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5 Black Sci-Fi Writers with Stellar Books

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books

When you think of science fiction writers, your mind probably goes to people like Isaac Asimov and Arthur C Clarke. However, science fiction is no longer an exclusively white genre. We have writers of color who are pushing the boundaries of the genre as well as anyone else. The only difference is that they are enabling black readers to imagine themselves as heroes rather than side characters.

These are the writers we are talking about today. They are people of color, and they have written at least one stellar book.

Octavia Butler – Xenogenesis Trilogy

Octavia Butler is arguably the most celebrated black science fiction author. She writes about frightening futures, where nuclear war has wiped out most of humanity, alien viruses have mutated people into monsters, and right-wing theocracies govern dystopian societies. One of the common elements in her stories is that black women are not victims; if anything, they are the ones who offer a ray of hope.

Butler’s Xenogenesis Trilogy is one of her best works. It is based on humans who are saved by aliens after a nuclear war wipes out most of their race. The aliens, called the Oankali, have three genders—female, male and ooloi—and they have ulterior motives for saving humankind.

NK Jemisin – Broken Earth Trilogy

NK Jemisin is one of the most celebrated authors of the 21st century. Her works have broken records set decades before; like winning the Hugo Award for Best Novel three years in a row. Most of her stories get nominated—or win—the major sci-fi and fantasy honors.

Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy is one of the most critically acclaimed trilogies of all time. The first book in the series, The Fifth Season, takes place in a supercontinent where every few centuries, catastrophic climate change occurs. In a single day, main character Essun discovers that her husband has killed their son and kidnapped their daughter, the empire collapses after most of its citizens are murdered, and a great red rift spews ash into the sky that will last years. Jemisin spins a good yarn, and it’s no wonder her stories are as acclaimed as they are.

Nnedi Okorafor – The Shadow Speaker

Nnedi Okorafor is a Nigerian-American author known for her Afrofuturistic worlds. She has won the biggest awards in science fiction, from the Hugo to the Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy and more. Other than novels and novellas, she has also written comics like Wakanda Forever and Black Panther: Long Live The King.

The Shadow Speaker is a book that takes place in 2070, after the Earth experiences a nuclear fallout. The fallout has caused some humans to develop both magical and mystical abilities. The story focuses on Eeji, a shadow speaker; someone that shadows can talk to. After an earthquake breaks down the boundaries between Earth and other worlds, Eeji is forced to look for a way to broker peace between the different worlds.

Karen Lord – The Best of all Possible Worlds

Born in 1968, Karen Lord is a writer known for her works in speculative fiction. Even though her works were published from 2010, she’s already gained attention for the unique way she tells her stories.

Her novel, The Best of all Possible Worlds, starts with the destruction of a planet, which makes its race—the Sadiri—endangered. The surviving Sadiri reach a multiracial world, and they start looking for other Sadiri who had emigrated to the planet years before. The book shows us that even in a future with significant telepathic and technological advances, injustices like slavery and discrimination still remain.

Nalo Hopkinson – Midnight Robber

Jamaican-born Nalo Hopkinson has written a range of speculative novels and short stories. She has also edited two anthologies, Mojo: Cure Stories and Whispers From the Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist Fiction. Her stories take place in various settings, from worlds similar to our own to ones that far into the future.

Midnight Robber, for instance, takes place in the distant future, where traveling between dimensions is possible. In the Caribbean-colonized planet called Toussaint, young Tan-Tan’s father commits an unforgivable crime, which forces them to escape to another world. But this new world is full of monstrous creatures and humans who are just as bad.

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Celebrity

The Weeknd and Binance Start World’s First ‘Crypto-Powered’ World Tour

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The Weeknd

Cryptocurrency might be crashing and turning princes back into paupers, but The Weeknd is having none of that.

He recently teamed up with Binance, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, for his latest tour.

A Historic Partnership

The Weeknd

Photo credit: Forbes

Binance is the official After Hours Til Dawn tour sponsor, and it’s already made history by becoming the first global concert using Web3.

Binance is also working with HXOUSE, The Weeknd’s creative incubator, to craft exclusive NFTs and merchandise for this tour.

The Weeknd loves this partnership because Binance cares about inclusion and the community.

He also believes that crypto has unlimited possibilities, and we are just at the starting point.

The partnership also benefits the musician’s XO Humanitarian Fund; this is a fund that works with the United Nations World Food Program.

Binance has funded the fund with $2 million, and 5% of sales from NFTs sold during the tour.

And the singer wants the fund to offer life-saving support to those on the verge of starvation.

In fact, when the fund launched in March, The Weeknd donated $500,000 and promised to donate $1 for every ticket he sold in North America.

The World Food Program also refused to be left behind, donating a further $1 million.

Pushing Through A Slump

The Weeknd

Photo credit: Twitter – Binance

It’s no secret that billions of dollars have been lost in the crypto market.

But it’s not the end of the market, according to the Hedge Trust CEO, Eric Zhou.

Even though the crypto market has taken massive hits, collaborations like this show how cutting-edge Web3 might be given a chance.

The partnership has already shown innovation through NFT tickets, merchandise, metaverse projects, and more.

Zhou added that for as long as crypto remains viable and accepted by countries, he is optimistic about the future and will ensure his company remains at the forefront.

The Weeknd: Pushing Boundaries

The Weeknd

Photo credit: Twitter – The Weeknd

The Weeknd is also optimistic about the future of crypto if this partnership is an indicator.

Time will tell if crypto returns to its former highs, but at least we are getting a kickass Weeknd tour out of it.

