African American Interests

Lewis Hamilton has teamed up with Mercedes to make a big statement on the track about racism ... repainting his car and redesigning his racing uniform -- and both look awesome.

The Formula 1 superstar's car will get an all-black paint job for 2020 to send a message that both Hamilton and Mercedes "stand against racism and all forms of discrimination."

The 2020 season kicks off on July 5 at the Austrian Grand Prix.

35-year-old Hamilton will also swap out his usual white racing uniform for a black jumpsuit instead -- all part of a "pledge to improve the diversity of our team and our sport, and a signal of the team's commitment to fighting racism and discrimination in all its forms."

The changes come in the wake of some new offensive and downright stupid comments from F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone ... who is trying to push the narrative that Black people are more racist than whites.

"In lots of cases, Black people are more racist than White people are," the 89-year-old racing legend told CNN.

When CNN pushed for specific examples, Bernie didn't cite any concrete evidence -- explaining it's something he's "noticed" over the years.

But, Hamilton says his team at Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport F1 Team -- including boss Toto Wolff -- have been super supportive of all of the new plans to make a statement about racism in their sport.

"When I spoke to Toto about my hopes for what we could achieve as a team, I said it was so important that we stand united."

"I would like to say a huge thank you to Toto and the Mercedes board for taking the time to listen, to talk, and to really understand my experiences and passion, and for making this important statement that we are willing to change and improve as a business."

President Barack Obama is giving a special shout-out to legends like Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson on the 100th anniversary of the Negro League ... praising the players for changing baseball history.

Of course, the Negro Leagues were created in 1920 because there was an unwritten rule that MLB teams couldn't sign black players ... until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947.

FYI -- some of the greatest players in the sport were minorities ... and there are 35 NL players in the Hall of Fame.

Obama -- along with other powerful people like Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Michael Jordan and current MLBer Nelson Cruz -- joined in on the "Tip Your Cap" campaign to honor the league on its 100th anniversary.

"Today, I'm tipping my hat to everybody in the Negro League who left a century-long legacy of talent, and spirit, and dignity on our country," Obama said.

"So here's to Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and everybody else, including three brave women, who did us all proud."

"Gone with the Wind" is gone no more ... HBO Max is restoring the film to its library after a 2-week hiatus, but this time the streaming platform's adding a disclaimer.

The 1939 classic will return to HBO Max with historical context that includes 2 videos -- the first showing TCM host and film scholar Jacqueline Stewart talking about "why this 1939 epic drama should be viewed in its original form, contextualized, and discussed."

Stewart said in the intro video for the film, "Watching 'Gone with the Wind' can be uncomfortable. Even painful. Still, it is important that classic Hollywood films are available to us in their original form for viewing and discussion. They reflect the social context in which they were made, and invite viewers to reflect on their own values and beliefs when watching them now."

The host added, "The film’s treatment of this world through a lens of nostalgia denies the horrors of slavery, as well as its legacies of racial inequality."

The second video is an hour-long panel discussion to talk about the complicated legacy of the film ... filmed at the TCM Classic Film Festival in April 2019.

As we reported earlier this month ... HBO Max initially pulled the film after "12 Years a Slave" screenwriter John Ridley wrote an Op-Ed calling for its removal given the film puts slavery in a positive light. Just hours later, HBO Max said it would bring back the film but would add historical context and denounce its racist depictions.

"Gone With the Wind" scored 8 Oscars -- including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress for Hattie McDaniel, who played Scarlett's house servant, Mammy.

Mississippi State star Kylin Hill -- one of the best football players in the country -- is demanding the state makes changes to its flag ... or "I won’t be representing this State anymore."

21-year-old Hill -- who was born and raised in the Magnolia State -- made his comments via Twitter on Monday ... in response to a tweet from Governor Tate Reeves discussing the topic of removing the Confederate symbol from the flag.

"Either change the flag or I won’t be representing this State anymore," Hill said. "& I meant that .. I’m tired."

He added ... "Unlike rest I was born in this state Hundred points symbol and I [know] what the flag mean."

TMZ Sports reached out to Hill via Instagram DM asking whether his tweet meant he would NOT play for the Bulldogs if the change wasn't made ... and he "liked" the message.

Ex-MSU star K.J. Wright expressed his support for Hill's stance ... saying, "You have my full support brotha! That flag represents hate, racism, oppression!"

