Courtesy of EURWeb

Don’t you just love the word “inclusion?”

It’s a barrier busting term that ensures a level playing field for the various ethnic groups that make up this melting pot we call America.  What was at one time – and still today for some – practiced by force has now become second nature for many major US corporations.  More businesses are making sure the black dollar is respected and appreciated for helping to strengthen their bottom lines; Harley-Davidson can be counted among that group.

When you think Harley, you don’t typically think black.  That beefy, bearded white guy wearing dark shades and leather that the name is likely to conjure up isn’t solely representative of the company’s customer and enthusiasts base.  Harley actually has a very rich history with African Americans, including the compelling stories of historic black bikers such as luminaries William B. Johnson, Bessie Stringfield and Benny Hardy, whom all broke through tough barriers to join what the company has deemed “The Iron Elite.”  Harley’s top brass took advantage of Black History month to step up their efforts in sharing theirs and the stories of other pioneering and current black riders that are obviously of importance the company’s legacy.

Continue reading at EURWeb

Courtesy of Sister 2 Sister

If you have ever been a single woman dating in a big city, it’s likely that you’ve experienced the awkwardness that results when you’re on a date, the check comes, and the guy who asked you out seems not to notice it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Many of today’s women make salaries comparable to men and can probably pick up a tab for a meal now and again, but it’s still uncomfortable when a man wants to reverse—or otherwise alter—traditional gender roles and fails to pay for the date, open doors, initiate physical contact, etc…

Who’s pursuing whom here?

Maybe that way of thinking is antiquated, but it’s not cheap for a woman to commute to work every day, maintain a home and sometimes a child by herself, and still stay fly enough to attract the attention of an eligible guy—given the crazy men-to-women ratios in cities these days. You mean, she’s gotta shell out bucks to go on a date, too?

There was a time when the thought of women paying for dates would be insulting to men who were often taught to be the breadwinners. Things have changed, not the least of which are households in which men are raised by single women who do all the providing, bill paying and disciplining. Could this have something to do with how the dating rules have changed?

Sister 2 Sister asked self-proclaimed relationship expert and former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” personality Dr. Tiy-E Muhammad to offer his opinion.

Continue reading at Sister 2 Sister

[Mother and son image via Shutterstock]

There is no mess to sort out over Whitney Houston‘s assets. Bobbi Kristina will get everything.

Related: Oprah Lands First Interview With Bobbi Kristina

In the singer’s will filed Wednesday in Atlanta, Bobbi Kristina is being left with all of her mother’s money, furniture, clothing, personal effects, jewelry and cars.

The 19-page document obtained by Inside Edition states that Houston’s money will be put in a trust. Her daughter will get part of it upon turning 21, even more at age 25 and the balance at age 30.

Houston’s trustees, brother Michael and sister-in-law Donna, can give her money from the trust for purposes such as tuition, to buy a home and to start a business.

Related: Whitney, Mahalia To Be Honored At BET’s Celebration Of Gospel

The will was signed on Feb. 3, 1993 before Bobbi Kristina’s birth and was amended in 2000 while Houston was still married to ex-husband Bobby Brown. Although he is mentioned in the documents, he leaves the table with nothing.

A rep for the Houston family told The Hollywood Reporter that money from Houston’s funeral footage could also be included and “clip licenses are being handled on a case-by-case basis.” Exclusive rights to the footage is estimated around $150,000.

With three albums currently sitting on the Billboard 200 chart, the Houston family has made nearly $700,000 on royalties alone since her Feb. 11 death.

We’re excited that Brandy and Monica have reunited on their latest single “It All Belongs To Me,” but why should they be the only artists making duets?

We’ve got our own suggestions for killer collaborations …

Pretty soon, it will be time for the gentleman to temporarily suspend the duties of his heavy woolen outerwear. Yes, temperatures are steadily rising, and layer upon insulating layer will begin to be peeled away. But not so fast. Before you hastily strip down to a mere polo shirt and shorts, the weather still holds a bevy of surprises — Mother Nature is temperamental like that. Surely, you will need a spring jacket in your closet to sustain you through early spring until summer arrives. Select one of these following jackets and you’ll be just fine.

