywood is a business’. And to quote another great white man, ‘Don’t hold grudges.’

What has never been lost on me is the enormous responsibility that came with The Boondocks – particularly the television show and it’s relatively young audience. It was important to offend, but equally important to offend for the right reasons. For three seasons I personally navigated this show through the minefields of controversy. It was not perfect. And it definitely was not quick. But it was always done with a keen sense of duty, history, culture, and love. Anything less would have been simply unacceptable.

As for me, I’m finally putting a life of controversy and troublemaking behind me with my upcoming Adult Swim show, BLACK JESUS.”

“Black Jesus” is a half-hour, live-action scripted series that will place Jesus in present-day Compton, Calif. where he’s on a mission to spread love and kindness throughout the area with his small group of followers. “Boondocks” actor John Witherspoon is set to star alongside Gerald “Slink” Johnson, Charlie Murphy, Corey Holcomb, Kali Hawk, Andrew “King Bach” Bachelor and Andra Fuller.

The show is slated to premiere this year.

Courtesy of Cocoa Fab

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Courtesy of Elev8

[The Urban Daily] is reporting that Benzino was shot.

Benzino announced earlier in the week that his mother had passed via his twitter account.

Said Zino,

“God knows I have been through alot in my life, BUT EVERY INCH OF GOOD, KINDNESS AND LOVE IN MY SOUL IS BECAUSE OF THIS WOMAN. A BIG PART OF ME IS LOST NOW AND I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME, MA WORDS CANT EXPRESS MY LOVE FOR YOU.I WILL MISS EVERY BREATHING MOMENT, I DON’T KNOW HOW I WILL CONTINUE KNOWING YOU ARE NOT HERE. Im lost.”

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A 35-year-old homeless mother from Arizona will have a bit of a load lifted off her shoulders after being arrested on felony child abuse charges earlier this month for leaving her two young children in a hot car while she went on a job interview.

On March 20, Shanesha Taylor was arrested in Scottsdale, Ariz. after police discovered her 2-year-old and 6-month-old sitting in a vehicle alone with the engine off and the windows slightly cracked. The car was reportedly left parked in the sun and all the doors were closed while she sat for an interview with an insurance company.

Police say Taylor returned about 45 minutes after authorities arrived on the scene, stating that she didn’t have anyone else to care for the children while she searched for a job.

As Taylor continues to wait in jail on two felony counts of child abuse, her heartbreaking story has made its rounds on the Internet. The incident caught the eye of 24-year-old Amanda Bishop who started a YouCaring.com fundraising page to aid in the mother’s “situation and legal pursuits.”

To date, the effort has raised more than $54,000 with 32 days remaining. The initial goal was $9,000.

“Thank you all so much for your donations and help. I too am struggling to keep my head above water and can relate to all your stories and offers,” stated Bishop. “This is an experience I will truely cherish for the rest of my life. I have never been a part of such an amazing community and even international outreach. It’s something I stand back in awe of everyday.”

Taylor will reportedly be held until March 31 and her children have been put in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Television vet Tichina Arnold will help round out the cast of Starz’s new original comedy series “Survivor’s Remorse,” executive produced by LeBron James.

The half-hour show centers on two men (one an NBA star, the other one not) who make it out of North Philadelphia’s inner city to a more extravagant life of fame and fortune. Along the way, they fight with the guilt of their struggling peers left behind.

Jessie T. Usher will take the lead of basketball talent Cam Calloway who signs a multi-million dollar contract, while Arnold plays his mother.

“Let’s Stay Together’s” Ronreaco Lee has been cast as Cam’s cousin and confidant Reggie Vaughn and “The Real Husbands of Hollywood’s” Erica Ash will play Cam’s sister M-Chuck.

The group joins Teyonah Parris who will play Lee’s wife Missy.

“Survivor’s Remorse” is set to air this fall.

Where there is a list naming the “best of,” the “sexiest,” the “top-earning,” the “most beautiful,” or the “top successful” A-list celebrities, you can count on Halle Berry making at least one list, if not all of them. Without a doubt, the award-winning actress and producer has rightfully earned and every title that highlights her success. Even though Halle took a little time off to bond with new son Maceo Robert Martinez, she is gearing up for a major year on the big and small screens.

