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The Oscar and Grammy winner says a painful Valentine’s Day split inspired his new single “Somebody.”
Jamie Foxx is no stranger to baring his soul through music, but this time, the heartbreak feels especially raw.
While attending the premiere of “Coulda Been Love 2” in Los Angeles earlier this week, the Academy Award-winning actor and Grammy-winning artist opened up about the real-life breakup that inspired his new single, “Somebody.”
“I don’t know about y’all, but Valentine’s can be tricky,” Foxx said on the red carpet, reflecting on a split that happened around the love-centered holiday. “And I had a breakup during Valentine’s, and it was bad.”
The timing made it worse. Valentine’s Day, a celebration built around romance and grand gestures, became a painful reminder of what he had lost.
In “Somebody,” Foxx leans into that vulnerability. On the track, he sings, “Can somebody find somebody to / Get this somebody off my mind? I’ve been talkin’ to the ceilin’ / Like it’s gonna give me answers tonight.” The lyrics capture the restless, late-night spiral that often follows a breakup, when silence feels louder than any conversation.
Foxx shared that for him, love is unmistakable. “You know you’re in love when you blink and you see that person’s face,” he said, describing how difficult it was to shake memories of his former partner after the relationship ended.
Though he stopped short of naming names, Foxx offered a playful yet telling detail about the woman who inspired the song. “People probably know her,” he said. “She understood every word Bad Bunny was saying. Man, she f—ed me up. She understands Español. She was Spanish.”
The comment added a lighthearted edge to an otherwise vulnerable moment, but the emotional impact was clear. The relationship left a mark.
The new single signals a reflective chapter for Foxx, who has long balanced comedy, drama, and music with ease. Known for blending R&B with deeply personal storytelling, he appears to be channeling heartbreak into art once again.
“Somebody” is out now, offering listeners a window into the kind of love that lingers long after it ends.
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Pop icon Mariah Carey leads initiative to raise millions in aid for struggling musicians and performers.

Behind the platinum plaques, sold out arenas, and red carpet flashes, there is another side to the music business most fans never see.
It is the side where artists are fighting eviction notices between tours. Where a songwriter with hits on the radio is quietly battling addiction. Where a background singer loses their health insurance the moment a gig dries up. In a country where medical and dental care can wreck your savings overnight, too many music professionals find themselves one emergency away from crisis.
That is where MusiCares steps in.
During GRAMMY Week, the industry traded in its usual flex for something deeper. The MusiCares Person of the Year Charity Gala turned the spotlight toward community, raising millions to support artists and music professionals who need real help, not just applause.
And leading the charge this year? Mariah Carey.
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The icon, the five octave phenomenon, the architect of countless chart toppers, was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year. But this was bigger than celebration. It was about showing up for the humans behind the hits. Jazmyn Summers was there to get the tea for Radio One. 
The annual gala is MusiCares’ largest fundraiser of the year. The money raised fuels year round programs that cover everything from disaster relief to emergency living expenses. In other words, when the industry storms hit, MusiCares becomes the umbrella.
MusiCares provides critical support in three major areas.
Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services offer counseling, psychiatric care, inpatient and outpatient treatment, sober living support, and financial assistance for those trying to reclaim their lives. In an industry where burnout and pressure are constant companions, that support can be life saving.
Health Services step in during medical crises and also focus on prevention. That includes dental and medical screenings, hearing clinics for those who spend their lives near speakers, and vocal health workshops for artists whose voices are their livelihood. This is critical in a country that iun,liked most developed nations does not affird its citizens free medical and dental care.
Human Services help cover the basics when times get hard. Rent. Utilities. Car payments. Insurance premiums. They also provide career development resources, legal support, senior services, and programs addressing affordable housing.
In short, MusiCares handles the unglamorous but essential stuff that keeps people afloat.
RELATED STORY: Mariah Carey Clears Up Anderson .Paak Rumors
The night was packed with performances that reminded everyone why this community is worth protecting.
Mariah Carey hit the stage, joined by a lineup that included Foo Fighters with Taylor Momsen, Adam Lambert, Billy Porter, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Busta Rhymes, Chante Moore, Jermaine Dupri, , Kesha,  and Teddy Swims. The room also held legends and heavy hitters like Stevie Wonder, SZA, Kim Burrell, Rita Wilson, Gayle King, Richard Marx, and Babyface.
Yes, it was glamorous. Yes, it was powerful. But the vibe felt different. Less industry flex, more family reunion with purpose.
At a time when headlines are dominated by division, the gala felt like proof that music still knows how to build bridges. The same art form that scores our lives is also capable of protecting the people who create it.
More Than an Award
Honoring Mariah Carey was fitting. Few artists embody longevity, resilience, and global impact the way she does. But the bigger headline is what the night accomplished.
Millions raised. Programs funded. Lives stabilized.
Music heals the world every day. MusiCares makes sure the people behind that healing get some care in return.
Article by Jazmyn Summers.  You can hear Jazmyn every morning on “Jazmyn in the Morning “on Sirius XM Channel 362 Grown Folk Jamz .  Subscribe to Jazmyn Summers’ YouTube. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram. 

