From Black Voices

With Beyonce on her way to complete world domination this year, her mother, Tina Knowles, is focusing her attention on more altruistic endeavors with a new anti-hunger campaign called “Miss A Meal.”

The project — a partnership with Houston, Tx. non-profit Bread of Life Inc. — aims to feed millions of Americans by encouraging people to skip a meal and donate the money they would have spent to feed those who are less fortunate.

Knowles, who tapped her daughters Beyonce and Solange to get the word out about the campaign, said missing one meal is a small sacrifice for many.

“When we say ‘we are starving,’ we have to remember that there are people who are literally starving,” Knowles said in a release. “If everyone fed one person, one meal, we could make a huge difference.”

Read more at BlackVoices.com

Source: WENN

Women of color come in so many beautiful shades. Unfortunately, there is a color complex that plagues the Black community. A complex that impacts both men and women, placing negative stigmas on darker toned skin. CNikky.com recently caught up with “Ice” singer, Kelly Rowland at ESSENCE’s Black Women In Hollywood Luncheon. During the interview, the former Destiny’s Child star got indubitably candid about one particular struggle that she dealt with regarding her self-image, and that was her beautiful brown skin.

“You know what I had great women in my life to help me overcome that. I remember I went through a period where I didn’t embrace my ‘chocolatiness.’ I don’t know if that’s a word, but I didn’t embrace my chocolate lifestyle. Just being a chocolate, lovely brown skin girl and being proud of that.  I remember Tina Knowles, Bey’s mom and I remember being out in the sun and I was trying to shield myself from the sun and she said, ‘Are you crazy?’ She said ‘You are absolutely gorgeous’ and she just told me how beautiful I was and how rare chocolate is and how gorgeous the skin is, all of this stuff. And I was just like ‘Yeah!’ Like a light went off and so with that and my mother and me sitting out in the sun a little more, just to be a little more chocolate,” she revealed.

Kelly also had a word of advice to offer to women who may be struggling with insecurities in their own lives.

“You just embrace it. You embrace everything that you are as a woman, even your flaws too. And those things that you want to fix too and you work at making them better.”

Kelly Rowland is such a beautiful person, on the inside and out. It is very admirable that she is comfortable enough to speak candidly about an issue that people are generally so hush-hush about. Hopefully her transparency will be helpful to another young woman who may be struggling with similar insecurities.

What do you think of Kelly’s revelation?

Source: Instagram

Okay we see you. Miss Baddie Bey herself just uploaded a pic of her “clique,” which includes Mama Tina, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, and cuzzo Angie (sorry it just felt appropriate looking at the pic) Beyince and the ladies are definitely looking quite BOSS.

Folks might think Beyonce’s the only star of the family, but Michelle’s definitely giving us a “who want it with me?” face. Caption this pic and tell us what you think is going through all of their heads.

WENN

Model Selita Ebanks showed up for the 29th Annual Fashion Group International Night of Stars event in NYC shimmering and shiny in this light blue metallic floor-length gown. The material on the dress was ruched and draped around her body, and around the waist was a wide band that sat above her sassy slit. She threw on strappy silver heels with a silver clutch, small chandelier earrings, a bold wine-colored lip and had a black fur in hand. While it’s a pretty dress, something about it isn’t flattering on her figure and it seems like a gown better suited for an older woman. Plus, the hair is a little blah. Pretty girl, but I’ll have to pass on this ensemble.

WENN

Source: Mirror.co.uk

Mother’s Day was officially yesterday, but there’s still enough motherly love to go around this Monday. We know Beyonce, Tina Knowles, and little Blue Ivy are hardly the only famous mother-daughter-granddaughter trio around, but like Jada Pinkett and her family, Beyonce took a moment to express her love for her mother publicly, in a letter to Tina on her website. Matthew Knowles usually gets all the credit for Beyonce’s super stardom but Bey wants everyone to know the role her mother played in her success as well. Here’s what she wrote:

We’re wondering if hand-written letters are going to be Bey’s new thing since we already saw her send a special note out to Michelle Obama on her website a little while back. In addition to showing her mother some public love, Bey also posted a cute “Love On Top” mother’s day remix made by four adorable little stars known the Gurlie Girlz that’s worth a look. Check it out and tell us what you think.

What would you say to your mother in a letter?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Let me be clear in saying, I’m talking Louisiana Creole descent. Sorry if you clicked and were looking for one of the many other kinds. But where was I?