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Celebrity

LeBron James Family Foundation To Open Multimillion-Dollar Ohio Medical Center

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LeBron James Family Foundation

LeBron James loves giving back, and we love him for that.

Through the LeBron James Family Foundation, he announced opening the I Promise HealthQuarters.

A Healthcare Center for the Community

LeBron James Family Foundation

Photo credit: Twitter – LeBron James Family Foundation

This is a multimillion-dollar facility in Ohio that offers a range of medical services like:

  • Lab services
  • Dental
  • Optometry
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Mental health

I Promise HealthQuarters will open next year and close to other I Promise facilities like the I Promise Village and I Promise School.

The medical center has teamed up with local health providers who include:

  • Peg’s Foundation
  • Coleman Health Services
  • AxessPointe

Together, they plan to give local residents affordable healthcare.

Coming Together

LeBron James Family Foundation

Photo credit: Twitter – LeBron James Family Foundation

According to LeBron, it takes a whole village to raise a child the right way, and that’s what he’s trying to do through his Foundation.

And the LeBron James Family Foundation executive director, Michele Campbell, revealed that their work will keep expanding in ways they never thought possible.

Accessing affordable healthcare is essential for low-income families, and this need was heightened thanks to Covid.

So, the Foundation brought the community together to create a roof with all the experts.

Naturally, this would not be possible without help from like-minded partners who also wanted to help the community.

In 2018, I Promise School was launched courtesy of the LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron Public Schools.

Its mission was, and remains, to help the community’s most at-risk students.

This is a mission LeBron takes personally because he visited the students himself on the last day of school.

LeBron James: A Grounded Philanthropist

LeBron James Family Foundation

Photo credit: Twitter – LeBron James

LeBron recently became a billionaire.

But he’s not letting that get to his head.

Instead, he is following basketball legend Michael Jordan’s example.

Last year, Jordan donated $10 million for new and affordable medical clinics.

With stars helping out the community personally, the next generation is in safe hands.

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Movies

Did You Miss Them? See What Happened to The Cast of ‘Martin’!

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Martin

In the 90s, Martin was one of those comedies you couldn’t afford to miss.

It was hilarious, well-acted, and had lots of heart.

The show wrapped up its run in 1997 but recently made its comeback.

Martin: The Reunion reunited the cast, now older and wiser.

The cast discussed how they got their catchphrases, how they knew each other, and if they were willing to do a reboot of the show.

That’s cool and all, but what happened to them between the end of Martin and now?

Let’s take a look.

Martin Lawrence

Martin

Photo credit: Twitter – Martin Lawrence

Let’s start with the most obvious one: the show’s star.

Martin Lawrence continued acting in films like:

  • Big Momma’s House
  • Bad Boys 2 & 3
  • Wild Hogs
  • Blue Streak
  • Life

But acting isn’t the only thing he’s been up to.

Martin also owns a farm in Virginia.

Tisha Campbell

Martin

Photo credit – Instagram – Tisha Campbell Martin

Tisha Campbell also continued acting after the show.

She had minor roles in several TV shows for a couple of years.

But in 2001, she landed a leading role in My Wife & Kids and even won an NAACP award for her outstanding performance.

Since then, Campbell has had recurring roles in The Protector, Dr. Ken, and Rita Rocks.

Personally, she was married until 2020, when she finalized a divorce with her long-time husband, Duane Martin.

She also had beef with Martin Lawrence (which made her leave the show), but the two reconciled and are good now.

Carl Anthony Payne II

Martin

Photo credit – Twitter – Carl Anthony Payne II

Payne also continued acting after the show ended.

He appeared on The Rickey Smiley Show, The Breaks, NYPD Blue, Step Up, and more.

But his most prominent role remains Martin.

Thomas Mikal Ford

Martin

Photo credit: Colorlines

Ford got a recurring role in The Parkers between 1999 and 2001 and had a memorable role in New York Undercover as Lieutenant Malcolm Barker.

Besides acting, Ford also wrote two inspirational books for kids: I Am Responsible for Me and Positive Attitude.

And he was married between 1997 and 2014 to Gina Sasso; they had two kids together.

Tragically, Ford passed away in 2016 from a ruptured abdominal aneurism.

Tichina Arnold

Martin

Photo credit: Twitter – Tichina Arnold

Other than Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold has also had memorable roles in her career.

She played Rochelle in Everybody Hates Chris between 2005 and 2009.

She also starred in Happily Divorced, and Survivor’s Remorse and currently acts in The Neighborhood.

Jon Gries

Martin

Photo credit: WarnerMedia Pressroom

Jon Gries only acted in the first two seasons of the show.

After that, he had minor roles in a wide range of TV shows and movies.

He even provided the voice for a video game, Hitman: Absolution.

Gries might not have had another memorable role, but he’s been in a ton of stuff you’ve probably watched.

Garrett Morris

Martin

Photo credit: Twitter – Garrett Morris

Garrett Morris was among the most prominent names to join the cast of the show.

He is among the original cast of Saturday Night Live and had significant roles in:

  • The Jeffersons
  • The Jamie Foxx Show
  • Diff’rent Strokes
  • 227
  • 2 Broke Girls
  • Cooley High
  • Car Wash

Morris is an acting legend with a career that spans nearly six decades.

Remembering Martin: A Classic Sitcom

Martin

Photo credit: Twitter – Martin Lawrence

Martin is one of the greatest 90s sitcoms.

So, it’s great to see that most of the main cast is still working, even if not at their level.

And will the show be resurrected?

We hope so!

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