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February 13, 2026
As Barbados marks 75 years of universal voting rights, Mottley vowed to protect democracy and strengthen the economy.
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottle was elected for a third term as part of a historic sweep, with her Barbados Labour Party (BLP) taking all 30 seats in the House of Assembly, The Guardian reports. 
Unseating opposition leader, Ralph Thorne, Mottley’s BLP secured all the available seats after grabbing voter support by building one of the strongest global profiles of any Caribbean leader. 
With Barbados celebrating 75 years of having the right to vote without being property owners, Mottley guaranteed to take care of the island’s democracy and promised to target the economy, the cost of living, and the country’s place on the world stage.
“Our mission first and foremost is to stop poor people from being poor and to remove injustice wherever it exists to create opportunities for people,” she said.
According to Caribbean National Weekly, Mottley, 60, is the second leader in Barbados history to serve over two consecutive terms. Thorne, who was elected in 2022 first as a member of BLP before moving to the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), labeled the results as disappointing but said, “people have spoken, and we respect their voices.” 
Thorne was one of them. He failed to cast a ballot since he was not registered in the district where he was living and competing.
As the Caribbean’s easternmost country and home to roughly 283,000 people, voting officials have highlighted discrepancies in the voting register prior to elections. The head of the Caribbean Community’s electoral observation mission and opposing candidates felt it could push for a delay, but the electoral commission maintained that citizens had enough time to correct any issues and that the process was legitimate.
Mottley took the oath of office during an intimate ceremony attended by President Jeffrey Bostic, family members, and other invited guests Feb. 12. On X, she continued her celebration.
“Today I was sworn in as Prime Minister by President Lt. Col. The Most Hon. Jeffrey Bostic. I accept this mandate with humility, committed to every Bajan. I thank God, the BLP, my constituents, family & the people for your trust,” she wrote. 
“Now is the time to come together as one nation.”
Today I was sworn in as Prime Minister by President Lt. Col. The Most Hon. Jeffrey Bostic.

I accept this mandate with humility, committed to every Bajan. I thank God, the BLP, my constituents, family & the people for your trust.

Now is the time to come together as one nation. pic.twitter.com/eU794aqT0W
Her leadership seems to be supported worldwide, with well wishes coming from social media users in Nigeria, Uganda, and Liberia.. She thanked her supporters on Facebook, saying she is “fully committed to hono[u]ring it through service and hard work.”
RELATED CONTENT: Barbados Will Be Removing Queen Elizabeth As Its Head Of State

