Redefining and Reshaping Blackness Through Radical Self-Acceptance
American psychologist and Buddhist practitioner of meditation Tara Brach has said, “clearly recognizing what is happening inside us, and regarding what we see with an open, kind and loving heart, is what I call Radical Acceptance.” This passage comes from her 2003 book Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha.
Radical Self-Acceptance (RSA) is a concept that is based in self-awareness and authenticity. It is the practice of embracing things as they are, no matter how confusing or scary or wonderful they may be. Instead of trying to modify aspects of one’s self in order to be subjugated into a particular paradigm, it’s about recognizing and using the individual aspects of one’s self to create a simple and comfortable state of being.
It is nothing new that Black people have to do a variety of things to fit into a cultural and social paradigm that at times does not feel authentic to who they are. Writer Jessica Guyann, in her 2024 article for USA Today, “What is Code Switching? Why Black Americans Say They Can’t Be Themselves At Work”, writes, “Black employees are nearly three times more likely to code-switch than white employees, according to a survey of more than 2,000 full- and part-time employees conducted for Indeed by The Harris Poll…the habit is becoming more common as the conservative backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) causes some companies to cut back on initiatives.”
In the face of whitewashing and intense social and political conformity, how does a person of color adopt the concept of radical self acceptance? Can there be a space where one can thrive and be even within a confined space that is rooted in colonialism and anti-Blackness?
One of the best ways radical self-acceptance can be integrated into the Black community is through self care. Black people have long been the symbols of cultural hypervigilance, so much so that they have become scapegoats of racial equality. Researchers Dr. Janan Wyatt and Dr. Gifty Amandu, in their 2022 article for Community Mental Health Journal, “Reclaiming Self‑care: Self‑care as a Social Justice Tool for Black Wellness”, writes, “radical self-care has historical roots and was seen as a much-needed practice among activists who sought to propel social justice efforts while preserving their wellbeing… more typically, radical self-care as a Black feminist ideology/praxis has denoted a necessitated self-care act rooted in the principles of self-determination, self-preservation, and self-restoration.”
Moreover, referencing the aforementioned in conversation with that of the work of Brach, redefining, reshaping, and radicalizing how the Black community can embrace radical self acceptance in the face of deep uncertainty can be key to holding space for one another.
Judges Punishing Jan. 6 Rioters Say They Fear Another Burst of Political Violence
(AP) — Judges at Washington’s federal courthouse have punished hundreds of Capitol rioters since 2021.
Before recently sentencing another to prison, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said he prays Americans accept the outcome of next month’s election, but expressed concern that Donald Trump and his allies are spreading the same sort of conspiracy theories that fueled the 2021 attack.
That Sore Loser
“That sore loser is saying the same things he said before,” Walton said earlier this month without mentioning the Republican presidential nominee by name. “He’s riling up the troops again, so if he doesn’t get what he wants, it’s not inconceivable that we will experience that same situation again. And who knows? It could be worse.”
A look inside the NBA media rights landscape as ESPN, NBC, and Amazon all look for marquee talent going into the new $77 billion deal
(Boardroom) — The 2024-25 NBA season tips off on Tuesday, beginning the final year of the current NBA media rights deal and a massively impactful transitional year that will impact how we watch professional men’s basketball for the next decade.
To quickly recap, here’s what’s changing after this coming season: The NBAsigned an 11-year, $77 billion deal with ESPN/ABC, Amazon‘s Prime Video, and NBC/Peacock in addition to an 11-year, $2.2 billion WNBA deal with the same partners. The previous contract signed in 2014 was for $24 billion. It will mark the end of Turner Sports‘ 40-year relationship with the NBA, with Warner Bros. Discovery suing to keep TNT part of the NBA going forward, claiming the NBA’s matching rights pact with Amazon was unfair.
What you’ll see in the next rights era is a greater emphasis on broadcast and streaming and a decreased focus on cable. NBC will air national games on Sundays after the NFL season and every Tuesday during the regular season, while ABC will continue its premium national slate on weekends. Prime Video will stream 66 regular season games per year, including Thursdays after the NFL season and every Friday, while Peacock will host a doubleheader each Monday.
