Tag: Ava DuVernay

Washington (CNN)The Killers cover political topics from the border wall to mass incarceration on their new song "Land of the Free." Lead singer Brandon Flowers said in a note posted to Instagram that the idea for the song began after the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. "In the months and years that followed, America would be hit with an onslaught of more mass shootings of innocents and too many examples of racial injustice to ignore," he wrote. Flowers credited Ava DuVernay's "13th," a film about race and incarceration, and Jimmy Kimmel's political monologues with convincing him to turn his thoughts into music. He also mentioned his grandmother, a Lithuanian immigrant who traveled to the US to escape Soviet oppression, and said, "We dishonor our values, our ancestors and our heritage when we tear gas our brothers and sisters seeking asylum." "I love my country," Flowers wrote. "I know that these are complicated issues but whether you stand to the left, right, or straddle the line, you've gotta believe that we can do better." The video for the track, directed by Spike Lee, includes footage from the wall on the US-Mexico border. Flowers has weighed in on politics before, but it's usually local. The Nevada singer performed at a rally for the Senate campaign of Democrat Jacky Rosen in his home state in 2018, and he's appeared before with former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat.

The president’s job approval ratings are up to around 44%, about as high as they’ve been since he took office. Should you debate the issues of the day? Second, you have some legal protections for discussing politics at work if it relates to your employment conditions. Why add political arguments that are just going to create tension at work to your to-do list? Others say we only actually work for just over two hours a day. You risk alienating valuable colleagues Remember that time when you got into a political argument and, at the end, the other person said, “You know what? You’re right, and you’ve totally changed my mind. Most people don’t want to get into a fight, especially at work. Everyone I know voted for McGovern!” Employers don’t just promote based on how good you are at your current job. Political arguments can do you little good in this, and possibly a lot of harm.

LOS ANGELES -- A jubilant Ava DuVernay was named entertainer of the year at an NAACP Image Awards ceremony that focused on the black community's power to create change. "This is our time," DuVernay said. Barris' show "black-ish" was the night's big winner. "Power" was named best drama series, and star Omari Hardwick won for dramatic actor. Other winners included "Gifted" actress Octavia Spencer and "Empire" star Taraji P. Henson, who were both absent, and Daniel Kaluuya, who won for his leading role in "Get Out." The special awards provided some of the night's most poignant moments. Halle Berry talked about the significance of presenting the NAACP Image Awards on Martin Luther King Jr. day. Beyond his union leadership, Lucy was also an activist who fought apartheid in South Africa. He dedicated his award to the Memphis sanitation workers who went on strike in 1968, several of whom were in the audience at the Image Awards. King spoke to the striking employees the night before he was assassinated.