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Surya Bonaly, a Black woman, performed an “illegal” backflip in which she landed on the blade of one skate in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.
As the sports world celebrates Ilia Malinin for landing a backflip at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina and pushing the limits of figure skating with boundary-breaking athleticism, it’s worth noting something the headlines keep leaving out: Surya Bonaly, a Black woman, did it first. She did it decades ago. And she did it more dangerously, more defiantly, and under rules, scrutiny, and politics far harsher than anything today’s skaters face.
As coverage swells around today’s generation of male technical power skaters and their flirtation with once-taboo acrobatics, it raises a bigger question about memory, race, and authorship in elite sports. Because this isn’t just a conversation about a backflip. It’s about who gets remembered as innovation’s architect, who gets pushed out of origin stories, and how in a political climate already hostile to Black history, media storytelling quietly reshapes who the public believes pushed sport forward in the first place.
Right now, coverage of Ilia Malinin, the 21-year-old American skater nicknamed the “Quad God,” reads like the arrival of a new era. Broadcasts and sports outlets describe his skating as electric, revolutionary, boundary-shattering. They say he has the kind of technical dominance that signals the future of the sport. NBC coverage called one Olympic performance “near-perfect,” describing crowds ready to explode before he even finished skating. Commentators talk about him as if he represents the next evolutionary step in men’s figure skating.
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And to be clear, Malinin is extraordinarily talented. This is not about tearing down one athlete. This is about examining which stories get amplified and which ones get buried. Because that breathless language lands very differently if you know the sport’s history, and if you remember who was penalized, dismissed, or treated like a novelty for pushing those same physical boundaries first.
Long before this era of technical hype cycles, Surya Bonaly, a Black French adoptee, was doing backflips in the late 1980s and 1990s, when figure skating was aggressively policing what counted as “proper” skating. The backflip had already been banned in international competition since the 1970s, officially under the language of safety. But like many rules in aesthetic sports, it was also about control over what skating should look like, who should perform it, and how visible athletic risk was allowed to be.
Then came the moment that should live in every Olympic montage but somehow rarely does. At the 1998 Nagano Olympics, Bonaly, who had already been pushed out of medal contention and was openly frustrated with judging politics, ended her routine with a backflip and landed it on one blade. Not two feet. One blade. That landing is objectively harder and more dangerous than the traditional version.
That moment was pure defiance and technical brilliance. And at the time, it was treated less like athletic mastery and more like spectacle, like Black girl attitude, and proof she wasn’t playing by the sport’s unwritten rules.
When Bonaly protested the way judges were scoring her by removing her medal at the 1994 World Championships, wire coverage at the time described it as a “temper tantrum,” framing her protest as emotional instability rather than a protest against a system many athletes had already criticized. You could hear it in how people talked about her. 
When Bonaly did the backflip in Nagano, commentator Scott Hamilton dismissed the move as crowd play, warning viewers, “She’s doing it to get the crowd. She’s going to get nailed.” The crowd booed her, and the message was clear: this wasn’t brilliance, it was performance. 
Years later, even Bonaly herself would point out the double standard, noting that she had once been called reckless and untethered for pushing limits that are now celebrated as innovation. And Black skating analysts and observers have said plainly what the sport often avoids saying out loud: things Black athletes were once mocked or punished for are routinely reframed as revolutionary when performed by white athletes.
Reacting to the latest praise being heaped on a white male figure skater, Bonaly said: “I’m not crazy, but I was called untethered, and now it’s OK.”
The media’s selective amnesia about her backflip matters. Because remembering that she did it first means remembering the racial politics that shaped how it was received. If they remember Bonaly did it first, then they have to talk about why it was framed the way it was when she did it. They have to talk about the aesthetic policing of Black bodies in a sport built on quiet white ideals of grace and restraint. They have to talk about judging systems long criticized for nationalism, bias, and gatekeeping. It is much easier to celebrate acrobatic “evolution” now than to revisit why Black athletic rebellion was once framed as disruption instead of brilliance.
I will never forget watching Surya Bonaly stand on that medal podium in 1994, crying, and taking that silver medal off her neck. I was a college basketball player moving through mostly white coaching spaces where I was constantly described with animal imagery. I was used to hearing the stereotypes that I played off instinct and raw talent, but not intelligence. That my power was natural, not disciplined. That I needed to be controlled to be acceptable.
So when I watched her on that podium, I didn’t just see a skater upset about a medal. I saw a Black woman being forced to perform gratitude inside a system that had already decided what she was allowed to be. I saw what happens when you are asked to be exceptional but never too powerful, talented but never too disruptive, and visible but never fully human. Watching Bonaly cry while cameras rolled felt like watching someone realize that excellence was never going to be enough to make the system fair.
And I remember thinking, even as a young athlete still trying to navigate those spaces myself, that what she did by taking that medal off was bigger than sports. It was about refusing to pretend the system was neutral and refusing to smile for a story that erased what it took to survive inside it.
Fast forward to now, and you have wall-to-wall celebration of acrobatic spectacle as proof of evolution. Language about redefining skating. About rewriting technical ceilings. About changing what’s possible. And in much of that coverage, there is little public reckoning with how the sport treated the Black woman who pushed those physical limits decades earlier under harsher scoring scrutiny, aesthetic policing, and far less institutional protection.
This is what sports memory laundering looks like.
Figure skating has long been one of the most culturally policed Olympic sports. It has long been a space in which whiteness has been quietly coded into ideas such as elegance, purity, line, and tradition. Bonaly disrupted that. She challenged judging systems. She refused to reshape herself into the fragile archetype judges historically rewarded. She brought visible power to a sport that preferred power hidden under softness.
And right now, in a moment when political power is openly trying to control what history is taught and whose stories are centered, these cultural rewrites matter more than ever. Because this is how erasure works in the modern era. It doesn’t always happen through bans. Sometimes it’s through celebration that conveniently forgets who made celebration possible.
The real problem has never been a shortage of Black innovation. There has always been a shortage of historical honesty from people invested in pretending innovation came from somewhere else.
SEE ALSO:
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Funny How It Became ‘Revolutionary’ When A White Skater Did A Backflip A Black Woman Mastered Decades Ago was originally published on newsone.com

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The Pittsburgh rapper broke the news on social media on Friday (Feb. 13), as fans and collaborators offered their condolences.
Wiz Khalifa is sharing gratitude through the pain. On Friday (Feb. 13), the Grammy-nominated rapper revealed that his father, Laurence Thomaz, has died.
“Today my father decided not to wake up,” he wrote in a series of posts on X. “I will always love him, miss him and be [grateful] for the things he taught me. He went out like a true yogi, at peace and on his own time. I love you forever Laurence W. Thomaz.”
In a follow-up post he added, “The last conversation i had with my dad was him telling me how proud of me he was for the movie i was in and I promised him i would do more. LT Forever.”
Today my father decided not to wake up. I will always love him, miss him and be greatful for the things he taught me. He went out like a true yogi, at peace and on his own time. I love you forever Laurence W. Thomaz.
After several fans offered their condolences, Wiz dove deeper into what his father meant to him.
“My father’s passing was sudden but seeing how many people love and respected him makes happy and i know he’s proud that he left a positive impact on this earth. Literally all he ever wanted,” he wrote.
My father’s passing was sudden but seeing how many people love and respected him makes happy and i know he’s proud that he left a positive impact on this earth. Literally all he ever wanted.
The elder Thomaz’s bond with Wiz echoed in how the “Young, Wild and Free” rapper raised his son, Sebastian, whom he shares with ex-wife Amber Rose. In an episode from the 2019 docuseries titled “Wiz Khalifa: Behind The Cam,” Laurence Thomaz reflected on how his grandson changed his son’s life for the better.
“Sebastian’s matured him, but it’s made him more serious and understand: ‘I have to be here; I can’t do the dangerous, reckless things I was doing before: I have this little guy to look out for,’” Thomaz said.
A military man, the elder Thomaz planted the seeds of music in the mind of Wiz at a very young age.
“Wiz’s dad is a real musical person,” Will Dzombak, Wiz’s day-to-day manager and co-CEO of Taylor Gang told Complex in a 2012 interview. “Growing up, instead of watching TV, they used to always listen to music. He took that with him as he got older.”
The rapper added, “My dad made me write down goals every couple of months. He’d say, ‘What are your goals for the next couple months?’ I’d tell him, ‘To get this, to do this, and have enough money to buy this.’”
Condolences to Wiz and his family.

