Welcome 2025: The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs Commanding our Attention in the New Year
- Black Male Actors Take the Lead
Aaron Pierre lit up our screens with his charisma and intensity in the Netflix hit Rebel Ridge (2024). But this wasn’t the first foray into acting. Before his current turn as the voice of the title character in Barry Jenkin’s Mufasa (2024), Pierre starred in the TV mini-series The Underground Railroad (2021), and Clement Virgo’s critically acclaimed Brother (2022). Born in Croydon, UK, Pierre has roots in Sierra Leone, Jamaica, and Curaçao, and commands various accents with seeming ease. This gorgeous, 6-foot 3-inch, caramel-skinned, hazel-eyed Brit has the talent and versatility for period dramas, action movies, and (we’re hoping soon), romance.
Aaron Pierre
Aldis Hodge wowed us in his 8-episode, Amazon Prime Video thriller Cross (2024) playing the lead role of Alex Cross, a grieving black homicide detective struggling to find normalcy after the senseless murder of his beloved black wife. His portrayal of a sensitive, keenly intelligent, ethical family man who was both deeply vulnerable and physically commanding helped to dent the limiting stereotypes of black masculinity. But you likely remember Hodge from his other exemplary performances like Jim Brown in Regina King’s One Night in Miami (2020) and James Lanier, trusty friend to Elisabeth Moss’ battered wife Cecilia Kass in Leigh Whannell’s horror-thriller Invisible Man (2020). This handsome, chocolate-coloured, North Carolina native has African American and African Caribbean (Saint Thomas) roots and the acting chops to take on roles in action, thriller, drama, and (we’re hoping soon), romantic movies. (Are you seeing a pattern here!) We look forward to seeing much, much more of Pierre and Hodge in 2025 and beyond.
Aldis Hodge
2. Pelicot Rape Trial
Sexual violation is surely one of the most horrible things that can be inflicted on a person. For women, this often takes the form of being physically overpowered by a stronger, more powerful man. While getting a woman drunk has been a part of the playbook of despicable men everywhere for generations, or perhaps even longer, the twenty-first century has seen a rise in the use of drugs to subdue and incapacitate women prior to the sex act. So, we are dealing with a new landscape of sexual depravity in which predators do not merely attempt to “soften up” their victims by lowering their inhibitions and denying them the ability to articulate their lack of consent, they are literally ensuring that communication of any kind is impossible.
France, which has been slow to reckon with the #MeToo movement has finally been dragged into the conversation through the despicable actions of Dominique Pelicot who has been found guilty of drugging his wife, seventy-two-year-old Gisèle Pelicot, between 2011 and 2020 to facilitate her rape by some fifty men (all of whom were found guilty of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault in December 2024).
But let’s focus on the extraordinary dignity and courage of Madame Pelicot whose brave choice to waive her anonymity and throw open the doors of the courthouse made “shame swap sides” and compelled France and much of the world to take a long, hard look at the intertwined issues of spousal abuse, desire, consent, sexual violence and predation, and autonomy. Disturbingly, many of the men who ranged from twenty-seven to seventy-four years of age (one of whom was HIV positive) who visited the Pelicot home in Mazan at Dominique’s request were not deterred by Madame Pelicot’s clearly unconscious state. (Video taken by her depraved husband showed her as unresponsive and even snoring during the rapes.) Frustratingly, there was no “rapist type” amongst these men, that is, if you are looking at things like class and occupation. But clearly these men did have a quality in common which is a shared misogyny fueled by an utter depravity which allowed them to seek and gain sexual pleasure through the creation of what Madame Pelicot has astutely referred to as “rape scenes” through which they sought pleasure for themselves and Dominique Pelicot through the violation of an unconscious and helpless woman.
But these issues are of course far bigger than France and we need urgently to reckon with how and why generations of men have been raised to find pleasure in nonconsensual sexual contact with incapacitated or unconscious women. How has pleasure been so disastrously unhinged from consent, or have we, as the human family ever ensured a secure connection between the two? If not, how can we begin to prioritize doing so now?
For bravely taking your rightful place in the courtroom almost every day and heroically sitting through the unfathomable testimony of your husband’s culpability in your decades-long abuse, we salute you Madame Pelicot. Merci, nous vous saluons!
Madame Gisèle Pelicot, Héroïne
3. Sugar and Mental Health
Are you a sweet or salty person? What we mean is, if given the option, would you reach for the chocolates or the chips? While many would say both, others have a decided preference. Of course, too much sugar or salt is bad for your health and sugar has long been associated with increases in body fat, weight, and chronic illnesses like diabetes. But scientists are now demonstrating that sugar is also not so great for your brain.