President Obama‘s re-election campaign has announced the release of a new documentary focused on his first term in office.

According to campaign manager Jim Messina, The Road We’ve Traveled will “put in perspective the enormous challenges that the nation faced when the president took office and the strides we’ve made together.” The 17-minute documentary, out next week, was directed by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) and narrated by Tom Hanks.

The film will be played at various campaign events throughout the year to garner support for Obama’s second term.

Check out the trailer below!

Courtesy of Hello Beautiful

I remember going through a, “girl I need to get out and have a few drinks to get this off my mind for a minute,” phase in a previous relationship. I spent a lot of time discussing my issues with a friend and now that I think back to our chop up sessions, I realize that I did a lot more talking to her than I did to one of the star players in the game-The Boyfriend. It became a lot more comfortable to talk to her as opposed to him because I knew instinctively that I was afraid to disturb the alleged peace in our relationship. It was immature to think that the series of “Girls Night Outs” could be the remedy to a disintegrating relationship. Although they are a barrel of fun, ladies let’s be honest, nothing really gets accomplished on those nights except a hangover and gossip updates.

I remember this friend asking me abruptly, “why do you like him?” See I had spent so much time bitching about what I wanted to see happen that clearly was not happening that I forgot why I decided to mess with the boyfriend in the first place. Why do I like him? I took way too long to answer the damn question I’m sure she was about to call the ambulance, but I ended up replying with, “We have chemistry.”

Continue at Hello Beautiful!

Courtesy of The Root

When a proposed bill that would have allocated $1.5 billion to summer and year-round jobs for low-income and underprivileged youths failed in Congress earlier this year, President Obama urged the private sector to create around 250,000 positions for students and youths by this summer.

Thirty-five companies pledged commitment to the initiative on Jan. 5, when President Obama announced the White House’s Summer Jobs+ program, and more companies are following suit — including many in the technology industry.

Tech companies GroupMe, Gilt Groupe, Onswipe and others have joined forces with rock musician Jon Bon Jovi and the White House to create SummerQAmp, an initiative to provide an outlet into the booming world of tech jobs for 16- to 24-year-olds, a group whose employment level has dropped by almost 15 percent in the last decade, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Led by former White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, GroupMe co-founder Steve Martocci, Gilt Groupe’s Quality Engineering Vice President Kevin Haggard and Onswipe CEO Jason Baptiste, SummerQAmp seeks to introduce low-income and underprivileged youths to the technology sector through entry-level quality-assurance and quality-engineering jobs.

“[Quality assurance] is the absolute right starting point for every young person to feel connected to this vibrant community,” Chopra said during a conference call.

Unlike many tech jobs, quality assurance, or QA, positions often do not require an advanced skill set or a college degree in computer programming. “For many, to see themselves in this career path, there’s a desire to go through formal learning,” he said. “But for many young people, that’s perceived as a hurdle — an educational burden gone too far.”

Continue reading at The Root

[Tech students image via Shutterstock]

The Apollo Theater is expanding its hall of fame to add the talents of Etta James and Lionel Richie. At this year’s Spring Gala, they will be honored with a plaque on the Apollo Walk of Fame, installed under the theater’s marquee.

James is best known for her timeless hits such as “At Last” and “Trust In Me” that showcased her jazz/blues vocal style. Over her career, she collected six Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. James died on Jan. 20 after her battle with leukemia. She was 73.

Richie began his career in the late 60s with the Commodores, delivering hits such as “Brick House” and “Three Times A Lady.” He continued on as a successful solo artist and songwriter. 

The pair will join past inductees that include Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and more.

The ceremony will take place at the historic theater in Harlem on June 4.

Source

Dionne Warwick stopped by Good Morning America on Thursday to open up about the loss of her cousin Whitney Houston.