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February 14, 2026
Vanzant’s presence at the 2026 summit aligns with the event’s emphasis on personal accountability, executive leadership, and holistic success. 
The queen of motivational, spiritual, and provocative advice, Iyanla Vanzant, is set to appear at the 2026 Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit, March 11-15, at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Vanzant, best known for hosting OWN’s long-running series “Iyanla: Fix My Life,“ has also authored multiple best-selling books, including “Acts of Faith” and “Peace From Broken Pieces.” The spiritual straight shooter is an ordained minister and has spent decades leading workshops and transformational seminars centered on emotional healing and spiritual growth.
Her presence at the 2026 summit aligns with the event’s emphasis on personal accountability, executive leadership, and holistic success. 
The summit appearance comes as Vanzant returns to television with a refreshed series on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). It’s been nearly five years since her long-running show “Iyanla: Fix My Life” concluded in 2021, and as the attacks on Black women have become more pronounced, she has a message to impart.
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Vanzant premiered her newest series, “Iyanla: The Inside Fix,” in January 2026. The show revisits 12 of the most impactful episodes from the original “Fix My Life” series. Vanzant will offer renewed insights and reflections on the personal growth journeys featured in the earlier episodes. 
“Iyanla: The Inside Fix” builds on her previous work, inviting audiences to explore how life’s challenges and healing processes have evolved. Vanzant describes the series as a focus on reconnection with personal truth and self-understanding rather than simply resolving external problems.
Vanzant will bring the Women of Power audience knowledge to help them move forward from the conference with greater capacity to stand strong in corporate America. The conference will not only speak to the minds of women of color professionals, but it will also speak to their spirits. Be in attendance for the transformative experience.
Registration details for the 2026 Women of Power Summit are available through BLACK ENTERPRISE’s official events page.
RELATED CONTENT: Full Circle Strategies CEO And Win With Black Women Founder Jotaka Eaddy To Receive Luminary Award At 2026 Women Of Power Summit

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February 14, 2026
Shaina Rainford established Bask & Lather Co. to provide natural haircare solutions for growth.
Valentine’s Day allows people to show affection to others and to focus on self-care, which enhances personal confidence and overall well-being. The founder, Shaina Rainford, established Bask & Lather Co. to provide natural haircare solutions for growth, which attracted a loyal customer base through personal experience and community-driven needs. The misdiagnosis of a scalp condition that caused severe hair loss to Rainford’s younger sister inspired her to create this Black-owned brand, with plant-based formulations, that restore scalp health while strengthening hair strands for long-term improvement. Bask & Lather’s most popular products from their Valentine’s Day collection provide a perfect reminder that self-love can start with caring for your hair. The products make perfect additions to self-care hair routines that focus on intentional practice and restoration while delivering measurable results.
The Scalp Stimulator Hair Growth Oil helps with thinning hair, hair loss, or slow hair growth by nourishing the scalp and improving circulation to stimulate stronger, healthier hair when used regularly. Use the product one-to-four times per week or every day if you have localized thinning or bald spots. The cold-pressed blend of rosemary and mint and omega fatty acids promotes hair growth and scalp health through root nourishment and irritation relief and dandruff reduction, and shine enhancement.
The Hair Elixir Oil is a strengthening oil that contains Jamaican Black Castor Oil with vitamins and nutrients to lock moisture into fragile hair while reducing breakage. The product functions as a pre-poo treatment, heat protectant, and hot-oil treatment when applied 3 to 4 times weekly on damp or dry hair. The product is commonly used with Scalp Stimulator. It hydrates hair while softening strands and improving manageability, which supports healthy hair growth.
The Stimulating Scalp & Hair Balm combines shea and mango butters with jojoba oil and peppermint to provide extended hydration and shine to dry scalps and frizzy-textured hair. The balm creates a cooling sensation while improving scalp comfort and delivering antioxidants and vitamin E to support healthier roots and strands. Apply this product following a hydrating mist on wash day or whenever you need moisture and scalp relief. The product has become part of the best-selling collections while increasing its presence on major retail platforms.
The Strengthen Hair Shampoo is a pH-balanced shampoo that contains no sulfates, parabens, or silicones and cleanses the hair without removing its natural oils. Apply this product on wash days to start your hair care routine before using conditioner and treatment products. The product comes in two sizes: standard and XL. The formula includes natural ingredients such as castor oil, grapefruit extract, and shea butter to support scalp health while minimizing hair breakage and dry scalp conditions.
This lightweight spray includes aloe vera with avocado and glycerin to deliver instant hydration while managing frizz and soothing scalp itchiness. The mist enhances hair absorption of conditioners and oils while delivering scalp itch relief.
The Hydrating Hair Mist is designed for daily use and can be applied before styling hair. Bask & Lather provides this product in two different sizes: regular and XL.  
RELATED CONTENT: Uniting the Black Haircare Industry: One Woman’s Journey to Empower