Halle takes on the role of a go-go dancer with multiple personalities as the lead in Frankie & Alice, which drops this Friday, April 4. And she just launched her new production company 606 Films. The name of the production company was inspired by the anti-paparazzi Bill 606 that protects the children of celebrities from photographer harassment and Halle helped lobby. But Halle’s 2014 career train doesn’t stop there. Halle will appear in a new CBS drama series, “Extant,” which she co-executive produces under her new production company. But, Halle is as passionate about giving back as she is with her craft. Next month, she will co-host the 21st Annual EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women in L.A.

Throughout her acting long career, her transition into motherhood, and now as a Hollywood executive, Halle has displayed her fantastic Star Style. Here are some of her top looks.

Halle always makes a quiet statement by not overdoing her outfits. She keeps her relaxed look simple, yet sophisticated by layering with jacket and strutting in Isabel Marant western-inspired boots.

Halle is one who looks beautiful in just about anything, but this color is a definite winner against her complexion. The construction of the dress is also complementary to her figure, with ruching in the right places and a V-neck that elongates her neckline.

If an LBD isn’t your cup of tea, you can always go for a LGD — a little gray dress.

Keep distressed jeans grown up and glam with a hot heel and edgy top.

The slit on this dress took the mid-length hem from slightly conservative to sexy.

A simple tube dress offers so much versatility for the warmer months. Add a blazer for professionalism. And for a spring wedding, a cardigan with delicate details and embroidery can be worn with the dress, too.

If you’re ready to trade drab winter colors for something lighter, go ahead and pull out the white jeans.

A white suit is worth adding to your closet for the spring and summer.

A suit with rock star appeal allows you to make an edgy statement at evening events and other occasions when you need to stand out.

There are a few elements that make this look hot. Halle really took it in an edgy and fiery direction with brass cuffs, smokey eyes, and a sexy coiff.

Leather leggings or jeans are a simple way to make a girl’s night out look sizzle.

For a formal affair, a graphic gown always makes a sophisticated statement by standing apart from the crowd of solid color dresses.

RELATED: Halle Berry’s Lifetime Of Men & Heartbreak

According to a news release issued Tuesday, the Island Def Jam Music Group “will cease to exist” as it is. Reportedly, Def Jam (home to Rihanna and Kanye West), Island (Bon Jovi, Justin Bieber) and Motown, will become separate entities, with some changes in their leadership and operations.  

According to The New York Times, since its creation in the late ’90s, Universal has been organized in separate divisions that each include several record labels. Among these are Interscope, Geffen, A&M, Republic, and the Capitol Music Group, which are homes for labels such as Capitol and Virgin, which Universal acquired in 2011.

Lucian Grainge, the chairman of Universal, acknowledged in a note to employees that Island Def Jam no longer functioned as well as it once did.

“The fact is: No matter how much we might work to build ‘IDJ’ as a brand, that brand could never be as powerful as each of IDJ’s constituent parts,” Grainge wrote.

Highly regarded music executive Barry Weiss, who was swapped with Universal’s former chairman, Doug Morris, never found a clear role at Universal. After being hired to run the label’s New York labels, including Republic and Island Def Jam, Weiss has stepped down from his position which was ambiguous from the beginning.

According to The NY Post, Weiss has decided to relieve himself of his duties at Universal after Michele Anthony, a former colleague of his at Sony, was named executive vice president of US recorded music — a role that appeared to industry observers to elevate her above Weiss.

James Matthews, a student at the University of Western Florida, has gone from homelessness to playing in the hallowed Carnegie Hall. ”I always had my piano, and it’s always been my escape,” he told Pensacola News Journal.

“I decided if I never gave up it would get me through life, and it has. I don’t know where I’d be if it wasn’t for music.”

The now 24-year old pianist went to Florida Southern College after graduating high school, but fell on hard times and found himself homeless for almost a year and a half. He slept in his school’s 24-hour piano studio until his teacher found him.

“He found me sleeping in his studio and pretty much got me out of that situation, found me a different school to go to where I had a dorm and a roof over my head,” Matthews told NBC 5.

Thank to his teacher’s help, Matthews is now expected to graduate from UWF in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in music.

He entered the 2014 American Protege International piano and strings competition and received an honorable mention, which garnered him the prize of a performance at Carnegie Hall.