"It’s BEEN TIME for a change. There’s strength in numbers! We all have to be on board"

Hill's demand comes on the heels of Oklahoma State star Chuba Hubbard threatening to boycott the school after coach Mike Gundy was spotted supporting pro-Trump media outlet, One America News.

Gundy later apologized and vowed to help change the culture at OSU.

Jay-Z, Beyonce and the kids hopped aboard a private jet Friday for the Hamptons, but not before Bey released a new song -- "Black Parade" -- on Juneteenth.

Bey and Jay were decked out in face masks and super comfy sweatsuits. She's carrying Rumi Carter, and Jay's with Sir Carter. Blue Ivy was also front and center.

Beyonce's new song is an anthem to support black-owned businesses, and proceeds will benefit these small shops and companies. It was inspired by the brutal murder of George Floyd and is all about resilience and empowerment.

Bey said, "Happy Juneteenth Weekend! I hope we continue to share joy and celebrate each other, even in the midst of struggle. Please continue to remember our beauty, strentgh and power," adding, "BLACK PARADE celebrates you, your voice and your joy and will benefit Black-owned small businesses."

Ex-NFL star Ryan Clark just gave an extremely emotional speech about being a black father in America ... breaking down in tears discussing his son's recent experience with racism.

Clark's son, Jordan -- alongside 2 Arizona State football teammates -- claim they were called the n-word by a Whataburger customer this week ... and instead of de-escalating, the restaurant manager threatened to call the police on the players.

You can read Jordan's entire narrative on the incident below.

Clark spoke on the incident with ESPN's "Get Up" on Friday morning ... saying he's thankful his son is still alive.

"I'm playing out a scenario of if this woman would've had a weapon and she could easily say that these 3 young black men were threatening her ... I believe that if that woman pulls a gun on those young men and that woman pulls the trigger, I believe that she's never punished," Clark says.

"I believe that justice is never served. And, even if justice is served, it's not enough to bring my son back."

"This isn't just a fear for me every day, this has been a fear for black people forever."

"If something would have happened to him, it would have broke me," Clark says. "So for me, I have to do a better job of educating him, and I have to protect him."

"I know it's getting better, but it's not better yet, better for everybody."

Clark says he wishes he would have taught his son to never approach a white person's vehicle ... knowing what could happen if he runs into the wrong person.

The entire segment is powerful ... Clark sobs as he thinks about what could have happened, given today's climate.

As for Whataburger, the chain released a statement on the incident ... saying, "We do not tolerate racism and were horrified to hear how these customers were treated by another customer."

Rep. Al Green says there are more reasons than ever for all Americans to celebrate Juneteenth, and a national holiday is just the start of what D.C. can do to honor the spirit of the day.

The Congressman from Texas gave us a brief history lesson on June 19 -- which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. -- and explained why the Black Lives Matter movement is making it more special this year.

Green's all for making Juneteenth a national holiday -- it already is in Texas -- but he has his sights set on a bigger mission ... creating a Department of Reconciliation.

The congressman says despite the atrocities in our nation's history, we've never reconciled them. He says it will take a new federal agency -- working directly with the Prez -- to make it happen. Green believes it's crucial if we're serious about stamping out racism and discrimination.

Green points to Germany as a template for doing this and makes a strong case for why Confederate statues gotta go too.

Wanna learn more about Juneteenth?

Leave it to former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Ellis ... who wrote and stars in a play about the holiday!

Ellis -- who spent 11 seasons with the Cowboys -- is now fully immersed in the theater world ... where he writes, produces and acts.

In fact, he created "Juneteenth The Stage Play" back in 2018 ... and has an upcoming performance this weekend.

44-year-old Ellis told CBS 11 in Dallas the focus on the play is to inform the audience about the history of Juneteenth in an entertaining way.

"A lot of people don't know the history," Ellis said ... "and so through our production, our challenge is to make sure it's accurate, make sure people can be entertained -- laughing, crying, happy, upset and all those emotions getting touched upon for one common good and that common good is that you're going to retain the information that's inside the play."

Now, Ellis says he's pushing to turn Juneteenth into a national holiday -- he even started a petition.

"Juneteenth celebrates the anniversary of June 19, 1865, which marks the end of African-American slavery in the United States. It is our belief that Juneteenth needs to be a national holiday and making it one right now would be a huge step in the right direction to start the healing process."

There's been a lot of talk about Juneteenth this year, and though President Trump's claim he made the holiday "very famous" is pure hyperbole ... it's true many people might need a cheat sheet.