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The Hasakah Museum was built under the Assad regime before the civil war but was requisitioned as a military base and weapons depot before the collection was installed
Photo: Mehmet Balci/Fight for Humanity
The Syrian city of Al-Hasakah is suddenly the owner of a handsome archaeological museum that has never opened its doors to the public—a welcome peace dividend that the local government and an NGO are hoping will soon play a role in healing a war-weary society.
Construction on the Hasakah Museum began in 2002, under Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Designed in a sleek Modernist style, the museum was to house the artefacts found in nearby excavations, such as those at Tell Mozan, home of the fourth millennium BC city-state of Urkesh.
But Syria’s civil war began before the museum was finished or the collection installed. In 2011, according to Montasir Qasim, director of the Antiquities and Museums Department in the Al-Jazira region, Assad’s military forces occupied the building and began using it as a base and weapons depot.
As the war progressed, Al-Hasakah became a flashpoint for the numerous militias fighting in the north. Though the majority Kurdish Al-Jazira area was under the control of Kurdish and Syrian Democratic Forces, the Assad regime occupied part of Al-Hasakah, and in 2016 set up a security perimeter within the centre of the city.
Known as the Hasakah Security Box, the zone included government buildings such as the police and interior ministry offices, a command centre for the army and the mayor’s residence—as well as the Hasakah Museum, which had by then been completed. The security zone lasted until December 2024, when Ahmed al-Sharaa’s forces toppled the Ba’athist regime. Assad’s security forces left Al-Hasakah and non-governmental officials were allowed into the centre of the city.
For many residents, it was the first time they had seen the museum, says Mehmet Balci, who runs the NGO Fight for Humanity.
“It was a wonderful feeling,” Qasim says. “This is the only museum in Al-Hasakah Governorate, and we were waiting for the military forces to withdraw so we could open it and display the artefacts there.”
The museum is spread out over three floors, with two enormous galleries for artefacts and paintings, a tall entrance hall for displaying large pieces and sculptures, and a basement for administrative offices. It is three times larger than the nearby Raqqa Museum, whose own extraordinary collection was looted during the war.
Over the past year the local government has cleaned up the remains of the museum’s military occupation—a requisition of a cultural site that was a war crime under the 1954 Hague Convention. They dismantled the metal bunk beds that had been set up in the offices, swept away the bullet casings and removed the sandbags that were littered across the floor. Fight for Humanity is now seeking funding for the rehabilitation of the building, as its electricity, plumbing and air-conditioning are all in need of repair. The next step will be to secure the collection.
“We, as the Directorate of Antiquities of Northeast Syria, now have warehouses containing approximately 8,000 artefacts,” Qasim says. One of these is the basement warehouse in Rmelan, where archeologists quickly moved artefacts as Islamic State entered the area, and which has been managed by Fight for Humanity. Other objects are being discovered in the ongoing US-led excavation at Tell Mozan and others.
The museum is also significant due to its location and the ethnic make-up of the area. The communities of Syria’s northeastern region, also known as Rojava, or Western Kurdistan, were heavily persecuted by Assad’s regime in Damascus.
Until recently, its three provinces, Al-Hasakah, Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, were under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) rather than of Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government. An agreement reached at the end of December, however, ceded the control of the region to Damascus. In early January, the BBC reported that 12 died in clashes between the SDF and the Syrian government in Aleppo, around 200 miles away from Hasakah and under government control.
In the context of a divided country emerging from war, the Hasakah Museum has an important role to play, Balci says.
“You have so many communities here—Armenians, Assyrians, Arabs, Kurds—and the area’s heritage is for all of them,” he says. “The museum can bring people together to contribute to the pacification of society. The museum is like church. Once you enter, you change, you go back hundreds, thousands of years, and you forget the present. And then people become silent. We become amazed by all these items.”
V&A fights back against Islamic State
Authorities says they have received “good offers from the world powers” to help conserve ancient sites
Syria is set to receive $5m including for Palmyra, while a further $9m has been earmarked to address the impact of climate change on heritage, mainly in Africa
Across the last decade, thousands of archaeological artefacts have been smuggled to safety by NGOs