Related: Whitney Houston’s Will: Everything Left To Bobbi Kristina

Visibly upset, Warwick spoke with Robin Roberts on how she’s holding up, Whitney’s comeback and the close relationship between her and her cousin.

Misty Copeland is not your average ballerina.

While most professionals have been prancing around in their dance slippers since toddlers, Copeland didn’t become aware of her natural ability until her first lesson at age 13. Sixteen years later, the award-winning ballerina is the first Black soloist  for the historic American Ballet Theater in 20 years. In an industry dominated by young White women, she is the outlier.

Copeland recently sat down with EBONY to discuss what it’s like to be a “game changer,” her thoughts on breaking the Black soloist drought and what she wants her legacy to be.

On being the “unlikely ballerina…”

“It’s shocking!  It’s very rare that someone in my field gets this kind of [mainstream] recognition. It’s never really our focus [to become famous]; we work so hard in the studio and we give everything we’ve got on stage and normally we get to leave it at that.

But I know that my story is different from the typical ballet dancer’s story and I want many young African-American girls to know that it’s ok to venture into this art form. I know the struggles [in this industry] and how important it is for young women to have someone out there that they can relate to, so I’m happy to be one of the voices of ballet right now.”

On why it’s been 20 years since there was a Black soloist in the ABT…

“Unfortunately, I think that many Black dancers are intimidated because they see that there haven’t been many who have made it successfully and they’re being told [by instructors] that it’s going to be such a struggle [to be a Black ballerina] and it’ll be easier for you to be a modern or contemporary or hip hop dancer. I mentor 7 and 8 year-old dancers and they’ve been told straight out that they can’t be a successful ballet dancer because they’re Black. I get so emotional when I see these struggles they are having. That’s why it’s so important for me to be a positive role model for them and to be a voice telling them, ‘Don’t give up!’”

On her legacy…

“I think Maya Angelou said it best, “People may not always remember exactly what you did or said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.”  I hope that people who have seen me perform or seen an interview with me were moved and will remember a positive feeling.  I hope to set an extremely positive example for the young dancers I mentor and for the ballet world and I’d like to just continue to represent Black dancers well. I still have a lot more dancing left to do!”

Check out the full interview at EBONY.com!

Courtesy of Madame Noire

“She needs to be hot. She needs to be hot and nice. She needs to be hot and nice and smart. Maybe it’s a little more complicated than that…” In a nutshell, there is the progression of a man’s thoughts on what a girlfriend must be from the moment he starts to like girls in his teens to, well, a little bit later. But, essentially, as men move from one woman to the next, they tend to keep an eye out that the next one will be better than the previous in the following ways.

You keep yourself happy

It can be satisfying for a man to be the night in shining armor—the one who picks you up when you are down—for a while, but eventually men learn it’s tiring to be with a woman who doesn’t make an effort to stay positive. If you can roll with the punches, not dwell on negative things too long and say “It will be fine” and mean it, a guy will be seriously impressed. As men get older, they want to be with women who know how to stay positive because life keeps getting harder and a guy can’t be his own and your cheerleader all the time.

Continue reading at Madame Noire

While the verdict is still out on when we’ll actually get a Whitney Houston biopic, many black actresses around Hollywood have expressed their interest in the role of a lifetime. Unfortunately, they’ll be facing tough competition from Houston’s only child, Bobbi Kristina.

Related: Cissy Houston’s First Interview: ‘I Know I Did The Best I Could’ [VIDEO]

Sources say Bobbi’s been telling friends that she is the only person who could properly take on the task of portraying her mother. She says no one knew her better and “if Easy E’s son can play him in a movie, she can too,” reports TMZ.

Last month, Bobbi was cast in Tyler Perry‘s TBS series For Better or Worse as the daughter of a stylist at Angela’s (Tasha Smith) shop.

At this time there is no project in the works, but Houston’s lasting impact on the music industry is sure to spark a film in the coming years.