The holiday -- which is also called Freedom Day, Liberation Day or Jubilee Day -- is the oldest celebration in America of the end of slavery, commemorating June 19, 1865.

That's the date Union General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas and informed a group of slaves that the Civil War had ended ... and they were free.

Keep in mind, President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation had abolished slavery 2 and a half years earlier, but Texas was the most remote of the slave states and had a low presence of Union soldiers ... so enforcement was slow.

The first Juneteenth celebration went down in Texas the following year, marking the anniversary of the freeing of the last enslaved people in the Confederate South -- and began to spread across the South in the following decades.

Though popularity of the holiday has risen and fallen over the past century, Juneteenth has remained a constant cause for celebration.

Currently, June 19 is marked as a state holiday or observance by 47 states and Washington D.C., and now there's a renewed push to make it a federal holiday.

If you're looking for a deeper dive into Juneteenth, check out these articles:

So You Want to Learn About Juneteenth? (NY Times)

What is Juneteenth? (PBS)

What is Juneteenth? (WSJ)

History of Juneteenth (Juneteenth.com)

Remember the social media blackout triggered by George Floyd's death? Cameo did something very similar and it raised $225k for the NAACP thanks in part to some huge names in music and TV.

Randy Jackson, Chaka Khan and NeNe Leakes are just 3 of the celebs who teamed up with Cameo -- the celebrity shout-out service -- to help benefit the NAACP Empowerment Programs. Here's how it worked.

In the spirit of #BlackoutTuesday on IG, for 2 days last week Cameo's homepage featured only African-American celebs. As you're aware by now ... Cameo is a platform where people can pay to have a celeb record and send a short custom video -- and all the fees from that day were donated to the NAACP.

We're told it generated nearly a quarter of a million bucks, thanks to over 500 talents opting to donate their proceeds. Cameo also donated 100% of its proceeds.

BTW, the NAACP Empowerment Programs aim to engage primarily in training, education, and advocacy as the nation finally comes to terms with how to best deal with racial inequality and social injustice.

Ed Gordon's all for reparations, and thinks any reasonable person who acknowledges America's history of racial injustice toward black people should be too ... so he's calling on Joe Biden to take a stance.

The journalist, author of "Conversations in Black: On Power, Politics, and Leadership" and BET staple hosted a virtual NAACP town hall with the presidential candidate Wednesday night, and when asked about reparations ... Joe seemed open to the idea but had some stipulations.

Ed joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to share his take on the issue of reparations, and also told us whether Biden's missing the mark.

The Presidential hopeful revealed he wanted Native Americans to be part of any reparations program, but Ed told us why he doesn't think that's necessary.

He says the reality is black people have received unfair treatment since the days of slavery up to the present ... and it's way past due to stop denying it.

Not only that, but he believes the onus of rectifying the centuries or racism simply can't fall on the oppressed -- white people need to work on it too.

Rev. Al Sharpton says his eulogy for George Floyd was intended to underscore the suffering black families have endured for centuries ... and to demand those responsible finally be held accountable.

The civil rights activist joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday to expand on the powerful message he delivered Tuesday in Houston. Al says he wanted to remind everyone that George's killing is not an isolated incident ... and that's the root of the protests and the growing movement for justice and equality.

Sharpton says with family members for Eric Garner and Ahmaud Arbery in attendance ... it was appropriate to discuss, not only their pain, but the fact they've yet to get justice.

The Rev. told us it's way past time to stop ignoring this and change the law enforcement system that continues to allow it to happen. He suggested one fix that could greatly aid in the prosecution of bad cops.

He acknowledged it won't be easy to change -- but Sharpton believes George's death can be the tipping point America needs to make it happen. As he put it, slavery and Jim Crow went on for a long time too.

Matthew McConaughey's mission to do more to defeat racial injustice led him to an interesting chat with Emmanuel Acho ... where they broke down something referred to as "white allergies."

Matthew told the former NFL linebacker he recently learned of the term ... which he describes as white people's inherent prejudices -- ones they likely don't even realize -- based on their upbringing or history.

The actor suggests these "white allergies" apply to all white people -- even someone like him, who grew up in a diverse setting and has had black friends his whole life. He gives a prime example of one of these allergies too ... and says it SHOULD have been obvious to him.

Matty's eye-opening chat went down on Emmanuel's Instagram talk show, "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man."

BTW, Emmanuel said he's personally been exposed to a lot of "white allergies" -- he listed them off, and explained why they're really racist microaggressions in disguise.