While the brain relies on glucose for its main source of energy, too much is not a good thing. Indeed, research now shows that excess sugar consumption leads to memory and cognitive deficiencies. In a clinical study by Prof. Shebani Sethi of Stanford University, participants who were put on a ketogenic diet (consisting of 10% calories from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, and 60% from fat) experienced beneficial overall health and brain health results. Besides improved sleep, mood, and quality of life, “participants improved 31% on a psychiatrist rating of mental illness known as the clinical global impressions scale, with three-quarters of the group showing clinically meaningful improvement.”
So, what does this mean? Of course, a little indulgence, from time to time, is not a horrible thing, if you are not afflicted by chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes. But now that we know the lay of the land on sugar and brain health, it behooves us to think twice before putting the second spoonful of sugar in that coffee or eating the too-big slice of pumpkin pie at that Thanksgiving dinner. Remember, it’s not just bad for your waistline, but for your brain health too.
Brain + Sugar = No Good
4. Bracing for Trump 2.0
Ok, so if you are not aware that things will get worse for black folks in the USA (and internationally) under Trump’s second run at the American presidency, then you: 1) have awakened from an eight year coma, (2) have your head stuck up another body part, or (3) just arrived from another plantet (perhaps on one of those unidentified drones currently flying over New Jersey). How do we know this? We abide by the sage insights of wise black elders like Maya Angelou who famously pronounced, “when people show you who they are, believe them.” Well, you do not have to tell us twice!
Donald J. Trump has openly expressed disdain and hatred for all kinds of BIPOC communities (and/or refused to publicly rebuke his surrogates who did so) including black folks (like Haitians), Latinos (like Puerto Ricans), and Arabs (many of whom are Muslim). His hate-filled brand of America first populism also damages US relations with allies like Canada and Mexico and threatens to ignite conflicts with adversaries like China (tariffs anyone?). But Trump’s unspoken or deliberately unarticulated (remember his “concepts of a plans” about healthcare) policies on issues like healthcare, policing, education, reproductive rights, and climate change will prove not merely inconvenient, but deadly to black folks. Worse still, the band of unqualified, sycophant loyalists who he is appointing to his cabinet is designed to harm and destroy the very departments to which they are being appointed. Meanwhile, conflicts of interest whether for Trump or his billionaire pals (like Elon Musk) abound as the foxes are literally being put in charge of the hen houses.
So, to our black American sisters who stayed the course for Kamala Harris and the Democratic party to the tune of 92% of their vote, we say thank you and we support your right to say a big fat “I told you so” to everybody else when the shit hits the fan (and it will), and people who were conned into thinking that Trump gave a damn about them realize that malignant narcissists are incapable of caring about anyone but themselves.
Trump 2.0
5. Edward Mitchell Bannister Gets His Due
News Flash: Nineteenth-century Canada was not a mecca for the fine arts. Even in metropolitan centres like Toronto and Montreal, art schools and academies were not established until late in the century. Prior to that, patrons seeking “high” art like marble portraits busts or landscape paintings had to rely on itinerant artists or take the big trek to Europe for the Grand Tour. So how exactly did an African Canadian boy, born and raised in the sleepy port town of Saint Andrews, New Brunswick grow up to be one of the most distinguished American painters of his generation?
Well, with not one but two major exhibitions planned featuring the artworks of Edward Mitchell Bannister, we might finally get the answer to that question. Hidden Blackness: Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828-1901) runs at the Owens Art Gallery in Sackville, New Brunswick from January 25 to April 6, 2025. Meanwhile, Prof. of History of Art and Architecture at Brown University, Dietrich Neumann, and Associate Professor Sara Picard of Rhode Island College have been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts (USA) grant to curate a national-travelling exhibition of Bannister’s art to coincide with the 200th anniversary of his birth.
Born around 1828, Bannister worked as a sailor, eventually moving to New York, then settling in Boston in the 1840s and 1850s, and finally Providence, Rhode Island in 1870. Bannister’s life was transformed by his employer, the ground-breaking entrepreneur Madam Christiana Carteaux (1822-1902) who eventually became his wife (1857), providing the young artist with a stable source of financial support and encouragement. While most artists gravitated to one genre, Bannister created religious, still life, and portrait paintings, becoming best known for his accomplished landscapes in the French Barbizon style.
Importantly, Bannister gained regional and national recognition for his art, winning an Award of Premium at the Rhode Island Industrial Exhibition in 1872 for Summer Afternoon and a first-place bronze medal and certificate of award for Under the Oaks (now lost) at the Philadelphia Centennial International Exposition in 1876. These were tremendous accomplishments for any artist, but breakthrough achievements for a black artist working in the fine arts with patronage largely from white communities. We’re thrilled to see banister finally get his day in the sun on both sides of the border.
