Connect with us

#NNPA BlackPress

Peeking behind the ‘Bluff City Law’ curtain

NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER — “Bluff City Law” centers around the ofttimes fraught, father-daughter relationship between main characters Elijah and Sidney Strait. Elijah (Jimmy Smits) is a famed civil rights attorney and pillar of the community whose personal life isn’t so neat and tidy. Sidney (Caitlin McGee) is his daughter, who reluctantly leaves corporate law to rejoin him at the family law practice. She’s the hotheaded new jack to his more tempered, old-school personality.

Published

on

Jimmy Smits and Caitlin McGee were among the “Bluff City Law” stars at the Itta Bena restaurant on Beale Street for a press junket Tuesday. (Photo by: Greg Campbell | NBC)

By Joy Doss

Many of us have heard by now that “Bluff City Law” is filming in Memphis; actually IN Memphis. Not trying to fool us with narrow shots of Atlanta streets or, worse, New Orleans. This is exciting!

The New Tri-State Defender was invited to participate in a press junket Tuesday at Itta Bena restaurant on Beale Street. I was more than thrilled to be part of a small cohort that gathered to speak with the cast and one of the producers, David Janollari.

Columnist Joy Doss on Tuesday mixed and mingled with actor Jimmy Smits and others starring in or helping to make “Bluff City Law,” the series that is being filmed in Memphis and debuts Sept. 23 on NBC. (Courtesy photo)

Columnist Joy Doss on Tuesday mixed and mingled with actor Jimmy Smits and others starring in or helping to make “Bluff City Law,” the series that is being filmed in Memphis and debuts Sept. 23 on NBC. (Courtesy photo)

“Bluff City Law” centers around the ofttimes fraught, father-daughter relationship between main characters Elijah and Sidney Strait. Elijah (Jimmy Smits) is a famed civil rights attorney and pillar of the community whose personal life isn’t so neat and tidy. Sidney (Caitlin McGee) is his daughter, who reluctantly leaves corporate law to rejoin him at the family law practice. She’s the hotheaded new jack to his more tempered, old-school personality.

This theoretically makes for great yin-yang balance. But for good TV, we need some conflict. And in real life that personality mix can slice both ways!

The show brings together some major talent – some well-known, some little known, some you will soon know, some you know if you know.

From Michael Luwoye (two-year “Hamilton” run as both Hamilton and Burr, “The Gifted” and “She’s Gotta Have It” season 2) and star-in-the-making Stony Blyden (Nickelodeon alum, “The Edge of Seventeen,” and “Dude”) to Jimmy Smits (“NYPD Blue,” “West Wing,” “Sons of Anarchy” and a stellar guest star spot on “How To Get Away With Murder”) and Jayne Atkinson (“House of Cards,” “Madame Secretary” and “Criminal Minds”), they have stacked the deck with acting chops and star power.

As the main cast members passed through our cohort, I noticed a common thread – the mention of activism, advocacy, justice/social justice or political awareness in general.

Josh Kelly (“Robbie”) served in the military and told us how he loves to see justice prevail. “This show is all about standing up for the little guy,” he said.

The unapologetically political McGee was a kindergarten teacher for several years and named her dog partially after Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

“On a personal level, I would never be able to do a show that didn’t align with my own moral compass,” she shared. “I’m fine with playing someone a little hard-edged, as long as she’s on the right side of history….”

Growing up in a humanitarian home, MaameYaa Boafo (“Briana”) has always been connected to social justice in her real life. Her dad worked for a refugee agency finding housing for refugees.

“Being able to blend my art…feels like a win-win. I am so grateful specifically to be a part of ‘Bluff City Law.’” In addition to acting, she helps with a school that her parents built in Ghana. She’s passionate about children in foster care. And upon learning that there’s a large population of Sudanese people in Memphis, she plans to find a way to connect with them as well.

“The world should be our home,” she said. “We should be invited everywhere.”

Atkinson (“Della”) is quite the spark plug and has apparently been so from way back. During our conversation about southern ladies, gentility and polite society, she spoke about how she left her sorority in college because they wouldn’t accept her Jewish friend. She also left her church after the pastor said her friend wouldn’t be allowed in heaven because of her ethnicity. 

And, of course, there’s Smits, who is a longtime spokesperson for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He is also a famously outspoken activist and advocate in the LatinX community. 

According to Janollari, one of the producers, they wanted a backdrop that was different, not the same skyline and streets of New York, Chicago, LA; and not even Nashville. In fact, they were very insistent about using Memphis, with the hope of investing their time and talent and eventually giving it the allure and luster of some of its peer cities. I know we receive that. And we receive them. 

Another common thread is that most of them knew little about Memphis and had never been here. They came with a blank slate that they have already filled with love for our city. Memphians have embraced them wholly, as we tend to do.

There is so much to unpack and more to come. Suffice it to say for now that the cast is a lovely bunch. They gel well and move as a family, which, in addition to their own personal connections to the show, turns up on the screen. Stay tuned for funny things I learned and more about the show itself. 

“Bluff City Law” will air on Mondays at 9 p.m. CT on NBC, beginning Sept. 23.