The concert will be attended by musicians from around the world and could potentially jumpstart Matthews’ music career.

However, he’s just staying the course. “I really don’t know what’s going to happen with it or anything, but I’m just gonna go and show my best and just stay focused.”

The performance will take place in the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall on April 20th.

Mississippi quietly passed Senate Bill 2681  Tuesday night to the ire of civil rights and LGBT activists who say the law opens the door for racial, religious and sexual discrimination. In a late night vote, the religious freedom proposal passed both houses of the Mississippi legislature and awaits a signature or veto from Governor Phil Bryant.

The religious freedom bill previously stalled as lawmakers wanted sufficient time to examine if the law would encourage discrimination against certain groups of people. After removing some of the language that could be construed as discriminatory, the bill was quickly pushed through. Even in its amended form, SB 2681 could open a time capsule of the past to the days of Jim Crow, Anti-Japanese sentiments, and other barriers from certain groups being served under the guise of religious beliefs. 

Many in the Senate are still in disagreement over the language contained in the bill. 

Supporters of the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act, an amended version of the 1993 federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, say it would protect religious freedom for state residents by allowing them to sue over laws that place a burden on their religious beliefs. Lawmakers looked toward sponsoring groups‘ motives to have the law on the books. 

Mississippi Senator Derrick Simmons took to Twitter to express his concerns over the bill posting signs that said “No Women Allowed” and “No Gays Allowed” inferring the bill would “legalize discrimination in the State of Mississippi.”

While the bill has made it to Governor Bryant’s desk, it may not make it to law. Over 18 states have religious freedom bills on the books. Arizona governor Jan Brewer vetoed a similar state religious freedom bill after receiving flack from gay rights and human rights groups.

Queen Bey should be proud of a new Partition parody, INnOUTMISSION,  a video love letter to the West Coast’s obsession with infamous fast food burger joint In-N-Out.

Talented bunch Honey Mahogany, Dulce De Leche, Adrian Anchondo and Reggie White, Sarah Coykendall and Mike Delaney hi-jack the latest Beyonce’s visual experience from her surprise album.

The fast-food related video parody combines all things great about the Crazy Horse inspired video: Hot bodies, exciting visuals, and Burlesque dancing.

Get into the plus-sized co-star re-enacting the infamous acrobatic choreography we’ve all gotten the courage to try after a few too many. (Admit it!)

With lyrics like “Driver give them my order real fast,” you’ll be sure to be laughing all the way to get a “double double with some cheese.” 

Beyoncé admitted she was hesitant to play the racy song for her mom Tina Knowles, who played an integral role from her singing days back in Houston saying, “I was so embarrassed after I recorded the song because I’m just talking s–––.”

Well Bey, while Tina may be uncomfortable playing that song around her friends, she’ll be sure to enjoy this clip.

Can’t get enough? @Javichondo #Ratchet Productions, the team behind the parody, also released “Dunkin Love,” a remake of Drunk In Love.

When I first heard about the story of Andraya Williams, a 22-year-old student at Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) in Charlotte, NC, I was instantly confused. A female security guard stopped Williams, who is a transgender woman, after she stepped out of a women’s restroom on the college campus and asked her sex. Williams says she was subsequently suspended from school for using the women’s bathroom. And CPCC authorities told her that she could only return if she agreed to only use the gender-neutral bathrooms. According to her attorney, Williams was told she would have to bring medical proof that she is female in order to use the women’s restrooms on campus. A spokesperson for the school, however, said Williams wasn’t actually suspended but was in trouble for not showing her ID to the security guard when prompted.

I definitely reject any and all comfort with being willfully ignorant, and I always strive to achieve a more inclusive mindset, but I couldn’t understand what Williams’ issue was. When I say I can’t understand what her problem is, I truly mean I can’t fathom it. This leaves me, and many other people, in a weird space, since we have many questions and concerns about issues affecting the transgender community and the community at large. However, most of us are either unaware of our ignorance or unsure of how to engage in non-inflammatory conversation. The reason there’s no outrage from most non-transgender people over Williams’ plight is because many women, especially those who commented on Clutch’s story, believe it’s dangerous or an invasion of privacy to have transgender women using a women’s restroom.

