WATCH
Diddy details what to expect at the Billboard Music Awards 2022: "I am un-canceling the canceled" (clip)
00:04:35
“REVOLT BLACK NEWS Weekly” aired on Friday (May 13) to discuss the potential reversal of Roe v. Wade , the importance of mental health and the Black community, and the 2022 Billboard Music Awards hosted and executive produced by Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Neima Abdulahi hosted the episode, titled “Roe v. Wade and Black Women, Black Americans and the Inflation Crunch, and Love’s Billboard Takover.” She was joined by journalist Tamron Hall, singer Sevyn Streeter, legal expert Alicia Luncheon, social justice journalist Lisa Durden, actress Anna Maria Morris, and Gen X blogger Khadeeja Morse. REVOLT Entertainment Correspondent Kennedy Rue McCullough also sat down with Diddy to discuss his role in the 2022 Billboard Music Awards show.
Abdulahi opened the episode by discussing Roe v. Wade and the possibility that the historic decision could be overturned after a Supreme Court draft opinion reversing the ruling was leaked.
During a congressional hearing on Sept. 30, 2021, Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) proclaimed, “To all the Black women and girls who have had abortions and who will have abortions, we have nothing to be ashamed of. We live in a society that has failed to legislate love and justice for us. We deserve better and we demand better.”
While speaking with REVOLT, Sevyn Streeter declared the government “should not have a say so about what it is we do with our bodies.”
Tamron Hall also weighed in and stated, “Statistically, according to all of the information out there, we [Black women] will be hit because unfortunately so many of us live below the poverty line and have inadequate healthcare.”
Social justice journalist Lisa Durden believes if Roe v. Wade is overturned, women will be forced to succumb to life-threatening abortion practices.
“It is a woman’s civil right to be able to have agency over her body and be able to make those decisions, so what happens is when you take a woman’s civil right you harm them and this is what this is doing. It is problematic at best,” she explained to Abdulahi.
During the segment, legal expert Alicia Luncheon expressed what the U.S. would look like if Roe v. Wade is reversed.
“A post-Roe world looks like getting dangerous abortions. Abortions are not going to end. Contraception, education, these are much better ways to reduce abortion. As a matter of fact, the abortion rate has been reduced,” she informed. “People love to evoke the fact that Black people receive the most abortions. Well if you want to talk about that, let’s talk about how dangerous it is for a Black woman to become pregnant and give birth in this country. Let’s talk about how Black women are dying at a higher rate than our counterparts in giving birth, and if we want to talk about that, I think these are all better solutions versus outlawing abortion.”
Later in the show, Abdulahi hosted a round table discussion about mental health and its effects on the Black community.
Blogger Khadeeja Morse told Abdulahi that she has been battling depression for two years and believes more people should be open about their mental health.
“As a Black woman in my 50s, it is not uncommon that we feel like we have to power through everything. It’s hard for us to acknowledge that depression can actually be something that has to be dealt with and not just something we can power our way through,” she noted.
Actress Anna Maria Morris discussed her experience with depression and why she believes older generations discouraged their children from seeking therapy.
“The earlier generations had a different idea of what happiness looked like. Toni Morrison has a beautiful quote where she says her grandmother’s generation, they’re just passionate about staying alive for their kids. Then, her mother’s generation was like, ‘I can save enough to send my kids to college.’ Then, [Toni Morrison’s] generation was like, ‘Let me give my children the freedom to be fully themselves.’ So, I feel as though I’m a millennial — I’m that generation where I’m trying to fully be myself and express who I am. In doing that, I have to be honest about where I’m lacking and where I need help,” she said.
Switching gears a bit, REVOLT Entertainment Correspondent Kennedy Rue McCullough sat down with Sean “Diddy” Combs, who served as the executive producer and host of this year’s Billboard Music Awards. Diddy expressed his interest in using his platform to take on cancel culture.
“Love is about forgiveness, this being a night of love and uncancelling the cancelled. I think it’s very wrong for people to cancel people. Things happen in life that you can’t control, people make mistakes, accidents happen, people deserve a second chance. So, that’s why it’s important for me to have Travis Scott perform and Morgan Wallen,” Diddy expressed.
During the show, Diddy, Megan Thee Stallion, Maxwell, Burna Boy, Latto and more hit the stage. Janet Jackson also presented Mary J. Blige with the Billboard Icon Award in celebration of her legendary career and the impact she has had as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.
Watch a quick clip from this week’s episode up top. Plus, be sure to catch the next installment of “REVOLT BLACK NEWS Weekly” on Friday, May 20, 2022 at 5 p.m. ET on REVOLT’s app.