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A new study published this week found that hair extensions, braiding hair, and wigs contain more than 160 harmful chemicals.
A year after it was found that synthetic braiding hair was filled with carcinogens, new research suggests there is even more to be concerned about.
A study published Wednesday (Feb. 11) in the journal Environment & Health found that some wigs, braiding hair, and extensions contain industrial chemicals more commonly found in pipes, pesticides, and vinyl flooring.
Researchers at the Massachusetts-based Silent Spring Institute analyzed 43 hair extension products purchased online and from beauty supply stores. The sample included synthetic hair, untreated “raw” human hair, and biobased fibers such as banana-based alternatives. In total, scientists detected 169 chemicals, including flame retardants, pesticides, and plastic-stabilizing compounds.
All but two of the products tested contained at least one hazardous chemical. Nearly 10 percent contained organotin compounds, synthetic chemicals linked to hormone disruption. In some cases, concentrations exceeded limits set by the European Union. The study’s authors say more research is needed before regulators can determine whether stricter oversight is warranted.
Two brands in the study, Spetra and Latched & Hooked, were identified as free of the hazardous chemicals detected in the analysis, NBC News reported. 
The findings land at a time when the hair rituals of Black women and the products marketed specifically to them continue to face renewed scrutiny over potential health risks. More than 70 percent of Black women use hair extensions at least once a year, underscoring the importance of their safety.
In recent years, relaxers and other straightening products have also come under examination. Studies have linked frequent use of chemical hair relaxers and straighteners to a higher risk of uterine cancer, further fueling concerns about the long-term health impact of widely used hair products in Black communities.
Elissia T. Franklin, lead author of the latest study and a research scientist at Silent Spring Institute, told Scientific American she felt unsettled by the findings.
“On one hand, I’m excited to get the work out and share this new knowledge with the world,” Franklin said. “On the other hand, I’m learning this new information leans toward the idea that my community is deeply polluted with harmful chemicals, even down to practices that are so embedded in the culture, like getting braids.”
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February 13, 2026
The Student Government Association issued a statement expressing discomfort at the presence of a man in an all-women’s living space.
Students at Spelman College have raised concerns with campus leadership after learning that a male staff member was temporarily housed in an on-campus apartment at the historically all-women’s college.
The Student Government Association issued a detailed statement this week expressing discomfort with the assignment of a male faculty member to housing in one of the residence halls and his use of the on-campus laundry facilities. Spelman confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that the man had been temporarily assigned to the campus unit. However, the situation has since been addressed, with the staff member relocating off-campus.
In addition to concerns about housing, the Student Government Association cited issues related to residence services, specifically water shortages affecting some freshmen residence halls. School officials said clogged sewer lines in Manley Hall and Howard Harreld Hall had temporarily closed restrooms, but those facilities have been cleaned, sanitized, and reopened.
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Students told WSB-TV that the combination of housing and facilities problems has contributed to a sense of frustration with campus conditions. One student said some issues feel unique to historically Black colleges and universities and that there is pressure to accept challenges that might not be experienced at other institutions, according to the report.
The housing concerns at Spelman come as other HBCUs have also faced scrutiny over residence hall conditions. At Howard University, students have previously protested dormitory infrastructure problems, including water damage, mold, and maintenance delays, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported.
Howard students staged demonstrations in recent years over living conditions in campus housing, citing flooding, pest concerns, and repair backlogs. University officials acknowledged the complaints at the time. Additionally, the institution’s leadership outlined plans for facility upgrades and capital improvements.
The situation drew national attention and renewed discussion about infrastructure challenges facing some HBCUs and the cost of modernizing aging residence halls.
RELATED CONTENT: Design Essentials Pledges $250K To Spelman College To Support Future Female Chemists And Innovators