This is a great visual explaining who gets what in the NBA’s new media rights deal.
“The large increase we got was because we dramatically increased the number of broadcast exposures,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said last week at Columbia University’s Sports Management Conference. “And then the rest was largely due to the belief that live premium sports can drive the streaming marketplace.”
The deal also reflects cable’s decline, with subscriptions and revenue plummeting as streaming services and skinny bundles take huge bites out of the once-dominant model. ESPN will be more reliant on its direct-to-consumer business, while WBD experiences a steady decline — not to mention roughly $40 billion in debt — and lacks the stability of Disney, Amazon, and Comcast, which Silver hinted at last week being a factor in who the NBA partnered with long term.
Ahead of the opening whistle next week, Boardroom analyzes the NBA media rights landscape, diving deep into the league’s local streaming strategy while also paying homage to a media show staple and breaking down the race for broadcast talent.
The End of an Era
Unless WBD pulls off the legal miracle of our lifetimes, it will be the last year of NBA coverage for a network that helped the league transition into the modern age and globalize the sport. With few exceptions, like Vince Carter joining as a studio analyst, legendary producer Tim Kiely coming out of retirement for one last season, and longtime play-by-play man Brian Anderson signing an extension to lead its long-term baseball and golf coverage, major talent will need to find new hoops homes moving forward.
For Inside the NBA, the greatest studio show in sports history, the show’s likely premature end as currently constituted likely has other networks licking their chops at the chance to bring in Charles Barkley, who’s on a long-term contract with WBD but can we really see him not commentate on basketball every week? While Ernie Johnson will likely stay at Turner, Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith should be hot commodities.
The same can be said for other TNT broadcast talent, including Kevin Harlan, Ian Eagle, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Candace Parker, Grant Hill, and Allie LaForce. Dwyane Wade still has duties with WBD and CBS for the men’s college basketball tournament, but his excellent Olympic basketball run this past summer has him in even higher demand from NBC and ESPN, the latter reportedly wanting him to boost its studio programming.
For so many in the NBA talent industry, especially at WBD, the next year will be a high-stakes game of musical chairs for landing new gigs.
“This is an unprecedented time in our industry,” Jake Fischer, a longtime NBA insider and former Sports Illustrated and Yahoo writer who’s himself now a free agent, told Boardroom. “With two new rights holders set to take over in and the lead reporter in the sport’s history stepping aside, the next few years will operate much differently than we ever have.”
The Race for Talent
As we get towards the beginning of the new rights deal, how will ESPN, Amazon, and NBC arm themselves with marquee talent?
Due to layoffs or defections, there’s been an ESPN NBA brain drain lately — Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Adrian Wojnarowski, Zach Lowe, JJ Redick, and Doc Rivers all out over the last year-plus at the network. While Shams Charania replaced Woj, who Fischer just alluded to, as the network’s lead NBA scoop master, Michael Grady was added as a new play-by-play man and larger roles were given to internal basketball veterans Tim Legler, Jay Bilas, and Kendrick Perkins. But those feel like short-term Band-Aids, and ESPN executives must know they need to upgrade NBA talent across the board.
While NBC likely already has its top two play-by-play announcers in Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle, a ready-made studio host in Maria Taylor, and strong complementary options in Zora Stephenson and LaChina Robinson, it has to build out the rest of its NBA roster from scratch. When the NBA on NBCreturns for the first time in more than 30 years and puts primetime games on broadcast twice a week, you know they’re going to put on the full-court press for the biggest names in the game.
To date, Amazon has kept close to the vest on its NBA ambitions as it gets into the space working from scratch. But, a source tells Boardroom that Prime Video is working behind the scenes to lure bold-faced names mentioned previously in this article. It’s logical to expect them to mirror its NFL strategy for talent acquisition, where it also built out a mix of established names like Al Michaels and former players with little previous broadcast experience like Richard Sherman, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Marshawn Lynch who would grow into their roles.
Plenty of other reporters and analysts are now free agents looking for strong landing places before the new rights deal begins. Chris Haynes, Jamal Crawford, Fischer, and Lowe will all be in strong positions to angle for rights holder deals should they choose, though writers could potentially go out on their own in a newsletter format like former ESPN NBA insider Marc Stein does at Substack.