"I'm literally sitting in my car looking at pictures of me and my sons and just came to tears."

That's WWE superstar Titus O'Neil revealing how angry/sad/frustrated he is over the killing of George Floyd -- admitting he feels "hopeless" and doesn't know how to explain it to his children.

"As a black father this sh*t is frustrating," O'Neil said ... "I’ve been able to teach my kids a lot about life but I’m not equipped to teach or tell my kids or other black and brown kids on how to deal with this Type of sh*t OVER AND OVER AGAIN."

O'Neil says black people in America -- especially parents -- are tasked with an impossible challenge of explaining why black people are constantly the victims of police brutality and racism.

"I doubt very seriously that my Friends, Coworkers, business partners etc that don’t look like me have EVER had to think about half the stuff I do as a Black Parent trying to Raise two Black Men in this country."

"I doubt they’ve ever had to Have 'The Talk' with their children, I doubt they’ll ever Have to tell their children how beautiful and Amazing they are as much as I tell mine, I doubt they’ll have to wonder if their kids will be okay with driving their cars outside of getting into an accident, I doubt they have to go shopping for Body cameras to install in their kids vehicles."

O'Neil continued ... "WHAT I DON’T have is ANSWERS and That’s where many Black and Brown people are at today and have been for years."

The girl who captured the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police on video is not in a good space right now ... and it's all because of hate she's receiving online.

17-year-old Darnella Frazier tells TMZ ... she is utterly traumatized after recording the officer using his knee to suffocate George. Odd as it might sound, Darnella tells us a lot of people have criticized her for doing nothing more than shoot the encounter.

She says people on social media are telling her she should have done more to help George, like physically step in and intervene. While that emotion might be understandable, it's not really a practical notion for an African-American teenager.

Not just that, but folks are accusing Darnella of only posting the video for "clout" or attention, and possibly a payoff. She's vehemently refuted that.

She's also been facing a media frenzy surrounding her video -- dealing with reporters, and an onslaught of attention. And, of course, just witnessing George's death first-hand has scarred her as well, we're told.

Darnella's mother tells us her daughter was simply out making a store run, and never should have experienced this, including the nasty aftermath. She's concerned going forward because she says Darnella already suffers from social anxiety.

However, Mom believes her daughter was where she needed to be -- in order to capture the tragic event and share it with the world. To that point, without Darnella's video, we might not know what really happened.

As for those saying she should have done more. Keep in mind, she and several others on the scene shouted for several minutes at the officers ... pleading with them that George was dying.

The fact is ... Darnella's video could ultimately be the evidence that brings George's killer to justice. Internet trolls should think about that before attacking a teenage girl.

The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer is the latest example of a shockingly disturbing reality in America ... leading many to conclude it's "open season on black people" ... this according to the lawyer representing George's family.

Attorney Ben Crump joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to express the shock, outrage and sadness so many are feeling following Monday night's brutal incident ... in which a cop, who was responding to a forgery call, choked off George's air supply until he died.

Crump says George's family is having a terrible time comprehending what's captured on video -- the cop kept his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 MINUTES, despite his pleas that he couldn't breathe ... and everyone's in disbelief at what Ben calls a lack of humanity.

As we reported ... the Police Dept. released a statement saying no weapons were used during the incident, but as Crump points out -- that statement doesn't address the officer's brutality, and there's no explanation or justification for what happened anyway. The P.D.'s initial statement seemed to justify the incident, and it appears it was released before the video surfaced.

The Mayor of Minneapolis has expressed outrage, saying, "When you hear someone calling for help, you're supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic, human sense."

Of course, the cop responsible for the knee to the neck had a partner during the arrest, and Crump believes that officer's actions make him complicit in the killing. As Crump says ... this cop also ignored Floyd's cries and protests from people watching, and didn't do a thing to help.

Minneapolis PD Chief Medaria Arradondo seems to have reached a similar conclusion -- on Tuesday afternoon he announced the firing of 4 officers involved in the incident. The officers names have not been released yet.

Crump feels it's long overdue for police officers to be held accountable for their actions -- or inaction -- like this ... no more benefit of the doubt or obligatory moral high ground given. Listen to how Ben explains it, though ... he makes a very good point.

Finally, this case is being compared to the death of Eric Garner in 2014 because of the obvious similarities, and Crump says he's going to try to get Eric's family in touch with Floyd's ... a request made by Eric's mother.