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The Illinois city that made history with its $10 million pledge continues distributing reparations payments to Black residents.
A Black community in Illinois may finally be getting reparations.
This month, as we celebrate Black History Month, Black Evanston residents are celebrating the recently approved reparations program. On Feb 5, Evanston’s Reparations Committee announced plans to issue reparations payments to 44 additional residents this summer. 
“Over the next few weeks, residents assigned numbers 127 through 171 will be contacted to let them know their payment is on the way,” Tasheik Kerr, assistant to the city manager, said per The Chicago Tribune.
The $25,000 payments each resident receives are intended to help cover housing costs. 
In 2019, the Evanston Reparations Committee became the first government-funded initiative in the US to provide reparations to the direct descendants of Black Evanston Residents who experienced housing discrimination between 1919 and 1969. The city is also the first in the nation to pass a reparations plan with a pledge of $10 million over a decade. 
Since then, the state has reportedly received $276,588 for the Reparations Fund through Evanston’s real estate transfer tax, per the Chicago Tribune. However, as of Jan. 31, the fund has not received any donations, which has impacted its ability to distribute reparations.
“It’s really important for people to understand we pay as we have the money, and it’s not that we’re withholding from paying everyone,” Harris said, according to The Daily Northwestern. “It’s just we have to accumulate the funds to make sure we can pay.”
As the city continues to explore different solutions to sustain the reparations fund, including the possibility of taxing Delta-8 THC products, the meeting also included updates on other initiatives supporting Black communities, such as its Family Roots Pilot Program, which aims to help Black communities connect with their ancestry through free DNA tests. 
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Somaskanda, Chola period, 12th century, Tamil Nadu state, India National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
The National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) in Washington, DC, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution, announced last month that it will deaccession three bronze sculptures and return them to India following reviews of the objects’ provenance that revealed they had been removed illegally.
Two of the objects were produced during the Chola period (around 990 and in the 12th century), a time when royal patronage helped establish southern India as a major centre of bronze casting. The third bronze artefact being returned to India dates from the Vijayanagar period in the 16th century.
Saint Sundarar with Paravai, Vijayanagar period, 16th century, Tamil Nadu state, India National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
The bronzes depict Hindu figures and were used in temple worship and ritual processions. Produced using the lost-wax technique, such figures are particularly valued for their naturalistic modelling, fluid movement and devotional function. Many surviving examples were taken from temples during the 20th century as the international market for such artefacts grew.
The oldest of the three objects, Shiva Nataraja, will remain at the NMAA on long-term loan from India, with its full historical context provided in updated signage
Shiva Nataraja, Chola period, around 990, Tamil Nadu state, India National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment and funds provided by Margaret and George Haldeman
In 2023, researchers at the NMAA working with the Photo Archives of the French Institute of Pondicherry found that, between 1956 and 1959, these three bronzes had photographed in temples in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Those findings were then reviewed by India’s Archaeological Survey, which concluded that the artefacts had been taken in violation of national laws.
Late last year, the NMAA returned three statues to the Cambodian government after an internal assessment determined the objects had been taken out of Cambodia during the country’s civil war (1967-75).
The Ram temple in Ayodhya, consecrated next week, has been the subject of a long and deadly campaign by Hindu nationalist groups
The new policy, adopted by all Smithsonian museums on 29 April, will allow each institution to tailor it to their particular collections and provenance considerations
Researchers at the museum concluded that the three artefacts were removed from Cambodia during the civil war of the 1960s and 70s
In a ceremony at the museum, Met director Max Hollein signed a “memorandum of understanding” together with a representative of the Thai cultural ministry

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We’re celebrating Black women celebrities who have shared their inspiring journeys of finding deep, fulfilling love later in life.
I’m definitely not the only millennial feeling like they’re channeling a Tracee Ellis Ross approach to the current dating scene by living life on my own terms. During a sit-down with our forever FLOTUS, Michelle Obama, the Black-ish star said, “I grieve the things that I thought would be and that are not. I’m not married. I don’t have children, and I think I grieve that at times.”
While I do grieve the life I thought I would have, I am also inspired by women like Tracee and those who have found love later in life.
Because Tracee isn’t alone. Several prominent Black women celebrities have publicly shared their inspiring journeys of finding deep, fulfilling love later in life. Each demonstrates – in their own way – that true partnership can arrive regardless of age. These women, many of whom reached the peak of their professional success before settling down, challenge conventional timelines for romance.
Career first, love later. Many of these women focused on building their careers before settling into deep, lasting partnerships.
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Love at any age. Their stories help shift the narrative that love needs to happen early — sometimes later life brings a more grounded, confident connection.

Intentional relationships. Many of these celebs talk about choosing love thoughtfully after personal growth.
*Snging* Halle Berrrrrryyyy, Halle Berry!
This baddie’s love life has been an adventurous one but she has found her forever in musician Van Hunt. According to People, the two “laid the foundation to their relationship by talking on the phone without seeing each other during the pandemic.”
Berry told AARP Magazine, “We were forced to let only our brains connect and discover if we had a connection before our bodies decided to get involved. I’d never done it this way. I fell in love with his mind, his conversation.” The happily engaged couple are writing their own love story.
Berry tells People, “You know, you get to be 54, you just kind of done it a few times, three, to be exact.”
Critically acclaimed actress Viola Davis married her husband, Julius Tennon, in her mid 30s, establishing a strong and enduring commitment to family that has been a bedrock of her life. Before meeting, Davis prayed for a man who was an actor, had children, and was a Christian, specifically asking for a “partner who would complement her life”.
Comedian and actress Niecy Nash embarked on a beautiful new chapter at 50 when she married musician Jessica Betts. Nash described the union as “an awakening.” Following her previous marriages, Niecy’s candidness showcased a powerful story of self-discovery and love later in life.
The Williams sisters, known globally for their unparalleled dominance in tennis, have also written inspiring chapters in their personal lives by finding enduring love later in life.
Serena Williams married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in 2017 when she was 36, after a courtship that began as she was still competing at the highest level. Her journey beautifully illustrates the possibility of achieving professional zenith and building a loving family life. Serena’s union flies in the face of what society often considers “later” years for starting a family. 
Similarly, Venus Williams, who has often spoken about prioritizing her career, demonstrates that one can remain open to love and partnership without adhering to a traditional timeline. The tennis icon married Danish-Italian actor and producer Andrea Preti last year. The couple met in late 2024 at Milan Fashion Week, became engaged on January 31, and held a two-part wedding celebration in Sept. 2025 (Italy) and Dec. 2025 (Florida).
Another celebrated actress, Alfre Woodard, found her lasting partnership at 35. She marryied writer Roderick Spencer. Their supportive marriage is often cited as an example of a long-lasting, stable union in the demanding world of Hollywood. She told People that her 40-year marriage is about ‘constant discovery’: we ‘continue to fall in love.’
Comedian Wanda Sykes married her wife, Alex Niedbalski, at 44. This significant personal milestone coincided with embracing a more authentic, open life. This new chapter resonates with fans and has changed how Sykes approaches her work.
While not a conventional marriage, the “Mother of Black Hollywood,” Jenifer Lewis, champions a powerful narrative of finding profound self-love and stability in her late 50s and 60s, proving that personal fulfillment is the ultimate later-in-life love story.