To close out the week, a select group of writers were invited to Soho House in the Meatpacking District for a private viewing of Hennessy’s “Wild Rabbit” commercial featuring Erykah Badu. Mixologist Jordan Bushell flew in from Toronto to entertain the group with behind-the-bar tricks (tip: pull out the aromatics of herbs like basil and mint by slapping them between your palms before garnishing) and no one minded Badu’s “somewhat” late arrival because his endless supply of cocktails made the time (and all of our inhibitions) fly. Our two favorites: The Smash — a concoction of Hennessy VS, lemon juice, lime juice and simple syrup — tasted like a slightly spiked Arnold Palmer; The Film Maker, a riff on a mojito, bewitched the other half of our crew, and led to an interview with Badu that covered Pink Floyd, Andre 3000, doula-ing, extraordinary donks and the kinds of bloopers that happen after too much Henny.

Get the rewind here:

Siblings: you can’t live with them, you can’t live without them. And although they push our buttons, they keep us in check and love us unconditionally.

In celebration of National Siblings Day (April 10), we bring you 15 of our favorite celebrity siblings who have taken on Hollywood together.

By Temisha Palmer

Not everyone is blessed with the ability to materialize their personal style the way they visualize it. Even big name celebrities can get to a point in their careers where their style takes a back seat, inaccurately expressing their current station in life. Cue celebrity stylist June Ambrose’s new show, Styled By June.

But what does one do when there’s no budget to hire a stylist to take you from drab to fab? Simple. You do the only thing you can — you take matters in your own hands and become your own fashion stylist! Celebs who have made a name for themselves with stellar personal style are perfect to draw inspiration from. The numerous celeb media outlets afford us the opportunity to gather multiple images to create style inspiration boards based on our favorite style maven. Here are a few stylish celebs to inspire your wardrobe — just in time for the warmer months!

Mission Impossible 4′s leading lady Paula Patton invaded The Grove Monday afternoon in Los Angeles to launch Pepsi’s newest beverage, NEXT.

Related: Pepsi Vs. Coke: Nicki Minaj & Other Celebrities Who’ve Hawked Cola [VIDEOS]

The cola, which boasts 60 percent less sugar, got plenty of publicity with the stunning actress hosting their “Drink It To Believe It” event where fans got a chance to taste the low-calorie drink.

Patton also chopped it up with Extra!‘s Mario Lopez as the two spoke about the new campaign and her latest happenings.

According to Deadline, Patton is in talks to star alongside Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in 2 Guns, a film based on a Steven Grant graphic novel. She and Washington should be quite comfortable on set as the pair starred in 2006′s Deja Vu.

Check out Patton’s fun campaign photos after the jump!

Photos courtesy of Getty Images

Courtesy of The Grio

Florida State Attorney Angela Corey announced that she will not be taking the Trayvon Martin case before a grand jury. Corey took over the investigation into the February 26 killing of the unarmed Martin by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in Sanford, which had been started by State Attorney Norm Wolfinger.

In response to Corey’s announcement that no grand jury will be held, Benjamin Crump, the Martin family attorney, issued the following response:

We are not surprised by this announcement and, in fact, are hopeful that a decision will be reached very soon to arrest George Zimmerman and give Trayvon Martin’s family the simple justice they have been seeking all along.

The family has been patient throughout this process and asks that those who support them do the same during this very important investigation.

Continue at The Grio…

By Aydrea Walden

That’s right. When it comes to what you think about my birth control, I don’t really care. Just like I don’t care what you think about the fact that I’m not a vegetarian or the fact that I prefer the classic lines produced by The J. Peterman Company to something I could find in Forever 21. How I take care of my body and my family is my business. And as long as it’s not hurting your body or your family, it should stay my business. Just in case you’re not convinced, here are some reasons my birth control is not your debate … and, in fact, why it shouldn’t be a debate at all!

[Safe sex image via Shutterstock]

We really can’t get enough of these two.

Brandy and Monica stopped by Good Morning America Tuesday to perform their latest hit “It All Belongs To Me” and discuss what it’s like to work with each other after 14 years.

Related: The Best Of Both Worlds: 7 Duets That Need To Happen