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yandy smith

#PhilandoCastile and #AltonSterling: Celeb Moms Who’ve Spoken Out About Killings

candles

Tonight, we’ve reached a tipping point in America as several Dallas police officers were killed during a rally to protest recent police shootings. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of those men and women who put their lives at risk daily to protect and serve.

Here is a rundown of what sparked the rally followed by solidarity messages from celeb women we’ve featured on the blog:

Within 48 hours, two black men in “concealed weapon license to carry” states exercising their rights to have guns in their pockets were nonetheless shot and killed by police officers. Both killings, one execution style and the other in front of a 4-year old child during a routine traffic stop, has sparked outrage.

Alton Sterling was selling CDs outside of a grocery store in a high crime neighborhood and exercising his Second Amendment rights as an American, carried a weapon to protect himself. Someone reported to the police that Sterling had it out waving at people and after scuffle with the officers who arrived at the scene and eventually took Sterling down, another took out his revolver and emptied a couple of rounds into Sterling’s body before falling off the man’s chest and shooting a few more shots. The store owner and another eyewitness filmed the shootings on their smartphones and circulated it on social media. The outrage has been swift.

That same night, another man, Philando Castile, was driving with his girlfriend Diamond Reynolds and her 4-year old daughter in the backseat when he was pulled over for a busted tail light. Diamond turned on her Facebook Live and shared the incident as it happened with her followers on the social media site. The world was witness to the moments immediately after one officer shot him as he reached into his pocket to pull out his driver’s license as asked to do so by the officer, per Reynold’s account. The officer can be overheard on the video saying “ignorance”.

As with other past police killings of unarmed black men and boys, many parents have been shaken by the incident especially parents of young black boys. In social media, many have expressed fear that when their children grow up, they will be seen as menacing threats simply for being in the skin they were born in and could be the next hashtag.

I know personally, I’ve talked to my kids again as my husband and I do periodically throughout their lives to make sure they are aware what they need to do to escape a possible police encounter alive. My father in law is a retired veteran police detective and my husband’s uncle was a police officer. We fear for the lives of blue and believe Blue Lives Matter as well, but at the same time, we are frightened by the pattern of brutality among some officers.

To Kiyan ? #philandocastile #altonsterling ??

A photo posted by LaLa (@lala) on

 

We checked in on several of the celeb moms we’ve profiled on the blog before and noticed that some of them spoke out about the shootings in social media. 

Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Kristen Bell, Olivia Wilde, Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Rowland,  Tamera Mowry-Housley, Tia Mowry, Jenna Dewan Tatum, Tamar Braxton, Ellen Pompeo, busy Philipps,Eva Marcille, Phaedra Parks, Rasheeda, Yandy Smith,Toni Braxton, FAntasia, Brandy all shared posts and Kim Kardashian West and Vanessa Simmons rt’d others.

Here is a roundup of their shares, excluding Monica Brown’s who posted an excerpt of Reynold’s graphic video:

Click the link in my bio to go to Beyonce.com. Turn our anger into action. A photo posted by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on

 

Praying for a more peaceful world for our children and our children’s children. ?? A photo posted by Kourtney Kardashian (@kourtneykardash) on

 

My heart is heavy Illustration by- @nichollekobi

A photo posted by tiamowry (@tiamowry) on

We can’t be silent… I don’t care what you call me… I won’t be silent

A photo posted by Ellen Pompeo (@ellenpompeo) on

ENOUGH already!!!! When does this nightmare end? #philandocastile #BlackLivesMatter #PoliceBrutality A photo posted by PHAEDRA (@phaedraparks) on

 

NO. I DONT WANT TO WATCH. I WANT IT TO STOP.

A photo posted by Busy Philipps (@busyphilipps) on

OUR Fathers. OUR Brothers. OUR Sons. When will this end? I am heartbroken.

A photo posted by Fantasia? (@tasiasword) on

#live

A video posted by Nia Long (@iamnialong) on

 

Praying for a more peaceful world for our children and our children’s children. ??