Edward Mitchell Bannister
6. All Eyes on P. Diddy’s Downfall
Can anyone get through a best of the 90’s playlist without coming across several P. Diddy (Sean John Combs) jams? Lately the sound of this mega-producer’s voice talking over his Bad Boy rappers and singers makes us want to throw up. OK, we aren’t prudish, so we understand that money plus power, plus music industry, plus Hollywood equals unrivaled partying. But the details that have been exposed thus far make it clear that a lot more than just partying was going on at Puffy’s crib. Indeed, his famed White Parties – for some, the hottest ticket in East Hampton – became scenes of alleged debauchery and orgies. But while grown folks desiring to have sex with other grown folks would have been just fine, these parties were allegedly not about consensual sex. Based on insider information, various media sources now allege that Diddy’s so-called White Parties were spaces in which he orchestrated sex between prostitutes and various party-goers often after “participants” had been plied with drugs and/or alcohol which resulted in states of (un)consciousness in which consent was impossible. (This surely means, as lawyer Tony Buzbee has stated publicly, that many more cases, victims and alleged perpetrators will be named in the coming weeks and months.)
That Diddy understood the physical strain under which his alleged marathon sex sessions placed the “partiers” was clear, given his use of intravenous hydration to help people “recuperate” from the debauchery. What is worse, the mounting evidence seems to indicate that Diddy bribed and manipulated up-and-coming music stars (especially young people intent on making it in the industry), by promising career-making opportunities based upon their participation in his depraved sexual exploits, or threatening to ruin, stall or never start their careers if they refused. Although we’ve all by now heard and seen evidence of P. Diddy’s deplorable and violent behaviour towards former girlfriend Cassandra Ventura, P-Diddy was allegedly an equal opportunity rapist, also forcing young, ambitious, straight (and presumably mainly black) men to engage in nonconsensual sex with him and other men (some prostitutes). Diddy has also been accused of gang rape and grooming a male musician by forcing him to hire male prostitutes and have sex with them and trying to convince him that homosexual sex was a “normal part of the music industry”.
While rape is of course an atrocious breach of personal space and bodily autonomy for anyone, the historical physical and social vulnerability of females in a misogynistic world has meant that women do not tend to interpret rape as an assault on their identity as women. In contrast, we can’t underestimate the extent to which straight men – especially black men – interpret same-sex sexual assault as an absolute assault in their manhood which strikes at the core of their identity. Therefore, P-Diddy’s same-sex sexual assaults on black men struck at the heart of a historical vulnerability that dates back to the diabolical violations of our enslaved black male ancestors by white male enslavers and their male surrogates during slavery.
This debased behaviour – sadly allegedly widely shared by the likes of Bill Cosby, R. Kelly, Harvey Weinstein, and Peter Nygard – has us wondering about the intersection of power, sex, and consent. As the nineteenth-century English historian and politician Lord Acton wrote “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” These words that Acton wrote to one Bishop Creighton still apply today as do his other words that followed, mainly, “Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority.”
Sean John Combs (aka, P. Diddy, Puffy Daddy, Puffy)
7. GLP-1 Drugs Take Canada by Storm
Did you know that the United Nations has declared obesity a global chronic health problem? The World Health Organization asserts that “globesity” detrimentally impacts both developed and developing nations. According to their data, “more than one billion people worldwide are obese, including 650 million adults, 340 million adolescents and 39 million children.” Obesity Canada explains that “Obesity is a progressive chronic disease, similar to diabetes or high blood pressure, which is characterized by abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health.”
Enter the “quick fix” of GLP-1 drugs, initially approved for diabetes. But what are they, what do they do, and how do they do it? There is much speculation and seemingly no settled scientific consensus on precisely how these drugs work or even where they are working in our bodies (the brain and/or the gut). But as we know from recent research on the microbiome, the gut is the brain! Although it is known that these drugs seem to simulate an artificial copy of the hormone Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1), there are competing theories about how they get this done. By the way, GLP-1 which is found in the gut and throughout the brain, is what signals our brains to stop eating. About those competing theories, Johann Hari author of Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight Loss Drugs,(2024) explains that while some scientists believe that the drugs dampen the “reward system” of the brain, others believe they reset our preferences, and still others that they dial up our “satiety system”. He also warns that besides offering potential benefits with regard to addiction, these drugs also clearly introduce drawbacks related to depression.
Some 30% of Canadian adults are obese. The number goes up to 41.9% for American adults according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But there is differentiation within black communities. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), while African Americans have an obesity rate of 35.42%, the rate of black Caribbeans who are obese is 25.13%. But African American women have the highest rates of obesity compared to their fellow non-black citizens. Meanwhile, Canada (of course) has not collected race-based statistics on obesity. But it’s a safe assumption that the rates of obesity amongst black Canadians are worse than those of white Canadians. Since the verdict is not yet out on the use of these drugs over the short- or long-term, it should be of concern that between 900,000 and 1.4 million Canadians are now taking them. Our recommendation, look before you leap.
GLP-1 Drug Domination
Wishing you Love, Joy, and Abundance in 2025!