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More #WBLSRewind: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of 2018
2018 was one crazy ass year. From Donald Trump’s morning Twitter rants to Bill Cosby’s incarceration, media outlets never had a shortage of breaking news stories to pull from.
Multiple lives were lost in mass shootings and senseless gun violence across the country. The image of the quintessential Black family on television fell apart as hundreds of thousands watched Bill Cosby get convicted and sentenced to 3 – 10 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault. Shootings of unarmed Black men by police soared. Kanye West lost his mind.
With so many headlines, it may have been hard to keep track. So here’s a list of 8 of 2018’s biggest headlines to help you remember just what kind of year we really had.
1. Kanye West
Kanye West had a helluva year.
One month before dropping his eight solo studio album, Ye, the G.O.O.D. Music mogul started rocking Donald Trump’s infamous “Make America Great Again” cap – and people were pissed. Shortly after, he appeared on TMZ Live and embarked on an outrageous rant about his opioid addiction, his mental health, and slavery, saying African Americans engaged by choice.
His tirade went on for approximately 12 minutes, and continued during his SNL appearance, where he held the cast hostage as he ranted on. He’s since said he’s come to his sense, but only 2019 will tell.
2. Bill Cosby
After a prolonged trial, America watched its former favorite TV dad walk out of a Pennsylvania courtroom in handcuffs.
Judge Steven O’Neill sentenced Bill Cosby to 3 – 10 years in prison after being convicted of three counts of aggravated indecent assault. The judge deemed Cosby a “sexually violent predator.”
The disgraced 81-year-old actor is appealing the court’s decision.
3. Kevin Hart
After rumors circulated about Kevin Hart being the chosen one to host 2019’s 91st Academy Awards ceremony, the funnyman turned to Instagram to confirm the whispers. He posted a photo of Hollywood’s coveted golden Oscar, and captioned it by saying this “would be an opportunity of a lifetime,” and continued to say, “This has been a goal on my list for a long time….To be able to join the legendary list of host that have graced that stage is unbelievable.”
Unfortunately, his celebration was short-lived because two days later he posted a video telling fans that Internet trolls have been busy researching past incidents that will effect his future. Those same trolls pushed him to (unnecessarily) step down from his dream gig. (And the Academy never said a word.)
4. Colin Kaepernick
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Colin Kaepernick’s name has swarmed headlines ever since he took a knee at the playing of the National Anthem during the San Francisco 49er’s third preseason game in 2016. He was ousted from the NFL shortly after. He beliefs started a movement, which sparked controversy, which made things between sports and state very complicated.
Fast forward two years, and he’s become the face of a new generation of political and social justice activists while still lobbying to get his job back in the NFL. Nike took notice, and got behind the 31-year-old by making him the face of their 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign.
Many tried to persuade people into boycotting the brand for their “unpatriotic” act, but that just highlighted the campaign even more. So much so that Nike announced record profits after creating their latest ad.
5. Mass Shootings
Beginning Feb. 14, America embarked on a mass killing spree and didn’t even know it.
A then 19-year-old Florida resident named Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 people and leaving 17 others injured. Three months later, a student at Santa Fe High School in Texas shot and killed 10 people and left 14 others injured. Five months after that, a man named Robert Gregory Bowers opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, P.A. He killed 11 people and injured six others. Then, one month later, a former marine named Ian David Long entered a venue called Borderline Bar + Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif, killing 13 people and injuring at least 12 others. He left a video saying he did it all to prove to America that he could.
Those were just the stories that made the headlines.
6. Family Separation
Earlier this year, Donald Trump implemented a family separation policy as a part of his “zero tolerance” immigration policy. Under this policy, children were literally ripped away from their parents as they tried to cross the U.S./Mexico border to seek asylum.
A judge later overturned Trump’s ability to carry out this policy; however, many children taken from their families still remain (caged) in U.S. custody.
7. Unarmed Shootings of Black Men
In 2018, the number of unarmed Black men shot and killed by police was innumerable.
Emantic “EJ” Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., 21
Jemel Roberson, 26
DeAndre Ballard, 23
Botham Shem Jean, 26
Antwon Rose Jr., 17
Robert Lawrence White, 41
Stephon Clark, 22
Danny Ray Thomas, 34
Jonathan Hart, 21
These are just a few of the names that made front-page news.
8. White House Down
As of Nov.14, 56 members of the Trump administration have either resigned, been fired, or otherwise dismissed. And that doesn’t include the latest set of staffers to leave 1600 Pennsylvania Ave like Trump’s now former Chief of Staff, John Kelly.
To no surprise, Kelly won’t be the last to leave Trump’s team (especially after Michael Cohen came forward to address what Trump’s been doing behind closed doors — after being sentenced to 36 months in prison).