This article originally appeared in the New Tri-State Defender

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

#NNPA BlackPress

Conversation with Al McFarlane and Coach Leah

May 29, 2023 – Welcome back to another episode of The Conversation with Al McFarlane! We bring you inspiring discussions …
The post Conversation with Al McFarlane and Coach Leah first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

on


https://youtube.com/watch?v=6ydjQ14cOJM&autoplay=0&cc_lang_pref=en&cc_load_policy=0&color=0&controls=1&fs=1&h1=en&loop=0&rel=0

May 29, 2023 – Welcome back to another episode of The Conversation with Al McFarlane! We bring you inspiring discussions

The post Conversation with Al McFarlane and Coach Leah first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Continue Reading

#NNPA BlackPress

No Labels Endorses Bipartisan Deal to Resolve US Debt Ceiling Debate

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “We have always emphasized that there should be common sense bipartisan solutions to our nation’s problems that are supported overwhelmingly by the majority of the American people,” No Labels National Co-Chairs Joe Lieberman, Larry Hogan, and Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., said in a joint statement issued on Sunday, May 28.
The post No Labels Endorses Bipartisan Deal to Resolve US Debt Ceiling Debate first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

on

By

By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

No Labels, a growing national movement of what the organization calls “common sense Americans pushing leaders together to solve the country’s biggest problems,” announced its support of the bipartisan deal that President Joe Biden, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have agreed upon in principle to avoid the United States defaulting on its national debt before the June 5 deadline.

“We have always emphasized that there should be common sense bipartisan solutions to our nation’s problems that are supported overwhelmingly by the majority of the American people,” No Labels National Co-Chairs Joe Lieberman, Larry Hogan, and Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., said in a joint statement issued on Sunday, May 28.

Chavis also serves as president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the trade association of the more than 230 African American owned newspapers and media companies in the United States.

After months of uncertainty and verbal sparring, an “agreement in principle” has been reached to spare the United States from its first-ever debt default.

But now comes the hard part: convincing both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to agree to pass the measure.

After President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced that they’d reached an accord to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default, Congress has just a few days to approve the deal.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said a deal needs ratification by June 5, or the United States would breach its $31.4 trillion debt ceiling.

If approved by Congress, the deal would raise the debt ceiling for two years, punting it to the next administration.

The GOP originally proposed a one-year deal but conceded to Democrats’ demand for two.

In the agreement, spending – except for the military – would remain at 2023 levels for next year, with funds being earmarked for other federal programs.

Biden also agreed to a $10 billion cut to the $80 billion he had earmarked for the IRS to crack down on individuals cheating on their taxes.

Instead, the funds will go to other programs that Republicans sought to cut.

Additionally, with billions remaining from pandemic relief funds unspent, both parties agreed to claw back those funds to the federal government.

“Avoiding America’s default in paying our national debt is vital to the future of our nation. We thank President Biden and Speaker McCarthy for their leadership to achieve the debt ceiling deal,” the No Labels leaders continued.

“We encourage Republican, Democratic and Independent members of both chambers of the US Congress to pass this agreement expeditiously because it is so important for every American.”

The post No Labels Endorses Bipartisan Deal to Resolve US Debt Ceiling Debate first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Continue Reading

#NNPA BlackPress

Three Years After #DefundThePolice, Schools Are Bringing Cops Back to Campus

SAN DIEGO VOICE & VIEWPOINT — As of January 2023, there were about 60 SROs remaining in D.C. schools, down from its peak of more than 100, according to the Washington Post. However, the progress made toward reducing law enforcement presence in D.C. schools appears to be in jeopardy. In what seems like a backtrack from the progressive momentum generated during “America’s racial reckoning,” four D.C. council members now support a proposal to retain officers in schools, citing an uptick in violence and crime in school vicinities.
The post Three Years After #DefundThePolice, Schools Are Bringing Cops Back to Campus first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

on

By Maya Pottiger, Word in Black 

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, calls to defund the police rang across the nation during the summer of 2020. While few cities took swift action, many school districts — integral community hubs where young minds are nurtured, and where kids spend the bulk of their time — began to reevaluate the presence of armed personnel patrolling the hallways.

In September 2019, eight months before Floyd’s murder, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported nearly 25,000 school resource officers were assigned to primarily K-12 schools.

Those numbers slowly started to change in districts around the country as a response to calls to defund the police.

In Washington, D.C., for example, the D.C. Council unanimously voted in 2021 to reduce the number of SROs in both public and charter schools beginning July 2022, with the plan to end the Metropolitan Police Department’s School Safety Division in 2025.

In September 2019, eight months before Floyd’s murder, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported nearly 25,000 school resource officers were assigned to primarily K-12 schools.

As of January 2023, there were about 60 SROs remaining in D.C. schools, down from its peak of more than 100, according to the Washington Post. However, the progress made toward reducing law enforcement presence in D.C. schools appears to be in jeopardy. In what seems like a backtrack from the progressive momentum generated during “America’s racial reckoning,” four D.C. council members now support a proposal to retain officers in schools, citing an uptick in violence and crime in school vicinities.