A photo posted by Kourtney Kardashian (@kourtneykardash) on

A photo posted by Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) on

Stand up, speak up. Stop Killing Us!!!! #blacklivesmatter

A photo posted by Eva Marcille (@evamarcille) on

#blacklivesmatter

A photo posted by Eva Marcille (@evamarcille) on

#altonsterling I am just heartbroken today for his family. We need change. ?

A photo posted by Jenna Dewan Tatum (@jennaldewan) on

#philandocastile A photo posted by Rasheeda (@rasheedadabosschick) on

And this is our reality…… A photo posted by Rasheeda (@rasheedadabosschick) on

#ENOUGH ?????? #altonsterling??

A photo posted by @garcelle on

So I was advise to take my last two post down and edit my comment to protect my family that is behind the cement walls. I will not take my post down but I will edit my comment. Let’s stick together people. Rise above together. ✊? #Repost @tamikadmallory with @repostapp ・・・ #Repost @angelo_pinto_ ・・・ “I just want to thank them for being here, for teaching me to focus on comprehension over career, and that they made sure I learned what the schools were AFRAID to teach us.” – Jessie Williams (2016 BET Awards Humanitarian Award Speech) #woke #independenceday #altonsterling #blacklivesmatter #policebrutality #spilledink #axwell #meditation #skrillex #afrojack #tiesto #davidguetta #asap #blvck #beentrill #muse #ootd #jamaica #PerformanceArt #hypebeast #rastafari #unity #rasta #wutang #philly #afropunk #philadelphia

A photo posted by Yandy Smith-Harris (@yandysmith) on

Influential Celeb Moms help Promote Breastfeeding among Black Women

black celeb moms promoting breastfeeding

I was stalking the Instagrammed wedding photos from our Bellyitch Bumpwatch alum Yandy Smith, the music manager and e-magazine publisher who stars in the VH1 show Love and Hip Hop. I stopped at a glorious photo of the beautiful new mom breastfeeding her infant daughter Skylar right before the ceremony.

She captioned the photo: “OMG @timefrozen you captured my life in a nutshell in this pic. Baby Skylar started crying right before I walked. I had to walk down the isle a little late because I had to feed her. I love this picture. Thank you for capturing this without me even knowing. Lol. #smithharriswedding2015 #moderndomesticegl”

Marvelous! I love Smith’s IG because in all of her photos she comes off genuinely happy and full of life. She seems nurturing, in love with her new husband and children and she embraces her beautiful and curvy new mom body and is confident in her skin even as she amps up her work out routine in recent weeks to gradually get back to her pre-baby size. She’s a great IG follow.

This discovery came the day after I also spotted an equally wonderful breastfeeding support IG pic from rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges wife, Eudoxie Bridges, who is an independently accomplished woman in her own right, having recently received a Master’s degree and pursuing a Medical degree.

The photo featured stacks of breast milk the Gabonese new mom to daughter Candace had recently pumped so dad could feed baby while Eudoxie caught up on some sleep.

“Got the supply ready for daddy’s shift ?? #gotbreastmilk #liquidgoldastheycallit #bestdadever #heismrmom #takesnightshifts,” she captioned the photo.

I think both are serving as wonderful ambassadors to breastfeeding to their community of followers that include lots of black and African American women.

This demo stops breastfeeding earliest out of all other racial groups, partially because of culture stigma.

The Centers for Disease Control  reports that African Americans are less likely to breastfeed their children. “Black infants consistently had the lowest rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration across all study years,” the CDC statistics note.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies reports that Blacks stop breastfeeding sooner than other races, setting up their children for higher incidences of illnesses and diseases that non-breastfed children succumb to at a higher rate than those who were nursed. The report also links higher rates of infant mortality and low birth weight to lack of breastfeeding.

There is a taboo about it among the black community, perhaps, and those who nurse for too long are not encouraged or supported and are sometimes egged on to stop breastfeeding after a few weeks or months.  Although to be fair, shorter breastfeeding times are also linked to working wage-earning mothers who have little to no maternity leave who all have to report to work earlier.  Also, moms who have shorter maternity leave and/or work in settings where they do not have a private place to pump and store their milk for their babies, also stop earlier.