Over the next year, before the media rights deal kicks off, expect huge turnover and change within the industry that will reset the market for years to come.
The NBA’s Local Streaming Strategy
“Before we ever entered into these new national deals,” Silver said last week at the Columbia conference, “of our 30 teams, we were looking at roughly 18 of those teams either dealing with completely defunct or bankrupt RSNs.”
With Diamond Sports Group‘s bankruptcy leaving local deals for more than half the teams in the league in peril on Bally Sports, several teams, including the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and Portland Trail Blazershave started their own networks or switched to local TV with direct-to-consumer subscription models for out of market viewers. Premium live sports isn’t working locally, Silver said, with a model still largely dependent on the declining cable industry.
Not only are cable providers losing subscribers en masse, but you also have streaming and skinny bundles chopping revenues and ensuring NBA RSNs aren’t nearly as profitable as they once were. How the NBA, MLB, and NHL handle these local rights moving forward, whether maintaining the current model or trying to nationalize local schedules, will also help shape how American sports fans watch their favorite teams for many years to come.
A year from now, NBC and Amazon’s entry into the NBA universe will mark a change we haven’t seen in the league in more than 20 years. The three networks and the talent who will drive their air time and content are now working tirelessly behind the scenes to secure their spots and not be left standing when the music finally stops.
(AP) — Israeli forces in Gaza killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year’s attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel’s most wanted man.
Israeli leaders celebrated his killing as a settling of scores just over a year after Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others in an attack that stunned the country. They also presented it as a turning point in the campaign to destroy Hamas, urging its fighters to surrender and release some 100 hostages still in Gaza.
“Hamas will no longer rule Gaza. This is the start of the day after Hamas,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
U.S. officials expressed hopes for a cease-fire with Sinwar out of the picture. But eliminating him may not end the devastating war, during which Israel has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of the Gaza Strip.
His death is a crippling blow to the group. But Hamas has proven resilient to past losses of leaders. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas of Sinwar’s death.
(Op-Ed By Colin Allred) — Voting is one of our most fundamental rights. It’s not just about having a say in the future of our country—it’s about honoring the legacy of those who fought and sacrificed so that we could have a voice. As a voting rights lawyer, I’ve seen the impacts of voter suppression firsthand, and how deeply un-American it is when folks cannot vote because of arbitrary barriers put in place to make it harder.
I became a voting rights attorney because I believe the right to vote is preservative of all other rights. That’s why we cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. In Congress, I’ve been working to reinstate and modernize the Voting Rights Act to stop harmful voter suppression laws here in Texas and across the country. To give more Texans a chance to participate in our democracy, we must expand early voting, make Election Day a federal holiday and take steps like same day voter registration that make voting more accessible, not create barriers that are harmful to our democracy. I’ve introduced legislation that would ensure integrity in our elections and protect our election workers. I stand by the words of my hero, Congressman John Lewis who said “The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democracy.”
Despite these efforts, laws like S.B. 1 in Texas make it harder for Texans to vote by mail, limit the hours of early voting and have burdensome voter registration and voter ID provisions. This isn’t who we are as Texans. The Voting Rights Act, championed by the civil rights movement, was signed into law by a great Texan, President Lyndon B. Johnson.
I think about other Texas icons like the late, great Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, who fought fearlessly for our democracy. She never shied away from challenging those who wanted to silence our communities and take away folks’ voices in our democracy. She said it best: “What the people want is very simple—they want an America as good as its promise.”
To live up to that promise, we must do better.
Ted Cruz wants to take our democracy backward, as we all saw on January 6when he tried to overturn a free and fair election and disregard the will of the American people. Ted Cruz supports restrictive laws based on fear tactics about widespread voter fraud. He doesn’t understand and doesn’t care that voting is a cornerstone of our democracy, and he is trying to strip away our hard-won rights.
History has shown us that elections can be decided by just a handful of votes.
Yet in Texas, only 42 percent of eligible voters turned out in 2022 and Texas sadly consistently ranks towards the bottom in the country in turnout numbers.
We have less than a month to turn out our family and friends and ensure every eligible Texan casts their ballot. It’s time to make a plan to vote, especially at a moment where folks like Ted Cruz want to threaten the principles our country was founded on.