Finally, the legendary Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Tina Turner, cemented her enduring relationship with Erwin Bach in a civil ceremony when she was 73. Although their loving partnership began much earlier when she was 54, their official union in her later years showcased that respect and happiness can be found and celebrated at any stage of life.
Black Hollywood Icons Prove That True Love Has No Age Limit was originally published on hellobeautiful.com

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February 13, 2026
Data from the federal Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) and HHS reveal roughly $621 million in back child support payments have been collected, including nine collections of more than $300,000 since its 1998 establishment.
The Trump Administration is reinstating a 30-year-old law that revokes passports for parents who owe more than $100K in back child support, Fox News reported. 
The move from the State Department will limit parents’ ability to travel outside the country until they are caught up on their paperwork. Under the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, the federal agency launched the Passport Denial Program to revoke passports for individuals with over $100,000 in assets.
While there are fewer than 500 people in that category, the department is allowing them to enter into a payment plan with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) upon receiving notice. 
Under the same law, passport revocations for those with outstanding child support are allowed if the amount exceeds $2,500; however, the agency only acts when a person applies for a passport, to renew it, or for other services. With passports being valid for ten years, parents with massive back payment issues would be able to keep traveling without interference from the State Department. 
But not anymore. 
In a statement, according to The Travel, the State Department said it is “reviewing options to enforce long-standing law to prevent those owing substantial amounts of child support from neglecting their legal and moral obligations to their children” and sent a harsh warning. 
“It is simple: deadbeat parents need to pay their child support arrears.”
The agency is taking things up a notch. A memo from the U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) states that parents in this category who are already outside the U.S. will have their passports revoked, barring them from traveling to another country and forcing them to return home to settle their debt. 
Data from the federal Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) and HHS revealed roughly $621 million in back child support payments have been collected, including nine collections of more than $300,000 since its 1998 establishment.
With plans to continue, affected parents will be notified by mail if their passport application is denied for failure to pay over $2,500. Still, before that, the state child support agency is known to notify the parent that they are in the Passport Denial Program or that their name is being submitted to OCSS.
RELATED CONTENT: Minding Our Own Business: How Garveyism Imagined Pan-African Identity

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February 13, 2026
by Lori Lakin Hutcherson, GBN Editor-in-Chief
On March 6, 1857, United States Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney oversaw a 7-2 vote against enslaved spouses Dred Scott and Harriet Scott, who had bravely and rightfully petitioned the Court for their freedom.
As agreed to in the Missouri Compromise, if enslaved people worked and lived in free states with or for their owners, this gave the enslaved persons the right to be free.
However, in the majority opinion, Chief Justice Taney stated all people of African descent, free or enslaved, weren’t U.S. citizens and therefore did not have the right to sue in federal court, on top of having the gall to argue that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional, as well as the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
This U.S. Supreme Court decision outraged Northern politicians and abolitionists while bolstering Southern politicians and pro-slavery adherents. The debate raged so deeply that it stoked both sides to believe that only war or succession would “solve” the nation’s slavery dilemma.
Though they didn’t obtain their freedom through the justice system, the Scotts were purchased by people who freed them in May of 1857. Dred found work as a porter in a St. Louis hotel until he contracted tuberculosis and died in September 1858.
Harriet continued living in St. Louis, working as a washerwoman to support herself and her daughters. She lived through the Civil War, witnessing the final abolition of slavery, and passed away on June 20, 1876.
In 1997, Dred Scott and Harriet Robinson Scott were posthumously inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
On March 6, 2017, 160 years to the day after that horrible Supreme Court decision, Charlie Taney, the great great grand nephew of Justice Taney, apologized on behalf of his family to Lynne M. Jackson, the great great granddaughter of the Scotts, outside the Maryland State House in front of Roger Taney’s statue.
In August 2017, that same statue of Taney was removed from the entrance of Maryland’s State House. In 2023, a new, nine-foot-tall granite memorial monument for Dred Scott was dedicated at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, MO.
To learn more about Dred Scott, Harriet Robinson Scott and the Dred Scott Decision, check out the PBS video What Was the Dred Scott Decision?, the 2019 book Dred Scott: The Inside Story by David Hardy, 2008’s Dred Scott and the Problem of Constitutional Evil by Mark A. Graber, and the 2009 book on Harriet Scott called Mrs. Dred Scott: A Life on Slavery’s Frontier by Lea Vandervelde.
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Published in History, Politics and U.S.

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