Kim Durdin-James, national president of the African-American Breastfeeding Alliance (AABA), summed it up well in saying, “In the best of times, breastfeeding is the optimal feeding choice for young children because it provides babies with all vital nutrients for growth and development, but in times of disaster, breastfeeding can mean the difference between life and death.”

So it is great to see influential women sharing their experience breastfeeding which perhaps could encourage more to do the same, if they do not face any other impediment to breastfeeding like low supply, extreme discomfort or other problems.

Kudos Eudoxie and Yandy!

Reality TV Moms who went from obscurity to Business Moguls

VH1.com  assembled a list of reality TV stars who were relatively unknown before and were able to parlay their appearances on docu series and become business moguls.  Moms dominated the list which included many current and past Bellyitch Bumpwatch moms!

Bethenny Frankel‘s Skinny Girl major distribution and buyout deal, Snooki‘s New York Times Best seller appearances, Kristin Cavallari‘s shoe line and subsequent E! TV hosting show and of course Kourtney and Kim Kardashian with all their Kardashian gold!

It left of the dozens or so who have launched websites, clothing, shoes and make up lines, books and videos. We’re thinking, Phaedra Parks with her multiple ventures like exercise DVDs and all the other housewives from various series,  VH1 own’s Love and Hip Hop stars Rasheeda and Yandy Smith, and several others who have clothing companies.

But still, that says a lot about the hustle of moms who were relatively unknown before and managed to use their stardom on a TV show and parlay that into lucrative business ventures for their families.

Yay moms! Happy Mother’s Day!

check out its complete list HERE!

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VH1’s ‘Love & Hip Hop’s Yandy Smith welcomes daughter

Congratulations to Love and Hip Hop‘s Yandy Smith on the birth of her daughter yesterday, Monday January 27. The music manager shared news of the baby’s impending arrival on her Instagram account yesterday.
“The Princess is coming,” she captioned a photo of herself in a maternity ward gown with her fiance Mendeecees Harris giving her a smooch. “We can’t wait to meet out little princess.”
This is the second child for the couple. They have a son, whom they welcomed in July 2012. He has two boys from previous relationships. 

Love and Hip Hop’s Yandy Smith dishes on shooting reality TV while pregnant (VIDEO)

Love and Hip Hop’s Yandy Smith has been having a vibrant and active pregnancy so far.  Smith rocked hot pink while attending a recent Monami holiday party thrown by show creator and executive producer of the Love and Hip Hop franchise Mona Scott-Young.

Before that, she and her son  Lil Mendeecees who she raises with her fiance Mendeecees Harris did the “Nae Nae” dance at the show’s recent press event.

In the season debut this past Monday, December 15, Smith, who joined the show in 2011, is seen reuniting with Harris who got released from jail. Last season concluded with Harris heading there on federal drug trafficking charges.

The couple is expecting a daughter in February, their second child together. They welcomed a son Omere in summer of 2012 and Mendeecees has two sons from previous relationships.

They are working on finalizing a name, said Smith who once served as president for Monami and is a hip hop manager.  Smith wants to give their daughter her own last name as a first name, while Harris wants an African name, Smith told VladTV at the event.

When asked how she is handling shooting the show while pregnant, Smith lamented on pregnancy fatigue:

“I’m tired. I’m pregnant. I’m on a TV show. I have another show that I’m shooting, a cooking show. I’m running three businesses. Other than that I’m happy, but I’m tired. I work a lot.”

Watch more from the short interview:

h/t fashion style

Love and Hip Hop’s Yandy Smith is expecting her 2nd child



Love and Hip Hop star and Bellyitch BumpWatch alum Yandy Smith is expecting her second baby.

Her on-again-off-again boyfriend Mendeecees Harris shared a photo with to two of them and a caption included the emoji for a baby on his Instagram account yesterday. 
The couple has an almost 2-year old son. 
Congratulations!

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