I often say if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu. Voting is our power and our voice. Let’s use it.
(AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is in “excellent health” and “possesses the physical and mental resiliency” required to serve as president, her doctor said in a letter released Saturday that summarizes her medical history and status.
Dr. Joshua Simmons, an Army colonel and physician to the vice president, wrote that Harris, 59, maintains a healthy, active lifestyle and that her most recent physical last April was “unremarkable.”
She “possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,” he wrote in a two-page letter.
Harris’ campaign hopes the release of her medical report will draw a contrast with Republican Donald Trump, who has shared only limited information about his health over the years, and raise questions about his fitness to serve, according to a campaign aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Trump has released very little health information, including after his ear was grazed by a bullet during an assassination attempt in July in Pennsylvania.
Trump’s Medical Reports
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said Saturday that Trump has voluntarily released updates from his personal physician as well as detailed reports from Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, who, before he was elected to Congress, was Trump’s physician at the White House. Jackson also treated Trump after the assassination attempt.
“All have concluded he is in perfect and excellent health to be Commander in Chief,” Cheung said in a statement. The campaign press office provided links to some of Trump’s past medical reports. They included: https://tinyurl.com/yckc495b and https://tinyurl.com/4z27pk2f
If Trump, who is 78, were to be elected next month, he would be the oldest president in U.S. history by the time his term ends in 2029.
Harris addressed the issue on Saturday before she traveled to North Carolina.
“It’s clear to me that he and his team do not want the American people to really see what he is doing and if he is fit to be the president,” she told the reporters accompanying her.
Asked if she thought Trump’s mental acuity had declined, Harris said, “I invite the public to watch his rallies and be the decision-maker.”
Harris’ Primary Care Physician
Simmons, who said he has been Harris’ primary care physician for the past 3 1/2 years, said the vice president has a history of seasonal allergies and urticaria, or hives. She has been able to “dramatically” improve her symptoms over the past three years with an immunotherapy medication that helps the body become less sensitive to allergens.
Simmons said Harris’ latest blood work and other test results were “unremarkable.” Her blood pressure is not worryingly high and she is at low risk for heart disease.
Harris’ Exam Results
According to the summary of an exam conducted six months ago, Harris’ vital signs showed a blood pressure of 128 over 74, a heart rate of 78 beats per minute, pulse oximetry of 100% on room air with a respiratory rate of 16 breaths per minute and a temperature of 98.7 degrees. Pulse oximetry measures the amount of oxygen in a person’s blood.
Soliz is the sole SAISD 2025 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
(SAISD News Release) — Mizael Solis has been a student at the Advanced Learning Academy since he was in 4th grade. Now his hard work is paying off. Soliz was named a 2025 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, the only SAISD student to earn that prestigious distinction. The staff at ALA say Solis has demonstrated an outstanding ability to think critically and creatively in his time there. His teachers describe him as thoughtful, insightful and humble. They applaud him for always being willing to explore his passions deeply and think about the world through an empathetic lens. SAISD proudly celebrates this outstanding accomplishment alongside Mizael and his family
Solis is among the academically talented high school seniors who have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
Cruz and Allred Face Off in Heated Texas Senate Debate
Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Democratic Representative Colin Allred met for their only scheduled debate in the tight Texas Senate race. With polls showing a narrow margin, this debate offered both candidates a final opportunity to sway undecided voters in a race drawing national attention and millions in campaign contributions as Democrats aim to hold onto their slim Senate majority.
Allred and Cruz Clash Over Key Issues
The debate quickly became contentious, with both candidates trading attacks. Allred focused on his personal journey from NFL player to civil rights attorney and U.S. representative, highlighting his bipartisanship and accusing Cruz of being ineffective and extreme. He criticized Cruz for leaving Texas during the 2021 winter storm, calling him “all hat and no cattle,” and suggested the state should move on from Cruz’s leadership.
Cruz, in turn, linked Allred to the Biden administration and House Democrats like Nancy Pelosi. He attacked Allred’s record on crime, abortion, and border security, encouraging viewers to fact-check his claims through his campaign’s website. Cruz also targeted Allred’s stance on transgender athletes, arguing that allowing boys to compete in girls’ sports is unfair.