On the other side of the country, the Denver Public School District Board of Education unanimously voted to bring SROs back to schools through June 2023. Similar to D.C., the decision followed closely on the heels of a shooting at Denver’s East High School. And 18 SROs were brought back to 17 schools in the district.

Schools around the country are running into roadblocks trying to remove SROs.

The Roadblocks

The roadblocks don’t look the same in every situation.

In D.C., for example, ACLU DC policy associate Ahoefa Ananouko cites Mayor Muriel Bowser as the biggest barrier. Bowser has been vocal about keeping SROs in schools, going as far as to say that removing SROs is “the nuttiest thing.”

And, like in D.C. and Denver, politicians, policymakers, and some educators nationwide cite violence in the area as a reason for keeping SROs, but there is little evidence to support that SROs actually do make schools safer. In fact, in a 2020 report, the Justice Policy Institute said, “rates of youth violence were plummeting independent of law enforcement interventions, and the impact of SROs on school shootings has been dubious at best.”

Plus, it’s been proven that SROs exacerbate the school-to-prison pipeline, especially for Black students.

The Center for Public Integrity analyzed U.S. Department of Education data from all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico in 2021. The investigation found that school policing disproportionately affects students with disabilities and Black students. Nationwide, these two groups were referred to law enforcement at “nearly twice their share of the overall student population.”

What we often have seen is that the teachers or classified staff who feel that it’s not within their ability to handle certain situations automatically defer to the SROs.

ADONAI MACK, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AT CHILDREN NOW

But it doesn’t stop many adults on the school campus from differing discipline to SROs, says Adonai Mack, the senior director of education at Children Now. This happens when there is either a fear around addressing disciplinary problems or concerns, or feeling they aren’t able to handle it.

“What we often have seen is that the teachers or classified staff who feel that it’s not within their ability to handle certain situations automatically defer to the SROs,” Mack says.

This is where the call for additional non-police safety officials comes in, like nurses, counselors, or psychologists, who “certainly do more help than harm,” Mack says.

But, like teachers and other educators, there’s a shortage of these professionals. But Ananouko says this shouldn’t be a barrier if policymakers decided it was more important to have mental health professionals or restorative justice interventionalists — people who are trained to handle trauma, behavior, and underlying issues.

“I believe they could and should shift those resources to incentivize those professionals being hired instead of investing more in police,” Ananouko says, “which have been shown to be harmful to students in a school environment, generally.”

A Detriment to Mental Wellness

Though it’s too early to have concrete data on students’ mental health without SROs, there are, anecdotally, reasons to believe it’s a positive change.

Aside from students leading police-free school groups, there are other historic factors that lend insight. For one, whenever there are fears around deportation, not only Black students, but Latino and AAPI students experience negative mental health impacts, Mack says.

The feelings, like with the Defund the Police movement, are split across racial lines. Black, Latino, and AAPI students don’t always feel safe with police around.

“With kids of color, what you often have is this alienation,” Mack says. “There are decreased feelings of safety. Now, I would say that’s different for white kids and white families. They often will feel that having police on campus makes the campus safer.”

Black and Brown students are more likely to attend a school patrolled by an SRO.

And, Black and Brown students are more likely to attend a school patrolled by an SRO. A 2023 Urban Institute study found that schools where the student population is at least 80% Black and Brown, students are more likely to have an SRO compared to schools with a high population of white students, regardless of income levels. And, 34%-37% of schools with high populations of Black and Brown students have an SRO, compared to 5%-11% of predominantly white schools.

But it’s clear that there’s “a detriment to kids of color” with police on campus, Mack says.

“From that perspective, with any decrease, what we see is that it automatically improves the mental wellness of students from those communities,” Mack says.

‘A Critical Point’

While the roadblocks might be tougher or the headlines have fizzled out, Ananouko says the police-free schools movement “isn’t slowing down at all.”

And now, D.C. is at a critical point. It’s budget oversight season, meaning it’s the time when funding for SROs could be restored. But, every year since the initial 2021 vote, students, school administrators, teachers, and advocates have continued to push for the phase-out, Ananouko says.

“Our messaging has not changed,” Ananouko says. “We’ve stayed consistent in saying that police don’t keep students safe. And none of that has changed in these past three years.”

The bottom line is that all kids deserve to feel safe and nurtured, Ananouko says.

“They should be able to feel like they can go to school with that fear,” she says, whether this fear comes from other students or armed officers in the building who can use their gun “at any point at the discretion of the law is on their side.”

“A lot of the issues that students are dealing with are not going to be addressed by somebody with a gun.”

This article originally appeared in San Diego Voice and Viewpoint.

The post Three Years After #DefundThePolice, Schools Are Bringing Cops Back to Campus first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Continue Reading

Subscribe to receive news and updates from the Oakland Post

* indicates required

CHECK OUT THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE OAKLAND POST

ADVERTISEMENT

WORK FROM HOME

Home-based business with potential monthly income of $10K+ per month. A proven training system and website provided to maximize business effectiveness. Perfect job to earn side and primary income. Contact Lynne for more details: Lynne4npusa@gmail.com 800-334-0540

Facebook

Trending