Entertainment
Those High School Dancers You Called Out Are Scholars with GPAs of 3.0 or Higher
You would’ve thought that a revolution was started this weekend after social media got a hold of a video of some talented black high school dancers serving us melanin and class. You’ve seen the video of the dancers from Miami Northwestern High School walk on the football field with so much grace after recently dealing with hurricane Irma and its destructive path. Hurricane Irma wasn’t the only destructive thing that challenged, they were also drenched in hatred and hypocrisy were hurled towards them.
On the 22nd of September 2017, there was a Bulls football game against BTW in Miami, Florida and like in any other game the band and the dancers came to support their school and entertain the crowd. The dancers under the guidance of Traci Young-Byron made their entrance in one of the best ensembles I’ve seen this year. Not the regular sequins we’re used to seeing but something with a little bit more style and sass! When I first saw the video I didn’t know what the vision was, I just saw some girls who were ready to dance, slay and have fun. Others, unfortunately, saw something my new prescribed eyes didn’t catch. Some say that the girls look “too grown” “too fast” and my favorite “over-sexualized”. I was confused because I know the director and that’s the last way that she wants her dancers to be perceived as. She wants their talent to be seen which is why most of the dancers that come under her guidance go on to be recognized by talent agencies such as Alvin Ailey and go on to get full ride dance scholarships to colleges and universities.
A piece of cloth had so much power it took away from everything that these dancers work hard for Monday-Friday at Miami Northwestern. Some of us let a stocking and any other piece of fabric change the perception oh how we see these girls. Did you know that they are required to have at least at 3.0 GPA to be able to dance? No, because we were so quick to judge these girls based off of things we have been taught.We over-sexualize our black girls.
Don’t believe it? Let’s drop some receipts. That same uniform was in a uniform catalog where most teams order from. Do you know who was in that uniform modeling it for sale? A white young girl.
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Mrs. Young-Byron knew it was a double standard when it comes to black girls and she made it known on social media.
See black girls are held to a different standard than their predecessors. They’re not allowed to wear certain clothes without being considered “too fast.” This is rape culture. It’s almost to say if you get sexually assaulted it’s your fault. That logic is trash and we should discuss it.
Those dancers you tried to demonized are held to a standard already and they’re doing a good job upholding a 3.0 or higher GPA. Take a look at the press release from the Miami Northwestern Alumni Association.
Traci Young-Byron had this to say about all of the recent attention her dancers have received.
“I operate in the spirit of excellence unapologetically. I care for my dancers as if they were my own. I consider their well-being before. I consider mine. I’m an artist…in every sense of the word! That is evident in my teachings, conversations, ideas, fashions, choreography and yes…even costumes. I promote academics and self-respect 1st. My scholar dancers are extremely bright, respectful, strong and can distinguish the difference from the performance and everyday life. Because of great parenting and my teachings, my dancers have a great sense of self and understands not to let the asinine opinions of other deflect them from greatness.”
For those who would say that the parents should’ve been informed…they were and they support Traci Young-Byron and stand behind their daughters.
We fail our black girls when we don’t address these problems. I don’t want to fail my sisters and neither should you.
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In a story published Tuesday evening, Page Six is reporting that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are getting divorced, with the two already in settlement talks. The news comes after the couple spent the holiday season separately – Kanye at his ranch outside Cody, Wyoming, Kim and the kids with her famous family in southern California.
A source close to Kardashian was quoted saying, “Kim got Kanye to go up there so they could live separate lives and quietly get things sorted out to separate and divorce. She’s done.” Kardashian, 40, and West, 43, are said to be splitting because of marital problems directly related to Kanye’s very public mental health struggles.
For several years the rapper’s various antics have caused fans to worry. After coming out as a Trump supporter, West then announced his own 2020 presidential bid under a new political party: the Birthday Party. At a campaign rally in South Carolina, he was seen rambling, debating individual audience members, and at times, crying. In various interviews, he has rambled on almost incoherently, and his tweetstorms are now infamous.
For her part, Kim has always supported her husband and has openly discussed the difficulties of their marriage. Back in June, she shared on social media, “Anyone who has [bipolar disorder] or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand… People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgmental and not understand that the individual (has) to engage in the process of getting help no matter how hard family and friends try.”
It appears she has finally reached her limit in the union with the unnamed source saying, “She is serious about taking the bar exam and becoming a lawyer, she is serious about her prison reform campaign. Meanwhile Kanye is talking about running for president and saying other crazy s**t, and she’s just had enough of it.”
Separately, a source close to Kanye alleges the rapper is sick of his wife and her family, which might have some truth to it since he has tweeted some pretty nasty things about them in the past. “I been trying to get divorced since Kim met with Meek at the Warldolf [sic] for ‘prison reform,’” he said in a now-deleted July tweet. Recently, he hasn’t been featured on his wife’s Instagram and has largely remained out of the public eye.
With the news yet to be confirmed, the “divorce is imminent” reports are just rumors for now. We’ll be following the news as more information comes out.
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