Frenchcreole.com identifies Creole people as a broad cultural group of people of all races who share a French or Spanish background. No matter how you come to the conclusion that one is Creole (and please, let’s not get into the colorstruck aspects of it all), there are many people who identify as such, and they speak a wide variety of languages. In our random travels through the Internet (or da Intanetz as we like to call it), we were surprised to find a number of celebrities who are of the Louisiana Creole heritage. If you’re nosey like us, you probably want to know who. Check it out.

Source: drumlessons.com

Sheila E.

Sheila Escovedo is hands down one of the coolest people to ever pick up a set of drumsticks and go to town on the drums, and if you didn’t know, she’s also of Mexican and Louisiana Creole heritage. Her father, famous drummer Pete Escovedo, is Mexican-American, while her mother, Juanita Escovedo (formerly Gardere), is French and black. I’ve been a fan since homegirl showed up in Krush Groove and dropped The Glamorous Life, but I can say that I didn’t know she was Creole…

Source: Theboxhouston.com

PEOPLE may not have gotten the first pics of Blue Ivy, but they’re definitely getting all the dirt on Beyonce’s pregnancy. While Bey hasn’t talked to anyone about her famous “folding dress” debacle or talk that she had a surrogate, she did finally address those rumors in her recent spread with the magazine, after being named the “World’s Most Beautiful Woman 2012,” and she even had mama Tina along to back her up.

We all remember how Solange went off on Twitter about all the negativity surrounding Blue Ivy’s birth but Bey says she wasn’t nearly as upset as her little sister.

“That was crazy. It wasn’t hurtful, it was just crazy,” she told PEOPLE in its latest issue. “[I thought] ‘Where did they come up with this?’”

Mama Knowles was more in the Solange camp, telling the magazine:

“I thought it was very unfair and very cruel that someone would think that someone would be that diabolical to keep up a charade like that for nine months. As a mother it was painful for me to hear the crazy rumors. And I even had people ask me, which was so ridiculous.”

The clothing designer also spoke on all the fake baby bump rumors that arose after Beyonce’s famous Australian interview when her stomach appeared to fold flat as a pancake when she sat down.

“It was a fabric that folded — does fabric not fold?” Tina said, seemingly irritated. “Oh my gosh, so stupid.”

Beyonce, who’s obviously more adept at dealing with people throwing shade at everything she does, also said the reports that her and Jay-Z’s security demands upset the hospital where Blue Ivy was born are also “so crazy” and “ridiculous.” And while the rest of the world was going through fake baby bump/surrogacy rumor mania, Beyonce wasn’t paying much of it any mind.

  “There was so much love and well wishes from all over the world — it made it easier to deal with the stupid rumors,” she said.

Well, there we have it, straight from the singer’s mouth. Are you finally convinced  Beyonce birthed Blue Ivy?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Beyonce hit Manhattan yesterday, sans baby Blue, in an outfit we’d expect to see on her younger sister Solange. Even though it’s a step in a different direction, we’re definitely feeling the multi-print skirt. Allegedly, she, her body guard Julius and Mama Tina were in the city running errands. What do you think of this look? I’m not feeling these particular shoes with this Bohemian look and I’m a bit tired of those glasses but there’s no denying she looks great. What do you think?

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Source: Beyonce Online

President Obama’s star-studded New York City fundraiser was definitely a girl power event—at least as far as the Knowles-Carter family goes. Last night, Beyonce, her mother Tina, her mother-in-law Gloria Carter, and her cousin Angie Beyince, stepped out together for an exclusive event at the Greenwich Hotel to make sure President Barack Obama gets reelected this year.

Tina Knowles co-hosted the fundraiser, which featured an appearance by First Lady, Michelle Obama, along with Whoopi Goldberg, Angela Bassett, and Star Jones. It’s easy to see why the room was full of stars. According to the Hollywood Reporter, tickets to the event were $5,000, which got you a photo with Mrs. Obama, and for $25,000, you could attend a private greet session with the First Lady.

I imagine Beyonce and her crew didn’t have to do all that since her husband Jay has “Obama on the text” and all, but I must say the ladies look lovely.

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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With the much-anticipated first-born child of Jay-Z and Beyonce making his/her debut to the world in the next few weeks, we thought we’d help the happy couple select baby names. We think it’s a girl but in all fairness, we’ve suggested a mix of  boy and girl names. Have any ideas? Submit them in the comments.

1. Knowles (unisex)

This would’ve been the obvious choice if it hadn’t been for Matthew Knowles infidelity and recent divorce from Beyonce’s mom Tina Knowles. After all, Beyonce was named after her mother’s maiden name of Beyince. It’s a great way to maintain the mother’s side of the family legacy but alas, we think it may not be likely in the Matthew Knowles aftermath.