Activism

Bay Area Black Grammy 2021 Winners

The 2021 Grammy Awards from the Staples Center on March 14 were hosted by Trevor Noah, and in addition to history being made by both Beyoncé and Mickey Guyton, three Black Bay Area musicians received awards.

Published

4 years ago

March 17, 2021

Kiki

Ledisi, Courtesy Twitter

H.E.R. courtesy Twitter

Fantastic Negrito, courtesy Twitter

First, Beyoncé (Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter), 39, made Grammy history with her 28^th win and is the most-awarded woman in the 63-year history of the Grammy Awards.

She received her 28^th Grammy for “Black Parade,” released Juneteenth 2020. Accepting her award in person, she said: “[a]s an artist, I believe it’s my job to reflect the times, and it’s been such a difficult time. So, I wanted to uplift, encourage, celebrate all of the beautiful Black queens and kings that continue to inspire me and inspire the world.”

‘Queen Bey,’ as she is known, ties the incomparable Quincy Jones, who turned 88 on Grammy Sunday, for the number of Grammy’s received. Only one person, classical conductor Sir Georg Solti, has more awards with a total of 31 Grammys.

Mickey Guyton (born Candace Mycale Guyton) from Texas became the first Black solo female artist to gain a Grammy nomination in a country music category. Guyton, 37, was nominated but did not win for “Black Like Me,” which she released on Instagram because it was autobiographical and she did not want to sell it.

And in the Bay Area, Vallejo’s own 23-year-old Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, aka H.E.R. (acronym for Having Everything Revealed) won two Grammys, her third and fourth, one for “I Can’t Breathe,” which captured “Song of the Year” and “Better Than I Imagined,” which was awarded Best R&B song.

Oakland’s Fantastic Negrito, 53, (aka Xavier Dphrepaulezz) won his third Grammy for his album “Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?” for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

In his acceptance speech, Negrito asked for a moment of silence for the people who have perished because of COVID-19. He also thanked E-40 and Dwayne Wiggins.

And last, but not least, Ledisi Anibade Young, aka Ledisi, 48, a former Oakland vocalist now based in Los Angeles, won her first Grammy for “Anything For You” in Best Traditional R&B Performance.

Ledisi told the Post: “I am very honored to be recognized for a song I co-wrote on my own label. Everything happens in God’s time.”

Congratulations to all.

BBC News, Twitter, Wikipedia and CBS.com were sources for this report.

Kiki

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Activism

Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

1 day ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.