When I attended York University in the early 2000s, a despicable amount of sexual assaults occurred on the campus, and there was no system in place to make the campus safer for women, especially after dark. But if you go to York today, a decade later, you will see that there are many resources available to protect women during the day and night. The changes implemented on York’s campus were also put into place on many campuses all over North America because keeping women of all ages, races, and orientations safe and secure is priority number one. But, how exactly does a transgender woman fit into all of this?

On one hand, if Williams identifies as a woman, then society should respect her right to behave as a woman without invasive questioning. But, on the other hand, identifying as a woman does not make Williams genetically female, so some women could feel that their space is being violated by a person who is genetically, possibly physically, male. Women have been raped in bathrooms before, and their right to demand control over that sensitive public space is understandable. This all boils down to there needing to be a balance between the needs of the general student population and transgender students, or the needs of general society and transgender people.

Williams, like many transgender people, believes that her gender is nobody’s business but her own. But should that be an unquestionable right? I remember I once had a conversation with a woman, who is a trans-ally but isn’t transgender, about whether transgender people should have to reveal their orientation to people they are dating. Her position was they shouldn’t, while I completely believe they should. The concept that gender is nothing more than a social construct is an ideology that not everyone subscribes to. If you want to date a woman who was born female, that doesn’t make you a bigot, it just means you have your own set of requirements for your body. That is an example of the classic case of tug-of-war that exists on transgender issues. At what point does supporting the propagation of your rights, become trampling someone else’s? When women enter confined bathroom stalls, is it fair for them to know whether the person in the stall next to them was born a male or is identifying as a woman?

There are so many tough discussions that need to be had on transgender issues, and it’s definitely true that we, as a society, need to learn how to be more accepting of people we consider “different.” We will not get there through constant outrage, reflexive anger, and willful ignorance, but actually through learning and conversing. Whether it’s clarifying that demanding to know whether someone is pre/post-op is wrong, revealing that “tranny” is a slur, or debating whether transgender people should use gender-neutral bathrooms, it’s all the difficult yet necessary part of learning to accept and understand one another.

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]

On Monday, the music community and the world mourned the “Godfather of House Music” DJ Frankie Knuckles, as he transitioned due to diabetes complications. The Bronx-born deejay and producer worked with some of music’s royalty: Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Donna Summer, and Chaka Khan. The Dance Music Hall of Fame inductee left behind a legacy of inspiring house tracks to get you grooving, whether on the dance floor or in the gym. Here are 10 DJ Frankie Knuckles remixes and productions to keep you moving in his memory.

10. Michael Jackson – “Rock With You (Frankie Knuckles Remix)”

9. “The Whistle Song (Re-Directed – Web Edit)”

8. Chaka Khan with Rufus – “Ain’t Nobody (Frankie Knuckles Remix)”

7. First Choice – “Let No Man Put Asunder (Frankie Knuckles Remix)”

6. Alexander O’neal – “All True Men (Frankie Knuckles Remix)”

5. Jackson 5 – “Forever Came Today (Frankie Knuckles Late Night Antics Remix)”

4. Luther Vandross – “Power Of Love (Love Power) (Frankie Knuckles Club Mix KT EDIT)”

3. Sounds of Blackness – “The Pressure”

2. Frankie Knuckles feat. Jamie Principle – “I’ll Take You There (Director’s Cut Classic Signature Mix)”

1. Whitney Houston – “Million Dollar Bill (Frankie Knuckles Remix)”

Oju Africa, which is a division of African mobile manufacturer Mi-Fone, has launched a set of Black emojis following the recent debate over emoticons lacking diversity, according to International Business Times. What better company than Oju, which translates as “face” in the Yoruba language of Nigeria, to create the new set of facial figures.

It all started with an article by MTV Act blogger Joey Parker, who flagged the fact that there are no (or barely any) non-white emojis in the basic range within most text-message apps used by Apple, Google, and Microsoft. In response, Apple pledged to create more diverse faces. However in dragging their feet, Oju Africa beat Apple to the punch. The mobile company launched a collection of 15 emojis this week in the face of the growing criticism.

The announcement comes after a petition was launched for Apple to scrap its list of 800 emojis, of which only two appear to be non-white: “man with gua-pi-mao” and “man with turban.”