Group Receiving Donation From Jay-Z's Roc Nation & NFL Partnership Is Getting Dragged For Cutting Off Youth's Dreadlocks For 'A Better Life'

Jay-Z's Roc Nation and the NFL donated $400,000 to two Chicago charties. Now, one of those charties is getting dragged for cutting the youth's dreadlocks for "a better life." Oh. More inside...

As you know, Jay-Z's Roc Nation and the National Football League have joined forces and as part of their newly launched partnership, they will donate $400,000 to two Chicago charities - the Better Boys Foundation Family Services organization and the Crushers Club, according to Variety.

Both charities serve local at-risk youth with alternatives to gang violence and criminal activity. The donations are being handled through the Inspire Change program, launched by Roc Nation & the NFL.

The Crushers Club is set to receive $200,000, along with a free concert featuring Inspire advocates Meek Mill, Rapsody and Meghan Trainor. The free concert was held during the NFL Kickoff Experience at Chicago’s Grant Park yesterday, which is the first event under the new partnership. After the show, concertgoers got to watch the Chicago Bears' season opening game against the Green Bay Packers.

In addition to the free concert and donation, the NFK Kickoff event will also celebrate the launch of Inspire Change apparel and Songs of the Season;

Hours before the event, the Crushers Club came under fire for resurfaced social media posts that feature images of black kids getting their dreadlocks cut off by a white woman for a "better life."

"And another Crusher let me cut his dreads off! It's symbolic of change and their desire for a better life! pic.twitter.com/hKSX2HHl20," the Crushers Club tweeted on October 25, 2016.

The Twitter account @RzstProgramming pulled up the Crushers Club old tweets with the pictures of the white women cutting the black children's drealocks.

 

Today, the NFL’s #InspireChange “social justice” group is funding & visiting a non-profit that wants to cut off the locks of Chicago Black youth for “a better life.” https://t.co/JdvWliIEqv pic.twitter.com/GpPV0DqK2M

— Resist Programming (@RzstProgramming) September 5, 2019

 

"They engage youth with activities, but it appears part of their agenda is #copaganda and a troubling practice of encouraging young black males to allow the director to cut off their dreads," @RzstProgramming tweeted.

 

THREAD: Cutting off dreads for “change...and a better life.”

“Cops and cupcakes”

Praise for Chicago Police

A look at some tweets from one of the Roc Nation “hand-selected and vetted” organizations “as part of the ‘entertainment and social justice partnership’ with Jay-Z...” https://t.co/J4yKYUqvuc

— Resist Programming (@RzstProgramming) September 5, 2019

 

 

How does cutting off locks give Black kids "a better life?"

The problem is not with the kids' hair. It's with the racist assumptions about culturally acceptable hair.

Focus on the racism instead -- right? https://t.co/VIH7vON9Wn

— Simran Jeet Singh (@SikhProf) September 5, 2019

 

 

I am a Black law professor with locs. I earned tenure with locs. I’ve taught students with locs. I’ve gone to court & advocated on behalf of clients with locs. I didn’t have to cut off my locs to do any of those things. Stop colonizing our children’s minds. https://t.co/c3ClMg4XVx

— Erika K Wilson (@Erika_K_Wilson) September 5, 2019

 

@RzstProgramming also highlighted other controversial tweets where the Crushers Club tweeted "All Lives Matter," and said "We need Trump to help us" as Chicago struggles with gun violence. Sheehs.

Following the backlash, the Crushers Club tweeted a video from one of the purported youths whose dreadlocks were cut. He defended the dreadlock cutting.

 

Message from Kobe pic.twitter.com/haXsiKrjnm

— crushersclub (@crushersclub) September 5, 2019

 

"Cut my hair like three years ago, that was something I wanted to do," he said. "I was tired of it, tired of gangbanging, tired of messing up."

The Crushers Club released a statement to The Fader regarding the dreadlock cutting controversy.

"The Crusher’s Club does not have any policies prohibiting dreadlocks — we welcome all hairstyles from our youth," Hazelgrove said in a statement. "On occasion, our kids look to change their hairstyles and ask us to assist, especially since haircuts can be a costly expense for them. Our goal is — and will always be — to equip our youth with the resources to improve their neighborhoods, maximize their potential and develop into the leaders of tomorrow."

Are people just looking for a reason to criticize?  Or is this a valid criticism?  Thoughts?

Photo: Getty

source: theybf