Debate Over Key Issues: Abortion, Transgender Athletes, and Jan. 6
Abortion was a major issue, with Cruz advocating for decisions to be made by the state legislature, while Allred vowed to restore Roe v. Wade’s protections. Allred also slammed Cruz over his stance on January 6, 2021, and his objections to certifying the 2020 election, accusing him of being a “threat to democracy.”
Tight Race With National Implications
With Democrats defending a narrow 51-seat Senate majority, the outcome of this race could have national consequences. Polls show Cruz holding a slim lead, with recent surveys giving him a 4-5 point advantage. However, with Texas’ growing political diversity, Democrats see a potential upset, particularly given Cruz’s polarizing reputation.
As Election Day approaches, the battle for Texas continues, with both candidates working to mobilize voters in what could be a crucial race for control of the Senate.
Wimbledon organizers announced Wednesday that after 147 years, the famous tennis tournament will no longer use human line judges moving forward. In 2025, the grass-court Grand Slam will rely on an electronic line-calling system (ELC) instead. Since the Association of Tennis Professionals announced in 2023 that all of its events would move toward an ELC format, two of the four Grand Slams have already integrated it. With Wimbledon now on board, the last remaining tournament using line judges is Roland-Garros.
The Importance of Justice in Addressing Voter Suppression Tactics
With the countdown to Election Day rapidly approaching, we must take note as to how the wheels of Justice play a significant role in addressing voter suppression tactics, as well as to the work being done, by a variety of both civic and community based organizations to address these same issues.
On last Friday, certain provisions of Texas’ SB1, the sweeping 2021 voting law that restricted voter assistance, were found to violate the Voting Rights Act and cannot be enforced, ruled a federal judge in Texas.
Provisions Struck Down by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez
Among the rules struck down, by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez, was a “ban on compensation for anyone who assists a voter” and “a requirement for anyone who assists a voter to sign an oath under penalty of perjury that the voter qualifies to receive help.”
Implications for Voters with Disabilities and Literacy Limitations
News reports show Rodriguez also blocked provisions “that require assisters to make certain disclosures about their relationship to the voter they are helping” and a provision that “restricts voter assistance given during door-to-door operations.” Rodriguez based his decision on the section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that guarantees voters with disabilities or literacy limitations to receive assistance from whoever they choose.
Impact of the Ruling on Voter Assistance and Forms
“This ruling will be most impactful for voters with disabilities, voters who have limited English proficiency, voters with literacy issues and the people who assist them,” said Seam Morales – Doyle, voting rights program director at the Brennan Center for Justice.
In spite of the judge’s having blocked any type of prosecution under these provisions, the rules and instructions on forms requiring the signing of an oath, are “technically still in place” for the upcoming November 5th presidential election, because it is reportedly too close to the election to change the forms themselves.
The uptick in voter registration activities, historically, has not led to increases in voter participation and turnout. It appears that there’s different results on the horizon.
Community Organizations Working to Galvanize Voter Participation
The signs of changes come from the work of multiple local, regional and national organizations calling on more voters to become galvanized, providing civic forums, which stress the importance and value of their knowledge of What’s On the Ballot, what is the function of the offices being contested and where do candidates stand, on issues important to voters and their communities.
Voter Education Targeting Young and Senior Voters
Local voter education efforts have been aimed at young voters, described as “most moveable”, per their concerns about climate change, reproductive rights, access to guns and relief – as it relates to the educational burden they’re enduring with student loans; Senior citizens, who are concerned about access to the ballot, medical insurance and cost of prescriptions.
Recognizing the Efforts of Civic Organizations
We recognize such groups, as The Power of One, Black Independent Voters Association, LULAC, The League of Women Voters, The Brennan Center for Justice, NAACP, MALDEF, Common Cause, ACLU, VoteVets, VoteBeat and countless others, who are determined to make sure more voters get accurate information on the issues and on the positive impact an increase, in turnout, will have in this election and for the survival of democracy, as we know it!
Take an Interest, in casting your vote, Use your Influence, among family and friends, Help make an Impact, in the world for Democracy!
